Syrce's struggle against the copy of her sister had changed the topography of the mirror lake. Parts of the island fortress were entirely missing, dumped into the water in a series of fantastic splashes.
Puddles and rivulets formed where pieces of earth used to be.
Between the dragon at the top and the Transcendents at the base of the hillside, it was a wonder that any of the island remained at all. The ruins were becoming aerosolized by the force of each blow.
The fighters, too, had not been left unscathed.
Red streaks of blood poured down Maelys's matted fur as patches of white hair were obliterated by the energetic orbs.
Another one hit the bear behind the neck to sever the spine, searing away more of the thick, snowy hair. The acrid smell filled the air, and Maelys snapped at the ball before it could snap her neck.
The ball was forced to retreat.
All around the two Saints, black mist hung in an ethereal cloud. As soon as the attack was through, a portion of the cloud began soaking into Maelys's skin. The wound closed, and the hair regrew, leaving only the blood around it as proof that it had happened. Maelys was whole once more—better than whole. If anything, she had grown more dangerous by taking in the Others' power.
The process of destruction and regeneration seemed never-ending, making the polar bear nearly immortal.
The same could not be said for Syrce. The mossy-haired Saint was one of the most powerful that Noble had ever seen, but her enemy was even more invincible.
With each tremendous strike, the commander gave away a little more of herself, expending essence at frightening speed.
The balls of energy seemed to lack their usual vibrancy. A few had small fissures running across them from repeated crushing. Even her core looked worse for wear, shining like a star about to burn out.
Something needed to change.
That something was Noble.
As she sped toward the titanic clash, Noble checked on the status of her cohort.
They were alive, though the men were exhausted. Through their efforts, the hill was being slowly worn down, and the Remnant Prince had yet to turn either of them into a fireside snack.
They would have to manage a little longer before she could come to their aid. The welfare of her cohort members was her top priority, but as Roan had already pointed out, without Syrce, they would all be lost. The Saint had gotten the image of the Great Mirror. Only she knew how to undo the spell.
Noble gritted her teeth and pushed into her speed. 'I'm coming!'
Unable to hear her friend's thought—or anything at all—Syrce held her own against her foe.
Her orbs of energy flew in every direction, pelting any spot where the bear let down her guard. Unfortunately, there weren't many of those chances.
A splash behind her caused Maelys to look away toward the water. Just because she was a feral reflection did not mean she was unafraid of the creatures of the deep. She had already fought against them once, so she knew their capability.
Syrce took advantage of the distraction and sent the full force of her satellites like a meteor shower. But Mae sensed the movement.
Her head swiveled as she caught the first ball of energy in her teeth. With a snarl, she rolled out of the way, allowing the rest to pummel the ground in small explosions of energy.
Syrce had no face just now, but her emotions were still able to be felt by the floating Master. Syrce was in immense pain.
Her main body shivered, wavering under the pressure that her satellite was experiencing.
Anger boiled within Noble. She pressed her emotions against the bear.
"Hey, Fuzzy Wuzzy. Let go of my friend!"
The words tumbled out as she rammed into the bear's side. Mae managed to deflect the Zenith, but failed to stop the woman with the weapon from flying full force into her torso.
The pair collided, knocking the bear from her feet. Mae roared.
The ball escaped from the creature's mouth, but not before sustaining marks from the Other's sharp teeth. The little light hobbled away through the air toward its source. Syrce remained still for a moment, seeming to coddle the injured limb.
Maelys ignored her, snapping at the Master. Noble brought her Zenith down in response.
The edge of the blade sliced mercilessly into the Transcendant's snout.
The furious Saint pushed the sword with her paw, taking the tip of her black nose with it when it fell.
But already the wound was healing before Noble could disengage.
"How dare you!" Maelys's voice came out as a growl. "You little thief! Return the mirror!"
"The beast can talk!" Noble clicked her tongue. "Too bad she has nothing worthwhile to say."
"You wretch! You have no right! If anyone is worthless, it is you. Without you, Syrce could have been happy."
Mae leapt at the Master, but Noble evaded her. The ground shook as she landed.
"She could have had all her heart's desire!"
The bear lifted a large stone and threw it at her target. Noble flew deftly out of the way.
"She could have had a perfect life!"
The Saint's roar shattered the air, pushing Noble back with the force of its anger. But Noble's face was unchanged.
"She would have been stuck with you. That is a fate worse than death."
One way or another, the Other Maelys would have slowly exchanged the real people for false reflections whenever one got too close to Syrce or angered her, just like she did with Flint. Those that the Other couldn't replace would be expelled or killed.
And with how mercurial the Syrce was, Mae would have rid herself of the entire population of this Realm sooner rather than later. Maybe that was the Others' goal...
Noble didn't care. She needed the mirror beings gone.
That was the problem.
Maelys's supply of regeneration was not endless, but it was far larger than either Noble or Syrce's reserves.
Noble needed to rob the fake Saint of her source. But how?
She needed to think fast. Already, Mae was rushing Syrce again.
Syrce glowed brightly, pulsing as the energy flowed from her Transcendant form.
The fierce collision was like a bomb going off. The two Saints fell back in opposite directions while Noble was sent flying by the force.
The floating Master used her levitation to clear the way so that the bear would travel farther, pelting her with the stones as they returned to the ground. Maelys rammed into the far edge of the dead spiders, sending a pile of the strange thread into the air and disturbing the black mist.
Noble frowned. It seemed only the first touch by the bizarre silk led to the object ceasing to exist.
The magical string had lost too much of its potency.
Rising from the pile of rubble, Maelys rolled her shoulders. The Saint looked up at Noble with a smirk.
"Pathetic…isn't she, Ceecee?"
Under the gaze of the Saint, Noble could not help but agree. Nothing she was doing was making a difference. In fact, it was the opposite.
Even staring at Mae seemed to empower her. How could one fight something that appeared stronger just because she was looking at them?
'I can't ignore something I need to kill!'
Noble paused. 'Or perhaps I can…'