It would be a tricky ritual to carry out. She had a few options. The first and most logical one to carry out was to implant a symbiotic link into her. While this would reanimate the soulless body of the fairy, it would cause her to be lost forever, her soul and mind consumed by the Mindflayer to serve as an empty husk for her to control.

It would be a guarantee for the ritual to work, but in hindsight would it make Wystia happy? Would it rekindle the hope of the Fae? She doubted it, at best it would be a parlor trick to benefit only herself, at worst it was a scummy thing to do. The alternative was a much more risky idea. While it was something she had never tried before, Esperia concluded that since her body as a Voidling carried the essence of the void inside it, she likely would have a degree of immunity to its effects now. So what if she tried to devour the essence that corrupted Myne?

It was not even certain it would have its desired effect, but when she looked at how hopeful Wystia was looking at her, Esperia steeled her resolve, her tendrils reaching toward the unmoving fairy.

Even just making contact with her betrayed how much the essence of the void lingered inside her, a power that could corrode and corrupt anything it touched.

As her tendrils started to drain the essence Esperia could feel something else, something calling out to her and similarly to a few occasions she had experienced before a vision clouded her mind....

WC: 250/1250

Amidst the raging battlefield they stood. A man was standing on a hill, holding a cube of sorts in his hands. The man, once regal and refined, truly a prince of men had been corrupted beyond recognition, his skin sickly pale, his eyes wide and intoxicated and a eerie aura surging around him. The cube in his hands pulsed with the same energy, slowly cracking open.

Standing opposite of him was a woman, beautiful and fair with a lance of pure light drawn. She pointed it toward him, her expression twisted in grief and yet steeled with resolve.

"Boromir, please stop this madness!"

Yet the man called Boromir laughed maniacally. "Madness? It is the world that has gone mad! Sick! Defiled! Only my master can cure us! Why can't you understand that?!"

The woman took a step forward. "Have you gone insane? Your master would see the world succumb to eternal darkness! Destroying all we hold dear, all we have fought to protect!"

Yet Boromir shook his head violently. "It was the world that sealed away my master! Because of that the realm became sick! twisted! malformed! pale imitations of what it was meant to be! BUT NO MORE!"

The man raised the cube into the air. causing it to surge violently while the very fabric of reality in the air above the battlefield started to twist and distort.

"Quickly Arwen! He is about to open a rift into the void!"

A soft voice called out from behind her, making Esperia realize whose memory she was watching: Myne's.

The Queen grit her teeth and pulled back her arm as she exclaimed. "RHONGOMYNIAD!"

A bright spear of burning light was launched, impaling both the man and the cube he had been holding, yet at the same time the cube expelled a violent blast of darkness and then? Then everything went dark...

WC: 310
Total WC: 550/1250

"e!"

A voice called out from afar as Esperia felt her consciousness slowly return to reality.

"Hey! Don't die on me!"

The voice called out again, seemingly in a clear panic. "Wake up! Or I'm gonna sample Octopuss tonight!"

Esperia couldn't help but find her lips curve up into a weak smile as she opened her eyes, gazing at Wystia who was hovering in the air above her.

Just because I'm unconscious doesn't mean you get to have your way with me. I am fairly certain that is illegal even for a fairy.

The fairy huffed in annoyance, averting her gaze. "You didn't tell me you were going to faint of all things! and to think I was worried about you."

Esperia shook her head lightly.

I am fine, but what about your sister?

Wystia turned her gaze toward the bed when to her surprise she felt the small hands of the fairy twitch lightly. Slowly the fairy opened her eyes, leading to Wystia to exclaim tearfully. "Myne!"

Darting over to her sister Wystia happily embraced her, sobbing like a child while Esperia simply smiled. It seemed her gamble had worked. However, curiously enough when Myne lightly patted her sister's back and talked to her, Esperia could feel a response in her mind as well.

Are you the one who woke me up?

Well, calling it a wake up call might be making it sound more simple than the reality, but for now Esperia was quite glad to see that her thoughts had been confirmed: She had been able to drain the void essence from this fairy!

WC: 250
Total WC: 800/1250

Indeed, I was able to extract the voidal essence from your being, which seemingly was the cause for your soul to be lost.

Esperia answered calmly, making Myne nod her head lightly in affirmation as she tried to comfort her weeping sister.

Can you tell me more about what happened that day? The day that prince tried to tear a rift into the void?

Myne went quiet for a moment, gently caressing Wystia's head as she resumed their mental communication.

It all started during the time of the war. Titania and I had gone to help Arwen because our Queen had a premonition Arwen's son was about to try to do something very dangerous, but back then we had no idea how far he had fallen to madness.

Esperia nodded her head lightly, a frown visible on her features.

Wystia, what happened to the rift in Caelum?

The question made the sobbing fairy look up at Esperia and tilt her head lightly to the side in bewilderment. "The Queen closed it, how I dunno, but Titania knows!"

Titania... The Queen of the Fae folk. Pondering about the matter Esperia couldn't help but wonder if the secret behind how the rift was closed in Caelum might be a key asset in discovering how to close the Fractured Sky in Talaz Lagaar as well...

Sensing her curiosity Myne inquired through their psionic bond.

Do you wish to meet Titania?

The question made Esperia nod her head firmly, upon which the fairy smiled at her sister. "Wystia~ Do you think we could see Titania?" To which the fairy exclaimed happily. "Of course! Not only will everyone be super happy that you're awake again, but I'm confident Titania will want to reward Esperia as well for healing you!

As she rose back onto her feet Esperia watched the two fae fly down the staircase, leading her back to the entrance where the sound of restless chattering filled the plaza. "It's true? The stranger saved Wystia and healed Myne?" One of the voices called out in excitement. Another one was added in. "I heard she is the Champion of Gaia! Finally, the Champion has appeared! Now everything will be alright again!

It seemed before she would have the opportunity to meet the Queen of the Fae folk she would have to deal with this gathering of curious onlookers first.

Still, to see all these bright and innocent smiles was heartwarming. The genuine heartfelt happiness that they felt at having one of their kin returned to them was what made Esperia briefly ponder if this was how family would feel if one of their loved ones was saved. Surely that joy was incomprehensible... It made her believe she had done a good thing for sure.

WC: 450
Total WC: 1250/1250