Return to Sonic

Then, Liana teleported away. She reappeared in Aeolia and headed for the main bazaar. Crowds gathered around her, jeering and cursing her. Liana didn't care.

"Sonicans! I can help you gain your rights!"

"We don't need any help from you!" someone yelled.

Another roared, "We hate you!"

"Traitor!"

"You're a Mainlander yourself!"

Liana just sighed and snapped her fingers. The protesters' necks snapped. People screamed as their bodies collapsed.

Then, the crowd parted to reveal a familiar face.

"Preston Simmons," Liana said nonchalantly. "How lovely to see you again."

"It's been a little over a year, Liana. Where have you been?"

"The bottom-side of the world."

He looked confused. She laughed.

"Vander brought me back to deal with Sonic. Apparently, you all have started a petition for more rights. Well, I'm here to help with that."

"What do you want, Liana?" Preston asked coldly.

"What do I want?" she mused. "Something I can never have."

"The Sonicans don't want your help. They don't need you, Liana."

"And yet, I feel the need to make it up to them."

"Go back to the Mainland!" a mage yelled.

"You've done enough! You killed the Gathering, and now you've begun to kill us too!"

Liana's eyes flared.

"Ai tule!"

She called her hellhounds.

"Hait dun!"

Upon hearing the command from her lips, her hellhounds lunged at the mages. Preston dodged out of the way as Liana watched Sonicans get ripped to shreds. She felt nothing as it happened, her heart hardened.

"Is this really what you want, Liana? To be known as a mass murderer?" Preston hissed in her ear.

She turned to look at him.

"The hellhounds will not stop until I give the command."

"You didn't answer my question."

Liana raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you care, Preston?"

"I don't. I just figured you might. You always were quite vain."

She glared at him, her eyes smoldering.

"You think too much of me, High Governor."

"Really? I thought I thought too little of you."

She didn't bite at the bait that time. Instead, Liana turned to look at the devastation her hellhounds were causing. A few moments of silence passed.

"Call them off."

"No."

"Liana, call them off. The mages have suffered enough because of you."

"Many have suffered because of me."

"Stop. Your. Hellhounds. Liana."

She turned to look at him.

"If you promise to fight for them, then I will."

"What?" he asked, confused.

"If you promise to fight for the mages, with all the political power you have, then I will. Yes, you're right. I have caused the mages to suffer. But if you will try to fix what I've done wrong, then I'll call off my hounds. As High Governor, it's the least you could do."

"I promise, Liana. I swear it upon my own magic."

"Ti suq!"

Her hellhounds stopped and looked at her. She nodded, and they left, returning to Hell. Then, Liana turned back to Preston.

"Don't go back on your word, Preston. Or I will kill you."

"I won't."

"Good."

Then, she watched as another familiar man appeared. Her features darkened.

"Mikhail."

"Princess."

Silence fell between the two. Then, Mikhail cleared his throat.

"It's good to see you again, Princess."

"Don't. Just don't."

Her eyes flicked up at the setting sun. Liana closed her eyes and sighed.

"It's getting late. I should be heading home."

"Wait, Princess... I'm sorry, okay. But I was doing this for the best of everyone."

"Everyone but me," she muttered.

'But I don't count, do I? I'm the one who started all of this. I'm the one who got killed. I'm the one who's running from the Masters of Hell.'

"Princess?"

She looked at Mikhail. "It's okay. I forgive you. You were just doing your job, I can't fault you for that."

Liana bit her lip and said, "I should go."

Then, she teleported away from Sonic. She returned to Shipwreck Cove and sat down.

"I will never know peace, will I? I've brought this upon myself."

"Yessssss, you have."

She jumped in place and turned around. The shadow creature that had been following her for the past year stood up on the rocks above her.

"Do they want me back now?" Liana asked sadly.

"No, but they requessssst a meeting. And sssssssoon."

"Where?"

"You know the placcccce. In the palaccccce."

Liana shivered. She did indeed know where the Masters meant.

"Tell them tonight. Right after suppertime."

"Of course, Princcccesssss."

Then, the shadow disappeared. Liana sighed and teleported back to the palace in Dressna. She reappeared in her bedroom and quickly changed her attire for more suitable dinner clothes.

Taking a look at herself in the mirror, she did away with the illusion of herself and looked at the body of Raevyn.

"The poor girl. I hope she ended up in a better place than I did."

Then, Liana reillusioned her body to her former self. Taking a sad breath in and out, she left her room and headed for the dining hall.