The Rot Within the Mirror
Ardyn closed her eyes and reached out to Atina and Seraphis. She did it so quickly and with such urgency that both the Minor Empress and Emperor involuntarily stood up straight. They nodded in unison and began projecting their positions through their soul connections.
The infinite probabilities before Ardyn and Varric seemed to solidify, anchoring them to the present. The various "Ardyns" and "Varrics" scattered across the timelines flickered like dying candles until only the true pair remained. The Sand Giant pulsed; its blue crystalline form began to shine with a white-hot glow. It seemed to grow even larger as its magic swelled to a breaking point.
Just then, the tethers pulsed with information. Ardyn focused her senses, and Varric, feeling the shift, moved with her. Their magic laced together and pushed through, striking the Sand Giant just as the entire plane trembled. But the crystalline giant had already sent out its own strike. It swirled out like a vast, horizontal tornado, swallowing their combined magic before surging forward to consume them as well.
Through their connection, Atina pulled Ardyn's giant form toward her. Varric and Ardyn shifted through the layers for a split second, reappearing in the same spot just as the twister whistled past. Seraphis caught Atina as she slumped, passing out from the sheer strain of forcibly moving a higher being. Ardyn sent healing magic through the soul tether while Seraphis reached into a pocket dimension and pulled out a blue rose. He placed the flower on Atina's forehead, and it began to pulse vitality into her exhausted magic pathways.
Ardyn and Varric remained connected; as Varric's magic circulated, it drew Ardyn's power into the flow. Shadow magic writhed as Varric created an intricate spell-weave. Ardyn's runes rose into the air, and seven concentric circles formed before them, anchored by a ball of nine even more intricate rings in the center: the Nodal Singularity Hub.
The Sand Giant lifted its massive head. No sound came out, but Seraphis felt his body shake as if he were about to dissolve into nothingness. He opened a dimensional seal and moved into the layers, hiding behind a protective wall of reality while watching for any moment to help.
The plane around Ardyn and Varric began to destroy itself. Sand and debris rose into the air, leaving gaping holes in the ground, but nothing distracted the Sovereigns from their task. The crystalline Sand Giant raised a massive hand, a ball of power growing in its palm as its azure eyes locked onto them.
Varric's shadow-weave intensified. He cast over a hundred spells into the weave, winding them together tightly before pushing the mass through the Nodal Singularity Hub. The nine rings braced as they refined and intensified the magic. They spun faster, the central ring turning white-hot as it fought to maintain the spell's integrity.
Varric pushed more power through. The weave threatened to deconstruct under the weight of his overpowering intent. Ardyn strained against the spell's instinct to shatter, strengthening her runic circles as beads of sweat formed on her forehead. Her battle robes rippled across her skin, adding her physical essence to the shield.
Finally, the spell-weave erupted from the other side of the hub and struck the Sand Giant in its gargantuan chest.
The sand around Ardyn and Varric froze and crystallized instantly. The Sand Giant went rigid, its crystalline body shimmering and vibrating until its magic blinked out. A shockwave tore through it, and a tiny speck of time magic formed in its core. A blue light flowed across its form, and the giant began to crumble into boulders—but the speck flashed. The boulders stopped mid-air and rose to reform the giant.
The speck flashed again. The process repeated. The Sand Giant was caught in a perfect loop—continually destroyed and reformed for eternity.
As the cycle continued, the plane repaired itself. The sky opened, and a dark silver liquid poured forth, solidifying into a vast mirror of mercury above their heads. Ardyn and Varric resumed their normal sizes as Seraphis brought Atina out of the folds.
All four looked up into the vast mirror of the sky. They saw the plane reflected above, but they did not see themselves. A ripple moved across the surface from the west. In that direction, the mercurial sky turned black as night, with a single round, white light shining down.
Ardyn took Atina from Seraphis. "You did well, Empress. Now, wake up." A lilac strand of hair struck the nape of Atina's neck. She stirred, her eyes glowing momentarily before she stood on her own and looked toward the white light.
The light was a luminous cylinder rooted in the sand. Varric and Ardyn narrowed their eyes. "Sidus Serpens?"
"But it's wrong somehow," Seraphis whispered. Power surged through the cylinder, and fine grains of sand drifted upward, disappearing into the black sky.
Ardyn shrugged, her rainbow soul gem pulsing. "But this is our destination."
"Perhaps the door," Varric countered, "but not the destination itself."
They entered the cylinder. Ardyn rose first, followed by Varric and the two Minor Sovereigns. There was a faint sound, like the soft clink of two wine glasses, as they passed the black boundary of the sky. Then, a blinding flash.
They stood in a crude reproduction of Sidus Serpens. Where the true realm was symmetrical and white marble, this place was haphazard, made of a dull grey material that wept fine dust. The lush flora was replaced by subdued, quiet growth.
Seven pillars rose around them as they were lowered into a dank amphitheater. One by one, beastkin appeared on the pillars—the High Empresses and Emperors of Sidus Serpens. They were the true ruling circle, but they were rotted and decayed.
The rotted form of the Fox leaned forward. His foul breath filled the area, causing the grasses to turn yellow and die instantly. "You wish to enter Sidus Serpens? This is the backdoor of the realm. This is where you must walk and remember. If you forget, you will become lost."
"What do we need to remember, High Emperor?"
The Fox turned its head toward Varric, the bones in its neck sliding grotesquely. "You are just as high as me, young one. If you do not know this..." His rotted head shook from side to side in disappointment. "... Then you are already lost."