Chapter 9: The Light of Judgment
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	The Master's realm was marked not by terror or malevolence as one
might expect, but instead by a singular dreary hopelessness that sought to 
crush the spirit of any that dared to enter. There was no light, no
darkness; only a bland greyness that shrouded all within, fading all colors
to similar shades of grey, muting all sounds to the same hollow echo. There
was no fear, no courage; no cruelty or compassion; no anger or tenderness;
no love or betrayal. No good or evil. No opposites. Nothing to relieve the
crushing despair that ate away at the soul with its insidious whispers.
There was only the greyness and the despondent wanderings of the lost. The
Master's realm was also his prison, and his hell. And so, Rhiannon Meylith
found it suitably ironic that he would be reborn in such a realm.
	He waited on a cliff, part of the barren, jagged island where his 
trial would take place, arms crossed in introspection, gazing out at the
surrounding grey peaks bordered by the listless grey sea. Lorrithian was
late; waiting, perhaps, to test his human nature, to see if he would become 
impatient or lax. She would have to wait a very long time for him to fall to 
such petty faults. A thousand years of life will teach one patience, if 
nothing else. Even though he was only a small step away from the goal which 
he had sacrificed so much for in the past, he was calm and impassive. Emotion,
as his Master had taught him, was the greatest weakness of mortals. Soon, he 
would no longer be one of them. Or he would perish trying.
	Finally, he sensed that the time for battle had come. He threw back 
his cloak and drew Razor. Tiny points of grey light swirled around the
blade in a helix, then formed into constellations as he attuned his mind to
the stars. "Fire shall be my enemy, and water my friend." He permitted
himself a brief chuckle at the augury. "How obvious." He replaced Razor in 
its sheath, then rose several feet from the ground as he concentrated on 
building his Zodiac power structure.
	"ARIES," he intoned, as he extended his left hand out to his side. 
The first sign of the Zodiac appeared in a shining formation of grey stars. 
"TAURUS." The second sign winked into existence above the first. "GEMINI." 
The sign of the Twins appeared above his head. And so he named them in turn; 
Virgo, the Virgin, appearing to his right; Sagittarius, the Archer, below his
feet; and finally, Pisces, the Fishes, at his left, just below Aries. All
twelve signs arranged about him in a circle, much like the numbers upon a
clock, all ready to unleash their magic upon his approaching foe. First,
though, he would need some defense. The sign of Taurus flared into grey light,
outshining all the rest, surrounding him in a transparent shield of crystal. 
Then it was Leo's turn to brighten as his senses sharpened, his reflexes and 
agility grew tenfold to match those of a feline. Thus prepared, he turned to 
face a distant streak of light, so bright that it appeared almost white. 
"Lorrithian. Fight well."
	Her response came without warning, in the form of searing rays of
fire that washed over his shield, searching for a weakness. The sign of
Sagittarius flared as he retaliated, hurling deadly arrows of force at the 
radiant figure in the sky. Lorrithian dodged easily, then transformed herself
into a beam of pure light, circling around Rhiannon before he could react. His
shield strained, then began to crack as the immense power of Lorrithian's
fire raged against it. He caught a brief glimpse of a beautiful woman with 
hair of dancing flames as he turned, then she was gone, once more transforming
into a beam of light and shooting off into the distance.
	"So fast," he whispered. Perhaps too fast. Unless he could counter
that advantage, he would undoubtedly lose. A sudden flash interrupted his
thoughts as Lorrithian appeared behind him. Pisces flared, sending crashing 
waves of water at her, but she simply rose above them and unleashed a 
devastating beam of energy. Rhiannon's shield collapsed beneath the onslaught,
and he was lost in a massive explosion of almost-white fire. The cliff
shattered, raining flaming chunks of rock into the sea.
	"A narrow escape, Rhiannon," Lorrithian said. She turned to face the
unharmed warrior, who hovered calmly over a nearby crag, surrounded by the
softly glowing Zodiac constellations.
	"I thought that by remaining stationary, I could attack and defend
at the same time. Evidently, I was wrong."
	"Then you had best find a new strategy," Lorrithian said. "I am not
permitted to show you any mercy."
	"Then I must use my full power," Rhiannon said. "I am sorry, but you 
leave me with no other choice."
	"No apologies are necessary. Do as you must."
	Rhiannon nodded faintly in acquiescence. "Then prepare yourself for
the fury of the stars." A look of grim determination was on his face as the 
signs of Pisces and Aquarius flared to life. "Binary Conjunction!" The light
from the two signs radiated outwards, surrounding him in a ghostly image of 
crashing glaciers. "ICE FANG." Stalagmites of ice rose from the remnants of 
the cliff, soaring upwards to impale Lorrithian on their deadly points. She 
tumbled backwards, narrowly escaping as the ice lunged past her, then her 
eyes opened wide in surprise as icicles formed all along the sides of the
stalagmites. She surrounded herself in a shield of flames as a barrage of the 
wicked spikes hurtled towards her. Many were deflected or melted away, but a 
few grazed her, drawing blood, staining her robe with dark grey. She
countered with a crackling bolt of lightning which cleaved through the
stalagmites and shattered the top of the rocky crag behind.
	"Another escape," she noted. The aura of flames surrounding her grew
even more brilliant, sending waves of light radiating over the entire island
as she searched for her opponent. "Where are you hi-" she began, but
her words trailed off as she sensed movement all around her. Huge shards of 
ice pushed their way out of the rocky surface of the island, slowly ascending
to more than a hundred feet in dully reflective height. "Very clever, 
Rhiannon. Reflection and refraction to confuse my directional sense.
Obstacles to reduce the advantage of my speed. But what is to stop me from 
destroying them?"
	"Nothing." Rhiannon's voice echoed out of the distance, seemingly
everywhere at once. "But take care to watch your back."
	"Too slow!" Lorrithian shouted, as she sensed him dropping from
above. Fire lanced from her hands, exploding into the red-cloaked warrior
with full force...then continuing on into the sky as he flickered and 
vanished. Too late, she realized her mistake; though he had seemed solid to 
her light sense, there had been no sound to accompany his actions, no flutter
of his cloak as he dropped.
	"Binary Conjunction!" The signs of Scorpio and Leo flared to life as
Rhiannon stepped out from behind an ice shard, surrounding him in an aura
darker than the deepest nether regions. "TERROR WAVE." A chilling wall of 
darkness swept out from his hands, catching Lorrithian in its path. She 
disappeared from sight as the life-draining blackness surrounded her. "Now to
finish this," Rhiannon said. A palpable aura of magic surrounded him as
Cancer, Pisces, and Scorpio burst into light, surrounding him in a flowing
sapphire aura so intense that it was colored despite the greyness. "Ternary 
Conjunction! TSU-"
	The darkness surrounding Lorrithian was shattered as her fiery aura
exploded outwards. Rhiannon abandoned his spell, instinctively putting up a
barrier as a flames surged towards him. Rock melted away and vaporized as
Lorrithian's fury continued, burning with the intensity of a new star,
overcoming the drab greyness as it turned everything white.
	When it was over, Rhiannon found himself lying amidst clumps of
twisted and shattered rock. Pain shot through him as he got up on one knee,
coughing up dark grey blood, the same color that slickly stained his armor
and clothing. Rays of fire instantly swept out to meet him, but were
deflected as Libra burst into light. "Damn you," he hissed, as the rays
continued to burn just inches from his face. He summoned his magic and
vanished just before an orb of fire obliterated his surroundings,
materializing on the other side of the island. He weakly slumped against a
boulder while considering his next move. He had been foolish to underestimate
Lorrithian's power; he should have waited patiently to wear her down, rather 
than trying to end the battle quickly. Now he was badly wounded, enough that
he might bleed to death eventually; yet, without life energy to draw upon,
he could not afford the energy required to heal himself. Lorrithian, with the
Master's power to draw upon, had no such restrictions. He would fight back, of
course; but in the end, her magic would outlast his and he would be destroyed.
	"No!" he exclaimed, smashing his fist into the boulder. "I will not
be defeated, not in this battle, not ever!" Rhiannon marvelled at this sudden
outburst of determination. Even when it made more sense to accept his fate,
there was a part of him that refused to believe in capitulation, that
spurred him to fight back no matter what the odds. These emotions...were
they not what his Master had warned him against? Yet, paradoxically, they
served to focus his thoughts, to direct him towards victory, not defeat. He
would worry about the consequences later; for now, his emotions would serve
as his guide. He chuckled to himself as he flew from the concealment of the 
rocks, soaring out over the leaden sea.
	He sensed Lorrithian's confusion as he flew. Here, without any
cover, he was vulnerable from all angles, an advantage his opponent did not
take long to exploit. White fire rained upon him from all sides, tearing
through the remnants of his armor, searing deep wounds into his body. His
vision dimmed as he struggled with consciousness, yet he took the attacks
stoically, saving his magic for his one chance to retaliate.
	Lorrithian, sensing his weakness, flitted toward him, preparing for
the kill. "Now," he whispered. The sign of Aquarius burst into light as
hurricane-force winds surrounded him, catching Lorrithian in their fury.
"This battle will be decided!" Rhiannon shouted. A briliant sapphire aura
surrounded him as the signs of Cancer, Pisces, and Scorpio burst into light.
"Ternary Conjunction! TSUNAMI!" The sea erupted at his command, cresting
far above him in a massive wave. Serpent heads formed from the raging
waters, laughing contemptuously at the helpless glowing figure caught in the
wind. Rhiannon threw out his arm, directing the serpents to strike...then
faltered as a gout of blood escaped his lips. "No..." he gasped. "I will not
lose..." Yet his strength was fading, and with it, his magic. The Zodiac 
signs dimmed and went dark, the hurricane sputtered and died, the deadly 
waters above him wavered uncertainly, then disintegrated into a million tiny 
ineffectual droplets.
	Lorrithian, released from the battering winds, saw her chance. She
transformed into light, cutting through the falling droplets, circling
around Rhiannon to end his life...
	...then paused, disoriented, when she materialized directly in front
of him, facing the wrong direction.
	Rhiannon permitted himself another brief chuckle as the signs of
Aquarius and Pisces flared, unleashing the power of Arctic Storm. Lorrithian
stiffened as the chill of the north wind pierced through her, then the
surrounding water converged on her, entombing her in a prison of ice.
Rhiannon followed as she plunged towards the sea. A fierce cry escaped his
lips as he drew Razor and raised the blade above his head to deliver the
finishing blow.
	(Enough.)
	Rhiannon halted his attack and watched as Lorrithian splashed into
the sea, throwing up a spray of grey water. "Master, you have reached a
conclusion?"
	(Lorrithian is defeated. You are the victor.)
	Rhiannon's surroundings blurred, then suddenly he was standing
before the Master's throne. The others were assembled there, kneeling in
reverence; cold, calculating Mordath; enigmatic, guarded Jardek; and cruel,
vengeful Kharazz. He similarly dropped to one knee before addressing the dark
figure reclining in the throne. "And what of Lorrithian's fate?"
	"She is unharmed, but will be absent for some time while the ice
melts. An ingenious tactic, Rhiannon; feigning weakness, then using the water 
to alter Lorrithian's path. You have proven yourself worthy of the rank of 
the second most powerful fiend. And now for your reward." A globe of darkness
appeared between the Master's gnarled hands.
	"Thank you, Master," Rhiannon said, and then the globe enveloped
him. It swallowed him ominously for an endless moment before melting away
into the shadows.
	The warrior that returned from the darkness was similar in some
respects, yet different in others. He was clad in plate armor of the deepest
black hue. Softly glimmering constellations covered the armor; if one looked
closely, they could be observed to move about the armor, mimicking the
movement of the stars in the heavens. He retained his fair hair and intense
violet eyes, but his pupils were seemingly as deep as the universe, and
galaxies and constellations were visible within. The only other reminders of
his mortal life were the sword at his side and his long, flowing red cape.
	"No longer shall I be known as Lord Rhiannon Meylith," he said. "I
have passed beyond the concerns of mere mortals. No longer shall I require
food, drink, or sleep; nor shall the hopes and fears of mortals consume my
every thought." He rose to his full height and threw his cape out impressively.
"My name is Gienah, the Fiend of the Cosmos, second only to Mordath, the Fiend
of Magic. And before me, Master, your foes will fall. The fate of all mortals
is death. When they meet me, they will understand."