View of the ground closed in fast.

Waverly feared her bones would be smashed to crumbs when she connected with the hard earth. Nonetheless, she fell in the roughest tumble and collided into something extremely hard. A sharp groaned escaped her as her back exploded with aching pain but the feeling swiftly reduced until it was too dull to notice.

She lifted her head and glanced around. Just as she had guessed, the forest was swarming with gods. As a result of the unexpected explosion, a gaping crater the same size as the one she had buried Gruggun in stretched behind her, creating a wide barrier between herself and the gods but Waverly knew that something as trifle as a hole would not hinder them were they to attack.

It was quite overwhelming to see so many Nysan deities at once since she had never really met any other than Deusa though the goddess herself was considered neutral.

She scrambled to get away from the edge of the hole and the boulder she had bumped into because more earth began to break around the fissure, causing it to yawn even wider.

A hand suddenly closed around her arm from behind but before she could react, she was violently thrown back.

"Go and complete my will." Oculmus barked. His voice was raspy and angry. "I will deal with this one myself."

Waverly rose to her feet and reached for Calaire but tiny pieces of twigs suddenly lifted off the ground, entwined around the wristband and yanked it from her wrist. She watched in shock as the wristband sailed over the trees a hundred leagues to nowhere.

Her gaze darted forward to Judson who was slowly approaching. As he walked, the forest responded to his presence by ruffling and leaning inward but the vegetation only blackened and withered as they neared him.

"Crafted weapons will do you no good." He snarled.

Waverly watched his face as he came closer. It was a difficult task for her to wear out the feeling that her best friend, albeit controlled and manipulated by a great force of evil, dwelled in there somewhere. The evil snarl on Judson face, she feared, would haunt her dreams for the rest of her days.

She balled her fist, breathing through her mouth, and riled up every bit of godly strength she could muster.

"Jud! This is going to hurt." She muttered inaudibly.

She rushed toward him with a defiant scream and her fist connected with his face. She felt energy ripple outward and clearly heard the bones in his jaw crack.

Judson's flesh broke open but there was no sign of pain on his face. He spat out blood and glared at her indifferently. The gruesome injury sealed up in the blink of an eye.

"Weakling." He cursed.

Waverly tried not to whimper as darkness suddenly began to surround them both. It was so black and dense that she blinked several times to make sure her eyes were still open.

She threw a quick, desperate glance at the sky but it was shielded by black clouds and the moon was gone. Her heart raced unevenly.

Calm down. It is all but a ruse. She consoled herself.

Just then, she was grabbed by the throat and felt her body slam into something hard again. A tree trunk, by the feel of it.

Judson's small hand closed around her neck and he squeezed so hard that despite Waverly's constant struggle, she was unable to pry off a single finger. The constriction in her throat released tendrils of fiery pain up and down her chest. The lack of air was even more painful than the grip itself. Waverly gasped and wheezed in an attempt to breathe.

He suddenly appeared in front of her. His pale face was strewn with dark veins and the way his serpentlike eyes blinked, like an undulating skin, made Waverly's knees knock together. He was more hideous than any creature he could cook up in The Abyss.

Judson suddenly flew up and Waverly was roughly dragged up the tree, her back sorely harassed in the process by briar and bramble. The darkness around them melted. He began to bash her against everything he could find, breaking away pieces of her armor vest until she was too dizzy to open her eyes and her body buzzed with aches and anguish. Blood dribbled from the injuries on her back and stained the white in her armor.

When Judson finally let go, Waverly plopped to the ground like a piece of wet washcloth. Her head throbbed to insanity and her skin ruptured with heat. Her breathing was ragged and her limbs felt as if they had detached from their positions.

She tried to stand and caught glimpse of Judson moving unusually fast toward her. The next moment, a powerful kick to the midsection made Waverly flip over midair and crash to the ground. Air was snatched from her lungs and before she could try to breathe, the kick came again and again, threatening to split her insides open.

"You have thwarted me before. You will not do it a second time." Oculmus roared through Judson. His form flickered as if he were struggling to break forth from Judson's body.

"You are nothing. Nothing."

Waverly's body lifted off the ground steered by Oculmus's power and spiraled like a whirlwind then connected with Judson's wing. Her armor reverberated from the impact and images blurred into a thousand tiny squares before her eyes.

During the few moments she was allowed to lie on the ground, seething and quivering, she realized that Oculmus albeit powerful was sorely limited by Judson's puny body and the combat skills he possessed which were awfully non-existent.

She suddenly took that as consolation.

Just then, Judson landed a few walks away. He soared and his feet reared in an attempt to deliver another gut wrenching kick but she feebly grabbed it and with incredible force, brought her elbow down on it. He groaned and fell back.

"I have been holding back only because i do not want to hurt my friend." Waverly spoke in spite of a bloody mouth. "Not anymore. I can always fix him later."

She grabbed Judson by his collar and spun him then kneed him hard. He fell a few distances away, rolled over and stood up straight then shook the sand out of his wings as if nothing had happened.

"It is the boy who feels all of the pain you inflict whereas i feel nothing." Oculmus boasted.

Waverly exhaled softly. Her fist would do no good against Oculmus even if she used them unendingly for a lifetime.

No more kicks and blows. No more swords and bows.

"No more kicks and blows." She repeated aloud then added in a mutter. "I bet you will feel this one."

She let out a puff of heavy breath and began to run toward Judson. As she did, her senses opened up and expanded as well as her memory. It only happened within a split second but that was all the time she needed to remember; she remembered how she freed her mother two years back and expelled Oculmus from her own body in the process. It was quite trifle and had been staring at her in the face for a long time.

Anyone smart enough could have put two and two together to guess Oculmus's one weakness but alas, Waverly's mind had been in a frenzy for far too long to piece the puzzles. She recalled how insanely hot The Abyss had been, how the dark army had lit up great big fires in their camps and how they could not attack the Plateaus during winter. She recalled how Judson had worn warm clothes on the night Oculmus revealed her identity to the King.

She lunged for Judson and her arms closed around his small frame.

They rolled over in a scuffle until she had him under her with his hands pinioned on either sides of his head.

What followed next was forever imprinted in the soils of the earth and in the minds of those who heard the story after. Layers of the sky parted above and a vortex of pure white wind descended, shrouding Waverly in the frostiest cold.

It was not the kind of cold that came with the break of morning, or the chilly breeze of winter season. It was a different kind of cold - an interstellar cold. One that existed only amongst the stars in the sacred abode of Alluna, Selene's more ancient, more powerful self.

Waverly harnessed the crushing cold and channelled it to Judson. Frost began to creep speedily across his body, making crackling sounds like fissures on ice. He writhed and thrashed but she held on tight.

"No!" Oculmus wailed angrily. His voice had deepened like a low, thunderous boom.

Judson's face began to turn to solid ice as the frost thickened in layers on his skin. "You cannot. . ."

The whole of his body suddenly congealed and became immobile. The vortex abruptly seized and a crippling wave of energy spread across the entire land which sent Waverly flying off of Judson and into a thick bush.

Waverly had no idea how long she laid there but when she opened her eyes again, the sky was graced with plentiful, countless stars and a bright, beautiful full moon. She blinked sand out of her eyes and sat up then brushed off the massive dirt that had collected on top of her body.

"Worthless filth." A voice snapped.

Waverly looked up and gave a low shriek.

Oculmus was standing crookedly a few ways away from where Judson's body was beginning to reform from absolute nothing.

The godhead, on the other hand, was back to his old form - the same one he had appeared in when she first met him in The Abyss. He staggered as he walked and his skin had sustained many cracks from the explosion. A part of his arm came off but he seemed oblivious to it. His whole body had been disfigured to unchangeable ugliness.

"You're. . . " Waverly stuttered, edging backwards. "You're supposed to be. . ."

"Gone? Defeated?" He snickered. "Stupid child. You really think you alone can end me? I am an Elemental godhead. And it will take a lot more than one little god's blood to vanquish me."

Waverly's attention shifted from Oculmus to Judson who still laid unmoving and then to the sudden reappearance of Pech and Andes. More deities immediately joined them but Waverly could not recognize those ones as they were mostly minor gods. They all sported the same malicious, evil expression and it made them look like a predatory multitude of angry siblings.

"You have not won this battle just yet, suckling." Oculmus barked.

"Not yet." A new voice added.

Waverly turned sharply and found a young lady behind her. The first thing she noticed were the girl's glad eyes. The strange beauty came forward and placed a hand on Waverly's shoulder. Her golden armor was fashioned as if it was sewn together even with her trousers. It looked beautiful and radiated so much power that Waverly felt the rising humor in her throat dry up in an instant.

"Hanithelia." Oculmus greeted in an unsurprised tone. "Come to play after all this time?"

Hanithelia smiled cheerfully and unleashed a bolt shaped weapon. "Of course, old rat."

Just then, another woman materialized out of thin air. Like Hanithelia, her armor was sewn together like a one-piece but it had an elaborate vest and sleeves and a flailing red cape. The woman was short and had stark white horns protruding from either sides of her brown hair. A moon shaped bow was in her hand and the snarl on her face made Desi's look like a silly grin.

Waverly recognized her immediately.

"Helme." She gasped.

Oculmus did not look happy about Helme's appearance either and neither did the Nysan gods. Each one took up a fighting stance.

"Six against three." Oculmus noted. "I can work with those numbers."

Just then, more gods began to materialize everywhere. A tall woman whose blade was curved slightly and the hilt fashioned like a writing quill strolled right out of thin air behind Helme. Her face was hidden by a helmet of dark blue with a white plume.

The instinctive voice in Waverly's head revealed the goddess's identity immediately.

Graffia - the goddess of calligraphy.

Another deity appeared. She was in dark armor and wielded a long sword of iron instead of metal. Her helmet exposed only her eyes and flowing threadlike hair.

Jasmella - the goddess of curiosity.

A man rose noiselessly out of the ground and twirled a blade that Waverly seemed to recognize at once. The god's face was solemn and kind and he wore a leaflet in his beautiful dark hair.

Varda - the god of farming.

Waverly felt instantly overwhelmed as Entonians poured out of every corner with each passing second. A lithe, glossy skinned man in simple armor and no weapon appeared right next to Pech. The goddess shifted in disgust and snarled to Waverly's hearing.

"Jordan."

Jordan did not spare a grin but there was humor in his eyes. "Hello, Pech."

Waverly knew he was the god of lakes. A deity in a similar armor to Helme's appeared right next to her but he was adorned in flashing gold. His face was distractingly beautiful but his pitch dark eyes suggested all kinds of danger.

"Hero." Waverly muttered breathlessly.

Another goddess - the only one without armor - appeared in a burst of light. Her white dress had protective gear on her shoulders. She squeezed her fists and Waverly heard her knuckles crack as loudly as bells but also in a painfully slow manner.

Ganifah - the goddess of time.

Three more armored deities appeared; Alexandra, the goddess of immigration, Arden, the god of crafts and Edsel, the god of crossroads. Edsel's face was shielded by a helmet too but Waverly knew it was him.

Right next to these gods, someone utterly familiar descended from the sky in a beam of silvery light. The goddess was in full bronze battle armor and her eyes were completely hidden by a blinding silver glow.

When she glanced in Waverly's direction, the latter felt her knees instantly turn to jelly.

"Take the boy and get out of here." Selene ordered.

She sounded nothing like the woman Waverly had met many times before; her tone was eerie and slightly malicious, almost like a feminine version of Oculmus's. Waverly had a nagging belief that the woman present was not Selene but Alluna.

"We will finish this, Waverly." Hanithelia offered. A pretty smile was plastered on her rosy red lips. "Thank you."

Waverly nodded in agreement and began to inch her way in a circle to get closer to Judson. He was still unconscious and laid half hidden under a tree that had snapped and bent over. A tall man Waverly recognized as Thern stood near the fallen tree, also in armor. Around him, it seemed like the sun had risen. He moved out of the way when he noticed Waverly approaching. She felt stung that his expression carried no sense of familiarity but then he had not gotten the chance to actually see her face during their last meeting.

She laid flat on her stomach and peeked at Judson. His eyes slowly flew open and his head gently jerked back in surprise when he noticed her. Waverly smiled sweetly at him and reached in to grab his hand then pulled. He slid out from under the tree and came up standing.

Ignorant of the ongoing battle between the gods, Waverly broke into tears and threw her arms around his neck in a tight hug, subconsciously noticing how she had grown an inch taller than him.

When they finally pulled apart, Judson smiled for the first time.

"Hello." He said simply. His gaze roamed across her armor and Waverly read the unspoken compliment in his eyes.

"Hello." She replied with a half laugh amidst tears.

Her attention snapped back to the terrifying combat between deities of light and darkness. It was a bit surprising to see that of the major deities who were members of the Council of Entonian Gods only Selene, Thern and Edsel had come to face Oculmus. It made her wonder where the others were. She ignored the fight and grabbed Judson by his arm.

"We have to leave here. Now!"

Judson followed her and they sprinted through the forest. Waverly whistled for Chestnut, suddenly remembering with an intense feeling of guilt that he had crashed like she had and done was probably injured but miraculously the wolf came sailing down from the sky. Judson halted in panic, his gaze fixed on the magnificent animal.

"Wow. What is that?" He asked.

"It's okay." Waverly consoled, going nearer to Chestnut. She inspected him for injuries but he looked unhurt. It made her grateful that he had been far away from the disturbance.

"He is mine."

"W-Wherever did you get such. . . such a. . . urr. .?" Judson swallowed nervously, keeping his distance from Chestnut who was growling terribly at him.

"We have to go. Come on." Waverly urged whilst climbing atop Chestnut. Judson came forward but the wolf suddenly swiped him away.

"No." Waverly screamed and slid off his back.

"Chestnut!" She admonished. "Why did you?"

She raced over to pick Judson up and noticed the giant scratch on his left wing. She knew that no matter what she did, Chestnut would not let Judson ride on him. The wolf apparently thought Oculmus still lived in him. Each time she tried to bring Judson close to Chestnut, the wolf would protest by stomping aggressively, turning his face away or swiping his gigantic forefoot in defense.

At last Waverly gave up. She turned to Judson, her hair whipping in the growing wind.

"Can you fly?"

Judson frowned and looked unconvincingly at his bleeding wing. "I do not know."

Waverly walked up to him and gently placed her hand on the scratch. Judson flinched as the wound began to seal. When it closed up totally, he looked so awestruck that he turned a noticeable shade of pink.

"How did you do that?"

"I will answer all of your questions later. Now come on."

As Chestnut took off, Waverly noticed that the air had suddenly turned foul and choky.

What Waverly thought was an array of birds began to race across the sky but upon closer inspection, she realized that the flying things were not birds but huge sacks that looked to have been pricked open, exuding colorful vapor as they sailed noiselessly. They also seemed to have been shot out of cannons because they flew in a beeline.

Waverly turned to Judson who furtively tailed Chestnut. "Do you know what these are?"

Judson gazed at the flying sack for a while then his face went slack. Unexpectedly, he stopped flapping his wings and dropped.

"Jud!" Waverly screamed and steered Chestnut into a nose dive. Thankfully, Judson fluttered before he could hit the ground and fell slowly to his knees.

Waverly rushed to him and grabbed him by the shoulders. He looked to be in pain but it was a sort of pain she recognized - it was internal and not physical.

"Jud? What is it? Are you alright?"

"Calico bombs." He replied.

His face went taut but his eyes held deep sorrow. "Gotten from the sap of rare poison ash trees. It is meant to kill any nature spirit it touches and weaken any who breathe it in."

Waverly felt all the blood drain from of her face. She glanced desperately at him.

"Do you know how we can stop them?"

He shook his head and sadly lowered his gaze then stood up with a lot of effort. The skin on his face slowly began to take on a dark shade of red.

"There is no way to stop it."

"There has to be a way." Waverly disagreed, looking up as more calico bombs raced across the sky leaving crimson vapors behind.

"There is none." Judson countered calmly. He looked Waverly in her eyes, his own clouded by immense guilt. "I made them myself."

Waverly looked around, confused on what to do. She was only a few leagues away from the main bridge in Nael and would not have realized as a result of the overpowering quietness from the deserted city.

"We. . . We have to get. . . help, get help. Blauren and Loni. . . everyone." Waverly grabbed at her hair, disoriented and panic. Her breathing became labored.

Her eyes widened as realization dawned on her. There was no way the spirits in Eden would survive the bombs.

She suddenly broke into a run.

"Waverly, wait." Judson shouted and pursued her.

Waverly bolted through the ruins of Nael forgetting that she had a flying wolf but Chestnut followed, running just as fast. She caught sight of him and climbed up a ruined heap of rubble. As he ran past, she jumped onto his back.

Soon, the shared border between Nael and the Woodlands came in to view. Waverly was bone shocked by how much destruction had made the scenery unrecognizable. The only thing that still stood, though halfway to total collapse, was the sentry booth.

She turned and found Judson flying behind her, inspecting every single thing his sad eyes landed on. Waverly tried to imagine how terrible he felt knowing that Oculmus had used him to cause that much damage. She reminded herself again and again to tell him later that none of it was his fault.

Her attention was taken by tiny screams. The Derews of the Woodlands were stumbling out from their trees with their hands around their necks as they choked and coughed. Their skins were turning deep red, much like Judson's face had done.

"How can we help them?" She asked, almost choking to tears.

When no reply came, she turned around and found Judson in the middle of a gentle sort of leafy wind. He seemed to be conjuring them from absolutely nowhere but as they rotated, they radiated a dull green energy that began to ripple around. The wind grew wider filling the air with a pleasant smell, encompassing the Derews.

As soon as the wind touched them, they stopped coughing. The red in their faces dulled.

Waverly ran to Judson. "Is that a cure?"

He shook his head sadly. "It only delays the inevitable."

The spark of hope that had ignited in Waverly's chest went off. The Derews clamped around each other, whispering and pointing at Judson. Waverly could not tell if they whispered about how he had just given them a few hours to live or that he used to be a host for the Emperor of Chaos.

Just then, she smelled something different yet familiar. She turned hastily and found Cassiope running toward her in light, slow steps with a beautiful pot in her hand where a bunch of plants with spiky leaves grew. Their flowers had a purple colour with a tint of pink and blue.

"Cassiope." Waverly shrieked and ran to meet her.

"Friend Waverly." Cassiope breathed in relief.

She placed her pot down and gave Waverly a big hug. "I was searching all over for you, i was of course. Bad things have gone up in the air."

"How did you find me? W-Where are the others?" Waverly asked, still holding onto Cassiope's arms.

"I saw your big wolf up in the sky and followed him." Cassiope announced, pointing over at Chestnut then her face fell and she began to cry.

"Everyone has run away and run for their lives. Eden is going to be empty soon, it will. You must help them, you must."

"I will do my best. I promise. Do not cry please, will you?" Waverly consoled.

Cassiope wiped her nose and then noticed Judson for the first time. She gave a loud fearful shriek, grabbed Waverly's arm and spun her around then pointed.

"Ooh, he is here. It is him. Him! Why is he here?"

"He is here to help." Waverly replied.

She took Cassiope's hand and patted it. "He is my best friend, Cassiope, and he is a good person. Trust me?"

Cassiope glanced from Judson to Waverly and the Derews and back to Waverly then released her tensed shoulders.

"I trust you. If you say he is good, then i believe he is."

"She is a heather spirit." Judson said, quite awed.

"I am. My name is Cassiope." Cassiope introduced. She bent down to pick up her pot.

"I am Judson. It is nice to meet you."

"Cassiope, where is Blauren and Loni? The poison in the air is irreversible and they never taught me to. . ." Waverly paused and looked down at her bracelets then glanced at Judson.

"What is it you are doing?"

He seemed to understand immediately but his focus wavered and the wind died down a little. "Mint and jasmine. Just an air freshener."

A solid idea formed in Waverly's mind. She quickly shut her eyes and began to reach across the realm through her senses. The stones helped her connect to every mint and jasmine plant that was still alive anywhere and began to extract their scent. The pleasant aroma rose up like a sort of greenish and whitish vapor and tilted inward from every corner of the realm, cleansing out the bad smell from the calico bombs.

Waverly opened her eyes and saw that the atmosphere was also tinted with the vapor she had created. The Derews jumped about, clapping and hugging themselves to express their joy. Some mustered up enough courage to walk over to her and say their thanks.

"This is incredible and very smart." Judson commented with a wide smile. His own wind had stopped.

"You helped." Cassiope squealed and hugged Waverly from behind with her free hand. She ran over to hug her friend, the Derew called Tona.

Just then, something flew toward Cassiope and the jubilation immediately seized. Everyone stilled at the sight of it. Waverly's eyes bulged when she realized the object was a calico bomb but a much smaller one. Cassiope seemed to have felt the intrusion and placed a hand on her stomach where the bomb had simply sailed through. Waverly rushed to her and inspected her as well but Cassiope seemed fine. Everyone stared at the bomb that lay on the ground, slowly losing its color as a result of being inside clean air.

"That was close." Tona sighed.

Cassiope whimpered just then and Waverly turned to know why. The flower spirit was staring down at her pot where all the pretty leaves had turned crimson and was crumbling to dust.

"No." Waverly shouted and rushed to grab the pot but even that crumbled to dust in her hands. She looked up at Cassiope who was quickly turning red from her legs up.

"No. No, no, no."

Waverly hurriedly removed the stones from around her bracelet and began to fashion them around Cassiope's body. The stones glowed as they touched Cassiope but the effect of the calico bombs remained, spreading fast and crumbling parts of her to dust.

Waverly looked into Cassiope's frightened face. She felt tears cloud her eyes and they poured before she could even blink.

"Not you too." She whispered weakly.

Cassiope breathed in and out. Her eyeballs dancing around with uncertainty. "Will all my siblings come back someday?"

Waverly shook her head sadly. "I do not know."

Cassiope gave a nonchalant shrug and looked down as the poison crept up her face and into her cheeks.

"It does not hurt."

Waverly watched as the rest of Cassiope crumbled to red dust. She shut her eyes and silently said her final goodbye then picked all of the stones and stood up. Judson came to stand next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at the other Derews.

"The dark army, does anyone know where they release the bombs from?"

"Yes, from The Oasis. They camp there now in great numbers." Tona answered meekly. She was still staring with tear filled eyes at the spot where Cassiope had laid.

"They cannot be defeated. They have a cacka pénte with them."

"A what?" Asked Judson with a very puzzled frown.

"The Slumber Serpent." Waverly translated.
Despite him being part Elf, he could not understand the Alp tongue like she did as she had been taught to speak it since childhood.

Judson's confused frown melted into shock and fear. "The Slumber Serpent is here? How?"

"Of all of us, are you not the one who is supposed to know that?" Waverly asked then realized herself the next second but Judson's expression showed he was deeply hurt.

"I am terribly sorry. I spoke without thought. . ."

Judson looked like he would shrink into an invisible shell. His gaze went floor ward.

"We have to find a way to stop them." Tona added.

"I agree but sadly, this is a task that is beyond me." Waverly said.

Her gaze flew momentarily to the red dust on the ground and back to Tona's face. It took every fiber in her being to keep from shedding tears but she knew it was not the time yet.

"I have done all i can." She completed.

"Indeed you have." Someone agreed from behind.

Waverly turned with a flinch and found Selene. . . Alluna rather - staring at her, still in battle armor with her Moon Chariot behind her harnessed to massive armored wolves.

"Is everything alright?" Tona asked peering at Waverly in concern.

Waverly nodded, remembering that none other than herself could see the goddess. Chestnut howled happily and ran toward the pack and began to nudge them. Waverly half smiled - of course, he could see them too.

"Bring your wolf and come with me." Alluna ordered and climbed into her chariot.

Waverly tilted her head but did not look at anyone when she spoke.

"I will be right back, just. . . please get yourselves to safety."

Nobody objected as she ran to Chestnut and mounted him. He turned to face the Moon Chariot as it blazed and lifted off the ground then suddenly bolted toward the horizon.

Chestnut howled and followed with much less speed than that. Waverly guessed that everyone below had possibly translated the sudden beam-like movement of the Moon Chariot as a shooting star because it did not matter that she could see the vehicle for what it was as it flew - it had looked just like a shooting star to her too.