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Amidst the worst pain Rose had ever felt, part of her mind thought about the slaughter her “perfected” form would wreak upon her friends. Her family really. She could neither see nor hear much of the battle going on around her anymore. If her fellow Scions were winning against Emet or if all was indeed lost. That is what occupied her thoughts, instead of the more understandable fear of her imminent transformation.
The visceral sound of her soul breaking apart like glass was the only sound in her ears. Rose felt, more than saw the perfect golden halo forming above her head. A perfect series of tear drop like objects, clad in gold formed the halo. Ethereal roses fell from her brow like the universe wanted to christen a new God, and let everyone else know who the resplendent Forgiven Exaltation used to be.
The tips of her locs started to bleach white, the severe aetheric imbalance slowly taking away what made Rose who she was. Her crimson hair faded little by little, her back aching as divine wings threatened to erupt from her shoulder blades.
She was unaware of this fact, but her throat burning in agony had nothing to do with the light aspected aether shattering her soul into a million pieces. Instead it was due to her screaming herself bloody, maroon mixed with the purist white poured from her mouth for all to see outside her little slice of Hell.
Emet paused his mocking tirade for a moment, eyes lingering on the suffering Red Mage with an indecipherable look in his ancient eyes, expression suddenly a mix of somber and angry.
“To think you’re the splitting image of my beloved. What a disgrace.”
He muttered this to himself, no need for the ilk she kept around to hear such a detail. His Azem clad in robes of crimson. She who roamed the star, insatiable. Always looking to discover something new about their wonderful star. Tarnished by this pale reflection of her brilliance. It was enough to make him puke.
CRACK CRRCH- Rose’s soul sat on the verge of shattering completely before the pain vanished to the back of her perception.
“If you had the strength to take another step, could you do it? Could you save our worlds?”
Ardbert. Where the fuck was he 5 minutes ago? Temporary clarity flooded her with such force she almost wept. Took him long enough.
“What, all by my fuckin’ lonesome? Lets get some licks in together you melodramatic bastard.”
Well said bearer of my soul. Go kick my husbands ass pretty please? Fucking what? She had a hunch who was talking in the speech of the ancients but she had bigger mindfucks to deal with before she touched that.
Ardbert chuckled, slowly unsheathing his axe to hand to Rose.
“Take it, we fight as one!”
“The world is not yours to end… This is our future. Our story.”
The rush Rose felt! Oh it was simply divine. After so long with that… taint on her soul, slowly chipping away at it with a hammer she was finally, wonderfully whole again! The scions slowly rose from their spots sprawled on the ground, too injured to fight but unable to look away from the miracle before them. Her wife, Natura collapsed to her knees as if all her prayers had been answered. Qatun, one of her most reliable friends in all the reflections sported a small grin which basically amounted to a loud cheer from anyone else.
“No... It can't be… Bah, a trick of the light. You are a broken husk, nothing more. How can you hope to stand against me alone?”
Emet saw two shades overlaid on Rose. Realizing that both his best friend and his wife had sided with this… thing broke something in him he thought was already shattered. This couldn’t be true. It can't be.
“We stand together!”
See this is what he got for being merciful. Should’ve blown his crystalline brains out all over the mountainside when he had the chance. Well it was high time to slaughter them all regardless, he’d be able to fix his mistake momentarily.
Though it was surprising the thorn in his side could stand at all. “How did─!? ...I'm surprised you can stand at all.”
The Exarch grinned through bloody teeth and unfurled his staff, slamming the butt of it into the stone as a golden circle expanded around Rose.
“I could not well leave matters half-finished. Let expanse contract, eon become instant! Champions from beyond the rift, heed my call!”
Here he was, so close to victory yet now it was so uncertain. “Damn you! Damn you all!”
Yet something that did not escape Emet’s notice were the changes Azem’s shattered self had gone through. Gone were the dual ruby irises that terrified Garleans and reassured Eorzeans alike. Her left eye faded to a lighter shade of red, while her right was bleached of all color. The tips of her long Viera ears were no longer a different shade of red from the Rolanberry Red of her hair and instead also bleached white.
The same could be said for her hair, the aetheric imbalance completely bleaching the tips white with streaks running through what used to be perfectly Rolanberry Red locs. The biggest changes of all involved her size and her eyes once more. For a Viera, Rose had always been on the big side. Probably one of the tallest a Vieran woman could possibly be. Now? Everything about her was larger. She had to be at least 7 and a half fulms tall. Most likely 8. Azem’s symbol now spun in her irises, spinning lazily in each eye. It seemed rejoining with yet another wayward part of her soul and being in possession of her own crystal had unprecedented effects.
“I challenge you, bitch ass motherfucker. Your wife- ew by the way, another me fucked you? Wants me to put my boot up your ass. I intend to oblige her.”
The Red Mage grinned maniacally at him, rapier and focus in hand. She ignored the aftershocks of agony rippling through her form, it wasn’t real. She’d deal with the mental fallout of this shitshow of a crusade later, right now she had a disturbing amount of aggression to work out and beating the piss out of her apparent soul ex sounded almost orgasmic.
Emet cackled, the sound tinged with madness. With the futile struggle of his entire existence laid bare before him what was he to do? Azem still wanted him in the dirt. Something he suspected but always deluded himself into thinking otherwise.
“Very well… Let us proceed to your final judgment. The victor shall write the tale, and the vanquished become its villain! But come! Let us cast aside titles and pretense, and reveal our true faces to one another! I am Hades! He who shall awaken our brethren from their dark slumber!”
As champions from beyond the rift started to form in beams of golden light, Rose placed her rapier tip down against the stone, hands resting on the hilt and stared straight into Hades eyes.
“Fine then, if we’re being all dramatic about this. I am Rose Tannis, The Red Lady, The last red mage dualist of my name. Remember it when I run you through. En Garde!”