Destiny Falling

Mara Sov took a deep breath, tracing her fingers along the symbols etched into her Azure Throne. It had taken months for her Techeuns to build the device, each working on a separate component in secret. If any one of them knew the totality its purpose, then Daniel could learn of it too.

Even Mara could not spend too long thinking about it, for fear of Daniel catching wind of it on his regular visits to her mind. Usually his intrusions were crude and purposeful, more focused on yanking out hidden embarrassments than piecing together abstract schemes--But that was the result of carelessness and confidence, rather than true weakness. If Daniel were to sense deception and delve deeper, it would all be over.

And so, by necessity, her "plan" was to give vague orders to her most loyal Tech Witches, to assemble some possibly-useful pieces of paracausal technology, and to construct a small, mentally-insulated place which might provide her with some protection against Daniel's abilities.

Biting her lip, she steeled herself and leaned her head against the Throne. It felt... Cold. Empty. Devoid of both Light and Dark. In that moment, the instruments which had been playing since the Cataclysm were finally silent.

A moment passed, then another. No Light. No Dark. No Daniel.

I can think... Write... Plan... I can warn those who have not yet fallen to him. Undo some of the damage he has willed me to cause. After all this time, I can draw on powers which complement my own... Soon we will have a real plan, and the means to enact it.

The disgraced Queen of the Awoken pulled out a tablet and began to write, secure in the knowledge that her words were her own. Nobody was reading through her eyes, and nobody was influencing the tale she told. Nobody could stop her.

300 million miles away, "nobody" smiled.