Mirabel froze as too late did she realised her folly. Overwhelmed with the full horror of all her sins she gave into madness. All around her the human spirit faltered before the might of chaos. Greater daemons stomped into existence, crushing friend and foe under their considerable strength.

The Mordians fell back and formed a firing line. The Sisters became lost in their battle for survival. The daemon hordes only multiplied in strength. Even as the Mordians unleashed hell by volley fire, the endless tide encroached upon them.

Mimir fought like a demigod among mortals. His mighty flame was burning bright like a beacon in the dark. He put himself between the humans and daemons and began to hack, bash and burn his way through the endless horde.

Impervious to attack he roared and barked with enraged fury as he slaughtered the forces of chaos. Then holes were torn in reality and out charged a wave of seekers and chariots of hell. Their slender steeds' tongues were flickering about like that of a snake's. They squealed with joy as they tasted the blood in the air.

It is in this darkest hour that a light sparked within Mirabel. She gasped as her chest began to burn. She panicked but lost control of her frozen body. Her wide-open eyes darted back and forth as she started to squeal in her place.

More and more she squealed as the gem inside of her burned with rage. It pushed out against her ribcage and seared both flesh and bone. There she heard the echo of a thousand voices growl as one.

I should have you burn for eternity for your sins... But this what I needed to return so I'll grant you one single mercy.

Mirabel squealed as the gem that was cooking her from within burst out her chest in an enormous explosion of blood and gore. Mirabel took one last gasp of horror losing her strength before dying. The Gem floated in the air like a weightless orb of golden light.

It regarded Rosetta's dead body. It saw the wound and the shattered heart within and found the body irreparable. Salvaging the situation, it flew into the wound and projected itself throughout the body. Kickstarting all the dormant fragments back up again and restoring Aura's crystalline heart.

Through the great crack in the fabric of reality, a stream of golden light flowed from the warp. It bypassed daemon after daemon as it silently slipped through the horde and reunited with its long-lost fragment.

Then the two lights merged and in a blinding flash Aura returned, the very earth shook as the warp rift began to close. Aura, now a shining body of golden energy, gazed upon Rosetta's dead body with a whimpering face torn by grief.

She shook off the grief and summoned her fragments. Bursting out of the body, they rejoined her all except one. Aura gasped as she found herself fading. Her eyes widened as she inspected the wound and saw the shattered heart destroyed beyond repair.

Racked with grief, she felt the madness scratch at her very mind. How could things have come to this? She asked herself. She despaired as she considered a Helios V without a guardian. Then the idea struck her. In this dark hour, there was still hope.

Only one solution remained. Aura reached into Rosetta's body and called to her. In the eternal maelstrom of the realm of souls, Aura plucked Rosetta's soul from its fate. As her last act, she plucked Rosetta's soul out of time and space.

Out of the dead body, Aura pulled a white light and hesitated for but a moment before implanting it into her chest. A tear dripped from her eye as she held both hands close to her chest.

I was wrong. To you, Sister I give you everything.

From the depths of her heart, a new flash of light shone bright, overcoming the chaos and the insanity and bringing but a moment of peace to an eternity of war. At that moment Rosetta gasped as she felt life flow into her once again.

Aura's warmth flowed throughout her stronger than ever. She looked around at a realm of madness. Energy took all manner of forms all too terrible and impossible to comprehend. An eternal firestorm writhed and rushed about as the many tides of the warp pushed and pulled in an endless sea of chaos.

She found Aura, a fading light amongst many others.

"Aura? What is-" Rosetta asked but cut herself short as newly found instinct told her all she needed to know.

Farewell and take care. Helios will need a new guardian. Do not abandon the people like I did so very long ago.

"No! Sister! Wait! Is there not anything I can do?"

Aura smiled as she began to fade completely.

Oh, you've done more than enough.

Then she disappeared entirely; darkness encroached upon her. Rosetta screamed as she watched another friend die for her sake. She curled up into a ball and began to linger in the dark. Not knowing where to go or where to start she became a little child with no knowledge of the realm she found herself lost in.

Soon whispers echoed in her mind. They hurled insults and reminded her of her failings. Rosetta found herself petrified with despair for every word was like some fiend pouring acid into her ear. Every syllable like the poisonous sting of an insect. They attacked all over and began to devour her despairing soul.

Then one single warm, welcoming whisper drowned out all others. Rosetta looked around and found a light in the darkness of the storm. So far away, so distant but so close at the same time.

It was a strange kind of peace that emanated in its wake. Rosetta reached out with her hand and found its light take the form of a sword. One distinct from all others, one blessed with immense power.

Rosetta beheld it. Somehow she instinctively knew what it meant and precisely who offered such a responsibility and power. She bowed her head in acceptance and reached out and took the sword.

-//-

Like molten glass, the light took the shape of a woman both athletic and utterly beautiful. At its feet, skin spawned and moved up slender legs covering it all with its creamy white complexion. It ran up around the curve of her hips and over her torso. Like a spreading liquid, it flowed up her back and around her sides and breasts then over strong shoulders until eventually covering the head and arms.

It constructed a face and form in Rosetta's image and from the scalp grew long flowing red hair that matched her height in length. Around her body was spawned robes of red and white. Made to bear a likeness to the robes of the Repentia.

From her back, mighty wings of white light sprouted and she raised her palms up and before her spawned a mighty sword. A long glowing blade formed and its base bore a winged fleur-de-lis about its guard, red silk on its handle and a great amber gem as its pommel.

With her right hand, Rosetta took her sword. With one slash she unleashed a powerful firestorm. The flames spread throughout the courtyard immolating the seemingly infinite daemons. Mordians and Sisters alike all cheered with joy as the firewall washed harmlessly over them.

With her first action, she incinerated a vast swath of the dark prince's horde and flew far above the battlefield, displaying her full newly found might. A blessed gift of a goddess who changed her heart before the end.

Then she turned about and propelled herself into the remnants of the daemon tide. Smashing into the ground, she unleashed a great nova of immolating fire into reality. She stood upright with pride at the centre of the holy firestorm.

Suddenly, through the firewall, Arcanus appeared. His golden amour, now blackened and glowing red with heat. The once finely detailed artwork and metallurgy upon its surface reduced to molten slag.

He held a dead Repentia by the face in one hand as he stomped out through the flames. With one great swing, he hurled the Repentia's broken body at Rosetta. The corpse slammed into the earth and rolled about to stop at Rosetta's feet.

"Enough! Face me! Fall to my blade!" Arcanus roared.

Feeling the spark of burning rage explode within her heart Rosetta winced and growled as she launched herself at him. With halberd in hand, he stood at the ready. Rosetta raised her sword, and with a roar, she swung the blade about in one great slash.

Only to be halted in an explosion of sparks and fire of both purple and white by the shining blade of Arcanus' halberd. As if reacting to the clash Arcanus' weapon sprang to life. Catching ablaze with purple flames and repulsing the sheer power of Rosetta's sword.

A firestorm of purple and white erupted as the blessed clashed with the daemonic. Empowered by the very same warp rift that allowed Rosetta's return Arcanus' weapon held the goddess back with all of its dark might.

Rosetta slashed left and right only to be repulsed by Arcanus' sudden power. With a hiss, she pulled her blade away and thrust the pommel right out at Arcanus. Deflecting the strike with the shaft of his weapon he slashed overhead in return.

Parrying it off to the left with the fuller of her blade she advanced. She grabbed the blade of her sword with both hands and with all of her strength she swung it overhead and hit his helm, splitting it clean in two.

The helmet slipped from its place and down his shoulders in two even halves. In its place was revealed an image of perfection. A perfect man of beautiful platinum silver hair and impossibly flawless skin.

He struck back with a great swing from the right. Parrying the trick Rosetta lashed back with a swift counter strike, lodging her handguard into his left temple. She pulled it out and he dropped but not before being caught by Rosetta.

She let go of her sword which then floated upright where she left it and then rammed her fist into Arcanus' throat in a bloody mess. She then ripped out another fragment of what was Aura. It then was absorbed into the palm of her hand.

Then she looked at the dead Arcanus. Already, his head wound showed signs of healing. She glanced at the closing warp rift. Flew to it and stared at Arcanus with a vicious snarl.

"You shall know true death." She growled with an echoing voice before tossing him into the rift and watching his body and armour alike disintegrate upon exposure to its violent energies.

-//-

Rosetta came upon Mimir who laid there on his back, panting and gasping for air. Every inch of his body was breaking up and burning into ash. With her new form, Rosetta instinctively knew what had happened.

Mimir had overworked himself. Overloading his soul with warp energy and overwhelming himself with the burden of all that power. No matter how much of it he spent, there was always more to take its place. It was all cooking him from the inside out as he fought on.

He tried to speak but couldn't over his paralyzing pain. Rosetta kneeled by his side and nodded. There was no need. Rosetta knew the words he wanted to say. She placed her hand upon the gem on his chest, and Mimir burned up into burning embers and ash.

The embers flowed into Rosetta, passing on the burden of this world onto its new protector. Rising to her feet, Rosetta took her sword and summoned her power. With a mighty roar, she stabbed the ground, and the earth shuddered.

The skies cleared and the light of day shone bright and warm once again. The rift, the tear in reality through which chaos bled into the material realm collapsed in upon itself and peace was restored to Helios V.

Rosetta bathed in the sunlight, welcoming its blessed warmth. She took a deep breath, allowing fresh air the flow throughout her lungs and savoured what she could save. She breathed out, no matter the cost, a victory was still a victory.

-//-