The restored Cathedral is guarded by hundreds of titanic dragons.
All of us but Umbra bristle as we land, snarling growls as warnings to keep their fucking distance. Each and every one of us is ready to clash right then and there, but Umbra waves us down and casually strolls toward the grand marble stairs that rise from the landing to the Cathedral's entryway. Merely standing here reminds me of when I walked up these stairs with Hilde just months ago, and all of this began to unwind.
Umbra stops at the foot of the stairs. Her bloodred scales, black dorsal plating, and long black hair cut a sharp silhouette compared to the white marble. With her back to us, she folds her wings close and calmly addresses the towering titans above.
"Hello. My name is Umbra. The one you call the Fallen Queen. There will be no violence. Not yet. I've a brief sermon for the congregation. One which I'm certain many will wish to hear. Including all of you titans."
"Not one step closer, wretch," rumbles the green-white giant at the threshold. "Your words are naught but poison. Return to your hole in the ground and stay there. Lest Her light and Her chosen flock send you there in pieces."
"You fail to understand, Legend Fayne. There are no threats that will turn me away on this day. And aren't you so dreadfully curious as to why Aurora's light hasn't already sent me back to the Hells? Or my Wretched, for that matter. Your masters have declared it is the Goddess's word that any and all Wretches who dare to face the light of the Solaris will be incinerated with immediacy. Yet there stand five of them, perfectly unscathed. Thousands more down below. Odd, isn't it? Why would your deacons and your bishops and your priests tell you we would burn if it is not the truth? Hm?"
Some of them rustle and shift, muttering between themselves. A number of humanoid draconids have exited the Cathedral to see what's happening. Umbra's audience is growing, both in numbers and in doubters.
"They are lying to you," Umbra purrs as she curls a finger in my direction. While I carefully crawl over, she continues reciting the messages we distributed. "Deceptions pour from above. Truth will arrive from below." She reaches for my snout and brings me closer to kiss my nose in front of them all. "The enemy is within. Your allies are without." When I nudge her with my muzzle, she giggles and smiles. "We will arise. Stand down for the truth. Or die defending the lies. The choice is yours. The Goddess below will not decide for you."
The winds of the Heavens brush past us all.
The Goddess above remains oddly silent.
Legend Fayne bares his fangs. "Sheer blasphemy. Goddess? You, a lying, bloodthirsty, murderous drake, lay claim to divinity?"
Umbra smugly grins, slowly sliding a claw up the top of my snout and then scratching my head. "Why do you think Aurora hasn't yet smited me?"
"Perhaps She is allowing you to embarrass yourself."
"Hm. Here I stand 'defiling' her Cathedral's skyland. Speaking 'blasphemy' of such sour scorn. With my beloved Crimson, the Red Storm, who singlehandedly extinguished the imposter Vitalius. With my fastidious Haunt, the Legend Lumos, who was the true slayer of the Bastard Terrelyx. With my loyal Vander the Black, who incinerated the old Archives in a rampage of blazing fury. With my intrepid Plutoryl the Darkwing, a kinslayer who murdered his own brother in cold blood. With my resolute Alabaster, the Raging Blizzard, who brought half your Primarchs to their knees by herself. And yet… No holy light has cast us down. Why? Hm? Why have we not been smited yet?"
None of them respond. The silence lingers.
"Because she cannot smite us." Umbra continues to scratch and kiss my head, as if the conversation is only her second priority. "My power is protecting myself, these five, and every other so-called Wretched draconid in these clouds. If I were not divine, how could I possibly protect them from divine magic?"
The other draconids look to each other for answers.
It seems nobody has them.
I am so proud of my girlfriend.
Now petting my cheeks and ears, Umbra says nothing more for quite some time, allowing the silence to speak for her. The longer it drags on, the more agitated the heavenly draconids become. This is the part where they either question or they entrench. I can practically see a handful of minds changing in the gathered crowd.
Finally, she looks up at the sun. "Smite me, Aurora. Make your eldest sister fall in flames. I tell you now, there is no victory in store for you, no matter how you react to my next maneuver. You ought not risk allowing me the first move. It would be most prudent to end this now, before I have the chance to bite. Strategically, it is your best move."
Nothing comes from above. Nothing.
"That's right. You cannot do so." Umbra hugs my head to her chest and sighs. "If they've lied to you about this… What else could they be lying about? And so I will leave it at that. Heavenly draconids, I offer you an opportunity. I ask you not to turn against those who believe themselves to be your masters, but to step aside while we dismantle their control over you. All you need do is retreat to Nyth's skull at any point during the battle that is to come, where you will find sanctuary both from my forces and Aurora's. Get out of our way and you will not be harmed. Defend this rancid regime and you will be annihilated. It is as simple as that. And now I've said my piece. Has ample opportunity been given, my Crimsy?"
I nod. "It has. Yes. Any who reject this offer will not accept the truth no matter how much more thoroughly we beat them over the head with it. Zealots such as these will be extended no mercy."
"Well said, my love." She kisses my nose again and declares one final time, "Stand aside or die. That is all there is to it. I give you one hour. When the clocktowers strike, this battle will commence, and those who stand in our way will be destroyed."
Without another word, she turns away and climbs onto my back, urging me to dive. Vander, Plutoryl, Haunt, and Alabaster come with us, sharpening our formation as we leave the Cathedral behind. My insides twist into knots as my nerves begin to grow fiercer. The clash is coming, and I have never faced warfare like this. I can only hope I'm able to keep myself together through it all.
One hour's time until the Heavens fall.