Aetherius was disturbed from its restless watch in early Naturalis as wailing shrieks came from the Lost Forest. A keening sound filled the air as the air elementals that held up the Lady Arcane's temple were brutally slaughtered by the cunning demon Nytid. As a result, the temple itself fell through the sky to the ground, breaking into many pieces and scattering its contents throughout the forest.

Nytid made herself known, taunting Eloweth, who appeared high in the sky. Anathema also appeared, taking a particular pleasure in taunting Eloweth as well. Landing on a large chunk of the temple above which sat the Nexus, Anathema removed a gauntlet from Her deathly hand and plunged it deep into the vortex, something that sent all mortals to the ground below.

Immediately the area and those surrounding it were overcome with the strange effects of a corrupted Nexus. Raw magickal energy coursed from the wide-open Nexus, flowing over the lands and causing everything to be bent in one direction under an unseen force. The confused Aetherians watched as Nytid began to unravel in her own cunning way the mystery of what Anathema had just done. She taunted Eloweth with a promise of the Nexus's adverse effects being undone if only She entered the Nexus.

Nytid implied that Eloweth's origins were far more shady than originally thought, pointing out that while Eloweth was a divine being, She had been struck through at the Breaking of the Moons with what she called a "wrinkle of magickal energy," Eloweth being so inherently linked to it that Her existence depended on it and yet made this Nexus unstable, to tragic effect.

Eloweth claimed that Her withholding of this truth from Her followers was for their safety, but Nytid countered with an accusation of countless individuals' lives being upon Her hands in the early days following the Breaking. She offered a counter opportunity, though, for Eloweth to return to the Nexus and, in exchange, for the Nexus's cessation of its chaotic, unstable magickal activity. Instead of taking Nytid up on this offer, Eloweth disappeared, refusing to bargain with Nytid.

Some days later, however, Nytid shouted once more for Eloweth to make Herself known. "Your contract is about to expire!" Eloweth descended the heavens themselves to the Nexus as if ready to make good upon this promise. Even as She did so, however, chains that had presumably fallen from Her temple began to circle the Nexus and Nytid, Eloweth, and Anathema.

Suspicious of a trap, Anathema cautioned Eloweth against doing something unwise against Her, hostilities between Them mounting even as Nytid demanded they stop. When a fight seemed unavoidable, Nytid called for back-up from the demons Asaoth and Azaoz, who immediately set upon Eloweth and Anathema at all sides.

Barely evenly matched, Eloweth and Anathema soon found Themselves back-to-back fighting three furious demon Gods. Anathema took the opportunity to lash out with a makeshift chain-whip and give Nytid a fateful caress with Her deathly hand. As Nytid crumpled to the ground, Eloweth lashed the circling chains around Herself and Anathema, leaping into the Nexus with a final wordless call of lament. Anathema was another story, having the literal "last laugh" as She was dragged behind the Arcane Lady to Their death.

Nytid, struggling to Her feet, was cut off mid-snark as another chain snaked out from the Nexus and wrapped around her. Before Nytid realized it, she was pulled into the Nexus, which closed with a brilliant flash of light and a deafening shockwave. The Nexus disappeared, its chaotic effects reversed.


Penned by My hand on the 25th of Naturalis, in the year 678 AD.