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The Gnosis clattered as it fell to the table, rolling until the flat side of its face halted its momentum. It was flanked by five others, all scattered across the desk with minimal concern given to their presentation. Anastasya settled her arms on the table, resting her face on her interlocked fingers.
Strewn about haphazardly on the table as they were, the trinkets looked insignificant, nothing but small carvings the size of a chess piece. They displayed no hint of the power they contained, nor the grisly truth of their origin. Here, they may as well have been a set of paperweights.
And yet, their collection was a plight which had consumed Anastasya. Her subordinates had performed well in their mission thus far, there was no denying that, but the final step still felt as tumultuous as it ever had. One more was all she needed—one more and everything she had spent the past half-millennia of her life working towards would begin to unfold.
Whether or not that plan could truly succeed was something she reserved little time to think about.
Out of the corner of her eye, Anastasya noticed an abnormality. It was subtle, merely a faint pinprick of light near the entrance of the room, but upon closer inspection it began to shine with a brightness that made it impossible to ignore. The strange phenomenon hovered in the air, a light that carved through space with no clear source. It's innocuousness would have betrayed its significance to someone less informed.
Anastasya picked up the one Gnosis that was rightfully and undeniably hers, twirling it in her fingers and admiring the beautiful engraving in the shape of a snowflake. An attempt to feign her guard being down—though, surely she knew better than to doubt the Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya.
"I'm aware you're here," she said to the empty room.
No response.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Anastasya cordially asked. "It's been a long time."
There was a brief pause before the faint light expanded, opening into the shape of a large, red eye. A voice from both everywhere and nowhere reverberated in the confined space. "Observation."
"And what have I done," Anastasya said as she rose from her desk, "to warrant such scrutiny?"
Translucent crimson threads poured from edges of the floating eye. "A worthless question."
"Far from it, in my view. Are you here on behalf of them?"
"That is the only capacity in which I act."
Anastasya smiled sadly. "We both know that to be untrue."
The eye began to close, the sheer intensity of its gaze vanishing from the room.
"Do I not deserve the courtesy of speaking face-to-face? Have I been relegated to conversing with… this?" She gestured to the apparition.
"I see not why it matters."
"Come forth, Ronova."
The room fell still again, the crackling of the red eye's edges its only motion. Seconds passed before the rip in space contorted, elongating into the shape of a woman. The imperfections at its corners stretched into a great arc of wings, framing her torso with their sharp red plumage. There the Ruler of Death stood, her piercing gaze trained on Anastasya's own.
"That's better. It's much more pleasant to speak like this." Anastasya continued to twirl the Gnosis in her hand.
"What is it you want?"
"I want to know why you are here. I believe I made as much clear."
"Are you intent on making me state the obvious?" Ronova's cold expression grew frustrated.
"As ever."
Ronova released an exasperated sigh. "You seek to undermine the Heavenly Principles. It is my role to prevent you from succeeding."
"I see no better opportunity for you to do so." Anastasya opened her arms wide, directing Ronova's sight to the Gnoses laid out on the table. "You have the means."
Ronova grumbled. "It is not that simple. There are rules that must be followed."
"That seems dreadfully inconvenient for you."
"You're wasting my time."
"That, dear Ronova, is a resource neither of us are lacking." Anastasya set the Cryo Gnosis down in the center of her desk and stepped around to its other side. "I must say, it's not as if you've done a terribly poor job of standing in my way thus far. You've taken several of my Harbingers from me, even one in a personal capacity."
"It was procedural."
"I'm still lacking one of my strongest men thanks to you."
"I was owed a life, I cared little whether it was the Pyro Archon's or his."
"You—" Anastasya raised her voice, her hands clenching into a fist. "So now you can selectively choose who you spare?"
"Ana—" Ronova couldn't finish her sentence.
Neither spoke for a long moment. They stood still as statues, the only force in the room the silent chill of anguish.
"I'm sorry," Anastasya brought a hand to her forehead. "That was unneccessary."
Ronova looked at the ground in a posture unbefitting of her station. "It was justified."
Anastasya stepped forward, lifting a hand to cup Ronova's cheek and force her eyes up. She didn't flinch physically, but Anastasya knew her tells well enough to know her internal reaction. "I've told you it before and I'll tell you it again: I don't blame you."
"You're foolish not to."
"You aren't my enemy. I will not treat you like my enemy."
Ronova glared into her eyes. "I will still stand in your way when the time comes."
"I know."
"Your forgiveness… won't bring him back."
Anastasya stroked the cheek with her thumb. "Neither would my hatred."
Ronova broke away from the touch. "Your plan will fail. I will ensure it."
"I expect nothing less of you."
In an unceremonious flash of light, Ronova vanished into nothingness. Not a trace of her presence in the office could be felt or seen.
Anastasya sighed, walking back to her seat at the desk. She resumed her earlier position—elbows on the wood and head on the back of her hands—staring at the symbols of divine authority littered across the surface. For all the power they represented, she could not help but feel weak. The time she had long waited for was approaching rapidly, whether or not she was prepared.
It was going to be a cold winter in Snezhnaya.