The struggle of dominance between Fred and Illyria continues, with her friends caught in the crossfire. How can both reside in the same body without it tearing them apart? And will they survive at all when faced with the wrath of Eldre Koh, on the path of vengeance after the death of his family? This issue seeks to answer those questions.
Note: This recap may contain spoilers!
The story centers on a lot of battle scenes, but there’s some real character development on the part of Fred tucked in between the bloody confrontations. And there are hints of the potential explorations to come. Strong characters are never in short order in this universe.
We start off with Illyria throwing her power around, saying how she has worshipers and Eldre Koh should bow down to her. He is enraged that Illyria is responsible for the death of his family, but she cannot be brought down. A warrior against a god is no match. Neither is a vampire or slayer against a god, as both Angel and Faith are soon tossed aside as non-threats. Angel is still trying to talk her down, connect to her humanity, but she refuses to be swayed. She is beyond that now.
But her reality and unconscious mind seem to be at war with one another. We see her get seemingly lost inside her own mind, confronting Fred over who has control over her body. Meanwhile, in the real world, Koh continues to attack her. There are simultaneous fights in both locations, with telegraphed moves and questions of which consciousness will make it out alive. Illyria is powerful, is assured of that, but it appears that Fred is stronger. She breaks through the wall and overtakes Illyria as the dominant personality. Good thing for Eldre Koh, too, since Fred manages to take control before Illyria can beat him to a bloody pulp.
But just because Fred’s once again in charge doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy sailing. Illyria is still inside, waiting to emerge again. While the group seems to be ready to take on whatever Magic Town dishes out, the potential power is going to cause a problem. Nadira knows that, and Fred knows it, too. Koh can walk the path of forgiveness, Angel and Faith can try to repair their relationship, and Fred can recover as best she can, but this is not the last time we’ll see Illyria. We just have to hope that, next time, they can once again persevere.
Rating: 3 / 5 Stars
