Choosing Sides

The presence of the undead had not surprised Evenus, but the process on making these atrocities made him curious and for a strange reason, afraid. He watched them rise from the fallen warriors, and all left in the same direction. He also saw the dramatic change in landscape. From the rolling hills and crystal towers came the barren landscape truly devoid of any life. He also saw that these new beings were impossible to kill, a strike straight to the heart merely annoyed the monstrosity.

He bit his lip and cursed. " Just what is going on here?"

__________________________________________________________

" Agador. " Syagrus muttered to himself when he saw the undead. He had never seen these beasts or even known they existed, but for some reason he knew their title. He had an inkling of their origin. They were just husks, the original soul removed and replaced with an artificial soul. They would be classified as true undead.

He shifted into his ceree form, and watched as all the agador left without harming anyone else. " Was this the purpose of the attack? to diminish our forces and increase theirs?" He walked across the battlefield and saw the ceree that he attacked earlier. His eyes flashed a dull gray and he growled. He should kill him, it would give him the satisfaction. He licked his lips, but at the last second he restrained himself. His eyes returned to being a brilliant blue. He approached the two, the red and the ceree lying next him, and asked " Can I be of some help?"

___________________________________________________________

In the fourth sphere, the realm of angels, Ha'Merkavah was facing the gateway to Keth, the third sphere. He still remembered the words of the council. You shall watch over the fallen angel Issend. Be our eyes and observe if he is worthy of returning to the fourth sphere. Ha'Merkavah, this is your mission." As soon as they finished talking, they immediately went back to their intense and rigid rituals. "Pious bastards..." he muttered. He did not hate his kind, but simply disliked their heavily orthodox ways, but he still respected the old ways, just a little looser. He stepped into the gate... and saw a barren landscape.

It was not hard to find Issend, the council had said he had been given the most horrendous ceree form as part of his punishment. He immediately saw the blood red ceree, looking very feral and menacing. "Issend..." He strode nearer to him, careful not to let him notice his presence. " I guess my mission has started."

Syurin stood there, stunned. Klyro had always been reliable and it could cut through any kind of flesh or armor. The metal he had forged it out of was flawless. Now it lay there on the ground, covered in dragon spit, having recently been stuck inside an agador that he had failed to kill. The stab which would normally have been fatal seemed only to irritate the Agador.

"I... meant to do that..." he said slowly, some of the arrogance leeching out of his normally resplendent voice. "What ARE these things?" he asked, a pinch of fear and anger creeping into his voice. He gingerly picked up the blade and if the legends that dragon spit dissolved anything that wasn't evil, he wiped his hands on the undead's clothes. Klyro followed soon after.

"I DEMAND TO KNOW WHAT THESE THINGS ARE!!" he yelled.

---

Crystal pylons. Fer had come upon them during the war in one of the worlds that they passed. It spawned nightmares, particularly because his small contingent had camped around one once and inadvertently activated it in the middle of the night. The only thing that woke them was the gurgling scream of the man in the maw of one of the beasts. All hell broke loose.

It took three of the most powerful mages to sever the flow of power to the pylon and stem the tide of monsters, and it took another four to seal it completely. When they finally succeeded, the entire pylon turned solid black. And a huge hand began to emerge from it. Whatever was on the other side was powerful enough to overcome the seal, and the mages were thrown back. A foolhardy soldier had attacked it but the moment his sword met the crystalline surface of the pylon, he was sucked into it and the entire thing disintegrated. The large hand that had begun to emerge was severed.

He approached the ramshackle group. He kept his mouth shut, though.

Zana smiled at Sellarie, nuzzling him. she didn't care if any blood got on her... stains, like bad memories, go away with a little work "oh dont get so dramatic on me. you just got a little carried away is all.... it has happened to me several times" her paw gave him a playful pat on the cheek. it was not the first time she had seen someone go into a rage, well it was the first she had seen a dragon do it. his actions didn't scare her she just stopped him before he accidentally hurt someone who didn't deserve it.

she looked down at Syruin and smiled at his actions towards the saliva covered blade. "i honestly couldn't tell you what they are... but i think it's time we had a proper introduction... like civilized people." she said, giving sellarie one last quick nuzzle she pulled herself down to be eye level with Syruin. she held out a paw as if to shake hands... though her paw was fully large enough to pick him up with, it was the thought that counts. "I am Zana , the dragonness. i'm also quite sorry for setting your pants on fire earlier, even though you where being rude my reaction was childish at best... now how about we be friends?" she smiled, careful not to intimidate him with her long fangs

----
about that time, a tent behind fer was flattened as someone crashed into it at high speed. an elf girl sat up in the ruined tent. she was about 17 in appearence by human standards, an mass of black hair fell about her face, one part covering half of her face. she was dressed in a rather casual manner for someone running about in such a place during a battle.

when she stood it was clear to see this was no normal elf girl. as she stood, dusting off her pants, the only thing needed to prove her identity was shown. she had tails, two furred tails, characteristic klimnu and markings pointing at a single identity.

Tia'Mara looked up at Fer "THERE YOU ARE!! great gods i was running around this entire place looking for you! seriously, your the only person i know with useful information on agador and i can't find you until the battle is over... i feel like an idiot" she sighed, then laid eyes on the rest of the ramshackle group... she blinked at the two dragons. a blood covered male who seemed depressed, and a female who seemed to be trying to make friends with an elf... she had never seen other true dragons, other than her father... though he was far older, larger, and stronger than both of them. "Fer... how do you always manage to meet the strangest people?"

----
Issend snorted, Are'Zel had just passed out trying to give him a message. something about not hating the angels and their magic not to... something. dam, how useless. he was practically an angel for like 30 seconds and he passed out. Issend growled, kicking dirt at him, issend was about to turn away when he stopped himself... he couldn't just leave Are'Zel there... no he should just got and tend to his own wounds and...

a few seconds later, issend was slowly getting the fallen Ceree onto his back. as soon as Are'Zel was fully on issend's back, Syagrus called out to him. Issend, under the weight of the other ceree, looked up and growled. "you... a soul at war with itself between destruction and calm... yes i remember you, we never got to finish our fight... lucky you, i kinda have a person on my back. but if you must help, then please do. just walk with me and make sure i dont drop this guy... my leg isn't in the best shape." he said and started walking towards francheza and nocru's tent. a simple glance at his leg and one would seem the blood dripping over the already red fur, and sure enough he stumbled every once in awhile...

while he was walking issend couldn't help but sense a familiar spirit... who it was or where he did not know... but he could feel it all the same

outside francheza's tent, the black tulip changed just so slightly. one of the many thorns on the two vines around it fell off...

Sellarie felt a little better after Zana's clear signs of understanding. He nuzzled her too, before she turned to the elf lord, trying to make a proper introduction. He supressed the smile when the picture of such noble with his pants on fire popped in his mind, and concentrated at the other things in hand.

The young lady who just arrived had some interesting information. He assumed his aviendrii form again, better for a conversation with the strangers, and easier to clean, and look presentable. With part of the fabric of a destroyed tent, he tried to clean his arms and hands the best he could, while his clothes covered most of his body, with all the dry blood. Maybe he could do something better later. He approached the two strangers "I couldn't help but hear what the young lady said. You, 'Fer', really has good information about these monsters? 'Agador'? I think the hellhounds from before were just a manner to increase the number of these mindless soldiers. Also... how can we destroy them?" After so many questions, Sellarie sighed and held out a hand, now clean to Fer and the young as well. "I'm sorry, this is not a good place to keep our good manners very well. I'm Sellarie, a dragon from Ehvin."

__________________________________________________


Fran was deeply worried, and started feeling uneasy in Nocru's arms, even if his presence was a little calming to her. At some moment, she looked to Nocru "We need to find out what happened, maybe there is wounded people to help... I'll try to find my brother." She knew that what she said could sound rude, leaving the other alone. Without much thinking, she approached her head and kissed the other in the forehead. "Come with me" she said quickly before turning again and exiting the tent.

She stopped outside, seeing the strangers heading their direction. One of them was carrying her brother in the back. Her heart jumped in the chest, before she noticed that he was probably fine, unharmed as she could feel through their bond. Another ceree was nearby, probably trying to help in some way... but the strangest was the one under her brother, a red and bizarre ceree.

She couldn't look away from him. But she was not terrified... she was somewhat amazed, like a very young cub tht discovers a fantastic and colorful butterfly. The feeling was that she could almost understand what happened to him, but something was missing, and all the meaning was lost. She rushed in their direction, trying to say too many things at the same time. At the end, she took a deep breath, and tried to speak more normally. "Thanks for helping my brother. I'll take care of him now" That words seemed gentle, but futile. She was not strong enough to carry him, even if she was tall for her young age. She noticed the wound in Issend's leg "Oh! You're hurt too!" She rushed to his leg, and without waiting for a permission, she put a paw near it, emanating her caring aura, starting the heal proccess.

_________________________________________________

Are'Zel was in deep sleep, submerged in a darkness without dreams. In that state, his unconscious formed words and lost memories, and he mumbled from time to time, too quietly to catch much attention. "... your judgement... ...I need... ...help... ...guilty soul..."

His curiosity made Evenus forget his manners. He held out his right hand, fingers bloody from pulling the string from his bow. Noticing his bloody hand, he quickly took it and wiped it with a cloth. " Terribly sorry. Here." He held out a clean hand, but the wounds are still clearly visible. " My name is Evenus. An aviendrii. I wouldn't mind if you call me a chicken-elf. I would just impale you and get it over with." Even though he was tired and fatigued, he can still make sarcastic remarks.

When he heard the words 'Agador', he quickly went to the elven woman and the dragon-like creature and went beside Sellarie. He just heard him introduce himself. He did the same. " Merry meet. If you call this merry. I am Evenus, an aviendrii from the plane of Ehvin. Now, from what I have overheard, you know what these monstrosities are. Please tell us more."


-----------------------------------
Syagrus eyes flickered from blue to gray every time he looked at the blood red ceree. The rage was building up inside him, and he didn't know if he could contain it any longer. He had to, if wanted to retain his sanity. He tried to help, making the guess that it would help calm him down. It didn't. But he was happy he was able to help. He carried half of the ceree on his own back, walking at the ceree's left, to ensure support.

When they had reached a tent, another ceree, presumably the unconscious' sibling tended to his sleeping brother. She had also treated Issend's leg, and she felt her aura. It was soothing, calming, making all the rage within him dissipate. Syagrus wondered, if she was the solution to his bipolar problem.


-----------------------------------

Merkavah smiled at what Issend did. Maybe the council was wrong. And maybe his mission would be quick and he could get back to the fourth sphere. He approached closer and he saw something surprising. " Angels..." he murmured. So there were angels beside Issend. Maybe this mission could get interesting after all.

Tia'mara looked at Evenus with a calm smile "dont worry i have no intention of calling you a chicken elf. i've meet quite a few aviendrii in my life. very nice people, highly skilled in archery... tried to learn from them, archery just wasn't my thing. well at least the ones i met where nice, hopefully you aren't one of those random ill tempered people" she winked and shook evenus' offered hand. she turned and glared at Sellarie "the 'young lady'?" she asked, narrowing her eyes as if she had been insulted "i'm 75 for your information, not a kid" she huffed, sticking her tongue out at him.

of course 75 by ceree standards made her a teenager, but compared to most other species... 75 was quite a long life. she sighed, running a hand through her raven black hair "anyways, i dont know too much on agador, just stories from my parents. the basic is an agador is created when the soul of a living person is replaced with an a false soul that only knows undying loyalty to it's creator, and can only be 'freed' if the creator returns the real soul to the body, or something like that.. or the same kind of false soul is planted into the body of an already dead being, reanimating the corpse and making it loyal and blah blah blah. as for how to kill them... no idea. Fer knows the most about agador... well out of all the people i know... other than my parents... who have actually become agador... for very very short periods of time" she winked at fer, sharing some kind of inside joke... well she thought it was funny.

----
Issend did his best to ignore Syagrus. looking at that ceree only provoked the undying wrath that welled within his heart. he sighed, he hated to admit it but he was glad for the help carrying Are'Zel. he was quite surprised when Francheza ran up. he blinked several times during the the time she paused to look at him... she... wasn't scared of him. he could see it in her eyes, not even the slightest bit of fear pricked at her mind. he was a little stunned even more so when she ran up to him "H-Hey what do you think your doing!? get aw- ohh... he had been on the verge of trying to knock her away, but then realized she was healing him. "... thanks... err sorry for snapping, lets get this guy into the tent" he gave a quick apology as he flexed his arm, but then changed the subject...

a few minutes later Are'Zel had been safely deposited within the tent. Issend was sitting just outside, staring down at the black and red tulip, surrounded in thorns. of course that wasn't the only thing he was doing, he was trying to stay close to Francheza and her aura. the calm it gave made him feel at peace, it helped him think. he continued to rerun that last little snippet of words he caught from Are'Zel "... your judgement... ...I need... ...help... ...guilty soul... dam, what does he mean! thats the second time he's left me puzzling over an unfinished statement... he suddenly snapped his head up "Ha'Merkavah! i know it's you! show yourself!" he roared out

Nocru was tired. He felt something stirring at the back of his mind and he didn't like it. With Francheza's proximity, he was slowly being reconnected to the lifestream and this connection was trying to bring back his visions. He quivered with the effort of holding them back, if only to protect Francheza. He was still holding on to the possibility that she would be the key to his redemption.

He snapped back to reality when he saw the red demonic ceree outside with Francheza. His heart raced and he could hear it pounding in his ears. His normally drooped klimnu rose into the air and began to quiver, his alerons snapped from their limpness and rose, the klimnu making a rustling sound as they hardened their edges into blades. A snarl began to form on Nocru's face and a low throaty growl escaped his lips.

"Get... away..." he slowly got up from his sitting position. His tail flicked and struck a gash in the tent's wall. His body tensed and he slowly made his way to the wall of the tent. He coiled himself and lunged with all his might. His alerons cut an x-shaped hole in the tent's fabric and the force of his jump carried him straight for the demon. "from Francheza!!!" he yelled, his only thoughts were to keep Francheza safe and his fractured mind did not register the fact that Francheza wasn't the least bit in danger.

YOU FILTHY HEATHEN! Issend roared, his paw lashing out and grabbing Nocru around the neck. he slammed the ceree into the ground with ease. after all, Issend was very strong and throughly trained for combat, a surprise attack was no surprise to him.his blade like alerons poised to strike like four scorpion stings. he growled at Nocru pitful and weak. i am endlessly older and stronger than you, weakling... let me guess you attacked me because of how i looked? is that i look like a demon, and you automatically assumed i planned on ripping your friend to pieces? i was actually helping... but it's too late now... he grinned savagely as he used a claw to make a small X in nocru's fur above his heart.

he raised a paw to slash down... but he... couldn't. he stood there, paw poised to strike, alerons ready to impale, just standing over Nocru... slowly he lowered his alerons and paw. he... he couldn't kill him. the oddest part was he could tell it wasn't just Francheza's calming aura that helped him stop himself. he stepped off Nocru, hanging his head in shame... "... forgive me... i... i let my anger control me, i'm sorry for what i said... and did he apologized

"Sorry lady, I didn't mean to offend you. I'm not underestimating your maturity" Sellarie smiled to Tia'Mara, but made no comments about the fact that her age was still very little to dragons like him and Zana. He heard about the agador with interest, but was horrified to see his fears all confirmed. Their bodies were under some devilish control. But still, he couldn't think how her parents could become agador and come back...

He turned to the man referred as Fer "So, what can you explain about the agador?"

_________________________________________________

Francheza smiled to herself when heard the big red ceree apologizing to her. He was clearly better inside, even if he was pretty unstable, while his companion, beautiful with his blue marks, was some of the opposite: inside his calmness and light appearence, was something very powerful, but also dangerous. They both seemed in a peaceful state, or at least on truce, so she looked for her brother to make sure he was okay. Everything was fine...

She had no time to interfere when Nocru jumped from inside the tent attacking the other. "No!!" She screamed, before a rocky wall emerged from the ground, protecting her from the impending violence. She had no part in it, it was Are'Zel's magic; being completely unconscious, his bonds with Fran and Nocru were everything that could control his powers. Feeling the danger, he protected his sister. Feeling the anger in Nocru, he made no actions to prevent his attack.

But deeply inside, he knew that conflict could be terrible, and part of his mind was still trying to give that message. Something that could change all hopes and hate in Issend's heart. All these wild worries proved too much for him to rest, and he woke up, trying to focus his mind in the new situation.

He stepped outside at the moment Issend apologized. Francheza was trying to climb that wall, before Are'Zel made it disappear again, and she almost fell to the ground. She rushed to Nocru. "Please, stop it! I'm fine! He was helping my brother!". She positioned her paw over his chest. Are'Zel went to Issend, and looked to him. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier, in our world. You are much better than I thought." He looked down, and put a paw in his head, feeling a headache. "If that... power... can occur again... I'll give you that message. Even if... they get angry at me...Even if I don't know what 'they' are."

"Why don't I just show you..." said Fer. He smiled grimly, his eyes gaunt with the realization that to have the ability to create and control more than one Agador from such a distance, Destiny would have to be powerful beyond mortal comprehension. Simply being in his presence, at the moment when he was gaining much greater power would simply burn anyone and everyone to a crisp. He touched his silver bracelet and it gleamed for a moment.

Overhead, the leathery snap of a dragon's wings was heard and strong winds buffeted the small party that was gathered. "Meet MY agador..."
___________________________________________________________

The wound inflicted stung and Nocru's fractured state of mind still didn't register that no peril was coming to Francheza. His alerons rose in agitation, klimnu sharpening into deadly blades once more. Only Francheza's reassuring yet panicked voice brought them back to their normally limp state. "I-I'm sorry... I don't know what came over me..." said Nocru.

He realized then that had he been off he would have hurt even Francheza. He broke down sobbing. He felt a gnawing pain over his chest but it didn't register to him. He pushed himself off the ground and ran off again. His mind swimming with thousands of thoughts.
___________________________________________________________

"I don't need to associate with such heathen beasts... Zunich, or whatever your name is. I will lead this army to victory. I'm off to seek my destiny!" said Syurin without as much as a glance backward. He headed off, not even noticing the massive red dragon that had landed near the party.

"YOU have an agador!?" Evenus said with clear amazement in his voice. His mind began racing on the possibilties. They could study Fer's agador, know its secrets and weaknesses. It would even be a powerful asset for them, fighting agador with agador, but those possibilities were slim, as he remembered the massive number of newly created agador that had just left the battlefield.

He took a deep breath and looked above. " I wonder what your agador looks like?"

--------------------------------------------
Syagrus felt more at ease when he had placed his burden on the ground. He then noticed the gray. It was the same he saw at the forest when he began chasing the rock. The sight of him brought back memories, horrible memories of him killing innocent creatures and him laughing horrendously, enjoying the killing. Syagrus staggered, but quickly regained his composure. He was not going to act weak. The insanity would feed off that weakness, and the last thing he wanted was the darkness to come back. He then sensed a strange wave of light, it was coming closer. He turned and saw...

-------------------------------------------
" Hmph. I guess he's still able to sense me. Might as well come out." He stepped from the shadows to reveal himself. Angels were above deception so he revealed his true form as he approached Issend. His shining robes swept the ground, armor clanging as he moved. It was hard not to marvel at the shining figure. As he stopped, he smiled. "Hello my old friend. It has been a while."

Zana huffed with indignation, and sat back up again. Syruin was difficult... but she wasn't going to give up just yet, she planned to teach that little man some manners. she sighed and looked back to the others, and her white scales hide a blush that would of been there otherwise. Sellarie was in his hidden form, she could even tell the stranger girl's form was not true.

where she a bit more... learned in the art of transformation, she would transform too... but she did have the fact of she wasn't a fan of public nudity, and she was sure the others where the same... and great gods she could probably make Sellarie pass out. she coughed, scratching her head "i'd join you in elven form... but i kinda can't, just not the best idea. i'll just stay the way i am" she gave a half hearted laugh, exchanging a quick glance with sellarie

----
Tia raised an eyebrow at the rude elf. "well... your a prick aren't you?" she said, making sure she was perfectly loud enough for Syruin to hear her. she shook her head and looked back at the white dragon.... she blinked a few times, trying to figure out a reason why the white dragoness wouldn't transform... then it hit her, she recognized the signs of her predicament. silently sympathizing with her situation

she blinked at ferhoron, looking to the sky with anticipation. she smiled seeing the large red dragon. it was the same agador ferhorn used when she was just a cub. she smiled at agador "he's gotten bigger i think" she said with a grin

----
Issend gave a small smile "thank you for your kindness sir... but i think you where right about what you said back on your world. i am lost and fallen... perhaps with some work i can be found again." he bit his lip for a moment.... he had a feeling that the higher up angels wouldn't like it if he explained exact what was going on to Are'Zel and his sister. he didn't really care, but the higher up angels where not happen that issend had been giving a chance at redemption, and would take any excuse to get him in trouble. Issend snorted, giving a half bow as he stepped away to look t the shining angellic being that approached

"let me guess... your my baby sitter? at least they didn't send a complete moron... and you know i can see souls, you being within a mile of me without any form of magic hiding your energy... all i have to do is look in your direction and i see a glowing white fireball. it was a wonder i didn't find you sooner.... nice to see you two, i see you have changed nothing since i was damned"

Sellarie was surprised to see the red dragon as an agador, but he quickly concluded that any species could become agador, after all. Probably agador of all varieties were gathered from that camp, considering the diversity of individuals coming from the many worlds. Dragons could be just as vulnerable.

He understood what Zana said, and was afraid to expose her in anyway she could be ashamed. He could easily create clothes for her and giver her any magical covering, but that would just expose the situation. He didn't give any tip and remained calm when saying "Don't worry, Zana, we'll be perfectly fine, since we're not the only dragons here, now." he pointed to the red agador dragon "Everybody here seems fine with it." He gave an understanding look to Tia'Mara, who also had another form, before glowing and returning to his natural dragon self. Sellarie placed himself near Zana, before asking Fer "How have you managed to create this agador?"

_________________________________________________

Fran bit her lip and started crying, looking at Nocru in his sadness, running away, but Are'Zel stepped in front of her. "I'll talk to him. I can easily follow him, and this place is empty... It could be dangerous to you." He gave another sight to the angel who just appeared, revealing himself to the group and showing some connection with that red ceree. Some things were getting clearer. In the next moment, he jumped over the tent, following the path of Nocru.

Francheza sighed, still sobbing. He tried to clean her face from the tears, and turned to the others. "I'm sorry, I should be stronger. And thank you, really thank you for not attacking him. He acted in despair, he's really confused" he looked gratefully to Issend. "As you probably heard, my name is Francheza, sister of Are'Zel. And you?" She asked the three of them, including the gray ceree with blue marks who came with Issend. "Could I know the name of angels?"

She looked to Issend again "You are an angel too, are't you?" She could feel his essence and recognize him as part of that group; he shared similarities with the being that just appeared, even if their looks were almost opposite. Her heart could pass beyond these forms and recognize them as brothers... Why were they so familiar to their heart, in such a different place?

Being a Virtue was something odd in its own way, as being a Sin can make you important in the devils realms. Being much more symbolic than real, their power was very limited to the missions they have to accomplish. They were high ranked in their plane, but seemed weak... Only expressing their true nature in the mortal realm, they could use more of their power.

_________________________________________________

Are'Zel was running after Nocru, still a vague form really far. He tried to communicate "Please, don't run away. I must thank you for trying to protect my sister when I couldn't. Let's get together again. Let's be a group." He tried to send messages of warming feeling, company and protection to the lonely ceree. "Let's cure this wound on your chest, let us help you. And you will help us. Believe it."

Fer smiled. These people seemed good enough, although part of him wanted to shut them out. He knew that he had gotten over his anti-social tendencies, but not to the point of really being comfortable in the normal social scenario. Now that they were in the middle of a war, though, it was imperative. He forced himself to speak, choking out the words, drawing a few strange glances. "Well, he's kinda an accident, but I know how to make one properly now..." said Fer, scratching his head with a bashful smile.

If Tia was comfortable with these people then so should he. Besides, he knew he could trust Tia and that she had a nose for danger.
"Agador are made by putting a soul crafted by a magician to do his bidding into a body. If it is living, the original soul is either removed or corrupted, if the body is dead, then the soul is simply placed in the corpse. Agador are generally difficult to control if you don't show them who the master is. I myself have trouble, so I am using this." Fer pointed to his bracelet. "It's magically linked to that--" he continued, pointing at the silver collar, silver chains and silver circle on the agador's maw. "--and allows a bond that is less like agador and master, but rather dragon and rider..."
___________________________________________________________

Nocru sensed both Are'zel's presence and his attempt at mental conversation. He wanted to get away from everyone. He had almost hurt Francheza and that was unforgivable. He broke down under a gnarled tree a ways away from the camp. Little did he know he was at the base of a pylon. At that moment it started to belch out beasts. Large black snakes with glowing purple eyes.

As they slithered toward him, fangs exposed, dripping with poison. The skies began to darken and lightning began to fall like hailstones. Lighting struck one of the snakes and mottled yellow light enveloped its body and it hissed in pleasure.

Then Nocru's proximity alarm for Are'zel sounded. The Ceree was nearby. The snakes still didn't register in his mind. Nocru sat there and yelled "Leave me alone... I am no friend of yours...". His eyes began to burn with tears. Blood red drops fell to the ground and from where they hit, criscrossing lines of energy appeared. The leylines of the plane were being revealed by his tears and in this world, the leylines were many and interconnected.

The red glowing strands made the serpents panic. The lines streaked across the plains. They climbed up only one pylon and that was the one behind Nocru. A surge of energy went through him. "GO AWAY!!!!" howled Nocru, his mental pain manifesting physically as he felt his muscles burn from feeding a spell that he could not stop. At the same time a howl of pain boomed across the land. It came from the Tower of Wyrd.

A ring of red energy erupted from Nocru. It wasn't any kind of magic, it burned with black fire. The ring touched the serpents and they disintegrated. The pylon turned black and crumbled into dust. The ring touched Are'zel who suddenly glowed with golden light but was flung back into camp by the force of it.
_________________________________________________

Had he not heard the telltale whoosh, Syurin would have been caught by it too. He stepped to the side as a golden ball of light whizzed through camp. When it passed him he could have sworn that a dragon was in it, but that was none of his concern. He walked out of camp and saw a lone furry dragon a ways off into the distance. Its form flickered suddenly, to that of a large demon and then back. Syurin blinked, this place was starting to make him hallucinate.

He walked towards one of the pylons and heard a telltale hissing sound from around it. He searched for the source and then he found it. "Epimandu!" he said angrily. They were the most loathsome creatures back on his world. They had the power to call forth the maelstrom and with it powerful abominations. The one he saw lashed out at him, its fangs dripping with glowing purple venom. Its eyes burned with a death sentence to anyone who got close enough.

It was fortunate for Syurin that there was only one. Even the most glorious generals had a creature they wanted not to fight. For him it was the Epimandu. They were the most powerful creatures in his world and they were the most feared. Even the best warriors succumbed to them eventually. He struck out with his sword Klyro and it gleamed in the omnipresent light of the plains. It touched the snake and a line of light bisected it and it fell to the ground in death spasms.

More hisses rose from the countryside and Syurin turned tail and ran for the camp. They were not an enemy he could contend with alone. He needed his army.

Issend chuckled "i still attacked him... i just didn't kill him. he was just trying to protect you thats all. it sort of made sense to tackle me, i do look like a monster after all" he admitted, but was stopped by her question...

Issend gave a small cough, looking away from Francheza... "your right... well i was an angel. i was stripped of my form and powers... i have scars on my back to prove where my wings used to be. i was fallen, so i was an angel... if i still am or will be again is a different matter." he sighed, looking at his paw solemnly. he gave himself a small shake to bring himself back to the present "as for my name, i am R- gak gak guh" he grabbed his throat his he seemed to choke for a moment...

he sighed, thats right... he was forbidden from speaking his true name until he was redeemed. he snorted in annoyance "well... you can just call me Issend" he managed at last, sitting down in defeat... dam angels... suddenly he felt a surge of energy, he looked up seeing the golden ball of light. he blinked "err... i have to go" he said an then ran off to find Are'Zel. he was easy enough to find. he ran over to his friend, grabbing his shoulder "ARE'ZEL! " He yelled, shaking the ceree

----
Zana smiled at sellarie for joining her in dragon form. she scooted closer to him and gave him a quick nuzzle, as a thanks for helping her not feel so awkward in this situation. she turned her eyes from him to the large red agador dragon that had just descended. she gulped, so it could be done to dragons to? well dam, it seemed the point was not to die... but from what tia'mara said, some really powerful people could turn living people into agadors...

she nodded as she listened to fer talk. she looked up at the agador... like a dragon and a rider eh? that made her wonder, could she establish a bond of that nature with someone... ding idea!
she grinned cruelly, turning her head in the direction syruin had walked off in. she finnally knew a way to force him to go down a peg. if she bribed him with the idea of becoming a dragon rider, she was sure he wouldn't refuse. dragon riders where few, but highly respected and powerful. she could tell that respect and power was all the elf wanted... oh she loved a good plan

Evenus's gaze constantly shifted from Fer, the dragon with soft fur instead of hard scales, to the massive red agador dragon that Fer referred as his agador. His eyes showed both awe and fear. Awe that Fer was able to control this dragon and be its rider, at least that's what he stated. The presence of fear was unusual in him. Fear can only strike him at two possible events: maelstroms which are highly unlikely in this plane or anything that would remind him of one.

The Aviendrii turned his look away from the others and turned to where he felt the fear strongest. He could not see them, but he felt its presence. He closed his eyes, hard. He would not show fear, he would not feel the fear, he would just let it pass into nothingness.

----------------------------------------------------

Syagrus completely ignored everything around him. He had other matters to attend. His mind was again in a struggle. He had thought that since his sane mind had regained dominance his bouts of insanity would end permanently. He was completely mistaken. His insanity waited, patiently waited for his mind to be weak enough to conquer once more. It had taunted with memories, his most merciless acts flashed before him. His frail sanity almost broke when he was in close proximity with the red ceree and the gray one. It saw its chance, it tore through his mind and regained control.

His eyes were gray. Chips of blue danced around the dull gray, making them look like shards of glass making impact on a cold marble floor. The blades tied around his back glowed an eerie gray. It had absolute control over him now. He almost laughed, yet it saw the red with his eyes. He growled. He could kill the red, drink its blood and roll around at the remains. What a wonderful comeback act. it thought to itself. But it has been decided that this act would be delayed. A golden ball of light flashed in his eyes and the light coming from angelic being shone as well. The holy light severely weakened it, enough for his sanity to partially take over. His eyes were different now. One blue and one gray. The light shone brighter, and his eyes became blue once more. He collapsed though. The mind had taken its toll on the body.


---------------------------------------------------

Merkavah was about to answer when Issend rudely ignored him and talked to the other ceree. He sighed. He remembered that Issend was almost impossible. His golden eyes flashed as the ceree who left to fetch the gray glowed with a golden light from a distance. Involuntarily, he also unleashed a flash of golden light that illuminated the tent. The trigger was the sight of the ceree. " Angels..." he whispered silently. He had followed Issend to where the ceree lay unconscious. " Before I talk about what is happening now, I might as well talk about what you said before. First, I am not a babysitter, merely a spectator, an observer. Second, I am not a moron. And you shouldn't be talking like that. Third, I see you've changed a lot since we last met. Now with what happened now, frankly I do not know. This is a phenomenon very unusual. Who is this ceree, my old friend?

Sellarie felt the difference in the air before the weird occurrences started. The ball of light just grabbed his attention for one moment, but the closeby danger called his instincts, making him unwittingly mark the ground with his claws. He opened his wings in a futile way of protection, but from the big impact and the sound of the pylon falling, only a gush of wind hit the group.

Sellarie stood again, not yet relieved, and he could see that Evenus was uneasy as well. From the distance, he sighted the lonely form of Syurin reapproaching the camp in a quick pace. Strange forms of sinuous movements were also making their move, and Sellarie could not believe it "Epimandu..." his lips moved when he frowned. Then he found his voice. "End of the resting time, we'll fight again."

___________________________________________________

Francheza's eyes shone with understanding when he heard Issend's story. His name sounded familiar to her, like it had a meaning on it's own, a bad meaning. Maybe she was the only witness of what happened to the gray ceree next to them, due to her high sensibility to feel the pain in others. His eyes of different collors surprised her very deeply. He is fractured... like my brother, in some way.

The sight of her brother flying in a golden sphere was very disconcerting, and she took some moments before run behind Issend and the angel Mer'Kavah. She looked over her shoulder, and saw that the other was with both eyes blue again. But the other vision, at the distance, made her blood freeze in her veins.

She approached the others "Are'Zel!! We must do something about Nocru!! We must help him!!" she tried to reach his brother with all she could, repeating the same thing over and over, but then... "Ny vha'her dei thron für Nocru! Ny vha'her shol lyr!" she said the same in ancient angelic.

__________________________________________________

The explosion hit Are'Zel before he could do anything about it. The power erupted around him, but he was not sure about doing that by himself. His mind was completely taken by... something. His "parts" fighting against something much bigger, older and powerful than both of them. The touch of Issend, who was once part of the same world of this strange force, together with the presence of MerKavah, an angel himself, made this part of him grow stronger. Understanding and confusion poured together, flooding his mind.

His mind was still on Nocru. Why so much power in such fragile being? Why all this could flow through him like a wild stream, when he had no chance against it? Was this part of the Gods desire... or a challenge to all of them?

The voice of Fran, in the old language they invented when she was only a cub - in fact the remaining memories of angelic language - was his trigger. He stood tall, his body light for him, fed by his angelic essence once more, still a weak light when compared to the one of a real angel like Merkavah, but infused with Zeal. Gold waves of soft warmness emanated from him, not so pure as Francheza's, but also reassuring, for was his mission to look over the others. His body remained the same, but his eyes were now silver, as his old red horn became too.

He looked to the small group, and to Issend "When we finish this, remember me to talk to you, and end this puzzle. But now we must do something about that." He pointed to where Nocru remained alone in his suffering, altering the land they stood on.

When Syurin stepped over the boundary of the camp grounds, the epimandu hissed louder than ever. He knew they would not follow him onto camp grounds, they were simply too intelligent for that. The most they would do was summon a maelstrom strong enough to blow the tents from their foundations.

"You sssshall pay for the one you killed Sssyurin Athaleth! Azzzhilum is on his way!" hissed the epimandu, their purple eyes glowing with sinister light. Syurin almost fell for he stumbled backward. His rear end hit the ground, stunned that such a vile creature should know his full name.

"Heathen beast!" He simply loved using the word heathen. Truth be told, pretty much everything that wasn't him was heathen. He simply loved himself. "Whoever this Azhilum of yours is, we are not afraid to fight!" he yelled. Deep inside was a sinking feeling that this could not end well, but it was immediately obliterated by his confidence. "I will lead this fight and victorious we shall be!"
_________________________________________________

Nocru curled up in his place by the tree as crystalline powder rained down on him. The pylon had been completely destroyed. He shivered, even though the place held no heat or cold. His klimnu had changed. They could now looked like black blades and red lines criss-crossed their surfaces in a geometric pattern.

The ground around him was still glowing, still saturated with power. He sobbed a little, knowing that he would never be able to live a normal life.
_________________________________________________

"No. They're stopping..." said Fer. The agador beside him seemed to be agitated. He knew that his Agador could see into different planes provided that there was a portal for him to see through. The proximity of the pylons must have been making him go crazy, but he was never that agitated before.

"Wait..." He had tried to work into the agador's mind to calm it down, but something had repelled him. He forced his way in. What greeted him was an unpleasant sight. A large black snake, infinitely long, with glowing purple eyes was making its way to the plains of fate. It flashed fangs gushing with purple venom at him. Immediately he knew they were in trouble.

"The snake is coming" he said. "Make combat preparations!"

Zana looked up, seeing the form of Syruin running back to camp. a small grin cracked her muzzle as she rolled over her plan one more time. she was at least 80% Syruin would not refuse the chance to become a 'noble' dragon rider. she stood and stretched out her long and graceful form, her wide feathered wings snapping out as she prepared to fly. she smiled at Sellarie, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek "forgive me for leaving... but it appears i have an idiot to save" she grinned at him, then shot off into the sky...

mere seconds after Syruin was done bad mouthing the Epimandu, a large white form darted out of the sky. in a gentle swoop, syruin was caught with the Claws of Zana. she flew high up into the air. she placed syruin on her back... she didn't expect him to go anywhere. there was only one way off, and that was to jump, she knew syruin loved himself to much for suicide or to chance his life in such a manner

"My my... we just keep running into each other dont we? i know you called me a 'Heathen beast' before, but i'm sure you'll consider taking back that claim after we talk a bit... by the way... what do you know of the Dragon Riders?..."

---
Tia'Mara blinked, looking to Fer for an explanation "what do you mean the snake is coming? how worried should we be? is it powerful?" she asked him, giving him a light punch in the shoulder for not being direct enough. she sighed and returned to her ceree form. she gave him a slight flick with one of her tails "come on, mom and dad wanted to see you anyways... might as well be to discuss battle plans" she said with an annoyed grunt. she looked back to Fer as she started walking "well come on follow me"

----
Issend blinked as he looked to Francheza... she was speaking in the ancient language of the Angels... how could she possibly remeber that at this stage, she wasn't even aware of who she was...

Issend snapped out of his wonder and looked to Are'Zel as he seemed to 'sync' with his Angellic mind a bit. he wasn't all that impressive, but after al he was but a angel in a mortal shell. issend registered what he said, then growled in annoyance "hey! you promised that as soon as you came in contact with your powers again you'd finish the message. why should i have to..." he stopped himself here. he stared at are'zel for a long moment, before continuing "... fine, whatever... have it your way, but as soon as i find you again after the battle, then you tell me" Issend then turned and began to walked in Nocru's direction...

"come... i can see his soul... there are... complications with him right now. it will be difficult to approach Nocru... but we should manage it. now hurry up you idiots, i do not have all day" he said as he began to walk in that direction

"Please, take care of yourself..." He said, not sure if she heard it or not. Sellarie noticed the expression in Zana's face before she left darting for Syurin, and deduced she had something more in mind. But he would never guess her plan, for he was too stubborn and haughty to think about the possibility of a rider for him. And probably he will be horrified if her plan works right, specially if Syurin refer to Zana only as a mount. Oh, he'd go mad...

The moves of the red agador and the tension of it's master also fed his worries; while the young lady was leaving -he guessed right, that should be her natural form - he looked to Feheron. "Do you think we have the time to do as she said? Her father could have a plan?" He followed Tia'Mara, but was still looking to the other. "Epimandu are terrible enemies, but they are waiting, maybe for something worse than themselves. We should reunite with everyone we can find."

______________________________________________________

Frahcheza was surprised seeing her brother change, but it seemed good news. Issend refered to it as his 'powers', and his essence was not so far from the ones of Merkavah or Issend himself; what was missing, the thing that connected all of them? She had little time to think about it, and followed Issend as soon as he started walking. "Do you know what is happening to him? You said you could see his soul..." she walked side by side with the red, looking to him intensely, with her big sad eyes "If you can do that, you're still an angel. And that's is why you're helping him." Her voice had no hesitation, even if her young form had little signs of anxiety. "I'll help too."

Are'Zel gave a short smile when Issend understood the situation. He was sad he could not keep his word and just tell Issend what he wanted, but he could not guess what would be his reaction; Issend's help and powers were absolutely necessary, and he could not risk loosing his determination now. He just hoped that he could keep his own powers long enough to tell everything clearly when the time comes.

The sensation of his light body and smooth movements were pleasing and familiar, making his old self look much more 'dense'and heavy. Most of his memories were still far from reach, but many pictures of different places and beings of light would just dance through his mind. The longer he remained in this state, more memories and comprehension he would achieve.

He approached the gray ceree in the ground, looking tired, as he fought a duel with himself. His aura reached him, and he tried to make the other stand on his feet. "Do you want to rest or be with us?", he asked Syagrus.

Evenus understood the order. He let his hand go to the familiar grip of his bow and immediately took hold of it. He reached for an arrow but immediately dropped it with the sudden sensation of stickiness. " Disgusting." he muttered. Blood still coated the arrow and the stench was horrible. He picked it up using only two fingers and wiped it with a cloth. " There. A bit less disgusting, but it would work just fine." His hand then crept on the hilt of his blade. It was still warm to the touch, but he pulled it out of its scabbard. The blade pulsed with heat. Apparently only the hilt had cooled, the blade was still searing hot. He let his palm over the blade, and he felt the heat being released into the air. He smiled. He was ready for battle.

Now the problem was the epimandu. It was almost impossible to kill. Its snake-like appearance and cold purple eyes, would signal the body's instincts to run. Sellarie was right. If they fought in a group, their chances would heighten, but only a little amount. But were there still others here who could be a formidable ally?

---------------------------------------------

In the darkness of Syagrus' consciousness, two spots blossomed. One a bright blue, the other a dull gray. They both started to glow brighter. Both energies tried to shine brighter than the other, fighting for dominance. The blue once shone brightly, and the gray was nothing but a streak. But the gray waited, patiently waited for the blue to become dull and tired from shining brightly. When the time had come, he shone as bright as the blue, then brighter than the blue itself. The dominant color was now a bright yet dull light of gray.

When the gray had lavished in his triumph, the blue, assisted by an external white light, tried to regain dominance by weakening the gray and strengthening itself. For a brief moment, they were of equal shine. A glimpse of complete equilibrium. But the blue shone brighter and brighter until the gray was hidden among the blue once more. The blue gave peace to the darkness in this mind, and he was able to think and act clearly. Syagrus heard a voice, and responded to it by rising and replying in a very weak voice " I want to be with you and help you."

Issend looked to the ground with a defeated sigh. He was silent for a moment, idly drawing runes in the dirt with a claw "well girly... It kinda err, it's... Involved, and uh...ugh... Fine, I'm just going to say it. From what I have seen, souls stay constant even when they are reborn. Thus I can also tell what a person has been as well as who they are. I can tell everything about a person from a mere glance. It would be to hard to explain it in detail but... Well here is the bottom line, and I'm going to hope I don't spark a memory surge or something with this... But, you and your brother were, no are angels like me. Not fallen, just reborn to complete some mission"

He paused "also your souls shine with the lights of the virtues. Kindness for Francheza and Zeal for Are'Zel. I think you both are not just mere angels, but two of the embodiments of the 7 heavenly virtues" he explained

-----

Tia Mara looked back as Sellarie and Evenus followed "so you two are coming as well? Good, you both seem to know a bit about these epiwhodu or however you say it. The snakes, that works for me. Right well, my father's tent is just up ahead...

They entered a tent where her father was already looking over a map with a few other men who seemed important. The purple haired elf looked up to see his daughter "oh there you are. I thought you where only going to be gone a minute or two to find Fer... Well skin me alive, you did find him!" radu walked over and caught Ferheron in a fierce bear hug "good to see you after so long, how's it been buddy?!"

Sellarie entered the tent a few instants after Tia'Mara and Fer, in his aviendrii form for comfort and to hide the dry blood still covering his arms. He stood near the entrance, to give the occupants all the place they needed, and politely waited for a moment to talk, if necessary. With good eyes, he tried to see the map over the table, and discover more about the lands they were standing now.

_______________________________________________________

Francheza knew that Issend was't joking, but he was wrong... he should be. Even if it made sense in some level of her mind, something was not right. She waited for an insight, a moment of deep comprehension and overflowing joy for find her true nature - but there was nothing. She couldn't be that. Realizing that she was probably silent for too long, she tried to speak "... well, I don't know, it... I'm not saying you're a lier, I believe in your power, but..."

She put her thoughts in a line; first, she discovered that angels were not that completely ethereal and almost unreal beings she believed for some time; they were pretty real, with feeling, morals, and could make mistakes. Feel regret, fight, and whatever more... She looked back to her brother, helping Syagrus many steps behind, and yes, he was probably related to Zeal, and that power was natural to him. And maybe she could be tied to Kindness herself, since that was very close to her nature.

"I don't have memories about being an angel of any kind. I only had dreams about beautiful places, maybe real, maybe not. I always had a feeling that I should accomplish something, but I don't know what." She looked to Issend with honest eyes, a confuse mix of understanding and joke "I don't know how to be an angel! If that is true, I'm pretty useless, specially without my 'mission'. Could you teach me, with Ha'Merkavah, how to be an angel?" Without knowing it, that step could help both of them to return their true origin.

_______________________________________________________

Are'Zel was still near Syagrus, helping him to walk with his paws or alerons "Let's go, but slowly at first." He looked again to the lonely Nocru near the tree, the powerfull entity so fragile to his own sake. His bond with him was too weak to feel him properly, except for waves of energy and his sadness. Through his other bond, he understood a little about what Issend told Fran, and an idea occurred to him. He spoke loudly, so that both Issend and Ha'Merkavah could hear him. "Isso ësh... hangellish?" He tried the last word very awkwardly, for he had no clear idea about how say it right. He meant "Is this angelic?" in the language Fran created... if they could answer it, that would be a clue.

The lifestream was a strange place, a very strange one indeed. Kaldreiia, or as much of her as was left, drifted in its lazy currents. Something was bothering her. Something had happened in the millenia that had passed since Algaisia was killed, and his soul purged of the evil. His soul was recovering, deep in the recesses of the lattice itself, to which a new threat had made itself manifest.

"It has gotten cold, hasn't it?" she whispered. Everything in the lifestream was tinted green, even the sunlight that streamed through the translucent veil that covered it. It was a perfect replica of Sylfe, save for the color. Regions of the lifestream were dark and dismal, pointing out to where blood was shed most. Whenever the swirling currents of the stream would carry her past them, she would shed an ethereal tear.

"It has... my dear, it has..." said the silver dragon beside her, who, of course, was also tinged green. Her own red self was a muddy brown in that realm.

"Who could have thought we could have created something like this?" she asked rhetorically and Sielvoth, her partner, knew not to respond. a small tree nearby suddenly had glowing red vines on it, and the color seeped and branched into the currents of the stream. Suddenly, with a pulse of energy, the lifestream snuffed it out and went dark.

"The stream is purging itself of this disease... destroying itself in the process..." she whispered. She knew too well the nature of the disease that plagued it. The destruction of Algaisia's evil had yielded something so powerful it was capable of destroying nearly everything it touched. It was a taint that seeped into the lifestream of Sylfe and knowing that the planes were beginning to converge, it was a taint that could touch all life.

They had done everything to stop it, yet all their magic, their power, only served to keep it at bay for so long. Eventually, it took to a corporal form. An embodiment of everything against life, an anti-thesis of creation, yet inherently, it was not destructive. It was even benign, however, the corruption that flowed in its veins was the culprit. It was the avatar of fear, in itself fearful of its own nature.

She thought of this paradox and suddenly, the lifestream folded itself around her and whisked her away to a far place. The Grim Moon grew in her sight and swallowed her whole. When she regained her vision, she was staring at a dark gray Ceree and around him, beings that looked like Ceree but glowed with a strange light gathered. The dark gray Ceree was emanating the same red she had seen in the lifestream. Tendrils of it curled towards her. One touched her and she screamed in pain and surprise, she wasn't supposed to feel any physical pain while she was awaiting her rebirth.

The world vanished in a flash of green and she was back beside her beloved. "I have found the taint... its vessel seemed severed from the lifestream... The danger we're in is far greater than what we anticipated."

Evenus' usually carefree expression now showed a mask of terror, and when they had entered the tent, absolute relief. He didn't care about the purple-haired elf who seemed to be Tia Mara's father. His fear clouded his thoughts, making him lose his concentration. He closed his eyes and forced himself to think of calming thoughts. The cool mountain air, the peaceful flapping of wings at his home. That seemed to calm him down. He opened his eyes, and studied the map intensely. If they were to know their terrain, they may use it to their advantage.


---------------------------
Syagrus was grateful for the support Are'Zel had given him. He could barely stand, much less walk. When Are'Zel had spoken, he couldn't comprehend it. It was some sort of strange language. He decided to look at something else.

He glanced at the gray ceree once more. He snarled, nudging himself away from Are'Zel and stood. He strangely had the strength to stand and even assume a very familiar pose: a killer's pose. His muscles tensed. He bared his fangs. The sight of the gray fueled unknown rage inside of him. His eyes were still a bright blue, but one can clearly see he has regained his killing intent. His strength only came from sheer willpower though, and the body failed the mind once more. He collapsed, and blinked. His eyes were of a different color now. One was a bright blue, the other a dull gray.


--------------------------
Merkavah's expression hardened. These ceree who he had just met when he started his quest, embodiments of the seven virtues!? And if so, could these ceree help the fallen angel? Clearly these three angels were to have their fates intertwined, but why? He sighed. He simply did not know these things. Fate has its way of making twists and turns at the most unexpected moments. His expression suddenly turned into surprise, as he heard a language that was not supposed to be known to this sphere. He turned and spoke in the same language Are'Zel had used. " Yes. This dialect is angellic. Your manner in speaking is crude but still understandable." His face hardened once more. "Where did you learn this dialect?"