Saint Liddell
Hatred. Homicidal Rage. Anger. Disgust. Jealousy. Envy. Mistrust. Saint Liddell had experienced so many of the negative emotions over the centuries she lived, abandoned by everyone, including the Gods. But for the first time in decades, she couldn't feel Eigengrau's omnipresence. Where was she?
"Hello, Amaranth." James said, as he floated in a black void, across from Liddell's pulsating soul. "My name is Professor James Hargrave."
"What do you want?" She asked, her voice full of venom. "Another favoured of the Gods come to mock Liddell the Abandoned?"
"Far from it." James said, keeping his thoughts to himself. "I've a question for you. Did you ever regret it?"
"Regret what?"
"Unleashing that plague on Port Nautitus, in the year 820." James answered. "Quite the mess you made."
Liddell wasn't sure what to think. Not once had anybody ever asked her about that. Not that they could have, it hadn't happened yet. Which means now it had. She sat in silence for long minutes, thinking of that day. That's when she realized something.
"If you're asking me about that it's just happened, hasn't it?" She asked. James nodded, and so she continued. "I remember that day with perfect clarity. It was the day my entire life went to shit. So what do you want, kid? Some kind of explanation? Oh no I regret it so much I wish I didn't that kind of crap? Bunch of baloney. I don't regret killing them all in the slightest."
"Then I'll ask another question. Do you hate Eigengrau?" James asked, which prompted an immediate reaction.
"Of course I fucking hate her!" Liddell shouted. "For what she represents!"
"But what about as a person?" James asked, cutting her off.
"I... No." Liddell admitted. "She's as much of a slave to her station as any mortal."
"I thought so." James said. "What's this about is Eigengrau's sorrow at what she's about to do to you."
Liddell started laughing, as her soul started to remould itself, the laughter starting to echo until she resembled Major Amy Waters, but far older. Shaking her head, she grinned broadly.
"I did it to myself." Liddell said with a maniacal grin. "I understand now, the lattices in my mind have cleared."
"What do you mean?" James asked.
"I'm outside of the universe. Vordea can no longer claim me. Let's go."
Liddell made some motions with her hands, and the void around them dissolved. James found they were back outside Port Nautitus, and shrugged at Vordea.
"I think not, Vordea." Liddell said, snapping her fingers. "I exist outside of your cycle, and I will speak to Eigengrau."
"James, what did you say to her?" Vordea asked, the anger in her voice evident.
"I helped her understand." James answered. "Mostly she just talked at me."
"Amaranth Liddell, the one I couldn't save." Eigengrau said as she stared down Liddell. "Come to see my failure in person?"
"Far from it. You didn't do it, that's why you don't remember it." Liddell replied, gesturing at the time stop. "I'll take my younger self back to where she needs to be, Sirene. As for the city, there's something I need to do, but you won't like it."
Liddell turned her attention to the large time stop Eigengrau had erected around it, and walked up to it. Touching it with both hands, Liddell seemed to flicker and distort, like one of Mira Frost's illusions, until the city simply vanished, a crater left in its place. Liddell turned around and laughed at the shocked expressions of the Gods.
"Liddell, what did you do." Vordea demanded, striding up to her.
"I have claimed the city. A city of the abandoned. Port Nautitus no longer exists in this universe, and neither do the people who died there, Mira." Liddell responded, as she slowly started to fade. "I told you nobody can decide my fate, Sirene."
It was at this point, Eigengrau noticed time all around was starting to taste weird, and then saw a certain dragon step out of thin air, and place his hand on Liddell's shoulder, anchoring her in linear time.
"So, it's you." Narin said, smiling broadly. "The meddler, at long last. You're not going anywhere quite yet."
"Narin!" Vordea shouted. "What are you doing here?"
"The Clockwork Dragon." Liddell hissed. "Get your hand off me!" Liddell's body glowed as she tried to rot Narin, but he just smiled, and shook his head. "This city is mine!"
"Time slows, time crawls." Eigengrau said, beginning to cast All Stop, much to Liddell's horror.
"No, stop her!" She shouted.
"Time doesn't move at all." Eigengrau continued, a horrific grin on her face, as Narin kept his hand firmly in place on Liddell, to prevent her escape. "All are bound, none escape. All stop!"