Alitia: Hellfire and Blizzard

IX: Collapsing Walls

The world felt as if it could end so quickly. 

News of Sierra and Acadia's falls had spread like wildfire. The forces of Pyre pulled out of attacking the remaining four schools all at once, clearly planning on setting up their new bases in the two academies they had managed to clear out. Through some miracle, the students and professors of both schools were able to flee from the scene before Brynn could arrive to drive them out by force, but it was still a close call. 

Carys' heart hadn't stopped screaming in her ears ever since the truth reached her. She knew why all of this was happening. Bryn was so desperate to bring the world to heel that she would have done anything to see her goals realized. If that meant tearing apart all of the Millennium Six schools, then so be it. Soon, Brynn would target Alitia again. She wouldn't let the school get away with sheltering Helena or Carys for too much longer. It would be a miracle if the princesses of Etruna managed to stay safe for even just a few days more. Carys didn't know how she was supposed to face the world knowing what she did, but the thought left her nauseous. 

She ran off to her room as soon as she was certain Alitia wasn't in any other immediate danger. She practically collapsed onto her bed once she was inside, not bothering to turn on the light. Carys didn't think she would have been able to stand looking at anything too bright right now anyway. She just needed to sit with her thoughts... But what good would any of that do when she barely knew what she was supposed to do going forward? Alitia had managed to survive the initial attack, but it wouldn't be able to withstand another onslaught if Brynn decided to launch another attack... And she would try to attack again. Brynn wouldn't let anyone get away without a fight, and Carys was one of her greatest targets. It was a miracle Helena and Carys had managed to escape the first battle, but they would not outlast a second. That much Carys was certain of. 

How had everything fallen apart so quickly? No, Carys knew just how it had happened, but it never seemed to help her to remember it. Brynn had been planning this for ages. She claimed it was a return to the place her people had once called home, but as far as Carys was concerned, they had given up that tie when they decided to forge a new empire. Pyre was strong, and if it was given the chance, it could completely overrun Etruna. Brynn had seen the ripples in the water that hinted at a civil war on Etruna, and she let Dolores and Aithne fight until the kingdom had been torn to a shadow and a shell of its former glory. From there, all she needed to do was swoop in and make sure she took control at the last second. It was as genius as it was frustrating, and Carys didn't know how she was meant to fix it. 

How was anyone meant to make a situation like this right? Brynn wasn't going to stop at just Etruna. Even if Carys was able to convince her entire planet to give up--and she wasn't going to do that--it wouldn't keep anyone safe for long. Brynn would keep expanding her armies until she had managed to take over the entire universe. She was a tyrant, and she wouldn't let anyone forget it. If there were people free from her strength, then Brynn would have a reason to keep fighting. No one would be able to get away from her when she truly put her mind to seeing them killed. Carys hated having to admit it, but it was starting to look like the war had already been lost before it could even begin. 

Carys curled over herself a little bit tighter. She didn't know what to do, and she doubted anyone else knew what to do either. How could they truly fight against Brynn when she had managed to take over two of the six schools on Millennia? No one would be safe as long as she was able to set up at least a few of her soldiers in Acadia and Sierra. The world was falling apart because of Brynn's pursuit of power, and there was nothing Carys could do to stop it. She was left curled up in her room waiting for a solution to find her because she already knew she wouldn't be able to search for it on her own. She was doomed. They were all doomed.