Chapter Text
The sounds of yelling, metal hitting metal, and bodies falling ringed through Cynikka's ears. They knew this was most likely their end, had known since that day. The day when she'd seen him, her grandfather… Solev, after years of no contact with any of her cursed family.
Cynikka was walking along the edge of the volcano, looking at the nearly constructed Bastion in the center. Just a few days earlier she was crowned inside said building. Something always felt so calming to just walk on the volcano's edge and take in the beauty of her home.
However, the peacefulness was cut off when Cynikka heard footsteps behind her. She turned around expecting to find one of her citizens, but instead Cynikka saw someone she hadn't seen since she'd gotten to Yggdrasil.
"Hello dear granddaughter!" Solev greeted before quickly pulling Cynikka into a hug that almost made Cynikka trip. Luckily, Solev let her go after a few seconds.
"Hi, Solev," Cynikka responded trying to catch her balance. "Long time no see, I guess. Do you need something or…?"
"Can't a man just see if his family for once?" Solev asked, clasping his hands behind his back. Yet, he couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "Okay, I might be needing something."
But, before Cynikka could ask Solev continued speaking. "You see, I've been going around Yggdrasil and Pandora looking for people who'd like to… play a game of sorts with me."
"Is it that game that caused Elanuelo and Turkey to give me up to you?" Cynikka asked, titling her head.
"Maybe… but anyways, I was just surveying around and spotted your nation and thought: 'Might pay my granddaughter a visit and see if she would like to play my game.'" Once Solev finished his little spiel he summoned from a gold light a paper. "Here's the form if you want to skim over it and just go ahead and sign it."
Cynikka took the paper from Solev and started to look over it, like actually reading the fine print. After a few minutes Cynikka looked up at Solev with a unimpressed look on her face.
"This is basically a scam, right? Because it says that you can just decide the winner and override the actual coin flip's decision. Also, a 7/11 gift card? Really?" Cynikka held out the paper in her hand.
"I mean… it's a great way to get people's souls, bodily autonomy, assets, firstborn child… yada yada," Solev looked away for a moment, obviously not expecting Cynikka to have read the paper he gave her.
"Don't you already technically own my soul? I mean, technically, that's what Elanuelo and Turkey agreed to when they played your game before," Cynikka explained.
"I guess… I mean, I can't exactly remember," Solev replied, thinking about it for a moment. "Anyways, are you gonna sign it and play my game? Or are you just going to stand there being mean to your sweet, old, grandpa?"
"I think I'll do the latter," Cynikka responded earning her a laugh from Solev. "On a serious note, since I think you already own my soul technically and with the fact I can't even have a firstborn child for you to take… know what, fuck it, do you have a pen? Oh, wait, I have one, hold up…" she grabbed a pen from one of her pockets.
"You just carry a pen around?" Solev asked.
"Yeah, when you lead a kingdom you need one. You would know. At least, you used to know," Cynikka responded, adding on the last part which earned her an offended scoff from the other. After a few seconds Cynikka handed Solev the paper back, her signature scribbled on.
Solev took the paper and in a flash of gold it disappeared and in it's place he held a coin.
"Time to see if you have any luck or if you're unlucky like your fathers," Solev joked before flipping the coin onto the rocks. "Anddddddd… looks like you… win!"
"What."
"Yes, Cynikka, you won my game! Now… a prize, let me quickly…" Solev pulled up some sort of panel in front of him, and Cynikka tried to lean over and take a look, but he pushed her face away. "No looking, or I might just take back that you win."
After a few moments the panel went away and in Solev's hand now was a gold totem-like thing. He gave it to Cynikka, pushing the object into her hands.
"There you go! Now, since it wouldn't be fun if I told you what it was, so I'll just tell you this dear granddaughter," Solev started, putting his hand on Cynikka's shoulder. "You it only when you absolutely need it."
Solev took a step back and started to prepare to teleport away, but Cynikka reached out to grab his arm. "What do you mean by that? When would I absolutely need it?" Cynikka's grip on his arm tightened just slightly.
"Use it when you absolutely know you're going to die," Solev answered before walking away, however he stopped for a second before leaving. "Hold it in your hand before you die, and you will know what it will do."
And in a flash of gold Solev disappeared.
Cynikka looked out onto the volcano, watching enemy troops storm in, desecrating her home. Her fingers twitched slightly, as if they knew she would be needing the totem today.
And how right her instincts were because within seconds she suddenly heard the yells of what seemed to be Westhelm soldiers enter the tower.
It was loud when the clash of metal started, when the yells of both sides alike begun to battle once more. Cynikka quickly drew her sword, barely in time to block a hit from someone. Cynikka backed up, her foot pushing off the wall as she swung at her attacker, barely missing them. Her missing didn't surprise Cynikka considering she had always been horrid at fighting.
And those thoughts were her downfall it seemed because she wasn't able to block the attack that was coming directly for her chest. A yell of pain escaped her mouth as she felt the diamond pierce through her armor. She was dying like this, she was going to die on her own terms if anything. And those terms?
Cynikka kicked at her attacker, sending them back along with their sword, now soaked in her blood, as she made a run for one of the windows. One hand reached out to pull herself out as one of her feet pushed off the edge, sending her out the bastion. Cynikka had hoped her momentum would cause her to fall in the lava, however she overshot it, sending her towards the black sands directly beside the boiling lake.
Cynikka internally cursed at Ish, his curse of avians being unable to fly during wars being her undoing as she plummeted. In the few seconds Cynikka had before her body connected with the ground she hastily grabbed the totem from her inventory.
"Please be right Solev, please be right…" Cynikka whispered as the ground came closer, and closer to her until she searing pain shoot through her body.
Cynikka's head connected first with the ground, the impact almost immediately shattering her skull and any bones close to it. Her avian nature made all her bones hollow, causing them to be more susceptible to injury. Cynikka couldn't even feel the rest of the injuries because as soon as her body fully hit the ground the totem suddenly exploded almost.
Cynikka wish she could move to cover her ears from the sound as it erupted directly beside her. Yet, within moments a warm, tingling sensation spread through her body, covering up the searing pain from moments before. It felt as if her body was piecing itself together, one fragmented part at a time.
As Cynikka's consciousness slipped away she looked up, her eyes barely agreeing to the movement as the warmth traveled to her head. Cynikka could blearily make out a cloak-clad figure in front of her, a void-like hand reaching out towards her face before everything went away in a flash of purple.