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Let's get on with it! Six months earlier Lisia walked through the heart of a dying empire. Smoke billowed into the dark sky, emanating from the ruins of the palace. The night air was frigid, and every breath was punctuated by a steam cloud. Of course in Kaialis, it was always night. "Lis, where's Kori?" Her brother stood in the shadow of a building, cloaked, and carrying a satchel. His hood was up and his features were covered, but his voice was clearly distinguishable. Lisia shoved her guilt down. "Asher, Kori's gone..." He hung his head, evidently sad, but at the same time, not surprised. He then looked upwards, his hood falling off his face. "We need to leave." She nodded, then indicated towards the rooftops. Asher shot upwards, force streaming from his fingertips, Lisia followed. Upon landing, their pace sped up, as they made their way towards the edge of Anialix. From the rooftops the scene of destruction was made clear. The palace, once a gleaming mix of spires and arches, had been reduced to flaming rubble. Looking down at the streets below them, Lisia could see throngs of people fleeing. Most thought that another purge would ensue, the kind that had happened after every assassination attempt. They were wrong of course. Lisia could only wish there would be a purge, the outcome of her actions was much, much worse. They'd known what would happen, they knew that Kaialis would collapse if they blew the fuse. They did it anyway. "Lis! Ash! Stay where you are!" Three figures, two in armor, walked leapt the rooftop in front of them. Lisia drew a shortsword, and glared. "What do you want Dera?" The woman at their head smiled. "Lis, we're taking you two back to New Ganson." She drew a thinblade. "Resist and we'll kill both of you." Asher raised his hands, slowly looking in Lisia's direction. Lisia walked backwards, sheathing her sword. Dera smirked, and the two assassins behind her began to advance. Lisia jumped off the roof, reducing friction, and falling down. Slamming into the earth, she redirected the force upwards, blasting energy out of her hands, and sent herself soaring upwards. Drawing her sword, she landed deftly on the rooftop, and slid into a battle stance. Dera laughed. “Lis, you’re not going to win. We both remember what happened last time.” Lisia gritted her teeth. “Some things have changed since then.” Dera extended her thinblade, then motioned for her compatriots to do likewise. “Hmm… You’ll have to elaborate before we execute you.” Lisia drew a thin smile, then rushed one of the guards. The man lunged at her, but Lisia easily slid under the blade, reducing her friction as she did so, casually taking out his legs from underneath him, she then finished him off with a slash of her weapon. Realization began to dawn on Dera’s face. “You didn’t. Kori is alive, she has to be alive.” Lisia once again shoved her guilt down. She could grieve later. “Kori is gone. Just like your about to be.” Dera's other escort ran at Lisia, bearing down on her with a short spear and shield. Batting away the woman's swipe of her weapon, Lisia extended her empty hand onto the guard's chestpiece. Immediately friction spread over it, trapping the guard in immovable armor. Lisia finished her off, in a similar fashion to the first guard. Dera stood, wide eyed, evidently shocked by how quickly her companions had been dispatched. "You won't kill me Lis, you're not strong enough." Lisia walked up to her, sword arm extended, bringing her weapon to Dera's unarmored chest. "I have seen my family crumble around me... My older brother stabbed before my eyes. My mother killed by my actions." She rammed the weapon into Dera, then tore it out. Watching the woman collapse. "Don't ever tell me I'm not strong enough." She turned to her brother, and the left, soon arriving at the city gate, where a carriage awaited them. As the wheels began turning, and Anialix began shrinking behind them, Lisia though about what she'd done. Who she'd killed. She'd killed a god.