Violet went over her plans several times and after listening to Senkards's warnings, teleported to Frostylia. When she arrived she took a moment to rest after the strenuous use of magic.
A chill ran up her spine although it was not caused by the freezing wind and snow around her. Fear sent the shiver, reminding Violet of just who and what she was about to confront. She had confidence in her abilities but also knew how powerful deities were; especially old ones. She hoped out of both respect and anxiety that she would not have to fight Reverie.
Violet crept quietly through the large, smooth hills of snow through the darkness. Night had blanketed the world and Frostylians were sleeping soundly in their houses below the mountain she treaded.
This frigid mountain, stretching higher than perhaps any other landmark on the planet, housed Reverie at its peak. Violet was sure to warp close to the pearly palace, which was hard to miss even through the raging blizzard. Its tall, shiny spires stood out boldly among the falling snow and ice.
Violet gulped as she spotted a formation of guards protecting the palace. They were clad in iridescent, icy armor and wielded long spears. If she showed too much aggression, then any chance of negotiating with Reverie would be lost.
Moving slowly, Violet headed for a large, white-leaved tree nearby the palace entrance. She wanted to approach faster but the temperature hindered her movements. It was so cold at this altitude that even her Frostylian nerves were irritated. She felt like icicles might form at her fingertips and that her eyes would freeze shut as she hid behind the tree. From there, she peeked out behind the trunk at the guards and focused.
Shivering, she tapped into her magic and silently summoned black, wispy tendrils around her targets. Like snakes, they slithered to the guards' necks and strangled all of them without making a sound. The urge to kill them was strong, but Violet released them once they passed out. The tendrils disappeared and she cautiously trudged through the snow to the palace doors. After tiptoeing around the unconscious bodies, she reached the elaborate entrance and failed to open it. Teleporting inside could alert Reverie, so Violet quickly searched a fallen guard's pockets and retrieved a key.
She opened and shut the door slowly so it wouldn't creak as she slipped into the palace. It was warmer inside, a fact she was thankful for. A chandelier empty of flame hung ominously overhead. The room was dark, empty, and silent. Violet could faintly make out a vacant throne that sat among a bed of twisting white branches, as well as some shelves and drawers that lined the walls near hanging tapestries.
Violet sighed. Her magic didn't produce much light, so she wouldn't be able to use it to see. She waited for her vision to adjust before creeping around the room and checking every inch of furniture for anything even remotely key-like.
Her footsteps made soft thumps against the carpet, but no other noise penetrated the large throne room. However, her heart stormed so violently in her chest that she feared it could wake the Goddess or any guards that may be lingering around.
She had searched every drawer and scoured all the shelves to no avail. She found nothing key-like and nothing useful. Humming in frustration, she started for one of the doors to explore the deeper quarters of the palace.
A bright light flashed overhead, flooding the room in a dim, ghostly radiance. Violet jumped and stepped back, looking skyward. Eerie flames of blue now occupied the chandelier, highlighting every surface with pale cerulean streaks.
Gulping, Violet looked forward to the throne, where a flash of icy energy occurred. When it faded, a beautiful woman sat in the regal seat. Her skin was white as the snow and her pale pink hair cascaded over her plain, velvety robe. Over her head and around her shoulders loomed a mesmerizing silver ribbon. Its black trim was lined with shimmering cyan swirls and it billowed slowly and mysteriously all on its own. Violet stared at it for a moment, sensing the faint magical aura it emanated. She couldn't look away until the woman's voice yanked her attention.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Asked Frostylia's Goddess. Her voice was calm and gentle, but that did nothing to soothe Violet's fear.
She took a deep breath and steadied her voice, thinking before speaking. At last, she said, "I'm here to speak with Reverie. I assume that's you." There was no mistaking the overwhelming magic Violet was sensing from the woman before her. The throne too proved that she was indeed the Goddess of Frostylia; the one her father and grandmother answered to.
"Yes, I am who you seek. And who are you?" Reverie replied.
Violet took a moment to let her pulse relax. There was nothing to be afraid of. "No one really, just a visitor," she said. "I have a request."
A small smile crept onto Reverie's face and she giggled like a child. "I'm interested to hear what kind of request made you take out my guards and sneak into my palace," she said.
"That's why I didn't hurt them – because it's just a request. I've got no hostile intentions," Violet explained. She looked up at the Goddess in the throne of white branches. "I need your divine key."
"What could you possibly need a divine key for?" Reverie asked. "Someone like you has no business in the affairs of Sages."
"I disagree. Please just lend it to me briefly," Violet persisted. She knew her negotiation skills were painfully lacking and that she had little chance of receiving the key through this method. She had no excuse or reason as to why she needed it. There was nothing that could fool Reverie, so she could only hope to get lucky somehow.
The Goddess shook her head. "I could never go against the king's trust that way," she muttered. Her sharp, silver eyes narrowed. "Who are you...?"
"That doesn't matter," Violet said. "Is there anything I can do in exchange for it?"
Without warning, Reverie leapt from her throne smoothly and landed before her visitor. She straightened and slowly approached the dark mage, making her step back. Violet was surprised to see that she was an inch or two taller than the Goddess, but she was still intimidated by those calm, focused grey eyes which scanned her relentlessly.
"You seem so familiar," Reverie said, ignoring the question. Then, her eyes widened. "You're...Ace's daughter."
Violet felt her muscles tense as her breathing grew shallow. Nervousness began to prod at her but she kept calm, saying nothing beneath the ominous blue glow that barely lit the space. Reverie crept closer and muttered, "No...but you're the spitting image of your mother."
"You knew my mother?" Violet breathed. Chills assaulted her spine and she was almost afraid to learn more. But curiosity overcame the fear, and she listened intently for the answer.
Reverie nodded, her movements as slow and eerie as the blue flames above. "I met her once, yes. You look a lot like her; you have the same cold hate in your eyes that she did."
"Hate?" Violet gasped, now more focused on the topic than the key. "She was a therapist, she helped people!"
"Her job, her kindness, her smile – they were all masks meant to hide the sick darkness within her mind. She helped others because she knew she couldn't help herself," Reverie said.
Violet clenched fists at her sides and glanced away. The words were similar to Willow's, but she still didn't acknowledge them. It couldn't be true that Vivian was such a dark person.
Violet's irritation was growing, but she hadn't forgotten how foolish a fight would be. She shook her head and said, "Well, I'm not like that. So can we please come to some compromise?"
A small, chilling giggle came from Reverie as she moved forward to Violet, who stepped back only to then freeze in place. She tried to be brave, but her fear and agitation both ate at her, causing her to ever so slightly shake. "Ah, you don't just look like your mother," Reverie whispered, getting closer. "You use her tactics, too."
"What are you talking about?"
"You think you can hide your hatred and your darkness with polite words and kind intentions. It won't work, not for a second."
Reverie's voice was like a gust of freezing air. Violet couldn't make eye contact as her heart screamed and her lungs choked. Reverie kept moving forward like a cat cornering its helpless prey.
The Goddess slowly grabbed Violet's wrist, then gently traced her touch down her hand. "You may have washed the blood from your hands, your face, your clothing," she whispered, dragging her hand upward and stroking Violet's cheek. She was forced to make eye contact. "But the blood of your victims doesn't just cover your body; it splatters on your soul, too. And I can see every drop of it clear as day..."
Violet trembled, unable to tear her gaze from Reverie's silver eyes. She hadn't done a thing, yet the Goddess already knew she was a reaper. She tried to speak or move, but she was paralyzed in panic. Reverie's confidence was terrifying.
"Did you forget how to speak?" The Goddess taunted softly. "You were so bold before. What happened? Are you afraid?"
Finally, Violet managed to gain a shred of composure. She opened her mouth to reply, but a blast of frigid energy struck her and sent her across the room. She rolled over the carpet in pain, finally skidding to a stop. She growled in agony and started getting up, but large, thick icicles burst around her and caged her in place. She peered through the bars of ice at Reverie, furious.
"Don't do this," Violet snarled from within her cold prison. "I don't want to fight you."
"I don't think that's true," Reverie said, lowering her hand. The icy aura that surrounded it fizzled away. "After everything I said about your mother, I think you're itching to fight me."
"I'm not!" Violet lied. "I wanted one simple thing from you. You're the one making this difficult!"
Reverie sighed and shook her head. "You're after something precious and you invaded this palace. You're a threat and your mind is polluted. Your heart is blackened. Your soul is poisoned," she hissed. "I don't trust you for a second and I won't let you hurt anyone else."
"Fine then," Violet growled, "give me the key or I will take it from you."
"You'll never find it."
"I won't have to. You're going to tell me!" Violet vanished through black smoke and reappeared behind Reverie. Before she could strike, the Goddess whipped around and kicked Violet in the chest. She hit the floor again, groaning.
Reverie's eyes were wide. "Your magic is black..." She muttered.
Violet's eyes furiously darted around the room as she tried to get a sense of her surroundings. Just one glance was enough. She gripped the tapestries in her telekinesis and threw them down on Reverie from above. She yelped as she was caught up in them.
With Reverie disoriented, Violet snatched as many objects as she could with her mind and rained them down on the Goddess's head. Books, vases, branches, and a volley of other items relentlessly smashed into the form beneath the fabric.
When she ran out of objects, Violet summoned black tendrils that coiled around the wrapped up Reverie. Sure she had her, Violet approached and growled, "Tell me where it is or I'll make you!"
The tapestries ripped apart and the tendrils dissipated, blown away by the incredible gust that was produced by two massive wings stretching from Reverie's back. Their white feathers were tipped in black, just like the sails of a snowy owl. She stretched, hardly injured from the attack.
"Need those already?" Violet snapped, looking up at the imposing set of wings.
"Don't try to taunt me," Reverie replied. "With how foolish your mother was, I'm surprised you're so avid."
"What did you say!?" Violet hissed, black energy crackling from her eyes.
"I said the truth."
Reverie teleported out of a black laser's path just before it fired. It struck the wall and blew it to pieces, spreading decay among the remaining debris. The howling winds rushed inside through the massive hole.
Violet panted angrily after attacking. Through her rage, she heard a voice behind her. "Oops, missed," it said. Violet spun around to strike Reverie but she wasn't there. Instead, she was met with a giant icicle that nearly stabbed through her face. She stumbled back from surprise, her back hitting a second one.
Before she could be impaled by the array of jutting ice, Violet countered them with black crystals. Both shattered upon contact, but she was at least safe. Reverie stood at the far end of the room, watching. "A shame you have such a short temper," she said, "it hinders your skill. You probably would've had me by now if you weren't getting so upset."
"I am not upset!" Violet growled as unconvincingly as possible. Repeatedly she tried to trap Reverie through destructive means. She fired laser beams and summoned tendrils, clashing with the Goddess while making no progress.
Violet soon realized brute force wouldn't work on this deity; she was too agile. The room's roof had been rotted away along with the white branches, but Reverie hadn't endured a scratch.
Reverie was right, as painful as it was. Violet couldn't strategize well under so much negativity, but it seemed impossible to calm down. When angered, her magic would flare up and only drive her rage further; it was a vicious cycle.
For a moment, Reverie was quiet. Violet tried to take the chance to calm down, but it didn't last long enough. The Goddess sneered, "You poor thing. You lost your mother, your father, and now your advisor. You killed one of my best Noble Mages, too...your own grandmother, no less." She stepped forward as she spoke, summoning icicles from the ground at Violet.
Still furious, Violet blocked each one with a black crystal. The floor was a battlefield, home to a war of magical stalagmites of ice and darkness. "How do you know all of that!?" She shouted.
"You want to know how? I'm surprised you can't tell, seeing how adept you are when it comes to magic. Then again, your mother wasn't very observant either. She couldn't even see the error of her ways."
Hatred and anger wrapped themselves tightly around Violet's psyche and suffocated it. She couldn't think straight as her magic fogged her senses and poisoned her blood. Her attention was gradually drawn away from the icicles and focused on Reverie, the source of all her fury. Thoughts of tearing the Goddess apart filled her mind. She imagined the euphoria of ripping off her limbs, strangling her with her own entrails, and melting her eyes out of their sockets. Anything to cause her pain.
The wisps of black energy that flowed from Violet's eyes thickened as her wings snapped open at last. Hatred consumed her focus and one of her crystals formed too low; an icicle thrusted upward and slashed across her side. Blood and a scream escaped the dark mage as she was thrown back from the momentum of the strike.
Reverie quickly pinned Violet to the wall in a cage of sharp, icy pillars. "Getting serious now?" She asked, looking at the raven wings.
Violet groaned within the hold of the icicles. A large, deep gash had been torn into her side. It bled steadily, but not too quickly as luck would have it.
Although she could escape the ice, she let herself be pressed against the wall in order to regain her focus. She took deep breaths in a desperate attempt to calm down. Her mind slightly cleared after several seconds, and she acknowledged the core problem – Reverie's teleportation.
The Goddess was skilled with timing and didn't need much energy to warp about the small space. She had dodged almost every one of Violet's attacks this way and even landed several hits of her own while evading.
If Violet could keep her from teleporting, she could hold her still and torture the information out of her. A seal came to mind, but Violet didn't have a suitable place to carve one. Perhaps on the ice around her, she thought. It would be discreet enough, however it would disappear once the pillars shattered like the rest. Even if she had the time to carve one into a wall, Reverie could simply destroy it or move out of its range.
Violet's twisted mind finally conceived a terrifying solution. It could only be pulled off at a perfect moment.
Reverie stepped closer to the pinned Violet. "You're awfully quiet all of a sudden, but I can still feel your anger. Are you getting tired?" She said.
Violet shook her head, black streaks running down her pale face. "How do you know so much about me and my mother? You've only met each of us once," Violet snarled.
"Hm. You want to know how? All right. I'll tell you, but only because I know a mage of your caliber will appreciate it. Blocking all of my icicles at once is no easy feat."
Violet was quiet, waiting for the explanation.
Reverie stepped forward and pointed at her eye. She continued, "When I look into the eyes of others, I can see their memories." She folded her hands behind her back, chuckling triumphantly. "I know what you've been through. I know what you've lost. I know how you feel."
Those cold words were no doubt meant to discourage Violet, but they did the opposite. Instantly, a cruel plan clicked into place. She knew how to get the opening she needed to carve the seal. "No, you don't know how I feel," She spat, having grown angry again by the presumptuous claim. "I noticed you haven't been making eye contact with me when you use your magic. That ability activates whenever you tap into your energy, disregarding your will."
"You're clever, I'll give you that," Reverie said. "But I have no patience to discuss the mystical arts with a witch like you." Her eyes narrowed and a thick icicle, covered in hoarfrost, jutted forward. Its sharp tip stopped just at Violet's throat.
When the cold spear was summoned, it happened again. The silver eyes of the Goddess slightly turned away. Violet smirked. "Look at me," She muttered. "You won't do it when you're using magic. Hm, I wonder why..."
She knew exactly why. She continued, "You're not afraid of what you see in me, are you?"
"I've already looked into you. There's nothing else to see."
"No, look closer," the dark mage whispered. "You don't know how I feel or what I've been through because you only scratched the surface. You may have seen what happened, but you haven't seen what I felt in those moments."
Reverie slightly stiffened and stepped back. Her wings pulled close to her body. "Why would I entertain your sick fantasies when I can kill you now?"
"Because you have pride; I know you do," Violet said. "You can't claim to understand hatred, mine or my mother's, unless you look into my eyes and witness it for yourself."
The spike at her throat only thrusted closer, an inch away from her skin. Reverie frowned silently and Violet continued, "It's nothing you're scared of, is it?"
Reverie at last huffed, "Very well. If it will please my best assassin's daughter."
Violet had to bite back a wicked grin. She looked to Reverie and their eyes met.
There was a moment of calm. The only sound to be heard was the howling winter winds. Then, a shuddered breath broke the ambience. It came from Reverie, whose skin had lost its color. Her eyes were wide and lined with tears. She shook slightly, pure horror swimming across her delicate face. Her knees trembled as if trying to run, but she was frozen with fear.
Violet laughed, sure not to pull her stare away. "What's wrong? Don't like what you see?" She taunted.
Reverie stumbled back but her gaze was still locked in place. Her lip quivered and she mumbled, "You're...terrible..."
A slow, heartless giggle escaped the corrupted mage. Her voice light, she whispered, "You could never understand...I won't abandon my ambitions no matter what I have to do." She sighed euphorically. "And if you call that evil...then so be it."
Reverie shook her head, then screamed. She finally tore her gaze from the cold eyes and held her head, groaning as if she were being tortured. She fell to her knees, screaming to herself with her eyes clenched shut.
Violet wasn't confused; she knew what Reverie had seen. Mere minutes ago, she was imagining tearing the Goddess apart. "Don't like seeing yourself mutilated, do you?" She hissed. Two spears of obsidian formed around her through a burst of darkness. She wielded them with telekinesis and launched them into Reverie's feet, pinning her to the floor. The Goddess threw her head back and released another shriek as blood poured onto the frosty carpet.
Violet vanished through a cloak of black smoke and reappeared before her target. The dark mage lunged forward and viciously dug her fingernails into the Goddess's chest. Quickly, she carved the teleportation seal into Reverie's very flesh. She could not escape it.
Reverie shoved Violet off, a futile move. She simply got up and constricted the shaken Goddess in black filaments. She could not teleport out of them and more complex spells were nearly impossible to cast in her traumatized state.
The ribbon that Reverie wore had fallen off, but she caught it in her hand before it could hit the floor. Its perpetual movement had ceased.
Violet walked toward Reverie until they were inches apart. Her voice had calmed some and she said, "Tell me where the divine key is."
"No!" Reverie cried, shaking her head as she struggled in the tendrils. Her eyes were still clamped shut. "I'll never let it fall into your hands!"
Violet frowned. "Never? Not even now?" Reverie's right index finger began to tremble. It then bent back slowly, further and further until the bones snapped.
The Goddess cringed and yelped in pain, but she didn't waver. Violet broke her fingers one by one until her right hand was a tangled mess. She panted within the tendrils, shaking.
"Still no?" Violet asked coldly.
Reverie shook her head before an obsidian spear slashed her chest. She screamed again and didn't stop as black crystals began to burst out of her skin. Blood trickled down her body.
"Tell me," Violet demanded, watching as blood spattered onto her porcelain face. She made the torment stop to give Reverie a chance.
The Goddess coughed, a red trickle dripping down her lip. "I told you...no..." she groaned.
Violet was growing angrier by the second. Even at her most broken moment, Reverie was foolishly faithful to the king. The dark, acidic magic twisted around Violet's mind and caressed it, whispering to her and telling her to do more. She welcomed its touch and let it sway her.
Reverie squirmed as she saw Violet extend her hand forward, black particles lacing between her fingers. "No...stop!" Reverie cried as the energy thickened into a toxic mass of haze.
"You were so confident," Violet mocked. "What happened? Are you afraid?"
Reverie couldn't answer. Her toes began to collapse and melt, then her feet, then her ankles. She screeched over the howling winds, her tortured voice shattering the silence of the night. "Stop!" She begged, arching her back in pain. "Stop it! Stop! Violet!"
The sound of her name splashed Violet with clarity. Her magic dissipated and the glow in her eyes faded. Her vision was still clotted by rage, but she managed to see the Goddess of her home world.
She was ruined. A bleeding, shaking, terrified husk of her former self. Her fingers were twisted and her feet were melted away, a pool of crimson beneath her. Violet knew she was no longer a threat, as her body had gone limp. The tendrils fizzled away and Reverie hit the floor, motionless save for her trembling.
Violet huffed, "Fine, don't tell me. I'll find it myself..."
She turned, but was stopped by Reverie's weak voice. "Violet, wait...you don't have to be like this. You don't have to share your mother's hatred..."
Embers of dying fury blazed into a flame. Violet whipped around. "I am so tired of hearing this," she growled. "That I 'don't have to do this' or that it's 'not too late for me'. As if I'm doing something wrong! I didn't need your king's help to get my wings! I'm doing fine!"
"But you use dark magic!" Reverie cried from the floor. "It's tearing you apart!"
"It'll tear you apart if you don't shut up!" Violet hissed.
Reverie curled up as best as she could, hugging her ribbon to her chest. She whimpered under her breath as several tears fled her eyes. "How did she know...?"
"What?" Violet asked, gritting her teeth.
"I met your mother when she was pregnant with you. She wanted help warding off a threat and I tried to offer her other options but she wouldn't listen..." Reverie breathed. "That day, she told me something I haven't forgotten."
Violet's breathing slowed. "You didn't help her..."
"She told me that one day I would regret it," whimpered the broken Goddess. "How did she know...?"
"Why didn't you help her? Why was the world out to get her!?"
"Because that is fate's way of dealing with dark people."
Violet's eyes widened. This pathetic deity, crushed and broken on the floor, still had the nerve to insult Vivian straight to her daughter's face. "Shut up..." Violet growled with ruffling feathers. "Shut up!"
Reverie flinched, pain shining in her eyes as she looked up at the furious mage. Violet stared down at Reverie, towering over her in the dark. "You have made me absolutely livid," she rasped as her wings stretched upward on their own. "You've insulted me and my family and you ruined my mother's life. You arrogant, pathetic excuse for a Goddess..." Magic began to flow over her wings as they formed an arch overhead.
"Violet..."
"I'm not going to stand for it anymore!"
Reverie could only stare in horror as the unstable black magic condensed at the top of Violet's wings. The room darkened, as if light itself was being drawn into the impending blast. "I guess you were right," Violet whispered. She loomed over Reverie and gazed down at her coldly. "I hate you."