At this moment, Sigrid was actually alone on her side of the translucent barrier. On the other side of the veil, the radiant wall of Order that had been veiling and shielding THE Dead Order from direct observation actually began to fade away with deliberate purpose.
This glorious entity seated upon her throne of compressed authority looked directly at Sigrid with a calculating assessment.
She observed the situation closely, noting how Sigrid sat alone at this moment. Her eyes shone with sharp ingenuity as she spoke with measured curiosity.
"He disappeared rather abruptly, did he not?" THE Dead Order said with false concern. "I sincerely doubt he would ever voluntarily leave you here alone with me given his protective nature. So tell me, could he simply not handle the curse of THE Living Elemental any longer? Did something catastrophic happen to him that forced his departure?"
She asked such a pivotal question with the tone of someone already knowing the answer.
Sigrid’s expression remained composed as she replied with cold certainty.
"You witnessed him handling those flames perfectly well before," she said without emotion. "Is it because you are personally so weak yourself that after feeling them briefly upon your own existence, you would automatically assume that he would not be able to survive their effects? No, he is not nearly as weak-willed as you have proven yourself to be."
THE Dead Order laughed with genuine amusement at the response.
"Haha, nice attempt at deflection, you dirtied whore of a vessel," she said with condescension dripping from every word. "No, he would not leave you here alone with me under normal circumstances. He clearly favors you far too much for such carelessness." ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ novｅlfire.net
Her expression became more serious as she continued.
"You see, those are precisely the types of entanglements that inevitably arise when one desecrates the principles of Order. You form these attachments, these emotional entanglements that do nothing but lead directly to Chaos and instability. To the point where one’s existence would physically ache for another’s presence."
She rose slowly from her throne.
"It is so widespread across all of existence that one of the most powerful Living Existences has built their entire power structure based purely on emotions and their manipulation. All because of pathetic little creatures like you who do not possess adequate control over your feelings and impulses."
Her words were biting and cold as ice as she began walking toward the veil separating them.
"And precisely because of those feelings, because of those debilitating emotions that cloud judgment, I will graciously offer you a way out of your predicament," she said with false benevolence. "I possess the capability to help him properly manage those cursed flames as he wanted before they inevitably consume him and cause complete collapse."
She gestured to herself.
"Look at me now, child. The flames that he so foolishly spread onto my existence when we touched... I have successfully taken care of them completely. It required slightly more of my accumulated power than I would have preferred to expend, but it was manageable nonetheless."
Her eyes gleamed with predatory intent.
"I can perform the exact same service for your dear Osmont. So let us strike a mutually beneficial deal here and now. Trade... yourself to save him from certain death."
Sigrid’s eyes flashed sharply at these manipulative words as THE Dead Order continued her proposition.
"Simply come over and cross to this side of the veil and give yourself willingly to me," she said while extending her hand in invitation. "And I will make a binding promise on my very existence and on Order itself that I will not bring harm to your Osmont or to the nascent flicker of his Civilization."
Her voice became almost tender.
"Come and fuse with me completely. Become one with the grander and infinitely greater power of pure Order, and let me help both you and your Osmont survive THE Loom’s machinations. Come, child. Let us put all of this past conflict behind us and move forward together. Come to Ama."
THE Dead Order spoke such words while extending her hand outward in an inviting fashion that appeared almost maternal in its gesture.
Sigrid floated closer and closer toward the veil with a complex expression playing across her features. Her movements were slow and deliberate as if she was genuinely considering the offer being presented.
She stopped directly in front of the translucent barrier and reached out with her hand. Her fingers came to rest gently upon the surface of the veil.
THE Dead Order looked at her with grand anticipation building in her ancient eyes.
"Just a few more steps, child," she encouraged with barely concealed eagerness. "Cross over and unfathomable glory will be yours. You will have survived The Fallout that would destroy so much. You will have transcended your current limitations."
At such a critical moment, Sigrid’s expression shifted into a genuine smile.
"I wanted to come by real close to you," she said with calm satisfaction, "to tell you something important."
She paused for effect.
Her singular word of absolute rejection caused the expression of THE Dead Order to transform from anticipation to something exceedingly cold and utterly apathetic.
Sigrid continued speaking.
"He does not appreciate sacrifices made on his behalf," she said with conviction resonating through every syllable. "He keeps expressing this preference time and time again, to the point where you would think existence itself would finally understand the message he is sending."
Her eyes blazed with defiant determination.
"But apparently not. So let me make this abundantly clear: No sacrifices will be made. And if you have truly taken care of the curse of THE Living Elemental as you claim..."
Sigrid clenched her fist with decisive action. In the next moment, a massive river of Order began flowing from THE Dead Order’s side directly toward her position. The siphoning process that she had voluntarily stopped earlier was now returned with even grander intensity than before.
THE Dead Order looked at this development with extremely cold and apathetic eyes. She did not immediately issue any threats or even speak at all for several long seconds.
As if she was simply taking in the full measure of Sigrid’s figure and committing this moment of defiance to eternal memory.
The silence stretched uncomfortably before she finally spoke with a measured tone.
"You have lost your protector," she said with clinical observation. "While he is currently incapable of intervening or may have even collapsed entirely from the curse of THE Living Elemental, I will now make my move against you."
Her eyes narrowed with predatory focus.
"I believe I will begin by activating one of the Disciples of THE Creature that remain dormant across existence. They might manifest at False THE level of power, or perhaps even higher depending on variables. We shall observe what emerges."
She tilted her head with false curiosity.
"What say you, child? Will you stubbornly continue to stay on this self-destructive path you have chosen?"
Would she stay on this path of defiance and resistance?
Sigrid’s eyes shone with a sense of tyranny that she had only ever witnessed within Noah’s gaze when he was at his most determined. When he was absolutely certain of victory regardless of circumstances.
"Bring it the fuck on, you decrepit old hag," she said with absolute conviction and zero hesitation.