As Thiesekh prepared to bid farewell to the myriad friendships it had forged, it found the task daunting yet necessary. Having learned the customs of social grace, the entity chose to honour them, performing the courteous ritual of goodbye despite the ache each parting brought.

In its remaining time, Thiesekh immersed itself in the beauty of the living world: children's laughter echoing through the market squares, lovers sharing quiet moments under starlit skies, and the serene dance of leaves in the gentle summer breeze. It witnessed the splendour of nature, from the delicate frost on early morning flowers to the majestic flight of eagles above.

On the day of reckoning, Thiesekh gazed upon the mountains arrayed before it with a familiar tilt of its head. The snow-capped peaks stood resolute and serene, a timeless beauty untouched by the chaos of the world below. Their lofty silence spoke of endurance and the sublime purity of the natural world.

Reaching the peak, Thiesekh found not solitude but an army, their eyes fixed and weapons ready, devoid of deception, with hatred writ upon many a face. It smiled, appreciating their straightforward approach, though deceit would have made little difference.

They sprung their trap, and a ritual of Ice and Shadow began. As the intricate dance of powers unfolded, the Martyr approached. Thiesekh sensed her intention and smiled; she had kept her promise. As she drove the dagger home, its other half recoiled, and a fierce battle erupted, echoing the tumultuous forces of their clashing wills.

~

The battle raged for days unending, the toll of the fallen too grievous to recount. As time wore on, the resolve of the living began to outweigh the shadows of despair, and the entity, despite its resistance, faltered under the weight of inexorable mortal determination.

In the epilogue of the battle, Valnurana, the Maiden of Dreams, emerged as a visage of serenity and sorrow. She summoned silence with a mere gesture, Her presence acting as a soothing balm. As She approached Thiesekh, Her eyes, brimming with ancient wisdom, conveyed a profound pity. Her crooning voice sang a lullaby of endings, promising a cessation of the suffering that had defined Thiesekh's existence.

Overwhelmed by the Goddess' melancholic melody, Thiesekh found itself torn between its agony and a desperate yearning for release. Valnurana's song deepened, drawing the entity into a final, tender embrace. Her form shifted into shadows as She absorbed Thiesekh's residual pain and fear, allowing it to diminish under Her dark shroud. As the entity faded into a mere echo of its tumultuous past, it found peace in the silent promise of a dreamless rest, finally freed from its earthly bindings.

Its layers flaked away, and what remained lay at the Goddess' feet: a stillborn child of dissolution, cradled by the eternal quiet of the night.

Thiesekh was no more.

Penned by My hand on the 20th of Chronos, in the year 951 AF.