un: The story needs a bit of editing, continuity kinda broke up once i started uncovering more of the story...
It was a perfect night. It had been a long time since the three women had shared a living space, and they noticed the energies converging on them the moment they set foot through the door. Gwynefyr was happy to have her beloved children under her roof once more, even if it was only for a short while. Wendy and Gwen were on break from their schooling across the Atlantic, and quite glad to be home again. They hadn’t spoken to each other much while at school; full class-schedules and separate dorms across campus saw to it that they didn’t even see each other much. Now was a time of reunion, reflecting on the events of the past semester. Their mother was content to simply relax in a cozy chair and absorb the tales from her two daughters. Their relationship had always been a bit rocky growing up, a rather puzzling situation since they were twins. Gwynefyr had always imagined that having twins would be like having one child with two bodies, not these two distinctively individualistic young women that sat before her now. In a way she was glad; she didn’t want them to rely on each other for everything, but it seemed to her that the things they should rely on each other for were the things that they always chose to face alone. Not entirely alone, since she was always just a phone-call away, but alone enough that it made her worry about what they would do when she was gone. A situation that she had no idea was coming all too soon.
As they sat in the living room, enjoying the after-effects of their hearty meal by a warm fire; the movie they were watching was interrupted by a newsman reporting that Paragon City was under attack from an alien force. Living in the suburbs of the city naturally made this a rather troublesome dilemma for Gwynefyr. She knew that she had trained her children to be prepared for the worst at all times; mentally, physically, and magically. She also knew that they were still young and needed to mature a bit more to reach their magical potential. She knew they wouldn’t be safe joining her. Gwynefyr decided then and there that she was going to help defend the city, and keep her children safe. She told her daughters what she was planning and, at first, they rejected the idea of sitting back while their mother was in danger. They knew, however, that their mother had more power at her disposal than the both of them combined, and perhaps multiplied a few times as well. They respected their mothers wishes and remained in her home, while she went to City Hall to offer her aid to Paragon’s defense.
Time went by, the war waged between the citizens of Paragon City and the Rikti invaders. Gwynefyr saw less and less of her girls. Then, she was chosen to accompany Omega Team. Proud of their mother, Gwen and Wendy supported her and helped her prepare for the trip. Then, one evening as they were preparing dinner, a terrible feeling swept over them. They knew something was desperately wrong. Gwen reached for the remote and turned on the news. They watched and waited, waiting for something to catch their attention. They unfortunately didn’t have to wait long. After a few minutes of reporting the status of the Rikti Invasion, the newsman took on a somber tone as he began listing the missing in action and casualties of war. They never knew that their mother had an alias, but when the anchor read the name “Il Fyr,” they knew that their mother was gone. It’s one thing to lose your mother, but to learn about it through the evening news? That was too much for Gwenadyne; her emotions poured out of her like a raging torrent of water from a shattered dam. And with these emotions came unchecked magical power. Raw, destructive power, the likes of which she had never believed herself to be capable of. Quickly, the energies manifested themselves into the trademark flames of the Fuer family line.
Wendy barely had enough time to react, but somehow managed to save herself and her sister from the inferno that was just moments ago their home. She had felt the buildup of emotions within herself as well, but Wendy was more in tune with her magick than Gwen. Wendy held her emotions in check and let her magick guide her through the flames to safety. Unfortunately, nothing of the house could be saved after Gwen’s outburst. Family photos, knick-knacks of their mother’s, the little things that would have been their physical memorial for their mother. Gwen had destroyed what she wanted to hold on to when she gave in to her emotions and let her magick control her, rather than the other way around. She had lost herself, and in doing so, lost everything.
Gwen fell into a deep state of depression, barely responsive at all. Wendy tried to snap her out of it on many occasions, but eventually realized the futility of her efforts and was forced to commit Gwen to an insane asylum so that she could continue living her own life. Wendy did not want it to come to this, but she had exhausted every other option available to her; she had even tried contacting their father. He was no better a man now than when he ran out on them before they could even crawl. It even seemed to Wendy that he was almost pleased to hear that Gwynefyr was dead. It took nearly all of her self-control to resist forcing the rotten old man to choke to death on the smoke from his cigar. She realized that she shouldn’t have even bothered trying to get in touch with him; but at this point with Gwen, she was running out of options. A week and a half later, Gwen was committed and Wendy was alone in the world with no one to turn to but herself.
Wendy visited Gwen on a regular basis for a time. After a few months, she thought that she saw some progress being made by the staff at the institute. The day after her last visit proved her wrong in thinking that Gwen would someday be the same sister she had been before their mother had died. She woke that morning to the ring of her telephone soon after dawn. A friendly young female voice greeted her, “Wendy? It’s Ana, from the Institute. We have some rather... well... disturbing news for you. It seems your sister’s condition has gotten worse. She’s showing more lucidity, but… well… the councilor assigned to your sister… He’s dead.” Wendy’s mind raced in multiple directions at once until she was able to pull herself together enough to ask what happened. “We’re not entirely sure. The one minute, they were sitting in Gwen’s room. She seemed like she was half there and half somewhere else, but she was talking… talking about the night you heard that your mother died… The councilor was asking questions of her, but Gwen either didn’t hear him, or didn’t want to hear him… Gwen just continued to talk about how she should’ve been there for your mother… She blames you too, dear… She was getting herself so worked up, we could see the councilor sweating he was so nervous witnessing her in that state. And that’s when the tape just stopped. We sent guards to check what happened… But they couldn’t open the door… It had been fused shut from the inside… When they finally forced the door open, they were greeted by a sight worse than any I could have ever imagined in all my years.” Tears began flowing down Wendy’s cheeks; she knew that after this incident, there would be no hope of getting her sister back. “The room looked like a fire had gutted the place… The councilor's immolated body still sat in the scorched chair, evidence of his notepad still in his lap… But there was Gwen, peaceful as could be… Lying on the charred remains of her bed… I’m sorry, Wendy… We’re having her transported to Zigursky Penitentiary as soon as possible… She’s going to be put in solitary confinement.” Wendy knew this was coming, but was still upset when she heard it. “I’m sorry, Wendy. There’s nothing more that the Institute can offer in a case like your sister’s” With tears streaming down her cheeks, Wendy hung up the receiver. It was time.
Wendy began preparing herself; mentally, physically, and magically. She would put things right. She had to. For her mother. For her sister. For herself.
