Kallon barely had time to react, having to readjust to the fact that he couldn't see into Ally's future like he could the others to know what she would do. All he could do was teleport behind her to dodge the initial attack. As he summoned forth the energy to try and drain the life from her at the leg, he realized his own legs were now steeped in the black bile.

Jonathan did the same after closing the door behind them.

"At ease, you two. Do you have any idea why I called you both here?" Percival asked, sitting sternly behind the desk with his fingers intertwined.

"Afraid not, sir." Jonathan answered a bit too quickly.

"Do either of you recall capturing a young girl outside Azorah on the day of the battle?" He asked, his voice firm but no more firm than it was a moment prior.

Syon shrugged his shoulders. "Not if they were the ones that removed him. Or if whatever removed him had already gotten the others." He could feel his heart beating in his chest at the mere thought. A malevolent force, capable of overthrowing the outer gods themselves. What could any of them hope to do in such a scenario? Even he never came close to matching the strength of his master, he had no hope of facing something even greater than that.

As they entered, Falina peeked over just to see if her food was somehow already done. No luck. Resigning herself to waiting, she went to go find a seat. A satyr wearing standard-fare clothing and adorned with the health-safety pendant all the kitchen staff wore stood at the counter. This was Bryor, the order taker for the kitchen, manning his spot as always.

Teressa picked up some of the books she knocked over "Now that I know there's pain involved I should be less dramatic." She sat down and took a deep breath, "What I still don't understand is why it takes me getting so furious for my mana to go wild like this. I'll never understand that."

Audrey was welcomed in with open arms as Morgan looked at Ryker "You sure you don't want me to save you the trip, Commander?"

Veronica was now in her office going through papers to see if there's any building company she could contract to repair the wall. 

Amelia nodded to Gaheris as she strode towards Alyssa's room. Lunch was being prepared, and that meant the first of Alyssa's opportunities to prove her word. However, before she could knock, the world pitched beneath Amelia as the entire castle began to sway. Amelia caught herself on the wall, her wrist smarting for a moment, as the sound of destruction filled the air. The castle still trembled, as stone crashed and the roof sheered open, the tower above them pitching off the castle entirely. Terror seized Amelia, that some mysterious force had come to try and take back Azorah, some monster clawing to the surface, but as the wall crumbled around them, Amelia saw the culprit.

Aeryn was patrolling the skies when a black spire struck the clouds, plummeting into the ocean with alarming speed. A moment of silent passed in slow motion, and then the ground split in two like a great and terrible wound. It cleaved through the earth, as though the very planet was fracturing under the weight of the stone that had struck. From his vantage, Aeryn saw the multiple fissures that cut deep, deep into the earth, but his focus was instantly upon the one that had bisected the capital of Azorah. Without thinking, he began to angle towards Amelia, pushing himself as fast as he could.

In the capital of Azorah, many had fallen instantly into the depths. Houses and buildings pitched towards the crevice, and screams rang out throughout the city as the world started to crumble around them. The weight of the fracture seemed to pull at the buildings, and the people scrambling to get away.

Amelia stumbled forward on unsure footing, taking in the scene before her. Even as the tower teetered beneath them, her only focus was on what she could do. "Gaheris, get Alyssa out of here!" she ordered as she focused on the limits of the city, and the crack splitting it. This would take... a lot. But she could do it. She could save those that were still at risk. She held out her hands, a shield fizzling into place in the fissure to catch those that fell. Several people hit the shield, shocked to find themselves not falling, and then began to call for help. Good. Amelia could do that, she could maintain this. She just had to wait on Aeryn to get here, and she could get down there.

Arcana went on high alert the moment the Obelisk began to fall from the ether. It triggered many age-old sensors, and the city was quick to react. Stabilizing shields fizzled into existence around the city, shimmering with iridescence. Speakers crackled to life, announcing, "This is not a test. A magical threat has been detected. Please retreat to the safety of indoors. Do not venture outside until the threat has been assessed. We repeat, this is not a test. A magical threat..." the message repeated incessantly. As the earthquake rocked the city, causing glass to tinkle and crack from the pressure, the rest of the city held firm. In the distance, the cracks splintered outwards, but none so close as to threaten the city. Still, panic gripped Arcana's citizens, and many fled to the safety of nearby buildings. Or they did, as best they could. Streets became congested, and many stopped to stare in awe at the magical stabilizers as they trembled and shook with the impact of the earthquake.

Gendry abandoned his post. He might regret it later, but in that moment, he did not care. He fled into the streets, pushing and shoving as he tried to get back home. Home to Vannah, to Vet, gods knew what this might do... Frustration and desperation pulled at Gendry as he tried to navigate the crowds in vain. The earth rocked again and Gendry stumbled into an alley. He took a heavy breath and drew upon his sources of magic. It was risky, to try and perform magic this potent outside of his wheelhouse, but he wouldn't make it home otherwise, not right now. Light warped around him, and Gendry sent a quiet prayer as he teleported into the living room of his home, a quiet prayer that would never be answered.

"I can't add much to--" Ulathrian froze mid sentence, her eyes locked on the window, but her gaze seemed very far away. A spell, a risky spell cast by someone who didn't know the power they wielded. A curse, that would leech the very mana from the earth. For once, Ulathrian felt... fear. Fear gripped at her, and in that moment, she disappeared from the study.

Ulathrian reappeared some hundreds of miles away, in the nook of a valley that was lush and green with life. It was a foreign place, a place untouched by the feet of people, never before seen by any. A crater that launched the earth around it into mountains to protect it, housed the very font of magic that poured into the world. Ulathrian gazed at the sky, and in the moment before the Obelisk sunk into the earth, she reached out and placed her hand upon the stone. Millions of lives ran through her, and the stone fought back against her touch. It attempted to reject Ulathrian, but she was patient, and determined to not doom this world as quickly as that idiot had wished. An eternity passed in a second, but eventually, the font surrendered, and the stone faded to nothingness, its ethereal glow transferring to Ulathrian instead. The elf fell to her knees, bracing herself with her hands as she breathed heavily. As the earth shook, the mountains around her began to crumble, but still processing what it meant to have bonded with the font of magic, Ulathrian collapsed into the bed of moss beneath her.

Suzanne felt dread coat her bones, the stinging sense of magic filling her nostrils as the city went on lockdown. She sat up, feeling the house rattle. What's going on?

Azure had her axes draw the instant Syon had spoken, looking around for the threat, but none seemed to come. All that loomed were the giant cracks in the earth, that widened with each passing moment.

Regina, filled to the brim with fear, rushed from her office to Kira's room, where she should be with Eric and the baby. Hopefully Alex would have the sense to find them there afterwards, with... whatever was going on. The ground still shook beneath her, and the city was growing louder and louder from outside, but she needed to look after her family first.


"What have you DONE?!" Ally screeched, grabbing hold of Kallon. "Where is my world?! Why can't I feel my world?! WHERE DID IT GO YOU VILE THING!" 

Kallon grinned, then began laughing with joy as Ally picked him up. "I took it from you! We're trapped here, forever! No choice but to die, now!" He declared, knowing with absolute certainty that he had won. He would never see the world he loved ever again, but that was okay, he was ready to end this. And with that, he channeled his draining ability into both of his arms, digging them deep into the massive hands that gripped him.

Thrown off balance as soon as the world cracked, Gaheris looked up from where he resided to Amelia as soon as he heard her voice. From one knee he nodded. "Be safe!" He yelled after her, slamming through Alyssa's door to look for her. Seeing her caught under the bookshelf he hurried to help, getting up near her head and lifting up to assist her. "Hurry out! Everything's falling apart!" He shouted, not entirely sure what was going on himself.

As Percival prepared to speak again, the violent shaking and sound of crashing stonework drew his immediate attention. "We'll reconvene later! Figure out what happened!" He shouts, pushing out of his seat to hurry past them. Was it another enemy? Were the Azorahns rebelling? No, this level of violence was on a grander scale than they'd seen prior. He needed to hurry.

Lancelot was out on gate duty as the earth shattered, feeling that same sharp draw to attention he always felt when danger approached. Only this time, even with his instant reactions, it was already happening before he could see what did it. The ground near him exploded, and his vision quickly turned to a woman thrown into the air. She was going to fall into whatever that hell hole was, and his feet started moving. Leaping into the air, he grabbed the woman and, with a spin, tossed her away from the hole. As he plummeted, his mind raced. Why was the other side of this chasm so far away? Was it getting further away? It was. It was so far away, it felt like it was taunting him.

And then he landed on a barrier, the familiar magic drawing his eyes immediately up to the castle. "Well, guess I owe her one now." He mumbled before turning to help others that fell down.

Palamedes, trying to relax as she was instructed, found it very difficult to do so. The earth was violently shaking, and she was quick to take up her equipment. This shaking was nothing to her, not after all the times the beasts of Azorah threw her around. If she could keep going then, she could certainly keep going now.

"ON YOUR FEET!" Galahad roared to everyone in the vicinity at the bottom floor of the castle. "A crack is forming outside! We need to secure the area and save the citizens! GO!" He demanded, his booming voice overwhelming even the volume of the continent's crust in this moment. Not everyone knew what they needed to be doing in this moment, but they all knew they needed to do it. From the way Galahad's normally simmering demeanor exploded outward, to some it felt like the world was coming to an end and they were the only thing that could save the people outside. To others panic set in, looking for something, anything they could focus their minds on. Everyone moved, however. They knew from the Burning Knight's words that any option was preferable to inaction.

"Eliza! Move it!" Bedivere shouted, pulling his apprentice away as the tower they were near began collapsing. Nothing was safe around here, apparently. "Everyone okay?" He called out, affirming that everyone made it away from the tower. Nobody dead, good. Now to figure out what was going on.

Geraint and Kay, in the middle of training troops, stopped at the loud noise nearby and the aggressive shaking of the ground. "Well, that's not good, is it?" Kay asks Geraint, who looks around. "Doubt it. We should get everyone geared up, that can't have been a coincidence."

Gareth, in contrast to everyone else, was moving away from the disaster area. "Order all my people to spread out across the city! Criminals will no doubt try to use this to their advantage, we need to lock them down!" He ordered his messenger of the group, who used their training under Percival to send out the message. The many apprentices of Gareth were moving out, while the majority moved in.

Back in Elodus, the movement of the landmass had thankfully not destroyed the capital itself, though the earthquake was undoubtedly instilling fear in the populace. "Tristan! Any word on what occurred?" He called over to the sharpest eye of all his knights.

"Not yet sir, our immediate reports are confusing at best! One said the land was moving, but that doesn't exactly narrow it down! We can all feel this damn earthquake!" Tristan responded in haste. "Gawain is already heading into the city to check on the people, I'll let you know if I hear anything!"

Gawain tore through the city streets, giving orders to city guard as he went. Order needed to be maintained, and if anyone ended up hurt he needed people in place to help them. But most importantly, he needed to reach the city gates. He needed to be sure nothing was outside before people began trying to flee. He would not have another slaughter on his hands.

Traversing the castle, Bors was soon to follow the queen. He was sent out to secure the king's family, and he would do just that. "Is everyone alright?" He asked as he hurried over, unable to see the situation with Kira yet.

Vannah and Vet felt a deep, roiling fear in their hearts and minds as the earth began to move. Death was near, and Vannah would not let it take anyone from her again. Gendry wasn't home, all she had to do was save her brother. Pushing through the door to his room with haste, she locked eyes with her fear-frozen brother and quickly grabbed him in a hug. "We have to go. Outside." She quickly spoke, pulling him with her toward the front door. She could feel the tears instinctually running down her face as she went, the one clear sign that she was suppressing an overwhelming and all-encompassing fear for their lives in this moment. She couldn't even look back to see her brother's face, she felt his hand in hers and that was all that mattered as her focus was homed in on the exit. Even the sounds behind her did not draw her attention, she needed to go. Now.

While downstairs messing with breakfast for him and Suzanne, Camus struggled to stop everything from falling as the house began shaking. Summoning Bonedust to assist him, he at least succeeded in stopping any glassware from falling. Did Teressa do something stupid again? This felt different, though.

Meanwhile, chaos raged within Fellthyr, a mixture of real fear and harm was tempered by worry another genocide approached. Some hurried to help those hurt by the quake and subsequent damages, others went to see what was going on. The soldiers atop the wall watched in confusion and fear, seeing the world fall apart at the horizon. Would something emerge from this rift in the world?

Syon's eyes darted across the landscape, then back to the ocean where it had all begun, then back to Azure. "I don't know what's caused it, but the continent had been fractured." He began approaching the gap, looking out across the rapidly growing divide. Could he freeze it all together? The water was beginning to flow into the gaps, maybe he could. But it would take forever for it to fill up entirely, who knew how far the rest of the world could get from them before he had enough water to work with. Even then, that was a temporary solution at best. "We...We need to do something. I can freeze the water to stop the growing distance, but the water's not flowing in fast enough."

Veronica burst out of the castle trying to find Jenna in the one place she would suspect she would go. She paused as she accidentally hit Ryker in the face. She shook her head saying "Sorry, Ryker," before quickly saying "The Enforcers in the castle have the staff and civilians safe, however I can't find Jenna anywhere. I think I know where she went, I could use the help in making sure she gets here as fast as she can.

Teressa got down shaking in utter terror not knowing what to do "What's going on?!"\

Eric sighed with major relief "Oh thank Greka." He looked at her saying "If I lost her or Julia..." He clutched his baby like his life depended on it.

Bair did his thing while he watched the Enforcers steady and ready each other. He wished he was down there rescuing the civilians but this is the best he could do right now, and it was killing him inside.

Alyssa said "Don't have to tell me twice!" trying to get out as best as she she can her being a little delirious from having a bookshelf dropped on her.

Morgan held out her hands keeping her orphanage safe. She had to keep it safe, she had to!

More and more of Ally began to dissolve into nothingness, the entire Underworld fracturing around them. "You..." she growled, but could not form any other words. It was such a strange sensation, to die. It was never one she'd considered herself able to experience. She supposed at the very least... this destruction granted her an opportunity to discover something new, even at the twilight of her end.

Amelia urged those at the center to head to where she spied Lance, already a good zone for those in good health to climb out. This also freed up space for Aeryn to bring the wagons, one of which he lowered gingerly onto the surface of the shield. Amelia's power trembled slightly under the growing weight but she only put more power behind it in response, ignoring the responding ache that grew in her lower back.

Aeryn perched on the edge of the chasm, peering in. His mass loomed over the crack, and several Azorahns clamored to get away from him, others being distracted completely by his appearance. One child, already wandering alone and lost, fled to Amelia's knees with a cry, sobbing.

Gendry's vision was swimming, but Vannah's scream wrenched him back to reality with a ragged gasp. Light shone around her in dazzling radiance, but as much as she rushed to protect him, his mind was only on protecting them. His arm slid around her, pulling her close as his other hand shot forward. Without much control, or thinking on Gendry's part, vines erupted outwards, digging deep into the foundation and through the walls, reinforcing the entire house around them, as shields of leaves spread over Gendry and Vannah, and Vet in the doorway. Gendry's breath was ragged, but he didn't release Vannah, not for a moment. "I've got you," he mumbled. "I've got you."

"Just concerned. Something's activated the city's protection system," Suzanne said. Her nose stung with the stench of Old Magic that was leeching through the streets.

Azure stepped up to the edge of the chasm before them, gazing into the rushing waters below. She nodded, glancing at Syon once before closing her eyes to focus. She took a deep breath, releasing it slowly as she reached out with her magic to the water. It tugged at her, and she tugged back. Once, twice...with the third pull, water began to rise steadily, at first a trickle and then a gush, surging upwards through the splits throughout the Kingdoms.

"If I could hazard a guess," the owl hummed, "something is attacking the very nature of the world itself. It's something beyond our comprehension."

Regina fought the urge to snap at Eric, instead replying to Bors. "Secure the windows, clear any broken glass if you can," she explained as she focused on healing the gash on Kira's head.

Ryker slammed face first into the door as he went to grab it, Veronica's words barely legible over the sudden pounding in his head and the blood rushing from his nose. "Shit! Gah!" He cursed, stumbling backwards as his pressed his sleeve to his nose.

Kallon wanted to get one last witty retort in, one last jab at the vile creature staring him down, but he couldn't muster any energy. He was at his own end, it seemed. He just needed to quietly watch and hope Ally went before he did, so he knew he'd won.

"No time for that!" Gaheris scolded Alyssa, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her along. They needed to get out of the castle before she got further injured.

Within the Azorahn castle, the teams of Percival, Bedivere and Palamedes worked hard to save anyone they could find. None of them had the best abilities for the job, but they all moved with all they had to see the job done.

Outside of it, Lance smiled at the sight of the massive dragon's approach. "Everyone say hi to Aeryn, this is our ticket out of here!" He declared, before his eye caught something. The chasm deep below, it was filling up with water. It wouldn't be immediate, but it was approaching as quickly as it could.

For those unwilling to accompany Aeryn, Galahad and his team were already running ropes down the pit to try and pull people up. It was far slower, but the faster they started retrieving people, the better.

Bors nodded to the queen and went about securing the room, making sure they were covered on all sides. Just in case.

"J-Just stay awake, please..." Vannah began healing Gendry, her attention focused entirely on healing him. Vet was outside, he was safe, but he was scared. She needed to get Gendry out of here and get all three back together. They'd all make it out of this, she would make sure of it.

"Gotta be big to activate that. You don't think Teressa did something worse this time, do ya?" Camus asked, still holding everything in place.

Syon observed the flow of water, then Azure, then the shifting seas once more. "It's working, keep going." He spoke in assurance, waiting for the first chance he had to conjoin the two halves. If anything went wrong here, they might not get a second chance.

Veronica looked at him and felt worse "I'll get Do...Marshall to come over to fix your nose after...whatever the hell this is ends." feeing so guilty. However she agreed it was better if he went, he knew how to get there faster. She decided to go back and do what she's been doing.

Alyssa followed wondering what the hell was going on. It was like the heavens themselves were rending the earth.

The Enforcers said "Stay right there, Blackmarsh." looking at him "I saw your eyes moving, you're helping us already by staying way the hell up there."

Eric looked at Regina as he rocked Julia who started to wail "It's okay, Julia. Grandma's going to make sure that mommy will be okay, and Daddy's got you." trying to comfort his child who was clearly scared.

Morgan placed her hand down and said "I don't know what's going on. I don't know what's happening..." shadows began to streatch over Batchlor's Grove. "But you are not hurting these children." gripping the ground as she felt her mana starting to lash at her from the inside. She had to stay calm and stay in control. Hollow's a nation full of stellar individuals who step up to become heroes but one of them has become a villain. She saw her shadows starting to coat more and more of her home. It's time for her to rise up once and for all. She started to scream in pain as Batchlor's Grove was nothing but a shade of black. Her mana was going wild in her body, she's never had to press it this far.

Teressa was trying to stay calm, stay calm, don't panic this was not the time to panic.

Amelia quickly began directing people to the wagons, glad to see them acting as fast as they could. She helped an older man climb into the wagon before hurrying to Lance. "How fast is it rising?" she asked under her breath, trying not to alert anyone else to the water coming in below. She could tell it was fast, but she needed to know how urgent they should be exactly. Behind them, Aeryn had already lifted one wagon out and brought another in. The chasm began emptying faster than before, but there were still 30 people down here.

Regina watched as the gash on Kira's head healed over and sat back. "She might not wake up for a little bit but she's okay," she said.

"Where's your brother?" Gendry asked, looking around.

"Plenty," Suzanne said, glancing at the window again. "Someone could be trying to take over magic itself, or attacking the very fabric of reality. There's no telling what is in the outer planes.. Maybe that God in Hollow has lost it finally."

Azure took a shaky breath as she pulled further. A small ache was beginning to tug at the base of her spine, and a tremble had begun in her fingers, but she didn't stop. Water spilled forth into the gap, rising with urgency as she pulled harder, desperate to finish before her body gave out. "Al...most. There." She managed to grind out.

"JENNA!" Ryker called as he charged down the street to their home, seeing a horse in the distance. The ground still shook beneath his feet, but his worry kept him upright.

"Nothing good, we should help the people getting taken out of the chasm though." Gaheris suggests to Alyssa, though ultimately his job is still to stay with her.

"We've got a good three minutes before this chasm is completely filled, if it doesn't slow down. That water is covering the mile between us real quick and it hasn't lost pace yet, despite the gap getting wider." Lance quietly informs Amelia. "How many can that wagon hold?"

"Outside. I got him outside." She quickly replied. As if realizing something horrible, she tried to look out toward where he would be. The two different barriers obstructed her view however, causing her tears to build anew. "Vet! Stay outside, we're fine!" She shouted, hoping he could hear her.

"If we're dealing with angry gods, hope you don't feel too disappointed if I just stay here and outta the way." Camus joked, still holding the cabinets shut.

"You've got this. Just a little more." Syon stepped up to his position beside her, releasing any form of restraint on his energy to prepare for what came next. The air was oppressive, thick, heavy. With an extended hand he twisted some of his mana to make it assisted Azure rather than inhibited her, small amounts feeding in to make sure she didn't completely burn out. The rest, he began focusing into his palms. He needed to flash freeze an entire continent-sized section of water, locking it all in place without freezing the continent itself. If he didn't prepare beforehand, he worried his precision might be lacking, leading to the entire continent facing these effects rather than just the water. And while normally he wouldn't have cared about those risks, he had people to lose now. He couldn't risk messing this up.

Eric nodded "You're right!" holding little Julia in her arms.

Alyssa followed Gaheris, impressed by withnessing Amelia's skills. She's such a badass

Teressa started to make herself stand up sighing with relief as she felt the rumbling starting to slow. Someone stopped it, probably Ulathrian.

Veronica decided to stay biting her lip, she has to hold strong and hop that Bair's hero instincts kicked in.

Bair was using his legs to keep the pillar in place noticing how little it was actually contributing. This hurt, but Bair paused as he saw a dark shade slowly engulfing the castle "Are one you guys doing this?"

The Enforcers look at him and go "No, we don't know what's going on."

Bair put it together easily "Morgan"

Morgan stood shadow's leaking from her eyes, ears, mouth, fingers, and toes as she clenched her fist, blood droplets hitting the ground as the shadows engulfed Bair's Castle and Eternal Gardens as well. Whatever this was, she was going to make sure that it won't create victims.

"Stand..." Amelia mumbled, getting her feet solidly beneath her as she leaned into Lance. Her vision cleared as exhaustion wafted over her but she was slowly able to stand, though leaning heavily into Lance still. She looked down at the chasm, making sure all was good, just as the water turned to ice. She squinted at it, an odd recognition tugging at her. People were exclaiming about the odd turn of events as they noticed as well, and the rumbling quieted beneath their feet.

"We are, it's just a bit hectic in here. We're going to wait this out and then we'll come get you okay?" Gendry said. God, could he even stand right now? The healing Vannah was doing was helping a bit, but the magic he'd sloughed out today was a lot.

Suzanne laughed with him as the rumbling slowed beneath their feet. "Huh, looks like it's stopping," she remarked.

Ryker swept Jenna into his arms and pulled both horses away from the edge just as the ice swept through. He stared in shock alongside his niece at the flat expanse of ice where their house had once been.

Azure sank to her knees with a shaky breath as she beheld what they'd done. "We did it," she said quietly.

"You did," Ulathrian confirmed, appearing beside them as though they simply walked through a door. They observed the swath of ice before them before looking at the two beside them. Both god-touched, intriguing. Magic curled in massive quantities around the snow elf, and they titled their head as they beheld Syon. "Hm. Well. Let's get this fixed first," they said, stepping up to the edge and regarding what they had to work with. They muttered to themselves as they took it in. "With as much magic as had been poured into this endeavor, it should be easy as..." they knelt and placed their splayed hand on it and whirls of magic spread outwards. They took a deep breath and as they breathed out, ice shifted to earth, and the continent was whole once more.

"Wha...what..." Azure said slowly, her eyes wide. "How?"