[s] Astra: Ascend.

The mad god, obviously disappointed by the girl not melting into blood, shook the Sorceress off of his sword and started slowly limping toward the unconscious Astra.

Danielle was the one to catch her, of course. “No… no, I can save you-”

“Don’t…”

“What…?” She was taken aback by this. The Sorceress just smiled weakly.

“Don’t bother… trying to save me… But I want you to remember me… I saw you writing my stories down… publish them… tell my tale wherever you go. Make sure no one makes the same mistakes I did…” It seemed she was slowing time around herself, just to say what she needed to say.

“Understood, ma’am…”

“And… listen.” her sad violet eyes met Danielle’s striking blue. “Just… remember never to take your family for granted, make sure they all know you love them… and promise one day, whether it’s your time or just some happenstance, you’ll visit me…”

“I promise…”

“Maybe someday I’ll be able to come back… as a normal person, and live a normal life… for this universe. But… I want that to be on my time… Don’t come around with a stone unless I’ve said the word, okay…? And make sure you bring two, if they’re dual use… I want you to meet them…”

“Alright…”

“I’m gonna be with my family again… but first… I’ve got just enough energy… to do one final thing… thank you, Danielle, for being able to ease my regrets since I‘ve been with you... And tell all your friends I thank them too… I’ll see you on the other side…”

She pulled herself weakly out of Danielle’s arms and rose to her feet. At the same time, Xerizero moved to strike down Astra once and for all…

…But with a small zapping noise, he would find himself with the Sorceress on the end of his blade again, eyes glowing with a strange ethereal shine. Astra roused from her unconsciousness just in time to see this…

What would happen next would be a cascade of events in fast motion.

Clearly Xerizero did not notice the ethereal glow, as he merely tossed her aside again. But as he lifted his sword to strike, the ground would start to quake from the direction of the dying Sorceress, knocking him off his feet. From her wounds, a bright light seeped from the Sorceress’ body, rushing toward Astra and surrounding her, causing her to panic.

All the while the shaking grew harder, more intense, more terrifying. He attempted to get up again, to finish this before it started, but the light struck him, burning him and causing him to scream out in pain.

All the group huddled together in fear of what was about to happen, as the fortress began to collapse around them and Astra, still panicking, rose up into the air surrounded in a veil of bright white light. But soon the recognition would come to her eyes and the fear would cease, giving way to acceptance, just before she was consumed entirely by the light.

As soon as she was, the shaking reached its apex, and out of the ground below her shot up a giant pillar of light, which shot up into the sky and through the dark clouds, parting them and making way for a view of the night sky for the first time in a hundred years.

Soon the shining began to spread across the floor, like vines racing out to ensnare a foe. It kept spreading, past Ranthael over there, past the dying Sorceress, past our heroes, and up over the walls and outside again.

The Sorceress gave Danielle a small smile, and closed her eyes, as she too rose into the air and joined the glow. And they both disappeared into the light as the shaking continued, ever as strong as it had been, the light roaring out of the ground. It spilled over into the valley holding the fortress and spread ever-quicker, wrapping everything it touched in a brilliant white sheen. Trees, stones, grass, everything the light made its way to was lost in the glow. In the midst of it, you could see the towers of the Lost Society collapsing under the cover. Dark creatures set upon the fortress to protect it were dissolved in short formation.

Outside of the valley, the great battle raged on. Both sides grew tired of fighting each other, both Xephixirian soldiers and the darkened soldiers of the corruption struggling to take swings at each other. No one seemed to be paying attention to what was going on beyond the mountainous wall, at least, not until the light started spilling out.

 It spilled past every soldier on the battlefield, restoring the wounds of the Xephixirians and enveloping the dark hearts of the Existen army they were fighting. Those who had not become full on corruption beasts opened their eyes wide as their sanity returned to them, and those who had dissolved into the light. And it continued to spread, past the battleships marking the borders of the fight, past the tiny villages, consuming everything it touched. In it, you could see ancient bones swirl up from the dust and regrow their flesh. Trees and plants twisted by the unending corruption returning to their natural shape. Buildings long since destroyed in the wake of this nightmare contorting and riding back up to their original shape.

It spread in all directions, over mountains, through fields, into forests, and out onto the seas. It seemed ceaseless, only continuing to accelerate as it spread. In fact it only seemed to stop the minute all edges of the light had met, and the whole planet was consumed. Those who were standing on it would also feel the shaking that the heroes in the fortress felt.

But in another place entirely, during the night in Nintendria, a young woman held an oversized scarf and stared up at the sky, in the general direction the ships had flown off in. She had lost her girlfriend up there. And unlike that Angel girl, she could never get her back. Or so she thought, because she very obviously did not notice the gentle shimmer from behind her, as a person reformed on the stairs of the castle. This woman appeared not to mind her dark red hair falling in her face as her milky white eyes, defocused as they were, stared in Kit’s general direction. She walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump as the landscape started to get unusually bright for this time of the night.

Though they would shortly be unable to notice this, the rest of the patrons of the castle sure did. And everyone rushed outside to see it as the sky continued to get brighter, and brighter, and brighter, as one of the stars in the sky became as a second sun. Even in Shadowrian, it was as bright as day as that star, which was in truth the planet Cerphixen, became ever brighter.

Back at the fortress, the heroes could just begin to see two figures through the light as the pillar began to subside along with the earthquake. It wasn’t too hard to tell just who they were, of course, having been powing around with them for the last forever or so, but something was… different. And the light had indeed also enveloped Ranthael, but as it cleared away from him, it seemed that it was only to restore his wounds as well. No, the ones in the pillar seemed different from how they were.

When it finally did clear away, after a minute or two, it revealed the Sorceress, eyes closed and smiling in final peace, in the outfit she preferred to wear. But it also revealed Astra, eyes lit with astral fire, wearing an entirely new outfit and hair flowing ethereally with no breeze to make it so. Just as well, her sleeves seemed to swirl around similarly, as if they were made of something other than fabric. Her wings also seemed to have gotten larger, becoming more fitting to a newly ascended goddess than the lowly priestess she had once been. All around her body swirled flames of an unknown sort of energy. And she lifted her hand, and gently levitated the body of her predecessor into Danielle’s arms, giving a gentle, sad smile.

“Her greatest act was not creating these planets and this universe in life… it was saving them in death.”

The newly ascended goddess extended a hand toward Ranthael, aiding him to his feet. But then her smile turned to a glare of anger, and she looked down upon Xerizero, on his knees - or rather what was left of them, staring up at her in horror.

“Far too long have you been allowed to commit atrocities unhindered.” She thundered, “You corrupted my people and my planet. You destroyed sacred relics. You raped a woman whom you knew would have to suffer with child because her body would not be able to handle abortion. You stole a young woman’s only thing to cling to in this world just to force her to obey, then made her watch as you did the same to someone else. You disintegrated a young man just for daring to question you. You enacted a genocide of anyone who dared want something better. You kidnapped. You lied. You made these people suffer for a hundred years. It’s time you answer for these deeds, Xerizero Re. It’s time for you to pay the price.”

“N-no… please… I can change, I want to change…!”

“It’s too late for that.” In her left hand, she materialized a sword of energy, and she set upon him like a wolf on an injured deer, inviting Ranthael to join in on the beat down, of course.

And all the while the glowing finally began to subside, revealing the change to the planet. The twisted, horrible landscape was gone, revealing fresh green grass, healthy trees, and animals that hadn’t seen the light of life in a hundred years. Existen praying to the gods, apologizing profusely to them and the soldiers with which they battled for their sins. Towns formerly only sustained by scrap and foraging restored to noble cities as the people that lived in them celebrated in the streets. A temple risen from the earth, the symbol of Light formerly decorating the space above the door replaced with a red gear, and the statue inside, perhaps by the will of Lucentielle herself, changed from a golden six-winged woman, to a silver statue of a bright young Existen with large wings and flowing ethereal hair. As if to welcome her to the pantheon.

And far and away from all of this, in Ethernealrus, two souls would rise up to Heaven.

A dark woman in a black hood caught the first, of course, glaring at its black and gold sheen and smiling grimly. “No you don’t. Alastor, your judgement?”

“Hell. Seal him away, Shelly, at your leisure.”

“Of course, Alastor.” And the Goddess of Death dove downward, through the clouds, into the dark depths below. In the tower where the Black World Crystal was formerly held, three orbs sat on pedestals, woefully empty, with three symbols on their bases. One would be filled by this soul today, sealed inside so he could never reform.

But the other soul… As soon as it arose, a young woman reformed, and even the God of Justice, Judge of Souls bowed to her. He, without hesitation, swung open the gates for her, and even the Seraphims would bow to her as she made her way down the pathway.

And waiting for her at the end of that path, were threee women. One with hair similar to her own, who perpetually wore sunglasses. Another standing at about seven feet tall, toned with muscle and very proud-looking. And the last, who though slightly taller than her, was perhaps the most similar, with a purple scarf and black clothes, and small Lennon-style glasses.

And you’d swear that the Sorceress had never looked happier in her life as her family came to embrace her for the first time in many, many years.

== > END OF ACT 2