The Source's Command
Ardyn, now standing in the center of the crater, looked to the grey sky of Noir and then to the stalagmite that seemed to center the entire realm. The obsidian creature continued to struggle with the soul sea that Ardyn had so recently thought was so precious and vital.
Ardyn cocked her head to the side, and a strip of cloth from her battle robes extended out as if of its own accord and wrapped around the obsidian creature. The streaks of lilac calmed and faded to grey, as if digested and integrated. Noir calmed and stopped its convulsive stuttering, and the stalagmite trembled as it grew taller and wider—restabilizing the realm. The stalagmite rippled with hues of purple several times, then settled back to black and grey tones. The anti-magic of Noir rolled through the realm like ripples across a quiet lake disturbed by a small pebble.
Ardyn's battle robes released the obsidian creature, and Ardyn observed her for a long moment. The creature was different at her core, but she was still the same: powerful anti-magic and darkness. In the end, it was her harmony that had changed.
She bowed to Ardyn as she spoke. "Empress. You have come. It is as Sidus Serpens foretold. We were never forgotten, but as we grew we shifted, and we had to wait until one could fill the gap and bring us back into alignment."
Ardyn smiled, and her rainbow soul gem automatically pulsed, translating her words for the obsidian creature. "You have learned much. You will now be Arian-Song—The Keeper of Noir and The Tamer of Sidus Serpens' anti-magic. You now rest in my soul hibiscus along with the other cornerstones of Sidus Serpens. You, Bratinus, Serenia, and Planar will inhabit one petal. You are connected through me, and you strengthen Sidus Serpens together. If you ever need me, just reach to me and I will be by your side. You will never be severed or forgotten again."
As Ardyn spoke, her battle robes had again moved as if of their own accord, cloaking Atina from the conversation between higher beings. Her robes had become one with her, a second skin that was now part of her autonomic systems and responded to her environment as needed.
"I will complete the Life Way and make sure Noir is stable. Then I will take my leave. Do you need more of me?"
Arian-Song slowly shook her head and bowed again. "No, my Empress. I will stand guard with your companion and await your completion—and understand my own changes."
The stalagmite fluctuated as Arian-Song moved to stand next to Atina. She nodded to the shadow viper, sat beside her, and began meditating.
Without any thought, the Talisman—combining the Life Call and Black Life Light—rose from her chest, and the Life Slip and Life Turn moved from her chest to rise before her. They moved in a counter-clockwise fashion in large looping runes; the air before her warmed and, simultaneously, her new soul hibiscus began to bloom.
The four parts of the Life Way began to move faster and faster as the hibiscus slowly opened. Once the hibiscus had fully bloomed, the Life Way components were moving so fast they could not be tracked by the normal eye. They combined and entered into Ardyn's forehead. They circulated through her body seven times, then they chose four positions on Ardyn's hibiscus.
Then, the talisman itself reappeared on Ardyn's chest. Its metal was now a soft lilac, and it held four runes cast in a brilliant silver. It glowed upon her chest and her new hibiscus began to spin. The Life Way spoke to her DNA. She grew taller and even more ethereal. Her battle robes changed with her, their color pulsing like a beacon of magic. The ends of the robes became barbed, sharp, and deadly. The cloth itself was no longer just of magic; it was swirling swaths of magic, anti-magic, and ethereal intent and light. The new battle robes had a life of their own, and they radiated and pulsed with power upon her body.
Ardyn's hair changed just as the rest of her did. The pale blond was fuller, wavy, and the violet became a purple ombré, with the lighter tones at her scalp and the darker tones at the tips. Her hair moved as if sentient, crossing over her face as if wanting to understand her features.
Then Ardyn's magic bloomed. It bloomed just as the Life Way fully woke. Her body rose into the grey skies of Noir. The anti-magic parted before her. Her vine battle staff appeared next to her and bloomed with hibiscuses of varying hues of purple. The hibiscuses began absorbing the anti-magic, and the vine battle staff became a conduit, slowly feeding anti-magic into Ardyn.
Ardyn's magic bloomed forth, and the Life Way sat at the core of it. An eternal magic of knowledge, peace, and chaos—orbs moved forth as her magic manifested, and every atom of her being changed and became immortal.
Ardyn Stronghood was no more, and Empress Ardyn of Sidus Serpens was born.