#redacted e'laetum

[kiwikiwii]

Empathy has limits.

Serenity has a cost.

[starlitangels]

So… the Sovereigns trapped in Death have been “starved” so severely (or just depleted I guess?) that they have basically all merged into one single entity over the last several thousand years, right?

And when E’Laetum and Min’Ara were speaking to Starlight, they basically told Starlight that Avior and them need to fetch “a Sovereign” to bolster the Meridian and say something about “[the Sovereigns’] Prima” and referred to the Prima as “he” and “him” (“give him a new [prison] instead” –Min’Ara)

I originally took that to mean, like, some sort of leader among the Sovereigns (because even if there aren’t many Sovereigns, they probably have some sort of leader because there’s always that one friend in the group who kinda takes charge when they have to right?) because the word “prima” is the root for “primary” meaning “first” or “fundamental” or “of chief importance”

But now I’m starting to wonder if E’Laetum and Min’Ara knew that the Sovereigns would slowly dwindle into one entity with many minds (because they feel it happening to themselves too)

And instead of “Prima” being a leader, they meant that Avior and Starlight need to find this one single entity that used to be all the individual Sovereigns

They seemed to imply they only needed a single Sovereign to bolster the Meridian (at least for now) but if there’s kind of only “one” left, essentially they’d be taking the Deathwalkers’ charge(s, no more) from Death to strengthen the Meridian

If that works and the Sovereigns get placed in the Meridian, a new prison… maybe the Deathwalkers can leave Death. “Come home”, as it were. Forever altered by millennia in Death, but their purpose fulfilled

[salswisteria]

‼️REDACTED AUDIOS SPOILER WARNING‼️

(most recent Avior, Carpe Deus, and The Balance audios)

Now that my "Brachium is Hush's brother" theory has unfortunately been debunked, and there's a high likely hood that the one who is actually Hush's brother is infact Avior....with the most recent audios having Avior describe what he's feeling as "being turned inside out." And Hush replying to Vega's comment of "Go back to wherever you came from" with "I don't think I can. And even if I could, that would probably get my brother very upset." Do y'all think Avior is gonna spit/puke out Hush or is Hush gonna he tear outta him eldritch horror gore style?

(For context, my current theory is that while Avior was getting fueled by E'Laetum and Min'Ara in the Meridian so that he wouldn't starve, they were actually putting in Hush's entire being into him in the process. Making sure that it stayed dormant until both Starlight and Avior made it back to Elegy. So basically E'Laetum and Min'Ara treated Avior as a vessel to get Hush to Elegy.)

[jellyfishxxi]

No, stop, I don't want to simp for god

[lucem-stellarum]

Stream of consciousness angsty theory time to make myself sad! Mostly about Regulus, so warnings for his canon level of mental & magical manipulation and disregard for autonomy. Under the cut for length.

So, in one of Regulus' audios (Yandere Invisible Man Catches You Again) he says that it wasn't his choice to leave. That 'they' tried to keep [him and his listener] apart. That 'they' took the listener's memories of Regulus.

There are almost certainly multiple demons working for the department. But we know Camelopardalis does memory modification. From a Doyleist perspective, why introduce a redundant character? From a Watsonian perspective, do you think taking those memories gave Cam flashbacks to Ivan and Vega's listener, Baby? But this time, there's no cute follow-up video where they get to see how well everything worked out.

And Vega's free now. He admitted that Ivan was his experiment. There are an awful lot of parallels between Ivan's treatment of Baby and Regulus' treatment of their listener. And there can't be that many places to imprison demon, not with how difficult it's implied to be; it's an easy jump to say that Vega and Regulus were held at the same facility while imprisoned. There's something going on there with that, but I can't quite work out what yet.

(plus, regulus is referred to as a 'fallen' empathy demon. what does it mean for a demon to fall, how does that even happen? Did Vega have something to do with it, or was it someone/something else since Regulus was 'fallen' before he was imprisoned? someone with more knowledge of classic Christianity is gonna have to draw the parallels with Lucifer falling from heaven. does the 'fallen' moniker have any relation to hush being called an abomination?)

Because of the similarities between Ivan and Regulus... how terrible would it be if history repeats itself and Caelum is the one to discover what Regulus is doing to his listener? The contrast between a 'fallen' and 'upright(?)' empathy demon is stark. It would be heartbreaking to see them together. With how manipulative Regulus is, he would do a number on Caelum. On one hand, I can see it being very validating for Caelum if he were able to singlehandedly save the listener, as a display of character growth from his... half baked idea to save Baby.

On the other hand... Caelum isn't quite a normal empathy demon himself. He's gotten a special allowance from the Chorus so that Freelancer (Deviant) can see him since normally empathy demons are invisible. I know that empathy demons are "the best of us... like children" per Gavin. But, paraphrasing Avior here, just because they feed on good feelings doesn't mean they are good people. They can't ALL be as nice and innocent as Caelum. Mix in Vega's idea that being trapped in the Meridian changed E'Laetum from what he used to be that after being tormented for millenia, he won't be on humanity's side anymore. E'Laetum fought in a war that made Vega want to forget how horrific it was. He wasn't some innocent uwu bean to begin with. Something, something, Caelum and Regulus are two sides of the same coin and what if E'laetum was the one to make Regulus 'fall' in the first place and that's what their maker thinks empathy demons are supposed to be?

[a-viors]

oh god i know what the Cataclysm is gonna be about

[venustragedy]

Reign over me.

[frenchiefitzhere]

And that's the story of why Frenchie usually writes things that are canon-compliant...

yeets my e'laetum and min'ara song into the bin /jk

I made up a different version of their story pre-lore drop so it's got nothing to do with anything but meh that was still a kickass new vid so much yummy lore 🙃Click the video below to hear some Disney-princess-sounding INCORRECT lore I made up months ago. WHOOPS! *snort*🤡

[kilarthmac]

Let's talk about Caelum.

I'm gonna preface this with saying that everyone is entitled to their opinions, and if once you're done reading this you decide you don't want to follow me or you want to block me, that's completely up to you. I'm not trying to change your opinion or attack anyone who has a different one than mine, I just wanted to put my two cents out there.

I also wanted to say that whatever your opinion on the matter is, it's yours and yours alone, and you should respect the opinions of other people even if they don't match up. I personally do not sexualize Caelum, but I do think he is an adult with childlike characteristics, and those two statements are not mutually exclusive. He can be an adult, but he also doesnt have to be put in adult situations.

It's okay to have strong feelings one way or the other about this topic, but it is not okay to harass people or go on a witch hunt for those with the opposite opinion to give them shit about what they think. If you disagree with someone and do not want to see their stuff on your timeline, just block them or scroll away. You alone are responsible for your own dash, you cannot make other people responsible for what you see on your timeline.

All that being said, I do not like how the fandom treats Caelum and Empathy Daemons in general.

My stance on the matter is that Empathy Daemons as a whole are adults, but because of how E'Laetum created them, they tend to have childlike characteristics. Those who say that Empathy Daemons are ALL children blatantly ignore the fact that Regulus is an Empathy Daemon as well, and that he has been shown to have adult tendancies (his BA, getting possessive over his charge, etc) while also maintaining his childlike characteristics (telling his charge a bedtime story to sleep, having a very one dimensional view of himself and his charge, etc). This is where I have a problem whenever I see people try to say that all Empathy Daemons are children. Regulus is clearly an adult. There is no "reading between the lines" about this.

Caelum is also an Empathy Daemon, but he is a very different character than Regulus. He is a lot more childlike compared to Regulus. He gets his words mixed up, he likes sweets, he likes hugs, etc. But in his most recent video (Your Bakadere Empathy Daemon Friend Visits You), even he says that he almost went down a path similar to Regulus' until Delphinus stepped in and assigned him to Freelancer, and that stopped him from falling (timestamps from 2:40 - 3:18, and 8:45 in that video). It may be uncomfortable for some people to think of Caelum as going down the same path that Regulus did, but this video clearly shows that he had the potential to. Caelum and Regulus are not as different as one may think.

Erik has also said himself that D(a)emons step out of the Elision Well as adults and they do not age. Of course they don't know everything so they still have to learn, but that's not the same as being a child. On top of the most recent Redacted 101 video, take this screenshot from Wonderworld (previously Redacted Records, when Erik was still in the server) from 2020, where Erik talks about how D(a)emons coalesce.

He even mentions how in earlier Caelum videos he didn't know what he wanted the d(a)emon life cycle to be yet, and that's why he had Caelum state that he was a "kid daemon" at one point.

Not to mention the fact that in the official timeline, it shows that Caelum coalesced in 1999, and is even older than Damien.

At the end of the day, Caelum is a fictional character. Whatever someone ends up deciding to make of him is their choice, this is a fandom after all. If it really bothers you to see what certain people make, block them and move on. DO NOT berate them for their headcanons or fanart or whatever else. People are allowed to have their own headcanons, make their own fics, and draw their own fanart. This is a fandom space, and people are allowed their creative liberties.

Anyways, that has been my two cents. Feel free to voice your opinions in the comments if u want to, but please please be respectful and don't attack anyone.

TLDR; I don't sexualize Caelum but I do think he and all Empathy Daemons are adults (ex: Regulus), everyone should respect everyone else's opinions and just block what they don't want to see on their timelines, and the fandom needs to chill out lol

[slushiepizza]

Trivia ab this account's name : I actually started listening to Redacted because of Gavin, and shortly after, I discovered Guy. The slushie is a reference to that bc I wouldn't have discovered Guy if it weren't for the Baking with your Incubus Boyfriend video. I still love Gavin's character to this day, I think his concept really resonates emotionally to me. But Guy just has me in a vice grip lmao. Just like how empathy daemons kept the A to honor E'Laetum and Min'Ara, the Slushie in slushiepizza is for Gavin 💀

[starlitangels]

Hold Him Together

@ryn-halo26 I brought you more Sovereigns! 1.0k words

—

“Push him back while I draw the human's consciousness through the hole in the weave. We have to complete this,” E’Laetum said. Min’Ara nodded. With a burst of magic, she shoved the StarChild backward. He went flying. “Too hard, Min’Ara. Too much!”

Min’Ara cursed.

“You can’t have them!” The StarChild’s voice reverberated as a great amount of his power built within him. Even as he flew backward.

A ripple cascaded across his body and out of his reaching hands—fingers straining toward the LandBorn. A lance of magic.

Too much magic.

All of the StarChild’s magic.

“E’Laetum—grab him!” Min’Ara exclaimed.

The magic struck the LandBorn. In E’Laetum’s haste to hold the StarChild together, he released his grip on the human. The StarChild’s magic plunged deep into the LandBorn’s physical form and tore through the fabric of the Meridian.

Min’Ara tried to grab them, but caught only the fibers of the Meridian and a few wisps of memory.

The LandBorn fell out.

Out of the Sovereigns’ grasp.

E’Laetum’s power cradled the StarChild’s form. “I caught him in time. Barely,” he said to Min’Ara. “He won’t enjoy this recovery.”

The StarChild had crashed through twisted, thorned trees when he’d fallen. E’Laetum couldn’t stop that much. Couldn’t physically catch the dreamlike projection of the StarChild’s consciousness in the burning, ringed illusion he wandered in. All E’Laetum could do was hold his physical and astral forms together in phased duality, keeping the StarChild—Avior—together.

Keeping him alive.

“Keep the edges of that tear open,” E’Laetum instructed softly. “He needs to see them.”

Min’Ara nodded. “As long as necessary,” she agreed.

“He will miss them. We will keep the two of them separate until he has to bring the Child of Land back within our folds for sheer loneliness.”

“We don’t do this lightly,” Min'Ara said reassuringly. “We need the Land Child. Different than he does. But we need them both. This is our only course.”

E'Laetum nodded agreement.

“His perception of time?” she asked.

“Slowed to a crawl. As slow as I can make it with what power is left of me.”

“We can only hope this works.”

“We must make it work,” E’Laetum corrected.

Min’Ara watched E’Laetum as he gently held the StarChild’s forms to keep him from falling apart and unraveling. Carefully, and maintaining her hold on the tear in the Meridian, she reached out and trailed some of her own energy into the StarChild Avior’s broken body. The Sovereigns couldn’t heal the projection of his consciousness either. He would have to do it on his own.

StarChildren were originally built to take in the energy of the Sovereigns as their sustenance. Avior’s form, that had never had a taste of true Sovereign energy before, consumed it like a parched human took to cool water after a lifetime of heat and dehydration. Like Avior’s form knew that Min’Ara’s energy was the purest form of nutrition it could get and he needed it like he’d never needed anything else before.

“Keep going,” E’Laetum encouraged softly. “He has enough energy to remain alive—but not enough to heal.”

Min’Ara simply nodded. "Keep him together while I fuel him."

"I am." There was silence while more of Min'Ara's energy siphoned into Avior. E'Laetum sighed. "Poor StarChild."

Min'Ara's emotions, brushing against E'Laetum's senses, softened. "Just a lonely star," she said. "Burning in the dark."

"Not for long. I hope."

"Much longer for him."

"Whatever it takes to make him bring the LandBorn back to us to pass the message. Both peoples need to know. Elegy is in trouble. We need more power to protect them," E'Laetum said. "You feel it, do you not? The separation between you and I weakening?"

"I do. With every incision. We chose to suffer to keep the sky away from the land. To keep the LandBorn safe and keep our StarChildren alive in the absence of the rest of our kin—but I too fear time is running out. For Elegy—and for us. Should this fail—"

"It will not fail, Min'Ara. It cannot. We cannot let it." E'Laetum looked down on Avior, cradled in his hands. "He's recovering. I can take over fueling him."

"Are you su—"

"He is no longer in danger of unraveling. You focus on holding the gap in the Meridian open."

Min'Ara agreed, letting the energy she was pouring into the StarChild taper off while E'Laetum started up.

Min'Ara sighed. "Do you feel that?"

"The magic building in the Darkness? Yes. Our kin are preparing a flood to sweep Elegy."

"Do you think it can be stopped?"

"Not before it's too late," E'Laetum said sadly. “Not this, anyway.”

“What about the flood after the tide? Is there hope for the LandBorn?”

“I wish I had the confidence to say for certain. Anyone who learns the truth and is willing to try to stop our kin from rising out of the Darkness will have to move quickly. But yes, there is always hope.”

Min’Ara’s demeanor shifted. Serenity returning to her. “Then that will be enough. As soon as the message is received by this StarChild and LandBorn, the hope will have to be enough.”

“I have faith in them as well,” E’Laetum agreed. “These two alone have proved that the love between the humans and our daemons can still exist.”

“We’ve both sensed growing resentments between the two.”

“We have. But this may change that.”

“I choose to have faith to believe that.”

“There’s little else we can do.”

Min’Ara looked down. “The StarChild is recovering. See him stirring?”

E’Laetum followed her gaze. In his hands, the StarChild’s stasised physical form twitched and wiggled slightly. The dreamlike projection of Avior’s consciousness in the illusion was healing his broken body. Putting himself back together.

“This will work,” E’Laetum said. His energy continued to fuel the StarChild. He glanced at the hole in the illusion where the LandBorn would appear nearly frozen in time. “This will not be easy on either child. But this will work.”

“The message must be received,” Min’Ara agreed.

[vind3miat0r]

A Deal With Fallen Gods Spoilers

this time comprised in my notes app

ea got dropped at like,, 11 PM last night, and the video JUST got released, and ive only just now processed what the fuck was said. here are my incoherent thoughts :3

first of all, I CANT HEAR WITHOUT MY SUBTITLES 😭😭😭 ERIK PLEASE WHAT IS D'DERIDAHN SAYING WHAT IS BRO YAPPING ABOUT ‼️‼️🗣️🗣️🔥🔥

now talking abt D'Deridahn and Blake; i know that D'Deridahn said that he's gonna use Blake's body as a vessel, and im sure everyone's immediately jumping to the conclusion that: Blake + D'Deridahn = Hush. BUT, we have to keep in mind that Mr Redacted has a penchant for pulling "haha gotcha!" every other lore drop. so.

plus, Hush already said that hes the silence in the spellsong. he already explained to Doc what he is. now, granted, maybe Blake/D'Deridahn's memories get fucked up when they get back to Elegy, but its highly unlikely that Hush is the product of Blake and D'Deridahn.

ive seen some people theorizing that Blake + D'Deridahn = Hush's brother? i like this theory, as in some places it makes sense, especially if youre coming from the "E'Laetum and Min'Ara made Hush" theory. two Sovereigns' creations conflicting bc their respective Sovereigns have different goals? plausible, if we're also coming from the "Hush wants to drag the Sovereigns back into Aria/The Meridian", since he did say he was going to free the Sovereigns, but he never got too specific about what happens afterwards. its a bit of a reach, but again, plausible

immediate questions are: what the hell is D'Deridahn planning to do once he gets to Elegy? im assuming that he wants to find a way to free the other Sovereigns, obviously excluding putting them in the Meridian or back in Aria. im sure that some sort of hint was dropped, but i just had a nap so good that i felt like i died when i woke up, so im running on sleepy brain.

what i find interesting, though, is that D'Deridahn is Vega's Sovereign, the one he's bound to. Vega says so in "Learning a Sadism Demon's Past", im pretty sure. if we're coming from the "Blake + D'Deridahn = Hush" theory, then perhaps that would explain why Hush felt like he knew Vega: because he (D'Deridahn) had created Vega all those years ago.

so, what did we learn from this sleepy ramble?

Blake being Hush seems a bit more likely, but we have to take it with a grain of salt, since Erik loves pulling the rug out from under our feet

until then, i have no further commentary :)

[everlastingspiral]

As someone who was excited for the Avior’s season one finale, I agree the end was very underwhelming.

I was also excited for it but alas my hopes are let down once again. I didn't hate it in its entirety but there were some extremely poor writing decisions, as is the usual for him, as well as missed opportunities and the disadvantage of his delayed timing.

Starlight carrying out this plan seems somewhat convenient but it's not a major concern of mine.

E'laetum and Min'ara have the ability to manipulate the space itself, heal Avior, remove and return Starlight's memories, and invert the rift but cannot seem to relay a simple message or influence one or both of them to communicate with them sooner.

They also are unable to communicate or influence despite Avior and Starlight having touched the Meridian several times before. If Redacted intends for them to be unlikeable then these problems can be explained better, but if they're intended to be seen as righteous then they are probably the most idiotic characters thus far.

The flashback sequence was alright but it would have been stronger if Starlight also saw the events leading up to their initial memory loss. (It would also make the following events more believable being overwhelmed by the intial loss of Avior and the relief of seeing him there with them back on Elegy.)

All of the conflict and tension from Avior hiding the memory loss from Starlight is completely hand-waved away with the return to Elegy. I understand Starlight being overcome with those emotions they held for Avior but that doesn't erase the things he did.

The reveal that this happened right before the Inversion isn't as intense as Redacted seems to think. The Inversion was too long ago that the impact hardly holds weight. When you consider that E'laetum and Min'ara seemed very urgent for Starlight to warn people, then realize it has been over a year since they've done so, the urgency ends up lost to time. I'm aware Project Meridian likely takes place soon after their return, but the characters in that storyline aren't portrayed with a sense of urgency either, even if you include the egregious retcons.

To place their reemergence right before the Inversion does flow with the timeline well enough but, given the lack of conflict or incentive to continue into season 2, this can only be considered a mid-season finale at best.

Most importantly: nothing happened. Any conflict that's arisen during Avior's plotline disappeared, there was an explicit focus on Avior and Starlight's romance rather than the plot, and the only form of tension was from an event that took place at the beginning of 2022. Redacted certainly subverted expectations but not in a way he should be proud of.

Had this occurred sooner, it may have sunk in further since we know how bad the Inversion supposedly was, but the delayed timing isn't the only thing that made this season finale a letdown.

[frenchiefitzhere]

I don't know what it is about crossing off the list of obscure-ass characters on this channel, but it's a thing for me lately. Dude, if you were mentioned once and have never been voiced, you are on my musical hit list right now and I am coming for you.

[starlitangels]

Falling Stars

@ryn-halo26​ You asked if I was ever gonna write fics for the Sovereigns and I had this idea in the shower the other day (before the Avior videos dropped) so... here you go! I cried a lot writing it. 1.5k words

Posting this early so when the next Avior video drops and I’m proved wrong about something I can at least say I didn’t know yet lol

—

“Min’Ara! E’Laetum!” a voice cried. The two Sovereigns whirled. A mass of light and energy whizzed over the heads of the humans and daemons on the ground, pulling to a sharp stop before the enormous physical forms of the Sovereigns.

“Rak’Xit. What are you doing here?” E’Laetum asked, more curious than hostile. Min’Ara was already preparing some sort of magic if this turned violent.

Rak’Xit hovered, his energy spinning fast. “I made a mistake,” he said.

“You’ll have to be more specific,” Min’Ara said sharply. For the Sovereign of Serenity, aggression lurked between her stars—protective of her beloved starchildren, and the land-born they fought with, to the very end.

Rak’Xit turned his attention to her. “I found the path to the land from the sky,” he said. “I led our kind here. This war is my fault. I want things to end.”

“And how do you plan on doing that?” Min’Ara challenged. “Even switching sides—three Sovereigns aren’t enough compared to the might of the rest of our kin.”

“Dear, loving Min’Ara,” Rak’Xit said softly. “Large amounts of power mean nothing. If this conflict has taught me anything, it’s that the smallest of forces are the ones that tip the scale.” He looked across the human and daemon forces.

“What... do you mean?” E’Laetum asked.

“Three Sovereigns may not be enough—but hundreds or thousands more land-borns with magic will be.”

“What?”

Realization dawned on Min’Ara’s face. “How are you going to do that?” she asked. “None of us are strong enough to give that many land-borns magic and survive.”

“I don’t plan on surviving.”

“Rak’Xit, wait. There must be another way—” E’Laetum tried.

“There is no other way. My mind is made up. Thank you, both. For helping me realize my part in this. And what I can do to try to make things right.”

“Rak’Xit...” Min’Ara whispered.

“It’s alright, you two. I know what this means. I accept it. Love your starchildren and the land-born to the end, understand?”

“Of course,” E’Laetum and Min’Ara said at the same time.

The buildup of Rak’Xit’s magical energy took less than a moment. In an explosion of light, his formless being shattered into countless shards, shooting away from the assembled daemon and magical-human forces, toward the nearest non-magic humans like falling stars.

Min’Ara and E’Laetum watched the lights disappear past the horizon.

“Brachium!” Min’Ara called.

In a moment, the daemon slid to a stop at the feet of the two Sovereigns. “Lady Min’Ara,” he greeted with a duck of his head. “How may I assist?”

Min’Ara knelt to look the daemon more directly in the eye, considering how much larger Sovereigns were from their starchildren and the land-born. “I need you to take as many of your brothers and sisters as you can to the surrounding areas. Countless land-born are about to emerge with gifts. They can turn the tide of the conflict, but we need them here, and we need them to understand their gifts. I trust no one more than you to show them. Please, dear Brachium.”

Gentle teal eyes widened at her. “Of course, Lady Min’Ara. Right away,” Brachium said. He bent slightly at the waist before turning and disappearing into the assembled forces.

Min’Ara straightened, standing, throwing some of her teal hair away from her face. “We can only hope this works,” she said softly to E’Laetum. “That his sacrifice wasn’t in vain.”

“We’ll make sure it wasn’t,” E’Laetum promised. “We’ll free the land-born from our brothers and sisters, and make sure all starchildren are safe too.”

Min’Ara nodded. “Of course.”

—

“Traitors!” a familiar voice snarled. E’Laetum and Min’Ara both turned to attack at the same moment. A’Xerahn took both strikes and barely flinched. “You would betray your own kind? For your starchildren?”

“For being a being of Desire, you have nothing in your heart,” E’Laetum snapped. A bolt of pink light streaked from his palm that A’Xerahn barely dodged.

Min’Ara grabbed at A’Xerahn, restraining him. “Please. Surrender now, and it won’t have to end the way it’s going to,” she said, her soft tone cutting perfectly over the bedlam.

“To the starchildren and the land-born? Ha!” A’Xerahn spat. “I do not bow to slaves.”

A low roar of raging magic thrummed between E’Laetum’s stars. “They’re not—”

“E’Laetum. He can’t understand that,” Min’Ara bit out, struggling to hold A’Xerahn in place. “He has no love for anyone or anything!”

The Sovereign of Desire laughed derisively. “The two of you were always pathetic,” he spat. “Starchildren are disposable servants—and land-born are even weaker.”

“You’re wrong,” E’Laetum said quietly. “They are children to be shepherded. Cared for. Loved, and capable of love.” He met Min’Ara’s eyes over A’Xerahn’s shoulder. “It’s time.”

Min’Ara nodded. “Brachium! Now!” she shouted. Her voice rang across the entire battlefield.

In the distance, magic started building. 

“Wh—what...?” A’Xerahn breathed. “What is that?”

E’Laetum and Min’Ara locked eyes. “Reinforcements.”

Brachium and his team led the new magic land-born—the waves and waves of unspecialized empowereds—to the fight.

“Where did they come from?”

“You underestimated the empathy of the Inchoate,” Min’Ara growled in A’Xerahn’s ear.

—

“Lady Min’Ara?” a familiar voice chimed. 

She turned and knelt. “Yes, my dear Brachium?”

He met her eyes. “This isn’t over. The rest of the Sovereigns were defeated, yes. But they cannot be left in the darkness without being watched.” He looked back at his team. “We will go into the darkness after them. We will be their wardens. Keep them imprisoned. Until they starve, then we do. And we all cease to exist.”

A tear of starlight dropped from Min’Ara’s eye. “Brachium...”

“It must be done. You and E’Laetum must stay here, with the rest of the starchildren. Me and mine will Walk in Death, and hold the rest of the Skygods at bay. To prevent more war.”

“You don’t know what you’re sacrificing.”

“We do. Our lives will be worth it, to save all the rest. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.”

“But not the worth, my starchild.”

“Lady Min’Ara. This is a sacrifice we make willingly. And we trust it will not be in vain. You have been a kind, loving steward of your starchildren, and we are grateful. Please, allow us to make this decision for you and the rest of the starchildren and land-born. We want to keep them safe.”

Min’Ara shed a few more tears. “Of course, Brachium. If it is what you choose. I will be honored by your choice. My love goes with all of you.”

Brachium nodded. “Thank you, my lady.”

Min’Ara smiled sadly at her starchildren leaving for the darkness with Brachium before tearing open a path between the land and the darkness.

Each starchild stepping through gave her a nod and a bow before they left, with Brachium leaving last of all. “Lead them well, Brachium,” she said.

“Of course.” He stepped through.

E’Laetum wrapped an arm around Min’Ara as she sank to the ground, starlight falling from her eyes. “They made their choice,” he said.

“They gave their lives,” she replied.

“Yes. And it will not be in vain. We will honor their sacrifice,” he promised.

—

“Lord E’Laetum! Lady Min’Ara!” a voice shouted as a starchild skidded to a stop before them on the ground, throwing curly pink hair away from his face.

“Cetus. What is it, my child?” E’Laetum asked, kneeling.

“The barrier between Aria and the land—it’s crumbling. We fear it does not have long. It will consume the land-born! What do we do?”

E’Laetum stood and met Min’Ara’s gaze. “We have to bolster it.”

“H... how?” Cetus asked, looking scared.

E’Laetum reached up and looped a finger around a strand of Min’Ara’s hair. “We’ll weave a reinforcement.” He gave Min’Ara a significant look. “We’ll have to give it everything we have left,” he whispered to her. “It’s the only way to keep them all safe.”

“Do you believe they’ll be alright without us?” Min’Ara whispered back. She looked out over the land. Slowly being rebuilt after the conflict. The starchildren helping the land-born piece their world back together.

“They’ve come to love one another. United by what hurt them. They’ll be alright,” E’Laetum said.

“I believe so too. I just needed to hear you say it. We will keep them safe.”

E’Laetum smiled sadly at her. “For our starchildren, and the land-born they love.” He knelt again. “Cetus, step back, please.”

The Empathy Daemon backpedalled several steps.

E’Laetum stood and plucked the hair off Min’Ara’s head that he’d looped his finger around. She didn’t even wince as it broke away. E’Laetum pinched one end himself, and handed the other to her. She took it. They both looked out on all they loved one last time before tearing open a rift to Aria, knowing they would never reach home again.

“For our starchildren,” Min’Ara whispered. “And the land-born who love them.”

E’Laetum nodded.

They began pouring their power into the strand of hair between them before even stepping into the rift.

For Brachium’s sacrifice, Min’Ara added silently.

It shut behind them, and closed before it reached Aria.

The Meridian slowly wove into place as the last two free Sovereigns gave themselves to it.

[starlitangels]

"Child... of Land... you... are needed..."

Yes that's an Imperium quote but it's what I thought worked best for this piece

A little visual representation of how I think it'll look when Starlight merges with the Meridian

I did not freehand the Sovereign hands. Those are traces from vector images. However Starlight's and Avior's entire bodies were all 100% me!

Shoutout to @zozo-01 for basically yelling encouragement at me when I was feeling burned out on this one

Also, I wasn't going to put Avior's horns on because I never draw Avior with horns because I figure his are never visible because Starlight mistook him for a Dreamwalker which means he's probably visually human for the most part but I thought exposure to the Meridian would let them be out