The Void Rift Crisis

by Visiden Visidane

The Flash in the Grove - Animus Arcem

The Flash in the Grove? Must you use that ridiculous name? True, many from the Herd have already adopted it, but that only worries me more over the rampant dramatics slowly, but surely, shrouding the Void Rift Crisis.

Silva Inber has a flair for such theatrics, and his enthusiasm is appreciated, but he and the rest of the Herd must remember that these events happened. The Void Rift Crisis should be understood in earnest, not dressed up in drama to the point of ludicrousness. I hear he's already planned a play, a play! When future generations start scoffing at tellings of the Void Rift Crisis as fantasy, I know who to blame.

The Flash in the Grove was indeed a massive sunlight spear, but that is not the whole of the matter. I would know as I was with His and Her Majesty as they discussed how to attack the Agamanthion's extension.

His Majesty's power of sunlight was a natural deterrent for the necromantic energy involved in the Agamanthion's extensions. It is, after all, life-sustaining energy to counter the hungry un-life of the Agamanthion's defenders. When he hurled his spears, the planar shadows scattered. It was the best way to reach the spire's shields without being intercepted.

What Silva Inber leaves out is that it's the power of dark that possesses the strong capability for unraveling such complicated defensive spells as the ones surrounding the extension. When that fateful sunlight spear flew towards the spire, it was laced with the might of Her Majesty as well. We were all so bedazzled by the sight of day temporarily breaking in the Midnight Grove, and His Majesty's successful strike against the spire, that we failed to notice the power of dark quietly doing its work. It is testament to how well those two work together that the power of dark grows in might when paired with the power of sunlight. The brighter the light, the deeper the shadow. General Gravitas may scoff at the "fanciful poetics", but I have seen up close just how true that combination can be. I am sure that our Queen prefers to stay silently in the background, but I feel obligated to balance all the praise for His Majesty.

Despite our low numbers, the alicorns of the Midnight Grove were the first to halt the Agamanthion's assault. Without the extension, the planar shadows disappeared, leaving us some time to plan for our next move. It also allowed us the chance to determine our losses.

You may not think that to be diminished is such a terrible loss. True, in the span of three or four cycles, our diminished are restored. Those of our brethren who have lived most of their time well are not so apprehensive of fading into near nonexistence for a long time. The ones who are still young; without even a single cycle to them, the sense of loss is greater. Those young warriors who fell in the Midnight Grove have not had the chance to make their mark before being forced dormant. And, upon their restoration, they face the uncertainty of a Herd that has had several cycles to change. Nor are they certain as to who among those they knew are diminished or active.

And that is to say nothing of those who remain. Have a dear friend whom you expected to share company with for a long time be untimely diminished, and you will see for yourself how long a cycle can be, let alone several. A great many of the Fifteenth Cycle's youth fell during the crisis. They were the ones expected to carry the Herd as the veterans go their rest. Now, with them gone until, at least, the eighteenth, who can we count on? We would have to rely on the earlier cycle alicorns who would still take a while to be restored and adjusted.

Even such thoughts were optimistic while we watched the wreckage of the Agamanthion's extension. The brief respite allowed us to take stock of what we had accomplished, the enormity of the situation, and the thought of us all being destroyed with no hope of restoration. There wasn't a single one of us who did not tremble. We have never been ones to think of time limits now, have we? We've always taken it for granted that we can outwait many of our problems, and take all the time we need to achieve our goals. Suddenly discovering a time limit shocked many of us to near stupor.

Well, except for His and Her Majesty.

I can understand that Her Majesty's sight could have granted her some measure of confidence. She was, as she remains at the present, the very picture of assured serenity. That gentle smile stilled our panicked and despairing hearts. Though I claim no ability to see possible futures, that assurance lent me, as well as all those with us, just a quick glance past the haze of uncertainty. Perhaps, her sight already granted her a vision of the possibility that we might survive, and she, through solely her countenance, shared that vision.

His Majesty, however, strode at our head without showing a single sign of worry. Her Majesty may have told him a favorable vision, but I imagine that it would be hard to not suspect her of...nudging how she describes it just to better morale. Yet, His Majesty was grinning fiercely when opened a gate to Empyrea, as if this world-destroying crisis was no different from just another battle in Ida. After our hearts had been calmed by Her Majesty, they were inflamed by His Majesty's unwavering confidence. The Lord of Sunlight is unbeatable. He does not just prove that in battle, he exudes it with each breath. Even the weakest among us, those who never showed their faces in Ida, looked like they could beat the Agamanthion to rubble with their bare hooves in the light cast by His Majesty.

We had to secure the Throne first, then we could start our counterattack. His Majesty never voiced this plan, but we knew the instant he opened that gate. He had that air of purpose in his mien that pulled at us inexorably, and we were all just a little more courageous for it.