Eight weeks. That’s how long you’ve been here, sitting and waiting. Four weeks ago the wisps had appeared to help you refine your skills, or just be a listening ear to those who needed it. You weren’t sure if you could trust them initially--but they didn’t seem to be here to cause any harm, so warily you allowed them to stay.

Then one evening the sun sinks like it had for the past eight weeks. Slow and colorful as it descends behind the mountains on the other side of the endless lake, there is something alluring about tonight’s sunset. You feel yourself drawn to come watch from the terrace, to be in the company of your trialmates as the stars emerge. Everyone else seems to have the same feeling as well. You have a sinking suspicion that you know this means your time in the Gardens is coming to an end.

As the sun lowers, you watch with bated breath for something to happen. And just as the last light of the sun falls behind the horizon, a beam of green light shoots into the sky. The flash is brilliant and blinding for a moment, and when you are finally able to open your eyes again, a great black winged cat is lowering himself out of the air and onto the smooth marble.

Oordeel has returned.

“I hope you have all prepared," Oordeel begins as his wings fold shut, “for the war you are about to witness."

With a sweep of his smoky tail, he walks down the line of your group with a powerful gait, yet carries himself with a grace you can only describe as godly. His sharp yellow eyes study you intently, as if they might pierce through you and discover all your secrets. Finally, he grunts.

“Perhaps our first victory is that none of you have killed each other," he muses. Evidently, the myriad of scars and scratches haven’t escaped his sight. “It seems you’re all still here. So I’ll need you to tell me how you can make yourselves the most useful."

He stretches his wings and flaps to a higher pedestal to look at everybody at once.

“I’m taking you all to Highpeak," Oordeel announces. At this proclamation, a wave of hushed murmuring ripples through the crowd. Oordeel presses on. “I have spent the last few weeks trying to get as close as I could without being noticed. Kaulu and Helena are hiding at the top of the mountain, and they are destroying our world. Helena's open strings are leeching the life straight out of the Valley; the entire place is a deadzone. It's creating her new world. I need to get to the top of Highpeak and stop her, but her magic is keeping me from transporting us all directly there."

“I need each of you to tell me what role you can play," he continues. “The mountain is crawling with monsters and Plagued cats. If you can fight well and serve as an effective distraction, speak up."

He pauses to wait for the response. “If you’re interested in rescuing the cats that have been trapped inside the mountain, speak up. Some of you may know them...most of them are simple mortals, but I believe you call some of them the Legendaries. Kaulu has separated them from their soul partners and weakened their power… we need rescue teams to reunite them."

Oordeel waits again for volunteers, uninterested in the emotional reaction his words stir in some of the trial cats.

“And if you have a talent for stealth, I need you to climb to the top of Highpeak. You need to make sure I can get to Helena unseen, or else this is all for nothing. Speak up." He pauses again as volunteers raise their voices.

“Are we all clear? Good.

“It’s time to end this."

Anticipation is thick in the air after Oordeel’s announcement. Some of it nervous, some of it excited and determined… all of it filled with purpose. Gradually, as the crowd mingles, decides their positions, and exchanges their “good luck"s and “be careful"s, three large groups slowly form: the cats who want to battle, those who want to climb the mountain, and those who want to help those trapped within it.

“Very good," Oordeel says, his voice practically a purr. His orange gaze is hard, but satisfied. “My sister and that dog think they have your world in their grasp. But they are wrong." He spreads his wings wide, sweeping his gaze over everyone gathered below. “This is their reckoning. This is a legion to contend with."

He turns away from you for a moment, his eyes lifting towards the sky and the stars that are slowly starting to appear in the inky abyss. An emotion you can’t quite place swims in his gaze and you can’t help but wonder… after all he’s seen, where do his thoughts take him now?

He turns back to you, squaring his shoulders. The fading light catches in his eyes and the gold of his collar. A rare, grim smile crosses his face.

“To war," he declares.

And then black smoke sweeps through your ranks, cloaking you in darkness, and you leave everything you know behind.

Meanwhile, in the Valley...

The attack came with little warning. The cries of alarm started from the Red Plague quarantine quarters, but spread rapidly throughout the tunnels.The scarlet eyes of those you had been seeking to heal gleamed in the dark tunnels back at you, malicious and violent. Something had changed. The Plagued cats turned their claws on you.

You wanted to fight back. At first, you did. But these were the faces of your loved ones. This was the blood of your friends. You could not bring yourself to kill them, and the Legendaries commanded you not to. You were overpowered, exhausted, nearly starved--and the force of the Plague cats was overwhelming. But the sick did not kill you, not unless you fought back. They rounded you up and led you into the deep.

You are no longer refugees. You are all prisoners.

When your paws find solid ground again, you are almost relieved to see the drab gray landscape of Highpeak. The red line at the top rises high, disappearing into the low, rumbling cloud cover. You can see a more direct path to the top now. The universe has spit you out nearly at Helena’s front steps.

You look around then and are caught by surprise; the cats surrounding you are not the cats you had grown accustomed to being around. A new group of cats are here--new teammates.

While you hope your old teammates are safe, you wonder why this particular shift through space has shuffled you and your friends around. You wonder what is in store for you next...

As you and your trialmates reach the top of the mountain, the ground underfoot begins to dry. Mud no longer squelches between your toes, replaced instead by gravel and stone. You are exhausted, and the ominous hum of the red line getting closer and closer seems to be the cause. You can feel every cell in your body almost drawing towards it like a magnet, your muscles and flesh straining. It is slowly wearing you down.

The trail grows foggy-- though you realize quickly that it isn’t fog. It’s clouds. The damp cold clings to your pelt and restricts your vision, but you must go onward.

Finally, you reach the top of the trail, and you come to a plateau in the incline. The path opens up into a wide clearing with mountain rock shielding the edges. You can see other teams arriving at the same time as you from different paths; it looks like almost everyone has made it, with varying states of being. On the far side of the clearing, the wall of rock is the highest, soaring up into the hazy sky, and you can see something that looks like a door etched into the stone, the shape of a cat’s head in the center.

Sitting on either side of the carving are two gods; Helena and Kaulu.

Kaulu’s tail wags in delight. “Oh, goodie! You made it! Did you have fun?"

Helena’s fur bristles, her great white wings already opening. “You?! I thought I drowned you!"

Helena surges forward with insane speed, the light of her renewed god powers blinding you for a second, but about halfway across the clearing a mass of black smoke rises from the ground and clashes with her. The goddess leaps backwards and lands on her four paws, flapping her wings to disperse the black clouds.

Oordeel hovers in the air in front of her, the dark smoke around him dissipating with the wind his wings create. "You should have drowned me."

Helena spits at the ground, looking furious for a second. But then her eyes light up. Kaulu looks enthralled, like this is no more than good entertainment to him. Helena straightens up with a smug expression. "Brother, it makes sense I’d see you here. After all, I did take your toys."

With a swoop of a wing, the clouds surrounding the clearing part. You aren’t sure what she’s talking about right away until you see the bodies of cats hovering high in the air around you. There is a single red vertical line resting on each of them, the red expanding around their bodies like a net. You look at them in horror; are they dead? But their eyes are open, and they look more like they’re trapped than lifeless. You look closer-- you recognize them. Sunder, Nor, Lazarus, Zilla...all of them. They’re all here, save for the few you had rescued. Legendaries.

"No," Oordeel says breathlessly as it dawns on him who they are. He swivels around to snarl at his sister. "What are you doing to them?"

"Nor!" you hear someone call out. Jace. She scrambles ahead, shadows drawing up to her side. "No, Millie!"

"Oh!" Helena chirps, looking at Jace, then the other Legendaries you had brought with. "You brought more! Ah, what’s her name? Serpent!"

Before she even finishes the word, eleven massive serpents the support teams instantly recognize slither out from the crags and nooks of the mountain. One slams Jace down, its whiskers immediately touching her temples. Jace fights back, but you can see the sleep-inducing powers of the serpent already taking hold. The other ten lunge for the rest of the Legendaries, targeting each of them specifically, herding them onto the edge of the clearing.

It had all happened so fast. Oordeel bellows, "I’m killing you, once and for all!" and flings himself at his smiling sister. The two clash, ripping at each other’s pelts, flashes of green and gold colliding and exploding.

You are about to leap into action when a cry from the back of your group sounds out; the Plagued have caught up to you. They attack ferociously, seeming to target the unawakened souls of the group, flooding the clearing from all sides. You must do what you can to protect the refugees-- hopefully without killing the Plagued.

Helena lets out a great snarl as she shoves Oordeel backwards and he tumbles, straight into a hoard of the plagued. They leap at him, and at first he begins to use his power, but hesitates and instead starts to use his wings and blasts of black smoke to ward them off. He, too, is trying to spare their lives.

Helena looks at Oordeel’s struggle with satisfaction at first, but as it continues you can see her expression turning sour. She can’t seem to look at him as he’s overwhelmed by wave after wave of the Plagued, his growls and cries of frustration growing louder.

"Don’t be growing soft now, Helena!" Kaulu laughs from his spot on the other side. "This is what you wanted. Destruction and death to all memory and existence of this world. This is what you did all of this for!" He leans forward, his grin widening into a devilish expression full of teeth too wicked. "Don’t you want to watch this moment? Don’t you want to remember it?"

Helena stares at him, her expression unreadable. Then she turns, and watches Oordeel.

You had been so close to victory. Chaos surrounds you. Failure is not an option anymore. You must do what you can.

”STOP!” Helena bellows suddenly. Instantly, the Plagued stop attacking and pull back. They stand completely still, unblinking, staring at nothing. The serpents, too, draw back their attacks, heads snapping to Helena’s attention. Everything in the air seems to freeze.

”Helena!” Kaulu guffaws loudly, his voice booming. He looks at her, away from the cats who had approached. ”What’s the problem? Wanted in on the action yourself?”

”Kaulu,” Helena says, turning towards him. Her tone is threatening; a warning. She doesn’t say anything else.

After a pause, Kaulu’s eyes widen. ”Oh!” he chirps. He pauses, glancing at the cats who had approached the golden goddess. ”Wait...you’re actually listening to them?”

”Kaulu, I-- this is enough,” she explains, still moving towards him slowly. Her wings are raising, ever so slightly. ”I have my power again. I’m a god. I can do what I want now--without this.” She glances to Oordeel, who is picking himself up off the ground. His wings are tattered, splotches of blood paint his fur. He stares at Helena warily.

Kaulu doesn’t seem to be listening. He seems genuinely, thoroughly baffled. He taps his chin with his paw. ”I really didn’t expect this. This is all you’ve ever wanted, isn’t it? Madness and death in the dying breaths of the world that wronged you? Is this just...not fun for you anymore? Are you bored?” His eyes light up, shining more brilliantly than you’d seen so far. ”Oh. I know what to do.”

His pelt ignites with swirls of teal and magenta light, lighting up from the tip of his nose to his tail. It’s impossibly bright for a moment, and you have to squeeze your eyes shut for a moment before it subsides. But when you look back to him, he is no longer the same coyote you’d grown used to.

His pelt is a deep space purple, his stripes a bright turquoise green. His eyes are mesmerizing, bands of color constantly changing and morphing. He has grown; he is more vibrant and unnaturally dazzling than ever. When he speaks, his voice seems to come from everywhere at once; this is the universe. This is chaos embodied.

Helena, too, seems shocked. ”What are you--?”

”Do you want more power, Helena?” Kaulu asks, his voice echoing, his voice warping. It sounds like the universe is speaking. He prowls forward, his head low and his grin wide, teeth glinting maliciously. ”Is what I gave you not enough?”

His paw raises, pointing towards the cats who had been pleading with the golden cat. ”Do you want the power of the Old Gods at your claws?” Kaulu asks, but it doesn’t feel like a question. It feels like a command.

Murmim, Holly, Lucreta, Jason, Beet, and Spencer suddenly rear backwards, crying out. Mind-splitting headaches rip across their skulls, and your six teammates cry out in pain. It only lasts a few moments, but it feels like an eternity as you watch them twist and thrash, frantically gripping at their heads.

And then at once, they all stop. They stand there, heads hanging low and eyes closed, breathing slowly in and out, in and out.

Kaulu jabs a paw out at the crowd. Out towards you. ”Watch this.”

Your six teammates lift their heads in unison.

Their eyes are scarlet, sickeningly red.

”No,” Oordeel gasps.

Murmim turns invisible and lunges forward, tackling the nearest cat to the ground. Holly ignites, limping forward despite his injuries to corner another nearby group. Jason leaps into the air and soars overhead, dropping down into the center of the group, dangerous whips of wind ripping around him. Electricity falls from Beet’s fangs, as he sprints, dead-on into a group of his teammates. Lucreta is close behind, shards of ice lifted by telekinesis flying into the crowd. A dark, shadowy mass that turns into a dark replica of Helena herself sprints alongside Spencer as he tears off to attack.

The rest of the Plagued seem to take this as a command to continue. They launch back into action, ferocious and relentless as ever. The serpents, too, turn back to their targets.

Oordeel is being overwhelmed again. ”You bastard!” he cries, fighting his way through the plagued to get to Kaulu. ”I’ll kill you!”

Helena watches with wide, shocked eyes as her sickness overwhelms her brother once again. Kaulu gleefully stands at her side, proud of what he’s done.

”Get out of here!” Flit bellows to everyone, her voice bordering on frantic. ”RUN! Get everyone to safety! Run, now--!” A serpent knocks her down, cutting her command off.

But you can’t run. The Plagued have surrounded you, cutting off your exits.

You are trapped.

"Helena!" Kaulu wails, scraping at the ice that spreads across his pelt, pinning him down. Bellerose and Enzo stand over him as the water and ice spreads. "Is this what you want?! This is all there is for you! All of your work-- all of your years of suffering-- it will all be for nothing!"

Helena stands, staring at him with a blank expression. Then she turns to Oordeel, who struggles nearby, still trying to fight through the last of the Plagued. She holds his gaze as everything seems to pause, for just a moment.

”Helena,” Oordeel says, his voice pleading and dangerous at the same time. ”Please.”

To your horror...Helena shakes her head to him. ”He’s right,” she says softly. ”I can’t give this up now. I will create Paradise for us, Oordeel. You’ll see.”

”Helena!” Oordeel screams. But it’s too late.

The golden goddess turns back to Kaulu, who already has a wicked smile spread across his face. Helena raises her wings at the two, her pupils turning to thin slits. “You lot have gotten in my way for the last time.”

Bellerose and Enzo scream.

It takes less time than it did before. Bellerose and Enzo writhe for only a few heartbeats of agony before they collapse, seemingly calm. When they lift their gazes again, they are red as blood.

Kaulu picks himself up off the ground, shattering the ice surrounding him with ease. He grins widely to the golden cat and gives her a little wink. ”I knew you’d make the right choice,” he tells her. Then something in the battle catches his eye. ”Ooh! More problems are out there, I see.”

Kaulu lifts up into the air as if he has wings, floating above the battle in a flurry of purple and teal lights. Like liquid, the god lands on the right side of the clearing and snatches a cat off the ground by the throat, his claws squeezing around the dark cat’s shoulders.

”Bastard!” Souta snarls, kicking and scratching. He’d been helping Stjarnor escape her string prison, and the moment that Kaulu had snatched him up the ice that was freezing around her crumbled. Stjarnor’s leg is pulled back into the string with a snap. ”Put me down!”

”I know you!” Kaulu giggles, clearly unbothered by Souta’s struggling. ”You’ve been causing problems for everyone for a very long time, haven’t you, Souta?”

”No plans on stopping now,” Souta spits, and suddenly a spire of ice erupts from Souta’s paw. It is insanely fast, so fast that even Kaulu hadn’t been prepared for it. The razor sharp point of the ice slices across Kaulu’s cheek, and you can see...red blood well up. Even Kaulu flinches and yelps in surprise, but doesn’t drop the purple soul Legendary.

Kaulu looks...surprised. He touches a paw to his cheek to inspect the blood, but the cut heals almost immediately. Kaulu blinks once, then turns his wild, ever-changing eyes back on Souta. For what feels like the first time you can remember… Kaulu looks angry.

”Alright,” he snarls. ”I think that’s quite enough out of you.”

Kaulu drives his elongated canine claws into Souta’s abdomen.

Everything seems to move in slow motion. The Legendary’s blind eyes go wide and his jaws open in a silent scream. Ice explodes out in all directions from the gaping wound in his chest and stomach, splattering blood out in all directions. Nearby, a Legendary trapped in the strings thrashes. Chrysanth’s jaws are open in the same silent wail of agony and ice erupts from her chest and stomach as well, as if she, too, was struck.

Everything freezes over. Ice clings to your pelts, the ground, everything in the clearing almost instantaneously. Those of you who know Souta would know that meant he was reaching out, searching, looking for anything to grasp onto, anything that could change the course of his fate.

The moment ends, though. Chrysanth falls limp in her string prison again, shaking. The layer of frost covering you has already begun to melt.

Kaulu drops Souta’s body to the ground, where he falls in a circle of shattered ice.

You hope against hope that he will rise. He does not.

”What’s next!?” Kaulu demands wildly, spinning back on Helena, who is staring at him with that same cold, empty expression as before. ”Come on! We’re not done now.”

Helena’s wings flap, once, then she turns to Oordeel, her eyes stony. ”Stay back,” she tells him. Oordeel begins flailing furiously, but two serpents slither out of nowhere, slamming themselves down on his wings and touching their whiskers to his temples. His eyes roll back in his head. Helena seems satisfied that he is staying put, so she turns her attention back to the battle.

”Thank you all,” she says lowly, ”for your sacrifice to the Light.”

Shrike and Melchior’s heads explode in pain. Jehu is thrown back by the force of their migraine. Amias twists around in agony on the ground, and suddenly cats all around the clearing begin to scream. Zinnia, Hannelore, Fleet, Arcadia, Willow, Elijah, Monty. Each and every one of them collapses, then rises. Eyes red and empty.

The Plagued continue to swarm.

”Say goodbye to your world!” Kaulu bellows to the clearing gleefully. The sounds intensify, and his voice rattles in your skull. A headache begins to take root at the base of every fledgeling’s skull and for a brief second, you think your vision flashes red...

As the chaos ensues, panic begins to spread. But in the panic, the Plagued are beginning to scatter...leaving openings where before there were none.

Snowberry the great serpent slithers out of the madness to find Morrow. Covered in scratches and heaving to catch her breath, the creature says, ”Tell the unawakened to run. I will lead them off the mountain to safety. Please, friend, hold back the infected as long as possible. I will get as many lives out of here as I can.”

Without waiting for a response, she turns and slips off to the back of the clearing to create a path for escape.

More serpents emerge from the dark crevices of the mountain, crawling down the rock walls and pinning the Legendaries to the ground, cutting them off from anyone who would be able to save them.

It is time for the battle to end.