Viva opened her eyes and finally saw what had become of her. She had expected death, yet she lived; only the darkness had been torn from her body. A slow manic cackle bubbled up from her throat, shattering the eerie quiet.
"You think this will stop me? How naive can you be?" she rasped before breaking into unhinged laughter, head thrown back, mouth wide as if she believed she could simply chant another forbidden spell and reclaim her power.
But Eve remained silent. She simply continued her slow advance until she stood over Viva once more. Without a word, she gripped the former queen's jaw. And with Viva still laughing, mouth open, Eve reached in, tore out her tongue, and severed it cleanly with a swift strike of her sword.
