That was it.
She was dead.
And officially… a total failure.
After everything that happened, Aerisse could only imagine the kind of divine punishment waiting for her in the Celestial Realm.
— You really did it. You actually did it… — came a voice, muttering like a lunatic. — We got scammed by that Devoneus woman! She didn't send her "shadow" to help us—she sent it to sabotage our entire project! Such dirty tricks…
He just kept ranting while Aerisse was still in the middle of her painfully slow "waking up" process.
— Myrith… — there were tears in her eyes. A rare sight, honestly.
But the celestial being in front of her looked visibly confused.
— Since earlier, I wanted to ask… who exactly is this "Myrith" you keep talking about?
What?
— It's you, of course! Who else would it be?
— But, Aerisse… I never told you my name. And you never asked.
…Wait.
That's right. She had never asked.
So why had she been calling him that in her mind since forever?
— She's starting to remember things now, — said a new voice. Zaryssa's.
Aerisse jumped to her feet immediately.
— You did it, Aerisse. You managed to destroy your own creation and send all those lost souls straight under my wing. I should thank you, actually.
Aerisse's expression froze.
— Why did you do this? Without your interference, that shadow never would've made it this far!
Zaryssa smirked.
— Can you prove that? Even if you could, it wouldn't wash away your little guilt trip, would it?
Ugh. She had a point.
Skethera was her responsibility—
now empty, dry, and destroyed.
But… the core was still alive. If they worked hard enough, they might restore it, maybe even bring the lost souls back…
— Don't even think about it, my dear friend, — Zaryssa cut through her thoughts with a mocking tone. — At first, I had nothing against you, really. But you just had to keep annoying me. Now, join your precious Myrith in eternal suffering.
She pulled out some strange, glowing artifact.
— What are you doing?! You can't do this! We have the right to defend ourselves in the Divine Tribunal! — Myrith tried to step in, but Zaryssa only laughed louder.
— Oh, but my best friend Aerisse told me she desperately wanted to repent for her sins! She didn't want a trial—she wanted immediate punishment!
The artifact glowed an ominous red.
Apparently, the "shadow" wasn't the only one dabbling in dark magic.
— With this, your poor souls will be trapped forever—reliving your most painful memories on repeat.
The red mist spread, surrounding both Aerisse and Myrith.
— Farewell, — Zaryssa said sweetly, — have a taste of your own destiny. Tell me if it's as delicious as you made it sound.
As the darkness swallowed her whole, Aerisse could only wonder…
Where exactly had she gone wrong?
And seriously—what did she ever do to deserve this?