The Ending and the Beginning
Ardyn, Varric, Atina, and Seraphis stood at the entrance to the valley, looking down to the vast castle and its walls. Ardyn, Varric, and Seraphis frowned, but Atina smiled blissfully.
"Something is wrong."
"No, Seraphis. It is right. Sidus Serpens calls to us; it wants to remake us and the three of you are fighting against it."
Like that, there was a light sound like the ringing of a delicate bell.
The new Emperors and Empresses woke from a dream. The valley shimmered and a wave of magic washed over them, trying to expel them.
Atina smiled. "You see? Acceptance has kept us from being expelled."
The other three looked to Atina. Her voice was strong, but her visage was one of horror. Her body seemed like a tree ravished by parasites. There were weeping wounds all over her body, her hair seemed to have been torn in patches from her scalp, and her eyes were dull and lifeless.
Ardyn moved to go to her and both Varric and Seraphis stopped her. Varric looked at her; her eyes, pleading, broke his heart. "She is right. We already agreed. If this is the process, then we all must endure."
Ardyn nodded and they heard shattering glass all around them. Another wave of magic washed over them as they seemed to rise up out of water and catch their breaths. They all took large gasps of air and looked around in wonder. The valley shimmered again. Each time it shimmered, it changed before their eyes.
It became clearer, stronger, more real to their senses. And Atina became more eaten and destroyed.
"Don't worry. It seems I have the most to learn. When this is done, I will be whole again."
The other three looked at each other with doubt and a new loop began.
Braylon cursed as he saw the magic looping the four back to a new beginning.
"Why the distress, Braylon? They have just broken two layers of a complicated illusion—rather quickly, I might add. They will be coming out sooner than we thought."
The canine beastkin sneered at Cav. "I know. I know. I was just thinking they would clear it all in one. They did the first two so suddenly."
"Can anyone even tell how many layers of illusions there are?"
At Salton's words, everyone looked to the silver sphere. After some time, Ryvvan spoke. "This truly is complicated work. I can see the illusion, but it is so dense I cannot see the folds, let alone the layers."
They all looked to Elsa; she shook her head with a sad smile. "I can get down to four more and there may be only one more left after, but I am not sure."
Eva sucked her teeth and her eyes opened wide in surprise and awe. "A seven-layered illusion? Could it be possible?"
All eyes turned back to the sphere. "If it is seven different illusions then one, or all of them, is very special." They all nodded at Ryvvan's words.
"This Atina is definitely special."
Shylah nodded in response to Eldora. "And the illusion is triggered by Ardyn's and Varric's actions."
They all nodded in agreement to her.
At the valley entrance, the four looked out over the valley. Ardyn sighed. "We triggered the loop again, didn't we?"
Seraphis responded calmly. "It seems so. But since we saw through two layers, we remain awake."
"I think doubt triggered it. All I did was doubt Atina's words."
Ardyn nodded at Varric's words. "I did as well."
The valley shimmered again. The castle grew more substantial and larger. Its four corners became more unified with it. Their magic was stable and began feeding into the castle to add to its strength and stability.
Atina smiled. "We are nourishing and strengthening Sidus Serpens." She looked up into the sky and it seemed that light shone down on her. Her skin began to smolder under the light, more of her scales fell away, and the side of her face scorched.
Ardyn flinched but stayed calm. She and the others raised their faces to the light just as Atina did.
The loop restarted.
Seraphis spoke first, his voice calm and reflective. "It seems we all have different duties here." He let out a pained groan as half of his gold and silver scales fell away like dead skin sloughing away for fresh new skin.
Unlike Atina, under those scales Seraphis' skin was radiant. It shone like gold newly polished and it glistened like it was liquid. His exposed side rippled as if there was something underneath it. He stood up straight and cracked his neck. "I see what Atina means. There is pain, but there is also a rightness and completeness after. It's… illuminating."
Varric considered. "For Seraphis it's understanding and knowledge; Atina is sacrifice and duty." He looked to Ardyn. "For you, compassion and love. And myself… leadership and stability."
Ardyn's eyes glistened and as she accepted and believed Varric's words, they all heard sounds like many mirrors breaking around them. The sound was like a cacophony of noise and they each closed their eyes to it.
When they opened their eyes, the loop had not restarted but they had moved to a different place.
They were all inside the castle. Each alone, each at a corner, in the dark—deaf, blind, and waiting.
Above the valley that was the backdoor of Sidus Serpens, the High Emperors and Empresses all sat back as one. Ryvvan sighed. "You got what you wanted, Braylon. They broke through four layers of a transcendent illusion in one go."
Eldora nodded. "And now they have to solve individual dilemmas to shatter the final layer." She looked to Elsa. "Now we will know how capable and worthy your students are."
I love the idea of them being "deaf, blind, and waiting" at the four corners of the castle. Would you like me to help you brainstorm the individ