Andlátkyn; Vandr Sanses unin Alagaësia

Aftermath

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The gods all began slowly congregating back to the Varden's encampment, all having suffered their own defeats.
Cicállaé wandered the battlefield almost aimlessly, their very passing calming the dying soldiers as they healed any they came across. Nightmare wished only to heal those of the Varden, but Dream cared too deeply to overlook the pitiful men that fought pointlessly for the Empire. So all they met were healed.

As they wandered, other skeletons gathered around them, looking for a familiar god to lead them away from this dreadful madness.
Horror, shockingly enough, came and latched onto one of the many branches, shaking as he stared off blankly at the horizon, eyesockets dark and wide as he mutely clung to the merged god, who accepted this and held him, aware of his terror and pain.

Eventually, when enough had gathered around them, Error appeared, waving at them as he turned and headed for the Varden, Blue and GB limping beside him, Geno leaning on Reaper as well.

They inevitably arrived at Nasuada's pavilion, wandering inside- much to the surprise of those already within.
"Wyrdaí Islingrya." Nasuada greeted wearily. "It seems that you have fared just as well as the rest of us."
"Fresh has fallen." Geno spoke abruptly, voice hoarse.
"What?!" Lust gasped, drawing the attention of a few others that hadn't met him before the battle.

Error only faced them silently. He glanced at Cicállaé, who held his gaze for a few moments before the god of destruction sighed.
"It was 404. He snapped his host's skull off in- iπ £®ont øf me, aπ[) rip₱ed o££ my arm$." They suddenly realized his right arm was missing. "I haven't found my right side yet." Fresh's signature sunglasses hung around his neck vertebrae on his glowing blue string.

"He's not the only new enemy." Cicállaé spoke up, drawing everyone's attention to them.
"Nightmare?" Nasuada asked in confusion. They regarded her.
"Both."
She blinked, not understanding. They went on regardless, branches setting Horror's feet to the ground yet not letting him go.
"An old enemy of ours from the Multiverse, the one behind the scythe wielded against us in the assassination in Farthen Dûr. He is known only as Hate, and he freely admitted he has gathered malevolent spirits and forged a deal with them. Whatever he has become, it is something much like a Shade- much more powerful than before if he were entirely present. As it is.. we were lucky he was spread out and distracted by the fighting around us."

"Hate is a Shade now?" Error questioned, voice drained.
"Not quite. The spirits of Shades possess the sorcerers that summon them. Make no mistake, these are the very same spirits, but they are not in control."
"Regardless of whether this Hate is a Shade or not, if he is of the same spirits as was Durza, he is a threat that must be eliminated." Arya asserted.
Cicállaé studied her features for a while, then looked away. "Indeed he is. Before, he was already a dangerous enough enemy."

"It was because of him Boss gathered his team together; that's how deep their history is." Killer stated, staring at his shoes.
"This is indeed worrisome." Nasuada murmured, tapping her fingers on the table as she leaned on it. "But what happened to you?" She finally queried, studying them curiously.

"Once Hate has latched on, there is very little that can remove it. Hate attached to Dream. Something extreme had to be done. So this is what we-" They cut off suddenly, coughing as they leaned against the table, shivering as the branches curled in on themselves, leaves fluttering weakly.
"Are you okay?" Blue asked in alarm, taking a step forward.

The air here is toxic." They explained tiredly, the wood limbs reaching out as they supported their weight on the branches.
"...The air here does make it uninhabitable for plant life." Arya admitted quietly.
The god of emotion groaned slightly. "It's been affecting us ever since we arrived- it's worse now that so many bodies have been charred. It's suffocating." They shrugged, twigs resting on the edge of the table as the merged god peered around.