WoS Chapter 9

amteth just stood there blinking... not entirely sure of what just happened. he did i minor recape of what happened '[i]salkethe mentions courage and makes everyone sad, kaldi lightens the mood a bit, i get cased up in rock and brought back to life?" he said counting these things off on his fingers. "oh..." he passes out and hits the ground with a smack

thorn growls and returns to his ceree form. stomping his paw on the ground, the stone below amteth forms a small wheelbarrow to carry him in "what an idiot" he shook his head slowly

Seraph found himself standing on a piece of rock facing a giant waterfall. He looked behind, and saw Noundele standing. " What are we doing here? Why did you attack me?"

Noundele managed a laugh. " I wasn't really going to attack you. We're here so you can fully control your magic. Now sit on that rock and concentrate."

Seraph sat on the rock and closed his eyes. When he opened them, a dark figure started to appear from the waterfall an ominous figure. He was a ceree, and he had horns like an antler. He had a few markings on his body. He had a color of pale blue, only a darker shade. He was grinning like a madman, and he was somewhat familiar to Seraph.

Seraph was looking at an evil replica of himself.

"Wh..Wh.. Who are you?" Seraph managed to ask.

" Why, I'm you of course." Seraph's dark side laughed.

"Noundele?"

Noundele was nowhere to be found. There was only Seraph and Seraph.

" Then why are you here?" Seraph asked almost immediately after looking for Noundele.

" I came here as the manifestation of you hatred, anxiety and fear. In other words, I am the REAL Seraph."

Seraph could not believe this. " Then fight me of you are the real Seraph." His cloak appeared over him.

" You will regret this." Dark Seraph had a similar cloak as well.


The two fought for about two hours, neither of them getting the upper hand. They were equally matched. " This... is... impossible."

I told you. I AM THE REAL SERAPH!"

" No. I am. You are my fear, hatred, and anxiety. I am Seraph. Chieftain of the hidden tribe of the Sacred Wings. Ceree born from the Great Mother. Vessel of Noundele, brother of shadows. Embodiment of magic. I am me."

Just then his dark form disappeared. Noundele was there behind him. " Well?"

" I did it."

" Good. On to the next stage." He slashed with his blade and they were gone.

Salkethe paced around the room, thinking. Kaldreiia was busy cleaning herself and Amteth lay on the floor unconscious. Time had stopped but he definitely felt as though the magic's hold was slipping. Shara'hsbin's figure in the fog dissipated partly, only to be forced back together by the being's will. It reminded him too heavily of when they were back in Aznala, the times of uncertainty after receiving a mission, the silent moments that were embarrassingly so and perhaps even the fact that there was too much to handle. He thought he had grown over the years, truth be told, he was none the wiser.

The silence was broken by Thorn who suddenly said "They are coming" and stopped. His forehead was furrowed in consternation and his robes billowed in an unfelt wind. He crossed his arms on his chest and tapped his foot on the floor, deep in contemplation. Shara'hsbin muttered under his breath, a hand held to his foggy stomach. The light played upon him, although the beams moved excruciatingly slow, time had stopped, after all.

Salkethe sat beside Kaldreiia and whispered "Just like the old times, eh Kaldi?" He smiled ruefully and sat with his knees bent towards himself. He rocked himself back and forth gently, it wouldn't be something one would expect from an almost immortal deity but with his rebirth, he looked more like eighteen than eighteen million.

"I guess, but it also comes with the danger. I thought we had gotten away from it all when we left Aznala..." Kaldreiia trailed off. It was understandable, her not wanting to fight. They had left behind hearth and home when they created Sylfe. They had no one to fight for but themselves, even then, they were already beyond any mortal's understanding. Kaldreiia bared her fangs at Salkethe "Oh Triethe, what I would give to slumber on in peace!"

"I don't know, Kaldi... Maybe this is better than sleep. After all, life's just a dream. I don't know what will meet us when we die the true death..." Salkethe muttered. Revelations were far too heavy for light talk. He was busy staring off into the distance, his hair bristling against his earlobes. "Is it better to live or is it better to die? Oh Kaldi, do you know the answer? I don't"

"Sadly, Triethe, neither do I" A wolf's howl echoed in the room. It was simply Salkethe's whistle. It was not as if he expected wolves to rush into the fortress, ready to do his bidding. No, it was simply to calm himself.

---

In the middle of the temple, Shara'hsbin faded into non-existence only to pop up in fully corporeal form beside Thorn. "They are coming..." said the God of music and prophecy. There was a power so massive that in approaching, it cast a heavy blanket on everyone. "They are... sad" said Thorn, shocked.

Just then, a brilliant conflagration exploded in the middle of the temple. Sparks showered down and where they touched, time seemed to stop completely and not just slow down. Shara'hsbin's handsome face was outlined in gold because of the flames. When they cleared, a large red dragon with six emerald eyes stood before them. "I am Red Fang, oldest of the Fayett, pleased to make your acquaintance..." He looked at Shara'hsbin and Thorn. His booming laugh seemed to make the temple ring in laughter too. "Forgive my grandiose entrance. You two have done well, though, but I expected more of them."

Shara'hsbin cleared his throat still in awe after nearly a millenium of seeing the dragon. "Three have not waken from the endless night, my lord."

"Ahh, very well. I trust that they know their mission?" He looked askance at Thorn who nodded. "Very well, then with my blessing, go and fight for the planes." As he left, his eyes fell on Kaldi and Salkethe. They locked gazes for a moment and in that short span of time, Salkethe saw the sadness in the glowing green orbs that were the Fayett's eyes. As he was about to ask about the Fayett's sadness, the Fayett winked at him and vanished into thin air.

"Be prepared, I think we have attracted Sabra'no'a's attention." Shara'hsbin spoke with a certainty that was jarring. As though a summons, the crash of waves was heard against the walls and the bells tolled war.

"How do the bells toll if time is stopped?" asked Salkethe.

"Simple, it no longer is."

---

The next thing Cael knew that he was in a distant land, along with a few thousand people and the rest of the Ceree. It was barren, desolate and any other word that could describe an arid desert. Dunes of sand rolled in the distance and the wind blew dust into the people's eyes.

Radu and Liara were there, but the ancestors were nowhere to be seen. It was a new land, a new life and perhaps a chance at running away from the war. Cael realized, maybe fighting wasn't worth it. These were higher beings that they were fighting against. What could a mere mortal do against them but be killed?

Perhaps it was time to settle down, build a home and start a family. It wouldnt' be long, after all, until everything was scoured clean from the face of Sylfe. Might as well enjoy the rest of their days.

The despair did not set on Cael until that day. Before, he was so drunk with the idea of an epic adventure. It started out well, but when he saw the faces of the people, desperate and sad, he couldn't help but feel that adventure wasn't all that he had taken it to be. Would he be the hero to save the world? No, he would rather be the one who would enjoy his days until the last.

As they walked across the desert, more of the humans died of exhaustion. Tear-drenched husbands were ripped cruelly from their wives. As they walked, looking back, the desert claimed their loved ones. Cael looked at Radu and Liara. Radu hunched over the female, his wings acting as shade from the searing heat. They wouldn't last long, neither would he. What it would be like to die, he did not know.

What was important that now they were safe from the onslaught of dark and higher forces. They were mere mortals after all, and there was salvation to be had at the day's end. Soon, they arrived at an oasis and there rested until they were sated. None wanted to move after that and Cael found memory of the war slowly slipping from his mind.

"Let the higher beings fight their battles, and the mortals theirs. For what war is fought when immortal meets mortal? It is not war,then, but slaughter."

Seraph found himself facing a large gate. Noundele was there beside him. Seraph could feel the immense magic coming from the inside of the gate. " Where are we?"

" We're back on your subconscious. We are here to control your magic right? Well your magic is right there."

He made a gesture with his hands and a strange symbol appeared. This is a shadow seal. I have used this to reinforce the barriers holding the magic within you. The seal became dangerously weak when you assumed you lost control. Now I'm going to remove the seal, and we let the magic out."

" Why do we need to let it out?"

" So we can fight it. When you defeat it, the magic will be yours to fully control."

" Wait. You said we fight it but I must defeat it?"

I will only be able to assist you in fighting it. But you must defeat it alone."

" Alright. Let's do this."

Noundele made another gesture, and the seal was destroyed. Seraph touched his abdomen and another mark appeared. He twisted it and the gate started to open. A huge burst of magic suddenly filled the room and a figure started to appear. He was a ceree too. He had pale blue fur, dark blue eyes and a tatoo only found in the Sacred Wings tribe. He looked like Seraph but he was much older. Seraph was surprised when he saw the form. He was very familiar to him.

Noundele sighed. " The magic took Dominii's form. Not really surprised."

Seraph managed to say one word. " Father!?"

---

Rubian tried to go to the eastland, but he lost sense of direction and went to the westlands instead. He was tired, fatigued and was about to collapse. He found himself in a desert. Not knowing what to do, he continued on, hoping to find some help.