The War Begins

**The War Begins** is the final chapter in **The Fire in the Sky**.

## Part I: Attalia the Legless

In the opening, Anastacia Runehartz recounts the ending of Camp Antonia, and destroys the planet of Omega.

Elsewhere, Attalia Robinsong, with the help of Melian Amdis, uses the explosion to incite rage in the inhabitants of Wraith. They unite the citizens with the sentiment that The Authority is keeping secrets. The Authority then makes matters worse by appointing a new Archduke, Anima, and conditions deteriorate. Attalia convinces Melian that they must be violent and attack the Nefarious Seven full on.

Attalia pursues Mordecai, a member of the Nefarious Seven, and the two battle. During their battle, a strange orb collides into the planet. Mordecai mortally wounds Attalia as Alvera rises from the orb.

## Part II: The Irredeemable Mordecai

Vesuvius Slade, with his memory restored by Anima, pursues Attalia and Alvera. Melian hides them while Attalia recovers. Melian convinces Alvera to go after Mordecai, as he is the Nefarious Seven's weakest link. Melian shares information about Mordecai's past and his weak character.

Alvera tracks down Mordecai in the mountains of Wraith. She finds him in the same cave that the Vindictive Four once fought a ferocious beast. The two speak, and Alvera tells him that she does not want to kill him. She only wants to stop what the Nefarious Seven is doing to the galaxy.

Mordecai refuses to relent. The two fight and end up on the cliff of the mountain. Alvera ducks at the last moment during a thrust from Mordecai's sword, and he plunges to the bottom of the mountain.

Alvera says a prayer to Fiora, and heads back to Melian's hideout.

The Nefarious Six meet and conclude that Alvera must be found and killed immediately. Anima denies her a place in the Nefarious Six, since she did not technically kill Mordecai.

## Part III: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story

Attalia's condition worsens. Melian realizes that fleeing the planet is in their best interest, but he realizes he could not leave since he is the Livaseer.

Alvera and Attalia recount their adventures together. They catch up on their time apart. Ender attacks the hideout. With the help of Attalia's men, they defeat him. He flees with Alvera's warning to Anima.

During the battle, Attalia has fallen into a comatose state. Melian and Alvera leave the hideout to go to Spero. Before departing, they broadcast a message of rebellion to the galaxy. They swear to end Anima's tyranny and help the galaxy find peace.

## Part IV: Ghosts of Yesterday

Melian tracks down Alden Juniper, and using his knowledge of the Etherea, Alvera and Melian seek to ruin Anima's plan of destroying the afterlife planes. But Alden casts the wrong spell, and instead does the unthinkable. He opens a portal to the Relentless Black, letting out all of the worst souls in the history of the universe.

Alvera, along with Melian and Alden, fight various Wanderers and millions of Wraithans are killed in the crossfire. Anima seals the Relentless Black and looks to be a hero to the people of Wraith. This minimizes the plight of the Rebellion and causes most of the rebellion's support to praise Anima.

Alvera is about to give up hope to stop Anima, but a lone spirit approaches her. Klemens was able to avoid Anima's seal, and is able to walk among the living once more. He does not know how long his soul can last on the Mortal Coul, so he convinces Alvera that they must act quickly. Attalia recovers completely in this time as well. Alvera, Attalia, Klemens, and Melian head to Spero to face-off one last time with the leader of the Nefarious Six.

## Part V: A Plane To Call Home

The adventurers disguise themselves, and are able to request a council with Anima without her knowing their identities. Anima knows of their plan, but allows them to fool her guards. She is left alone with the four in her throne room. She introduces herself formally to the group, and apologizes for all of the pain she has caused them. She sees how much they all hate her, and she claims that she could not make her journey without ruffling feathers.

Anima reveals that she has immortal life, granted to her by all of the lives she has taken. She claims that a battle would be futile, and would only end in all of their deaths. She instead makes an offer. Klemens refuses without even hearing the deal. Anima accepts, and states that she did not expect them to hear her out. She promises that after she kills them they will all be much happier. She has used her power for what she claims to be good.

They fight. Melian is blown out of the window and into Spero below. Anima cannot kill him without destroying Wraith, so a fight to the death would be idiotic of her.

She defeats Klemens first, and then Attalia. Attalia spits at her feet before Anima kills her. Alvera prays to Fiora as Anima conjures a dark ball of magic. Anima apologizes once more and throws the dark power ball at Alvera. Time freezes. Alvera hears the voice of Fiora coming from above. Fiora states that she cannot intervene and save Alvera, but that once she dies, her soul will ascend and be with her. *This means that Alvera will become a God with Fiora and The Crimson King.* Alvera accepts her fate, and is killed by the ball of dark magic.

Alvera's immortal soul goes on to protect the Ethereal Plane, and her embodiment exists in Saeluca. Anima was true to her word; Saeluca has been turned into an endless sprawl of land. A small city exists where all of Attalia, Klemens, and Alvera's friends exist in peace. Alvera is later told by Fiora that Anima made this plane to ensure that their souls could never find a way back to the Mortal Coil. Fiora implores Alvera to let her friends have rest, and to fight Anima by keeping her out of the Ethereal Plane. Alvera receives full control of the Ethereal Plane, and all access to it. People pray to her, as she controls all of the planes of the afterlife (besides the Underworld, which is still controlled by The Crimson King).

Anima continues to rule the Mortal Coil, but Alvera makes her life harder at every chance she gets. She also spends time with her friends in Saeluca whenever she is not defending her Coil. The saga ends with a message of hope from Fiora. Fiora claims that Alvera and her light will shine bright enough to stop Anima from ever being able to control the dead again. As long as Alvera has her friends to protect in Saeluca, she will never give in to Anima's power, and the planes of the afterlife will be forever safe.

In the epilogue, nearly 900 years later. A small child named Monty Carlo prays to a goddess named *Elvira*, (a misinterpretation of Alvera's name over the long time period) and asks for friends of his own. The Goddess Elvira is known for her friends in Saeluca, and he wants friends to adventure with just like her many friends. Alvera, answering her first prayer on the Mortal Coil, gives the boy friends, and sets the events of Chapter 2 of The Universal War into motion.