Records of Rebirth

The marked scorpion was a difficult opponent that attacked without pause.

Every blow Arsinoe evaded was deadly and so packed with formidable strength, that the ground around her was dented and covered in pools of acid.

The creature's body was almost impossible to cut and with its stinger ever so close to piercing her skin, she couldn't afford to get hit, not even once.

So far she managed to evade its blows using her speed, but the creature was much faster than she was, and her [Water Blade] was less than effective against it.

Arsinoe knew she didn't have long. Why did she rush over so recklessly?

Cygnus was bleeding from his injuries not far from her, and so was his protégé. Both of them were doing what little they could to assist her while evading the scorpions attacks.

Yet rather than focus all her attention on the fearsome scorpion, she kept glancing around, looking for a chance to escape.

The battlefield had descended into chaos all around them, with Typhon in the midst of the turmoil.

Morgana's reptiles were just as bloodthirsty as she was and wherever they passed, hisses of pain and cries of panic could be heard.

The creatures moved at astonishing speeds, powerful bipedal limbs able to jump long distances, with serrated fangs tearing through flesh and bone.

They attacked indiscriminately regardless of which creature was their target with neither serpent nor scorpion spared from their vicious jaws.

Arsinoe could see them ploughing through monster after monster, disrupting carefully laid rescue plans set by Europa, and weakening the Veladrys hold over the scorpions when they attacked them mid battle. 

What little semblance of order they had over the battle was quickly spiralling out of control, with scorpions running amok and more casualties by the surplus of bottom feeders.

But worst of all, Morgana's monsters were all heading towards Typhon.

Those that could fly reached him first, swooping down on him in the middle of his battle against three large scorpions and unable to deflect them all, he ended up covered in bruises. 

And that was not the worst of it.

Europa was badly injured when those savage reptiles began attacking the wounded nestlings under his protection. One even caught on to Lyra and was dragging her away while another had its jaws around Europa's head.

Without their combined healing power, the injured nestlings were as good as dead.

Yet, the reptiles didn't kill all the nestlings nearby, choosing to attack Typhon with them at their feet. 

And while he fought those that attacked him, others would nip at their wounds, causing the injured nestlings to bleed even more.

It was like they knew to keep them around for protection.

If Typhon were to attack them with all his power, the wounded nestlings around them would also die. 

Arsinoe was just as angry as she was disgusted.

[Morgannnnaaaaaa!] she hissed uncontrollably. 

Where was she?! Why wasn't she coming out?!

Her heart thudded loudly as she gasped for air, her breathing suddenly laboured like her lungs were filled with water.

There were no words enough to vent the frustration she was feeling.

More than anything, she wished Morgana would drop dead.

[Don't just stand there. Move!] Cygnus anxiously called out, as the scorpion's stinger swung down at her.

And Arsinoe evaded it, but rather than the usual attack, she was hit instead by a splash of burning liquid. 

Suddenly her body was covered by a blanket of heat, along with a burning sensation that made her scream in agony. Melted sores appeared all over her body and she felt a terrible pain no different from burning.

When she recovered enough to open her eyes, she saw the scorpion raise its stinger once again.

Even with all the shouting around her, she could see Typhon was surrounded by monsters, unable to protect so many at once, and she couldn't focus on anything, not even the monster in front of her.

It attacked again, but this time a cloud of darkness spread out to blind the creature.

Arsinoe was able to roll away before the stinger hit, only to hear the smiling serpent rudely speak to her.

[Get out of the way, if you're going to be useless.]

Get out?

The words were like a slap to the face.

Who did she think she was talking to?

Arsinoe got up from the ground, her body trembling.

[Back to your senses now?] Another voice said. [How foolish. If you go to him now, everyone here dies, and you miss your shot at this powerful creature. Is that really what you want?]

But Typhon was in serious trouble this time and she wanted to save him.

The voice scoffed at her. [Forget about him and become stronger or go over there and die together. It's your choice.]

Arsinoe grimaced, even if she picked one she had no way to defect the creature.

[Your magic isn't just a tool to hit with, it can take on different forms if you think of it as a living thing.]

[What do you mean?] Arsinoe asked.

The voice sighed. [I forgot you're an idiot.]

Soon, Arsinoe felt something change.

The ground beneath her shifted and her vision narrowed to near darkness. It was so dark, she could barely make out things on the battlefield, like she'd been thrown into a tight space.

Yet, from the little she could see, her body was moving…and doing things.

The formidable scorpion that gave her trouble was now bound by the flexible siblings the Veladrys left lying around.

And then, its body fell apart, sliced to pieces by a concentrated jet of water so thin, it was almost like a spider web – nothing at all like her own [Water Blade].

It was over in an instant and both Cygnus and his protégé stared at her in confusion.

Suddenly she was back, but with no words to explain the events of a few seconds ago, she could only stare back at them with nothing with her mouth open.

[You're welcome.] The voice said, causing Arsinoe to leap out of her skin like a startled bird.

[You! What did you do to m-me!]

In her panic, she realised she said it out loud, and now Cygnus was giving her a very bewildering stare.

She must look crazy!

However, when she looked across the battlefield she spotted a pale blue serpent making its way through the chaos.

Its body that was once pretty was now covered with injuries. And although these wounds had healed, many ugly scars remained, and the serpent had a mad look in her eyes.

Morgana.

The reptiles fighting around her didn't react to her approach, and Arsinoe hissed in rage at this serpent's boldness.

She was watching Typhon's peril from far away with glee.

And seeing this, Arsinoe quickly composed herself.

[Do that again. Help me kill her!]

The voice only laughed at her, like she was crazy. [Why would I help you, when you haven't done what I asked?] 

Arsinoe frowned at this statement.

But then, Morgana took off into the air, and before she knew it she found herself chasing after her.

She moved at fast speeds like a thunderous gale of wind, and all Arsinoe could hear was her devilish laughter.

Yet, something strange was happening.

Whenever the wind touched her body, Arsinoe found herself covered in several nasty cuts.

At first the cuts were so small she could barely feel them and didn't pay any attention. It was only after chasing her for some time, that she found herself bleeding from numerous wounds.

These cuts alongside her previous injuries, only doing more to slow her down.

And she wasn't the only one. The nestlings that fought didn't fare any better.

The winds around them were also abnormally turbulent and soon, everything Morgana passed, quickly started to bleed. 

It was painful and Arsinoe was already exhausted.

Yet she couldn't let her touch Typhon!

She reached where he was fighting and spotted Morgana soaring above him in the air.

Typhon was surrounded by corpses having already killed several of her monsters, yet Morgana didn't seem to care. She lunged at him with a vicious wind attack, and as he was now too injured to resist, it struck him squarely across his body. 

Watching him struggle only made Morgana happier and Arsinoe rushed out in front of him to intercept the second blow. But instead, something else attacked Morgana in the air.

One second she was flying and the next, she had fallen to the ground, now looking around her in confusion.

Arsinoe was shocked to see Ophelia appear, and following behind her was Apollo.

No longer beautiful or graceful, her pristine feathers now dripped with blood, her blue eyes so cold, it was enough to make Arsinoe shiver.

The benevolent captain was so angry, her previously tranquil appearance seemed to have morphed into a demon. When she looked at them, her eyes were so ravenous that even Morgana wilted from the pressure alone. 

Ophelia didn't even touch her, but Morgana suddenly doubled over in pain, her body contorting as if she'd been pulled apart and chopped into tiny pieces.

Arsinoe stiffened as she watched.

Morgana had no visible wounds, yet the fear in her eyes and her screams told her she was suffering horribly. She'd even begun to speak through her tears, begging Ophelia to spare her. 

She seemed no different from a rabid beast and Arsinoe slithered back in fear.

All around her, the reptiles were also experiencing the same thing. They too cried out in agony, their bodies writhing on the ground in excruciating pain.

Arsinoe had no idea what was happening, but if it was a disease, she didn't want to catch it, so she stayed far away from them.

But then, Morgana dropped to the ground, cold and unmoving like a stone, and all her creatures stopped moving along with her.

In the silence that followed, Arsinoe soon found herself face to face with Ophelia's chilling gaze.