the m'kraan crystal glints beneath the light of the red tones of the room. her finger reaches out, touches the surface of it, and the feel of the phoenix's spark within her tugs at her, encourages her to come to it. she has something to say. probably something warm, something inspiring. a plea, even, if she could make it so, to make a home back in her warm, raging heart.

molly — madelyne — mally, really, doesn't want to be pulled in now. the crystal is seductive, and so is the phoenix within. she's tired of the phoenix now, of what she represents and what she could mean, what she could want. there are only so many conversations she wanted now.

what she does want is a little more complex. her eyes glow a molten gold, features shifting from a pale human to something more aligned with a deep unsettling pink that was almost red; horns growing from her forehead, and claws extending from her fingers. the atmosphere of the room grows thicker, almost sizzling with magic, and the m'kraan crystal gleams again, less in invitation and more as a warning clarion.

"i didn't think you could be afraid," her voice intones deeply, the magic there threatening. "it looks like you do remember being devoured by us, though."

her claws clutch the m'kraan crystal. "don't worry about that, though. what we mean to do is a little different than that." the crystal vibrates, pulses with power. she doesn't let go as her will sets forth, only allowing a sliver over the phoenix's power to shine through. the magic flows, depressing down on the crystal, leaning it's every plane, it's every nook and cranny.

even when it seems to want to rebel out of her grasp, she doesn't let go. her will is greater than the phoenix, than the crystal. the goblin force is not to be toyed with, not to be underestimated. there's no celestial to entrap them here and now, and as soon as that thought slides across her mind, the work is done.

her hands let go, and before her is a dark mirror of the m'kraan crystal. smaller in size, and perhaps not as pleasant looking next to the real thing. but it's not meant to be fought over by empires or to be used as a way for her to communicate with other phoenix hosts.

she scoops the darker crystal into her hand, turns her back on the m'kraan, and leaves the room it lives in. the door shuts behind her with a snap, and with it goes many old ideas, old identities.

magically, she seals it behind her. casts it into the depths of arcana, only to be retrieved by her. the records with the CSA were already erased, as if it had never belonged to them in the first place. she intends to keep it that way, her fingers already shifting the dark gem she'd crated into something more akin to her. the shape forms as she opens another door in arcana, stepping inside to another room. where the m'kraan crystal had been housed in a place that was swath in reds and pinks, this room was a dark void only lit by a pattern of stars above.

it seems as if she steps into nothingness and it almost is. idly, she makes the room create a dais, made of white marble. it's just large enough that when she finally chooses the shape of the crystal, points in many directions, almost infinite in scope, it fits perfectly.

she observes her work, hums. it needs one more thing from her, and her fangs sink into her palm. blood seeps out of her, and she lets it drip onto the crystal. it glows, pulsates with the shared power, and mally grins.