Journal Entry #93: Shard of Grace

Though the dream was fleeting and our reunion was brief, I shall treasure it always. 
 
A once peaceful dream crafted from a dream spirit was co-opted by the Shard. Turned into a strange amalgamation of our dreams. Warping dreams and reality into a shared space. My little dreamscapes were ever-changing. Fragments of my past in the Underdark, daydreams of my life with Celu, my time with Claire and Alain. Each shift shattered this dream-like glass and brought me into another. Till I found myself chained to the fragments of a broken Underdark and an unfamiliar bar. Dangling above a sea of endless stars. 
 
Standing in the dark, a shade in the form of my Mother Vasindra, and in the bar. Just in the corner of my eyes. Teal spirits watching silently. 
 
The first few attempts at my escape were met with failure. My third attempt was better. Despite saying to Naseem, I hadn't tried to shift my body into an incorporeal state. No time like the present. I had shut my eyes, thinking about the lock. Actually, I'm not thinking about the lock. They were never there; I had nobody. This was when I opened my eyes and found those teal spirits more visible. Funny how I never once practiced this but was able to do this. Similar to having watched that skeletal psychopomp cut a rift into the Spire. It is nearly effortless to replicate. Claire covered her mouth as I floated over to them.
 
When my ghostly legs touched the woods, I dropped to the floor to wrap my arms around my son's spirit.
 
"It is so good to see you," I whispered into his phantasmal hair. Tears silently fell before I scooped him up and turned to my late wife. Alain's arms wrapped around my neck. "As much as I would love to talk, I think we're in the middle of a Shard fight. I don't remember how I got here."
 
"Well, I am pretty sure we're in your dreams. You kept falling through the glass."
 
And it clicked; that was exactly where I was. Funny how dreams work like that. At that moment, I looked at my ring. Celu was near and unconscious. So, she was likely still sleeping next to me in the waking world.
 
"Still, if the Shards are involved, I want you to hide." Claire nodded.
 
"Okay," Alain said, and I kissed his head.
 
Given the nature of a shard, I wasn't about to risk their souls. Dreams or not. Which left the other shade from my past. I turned to the shadowy figure. 
 
Burning gold eyes watched this unfold.
 
"You know you can speak if you want?" I said flatty. I hadn't seen her in seven or eight decades and didn't know where I stood with her.
 
"So you dictate when I speak; I do not need your permission." Vasindra chastised. It's about the same, I think. 
 
"Claire, Alain, this is my mother. Vasindra." I kept the introductions brief. When they were alive. I had always feared for this day. When Alas'thil met Therwel, this wasn't how I had pictured it happening. 
 
"Spooky…" Alain whispered in my ear.
 
His spooky grandmother turned as they walked over to the throne. She was sitting down to do something, maybe watch. She would have probably turned this into a test if she had been alone long enough. 
 
Claire leaned forward, whispering to me. "Is everybody in your family hot?"
 
"Claire, not the time," I said. Vasindra just gave Claire a look of open disgust as I said. 
 
"Why not?" Giving me a grin, which I was all too familiar with.  
 
I looked across the void to my mother sitting on a throne. What little conversation there ended up with me also telling her I had married an elf.
 
"Yes, I know. The Lich's sister."
 
Casually and by the laws of dream logic, my sister-in-law Appeared. The Lich was casually sitting at one of the mini tables in this unfamiliar bar, absent-mindedly messing with a shockingly vampiric-looking Celurial.  She looked doll-like, and thankfully, due to my ring, I knew it wasn't actually her. On the other hand, the Lich was someone I wasn't willing to deal with. The conversation was not what I had expected. This one felt more like a construct of the dream than an actual soul, which was to be expected since she wasn't technically dead. She was there to watch as she combed her silent sister's hair.
 
Still, she did say something concerning.
 
Something about wanting to see red. My red? I couldn't remember exactly. It makes sense that the necromantic Lich would want to see blood; that's what I hoped she meant. Yet I still had to check. That's a broken fragment of glass. I looked through it. All I saw was me and an unfamiliar bar. That calmed my nerves for a moment. I turned to Claire.
 
When I asked her if she could fly, my late wife bounced once or twice, and gravity did not affect her. Alain was still clutched in my arms as she said, "We are dead."
 
I ushered my family across that endless sea of stars, and I would rather deal with my mother than that Lich. In this Dreamscape, the fragmented version of the Underdark didn't seem familiar. It was just some generic-looking room, although it did look important, especially given that a former matron was sitting in something roughly throne-shaped. I noticed some odd bricks in the corner of the room, maybe a door. That was definitely a door.
 
From the floor's cracks, some strange ooze flooded the room, coalescing into a creature quite common from the  Caverns where I once lived. Ropers were always stalagmite in nature, and it was easier to grab people if you looked like a part of the background; Silver was quickly drawn as I shifted the Alain to quickly be able to block things that might try and harm him. I could feel his ghostly hands tighten around my neck as he hid his face. Unaware of the unknowable color shimmering behind me.
 
After my first strike did little, the odd bricks shifted. In the corner of my eyes, I saw the ginger hair of Burdyr, and… Kraia looked more feral than usual. Was that Azsire? Oh god, it was, how? Now wasn't the time to dwell on that. Silver ignited as they dug into the Roper's flesh.   
 
"Wait! You're all here? Shit, I… Sorry, Alain." I swore in common and apologized to Alain. 
 
"Alain? Put the lad down!" Burdyr said, hefting his long hammer above his head and striking the creature.
 
Tentacles shot out, trying to smack each of us; Silver coated in flames ripped through the Roper. It was only about now, as my back erupted in pain, that I turned, seeing the shimmering, otherworldly colors that had previously remained silent touch me. It… They were colors, so I didn't expect them to make sounds. Claire looked furious at the whole situation; my mother watched as expected. In the far distance, my sister-in-law also watched. Yes, she had appeared there.
 
The four of us had brought the Roper to its metaphorical knees, turning my attention to the shifting blue? Not that it was definitely a kind of magenta. I pulled Silver out of the Roper; Shadows trailed after the blade. As my blade was sweet towards the unimaginable colors,  yellow was definitely in there,  and the metal became pure force.  Pouring in my Arcane power to shift the blade into something not quite metal.  Silver thrummed with power as I ripped through the colors. 
 
Aggressively shimmering as Silver disrupted its unnatural flow and color in their Force form. Claire was already drawing spectral versions of her blades. Tearing into its undulating and clearly hurt form. It was shockingly my mother, who had absent-mindedly twirling shadows in her hand as she watched this display from us. Flicked her wrist, launching an arc of shadows to cut the shimmering radiance. The colors dissipated. Leaving a marble-like orb that fell to the ground. A crystallized dream of the past.
 
I whispered to Alain to calm him down: It's over, the monsters are gone, there is no need to worry. Once the tears stopped, I quickly introduced The Lost Ones to Alain and Claire.
 
Alain shyly waved.
 
  As shifted from the incorporeal to the corporal. They said they were off to find the others and headed out. I promised I wouldn't be long. Still able to hold Alain due to the gifts bestowed on me by Pharasma. Hugging him close. I had moved closer to Claire to ease Alain.  
 
"I'll only be a moment to say goodbye to my mother. "
 
The drow sat upon her dream throne, every bit the Matron in death as she was in life. My burning gold eyes meet hers. "I would have liked to speak with you on a few things before they left. I want to tell you this. Thank you, Matron Vasindra. For the training and skills you instilled in me, everything. It has saved me. House Alas'thil is prospering and has control over Vaermyrhel."
 
I had bowed concerning a mother who instilled in him so many lessons.
 
My goodbyes were shorter than I would have wished. They couldn't follow me outside my little domain of dreams. 
 
Part of me wishes I could have met Emily or eventually had Avariel meet Alain. He was excited to hear he was the older brother of a dragon. Maybe one day I'll properly introduce Celu and Ava to this family.
 
Finding my way to the middle, I found the pedestal for the crystal I had shoved in my pocket. Seven locked it. The seven colors I would expect to find with anything Shard-related. Then, the door opened to a white room with a gorgeous fountain. With only one other person in there.
 
Cintha was left alone. 
 
  Of course, Cintha and a fountain were in that blank white void. The fountain flowed across the blank void, coalescing into a water portal, its frame made of the same brick as the fountain.
 
Having a moment to ourselves, we got updated from the waking world. Our dear divine princess has drawn in many other psychic casters from around the world to create a world between dreams and reality. This world would exist without magic, powered and created by magic and further empowered by Grace. 
 
A problematic world, but honestly, I hadn't realized how dangerous that world might be. Let's consider for a moment that this world does negate the evils of magic. Setting aside that mortals, by their very nature, can commit far worse atrocities without the aid of magic. Limitations breed creativity. That wasn't the danger I saw in this world. Say that it might be perfect. The people in this world between dream and reality might have a peaceful life, but nothing goes wrong for them. It's perfect. Where does the Shard fit into this realm? What changes does it make to this perfect world to serve its purpose? 
 
It doesn't need to.
 
Why would the Shard need to twist a perfect dream? Perfect captives stuck between dreams and reality, willing or not. If they die, well, the dream was empowered by the Shard. So no, the Shard doesn't need to twist anything once someone is inside. The Shard has them; they can easily feast on their soul once their dream ends and take that long eternal sleep.
 
That little fact had not crossed my mind till we were deep within the sea. 
 
I'm getting ahead of myself again.
 
Within that blank word with Cintha, we learned the call to the psychics stretched across Istralar. This means our friend in Galasthin had been taken, and Cintha had been taken, but she managed to break free of the call. Then the other one. 
Lirien. She had willingly gone with the call. 
 
Not a great sign, especially since she might have been responsible for the silent killing of psychics across the world. I thought this one would sit in my gut, knowing I had wanted to kill her to stop her from being used by gods no matter what. It didn't. 
Somewhere along the way, Gaia had appeared. Watching us. As she always does. I don't remember her words exactly. 
 
Somewhere deep under the sea of soul
 
 
We had a few precious moments within the tower, and Jinne was in some dream-like trance at the center of this building. Azsire thought it best to seal himself inside the crackling silver energy away from the fight to protect himself or us, probably both.  We gathered her wits and prepared ourselves for the final act of this shard fight.  Each door was sealed and wouldn't open unless we poured some water.  It's always water, but it makes sense, given the context of The Shard and everything we've been through.
We poured out the door to the north, each of us ready for a fight but already seeing swarms of fish and positive energy crystals around us.  Around us was a building of ivory and stone beneath what I assume was a portion of the Sea of Souls, but above it was also the city of Souls.  Wherever we were, there was breathable air. For the time being, that is. It didn't take long for us to notice, but an angel was at the end of the path.
 
Two heads, both blinded. One smiling, one crying. Their tears are as black as the void itself. Symbols for the theater masks. The angel was bare-chested, save for a sash over a shoulder. Four wings, the tips of the bottom pair were tinged black. And a huge fuckoff greatsword.  
 
Raising a hand, the sea itself answered the summons. A towering wave rolled towards us, crushing down the irony and stone. I wasn't planning on stopping the wave—that would be foolish—but I could break it. 
 
In Front of the Lost Ones, I summoned a wall of force. The wave tumbled across the path, touching the wall of magic. It rushed up, breaking a small part of the tidal wave. Salt tinged the air as I breathed a sigh of relief that that had worked. The destructive wave rolled around us. As the Earth Mother's gift disappeared, the Lost Ones split different portions of this tower. 
 
Not long after the surge of the wave passed us, I found myself on the other side of the building with a golden angel and a mass of tentacles on the other side of the center. Add on the top, the Shard had found its way down here, with our Paladin trying to fight them. When the sunny angel fell, it burst in a radiant explosion, catching a few of us. A few of us, including KKeemaand me, decided to tackle the mass of the tentacle. The Earth Mother's Gift had been here, but their speed was unbelievable. By the time I made it to the other side of the room, I had joined up with a few of the Lost Ones to fight the angel of the sun and tentacles. The Shard had flown away after Ashlyn engaged it
 
Ashlyn flew off to challenge the Shard only after the aberration was put down.  Somewhere along the way, I had brought KeeKeemack to life again; she had raced off after Ashlyn before I had. I had poured my life force into her, healing her wounds to bring her back to life. Similar to how I did for Celuriel. There has to be an easier way to heal without sacrificing my life. Keema and I run off to join Ashlyn over the water. Which steadily rose as time progressed. It ran along its surface, slowly channeling pharasma's control over the water domain to keep it above the surface. Ashlyn and I soon found ourselves around the corner of where we thought the Shard. 
 
For many reasons, I love Ashlyn like a sister. Why she chose this moment, I'll never know. She chose to do a parley with the Shard, and it shockingly worked. I think Grace, on some level, respects Ashlyn. Maybe it was the resolve, the angelic blood? Who knows? I think her attitude allowed this paused moment in time to speak with both The Shard, Avatar and the Divine Princess.
 
This parley ended with us having the resolve to fight. I skip over these talks because I already wrote about why this new world of the princess won't work. I doubted that any word against this world would have been taken well during the parley. The Shard already had their grip on her. Still, the conversation between both parties hadn't devolved into a screaming match of ideals, but they still handled it like adults. Still, Neither side would come to an equal solution, and I told Ashlyn to put the blades away. No matter how real it feels, no matter how perfect. This world will never find peace, magic or not if its inhabitants are consumed by the trend. (Ashlyn was also interested in the center of the Leyline nexus but was warned about the Shard going anywhere near it.) With the parley over, we returned our spots, our resolve to beat the Shard into submission to make God whole again.  
 
Moving before Ashlyn, I round the corner, set on challenging the Earth Mother's Gift with Ashlyn, and found SO much more. Lirien is in a twisted dream-like state, dragon not dragon, and a few others. I saw the tips of the wings dealing with Burdyr. As he was talking with the Shard and racing off, I had the full attention of everything from around the corner. Despite surviving for a second, an unknown spell cast by someone caused me to flee.
 
More accurately, it caused me to want to 'go and hide with your friends in the bubble.'
 
I hate compulsion-based spells. Bane of my existence, I swear.
 
With the enchantment upon me, I disappeared with an invisibility spell and ran silently for the center. Through one of the closest halls back, my body was torn to pieces like I was moving through invisible razors. It wasn't enough to kill me, but I plunged into the orb. Only Azyel had noticed my silent run. Calling out that I was under some sort of enchantment.
 
Azyel killed me. Enchanted as I was and unconscious of my actions, I was still me. I still avoided his first volley of arrows as he tried to 'remove' the enchantment from me. Mirror dodging away, I could not avoid being peppered with an arrow. Snuffing out my life, breaking the enchantment true. Yet I find his lack of even attempting to try and break the spell over me so fucking aggravating. Easier to just kill an ally in the middle of a soul-consuming shard fight than break the magic on them. 
 
We'll be having words about this later. Even if I must knock that fool of an elf out with drow poison.
 
The others told me of the black void-like room they waited in when they had died. Mine wasn't like this. Mine was cracked and broken. Maybe it was always broken, but they weren't connected to death like I am. It was still a little jarring not ending up in the Boneyard when I died.
 
My eyes caught something in the dark. The dark was broken, and something was behind the cracks in this black reality of death. 
 
Now's not the time to explore the broken realm. I have to get back to my body, letting out a sigh of anger. I am going to have words with that fucking elf when this is all over. My focus turned inward to that small flame of divinity near my core. Domains. Death and Luck now wasn't the time to use them. No spell given to me by my domains would save me from death, not how I normally use them. Using them as fuel, on the other hand.
 
Focusing solely on Pharasma's Domain of Healing, I used my domains as fuel to begin my body back from its death. I couldn't cast any of those spells, but my breath returned to my lungs. I felt my body as I returned to the world of the living. Then I felt again. Pain wracked my body as muscles knitted themselves together, absent of the brilliant arrows. The slashes from that hallway from an invisible force when I was enchanted became thin and lilac. Then, thin scars faded, leaving my flesh unmarked. I muttered abyssal curses as I sucked in another breath. Using Silver to push myself to my feet.  
 
It seems not much time has passed since I died. I don't remember what I told Azyel as I stood to join the fray again. Needless to say, I was pissed at the elven archer, but now wasn't the time to talk. We had a hard time dealing with it. 
 
Walking out, I told the archer to shut up; we had work to do. Azyel had said something to prompt that response, but I was angry at him.
 
Coming out of the tower, I cast a Mirror Image on myself and transitioned into a more spectral form. Readying myself for something to happen. Reaching the outer ring, a Few of the Lost ones were in the same location. Celuriel was thankfully alive, having stood up after healing someone. I had made it just in time to watch Gaia and Grace emerge from the sea, separate.  
 
Gaia being a dragon was honestly the last thing I had expected. I could see her in this draconic form in only a few moments. Scales as blue as the ocean around her, as a draconic howl left the maw of this Avatar. Mist concealed her form as she released a torrent of boiling steam at the friends I was running toward.
 
Grace was an angel, wings formed of electricity. Brilliant blue full plate clad the angel; their helmet's visor crackled with lightning. They floated…gracefully above the floating water. I hate that I wrote that, but that was a decent description of Grace at the moment. Just floating there, a greatsword already drawn. 
 
An arrow streaked past me as magic washed over me from Kraia, allowing a few of us to see through the mist of Gaia. As Azyel yelled, the green not-dragon dragon was now an ally. I am not sure how he pulled that off. Another spells were cast, and a fireball was thrown. I raced off in an angelic form, trying to find another angle to deal with Grace. I had little success with that, so I flew over to the rest of the Lost Ones and co to cast spells on them. 
 
Celuriel's tattoos were shifting, weaving into more patterns as she was pulling people back from the brink of death. Extending her healing spells to bring people back without having to revive them. Skipping the need for spells like that. What would that cost her? What would this fight cost us as a whole. Keema had gone down several times, but how much had she sacrificed to breathe again? Burdyr's strength with his hammer is scary; he knocked Grace out before Gaia brought him back up. Gods, the swing on that dwarf is deadly. 
 
Watching the angel rise. Their moment was like lightning. Arching around the battlefield. I saw two flashes before rising Silver to strike, missing Grace. That greatsword cleaved through my spectral form. Striking a few others along its lightning-fast arc before returning to Gaia's side. Ready for the final act.
 
Azyel had quickly dealt with the magician after any shot toward Grace had been redirected to nearby allies.
 
With Gaia's form floating nearby, Ashlyn could cleave into the angel. Unleashing a torrent of metal wings and slash from her scimitar. Our Fey Queen took the opportunity to try and end the Shard, slamming his warhammer into the back of the broken God. Slumped over and looking as close to ending this, Cid fired at the angel. The bullets blinged off the angelic armor, and damage to the angel hadn't been enough to plunge the Shard into the water below.
 
Before the angel had gotten a chance to separate another ally from their mortal coil.  I took a step. Sliding behind the angelic God. Silver igniting into a blade of pure force. My eyes were wide as the moment of weightlessness caught up to me. Plunging my longsword down his neck, and what I had hopped was his collarbone. I thought I might have screamed, putting all my strength into strike to try and end this angel. I hadn't. I was silent as Silver had slipped through his armor. Amped by arcane spells, my blade found its target. 
 
Pulling the blade out, dripping with angel's blood. The Shard fell into the deep. Its broken body floats to the surface of the water.
 
It was over…well, the difficult part anyway. Gaia lay nearby. Our next step was to figure out how to separate these two beings and raise and heal those who had fallen. 
 
We had tossed out a couple of ideas. Essentially, we had to stress the bond and then cut it. Carefully choosing which of our champion Powers we use, we created a way to protect the Avatar and separate that connection to the Shard. All it would require was a single cut from a powerful object. 
 
When I stood in front of Gaia holding that unassuming, short black sword.  The words I had told the Avatar nearly a month ago rang in my head.  I told her I would do anything to protect those I cared about to fix the shards.  It wasn't some Grand slice that cut the bond Despite the amount of divine power swirling around each of us.  It felt like as I plunged the blade slowly into their skin, I was breaking through several barriers to even touch them. It was a simple cut with the blade's tip across her Palm.  The link was severed, but the reaction was immediate.  Thrashing, waking up, and slithering into the ocean below, dissipating.  The blade's power will weaken over time,  but it has been used.  What affects using this particular blade on a continent's physical manifestation would be a future problem.  A more immediate future,  but our goal has always been to save The Shard.
 
Before we could actually begin saving The Shard,  we tossed out some ideas on how we could theoretically do it.  Everything from then on was a gamble on whether it would work. In theory, it should, but there's not much history of people returning a god from a broken state of being.  While we pondered the mechanics of bringing back a god, we decided to break Into different groups to save those chained up in the corners of the Arena.
 
While we pondered how we'd bring them back, we separated. Burdyr said they would keep an eye on Grace while we released the people in the corners of this place. It would have been him if anyone could keep a god down with a single blow. We divided up into pairs to tackle the problems.
 
Ashlyn and I went to deal with the Shepherd first. Nazeem, Malina, and the Shepherd were all bound by chains. Of course, both Ashlyn and I tried the physical approach first, with little success. Champion powers also left little to work with. It had taken a minute, but we eventually learned through a combination of acts. We had to perform an act opposite to the Domains of the Usher.
 
I find it slightly funny that we struggled to figure that out and release Ceyannan. However, when we went to release the demon lord—or was it the archdevil? I cannot remember at this point. Ashlyn and I broke them out so quickly. At any rate, I should probably start putting money aside for a proper wedding with Celuriel. Breaking one of the demigods requires breaking their Lust Domain, which is why telling her of that plan was perfect. 
 
After we collected our other companions. They had huddled behind one of the many walls of our Arena. Grace was already awake, Burdyr speaking to him while we broke out the others. Few of us tossed out ideas. 
 
We settled on this, using the corpse of the dead Daemon and, technically, all the souls trapped in that iron flask. Grace would stand in the middle of the Confluence of Ley lines as we use our champion powers to funnel all that power into the broken God. 
 
In the long term, this would be incredible to replicate,  as it would temporarily lessen the strength of the lay lines in that area. However, the more concerning part, in particular, is that we had to use dead gods to bring back another one. I'm not aware of many dead gods, especially here on Istralar.  So we'll probably have to find something more viable or figure out where some dead Gods are lying. As we all headed to the center room, we collectively agreed that Azyel should stay far away from this. 
 
At his protest, we sent him out of the central room.  Which was honestly our mistake.  We must treat that elf like a child and hold him through moments.  I don't remember what tipped this off. Still, before we began, we felt something was off as our elven archer was doing something idiotic.  Unsure of where he was, Naseem explained the basic principle of soul searching.  Thankfully, when it comes to most things regarding psycho pumps and souls, I pick up on it quite easily.  
 
Azyel was to the south,  near one of the doors that contained some of the captives—I don't know which ones, as Ashlyn and I did not take care of this. The problem was a note on the ground, and the door that led into the room did not lead into a room but a corridor—that wasn't there before. The idiot looked like he was about to walk in. 
 
I plunged Silver into the stone where the note was,  and it dissolved into black particles fading away into nothing.  Never a great sign.  Burdyr took care of the ear full. Actually, we all gave him a bit of lip about his stupidity.  He was first on our list of things to fix once we got home.  Until then, he was on permanent, with no Champion powers.  He was having issues,  and we, at the moment, didn't feel like cleaning them up.  I'm pretty sure I had told Naseem that he so much as looks like he's channeling cutting his head off. or something equally violent. 
 
Finally, back in the middle room,  the potential crisis averted and still outside. We began channeling our champion powers. Using the soul and water domains, I created a funnel for all the souls and magic to follow.  Several created Shields and fortifications to help protect the process and the people around us.  Others manipulated fate to give us the best possible outcome.  Others tapped freedom to free them from the clutches of the void.  Champions worldwide started lending their power, though I know not which.  I could have her guess at a few, but it's just semantics. 
 
The important part was that as Grace stepped into the confluence of ley magic, amped and channeled by a connection to the divine fueled by Souls and dead demigods, it flowed into the broken Shard of a god.  
 
We didn't see the full process as the room became brighter and brighter.  An incredible Divine Light spread throughout the room to the point where I was just dazzled by this light; I was practically blinded.  Before we could see the full resurrection of the  Angelic night.  A hand from the light,  clad in armor, pushed on our chest.  Throwing us away from this place,  this place between dream and reality, back to our own.   as no mortal can witness God's Resurrection,  Not without harming themselves at least. God had saved us from being burnt from the sheer culmination of magic and divinity.
 
Upon waking in reality,  we had known it would work as a somewhat familiar voice rang in our collective heads that had properly introduced itself. 
 
Tyreos the Protector.