Chapter 200

To say the situation was bad would be a historic understatement. Sonya tried to pull herself to her feet, but she just felt... helpless. How could she not have anticipated an attack on the Seattle dungeon? No. There was no precedence for this in the previous timeline. Artificially instigating a dungeon break, let alone two in a single day? Madness. Things were hard enough back then without people experimenting with dungeons. Did I cause this by stopping the New York blast and stabilizing hero culture early? She chewed her lip, her mind reeling, her eyes ticking over as she searched for solutions. Her wrist hurt so bad, it was distracting. I want to rip my damn hand off right now!

You couldn’t have known, calm down and think, Ishtar tried to soothe her.

Chunhua is in there! Sonya barked back, You don’t understand!

Sonya! How would I not-

I need to do something!

Ishtar sighed, Panicking is not going to help matters, Ishtar pointed out as Setsuna and Shuta reached her side. She sat there on the ground in that hallway, her head rested against the wall as she tried to think. Sensible thought pushed away by the fear of losing someone she loved all over again. Terror at the idea of a dungeon break cascade with so few heroes nearby to put a stop to it. This wasn’t like Tokyo with guilds nearby ready to react. Blood dripped from her lip.

“Lady Ishtar?” Shuta called out, “What has happened?”

She closed her eyes, her shoulders shaking. It felt like her head was going to explode, “The people who caused the Tokyo break are attacking an epic dungeon near Seattle,” she said hoarsely.

Setsuna frowned next to her, “See this, I did not.”

Sonya snorted, “No power is perfect,” she said coolly before focusing on the call with Amos, “Amos are you still there?”

“I am, are you okay?” he asked.

“What do you think?” she asked with an angry laugh, “Of course I’m not. Have you told the Pandora Committee?”

“I alerted them before contacting you,” he said before hesitating, ”Euclidia is having trouble opening a portal anywhere near the dungeon.”

She clenched her jaw, “Halloway. I’ll turn him to ash when I get the chance,” she snarled and tried again to get to her feet, leaning against the wall. The fright gave way to anger. A false strength, she knew, but it gave her enough will to move again. She turned and leaned against the wall, running her fingers through her hair. She had to figure out a counter, had to stop this, somehow. She had preparations set up for a final battle with Liberty but, not yet. She needed more time, she had to figure out Liberty’s weakness. There was a trick to her power, she knew it, not just the people. There was more there. “Fuck,” she swore, “What do I do?”

”The Seattle guild?” Amos offered.

“That’d be suicide, they’d all die against Liberty. Evergreen had to retreat,” she said and started to pace, Setsuna and Shuta watching her as she thought. No, the Seattle guild won’t be able to respond. The bulk of the international team is here in Japan and Halloway is blocking them anyway. Her lip twitched as her mind distracted her, Is First Wind here? Is Qilin? She wrinkled her nose in disgust, Could I leverage Qilin''s connection to Ishtar? No, that bond isn’t deep enough yet. I locked her fortune power away as well, what good is she in this situation?

The army I had Kingshark build isn’t fully formed and they’d be positioned to attack elsewhere. They won’t do any good here, she paced, frantic. Think! Think, Sonya, Think!

She clicked her tongue, Can I leave myself? Go over there and deal with the problem? I could portal in and move fast. She scowled, No. I can throw around a lot of power but I produce a lot of mana too. I’d just make things worse if I didn’t get inside fast enough. I’d need a mythic with a lot of efficiency, but who could I send?

She rubbed her face, I also made a deal with Cass, I can’t- she shuddered, the compulsion from Broker rising up in her throat as nausea at the idea of breaking her deal about a final confrontation between sisters. But I need to- she squeezed her eyes shut as the compulsion filled her revulsion again. For the first time since her regression, she resented her new ability. There has to be something, a card I can play.

There is one card, a high-efficiency mythic at your disposal. Ishtar pointed out, Your long term contingency.

Sonya froze before her lips pressed together in a thin line. That was for Otis, she growled, or for when the heroes needed a wake-up call. If I play it now...

Sonya, do you have a choice? Ishtar asked.

I can’t use that card more than once! Sonya railed, One and done. That’s it! The consequences of doing that, for innocent people. It’s the nuclear option! Even if it''s successful, and that’s a big if because of the logistics- she shook her head. It’s like admitting defeat. I might stop Liberty but she’ll have taken one of my teeth! My biggest-

I won’t make the choice for you, Ishtar said, But as a villain... Ishtar trailed off.

Sonya let out an agonized groan as she ran her fingers through her hair again and rested her face against the cold metal wall. She didn’t care that she’d lost her composure in front of people who had built a cult around her. It didn’t matter. What she was considering doing was not an easy choice. She fumed, raged, thrashed against the idea. If I do this, there’s no going back, she thought. If I cross this line it feels like...

You won’t be the hero you were anymore, Ishtar concluded for her, You’ve done villainous things before, put on a good show. This will be on a whole other level, though, Ishtar trailed off for a moment before speaking, I fail to see the problem. This is what you wanted. To be the enemy of the world. It’s just another part of being who we are.

But-

It’s time to choose, Sonya! Ishtar bellowed in the back of her mind, Are you Farsight or are you Ishtar? Are you a hero or are you a villain? Are you going to do whatever it takes to save the world and damn the consequences? Are you that person you swore you would be when you were sent back in time? What does that promise to Pandora mean to you?

“RAAAAH!” Sonya bellowed and slammed her fist into the wall, caving it in entirely. Setsuna and Shuta jumped back in surprise as she ripped her bloody hand out of the wall, “DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT!” She roared, crushing the metal into scrap and tossing it aside in a tantrum. The fury present at the back of her mind roiled up like an angry serpent, squeezing at her heart. She couldn’t let Chunhua die. She couldn’t let the Seattle dungeon break. Millions would die. If that meant crossing the line...

She slumped and lowered her head, “Fine,” she muttered, “Amos?”

”...yeah boss?”

“I’m cracking the nest egg,” she said hollowly. The connection was quiet for several seconds, she could only imagine Amos’ horrified expression. She closed her eyes, “I understand if you don’t-”@@@@

”I’ll set the connection up, it’ll take time. What do you need me to do?” he asked quickly.

–

Graff finished his last sit-up, getting lazily to his feet. He yawned and walked over to the cot in the solitary confinement room. Sitting down and taking off his shoes. Another day in peaceful silence away from all the people that made him want to burn everything to the ground. He rolled onto his back and looked up at the ceiling, smiling to himself. Once he decided to escape, he figured he’d go knock over a monastery somewhere and live there for the rest of his life. He reached up to run his fingers through his hair. Yeah, that’d be nice.

A siren blared and he sat up, frowning a little. Loud. What’s going on?

A chime rang out next followed by a voice he’d only heard on the news before. A cruel rasp that echoed through every hall in the building. He got to his feet as a surge of something he hadn’t felt in a long time worked its way through him. Excitement.

“I am Ishtar,” the voice said, “It is time, I have a task for you, my villains. Do this and you may consider any debts to me paid. I have rewards prepared as well.”

He cracked a grin and walked to the door to the cell. The inactive suppression cuffs on his wrists dissolving and clattering to the ground before he placed his hand on the door. It crumbled into dust and he stepped out. The guard to his right jumped away immediately. He looked down at the guy and grinned at him, “I’ll see myself out,” he said with a laugh before turning away, his grin widening as the guards scrambled to get away from him.

Finally! You called!

–

Sonya grunted, throwing her hands forward where she sat. She reached out across the planet, her mind focused in so many places at once it was dizzying. She curled her fingers and pulled, feeling the power in her Heavenly Jade Heart pour out like a broken dam. She focused, one end of the first portal forming near the first of the prisons. She tugged at it to connect it to the other end and felt resistance. Halloway, she thought. She eased her breathing and tried to relax. Come on...

Vines began to grow out of the bed and around her body, her skin turning paler, glowing faintly with off white light as she activated Visage of Titania to its fullest extent. Not just to create and control the eerie plants, she needed every facet of its power. She felt it infuse her body, spread through her. That little mote of light in her wrist turned into dozens, little tiny sparks planted throughout her body. Then it reached her mind. She grunted as it touched her thoughts for the first time. She’d never gone this far with it before. It felt... unstable. Willful.

Sonya, Ishtar cut into her thoughts, This might not be-

I can’t go back now! Sonya shot back, I’ve made my choice, you pushed me here.

Sonya, Visage-

She pushed Ishtar’s words out of her thoughts and concentrated, clenching her teeth until she felt one of them crack. That tingling at the back of her mind, the anger she’d been experiencing, the instability, the fury - it exploded in a fireball in her brain. Madness. Jumbled thoughts and confusing images bounced about in her mind, scattering her for a moment before she willed her thoughts back into order. No you don’t, behave! She snarled, grabbing hold of the power. It was her power. It didn’t have a will of its own, but its effects were daunting. She clenched her fists, digging her nails into her own flesh as blood leaked from her palms and nose. Sweat beaded on her brow and she pushed.

Let me in, she growled, Let me in you son of a bitch!

She could see the web of red energy in her mind''s eye, a wall between her and her target, a stabilized space that couldn’t be altered. She smashed against the wall, a raging will that crashed into it like a tidal wave. It buckled at the target location, shuddering under the pressure. She hit it again, and again, and again, blood leaking freely from her nose and ears. She felt her eyes begin to spin faster and faster, pain wracking her body as she drew on more and more power from her core. She needed more, MORE!

LET ME IN!

Her rage hit its zenith, the madness of the Visage spreading through her mind as that red web finally cracked and broke open. A hole appeared, opened just for her. She shoved her will into the space and planted the other end of the portal.

That’s one, she growled and created the next. She repeated the process, her chest heaving as blood began to drip from her eyes.

Tick tick tick tick tick.

Her mind whirled with the calculations as she created another pair of portals between new points on the world. She coughed and reached out to the third prison.

Hang in there, Sonya, Ishtar urged, Just a few more.

TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK

She smashed through Halloways barrier again, the process becoming easier even as the strain on her body increased manifold. Each new portal maintained at the same time adding pressure. The ticking in her head grew louder, faster, and more irregular. She was consumed by the process, the intent, barely herself anymore. The vines coiled around her body, up to her throat and head. The little sparks throughout her body grew as they ached and groaned within her flesh. The vines held her steady as white light streamed out of her upturned mouth. Cracks formed on her skin but she didn’t have the concentration available or energy to spare to create ambrosia to heal herself. She could only endure the agony.

TICKTICKTICK TICTI-TICKT-T-TICKK

Another portal, and another, she could feel the weight of light-touched passing through it. Each presence a new strain on her mind momentarily as she facilitated their passage. More weight to carry. She coughed up something wet and coppery, her skin felt cold even as her bones burned from the inside out.

LIBERTY! I WON’T LET YOU WIN! NEVER! EVER! THIS IS MY WORLD!

The portals took shape one at a time until all eight of them had formed. She shuddered as the pressure on her mind increased. More and more villains passed through to answer her call. The commons and uncommons were negligible, the rares and epics began to pressure her, a pair of heroics sent a jolt of pain through her spine. Then another presence touched a portal. One she had been waiting for. A person she’d never met in person but knew much about. The one she was counting on the most.

He passed through.

TIC-TI-TI-TI-TI-TRRRKKKKCKKKKKKKK!

Something cracked. She could hear it. Pain in her head. In her eyes. She felt something streaming down her face as she swayed on the bed. Something hard fell out of her head. She opened her eyes and saw only darkness. The rage had passed, a fire that burned her from the inside and out. The madness of Visage of Titania left devastation in its wake. Her body, her soul, everything felt hollow. All she knew were those stars in her body, pulling her in, drawing her close. She barely noticed the vines loosen their grip on her as the pain she’d pushed away finally caught up with her.

SONYA! Ishtar shouted into her mind, SONYA HANG IN THERE! SONYA!

Sonya fell onto her side as her lifesblood poured out of her. Heavenly Jade Heart felt empty for the very first time. This was her limit. She only hoped it was enough. She didn’t hear the doors open as she slipped into unconsciousness.