[i] The lady cried softly. She had been a goddess, she had been a benevolent and gentle Queen of her realm… and now she was nothing. Reduced to a heap of dull and stained robes; her once shining aura now faded. Mortal… deposed… She floated on the edge of her own mind. In a strange dream-like world; she was floating above the surface of the Deep, as if it were a vast and oily sea, looking down in the depths. Her last attempt to help them had failed, and now, she felt her sister’s gaze. Her reflection on the still yet swirling Deep, reflected her wraithlike state… her figure was bony and emaciated, her gently wafting vestments like ghostly tendrils in the air. Here eyes, grey and fading… [/i] [i]The Deep was nearly through. All that protected her was the holy blessing of the elder gods long forgotten by all… All but she… Her tears fell softly on the Deep which rippled and quivered against the mirror-like deep. She could only hope that her gift had reached them, the Deep had inflicted this state on her in vindictive punishment, it was able to do all things but take her. And it waited patiently for the time when it would. [/i] [quote]“You were always pathetic Sister…”[/quote] [i]The oily form of the Deep rose from the water to greet her mockingly. Even as the pale wraith she was, the vile one was not better, her spindly and exotic form was both reptilian and insect, but disturbingly similar in shape. Her beauty was decadent yet alarming and demonic. The ooze of the deep secreted around her like translucent clothing of rot and melt. [/i] [quote]“You were always a sap for them…” [/quote]The words oozed from her mouth like the oily black corruption that dripped to the ocean of darkness below. The lady said nothing… [quote]“Why can you not ssee that we are better thiss way? … the pleassuress of the mortal word will be our own in a realm of our own makinggg!”[/quote] [quote] “It was not ours to unmake. You have enslaved so much, and indulged in so many; you cannot comprehend what you have done…”[/quote] [quote]“Caan’t I…?”[/quote] The lady closed her eyes; silently hovering inches from her sisters face. [quote]“Why will you not embrace me ssisster?... I could ease the burden.”[/quote] [quote]“You know that I cannot…[/quote]” [quote]“But you cannn… It is a great and powerful privilege of our kind…Do you not see??”[/quote] [quote]“This day will not be the day I take your indulgences, nor will I ever… it has been preordained…”[/quote] [quote]“Do you mean your trifling gift to the sub-beings, did you think I had not thought of that?”[/quote] “???” The ladies tears welled. [quote]“You will not escape them; they are your undoing… My Sister… would see that by now…”[/quote] [quote]“You need not worry my darling, I will make it well again..”[/quote] [quote]“ENOUGH!” She squeezed her eyes tightly… “Be gone from me, and we shall see… If not allow me the time to say good by to my former life if only in my last remaining memories, you have taken so much… let me savour them a moment longer…”[/quote] The Deep bristled and quivered with the sorrow before it; the last aching breath of hope as it dies, the melancholic brilliance of wearied soul brought low from on high, to take one last clutch at the past; and then all would be done… It shivered with excitement… the main course at last… the final decadent meal to bring the deposed back into divinity. [quote]“Yesssss… anguish my love…”[/quote] The Deep returned into the oily ocean sinking into its impenatrable depths leaving the lady to despair in the endless nothing...