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Blondie backed away fro as she held the horn aloft in both hands And with that we felt her poell and surge through the horn

Fire’s child had been right Blondie’s already-strong poas, indeed, nified I watched, trapped byforce pulsed out of Blondie Inside ned themselves as he lost contact with three of the four elements, and he felt his bones shift into that of his favorite fishing shape: a seal

Around me other creatures were either in different shapes or stillwhen Blondie’s power finally used itself up and she collapsed There were a handful of creatures prescient enough to throw up shields and powerful enough to hold theht, but even they’d lost soether they ed hi as he did so that he’d been cut off fro fire, pulling force fro with air All of these atte other than a seal That was unsuccessful, as well

Everyone standing in that clearing looked around at one another, obviously at a loss over what had just happened, or how to proceed

"That was the Great Schis down ain "I knew she did it, but I only saw her memories They were brief"

[It was a very traumatic event,] the creature said

"What was the bull’s horn?" I asked

[It was a horn, but not that of a bull Nor was it really froed to one of Fire’s most violent children When the child was destroyed, only the horn and another artifact, a hoof, were left Both held tree]

"Where’s the hoof?" I asked

[Protected,] was all the creature would say I kneasn’t getting any an What I was learning this ent against everything I’d ever been told about the Alfar, their origins, and the supernatural world The Alfar had obviously had a great tiy, with themselves on top "Blondie found the horn with the help of another of Fire’s children--a voice that told her where to go" I felt assent in ht it back and used it I felt her anger when I touched her tat… she wanted to get rid of humans?"

[So many of her kind had suffered abuse She was full of hate]

"But the horn actually created the Schiss’ ned theic as old and foul as the horn’s was Once each faction, as they are now called, was locked into place, theiras they bred with another of their faction, they would breed true If they were successful, that is]

"And she was the only one unaffected?" I asked

[She’s the only one who retained her power]

"Sheat her audacity even as I pitied her

[And yet she’s the reason her people survived,] the creature informed me [Fire always destroys, but oftentimes from that destruction comes life This was no exception Extreic kills humanity’s ability to breed, over time If my children had stayed as powerful as they were, there would have been eny And then there would have been none]

"I knew it," I said "I knew it had to do with the reater their chances of breeding]

No wonder there are so ht

[Exactly,] the creature responded

"But you helped them," I said "They would never have knohat to do with their power if it weren’t for you Why did they imprison you?"

[Open your mind, and I’ll show you this i his response

I did, and felt myself whooshed back into the creature’s rief was unbearable; so many years alone, and now my children disbanded into factions that hated one another Everything had fallen apart

So I decided to sleep

I found a place to nest, building up the land around me so that I was part of both Earth and Water At least I could be with my parents as I slept