Vhalnich, Nascent Deity

Alva's brandings, her innermost prayers, were one of the most impressive pieces of miracle conceived. They approached the domain of a genuine Miracle, something truly touched by the will and flesh of the Goddess. By limiting her day-to-day strength and crippling her potential, it condensed what she would normally have and normally earn. By fulfilling the word and spirit of the oaths, she could access them all at once and be blessed by the power of the Goddess in a way second only to the Saintess.

'To fight evil' was nearly always active, and 'to fight by the Will of the Goddess' was easy for a woman of faith to achieve. But to go beyond that, to be touched by the Goddess in such away, required commitment and it came with a cost.

I'm not sure how long I can handle this, Alva's eyes passed over the Chosen, the victims of Vhalnich. If I can sever their connection, perhaps they can be saved.

Alva flew past the chosen, moving with a speed no human could follow. She infused Absolution with all the holy light she could and swung. Dozens of tendrils smashed into her blade, slowing it and robbing fractions of a second from her attack. Vhalnich and his throne vanished, and her attack sunk into the trunk of the shroud. The structure shook and a wail pierced her mind, coming from everywhere at once. The Chosen screamed too, an unsettling harmony that shook the soul.

The shroud spiraled and drew towards a point at it's far reach. Alva cursed and took off towards that point, leaving the Chosen far behind. In a second she was swinging her sword at the form of the giant, and in the next he'd fallen into the shadow and appeared behind her. She swung again and again, growing closer and faster with every effort; each charge left sound behind and the splashing light burned away Vhalnich's mass.

Alva raised her sword and cried out, shining with all the strength of the sun, and Vhalnich's form stabilized.

Alva crossed the distance in a heartbeat and, without shadow to hide in, Alva struck him down. Her radiant sword infused Vhalnich with the Goddess' grace and he cried in despair as his body bubbled and burned away. Alva fell to the ground, feeling hollow and stretched out. The radiant armor evaporated, and in the passing of a second she went from the avatar of a Goddess to a weak and bloodied girl.

She **** herself to her feet, the holes in her armor revealing horribly bruised skin, and she limped her way back towards the center of Barley. She paused once and looked back towards the place where Ikarus Vhalnich had died, a memory flashing through her mind. "Your sister, she wanted to apologize. She panicked, but it wasn't your fault. Until you killed those farmers; May's family, Donnie and Thag and Anna, you had the chance to be good. May the Goddess forgive, for the living certainly won't."

There was still moaning in the air around Barley; the corruption was gone, it couldn't be spread, but the damage was still done. Alva prayed for those she saw, for there was little else she could do, and returned to the Chosen. They each lay on the ground, unmoving but breathing, and Alva let out a sigh of relief. They're alive. I feared the worse.

She knelt and clasped her hands in supplication. "Thank you, Goddess. By the grace of your light, the worse has been averted. My mistake didn't cost as much as it could have."

As she knelt, a single tear rolled down her cheek.

As she knelt, a single person stood.

Quietly, slowly, Nadia Aidana put her lips next to Alva's ear and said, "Wrong."