Path to the Last Stand: Hyrestia Tales

(Sorry, Tempest, the RP is closing soon. After Hyrestia Tales, everything is fixed, so the RP doesn't really apply. Hope you understand.)
In the distance, loomed a shadowy building. Columns flanked the large, ancient building, and seemed to form a bridge all the way to the shore from there.
Only one problem - there was no bridge.
"Oh, come on! Damn it!" was the first reaction Frost got out of herself.
Inscribed in the sand underneath the waves, between two crumbling columns, was the quote from some wise man:
ONLY THE GIFTED AND CLEVER SHALL PROCEED TO THIS SHRINE.
Frost sighed when she saw this.
"Aaand then here are the deitie's tricks. So decreed the meadowlark." she sarcastically chirped.
Tempest sighed, and patted her back.
"Don't be so grim, Frost, we'll find a way. We always do, right?" asked her apprentice.
Frost's eyes grew faraway.
"It's just... that I'm wondering about what I could do to reunite with Ledra. I've missed her.." sighed Frost.
Tempest nuzzled her mentor in a futile attempt to soothe her.
"Frost, I don't remember much about my family, and I still don't know if I have any surviving family members that live on today. Yet, I don't despair, and neither should you, as you still have family."
Frost growled, despite her mentor's warm and fuzziness.
"What does that have to do with Ledra?" she angrily snapped. "She was a friend who nursed me in times of need, and got me out of numerous sticky situations!! And what has my family given me? A mother that stands behind me like 'Be nice to this moron or be cursed,' and a rebel father who now goes on missions with Sandy and Serena without as much as a postcard from the Vortex!"
Tempest, taken aback, walked away stiffly. Frost could smell the sorrow in her breath that her mentor, who taught her so many good things, would be so mean to her.
Sighing, Frost looked at the columns.
"Mira, if you can hear me through miles of antimatter, I didn't mean what I said about you, but these trials I'm being put through... please, at least give me a hint at a few things here."
Stretching out on the soft sand, she gazed at the sky, lush with clouds and adorned with birds, and dozed off away from camp.

The first thing Frost felt when she entered the Land of the Dead: I shouldn't have slept outside of camp, where anything wild could attack me. Am I dead?
But then, wafting on an invisible jetstream over the crowd waiting for Moon's verdict on where they would be consigned, she noticed that instead of joining a lifeless crowd of spirits, she was going past Snow's purification shrine (for the corrupted to be purified) and the magical boundaries, past the damned souls, even past the many souls that were reliving the best moments of their lives. She seemed to be dragged by an invisible hand, being taken to a place beyond seeing.
I've heard stories that the soul of Apophis not only basks in the evils of the world, but sometimes takes souls from the underworld to feed its core. Is this happening to me? Towards a horizon of darkness; the sea of chaos I shall be consumed in? Wow, this experience is making me talk like Shakespeare.
Suddenly, though, she skidded to a halt in a tea pavilion. She could sense that once, it had been a lovely pagoda filled with the scent of honeysuckle, with doves perched on the railing, and pastries spread out on a picnic blanket, but now it wasn't so lovely anymore. The pristine lake around the pagoda was now stagnant, its water no longer flowing properly, so the reeds around it had rotted and fallen into the water, making it a fen, and soon to be a bog. The pastries were being carried away by ants, who seemed to vanish into the water, wasting precious scones, bread, croissants, and more incredibly fattening food. The birds had long since gone, probably eaten by the ugly vultures circling overhead, their feathers seemingly touching the stars enveloping the entire underworld. The smell of honeysuckle was replaced with cinnamon, a not-as-pleasant smell, like the scent variable in the enclosure decided not to turn into rotting eggs, but to stay slightly fragrant just to taunt the onlooker of the lost beauty. All of the precious gemstones, such as lapius lapuzi, amethyst, gold, silver, turquoise, emerald, sapphire, ruby, pearl, jade, quartz, onyx and so on, had either grown so dusty that they looked like ordinary pebbles or had altogether crumbled. From the cracks in the pagoda sprouted ugly vines that were covered with vicious thorns that seemed as if they were thrumming with bloodlust. In the midst of all this putrid mess, though, was her mother.
"Mira? Why are you here, and am I dead?" queried Frost.
The laugh of her mother was melodious, striking all the right chords and making her feel at ease. Frost wasn't jealous for some reason, however, as she knew that Mira's beautiful voice didn't just carry over into any normal child of hers. She also saw why Sage was so attracted to her mother.
"Those two questions go together more than you think, Frost." replied her mother. "And I'm here to provide those hints you prayed for, as I should, being what some call the Jamaasian Juno, only much nicer and less naive."
Mira gazed off into the distance, even though at the brink of the underworld, the antimatter speckled with stars ruled. There wasn't much pretty about an Ursa Major that dissolved you in the void of darkness.
"As for the latter... well, yes, the state you are in right now is very similar to death, but not quite death or those Shadure treatments that the Phantoms and Thinner MS put you under oh-so-often. Your soul is still anchored to your body, but your core essence isn't in control of your body right now. I simply lulled you into sleep using beauty, then summoned your soul to my current location. Quite simple magic, really."
Frost sighed with exasperation.
"No need for the seminar on magic, mother, because I need those hints now." she replied.
Glancing at the evil around them, she raised an eyebrow.
"Or... before you give the hints, tell me why your tea pagoda is in such a deep state of corruption."

Mira heaved a great sigh as she surveyed her environment.
"Ah, my lovely tea pagoda, where I have talked to Zios as I tried to free my bonds in the shrine of me. This was the first place I was in when I slumbered in my shell. I crafted it to my own pleasure, as kind of a way to mask the evils I committed in my past. Just like that beautiful monument Apophis commanded to be built in Zios's honor, masking all the death that went with it..."
Frost nearly gagged at Mira's romantic speech.
"Really, mother, get to the point already, I'm bored of this history lesson." she sighed.
"Yes, yes, about the state my pagoda is in. It's very complicated, really, with deity politics in mind, and my powers of peace and goodwill, meant to counter Apophis's powers of chaos and evil-"
Frost's eyes nearly bugged at that remark.
"Wait, what? Harper has read her tomes from the Kani Cove ship over and over, yet none of that was mentioned. Greely has recited his spells and legends over and over, and Seth wrote down most of his relevant stories, yet nothing was mentioned about that. Did somebody influence your meaning with a new story, or something else the Alphas overlooked?" she inquired.
"Oh, come on. You know just as well as I do that just like any collection of stories, or Greek Myths, for that matter, can get very jumbled and twisted at times. Jamaasian lore is no different. There are many versions of us created by the writings of various bards and popes, along with not-so-innocent writers and storytellers,  but most keep on coming back to the essence of the story: Zios created the world, I was created, Jamaa was happy until he left, blah blah blah. There are many pars of me never told by the storytellers, yet that doesn't make them any less real, no?"
Frost nodded.
"Well, then, I'll just let you know, that Zios didn't just create me as a companion. You know quite well that he infused reserves of power into my feathers, and that only one of them was corrupted, remarkably?"
Frost nodded again, but she was drifting off.
"Well, I hope this makes sense, but the reason why the feathers are so powerful that when they power machinery, machinery oftentimes goes in overdrive and achieves their full potential? Well, its because not only did Zios infuse raw power in them, he made them full of peace and harmony. Ever wonder why my voice reeks of serenity and peace? Why my creations, except for the phantoms, have fought for Jamaa? Why when I was full of resentment, I called on the fabric of time to make my tears, and using that energy, the phantoms were the most powerful, unbridled monsters ever to roam the corners of the earth? Why the only malevolent creatures I have ever made are more powerful than anything else could be, artificial or organic?"
Frost nodded vigorously, energy renewed.
"Well, it's because I'm the very goddess of peace. When chaos and war lashes out when a blanket of peace has settled over the land, everything is much more deadly than if the land were used to it. That is what happened to Jamaa, and what happens in Jamaa is reflected in its deity's essence, and why the phantom's power is based upon that concept. Coming back to the point..."
Frost looked at the surroundings around her. It seemed as if the old pagoda were drawing on Mira's peaceful words to regain power, but it wasn't quite enough. As she watched, the vines thickened, and the faint traces of honeysuckle and dove calls were hushed.
"Since areas like Neo Mobius, Jamaa, Vramaa and Hyrestia are all undergoing large shifts of change, and Zios and I reflect the well-being of the world, we started to deteriorate. Since the Jamaasian Heroes were fighting so bravely, we managed to deflect the damage off of ourselves, but where did the damage target next, to our grief?"
As her mother paused, Frost realized she knew the answer, but decided not to answer.
"Our areas of power; or at least, the places we treasure most."
As Frost watched in silence, the scenery flickered. She saw her mother's shrine, with the ice Mira there, snow in piles around it, and some Jammers having a serious conversation about ice armor pieces, but her vision was in the Duat, much deeper than any normal Jamaasian could see. Even then, she felt the familiar chill, and her stomach feeling like it would botch breakfast in the blink of an eye.
Then, Frost nearly botched her meal for real.
The familiar vines of darkness were seeping from cracks in the cobblestone, groping for the beautiful ice statue. Webs of evil crackled around the Jamaasians, seemingly thirsty to spill their blood and lap it up, drop by drop. The sky crackled with thunder, and a cyclone of memoirs of various Jamaasian fighters flapped in the wind, including the dying words of countless warriors and the items they left behind for their friends to brood over. Worst of all, the serpentine eyes of Apophis watched over them, as if expecting for them to make a move that would feed its eternal lust for power.
"Jamaa is weakening, Frost. You must hurry, or your homeland will fall into the abyss of chaos." warned Mira. "The clue to accessing Poseidon's shrine is gaining control of Power Out. Now, go, and save Jamaa for me, and bring forth the last moments of Apophis. And the key to defeating him isn't the conventional way..."
Frost awoke yowling as an arrow pierced her pelt.

Frost got up, to see some bandits attacking her.
"I'm sorry, miss, but sacrifice all your valuables or else!" growled a wolf that was holding a single-bladed sword in his mouth.
"And why should I?" bluntly remarked Frost.
The sword crackled with electricity, and suddenly storm clouds started to close in. Frost heard the surprised yowls from her allies half a mile away at camp. Tensing, Frost dug her claws into the rich sand. Grains of scratchy matter ebbed at her claws, but right now her claw hygiene wasn't the hugest problem.
"Because," said the stranger. "I can force you to."
Frost growled, and the wolf lunged, heavy sword somehow staying in his mouth.
Frost held up a paw, claws sharp and at the ready, but the wolf vanished.
"What the-"
SSSSSHING!
Blood spurted out of the slash mark in her belly, and she grimaced at how close the new wound was to her belly scar. If she didn't close the wound soon with say, comfrey or gauze, she would be even more scarred.
"You see, miss, I'm much faster and powerful than you are. Your godly powers are interesting, but no match for my abilites." replied the wolf. While Frost was already tiring, this stranger hadn't even broken a sweat.
Smelling the defeat in her breath, the wolf smiled. Thunder rolled across the landscape.
"Well, now? If you manage to lay a claw on me, I will destroy your camp while having the winds take away your valuables briskly. If you don't surrender nicely, then I'll easily kill you.... and your unborn kits."
Frost's mouth tasted like boiled mushrooms. How could this stranger know so much? And how the hell was she pregnant? Frost wasn't laden with kits, nor was she in need of more food, as mothers usually were.
A glint of confidence sparked in the wolf's eye. A blue aura surrounded his large sword. Suddenly, flaring up with power, a blue stripe shone on his side.
"Twilight! How you dare interfere with my quest! And how did you acquire... such an anomaly?"
Frost nearly gagged on her words, even though she didn't say the truth, power.
Twilight grinned sheepishly, as if he just kissed her on the cheek.
"Well, Miss Icirrus, its simple. Ledra here copied the powers of a ventus into my body, and now I'm supercharged with energy. Unlike your claims, Miss I, she is very easy to manipulate. LEDRA!"
A white, red and blue wolf barged out of the bushes growing at the edge of the sand, her lope very much like Ledra's, but not quite.
"Shade! Don't obey Twilight much longer!" blurted Frost. Immediately she regretted her burstout, because she just blew their cover.
Shade sighed inside her copy body.
Flexing her wrists, she spoke "Frost, I'm sorry, but if I refused, then I wouldn't have been able to reconnoiter."
Frost growled, and glared at CL.
"Ugh.... Shade, just give Ledra back her memories and the power to revive herself! Aren't you able to, after all this we went through?"
All the while, Twilight just stood nearby, watching in amazement and anger at the same time, amazement at how much went over his head as world events transpired, and anger for Ledra (or at least, Shade-Ledra)
Shade's eyes peered at the sand in sadness. Her eyes welled up with tears.
"I-I'm sorry, Frost. Trapped in a circle of madness, I was."
The form started to crumble around Shade, leaving a purple core that looked like a polished amethyst.
I'm sorry, Frost. Since my job is done here, I am no longer the Ledra Prelate. I am but Shade, and only Shade. Ledra's memories and life are being streamed back to her, including the ones I made enclosed with explanations. I'll return to Greely now, and hope he'll build me a new body.
Frost and Twilight watched, one onlooker hoping for the safe transit of Shade, the other angry over his defeat.
After the glowing ball of life force vanished into the heavens above, Frost turned to Twilight.
Leave, she hissed. and then disband those renegades Xaia put together. Now. Then, get everyone to assist the efforts in the restoration of Vramaa.
Despite being horrid at charmspeak, Frost managed to infuse some hasty magic into her words, yet it worked on such an imbecile such as Twilight. His stripe flashed a dull grey as the power was leeched out of him and into Frost. The black hole that was Icirrus gobbled it up, and Frost glowed faintly.
Twilight's eyes dilated, then he vanished with a satisfying vip.
Just then, Keldeo ran to Frost's side.
"You okay? And why is that large gash on your belly?" he asked.
Frost groaned in pain.
"Those two things don't go together." she said. "I fought Twilight, and caused the disbanding of the Renegades - finally! From what I've heard, they've stolen quite a lot of lettuce for themselves. At that rate, Samantha would've rallied the Tunnel Town citizens to burn and stake those rats. Just another day for me."
Keldeo looked at her direction in amazement. Frost smiled - then realized his eyes were going past her, despite her white fur being bloodied. She quickly healed it with a simple incantation, not wanting Tempest to joke about how Frost needed Tempest all the time now.
When she looked at what Keldeo was looking at, she saw a beautiful paved pathway extended from the beach to the temple's door.
"Sweet." said Keldeo. "I'll go get the others and break camp. Stay here and watch."
As Keldeo trotted happily off and Frost let the waves lick her paws, she gazed at the sky and prayed to her mother.