Chapter 1: Strange

Cael looked at himself in the broken piece of glass that was his mirror. He had started to look older in the time that he spent with the Yahmyn. Menial labor was taken very seriously and everyone took part in it. His muscles were now better toned and his stomach was as flat as it had ever been. His skin was still of the fair elven sheen even though the humans were by now heavily tanned.

He laid on the cot, he had just finished the day's business and his shirt was off. He looked at the top of the small tent that he had earned not too long ago. He was now on good terms with the tribe and they treated him as one of their own. Life in the desert was hard, many a Yahmyn said.

They all had different views on who they worshipped and the desert, but they all agreed on one thing. It had not always been this way. They believed they were atoning for an oath they had broken. The desert was once smaller, oases spaced so close together you could take five steps from the edge of one and arrive three steps into another.

They told of a being called Sarhan and the very name caused Cael's shoulders to stiffen. It brought back sour memories of a dark time. Although he had never been around when they happened, the testimonies of the Ceree were one and the same. Before she reached power, she was terrible. They told of the Farrid sisters who had approved of the oath and left when they broke it. Their leaving made the desert dry up and the S'vn grove faded into myth.

Cael envied the people. They helped each other up and tried not to pull anyone down. They were so different from the elven society as he knew it. Nobles constantly fought for power, all thoughts of elven nobility drowned out in the hunger for more power. The old elven kingdom was wonderful, everyone helping each other, but now, it seemed as though the Dark One himself had snaked his arms around the kingdom. He sighed, he did not want to dwell on the past.

Someone shouted "Sandstorm!" and Cael hurriedly fastened his tent down. He sat in a corner as the harsh wind whipped through the encampment. As he did, memories of the war that seemed so long ago rose to the surface of his thoughts. He pushed them down, wanting nothing to do with them. The wind carried something different with it, though. It seemed as though it longed for something. It creaked and hummed unlike any other sandstorm that had passed in their two months with the Yahmyn.

Cael blinked as what seemed to be a smoky black snake slithered its way through the air before him. Its tail flickered in anxiety and its eyes, its ruby-red eyes seemed lost. He reached for it, and felt spirit. It vanished immediately.

Radu lay in his tent next to liara, as he spent a good lot of his time... At least when not working or helping to get food. Farming came naturally to him, though it was difficult in the dessert, even in the oasis. Sand was difficult to use as soil and could only grow a few plants. He and the other farmers managed with it, radu was the best at getting cacti to grow which where useful since if a cactus was well grown you could slice it open and get water out if it, not to mention the catus itself was rather good tasting though the needles troublesome

due to all this work, radu had become more muscular over time... But his fur remained the same. Purple but with yellow markings, a constant reminder of the war and his powers. His powers where doormant now, gaving not used them for these past 2 months. The peace delighted him, despite the hardships, no longer a warhero but a farmer once again. Though there was one thing that delighted him more than anything, it was liara who had revealed her pregancy to him a month ago. At the time he had freaked out for awhile, but now he was excited at the thought of being a father. At two months in it was beginning to show, so he was being careful with her. He tried to limit the time she worked along side him and such

when he heard the call for a sandstorm he ran outside and quickly made sure the pegs holding the tent down where secure, before once again going inside and sealing the tent. He laid close to liara and covered her with a wing to make sure she was protected. The sandstorm hit but was over strangly fast

Cael had seen a very deep sorrow in the snake and it nagged at him like a buzzard. It made thinking difficult, added to the sweltering heat. He had forgotten to open up the tent when the sandstorm passed, the snake being all that was in his mind. He sighed and looked up, as though seeking answers from an unseen God.

He found nothing and sat there, blank-faced. After a few moments, he realized he could better think if the tent was more of a tent than a sweat bath. The moment he opened the flap, he welcomed the stifling, but still much cooler breeze that rushed in. Sweat was now beading on his brow and it wasn't just from the heat, memories of the past were still trying to force their way to the surface.

He grimaced when he found himself thinking about the snake and its sorrow filled eyes again. He realized then that it was a look mirrored on the faces of every Ceree, every last surviving Elf and maybe even some of the Yahmyn. They were in a strange land and although they had made new friends and allies, many still struggled with losing their homes. Cael himself struggled with the same thing, ever since that day they had mysteriously appeared in the desert.

He no longer wanted to see any kind of war, any kind of bloodletting, any kind of death yet there he was, in a desert, a place almost synonymous with death. "True Sleep" as the Yahmyn call death was a normal happening in the desert. Day to day, the weak were stricken from the book of life and even the strong but dull joined them. To the Yahmyn, the desert was not only atonement, but also preparation for a battle forseen by their greatest seers four hundred thousand years ago. Cael vainly wished the prophecy to be untrue, but he knew full well what was to come when the Dark One overcame the Ancestors by sheer numbers.

He gathered himself when a now too familiar voice called him from outside "Cael! Where are you?"

"In here" he answered briefly.

Radu lay asleep next to liara in there tent, the roar of the ever slowing sandstorm outside having lulled him to sleep. as he lay there he dreamed... the dreams where the usual ones he focused on, memories of a simple yet lonely life on his farm, of meeting and falling for liara, and dreams of a happy life in the future, him and liara on their own plot of land with a son or daughter, this part of the dream changed every time, happily living their lives without worry

then different memories came to him, interupting his happy dreams. these where of anger, pain, and war. he remembered everything he defeated, fought, and killed. the looks on their faces as they battle. he remember taking the form of a true dragon, the power that coursed through him as he laid siege on the dark one's army. as he dreamt of these thing he began to breath heavily, claws digging into the dirt

he remember the feeling of transformation... no he was feeling it! he woke up, clearly feeling that he was about to transform. with all his might he forced himself to clam down and stopped the transformation before it began. he sighed and laid down again "something is going to happen... i know it"

A good-looking Yahmyn youth burst into the tent and patted Cael vigorously on the back. His hair was full of sand and his cheeks looked as though they had been exposed to open flames. Perhaps the Yahmyn did not take shelter during the sandstorm, thought Cael. Whatever the case, he looked expectantly at the Yahmyn. "Have you news for me Aarun?" he asked in the now-familiar yahmyn tongue. "If not then why disturb my rest?" he continued when the youth refused to speak.

"N-no, it's not that way Cael. It's just that the hall of the oases has been called together again. It hasn't happened for four hundred thousand years, according to our history" explained the Yahmyn. Somehow, the youth had the knack of making their native tongue sound less formal.

"For what reason could this be? It seems almost inconceivable" said Cael. Something tugged at his memory but he refused to acknowledge it.

"They say that the grove has been uncovered!" said Aarun excitedly. "And we're camped right outside it!"

After sitting in silence for a time, radu exited the tent. he snorted, there defiantly had been a powerful sandstorm. he sighed and stretched... as he was doing his stretches he saw a young yahmyn youth quickly duck into cael's tent. he overheard the converstation... but radu wasn't very fluent in yahmyn speak yet so he didn't quite catch much...

all radu got was something about a council, some weird grove, and being near something. he rolled his eyes, dismissing it as unimportant chatter. he went over to his tent and used his tail to begin brushing off the sand off

Rubian slept through the sandstrom. He was too tired with what he did for the past few days. He had been summoning shadows to help him in his work. It had been a few months since he arrived at this place. He was a wanderer, searching for a lost friend, ending up lost himself. He ended up in the westlands, where the inhabitants took him. He was treated just like the other inhabitants. he became a farmer, learning how to summon shadows in the process. His summoned shadows became his helpers. Tilling the land, gathering water and other jobs Rubian couldn't do alone. He woke up and peeked outside. He noticed the surroundings, and concluded there had been a sandstorm. He didn't care. He needed more sleep. He went back to his tent and went to sleep.

Rubian saw what appeared to be a giant gate in front of him. He then saw a familiar face, but he couldn't recognize it. On his right was a more recognizable face. It was his master. " Lord Noundele." Noundele wasn't able to hear him though. They saw the gate open and appeared a face that he doesn't recognize. Noundele said something about Dominii's form. He doesn't know what a Dominii was. But the two seem prepared to battle the beast.

The fight was long, and tiresome. Rubian remembered the name of the ceree battling. " Seraph." The beast was close to absorbing Seraph, but he was able to absorb the beast's energy and finally defeat him. They both vanished and Rubian woke up.

Cael remained in the silence of contemplation. The rediscovery of the grove would have significant impact on the lifestyle of the Yahmyn. He could already sense a rise in morale. He was happy for them, but at the same time envious because they had rediscovered something of their glory days. He was still sorry for the Ceree that had rebuilt Avalhein only to see it destroyed once again within the same day.

Stepping out of the tent, he immediately noticed two things. Tufts of grass were sticking out from beneath his feet and behind him ran a powerful river. It crossed the desert, bringing life to its banks. It seemed to stem from the grove and he could feel that the river hadn't been there earlier. He observed wet sand under the river's surface and concluded that at the same time the grove reappeared, the river had shot out.

Despite frantic warnings from Aarun, Cael entered the grove. Something called to him from within the grove. He stumbled upon a clearing where a myriad of rivulets ran across the sylvan green. It seemed as though it was a beating heart with silvery streams for veins.

A snake appeared in the middle of the clearing. Its eyes were lost and its tail was flicking restlessly. "I am Lamia, of the S'vn grove, youngest of the Farrid..." The snake trailed off, as though deep in concentration. "Have you seen a purple Ceree with a strange marking? No, they're not yellow... No? Oh.. too bad..."

"Why did you choose to speak to me?" asked Cael in earnest. His effort was in vain, though, for the snake vanished like mist bathed in sun.

Radu stepped out of the tent, stretching with a yawn.... that is until he heard something he thought he would never hear again, the rush of a river. he looked up... twas not a mirage, but the real thing, many where drinking and gathering water, playing in the grass sprouting at the banks... his thought was immeditally craving the water as he stared

since it was crowded here he flew father down, standing at the bank.... ever so cautiously he lowered his head, finally opening his mouth and sticking it in the cool water. no sooner had he done so he drank until he could drink no more, then he dived in the cold water. he swam in the water, relishing the feel of the water against his fur...

finally he emerged, crawling on the shore and laying down on the shore... though his happiness was covered with sorrow... there where so many who had died, who would of wished to see this glorious sight. he began to weep... for those who died in battle and for those who lost their lives to the desert. as he cried he felt the transformation crawling upon him, his sorrow trying in vain to awaken his dormant powers... but as always he suppressed it before anything could happen

Rubian heard something he almost never heard since he arrived in the desert, gushing water. He went outside and saw a large multitude playing and splashing themselves with water. He had the chance of collecting much water and drinking the river water. It was a feeling not like any other. He closed his eyes and when he opened them, he saw a ceree with some sort of armor.

It was pale blue, with gold and silver design. The ceree transformed into an elf and the armor completely covered him. His helmet had a golden cross on it and his chest plate was a sun on a pillar. He had golden wings, which was strange unless the wings were made or molded from magic. He cupped his hands and seven orbs of light appeared. He threw them and Rubian blinked, the vision disappeared.

Rubian thought that the vision was a mirage. With the water and all, he could've been hallucinating. He summoned two shadows and he made them carry water back to his tent. He summoned another pair of shadows who also carried water and went to where he grew crops. He now had the chance to water the crops with much water. He made the shadows carry and store more water for other purposes. He then asked himself the question that was troubling him. " Where did the water come from? How did it get here?"

In moment's folly, Cael kicked a stone into one of the rivulets that ran across the sylvan 'heart' of the grove. The stone seemed to sink into eternity as the grove itself seemed to groan in discomfort. A small patch in the trees suddenly turned yellow and shriveled away into nothing. The misty snake returned for but a hearbeat and warned Cael "Be careful of the powers you unleash, she approaches..."

Before the young blue-haired elf could answer, the snake vanished into the wind again. This time, he shut his mouth quickly and just sat there. He pondered over who was approaching, but he could not fathom what the snake could mean. He could barely make his mind grasp the fact that a snake of smoke was actually talking to him.

He felt as though he was electrocuted when all of a sudden, small spheres of water from the rivulets began to rise along with rocks and debris scattered in the clearing. A hole opened in the air and a burst of wind followed by a strange kind of magic streamed from it. Before him, where the hole once was, stood a regal woman and she said "Dear elf, have you seen a snake here?"

Radu sighed, cleaning his tear stricken face in the stream. he gulped and began walking back towards the encampment. he looked around at once was but the barest bit of an oasis in the dessert... but now it was a large oasis, grass growing over the sand near the river banks, palm trees had begun to take form, casting much needed shade...

he walked past it all and into the grove. he stared around in wonder at all this... he then looked at the sky, hoping to see malkuthe... or even saffye... but as usual he saw nothing but the cloudless sky above the dessert. he sighed and sat down amoung the grass in the grove

"Who are you?" said Cael, struggling to his feet. The woman was very fair and beautiful, her clothes shone like the purest silver. She held a somehow mistifying aura about her, but more than that, there was a sinister shine in her eyes that seemed dull. He would have run away at the slightest inkling that she was villainous but he could feel that she, if ever she had once been evil, had changed her ways.

"I am Faith... I do not think your people know of me for only Aznala was open to us Eternals. I seek the snake, Lamia, there is a message I wish to impart upon her..." the figure's voice was musical and the trill of birds followed every syllable. Cael noticed that flecks of light were dancing around her figure and much later sensed the massive amount of magic that the figure possessed. Something was off about the magic though, it was as though it was being constantly drawn. He dismissed the thoughts fiercely.

"I saw the snake, she was looking for a Ceree..." Cael said carefully. A being of such immense power could vaporize him where he stood without as much as fluttering an eyebrow.

"I see. Then I must search for Kali too. Fare thee well, fair elf" said the figure, blowing him a soft kiss. He felt his cheeks warm.

"You as well, mistress Faith" said Cael, bowing in the old way.

"Interesting, one who still knows the ways of eld... maybe we shall meet again." With that, the lady vanished. Cael wandered through the grove until he stumbled on a strangely purple rock. Upon further investigation, it turned out to be Radu.

Radu looked up at Cael "oh hey there..." if Cael looked closely he would seem the purple fur around radu's eyes was still wet, like he had been crying. "it's wonderful isn't it? They found this grove thing... And nows there is a river so we don't have to worry about water anymore... I-I just wish more of us could of made it this far" he sighed, pawing at the grass "so anything interesting happen to you?"

"I can't say anything strange happened..." whispered Cael as he sat beside the purple Ceree. He smiled and consoled Radu by saying "Hey, those who died did not die in vain. They defended the Homeland as long as they could. I just pray the ancestors come back safely..." Alriiea, Malleithen and Galaria were now known to be the Homeland, collectively, to all the Ceree, humans, elves, syllithe and aespectriill that were forced to leave the continents.

"I wish more could have made it too... but, hey, we were given a new chance... another shot at having a normal life... After two months, though, I cannot say that I've decided on it yet..." Cael trailed off, imagining a life with a wife beside the life-sustaining river. It was a beautiful thought, but somehow, he knew that it would not happen.

Out of thin air, the black snake popped out again, this time with an urgent gleam in its eyes. "You knew the ancestors?"

Radu nodded grimly, knowing that cael's words where true. he was could have a normal life, he could see it... him and liara living together, and soon with a child, though it wouldn't stay that simple

he jumped in surprise at the appearance of the black snake... "yes... well most of them, a few never rose back to ... 'life'" he managed "i knew amteth on a more... personal level" he allowed a bit of amteth's aura float towards the snake for proof. it was thin and weak, but it was still there, as it always would be since radu was amteth's warrior born with his blessing. his markings gave off a tiny glow, but it died out

Cael felt a pang of sorrow when Radu had sent out the frail sliver of Amteth's essence. He had once been linked to Salkethe, albeit in a non-beneficial manner and a week after reaching the oasis, he had felt the ancestor's essence weaken. He sat there, silent and contemplating when all of a sudden the snake spoke.

"They are weak, almost faded, but alive all the same... Come, let me take you to mother Maldia..." the snake spoke in earnest, hoping that they would find sense in her words. It was evident to her that they no longer wanted to be a part of the war, but still felt that they were needed. "Come and let not second thoughts tarry you. Mother Maldia has waited for seven hundred centuries for any news of the others."

At that moment, Cael stood and announced that he would be going with the snake. As it turned out, Maldia was the first to reawaken.

Radu began to follow but he stopped... he wasn't quite sure if he could bring himself to get involved in this stuff again. he had liara, and in a few months he would have a child as well... if he didn't come back... he didn't want his child growing up without a father

just as he was about to openly reject and trot back to his tent... a new thought came into play. he was one of the few mortal beings who had the power to stop the dark one and others from destroying the world. he sighed "better to not have a father than not live" he muttered to himself, but he insisted to himself he would do everything he could to survive

he followed cael and the snake "maldia..." he mouthed

The snake led them deeper into the now-thickening grove. Cael swore that they were no longer in the grove but in a distant forest far from it. The sky's dustiness was lessening and the air seemed cleaner. It was already a miracle that a grove could exist in the middle of a churning desert, having a forest in one where the air was crisp and clean was just short of impossible. However, Cael had learned that for many great beings in the world and even beyond it, such a word did not exist.

Deeper they went and the forest thinned out into a clearing. At first Cael thought that it was just dark because of the density of the upper reaches of the forest, but he was stunned when he looked skyward. There was nothing there but shadow. Below his feet, nothing as well. The only thing that kept him still was the cold voice that drifted from somewhere he could not determine, his panic having disorientated him.

A flickering blue light came to life and pillars of light shot out from the depths of the shadow. From them, light webbed out into a precise grid that created a hall that paraded alongside a translucent colonnade. It was beautiful and in the patches where the light seemed to fade, stary night stared right back at him. He took a single step forward, worried that the light was just what it was, light and not some sort of reinforced magical light. He sighed in relief when he didn't fall into the abyss.

Before he could take another step though, he felt light headed. The room seemed to swirl and he found himself staring into the dark red eyes of a tall elf-like lady. "I am Maldia. Do not be worried, this is only the form I took when I awoke. I look no more than Lamia, you know..." she spoke with a heavy voice and she sounded tired. Cael tried to inquire but he was silenced by a glance. "I am tired, yes, but I must stay vigilant" she sniffed. "I assume you've met Lady Faith? I sense her essence upon you" the lady grinned.

"What reason do you have of calling us here, o Ancestor?" Cael intoned formally. He wasn't sure of what to do when in front of celestially powerful beings, so he took the route of formality.

"This" she said promptly and gestured to her right. A blinding blue light exploded from the distance and Cael felt a hand rest upon his shoulder. "Behold, the Lattice"

Radu stayed silent for the duration of the experiance. he gave a polite half bow to the ancestor before him, but returned to a normal sitting position. Amteth had taught him to show respect to the ancestors, but full bowing and kneeling wasn't needed

Radu started slightly in the blue light, covering his eyes with a paw. he was glad when it finally faded a little. he blinked in surprise as he could feel he power from the source of the light, the 'lattice' apparently. it was easier for him to feel such powers than for regular mortals due to his connection to amteth. "what is it... exactly?" he inquired

The lattice turned out to be a vast plain of blue light criss-crossing. It was in places shot with other hues, but mostly it was blue. A massive amount of magic emanated from it and Cael relished in its feeling.

"Why have you shown us this?" Cael asked the Ancestor.

"Raducan has the answer, yet he does not know it..." replied the snake.

Raducan had been distracted by the beauty of the lattice.... he snapped back to realality. he at the snake " i know the answer?" he asked, making sure he had heard right. he sighed touching a claw to his forehead "why is it always me...." he paused thinking

"i dunno... the ancestors need our help or something? we need to rise up once again from this little dessert oasis, and go back to fighting a war we cannot win?" he guessed

The Ancestor suddenly held a whip that she cracked flat across Raducan's snout. She did not have to wait for a yelp to tell that it hurt because apparently, she used it with enough force to draw blood. "Fool! Think deeper!"

Cael tried to raise a complaint, but he decided, for his welfare, against it.

Radu whimpered, laying on the ground with his paws over his poor muzzle... "why... why is it always me... when i next see amteth i'm going to beat him" he growled under his breath. he sighed, though remained down "okay look i seriously dont really know, even the snake said i have the answer, but i dont know it"

he decided, in order to not get whipped again, to guess any way "uhm... the fate of slyfe and other worlds hangs in the balance unless we help the ancestors and eternals defeat the dark one and tha other guy the eternal mentioned?" he covered himself with his wings, which turned into energy sheilds "please don't whip me again... it hurts"

"Imbecile..." muttered Maldia. After a moment of thought, her eyes lit up and her expression lightened, "Apologies, Raducan, I was thinking of another of your ancestors. The soul pattern of the Kal'man Ceree has long been passed down and only now has it manifested itself so strongly..." She spoke with slight hesitance, perhaps there was something in her words not meant for mortal ears. She dismissed the thought.

"You are correct, though, that this is a war you cannot possibly win, though you left out one small detail. You can never win it alone. Listen well for I am going to reveal to you knowledge yet unknown to even the Ancestors." Maldia moved about and with a single gesture, she shaped the lattice into a small hollow ball that seemed to be woven out of strands of glowing metal. With another gesture, she turned it into a small rose that looked just like the ball, hollow and woven out of strands of a strange glowing metal. "I didn't know about the existence of the lattice, but I had spent my entire life immersed in magic, so I knew that magic was supposed to have a source, no matter the plane of existence."

Cael had the guts to ask "What does the rose have to do with this?" As soon as he realized what had come forth from his mouth, he clapped his hands over it and winced, waiting for the whip. One would think he was already well-honed to prevent unnecessary reactions, living in the desert, but no, he was just the same old Cael.

"Patience, child, I am getting there." Maldia paced. "At first, I thought that magic welled from places that were sanctuaries of nature separate from the surrounding areas, just like the grove in the middle of the desert that you entered. I thought that wherever there was a large amount of unique soul patterns, magic thrived. I stuck with that, until I realized that if so, the Ceree should not be having such prowess with the arcane. Their soul patterns were similar but unique, however, that wasn't enough to attract magic, based on my research." She paused, a wistful expression upon her face.

"I moved to the entrance of this grand hall, the grove, to study magic more. As soon as I woke up from my eons of slumber in the spiritual realm, of course. I delved deeper and soon, I found a tiny tendril linking the small well of magic to something of a great magnitude that I could sense yet something I could not see." Maldia took a breath and as she did, the lattice turned into a small metallic lycandu. "I widened the stream, though, that drained the magic, to my surprise, but allowed me to traverse into the space between sylfe and the lattice, incidentally, that is here. I built a palace, while recovering my energy, but I did not realize that the vanishing of the magic had led to the disappearance of the grove. I now realize that the magic was the cause, not the effect of the grove's existence."

"What I'm doing at the moment is something I discovered just this morning. The lattice, just like magic, can be shaped. That's what I used to bring the grove back. If only you could learn how to shape the lattice and use it effectively, maybe you still have a chance to win at the war. Don't look at me like that boy, I will not stain my hands with blood," snapped Maldia at Cael.

"Think of the possibilities, though..." she said in an almost-too sweet voice.