As Bloodwing's body expanded, his wings did not. They fell away from his back and vanished to land elsewhere, folding upon themselves like a cloak as a final gift to a once-love. His grip on the chains tightened. He pulled on them not as a prisoner struggling for freedom, but like a charioteer guiding the reins. He looked up as the last of the shattered triremes fell. He knew one of the ships was torn free of destruction. "Good" he thought, "someone would survive to tell the story."
He sensed the Council's presence on the periphery, clinging to his orbit like barnacles, trying to contain him even as he steered a new course for his realm.
"JOIN ME IN MARTYRDOM OR FLEE!" He thundered. "THE CHOICE IS YOURS!"
The structures of the Avarian city began to dissolve and sink like molten wax. New structures rose in their stead. Eons of memories reflected upon his domain. Dorian columns rose accross from black buttressed cathedrals. Gigantic trees erupted from the ground and locked branches with their bretheren in an exaggeration of Tanglewood. Sharp outcroppings of rocks grew Selenite claws, guarding ziggurats of black basalt that stacked themselves into place. Distorted copies of Victorian structures mimicked Caledon and Old Steelhead. A few buildings emerged resembling the ones that had just fallen, but twisted and sharpened.
In the black sky of streaking stars above him he saw the Wulfenbach ship vanish as it slipped into the space between spaces. He smiled calmly as a green light appeared overhead and grew in size.
"Wormwood."
He squinted at its brilliance. He admired it as an instrument of the Fates. An instrument now at his disposal.
"Turn."
The scene in the sky sank towards one direction as a new starscape took its place.
"Descend."
Great claws of stone exploded from the corners of the altered city. As the city was enveloped in a green glow the city shook as talons of rock sank into the surface.
He arched his back and his laughter echoed through his empty capital.
A female voice interrupted him. "Even as a god, you overstep your bounds, Ascended One" she said calmly and distinctly, even through the chaos surrounding him.
His faced turned grim as he lowered his gaze to the three hooded figures in undyed linen, female judging from the hang of the cloth on their bodies. They stood around him in a semicircle. A long, scintillating fabric was held in their hands. A silver orb rose from behind the fabric and loomed over Bloodwing. The shape of a black ring spread across like an invisible lid opening an eye to consider him.
"Ah, the Fates themselves! Welcome to my Kingdom!"
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