Fun fact: Morana (also named Marzanna, Marena, Morena, Morė, Mora, or Mara depending on which language you refer to her) is the Slavic Goddess of cold, frost, winter, death, and agriculture. I chose the single aspect of death to create a counterpart to Gaia.

Hope you all enjoy part 3 of Echoes of the Fallen DLC! Love you all!!!
~✨Celestial✨~
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Clive was the first to reach the unconscious Lyra. He pulled her body into his arms, cradling her against him. He saw just how sickly pale she was and felt overcome with panic and concern. He examined her body for other injuries and found a strange black spot on her chest. It swirled just like the mass that had formed in the sentinel's hand. "Joshua!" he shouted for his brother.

Joshua and Jill rushed over while Famiel, Marnek, and Halek watched with their own concerned gazes. The younger Rosfield attempted to use the flames of the Phoenix to heal Lyra, but the strange black enigma in her chest lashed out and prevented him from doing just that.

Jill had witnessed what happened. "Founder, what is that thing?"

"I know not," Joshua replied. "It is preventing me from aiding her."

Clive glanced over at the sentinel, which now lay completely lifeless. It had deactivated after its attack hit Lyra with no hint of resurrection. He looked back at the unconscious woman in his arms. "Could this be—?"

Lyra's eyes fluttered open. Her emerald eyes stared into Clive's sapphire ones before traveling over to Jill and Joshua. She closed her eyes for a few seconds when she felt a sharp pain in her chest. "Heavens..." She quickly placed a hand over her chest, only to be startled by the sensation of darkness. Not knowing what truly happened or what this darkness was, she did her best to remain calm. She glanced down just as the dark enigma vanished from sight. "I-I'm all right."

"No, you are not," Clive rebuttals. "Is this Morana's doing?"

"Possibly," Lyra replied. She removed herself from his arms and got to her feet with his help. She looked over at the lifeless sentinel. "If this is part of her plan, I do not understand what she hopes to achieve. For now, we must focus on locating the heart of the Mothercrystal."

Jill placed a hand on the goddess' arm. "You are not well. Perhaps it would be best for you to return to Eastpool."

"As much as I would love to..." Lyra clenched the hand she had placed over her chest into a fist. "I fear if this is part of Morana's plan, I would be endangering all of Eastpool. Whatever her objective is, the tower must be part of it."

"If you begin to feel unwell, tell us," the silver-haired woman said.

She nodded. "I will."

Although her companions were still worried about her, they spoke to Famiel so they could gather more information. While Clive, Jill, and Joshua spoke to the man, she examined the sentinel for any answers.

Famiel glanced at the goddess before meeting Clive's intimidating gaze. "I knew that Fallen thing was no match for you. Allow me to apologize for earlier. That was, er...ill-played. All born of a misunderstanding, though. Can we start again?"

"We don't need your apologies," Clive replied. "We need answers. And you're going to give them to us."

"I suppose you'll be wanting to know about the tower, then," Famiel said as he and the man glanced at the Fallen structure. He then turned his attention back to him. "As you've probably guessed, this isn't the first time we've been here. Fact is, my people have been coming to this place for centuries."

"Have they, now? To these ruins in particular?"

"Aye, well...they, uh...talked to us. Told us what this lot was all for."

"And what is it for?" Clive inquired.

"Well, believe it or not, the Fallen were actually using this place to make their own, er...Mothercrystal," Famiel explained, looking toward the tower. "Though, despite years of searching, all we ever found were shards."

Joshua cupped his chin with a troubled expression. "Then Harpocrates was right. It would seem that the Fallen did indeed acquire the gods' ability to craft crystals."

Famiel looked over at the youngest Rosfield. "I wouldn't go that far. The shards aren't exactly "divine." They're not even what you'd call decent. But they're better than nothing, and nothing is what our people had before we found them. So we've been coming here ever since."

"But these dusk crystals have only recently appeared on the black market. What made you decide to start selling them?" Jill asked.

"The skies. Once they went dark, the crystals started growing back till there were more than you could count. And with the Mothers all cracked, anyone with anything that could muster so much as a spark had people queuing up to take their coin."

"Yes. At a cost to us all," Clive stated. "Quality apart, these crystals are no different from the ones the world has been using since the dawn of time—and it cannot continue."

"No. It cannot," Joshua chimed in. "While this is clearly none of Ultima's doing, there can be little doubt but that it serves his cause."

"Then our path is clear. So let's do what must be done," Jill said.

Shocked, Famiel glanced between the three of them. "Wait. You lot aren't thinking what I think you're thinking...are you?"

"Oh, I think there's a good chance we are," Clive responded.

"But, uh...what about...? What about the tower's defenses? That thing you just fought, it won't be the last one—and the further you climb, the worse they'll get. And what of your friend? Was she not just hit with some strange magicks? How about we head back to Martha's before someone gets hurt, eh?"

Clive's eyes drifted over to Lyra to see her kneeling beside the deactivated sentinel before looking back to Famiel. "That is sound advice. Which I suggest you take. Before someone gets hurt."

Famiel fell silent. A perturbed expression manifested on his face as he crossed his arms. He had nothing more to say because he knew the man was right. His attention, however, was drawn to the goddess when the sound of her spear tearing through the sentinel's corpse reached his ears. He and everyone else was watching her.

Standing on the sentinel's back, Lyra jammed the sharp tip of her spear into it. She was able to create a hole large enough for her hand to fit through. Dispelling her spear, she sat on her hands and knees to peer inside the corpse. Spotting a faint glow, she slid her hand into the hole she created and blindly searched for the glowing object. She eventually found it and pulled it out. It was a hard object with the shape of a crystal that had a strange and disturbing black and crimson hue.

Holding the object in her palm, she got a better look at it. Her eyes widened once she realized what it was. "Ichor..."

"Ichor?" Jill reiterated in confusion.

Lyra jumped off the sentinel. "Blood of the gods. This crystal is no mere shard. It is solidified ichor. It should not have this hue, though."

"Does it belong to Morana?" Clive asked.

"I have no doubt. Ichor of a god should be a mix of scarlet and gold. This color is only possible if a god has absorbed too much aether. It is, indeed, the blood of a corrupt god. It could only be the blood of Morana."

Famiel blinked in horror and shock. "W-We've been harvesting the blood of a god?!"

"No." Lyra pulled out the dusk crystal and held it in her other palm to compare it to the crystalized ichor. "The hue of the manmade crystals and the ichor differ. The ichor is also more lustrous in appearance."

Famiel glanced between the crystalized blood and the dusk crystal. "So...we haven't?"

"If you had, well..." Lyra used her magic to destroy the crystallized ichor. "You and your companions would be dead. It is quite toxic to mortals, especially in its crystallized form."

"But you just—!" Famiel met the woman's calm gaze before coming to a realization. Eyes wide, he pointed a shaky finger at her. "Y-You are...?!"

Lyra put the dusk crystal away. "It would be wise to keep from mining any more of these dusk crystals as it is impossible to tell how much crystallized ichor is among the growth. If you were to harvest a single shard of ichor, you would perish."

"Fuck..." he huffed out.

The goddess glanced over at her companions. "The destruction of the heart of the Mothercrystal is not our only objective. We must learn the truth of Morana's survival and why she is here."

"What could a god in her form accomplish?" Joshua asked.

"Without a proper body, very little. She can, however, possess mortal bodies for a short while if she so desires."

"How concerned should we be?" Jill inquired.

"Quite. Let's hope she refrains from another abrupt—" Lyra was interrupted by a sharp pain in her chest. Her vision wavered slightly as the darkness swirling inside her festered. She almost lost her balance due to the pain, but her arms were grabbed from behind and she was able to steady herself. She didn't have to look behind her to know it was Clive. "Thank you," she sighed once the pain subsided.

"You've forgotten what else must be done," he said, his chest pressed against her back. "Finding out what happened to you."

She looked at the central structure of the tower. "Yes. Let's press on."

As Lyra pulled away from him, Clive felt something was strange about her. Although he could feel her familiar warmth, he sensed something cold and dark. His worried gaze never left her as she walked in the direction of the stairs. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he turned to look at his brother. He saw the reassuring smile on Joshua's face before walking ahead to join the goddess. With a small sigh, he followed after them with Jill and Torgal behind him.

Using their previous treks through Fallen ruins and their knowledge of them as a way to move forward, the group located a lift on the other side of the circular walkway. They stepped onto the platform and it activated, carrying them up to the next level of the Sagespire.

"Onward and upward," Clive commented. While the lift continued ascending, he spared a glance toward Lyra. He couldn't dismiss his concern for her and saw how she was covering the area where she was struck with her hand. He didn't like not knowing what happened to her, especially since she was still suffering. He wouldn't be able to stop worrying until they figured out what had entered her body.

The lift reached its destination and deactivated. Now in the lower ring of the tower, they stepped off the lift and traveled through the Fallen structure. They climbed up another stairwell and entered the left door seeing as it was the only one powered. As the door opened, they were surprised to find creatures suspended in tubes covered in ice.

"Any idea what those are?" Clive asked.

"They seem to be containers of some sort. Or perhaps..." Joshua started.

"Cages," Jill finished. "Like some sort of twisted menagerie. But why here?"

"Specimens, no doubt," Lyra said. "As for what? I am unsure. Perhaps the Fallen were utilizing them as test subjects during the process of creating their own Mothercrystal."

"How awful..."

"I never favored the use of creatures as test subjects, but it was the course of action chosen by the Fallen. Such advancement of their society required a form of sacrifice."

The group left the room and proceeded to the next one. Just like the previous one, they found a room full of frozen specimens. The walls were lined with tubes and the creatures inside remained suspended in time.

"How many of these things are there?" Jill questioned.

Walking deeper into the room, alarms began to blare as the automated voice spoke. "Contaminant detected. Releasing subjects alpha to epsilon."

The creatures were freed from their frozen containers and their sights were set on the group. They quickly took their weapons and attacked.

"Wait, they're still alive?!" Clive asked as he swung his sword at one of the wolves.

"But this tower is more than fifteen centuries old!" Joshua expressed his own surprise while conjuring the flames of the Phoenix to combat a bat.

Lyra jammed her spear into a wolf. "It is a form of suspended animation. As long as certain parameters are met, the subjects inside the tubes are kept alive yet frozen in time."

"Ah, so you possess a portion of the lost knowledge of the Fallen. Mayhaps we speak later?"

The goddess laughed. "If you so desire. However, do not be surprised when I only know so little."

Joshua chuckled as well. "Even the smallest fragment of information would quench my spirit of inquiry."

After they cleared the room of the freed specimens, they sheathed their weapons. Before they could press on, Clive looked over at Lyra. "There is something I must ask before we proceed."

The golden-haired woman tilted her head in curiosity. "Yes?"

"You spoke of the toxicity of ichor yet neither I nor those who have tended to your wounded body have fallen to it. How is that possible if it is toxic to us mortals?"

"Ichor is only present in a toxic amount when gods are using their holy bodies. You all have only been exposed to it in such a minute amount that it is safe and has no repercussions."

"Which means the crystallized blood of Morana is from her holy body," Jill concluded.

"Do avoid any black and crimson crystals if you see them," Lyra advised.

Continuing on, the party entered the adjacent room.

When they did, the pain Lyra felt earlier returned. She pressed a hand against her chest and tried to catch her breath, only to feel faint. The edges of her vision turned dark and she felt like she couldn't breathe. She sunk to her knees as she gasped for air, closing her eyes when her head was filled with the deranged laughing of Morana.

"Clive!" Jill shouted, having been the first one to notice her friend's state.

Clive turned around and saw what was happening. He rushed over to Lyra and kneeled down in front of her. He grabbed the hand she had on her chest, pulling it away after seeing her fingernails beginning to dig into her skin. His other hand came to rest on her shoulder. "Lyra," he gingerly called out to her. Dismissing the familiar cold and dark presence he was sensing, he squeezed her shoulder.

While trying to figure out how to help her, Clive heard her erratic breathing calm down. He saw her eyes open, only to be shocked at what he saw. Her once emerald irises were now a deep lilac. The hand he had on her shoulder moved up to the side of her neck. "Whatever is happening to you, we must hurry."

Lyra let out a small whimper of pain when Clive helped her up. Seeing how slow and weak her movements were, he hooked one of her arms around his neck while winding his own arm around her waist. He pulled her body into his side and looked over at Joshua.

The younger Rosfield nodded in understanding and opened the door that led to the next room. To his horror, it was another room lined with frozen tubes of specimens. However, some of the creatures were released. Among the creatures was a griffin.

"Jill," Clive called out to the silver-haired woman. "Take Lyra. Joshua, Torgal, and I shall deal with the creatures."

Jill took Lyra and kept both of them as far away as possible from the fight. She was relieved none of the specimens focused on them. As Clive, Joshua, and Torgal fought against the griffin, she glanced worriedly at the goddess and saw her eyes. She was shocked to see her once glistening emerald eyes were now a menacing deep lilac. "Your eyes..."

Lyra, who was still in pain, managed to ask, "What...?"

"They're purple," Jill replied. "What could possibly be causing such a change?"

The goddess wasn't able to reply due to the pain. She grabbed at her chest again as Morana's voice and deranged laughter filled her head.

"Mine! All mine!"

She tried to ignore the goddess of death and focus on suppressing the pain. Alas, it was too overwhelming. She felt her body become consumed by a frigidness that could only be compared to death itself. From the sounds of battle to Jill's worried voice, everything around her fell silent. The darkness was slowly consuming her vision and her consciousness was on the verge of disappearing. Her entire body felt heavy and she could barely move.

Lyra didn't notice the battle had ended or when she was escorted to the next area with help from Jill. Not even the sounds of Clive, Joshua, and Torgal fighting against the horde of goblins registered with her.

"Your body is mine, Gaia."

As Morana's voice continued to get louder and Lyra's body grew weaker, the goddess of life used what little strength she had left to pull out the dusk crystal in her possession. Without hesitating, she passed a small portion of her essence into the crystal after discovering what Morana was doing. Dropping the crystal to the floor, she yanked her body out of Jill's caring hold and stumbled away from her. She used what little control of her body she had to get away from her to keep her safe.

"Lyra, stop!" Jill shouted, grabbing the attention of Clive and Joshua.

The two brothers, having dealt with the goblins with Torgal's help, turned to see what was happening. They were horrified at witnessing the goddess' golden locks change to obsidian and black veins appear across her porcelain skin.

When Lyra grabbed her head with both hands and screamed at the top of her lungs in pain, Clive charged forward but was stopped by Joshua grabbing his arm. He was about to break free from him when the woman's cries fell silent. Eyes never leaving his beloved, he felt a sense of dread at seeing the black veins vanish and a maniacal cackle erupted from her throat.

Joshua glared at the woman. "That is Lyra no longer."

Clive's eyes widened in horror as he heard Lyra's voice mixed with another that sounded like Morana.

"It took longer than expected," Morana said, holding out her hands and examining them. "A body worthy of me, indeed."

Those words allowed Clive to figure out what had happened. The goddess of death had possessed Lyra's body and was now in control. Yanking himself out of Joshua's grip, he glared daggers at Morana and took a few steps toward her. "Release her," he growled.

The goddess of death's lilac eyes locked onto the man. She smirked in twisted amusement. "Aw, the feeble mortal has failed to protect the goddess he has devoted himself to. What a pity." Her grin curled further. "No need to fret, though. I shall see to it this body is more fitted for death than life."

"Wait!" Clive shouted as the goddess of death disappeared into a cloud of darkness. His eyes frantically darted around when Morana's sinister laughter echoed throughout the area. Seeing no sign of her, he gritted his teeth in frustration.

Joshua approached his brother and grabbed his shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. "Morana will not achieve what she desires."

"We will get Lyra back," Jill said, walking over to the brothers with the crystal her friend dropped. "She left this behind."

Clive took the crystal from Jill when she offered it to him. He saw how the dusk crystal that was once lusterless now radiated brightly with an emerald hue and a familiar warmth. "This..."

"Her essence," Joshua said with a small smile. "Morana does not have every fragment of Lyra."

Clive gripped the crystal tightly. "This will be no easy task."

"If Morana's essence now resides within Lyra's body, she now possesses a vessel to do what she pleases. What do you believe she will do?" Jill asked.

Releasing Clive's shoulder, Joshua cupped his chin in thought. "Regain all of what she has lost. Recalling what Lyra informed us of ichor, it is only present in high toxicity in the holy body of a god. Knowing Morana's ichor is integrated with the dusk crystals, she has only one objective."

"To restore her holy body," Clive concluded, putting the glimmering crystal away. "She will need the heart to achieve such a feat."

"Then it seems our objective has not changed," Jill spoke up. "We must destroy the heart before Morana may retrieve her blood."

Suddenly, another alarm blared. The tubes along the walls containing specimens were deactivated, allowing the creatures to roam freely.

Without skipping a beat, the party drew their weapons and attacked. They slew one creature after another until the area was clear. With no more enemies in sight, they sheathed their swords and trekked up the stairwell leading to another door.

As the door slid open, it revealed another Fallen creation—omicron. It came to life and was ready to battle. Even though it could fly and channel a powerful concentration of aether, it was no match for them. It only took them a few minutes to destroy the Fallen creation.

Clive returned his sword to its sheath. "And that makes two."

"Yes, but of how many?" Jill asked.

"That depends on how determined they were to conceal their activities," Joshua said. "Morana may even possess knowledge of what has truly transpired here."

Jill's eyes narrowed in displeasure at hearing the goddess of death's name. "And now she is promenading around with Lyra's body. How could we let this happen?"

"As a being from time immemorial, she easily outwitted us. Not even Lyra could have predicted the death goddess' objective to utilize her body."

"Lyra was concerned Morana would use one of us," Clive stated.

"She always has been one to worry more about others than herself," Jill commented.

"Indeed, that she has," Joshua agreed. "Which is why we must be the ones to ensure her safety."

"We will rout Morana out of Lyra's body." Clive felt the talisman and the crystal radiate with a gentle warmth, almost as a sign that all would work out. "Let's not keep her waiting."

Feeling more than determined to destroy the heart of the Mothercrystal and eradicate Morana from Lyra's body, the group left the room and soon located another lift. They stepped onto it and aether flowed through the various crystals that were used to power it up. They were carried upward to the next level of the tower.

During the long ascent, Joshua asked, "This is all too easy. If the tower is in control, why not simply disable the lift?"

Clive glanced at his brother. "What are you suggesting, Joshua?"

"That it's herding us," Jill answered. "Or perhaps Morana has had some form of control this entire time. Her blood was discovered in the sentinel that was being controlled by the tower. Would it be possible for her to control such relics with her crystallized ichor?"

"An excellent question. Though, I am afraid the one who could answer such a question is currently indisposed," Joshua said.

The silver-haired woman sighed sorrowfully. "I do hope Morana's possession is not harming Lyra."

"I doubt there is any physical harm," Clive spoke up. "Morana knew precisely how to infiltrate Lyra's body without harming her."

"Regardless, we must extract her from Lyra's body before it's too late."

"We will, Jill." Clive pulled out the glimmering emerald crystal and gazed at it with determination. He then squeezed it tightly in his gloved hand and pretended as if he were talking to his beloved he missed oh so dearly. "You have protected me for so long. I shall do the same, I swear it."