Meera huffed, her fist and chakrams dripped with blood, and the clearing was littered with the bodies of the daughters. Only a few daughters remained, and they didn't look too excited about taking on Meera and Kalrina, who had healed herself and had done more than her share of wiping the daughters from the world.

  The world had suddenly turned white and extremely cold. In a way, it was good, as the snow covered up the pools of poison that the daughters used for their attacks. However, it also covered Meera's mirrors, and she had to keep blasting more out of her armor, which she felt was a complete waste.

  "I thought we had left the snows behind," Meera commented.

  "We brought an ice dragon with us, dearie," Kalrina replied. "Probably the greatest ice dragon in all the worlds save for Aetheron himself. Say, you wouldn't happen to have another coat in your Belt, would you?"

  Meera quickly checked through her Hoard Belt and had a couple remaining. She pulled one out and threw it at Kalrina. "This is the last one," she lied. She needed to keep one for herself, just in case. "You ruin this, and you'll freeze to death. Don't expect me to save you again."

  Kalrina quickly put it on over her clothes, which had so many holes that her condition looked even worse than a homeless person's back home. Even though she was guzzling Health and Mana potion like she was a thirsty camel.

  "Hey, baby Aksha, who wants to depart first?" Kalrina asked. "Since we're considerate women, we'll let you pick."

  The daughters gritted their teeth as one. "You think you achieved something here?"

  "Actually, yes, we did," Meera replied. "I hope after this, your mother sees how useless you are."

  "No, dearie, don't say that," Kalrina purred. "They are useful as training dolls. Look how much sweet experience they've given us. Would you mind waiting a moment while we check our notifications?"

  One of the daughters shot a poison ball at them. Kalrina easily swatted away with her shield.

  "Looks like they've made their choice," she said. "Since I had the last one, I'll give you this one."

  "You're so kind." Meera hurled her chakram at the daughter.

  Thanks to the snowstorm, visibility was low, and the rapid cold winds were blowing so fast that trees were bending away from the source of it all— the archdragon Zerodra. Even still, her chakram flew straight and true as if the blizzard did not affect it at all.

  The daughter dodged by jumping to the side, but her foot slipped in the snow, and she took a hard fall. Meer brought her chakram around to sever her head.

  "Okay, who wants to be next?" Meera called as she recalled her chakram.

  Kalrina clapped lightly. "Those chakrams of yours are a true menace. I would love to have one."

  "And I would love to chop off your body parts. Any part that you don't like attached to your body?"

  "No, I think I'll keep them all," she said, shielding her face from the snow. "This snow is getting worse. I think we should make our exit now."

  Meera shrugged. "Okay, let's go."

  They had taken one step towards the Gateway mirror when a woman came stumbling through the trees escorted by a daughter of Aksha. Meera thought they might be in trouble even if she was battered, supported many bruises and burns from her fight with the dragons. She gave Meera a long, hateful look but then turned towards the Gateway Mirror and cursed her for obvious reasons before stepping into the mirror.

  "Hmm, looks like Aksha is trying to get her sisters out of here," Kalrina said. "I wish I had a way of smashing the Gateway Mirror after using it."

  "Wouldn't that be nice," Meera commented. "But I think only Midiea would have that power."

  "Right you are, my dear. We mere mortals will have to suffice with making our escape from this doomed world."

  Meera paused and looked towards Zerodra, who was only a terrifying shadow in all this snow and missing an arm. That only made him angrier, it seemed. "Is he really going to destroy Drurith?"

  "Drurith has already been destroyed, dearie," Kalrina replied. "His children saw to that. Thanks to your brother."

  "And the cult," Meera added. "I can't help but think that they were the ones who told them that Neel had been hunting dragonlings. But how did they know that in the first place?"

  "Since you're headed to Ealisto, maybe you can stop at Winter's Spire and ask the Frostcaller Hierarch. He's the head of the Cult. I'm sure he'll be happy to divulge that information."

  Meera gave her a blank stare. "If I was going to do that, I would've gone quietly with our good friend Sidrian, who must be buried somewhere in all this snow if he didn't end up getting dissolved in one of their poison pools."

  The witch shuddered. "Now, that is a fate I wish only on my worst enemy."

  As they talked, another two sorceresses showed up, escorted by another daughter, who promptly left like the first. Then, the sorceresses started trickling through the woods one after another. The dragons roared in the distance, which Meera couldn't help but think was because they were angry at losing their prey.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  "Hey, it's our turn first," Kalrina called, and it seemed the sorceresses noticed them for the first time, thanks to all the snow.

  Among the sorceresses was a woman with white hair and a beautiful but stern face. Her left arm had been charred black, and she supported numerous other burns. Meera figured the snow must be bliss on those gruesome burns. She used Identify on the woman.

  [Sorceress of Paper – Level ???]

  "Duinith…" Kalrina backed up a few steps and littered the area with mirrors.

  "What's her level?" Meera asked.

  "Trust me, dearie, we do not want to fight her."

  "And yet, you wanted to fight Aksha."

  Kalrina gave her a quick look. "Yes, and well, you saw how good that turned out. Fighting her would yield a similar result, and there is no mother she must save. So, I suggest we run for now."

  If Meera remembered correctly, Duinith was the headmistress and the strongest sorceress in the sisterhood after Aksha. She quickly did the math and figured out she could see levels up to 711, and Aksha was 812, so Duinith was somewhere in between.

  Now, if it were only her, maybe Kalrina and Meera could've taken them, but Meera was sure that once the fighting started, the other sorceresses and the remaining daughters would all gang up on them.

  "You…" Duinith seethed as she took a step towards them. "This is all because of you two."

  "Technically, it's because of your Sovereign," Meera replied. "If she had just let me go when I wanted to, you wouldn't be in this mess."

  "She tried to save you!" She screamed. "She trained you. Are you so thankless that you would doom the very person who only thought to give you the means to better yourself?"

  "And the sisterhood had no intentions of using me to draw in Neel?" Meera retorted. "Since you know, the sisterhood only had pure intentions towards me and my brother."

  Duinith had no reply to that.

  "I thought so. And I wasn't so thankless a little while ago, but these worlds have taught me a lot. Being selfish is top among those lessons. Now, if you want to do this, then come on, I'll put you out of your misery."

  Pieces of paper materialized around the sorceress. Meera tightened her grip around her chakrams and was about to send a few flying at the sorceress, but another woman, carried by two daughters, emerged out of the woods. Her presence alone made everyone stop; even the sorceress who was about to step into the mirror stopped in her tracks.

  This woman was none other than Veridiana.

  The daughters gently laid her down between Meera and Duinith. The woman was a gruesome sight, with multiple bones sticking out of her. Her left leg was dangling beyond the knee as if she didn't even have a knee. Meera had never seen anyone take such a beating and yet be breathing. Her every breath was a wheeze, as if it pained her even to breathe.

  "M-Meera…come to me," she said.

  But it was Duinith and all the other sorceresses who ran to crowd around her. Meera looked to Kalrina, who was frowning at the dying woman's request of asking for Meera. Kalrina shook her head slightly, making her thoughts known, but Meera knew why the queen of the sorceresses was calling to her.

  "Meera, p-please…I don't have much time," Veridiana whispered while looking at her. Meera heard her just fine, even despite the cacophony of the sorceresses.

  "Why her?" Duinith asked. "Just say the word, dear friend, and I will dispatch her for you."

  "No!" Veridiana spoke. "No, M-Meera must never be harmed…" She winced terribly. "I-It is my f-final command…to the sisterhood."

  This silenced everyone.

  Veridiana placed a quivering hand on Duinith's arm. "P-Please see to it that it is followed."

  Duinith was stunned, but still, she nodded. "I will…but she—"

  "I know what she did," Veridiana replied. "And if I had the time to make you understand, I would, but promise me that when the time comes, you will bring any sorceresses that remain to aid Meera."

  "At what time?"

  "T-The final war," Veridiana quivered.

  No one moved. More sorceresses joined the sisters as Aksha's daughters worked overtime to bring them to the mirror, but the daughters didn't return to fetch anymore as they stopped to watch their Sovereign's passing.

  "Now, I must speak with Meera, for I have one final task for her." Veridiana towards her. "Please, Meera, it has to be you."

  "I-I…" Meera stood just as stunned, knowing what the sorceress wanted of her. Despite all the people Meera had killed, she couldn't willingly kill her. She could, but she didn't want to. If Veridiana was right and killing her was supposed to turn Meera into the Arbiter, then she would reject that fate. For if she never became the Arbiter then her quest to find her brother would never be futile.

  I will find my brother and get out of here.

  She drew a deep breath and held her head high. "I'm no one's executioner. If you want to die, do it yourself. Come witch, it's time we take our leave."

  Meera had taken two steps toward the Gateway Mirror, and it shattered into tiny pieces. A shockwave blasted out of the mirror, blowing away the snow from everything in the area. Most sorceresses were thrown to the ground, and Meera was driven to her knees.

  Kalrina gasped from the ground. "Only a god can destroy a Gateway Mirror." Then she looked to her Sovereign with equal parts terror and respect.

  Meera stared wide-eyed at the dying sorceress. "Why?" The anger built up in her with each breath. She had destroyed Meera's one ticket out of here. She stomped to Veridiana, gripped her dress, and shook her hard as she screamed in her face. "Why did you do that?"

  It was a testament to the sorceresses' utter shock that not a single one stepped forward to defend their leader, not even Duinith. They simply stared, some not even at Meera but at the shattered remains of the Gateway Mirror.

  Veridiana coughed up blood. "You remember...our conversation about sacrifices." She heaved a deep breath through quivering lips. "Akhessai sacrificed...herself for her children. For she felt it was right, and this is the sacrifice I'm making because I feel…no, I know this is the right path. I sacrifice my sisterhood...s-so the worlds may live." She caressed Meera's cheek with a bloody hand. "Remember Meera, sacrifice. Your sacrifice will save everyone. Now, grant me my final wish...and let me depart this world."

  Meera stared at the mad woman. The sorceresses stared at them, unmoving, not uttering a word. They waited with abated breaths for Meera's next move. On one hand, Meera was angry at her for destroying the mirror, while on the other, she was amazed that the sorceress had told the truth.

  "All this time, I thought you were lying about this," Meera said. "I know it doesn't mean much now, but for what it's worth, I'm sorry for bringing Raxor. I should've trusted you more."

  Veridiana smiled. "You don't need to ask for forgiveness. Not from me."

  She looked towards the statue of Akhessai, which was only a looming shadow in the raging snowstorm. She extended a hand towards it. Tears streaked down her bloody face. "Thank you, sister, for everything."

  She clenched her fists, and even from this far away, Meera felt the rumbling as the stones fell off Akhessai. Slowly, the stones fell one by one, destroying Akhessai's once majestic statue. As her final act, Veridiana put her friend to rest.

  "I'm ready now. Please, Meera, this pain is unbearable…I-I don't have long. Please don't let the power in me go to waste. Take it and go fulfill your destiny."

  Without thinking another thought, Meera drove a chakram into her heart.

  Veridiana gasped loudly as the last breath left her.