A Final Goodbye

{Home}


As the fires burned out and the ashes fell on her, turning her pink hair a dull grey, Aylin couldn’t help but cry. She hadn’t cried in years, she didn’t enjoy crying, yet she couldn’t stop herself. This was all her fault; Relaieb had been destroyed beyond repair and it was all her fault.

A few weeks ago, she’d arrived at this world and was immediately enthralled by its political conflict. She joined the guerrilla and began wreaking havoc alongside them, but it wasn’t enough, the whole situation didn’t thrill her enough. And so she went behind her own allies’ backs and instigated their enemies to fight harder.

As she instructed both sides and helped them grow stronger, things got out of hand fast; and now here she was, the sole survivor of a war that took a toll too big on its homeworld. She had come to this world uninvited, and now she’d broken it beyond repair, all for what?

All in a futile attempt to defeat that woman.

“This is all Sevid’s fault” she said out loud to the nothingness that surrounded her “If it hadn’t been for her and her stupid map… If she hadn’t cheated…!”

But you know that’s not true, you know everything is your fault… If you weren’t weak…

“I’m not weak!”

You are… you’re weak and broken and you’ll have to deal with that for as long as you live!

She slammed a fist against the ground while screaming at the top of her lungs, sending a seismic wave that collapsed a few buildings still left standing.

“Adding insult to injury” she whispered bitterly, crumbling to the floor and laying on her back.

How long she lay there, looking at the smoke-blackened skies, she couldn’t tell, but what she could tell was that for the first time in her life she was allowing herself to stay alone with her thoughts.

Do you really want to do this?

“No”

Then why are you doing it? Why don’t you just run away and find another plane to destroy, other families to break, other lives to ruin…?

She lay there silently letting the voice in her head relentlessly mock her, never answering back. As hard as it was, she had no energy or willpower left to do anything else.

And as the voice delivered its barrage of toxic thoughts, it eventually tired itself out, until Aylin realized that, for the first time in her life, she was free of the voice’s eternal taunting without her needing to endanger herself or others.

“I’ve been running for far too long” she said, standing up as the tears finished drying up “It’s time I take a stance and fight.”

But where to begin? That was a good question. She still didn’t have enough willpower to go back home, she doubted she ever would, but maybe she could start somewhere easier.

“Baby steps” she told herself.

If she couldn’t go back to where it began, she’d go to what happened immediately after. She would search for Vadinna, the woman who’d helped her after her ascension and the only other being in the entire Multiverse who knew her secret.

The memory of Vadinna triggered a smile, and as she sighed, she planeswalked away from Relaieb, uncertain on where to find her, but hopeful that she would.





Oddyceon looked at the ruins that surrounded him, wondering who or what could cause such devastation, completely unaware that, had he arrived one day earlier, he would’ve seen the fall of Relaieb firsthand.




As Rwaffan saw the height he was at, he breathed heavily. It had been years since the aven’s wing got shattered, and he’d renounced to ever flying again, and yet all it took was that moment for muscle memory to take over, and now here he was, trapped in a foreign world after losing a family for the second time. He had the means to return to Alara but he didn’t know how to use them. If only he could fly once more he was hopeful that would return him to Camata and his tribe, and yet he’d been unable to attempt it.

For the last few days he’d stood at the edge of the same cliff, looking down and ready to jump and attempt flight, yet he couldn’t bring himself to do it. It couldn’t be fear, for thanks to Camata, death and injury no longer frightened him, so it had to be some sort of psychological inhibition. He’d been taught to shut off his mind and let his body take over, he’d been an excellent warrior both in Bant and in Naya, yet now he’d been reduced to a whimpering coward, pathetic.

A swift breeze ruffled his white feathers, reminding him the height he was at.

“Come on, Rwaffan!” he screamed, trying to encourage himself “Do it! Just do it!”

He stretched his wings but the pain shooting from the left one made him instinctively retract them.

“If you don’t do it now, then when will you?” he said violently.

He closed his eyes and, before allowing himself to event think, jumped straight down. He let a few seconds of free fall pass before opening his eyes and, as he saw the ground approach faster and faster, he extended his wings, doing his best to endure the pain.

But just having his wings opened was not enough, even though the wind resistance was reducing his speed, he was definitely plummeting to an untimely death, and not even the prospect of everything ending there was enough to get him to flap them. His ascension had been a fluke, after all. He grabbed his spear and impaled it on the side of the cliff, abruptly reducing his momentum. The sudden shift took a toll on him, as he felt a tear on his biceps. As the weapon slid down trying to support his weight, its shaft broke, and he fell once more, but this time he’d had time to study his surroundings, and the height was much smaller.

He bounced strategically from rock to rock, but not gracefully enough to avoid his talons from smashing. When his muscles were finally overpowered he sprained his ankle and rolled down the side of the cliff for the remaining few meters, slamming violently against the floor.

He cough up some blood and stood up painfully as he shook off the dust and pebbles from his feathers, breathing heavily.

He felt miserable, not only had he been unable to spread his wings once more, he was in a much worse shape now. He screamed into the canyon, the echo of his shrieking the only response he got, or so he thought…

“You seem to need some help” whispered a mysterious voice somewhere around him.

“Who’s there?” he said, quickly grabbing what remained of his spear and standing up despite the throbbing pain that crept up his leg.

Black smoke began swirling around him and began taking shape. In the blink of an eye, a three-meter tall man was standing in front of him, only it wasn’t a man, it was a demon. He was clad in black armor, and the only visible feature in his face was his mouth, which was grinning widely. The rest of his visage was covered with what looked like a helmet. Rwaffan noticed another detail: he didn’t seem complete, there was a translucent quality to his aspect, as though he was still smoke and not a solid creature.

“I am Malextros” spoke the demon “and for quite some time I’ve been here recovering from the wounds of a battle, yet I still need something in order to fully be restored.”

“And what is that?”

“A way out of here” he said with a cunning smile “You and I can travel the worlds, Rwaffan… only the way I do it is a bit more… special. Unfortunately some issues have arisen and a part of me is anchored to this world, so unless someone else helps me, I cannot truly leave.”

“How do you know my name?” asked Rwaffan, not letting the detail slip by him.

“I’ve been observing you all these days: not only do I know your name, I also know what you desire. I am a being who seeks to fulfill the desires of others, let me help you with yours.”

“And in exchange I’ll have to help you…” said Rwaffan.

“Of course, I cannot simply give my help away for free…” replied Malextros.

“What exactly does that help entail?” asked the aven skeptically.

“In order for you to have what you need, I need to possess you, for only from within can I fix what’s broken” began explaining Malextros “But don’t worry, this is only temporary” he added when Rwaffan raised a suspicious eyebrow.

“How temporary are we talking?” he enquired.

“The second you planeswalk away from the Arena I’ll be able to depart your body and you will never see me again” replied the demon with a wicked grin “The only difference you’ll experience if you strike the deal will be the full use of your wings and an overall increase in your power, so what do you say? As long as you help me, you can have what you desire…”

Malextros extended a pale-skinned hand, patiently waiting for the aven to stretch it, but knowing all-too-well he would.

“As soon as I leave, you’ll be gone from my life forever?” Rwaffan’s question made Malextros’s smile wider, he’d taken the bait.

“That I can guarantee” he assured his victim.

Guessing he had no other choice, Rwaffan shook the demon’s hand, immediately triggering the pact. The black mist surrounded him and began seeping into his skin, his body absorbing it entirely. He could feel his torn muscles repairing themselves, his pain dissipating and, most importantly, his wing returning to its original form.

He stood there, finally feeling complete and smiling maniacally at his surroundings. He flapped his wings and they responded perfectly. A few seconds later he was soaring the skies majestically. He returned to his settlement in the woods feeling like the luckiest creature in the Multiverse.

But unbeknownst to him, Malextros was corrupting him from the inside. He’d promised Rwaffan an increase in his power, but the aven alone could not manage that, so the demon had made sure to empower his ambition and desire while repressing his morals and altruism. For the remainder of his stay at the Arena, Rwaffan was a different creature, even if he himself couldn’t tell the difference. Despite his original desire of recovering his wings to return to Alara, he felt the need to stay in the Arena longer, not knowing Malextros was pulling at his willpower to ensure he could recover more energy before leaving. Eventually, when the demon had no more use for him in that world, he allowed him to leave.

However, Rwaffan’s exit from the Arena was far different from what he expected. He’d been taught that by visualizing his destination he could go there. He vividly remembered the woods he inhabited back with the Nacatl, and could already see himself re encountering his tribe, but as he began being pulled towards the Blind Eternities, Malextros showed his true intentions.

“What’s happening?” asked Rwaffan as an all-too-familiar pain began crippling his left wing.

“Our contract has ended, unfortunately for you” replied Malextros as the black mist began leaving Rwaffan’s body.

“You said you’d give me my flight back and increase my power!” replied the aven.

“I said I would do it ‘as long as you helped me’, but I no longer need your help, so I no longer need to help you in return…”

“You bastard!” screamed Rwaffan not knowing how to fight back.

“Don’t take it personally, you were just born at the wrong time. If I stay inside your body the temporal anomaly will take me to the wrong period, and my task will only be made harder.”

And so, Malextros abandoned Rwaffan. Torn from his timeline by the demon’s power, the aven was sent to the plane of Celestia 20 years after leaving Alara, while Malextros, finally himself again, began hunting for the Gem of Allure, owned by Aylin.


Rwaffan's Defeat 
Instant
Put target permanent that’s green or blue on the top of its owner’s library. If that permanent was a Rwaffan planeswalker, put two +1/+1 counters on up to one target creature.
“You were a fine puppet, Rwaffan, but unfortunately I have no use for you anymore.”
—Malextros

“Could I have done something to stop this massacre?” asked Oddyceon as he saw what little remained of Relaieb.

He stood there speechless, his golden hair contrasting against his tanned skin, his muscular physique immobilized by the scene that surrounded him.

Seeing the unbridled destruction, he didn’t expect anybody to be left alive to answer, so he couldn’t help but jump in shock when he heard the voice.

“I highly doubt it” spoke a tired old voice behind him “What transpired here was probably far beyond the hands of most people. I do not know you, but I doubt you would’ve made a difference…”

Oddyceon turned around and saw an old man in a black cloak sitting on the floor behind him. The old man looked so frail the planeswalker wondered how much longer he had to live.

“Welcome to Relaieb” spoke the old man bitterly “or rather… its remains. I’m sorry to inform you I’m the only one left to greet you.”

“What happened here…?” asked Oddyceon.

“A woman happened…” began the old man “She was a planeswalker, she came a few weeks ago and began instigating the wrong people. She single handedly started and ended a war, and the whole world collapsed on itself…”

“How long ago did it end?” he asked bewildered.

“Yesterday” replied the old man.

Oddyceon clenched his fists enraged, if only he’d arrived here sooner he might have been able to fight, to make a difference…

“Don’t beat yourself up, stranger, I guarantee there was nothing you could’ve done” said the old man, seemingly knowing what he was thinking “I can see it in your eyes: you’re a righteous man, and a fighter, and I can feel your desire to help us… But where are my manners? What’s your name, young man?”

“I’m Oddyceon” he replied.

“And might I ask, Oddyceon, what brought you to Relaieb?”

“It’s a long story…”

“Look around you, boy, I’ve nothing better to do, I think I can afford the time to listen to it.”

Oddyceon explained his story to the old man: his life in Theros, the oracle’s premonition, his ascension, and his desperate quest to return home. The man listened to his tale patiently, soaking in every detail with a neutral face.

“So you’re just roaming endlessly while hoping to defeat fate and finally get back to your family?”

“I know, it sounds futile…”

“On the contrary, I admire your ambition, and respect your decision to stay and fight on the worlds that need you despite it deterring you from your quest” said the old man “I can’t say I really know Theros, but some of the locations you’ve described to me ring some bells…” this made Oddyceon give him a confused look, so he added “Oh, silly me, I must’ve forgotten: I happen to be a planeswalker too!”

Oddyceon’s surprise was evident in his face, and his reaction made the old man chuckle.

“Listen” he said “I can’t promise you I can help you twist fate, but I can promise you I’ll do whatever is in my power to help you get back home.”

“Do you mean it?” asked Oddyceon, glad of having found this new friend.

“I do” said the old man smiling.

“Is there anything I could do for you in return?” asked Oddyceon remembering the state of the man’s homeworld.

The man sat pensively for a while, then responded.

“I’m not sure how much longer I have left to live, but before I go I’d like to find the woman who caused all this. I need to know why, I must find out what caused her to bring such destruction to the place I call home. Of course, I know how dangerous she is and I cannot confront her on my own. Could you escort me while I try to find her? Once I get my answer I’ll aid you on your quest back home…”

“It would be my honor to help you find this woman” replied Oddyceon.

“It’s settled, then, we have a deal” said the old man “Let’s begin our journey! But first, could you help me up? These old bones aren’t as reliable as they used to be…”

The old man extended his hand and Oddyceon helped him to his feet, realizing the man had a surprisingly strong grasp despite his appearance, he clearly had some fight left in him.

“Do you have a clue on how to find this woman?” asked the Therian planeswalker.

“I remember her being capable of controlling the earth and I believe I have a name: Aylin.”

“Then we shall find this Aylin and force her to answer for her actions” said Oddyceon.

The two men looked at each other, nodded in silent agreement, and planeswalked away.




In Khaliz-Dorahn she’d been an equal, then a deity, then a pariah. She missed the days when she was revered by all, the days she could call herself the Protector of Khaliz-Dorahn. She’d hoped those days would never end, but unfortunately destiny wasn’t there to please her.

After Merkurio banished her, after the humiliation of having her own people be ashamed of her, it had all spiraled down. Probably nobody knew the huge favor she’d done the Multiverse by destroying Kamdrana, yet many planeswalkers were aware of how she destroyed Althestra. That weight was already too heavy on her shoulders, so she didn’t need others adding to it…

And so here she was, a regular farmer in a regular society in a regular plane, the only thing betraying her as an outsider the pale beauty of her elvish features. After her defeat in the hands of Akrianos, she decided she needed a change of pace, she needed to find somewhere where she could build herself from the bottom up once more, and this world had been perfect. Unlike many planes she’d visited, people didn’t idolize planeswalkers here, and despite her power and potential, she was offered a job tending the farms, which she gratefully accepted.

She finished the day’s harvest as the last rays of sun bathed her beautiful black hair and porcelain skin. She extended her right hand, which was always covered by a green aura, and muttered a small incantation, meant to protect the crops overnight. Her right hand had the power of bringing life and stimulating growth, while her left hand was always surrounded by a dark aura of death and decay.

She retrieved her right hand with a tired sigh and headed back to her home. She was hoping to one day return to a place of reverence, but for now the lack of heavy responsibilities was a nice change of pace in her life.

However, destiny seemed to be once more plotting against her, for as she walked back to the home, black mist began manifesting in front of her.

Having lived for over a millennium and having faced countless dangers, she immediately assumed a fighting stance. The black mist began taking shape and she couldn’t help but gasp. The creature that was standing in front of her was a demon, no doubts about that, but there seemed to be a familiar quality to him.

Neither of them had ever seen each other before, but she’d met his brothers, and she knew exactly who he was: he was one of the Demonlords of Kamdrana.

“Greetings, Pandora” said Malextros smiling widely “It is a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“I’ve already defeated your two brothers and destroyed your home, do you really think you stand a chance against me?” she retorted coldly.

“Ah, I see you still despise me and are willing to put up a fight” he said as his smile grew wider “Then this will be even more enjoyable than I expected” he added.

In a second, his smile turned into a disgusting grimace, and he charged at her. She immediately raised her right hand and summoned a shield of thorns, but right before impact he dissolved into black mist, going through her barrier and rematerializing behind her. He grabbed her ebony hair and pulled her off the ground, launching her a few meters away from him.

Before crashing, she managed to summon some vines and use them as a pole to stabilize herself and land on her feet. As he approached her quickly, she placed her right hand on the floor, and a vibrant green pulse headed towards her assailant, sprouting thorny vines on every spot as he stepped on it. Despite his quick reflexes and determination, Malextros was unable to dissolve his body on time and the wounds started piling up on him, but he was a tough enemy, and all he got were superficial cuts.

Pandora saw the opportunity as he got distracted to avoid the oncoming obstacles and lunged forward with her left hand ready to bring upon him her powers of decay. Malextros, however, predicted her moves and was ready to counterattack. Without skipping a beat, he extended his arm and grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her closer and using her momentum against her. As she staggered forward, he punched her in her face. A disgusting cracking sound was heard, and Pandora’s vision blurred as blood started pouring from her nose. She fell on the floor and saw Malextros leaning over with both arms forward, seemingly intending to strangle her. She enveloped herself in an airtight cocoon of fronds and immediately summoned vines that pulled it away as fast as she could. When she assumed she was at a safe distance, she dismantled her protective cover and stood up.

She saw the demon charging at her once more and decided to try something new. As he approached her, she placed her right hand on the ground and began charging energy, then, when the timing was right, she pointed her hand forward, and wooden spikes spontaneously erupted, ready to impale Malextros and tear him to pieces. Knowing to expect something, he simply dissolved into his black mist just in the nick of time and quickly began reshaping behind her.

“Did you really think I’d fall for the same trick twice?” said Pandora as she snapped her fingers.

Before Malextros could finish reforming his body, a tree covered in thorns grew around and inside him. In the blink of an eye the woman turned around and pressed her left hand onto the trunk of the tree. Its wood immediately turned pale and it began splintering, cutting the demon trapped within it and stabbing him in multiple places simultaneously.

“This is a special kind of wood. When it dies it splinters and it begins secreting a poisonous sap. Not only that, for the first hours after its death it becomes virtually indestructible” she said as she breathed heavily. Then, with a sadistic smirk she added “Good luck getting out…”

“I don’t need luck, I have power!” replied Malextros enraged as a black tarlike liquid began drooling from his mouth.

He tried to dissolve once more but the woman had been smarter than he’d thought, and the way he’d been impaled made it impossible for him to get out in one piece. Instead, he began channeling his energy into the core of the tree.

Before Pandora could understand what was happening, the tree exploded, its splinters flying haphazardly and cutting her in various spots. She was shot backwards and fell violently on her back, pain shooting from the back of her skull all the way to her eyes.

She blinked clumsily and tried to rise, but her body was too weak. She felt herself surrounded by the black mist and, despite it feeling exactly like air, she couldn’t help but feel smothered by it. She used whatever energy she had left to prepare before Malextros reached her.

She saw the demon’s silhouette standing above her, but he was staring at her completely immobile. She smiled weakly. She had him where she wanted him.

“If you know me” she began, the air struggling to come out of her throat and barely producing any intelligible sound “You know what I’m about to do, don’t you?”

She had raised both of her hands and had brought them less than a centimeter apart.

“If my hands touch each other, it’s game over and you know it” she mocked him “Everything in a wide radius will be obliterated, that includes you, even in your misty form, that I can guarantee.”

The forbidden contact of Pandora’s hands, Malextros knew about it. He knew that the conflicting natures of life and death would unleash a power of cataclysmic proportions that would destroy the both of them. She had used that same power to destroy Kamdrana, but that time she’d managed to survive. This time she wouldn’t be so lucky, but she was ready to die if that meant bringing him down as well…

“You’re right. I will die if you do that, but so will them…” he said with a malicious grin as he raised both arms to bring her attention to their surroundings.

Despite the excruciating pain moving any muscle brought upon her, she forced herself to look around and saw dozens of people gathered around her. She could hear them mutter, wondering if she was okay, ready to take arms against the intruder.

“Go away!” she screamed, but her voice came out in a pathetic shriek.

“Ah, yes” said Malextros in his mocking voice “You can tell them to head back home, that will definitely protect them from me, but will it protect them from you? If you use your deadliest resource, they will die as well…”

Pandora knew what the right thing to do was: she needed to make the forbidden contact. Why would hundreds of lives matter if they could deal with one of the greatest threats to the Multiverse right then and there? Pandora was ready to give up her life, wouldn’t they be as well?

But then, the memory of him came. Heletrios, her best friend in her entire life and the man she’d murdered in cold blood. Back then she’d made the decision to save her life and take his to stop the Evil One. He had been willing to die for the cause, but not by her own hand.

And then she realized: not only could she change, she already had. A few years ago, she would’ve taken the decision without giving it a second thought. But now that she’d actually spent her days as an equal to these people rather than as a superior, she realized this was not her choice to make. Each of them was an individual, and each of their lives deserved to go on.

“Promise you won’t harm any of them” she said, trying to stop her voice from trembling.

Malextros’s disgusting smile reappeared. Making promises and striking deals was his specialty.

“I won’t harm any of them if you give up right now, but I won’t promise your safety, you still have to pay…”

“I don’t care, I just need to know they’ll be safe” she said as she relaxed her arms and they fell gracelessly to the floor, distancing both her hands.

“They will be, now that you’ve made the right choice” he said malignantly.

He extended his right arm towards her. Someone unfamiliar with him would’ve assumed he was offering to help her up, but Pandora knew all-too-well that was not the case. She grabbed the hand, striking the deal, and he immediately released her. His arm took the shape of a spike and struck her right in the middle of her chest. Pandora let out a blood-chilling shriek, then collapsed and stopped moving.

“That is for what you did to Kamdrana, but don’t think I’m done with you. We will meet again, but next time it will be much worse for you” he said as his hand recovered its original shape.

He could hear a horde of people running towards him, and he smiled.

“I would love to stay and fight each of you, but unfortunately I made a promise, and I always keep my promises.”

In less than a second he’d turned into black mist, and before the first person could reach him he had already vanished.

The citizens gathered around Pandora’s body and began mourning.


Pandora's Defeat 
Instant
Destroy target permanent that's black or green. If that permanent was a Pandora planeswalker, her controller discards a card.
“You paid the ultimate price for defying me, Pandora, and not even that is enough.”
—Malextros



After travelling through dozens of planes, Oddyceon and the old man finally had new information. They’d followed whispers of a geomancer walking the worlds and wreaking havoc all around until they finally got a name other than Aylin: there was another woman associated to her, a woman by the name of Vadinna.

“Do you know her?” asked the old man after seeing a glimmer in Oddyceon’s eyes when they first heard the name.

“Not personally” replied the Therian “But I’ve heard about her multiple times. She is sort of a legend of the Multiverse. What I do, hopping around from plane to plane and help others, she’s been doing for far longer than myself and in a far more efficient way.”

“I can see you admire her” said the old man with a pleasant smile “But if she’s associated with Aylin…”

“Yes, that troubles me, unfortunately” said Oddyceon “But I believe maybe they met a long time ago. Perhaps Vadinna tried to guide her down the right path and Aylin ended up choosing a different way.

“I’ve heard Vadinna used to take young, inexperienced planeswalkers under her wing, and I always thought they grew up to be righteous people. A few days ago, the mere connection between the two would’ve led me to believe Aylin was a decent person, but what she did to your homeworld was…”

“Unforgivable” spoke the old man grimly.

“No time to waste, then” said Oddyceon trying to ease the tension “If what I heard is correct, Vadinna should have a home in the distant plane of Mellyner Blue.”

“Mellyner Blue?” asked the old man pensively “I believe you should go there by yourself. Just because this woman and Aylin crossed paths in the past, it doesn’t mean they have seen each other recently. You seem like the right type to talk to this Vadinna, while you talk to her I will keep travelling in search for more information on Aylin.”

“Are you sure?” asked Oddyceon, surprised at the old man’s decision.

“Like I said” spoke the old man “I don’t know how much I have left. I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve already done, but I don’t want us to put all eggs in one basket. Let’s go our separate ways for now and meet back here in… say… seven days?”

Oddyceon nodded respectfully.

“If that is what you wish then I shall oblige. Seven days should be more than enough to locate and interview Vadinna.”

“And it should be more than enough for me to uncover new information.”

“It is settled, then” said the Therian “I’ll search for Vadinna and you’ll search for Aylin. And we shall meet each other again here in seven days’ time.”




After her long morning, Vadinna was glad to be home again. Having taken a break from researching the mystery of Mellyner and the Six Pillars, she had travelled to Kalernos, where she occasionally taught arcane magic at a public school (she’d been offered countless times to work at private institutions but had politely declined, since she wanted her knowledge to be accessible to anybody).

She lived in a modest house, with only the bare essentials to live and to further her research. She sat on a chair and undid her ponytail, letting her silver hair flow freely. She missed the days when her hair was blonde, and she chuckled while she thought she could do with a few less wrinkles, but she was glad her blue eyes retained the intensity they had in her youth, and she was grateful to have lived for as long as she had.

She removed the bandage from her left hand and applied a balm to help ease the pain. As she stood up and returned the balm to its place, she saw a familiar face standing on her threshold and immediately let go of the bottle, which shattered on the floor.

“Aylin” she said in shock.

“Hello, Vadinna, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you…”

“It’s ok” replied the mage as she snapped her fingers. The bottle restored itself and flew into her hand as any salvageable part of the balm went inside it “What brings you here?”

“I think I’m finally ready to talk about what happened” replied the geomancer “You knew that someday I’d get tired of running. And the day has come.”

“Are you sure you want to do it?” asked Vadinna.

“Yes” replied Aylin.

The mage spent the next few hours listening to the geomancer’s tale. About her help in Korrinayru, her confrontations in the Arena, her promise to defeat Sevid and, finally, the massacre of Relaieb. She had to pause to cry more than once, yet she didn’t feel wrong for doing it, Aylin never felt vulnerable in Vadinna’s presence.

“I can’t continue down this path of destruction, Vadinna, I need to learn to control myself.”

“Aylin, you made a mistake, you’re only human, we all make mistakes” she replied looking at the cut in her own hand “But despite everything you tell me, I don’t think any less of you.”

Aylin hugged her instinctively and Vadinna held her dearly in her arms, as if she were the girl’s mother. Vadinna was the only person Aylin would allow to make physical contact with her.

“I wish I could guide you once more, Aylin, I really do, but unfortunately now is not the right moment…”

Aylin’s heartbroken eyes pierced intently into hers.

“Aylin, you’re in danger, and if you stay with me, I’m sure you will die.”

“What do you mean?” asked the geomancer letting go of her and taking a few wary steps backwards.

“You mentioned a demon named Malextros tried to kill you in the Arena, didn’t you? And he did it to take that away from you” she said pointing at a green ring on Aylin’s hand.

Aylin nodded silently, when she’d accepted to protect the Gem of Allure she never thought a creature like Malextros would come after her.

“Malextros came to visit me a few days ago…” said Vadinna grimly.

Aylin’s jaw dropped. She couldn’t believe the demon had actually gone to the lengths of tracking down the only person in the Multiverse she trusted.

“Did he hurt you?” she asked immediately “Did he threaten you? How long ago was that? Is he still here?”

“He came by a few days ago, but don’t worry, I managed to get rid of him without anybody getting hurt” replied Vadinna “But I’m not sure the same will be true for you, Aylin, I’m sure he intends to kill you…”

“What do you suggest I do?”

Vadinna sighed heavily.

“You must run. Get as far away as you possibly can, try to go to the farthest corner of the Multiverse and once you’re there keep going. If you can find allies along the way, please do it, but make sure that if you ever come across Malextros you don’t confront him alone.”

“Can’t you come with me?” she asked.

“I have no way of knowing if Malextros is tracking me, I’m afraid I would be more of an obstacle than an asset.”

Aylin smiled sadly.

“Before you leave, take these with you” said Vadinna handing her a handful of vials and bottles filled with an assortment of colored liquids “These should help you on your journey. I’ll do my best to find a way to destroy Malextros. Hopefully someday we will find each other again and, once we do, I’ll be your guide once more.”

They hugged once more and, feeling how tight Vadinna was holding her, Aylin suddenly felt the mage was not sure they’d actually cross paths again.

Once Aylin was gone, Vadinna collapsed to the floor and began crying miserably. She had told Aylin the truth; she had gotten rid of Malextros without anybody getting hurt, but that didn’t mean he’d left without getting what he wanted…



It was ironic that she was more shocked to see Aylin come to her than Malextros, for when he’d arrived a few days ago she remained impassive to his visit, she’d been expecting it for years now and she’d hoped against hope that the day would never come.

“Greetings, Vadinna, long time no see” spoke Malextros with his usual grin.

“I guess the day of reckoning has finally come” she replied emotionlessly “I owe you a favor, demon, so what will it be?”

“I’m looking for someone you’re familiar with, her name is Aylin…”

Vadinna’s blood froze, she hadn’t heard of Aylin in so long. What had the geomancer gotten herself into this time?

“This girl has something I need, and I want your help to get it back…”

“I will not hand her over to you or steal the item from her. Betraying my protegées was never a part of our deal…”

“I could ask you for anything I want. You have the right to refuse, but if you do so you’ll die…”

“...and you’ll get to harvest my soul, I would never forget our deal!” finished Vadinna coldly “But I’d rather have that happen than betray her…”

“You didn’t let me finish” said Malextros mildly annoyed “If you do so you’ll die, and I have no use for you dead. No, I will ask something of you that doesn’t put her in direct danger, therefore I wouldn’t be breaking that clause of our deal, and you’ll be forced to uphold your end of the bargain.”

“What?” asked Vadinna incredulously.

“I believe Aylin will come to you in time, and when she does, I want you to convince her to run away, have her jump from plane to plane, make sure she thinks she’ll be constantly in danger if she stays on the same place for too long, and once you do, make sure she takes this with her.”

He grabbed one of the empty vials on Vadinna’s desk and pierced a finger with one of his nails, filling it with his tarlike blood. He then handed the vessel back to Vadinna.

“How is this any different from handing her directly to you?”

“You’re giving her a fighting chance, and who knows? Something could happen to me in the meantime, I might never actually get to her…”

“We both know that’s bullshit!”

“Yes, but unfortunately for you there’s nothing you can do now” he replied sadistically “Now, for the final part.”

He grabbed her left wrist and lifted her hand, using one of his nails to cut her palm.

“Once you do what you’ve been told or if I come across her by myself, my blood will leave your body, and you will finally be free from me.”

He smiled once more and vanished.

Now, a few days later, she’d done what she’d been told, and she could see a black sludge pour from out of her open wound. Malextros’s blood began dissolving into black mist until it was all gone, and Vadinna’s cut closed and healed itself, not even leaving a scar.

She could still remember when she’d met the demon. She needed to save Akrianos to give Althestra a fighting chance, so Malextros gave her his blood to guarantee she could make it through the barrier and make sure she’d have safe passage in the demon-riddled world she was about to enter.

“Akrianos, your life and the future of our world has cost me so much” she whimpered, deeply hoping she hadn’t sent Aylin to her death.



Vadinna's Defeat 
Instant
Put a pact counter on target permanent that’s white or blue. For as long as that permanent has a pact counter on it, it can’t attack or block, and its activated abilities can’t be activated. If that permanent is a Vadinna planeswalker, draw two cards.
“You spent your whole life fighting evil, Vadinna, and yet you chose to help the most threatening of them all.”
—Malextros


Whether fate was mocking her or it was a mere coincidence, the situation didn’t stop there, for two days after her encounter with Aylin, Vadinna received a third visitor. Oddyceon appeared at the entrance of her home.

“Greetings, I assume you must be Vadinna” he said extending his hand for her to shake “It’s an honor to meet you, I’m glad you left ways to find you back in Mellyner Blue…”

Any other day Vadinna would’ve gladly shaken his hand and asked him what he wanted, but the fact that this was the third planeswalker that visited her in such a short amount of time was enough to steer her thoughts in a particular direction.

“You’re looking for Aylin, aren’t you?” she asked coldly.

Her immediate mention of the geomancer and the blunt way she asked the question made the man hesitate for a few seconds.

“Indeed, I am” spoke Oddyceon “I’m guessing somebody else came looking for her or she did so herself.”

“Both” replied Vadinna bluntly.

“Was the person who came asking for her an old man?” asked the Therian curiously.

“He was old, yes, but he was no man” replied Vadinna bitterly “What do you want with Aylin?”

“A few days ago my travels took me to the plane of Relaieb, and I found it completely decimated…” he began cautiously “It is my understanding that Aylin is the one who caused the destruction of the plane, and the last survivor of that world asked me to find her and have her answer for her actions. Or do you have any information to exonerate her?”

Great thought Vadinna Now she is not only being chased by Malextros but also by this idiot and his friend. What is this man even trying to prove?

“I am aware of Aylin’s actions in Relaieb” said Vadinna “And when she came to me she explained how sorry she was. I know that doesn’t fix anything, but if she’s going to answer to anyone, it shouldn’t be you. You’re a stranger to that world hunting for another stranger. And that girl happens to have a lot on her back right now. She doesn’t need a wannabe hero trying to make her atone for something that isn’t even his business!”

Oddyceon took the words in silently, although his anger was visible in his face.

“I was cursed to leave my homeworld and never be able to return. I lost my home and my family, so I believe it is my business when I see someone lose their home and trying to get some closure…”

“You have no idea what that girl lost!” screamed Vadinna, finally losing her composure “Whatever you think you’ve suffered, she’s suffered at least ten times more! If you think you’ve had to endure trials, she’s had to endure much worse.”

They glared at each other silently for a few seconds, both breathing rapidly. Vadinna already had her hands positioned to cast a spell, Oddyceon had started to unsheath his sword.

“You know what?” said the woman slightly calming down and lowering her hands, Oddyceon did not put away his sword “I should tell you the truth: she’s running away… not from you or from your friend, but from something much worse. I believe the time will come when she’s ready to atone for Relaieb, for she was truly sorry for what she did, but right now she has someone truly dangerous chasing her…”

“Why are you telling me this?” asked Oddyceon.

“Because I’m hoping you’ll find her, I’m hoping you’ll get to her before he does. If you do so, you’ll know what she’s running away from and you may have the decency of standing by her side and confronting him.”

“Who is he?” asked Oddyceon.

“I believe the less you know the better, I’d rather you focus on finding her than on trying to stop him…”

“So that’s the best you can give me? Just a vague instruction to look anywhere?”

“No” said Vadinna, her eyes dead serious “Recent events are leading me to believe that you crossing paths with her, even if indirectly, is not a coincidence. I think things are coming full circle, and that you and her will cross paths shortly. When that day comes, well… prepare yourself for the worst, for even if you do, it won’t be enough…”

Neither spoke anymore, they both knew their meeting was over. Oddyceon simply left, leaving Vadinna alone.




It had been three weeks since Oddyceon had visited Vadinna, and Aylin always seemed to be one step ahead of them. Despite how impossible it would seem to hunt one planeswalker across the Multiverse, every single world Oddyceon and the old man had visited had also been visited by a geomancer recently, they had even been only two hours late one time! Maybe what Vadinna had told him had some merit to it, maybe fate was guiding the three of them to the same spot and they would eventually meet each other.

The mere thought made Oddyceon shudder, once again destiny was imposing itself over him, and if he could not escape this whim of fate, would he ever beat it at its own game and make it back home?

However, there were more pressing matters at hand. The old man had taken quite a toll on his body while they were separated. Apparently he’d faced great perils in trying to unveil Aylin’s location, and now he seemed even more frail than when Oddyceon originally met him.

“Oddyceon” he said weakly “I think my time is coming up. Continue on your way back to Theros and let me return to my old homeworld. My only regret is I won’t be able to uphold my end of the deal.”

“What? But we’re so close” he replied.

“Listen, I appreciate you trying to help, but I’d rather go back to Relaieb and die in my homeworld rather than die chasing a chimera. Maybe this wasn’t meant to be, I’m just glad I found someone to tell my story to…” said the old man.

“Then at least let me escort you back to your home” said Oddyceon “I want to make sure that you’re able to get there in one piece.”

The old man chuckled weakly.

“Thank you, Oddyceon, you’ve been a great friend. And I hope someday you finally get back to Theros.”

Oddyceon nodded gratefully and both men began their journey back to Relaieb.




Aylin hadn’t been feeling like herself the past few days, it seemed like the constant stress and the lack of sleep were making her phase out with reality, and she didn’t even feel like she was the one making her own decisions. However, having ended up here of all places, there was no shadow of a doubt that someone had forced her to come to this particular plane, for the last world in the Multiverse she’d ever visit while trying to escape was Relaieb.

Every single plane she’d gone to, the Gem of Allure had shone strangely, not with the intensity it would if a being as powerful as Malextros was close to her, but with enough intensity to make her wary, so she didn’t have much time to think, and simply improvised things on the go. How could she have landed in this place coincidentally?

Unfortunately for her, she would find a dreadful answer to her question soon enough. Before she could begin to planeswalk away, the Gem of Allure began glowing with slightly more intensity, and two men materialized in front of her: one of them was young, muscular and vigorous, the other looked old and frail, as if he had just hours, if not minutes, left to live.

“I can’t believe it” whispered the old man to his escort while he pointed at her “That’s her, she came back!”

Aylin immediately assumed a combat position, Oddyceon approached her cautiously. As he walked, something nagged him at the back of his head, this could not be mere coincidence. He felt as if this encounter was an ill omen, and that whoever it was that Vadinna said her protegée was running from had orchestrated all of this.

“You are Aylin, the geomancer, are you not?” he spoke determined, then pointed at the old man “This man right here is the sole survivor of the massacre you brought upon this world, and I’ve promised him that I would help him find you…”

I thought I left no survivors thought Aylin, immediately hating herself for that thought.

The old man stood up with tremendous effort and spoke.

“I need to know: why? What possible way do you have to justify what you did?”

Aylin fought back the tears and tried to keep an impassive expression.

“I don’t know” she said sincerely “I simply did, and now I can’t take it back. It was nothing personal, I wasn’t serving a higher purpose. There is no rhyme or reason to what happened to this world, it was just an unfortunate massacre. If you needed something more than that then tough luck, but I can’t give it to you…”

Oddyceon’s jaw dropped at this response, and his anger began to stir. He took a few steps closer to her.

“So you come back to the world you’ve destroyed, confront the man you took everything away from and all you can say to him is you don’t know why you did it?” he spat “What kind of monster are you?!”

Small pellets at Aylin’s feet began levitating and swirling around her head.

“I’m no monster” she replied “But I am currently dealing with one, so if you’ll excuse me, I have to leave right now” she added menacingly.

“You’re not going anywhere!” replied Oddyceon, violently grabbing her by the wrist.

It all happened in a second. Aylin became as enraged as her assailant in no time, throwing a punch straight at his face. As he saw it coming his way, he began unsheathing his sword, but was struck before he could even prepare to retaliate. The arm that held the sword jerked and sliced through her belt, leaving a superficial scratch on her hip and dropping a few vials.

As his body hit the floor, so did the loose flasks, and they shattered immediately. One of them contained a dense black liquid that turned into mist the second it was released from its container. The dark vapor, seemingly having a mind of its own, began slithering through Oddyceon’s body until it made its way inside him through his bleeding mouth.

“I don’t have the time or the will to fight you” said Aylin “Let’s just leave things as they are.”

“Oh, but you no longer have a choice in this matter” replied Oddyceon as he stood up.

Aylin’s blood froze when she saw his face. It had completely transformed: a sadistic look shone in his eyes and he had a wide, deranged smile she recognized immediately.

“Malextros!” she screamed in fear as she looked at the Gem of Allure. It hadn’t warned her about his arrival, had its weird behavior signaled a malfunction?

“No, my name is Oddyceon, and I will be the one that makes you pay for what you did to Relaieb!” he said as he raised his sword and brought it down aiming for her skull.

She jumped out of the way instinctively and saw how her opponent completely obliterated the ground she’d stood on a mere second ago. That strike had probably been strong enough to break through her skin and wound her skull, and that was no small deed!

He quickly swung his sword in her direction and she generated a small seismic pulse that launched her into the air and caused him to lose his balance. Taking advantage of the situation she punched him in the throat as she descended and, as he lost his breath, pinned him to the ground.

He was quick to recover (unnaturally quick), rapidly rotating his legs to sweep her from her feet. She stumbled and fell as he rose. He grabbed his sword with both hands and brought it down, aiming for her neck.

She had just enough time to coat her arm in rocks and raise it as a shield. The weapon struck and cracked the surface slightly, immediately rising and falling again. This man was so frantic that she had no time to prepare a counterattack or run away. As the sword swung relentlessly, she could feel the layers of rock breaking up, and pain began hammering at her arm. In a few more seconds her shield would shatter into a million pieces and her arm would follow.

She thought fast and, on the next strike, disintegrated the entire shield, shot the rubble at his eyes and, as he lowered his guard while blinded temporarily, headbutted him, which sent him flying backwards. However, he was tougher than she’d originally estimated, since she felt pain spread on her forehead and her vision got slightly blurred.

Oddyceon stood up almost immediately after hitting the ground, his eyes were bloodshot and enraged, and yet he kept smiling that unsettling smile.

“You will not stop me from getting back home, you hear me?!” he screamed “I will not let you end my journey!”

This man has lost his mind she thought, terrified. But there was more than that. If his face would've been as angry as his voice then it would all make sense, but the fact that his smile never seemed to waver made her realize he was possessed. Malextros had probably sent this pawn ahead of him to weaken her, and his puppet had actually succeeded!

“You struck a deal with him, didn’t you?!” she screamed irately as Oddyceon charged at her “What did Malextros offer you in exchange for killing me?”

“I struck a deal with no one!” he replied as he raised his sword with both hands again “I just want you to pay!”

Aylin lifted her hands and three huge boulders rose behind her. She didn’t want to kill this man, but she had to fight back if she wanted to make it out of there alive, and she would do whatever it took to achieve that. And besides, could he even be called a man after what he’d become?

She was ready to throw her projectiles at him when she felt something grab both her wrists and pull her down. The sudden motion forced her to her knees, and as she collapsed, her head jerked downward and she got to look at the ground… When had all that black mist appeared? Two dark shackles were protruding from the vaporous coat that covered the entirety of their battlefield, and her eyes began stinging from the green light that came from her right, which, she only now realized, had been shining for a while. The Gem of Allure had been warning her that Malextros was finally here, and she had been too distracted to realize.

“Stop! Please stop!” she screamed at the man, who was now a few steps away from delivering a coup-de-grace “If you’re still inside there, Oddyceon, please fight the demon, stop this or we’ll both be doomed!”

But her words didn’t seem to affect him in any way, shape or form. He simply stopped when he was at the right distance and transferred all his momentum to his arms as they brought down the sword, ready to split her skull in half.

“Stop” spoke impassively a hoarse, smoky voice behind him.

Oddyceon’s arms immediately ceased to move, and the sword stopped dead on its tracks mere inches from Aylin’s scalp.

“You’ve served me well, Oddyceon” said Malextros with sadistic triumph “But I cannot let you end her, I’m the one who gets that honor…”

The Therian felt a cold hand pressed against his shoulder, and as his twisted smile vanished he abruptly exhaled mist as dark as the one that bathed his feet. All of a sudden he felt exhausted, he let go of his weapon, which fell painlessly on top of the geomancer and dropped to the floor, being obscured by Malextros’s vapors.

“Who are you?” he asked the demon.

“Don’t listen to him-!” began Aylin trying to warn him, but with a flick of his fingers Malextros ordered the mist to muzzle her.

“I’m the one that played you all along” he replied maliciously “I’m the one you agreed to help find his enemy, and now that you’ve upheld your end of the deal, I’m upholding mine.”

“What deal are you talking about?” asked the Therian. The demon simply pointed at where the old man had been. All that remained of him was his cloak, from which the black mist seemed to be originating.

“Aylin carries a relic I desire, and that same relic would’ve warned her of my coming at any moment, so I needed to adopt a weaker form. Unfortunately, in doing so, I was giving up all my resources to actually find her. I needed an escort to carry my weaker form around while remaining hidden from the Gem of Allure, and you’ve agreed to do it!”

“Impossible” replied Oddyceon “I know how pacts with demons work, we simply had a verbal agreement, and there also needs to be a physical component to seal the deal!”

“We shook on it” said Malextros simply as he smiled.

And then the Therian remembered how strong the old man’s grip had seemed as he helped him to his feet. He’d actually said he agreed to help him, the old man had specifically said they had a deal, and they’d stretched hands. He had been taken for a fool, and he’d played the part perfectly.

“That doesn’t matter, then…” he whispered weakly, then he quickly retrieved his sword from the floor and swung it at the demon’s neck “Because now our deal is over I can end you!”

Malextros simply laughed and grabbed his wrist, stopping the attack way before it reached its target.

“I still have to uphold my part” he said simply “You’ve given me what I wanted, so now you can have what you’ve wanted since you’re ascension: you’re going back home!”

The demon grabbed Oddyceon’s skull and pressed tightly. The man could feel every single nerve in his body screaming in agony as a strange stimulus seemed to flow from the demon to him, triggering a familiar feeling. Malextros was forcing his spark to planeswalk him away, and he was pretty sure he knew what his destination was. He looked desperately at Aylin, his regret evident in his stare. He would do what he could to come back and save her.

“Don’t even try to come find me” whispered Malextros in his ear “I’m twisting fate for you, but this opportunity is unique. Even if I don’t kill you, if you ever leave Theros again then you’ll truly never be able to return there for as long as you live, that I guarantee.”

Oddyceon’s face contorted in shock and fear, and as dread took over him, he vanished, leaving Aylin and Malextros finally alone.

“Now” said the demon turning towards the geomancer “Where were we?”


Oddyceon's Defeat 
Sorcery
Exile target permanent that’s red or white. If that permanent is an Oddyceon planeswalker, gain control of up to one target creature his controller controls until end of turn. Untap that creature. It gains haste until end of turn.
“Oddyceon, your ideals have betrayed you. In trying to make everything right you betrayed the very people you swore to protect.”
—Malextros



“It’s finally time for you to give me what is rightfully mine…” spoke the demon as his smile disappeared. Despite his smile being terrifying, him showing his true emotions was even creepier.

He snapped his fingers and the misty shackles dissolved. Aylin immediately jumped at him as spiky rocks covered her hand. She threw a punch at him.

“If you plan on taking someone by surprise, you should not be so predictable” he replied easily dodging the attack.

He retaliated by punching her stomach, which immediately drained the air out of her, and she hit the floor face-first as a moan escaped her throat.

“Why do you mortals insist on fighting for lost causes?” asked Malextros slightly annoyed “What are you hoping to accomplish? Are you just trying to make time in the off chance somebody comes by and rescues you just like in the Arena?

“Check your surroundings, Aylin, nobody is coming because there is nobody else left here. And it’s all thanks to you” he added maliciously “But maybe your planeswalker friends will sense you’re in danger, join forces once more and make a final miraculous appearance to stop me, won’t they?”

Aylin got up and hurled a gigantic boulder at his face, which shattered on impact, not leaving even a trace of a scar. He snapped his fingers once more and the shackles returned, anchoring her to the ground.

“I’ll do you a favor, this one completely for free, my amusement will be the price you pay” he proposed “Let’s wait for a few seconds and see if anybody makes it here.”

He did so, and after some time had passed, he decided to torment her even more.

“Maybe they’re still on their way; there is still hope, isn’t there? Maybe we just need to call them, I’m sure that will work: Arina! Hanska! Lumen! Chrysoplei! Rian! 7CI! Amrhotep! Darios!” Malextros rejoiced when she flinched at that last name, but he knew he could torture her even more “Aiden! Aiden are you there!? Aiden, Aylin needs your help once more! Why not come back and stop me like you did last time!?

“Well, perhaps he couldn’t hear me” he said “Or maybe he just isn’t with us anymore. Wouldn’t it be ironic if the reason he won’t come is because he died saving you from me the last time?!”

Aylin screamed and struggled to stand up, even managing to slightly raise her arms before the shackles pulled her back down. Malextros’s laugh ceased abruptly.

“Fine, you want to throw a tantrum? I’ll indulge, I’m already getting what I want from you anyways…” he said condescendingly “You want to die fighting? You want to die pretending you have a sliver of a chance? So be it!”

He dissolved the shackles and extended his arms, showing he was wide open. Aylin didn’t even hesitate: she slammed the ground, channeling all her rage and anguish into the strike. A massive earthquake shattered the earth with multiple fissures.

Despite the ground literally falling apart at his feet, Malextros was standing there impassively. The geomancer redirected the energy of her strike to the demon’s feet and created massive spikes to impale him just like she’d done in the Arena, but as soon as the first spike began protruding, he simply vanished into black mist.

“It’s fortunate you already killed everyone in this world, or else what you just did would have done it!” she heard him speak from behind her.

She tried to turn around but he quickly grabbed her by the back of her neck, lifting her up and violently headbutting her face. She could immediately taste the blood pouring from her nose as he shoved her away. She got up as hastily as her tired body allowed her to, screaming in rage and sadness as she shot a volley of rocky projectiles at him. He simply alternated between dodging them and letting them shatter on his body, leaving it unscathed, just to show her how futile everything was.

“This is getting boring” said the demon displeased “I’ll let you get one more shot in, and don’t worry, I won’t dodge it.”

“I’m so glad you said that” she replied with a defiant smile “‘Cause I’ve been saving this for last!”

She pointed up, and Malextros saw a gigantic boulder, at least five times his size, hovering over him. Since his mist was covering the ground, he would’ve detected something that size emerging from it, so she had probably stockpiled the rubble of her previous attacks after the missiles crashed against his body. He had to grant it to her: she’d been smart.

A pity it was all for nothing he thought maliciously.

“Nobody calls me boring!” screamed Aylin at the top of her lungs as she released the meteor.

It fell quickly and violently over the demon and exploded on impact, sending an impact wave that almost blew Aylin away (she had to use her powers to anchor her feet to the ground, and even then she worried she was going to be split in half). When the dust cleared away, Malextros was still standing there. True, his armor seemed cracked; true, his skin seemed bruised; true, that attack had actually hurt him, but he still looked completely unfazed, and his smile was still there…

“I’ll grant it to you, you have a fighting spirit” he said “But this has gone on for far too long.

He dissipated, then materialized in front of her and kicked her on the chest, using the momentum to pin her to the ground.

“Isn’t it beautifully ironic that the two things you were struggling to get away from converged into the same situation?” he said “Or at least it would be if I hadn’t orchestrated it all…”

Aylin was grabbing his leg with both arms and trying to get it off to no avail, but a glimmer in her eyes showed the demon she was listening.

“When I found this world and learned what you’d done to it, I decided to use it as the Arena for our final encounter. I was lucky that another planeswalker got here almost immediately after I did, and even luckier that he was in such desperate need to have his wish granted.

“I expected Oddyceon’s help to yield vague results, and was ready to start claiming some favors to speed up the process, but he struck gold when he gave me a name: Vadinna…”

Aylin immediately stopped her struggle and opened her eyes wide in shock.

“You leave her out of this!” she demanded.

“She got into this herself” replied the demon sadistically.

He pointed at their right, and Aylin saw the mist recreate Malextros’s meeting with her guide. Something seemed to die inside her: the one being in the entire Multiverse she thought she could trust blindly had betrayed her. She couldn’t help but cry.

“You’re lying!” she spat “That’s all you do, you lie! Vadinna would never do something like that!”

“You can say that as much as you want, but deep down you know it’s true. Didn’t your Gem begin acting weirdly these past few days? That was the fraction of me accompanying you in your journey. It allowed me to pinpoint your exact position every second of every day.

“The second I heard you and Vadinna were connected I knew I had already won. Our deal would ensure that she would betray you to me, but why stop there? I used your paranoia against you, and used that fragment of me to sway your decisions until you ended up coming here…”

“Why didn’t you ditch Oddyceon once you had Vadinna’s name?”

“I still needed him to escort me here so you wouldn’t focus on me. Besides… why would I want to miss such a great battle between the both of you? You know I feed on the darkness of the soul, and what Oddyceon gave me during that fight was just irresistible…

“And now here I have you, alone and defeated, forced to face the price for defying me.”

He knelt beside her, grabbed her by the right wrist and lifted her up, placing the fingers of his free hand on the Gem of Allure and starting to remove it from her finger. Aylin, still willing to fight, was futilely punching him with her free hand and kicking him, struggling to be released from his grip.

“Ah, isn’t this deliciously familiar?” he taunted her as he recalled the same situation back in the Arena “This time the story ends differently, however…”

He removed the ring and dropped her carelessly as he wore it in his own hand. The Gem of Allure was finally his, and this time nobody could do anything about it.

“Thank you for your cooperation, Aylin” he added mockingly “However, you still defied me, and I cannot let that slide by. Unfortunately, you have to die…”

She prepared for the inevitable, but once more Malextros played dirty and summoned shackles to immobilize her.

“Goodbye, Aylin” he said as he pointed his hand at her face.

The hand extended into a massive spike, aimed at the space between her eyes. She closed her eyes and cringed as it approached her, yet it stopped a mere millimeter from impact.

“Of course, there is always an alternative” added the demon as his smile returned “How afraid of death are you, Aylin? Are you willing to strike a deal with your mortal enemy just to make it out of this alive?”

“Never!” she said bluntly as she spat in his face.

“Aylin, my mist can read you like an open book. Even if you put out this tough, careless exterior, I know you do not wish to die. My request is quite simple, just hear me out, then make a choice…”

The geomancer’s silence was all the demon needed.

“My only request is that you do not chase me, and that you do not go through the worlds telling planeswalkers about me obtaining the Gem. Promise me that and your life will be spared.”

“It can’t be that simple” she retaliated.

“Would you rather die?” he asked, shrinking and expanding the spike on his arm ominously “Didn’t think so” he added when he saw Aylin wince.

His hand regained its original form and he snapped his fingers, releasing Aylin for the last time. He extended his hand (the one without the Gem, just to stop her from trying anything stupid) and waited for her to shake it.

“My life for your anonymity” she said.

“We have a deal” he replied.

She shook his hand and immediately regretted it. She could feel a strange force draining her, as if he was slowly sucking her essence into his. She shivered violently as she began to feel an empty space inside of her, then collapsed to the floor.

“What just happened?” she asked warily.

“Oh, isn’t it obvious?” he replied with contemptuous malice “I just took your spark away.”

Had there been anybody else left alive in Relaieb, Aylin’s scream would’ve frozen the blood in their veins.

“That wasn’t our deal!” she said.

“If it wasn’t then I wouldn’t have been able to do it. I never clarified how I intended you to keep your promise. I’m sure you agreed blindly thinking I’d just inject some of my blood into yours like I did with Vadinna. You were a fool and now you’re paying the price.”

He began to dissolve, this time in order to leave.

“Don’t leave! Come back and kill me! Just kill me!” she pleaded.

“Why would I?” he asked with a final smile “You just killed yourself.”

And with that he was gone, leaving Aylin alone and crying, trapped in an inhospitable world she herself had helped destroy.


Aylin's Defeat 
Sorcery
Aylin's Defeat deals 7 damage to target creature or planeswalker that's red or black. If that permanent is an Aylin planeswalker, Aylin's Defeat deals 3 damage to her controller.
“How does it feel to fail so catastrophically, Aylin? How does it feel to know that everything you ever did was in vain?”
—Malextros



Oddyceon had traveled to countless worlds, met countless creatures, seen countless types of flora and fauna… but those flowers were something he’d never confuse with anything else. Those flowers had been planted by he and his wife back when they’d moved in to that place together. Those flowers were in his garden, and he was lying right next to them. He stood up and studied his surroundings. The demon had actually held his end of the deal: he was finally home.

He heard something crash against the floor and turned around to find its source: his wife Phaedre had dropped an urn when she’d seen him.

“Oddyceon, is that really you?” she asked as tears flooded her face.

They ran to each other and wrapped in a tight embrace, followed by a passionate kiss.

“I thought you’d never return” she said as she placed her head on his chest.

“I thought so too…” he confessed as tears started forming in his own eyes.

He heard a couple of gasps, and even though he recognized the voices, their pitch was way deeper than he remembered it. He had truly be gone for long.

“Father!” his boys, now teenagers, screamed as they ran towards him.

“Hi, boys, I’m finally back.”

Oddyceon’s family, complete once more engaged in a long embrace.

“Promise me you’ll never leave me again” begged Phaedre.

Oddyceon thought about Aylin and all the damage he’d caused her, but then remembered Malextros’s threat, and that froze his heart.

“I promise” he replied as he kissed her once more “I promise” he repeated as guilt and anguish began weighing at his heart.



* * * * *



Thanks to her geomancy, Aylin had manage to hit an underwater lake and was able to avoid dehydration, but there was no food left in Relaieb, and it wouldn’t be long before she starved to death.

She’d spent the last days destroying as much things as she could and screaming in rage and frustration, but now her energy was waning. All she could do was sit against a cracked pillar and wait for the end while her thoughts corroded what was left of her sanity.

As she did this, a stranger arrived, materializing in front of her. She had her eyes on the ground, so she couldn’t see his face, but when he extended his hand, what she noticed there immediately made her react.

She grabbed the hand, looked up, and smiled as tears began trickling down her face.


Aylin Unsparked (The back of a planeswalker card I'll never design)
Legendary Creature - Human Wizard
, Sacrifice a permanent: Aylin Unsparked deals 3 damage to any target. If the sacrificed permanent was a land, draw a card.
Malextros tricked Aylin into giving up her most valuable possession: her planeswalker spark.