Chapter 1: Strange

Radu snorted, finding maldia's final statement ironic... Since she had already drawn a bit of blood from radu's poor nose... Though other than he found her story quite interesting. So apparently she spent ages trying to discover the source of magic... And this lattice was it. He gulped though kept his wings up, he refused to trust her with that whip.... "if I may interject, how can we learn to shape the lattice, wouldn't that take the power of an ancestor or an eternal or someone nonmortal? I understand I sometimes get considered above most other mortals *not that I enjoy it* but me nor Cael have that kind of power I don't think"

radu sighed, he wished malkuthe was here. The older ceree had always been better at understanding difficult things. He sighed malkuthe literally had his own word to worry about, and saffye's as well. He sighed if it had been 2 months here then eons could of passed there. He doubted malkuthe even remembered radu or slyfe at all after all that time. Besides he figured they where happy and by now had probably had a whole lot of mini malkuthe's and mini saffye's. He snorted not liking the thought of more than one saffye

Cael was silent and in contemplation, he had no desire to speak out loud yet. The time would draw near for him to do so, but not at that moment.

"Raducan, if it took powers a ways away from mortal understanding, you would have been burned to a crisp where you stand, perhaps even I would have been burned to a crisp." Maldia spoke strongly yet sweetly. "No, the lattice requires no more than a few drops of magic to shape IF you know how to shape it."

"Wait, then why didn't Saffyre and Malkuthe's power kill us?" Cael asked in earnest. It was a good question, he thought, and really, if they were such powerful beings, why weren't they killed by the two's power.

"It's a principle of magic, my dear Cael. You can either expand the magnitude of your power or you could intensify its strength. Expanding the magnitude of your power would just lead to you being able to create much larger spells with little effort, that's what they do. Expanding, however, the intensity of your magic, you could kill just by lighting a stalk of grass on fire." Maldia sighed, only she, in Sylfe had this knowledge. After all, she had spent eons studying magic when all the other ancestors were busy with worldly things.

"The lattice cannot be forced into any form, though," she continued. "It is like a stream of water, you can coax it to bend in a different way by blocking its path and waiting, but you cannot grab the stream to force it to bend its path. This is very much the same as shaping the lattice, you need not a great intensity of magic, but only a little so as to show the lattice how you want it to change. From there, it will do the rest."

"Simple, isn't it?" asked Maldia.

Radu blinked, impossible as it seemed, it strangely made sense. if the lattice made up magic, anyone who can control magic could shape the lattice. he sighed aubilby.... 'okay yes we can apparently shape the lattice.... but i don't see how making a planet/universe/etc wide lattice that controls magic take the shape of a small lycandu would possibly help us help the ancestors... or do anything for that matter

he looked up at Maldia, still afraid to speak because of that whip and the horizontal cut on the end of his nose. he decided to ask anyway "so... how exactly does knowing this help us?" he asked. he paused, remembering something he had almost not heard maldia say "uh... this is off subject.... but what exactly did you mean by 'The soul pattern of the Kal'man Ceree has long been passed down and only now has it manifested itself so strongly?"

"Ignorant child, and I almost thought Amteth knew better. The Kal'man Ceree was the first purple Ceree. That's what we ancestors called him. Only once before did his soul manifest, that was in Malknrre. Soul patterns mean everything here, Raducan. Each soul has a pattern to it and, if two souls are alike in the pattern, regardless of bloodline, they shall be inextricably linked, the living able to gain the abilities of the deceased, while the deceased will have a body to dwell in, at least for the moment." Maldia paused for a while, evidently looking for the proper words. "You have, so far, been the strongest appearance of the Kal'man, although you have apparently gained the Kal'man's lack of class and intelligence. Neither Malknrre or Malhanrrerrye can speak to you for Amteth already resides in you. Perhaps if we released him..." She stopped, not wanting to go into sadistic torture.

"This knowledge, on the other hand will help you. Imagine having the source of all the magic in Sylfe in your hands at the time of battle. Sure, using it would kill you when the battle ends, but the ancestors could always resurrect you as a cockroach or something" Maldia said with a malicious grin.

Radu came just shorty of getting offended "ignoran-" he stopped himself 'jeez calling me ignorant.... how should i know what they forget to mention in all books, religious sermons, legends.... and every other from of learning material' he thought some rather angry thoughts in silence for a few minutes

he sighed and finally spoke "okay... yes having that power would be grand,and helpful. why with power like that a person would be unkillable, controling other peoples magic against them, increasing their own power, even if it does kill them in the end... yet i would never use it. a while ago, yes i would've offered to use power like that and result in my own death for the good of others... but now days im a little more careful of my life, since i'm going to be a dad and all, so if you want to find someone to kill themselves using that power.... not gonna be me" he took a few steps back, hoping to stay out of whip range

"I cannot use it, Lady Maldia, I have no magic in me..." Cael trailed off. It wasn't only that, he also didn't want to die. "In truth, I don't even want to be involved in the war again!" Maldia looked at him, puzzled. He blushed, having realized that he had just thought aloud.

"Then this is your mission. Find the person who CAN use it..." Maldia paused. "No sense in trying to force Raducan. It would be like telling a boulder to become a tree."

Radu sighed, he knew someone.... he tapped his talons against the floor for a minute or two "i....i know someone who just might do it. i think Eon would be the best candidate. Eon has magic powers to rival my own, given to him in the form of a curse from the dark one. he had basically been meant as an experiment to copy my wereceree form... he came and tried to attack us, but i managed to over power him, and purify his curse, severing most of his connection with the dark one. he is still partly connected, living off the dark one's powers, if the dark one dies eon will die in a week at most. he has enough power to be able to will the lattice as well as i could, and he is more than willing to die in order to help rid the world of the dark one" he sighed not to mention eon is rather suicidal regardless

he sighed, the sad part was he knew eon would not only argee, but jump at the chance to kill the dark one, and fight who ever else was on the Dark one's side.... and eon definatly wouldn't mind giving his life for it. radu snorted, he didn't want to pass something like this off... but he couldn't bring himself to kill himself for this, and he also didn't want to loose eon, one of his now closest friends... despite the fact that either way eon would die when the dark one falls

"Eon, Radu?" Cael asked the purple with a quaver in his voice. He buried his face in his palms and when he was done thinking, wiped them off. "Haven't you noticed Eon's absence ever since two days ago?" Cael had feared it would come to this. In fact, Eon had confided in him that he could no longer resist the anger in his blood.


"Cael, why are we still here?" the gray asked. His tail twitched and his alerons swung about restlessly. The Ceree was agitated for some reason. "There's a war being fought but we, well, we stay here, trying to live a normal life even with the knowledge that things would never be normal!" Eon's voice rose, Cael hoped that the Ceree had half the mind to ward the tent against eavesdroppers. The gray stood up and walked in a circle before settling down again. His avequeli twitched in anxiety.

"Don't you like it here? There's no danger of dying by impalement, or disintegration, or decapitation or stabbing or many other things! Life here is normal, we can live, we can love without the fear of the war coming here," Cael told the gray. Eventually he stood up and laid a hand on the gray's snout. "Here we can rest"

"I can never rest, Cael! Not until he's dead! I don't care if I have to take my own life to stop him" the gray shook off Cael's hand. He released a puff of smoke and growled in frustration. "For all the pain I've caused, it's only right that we both vanish from this world!"

"Eon!" shouted Cael, drawing a dagger from his belt. The ivory hilt was smooth and intricately carved. The blade was perfectly balanced and it gleamed in the dull light of the moon that streamed in through the hole in the top of the tent. "Here! If you wish to die, kill yourself now" He threw the dagger to Eon who caught it in a paw. "You can't change the past by dying, Eon. Don't be reckless. That is no war! Let the immortals fight their battles. It is not war, it is slaughter!"

"Then I'll gladly take part in the slaughter if it means redeeming myself or dying" Eon tossed the dagger back and it landed by Cael's feet, throwing up a cloud of dust even as the gray left the tent.

"Might the mother guide you in making the right decisions... Eon," said Cael sadly, looking at the moon and hoping against all odds that the war would never come to them.

"Eon has left, Radu... He wants to fight in that war again. You could follow him, but I don't want to. I'm perfectly happy here, I don't want to leave it all behind again!" Cael told Radu, but he also meant it for Maldia.

"Dear child, that may be so, but in a few days' time, your choice would be made for you. Go now, you have tarried here far too long. I cannot risk him finding this place. All your destinies are inextricably linked, young ones! Now go!" Maldia spoke with great haste. Around them everything vanished and they found themselves in the clearing with silver rivulets running across the forest floor.

Maldia's words still echoed in Cael's ears. He could not fathom what they could mean.

"...in a few days' time, your choice would be made for you."

Radu had stayed silent.... he calmly sat down, staring intently into the sand. it was easy enough to tell he was dealing with a mix of emotions. he turned his gaze towards Cael, staring at him. after a whole minute of silence radu 'burst'

he turned on Cael and roared "Eon left and you didn't tell me!?!?!?" he growled before calmingly himself, forcing away the feeling of rage-filled transformation. eon was one of his last friends, cael was a good friend... but Eon and Radu understood each other on a more personal level (still not on the level malkuthe understood him...) he growled before standing and turning "i don't even want to hear more about it.... i'm sure liara is worried about me by now" he snorted and turned, walking off to where the tents where

"Radu!" called Cael out as the purple stalked away. "I never thought it was of... bah! Nevermind!" he shouted in frustration. Angrily, he walked back to his tent and discovered that leaving the grove's coolness was like putting your face into a fire. Immediately, he shielded his face from the desert's heat and found himself sweating.

He sat down inside his tent, dwelling on what Maldia had said. That was until the call for lunch rang out. Cael stepped out of his tent and was shocked with what he saw.

Radu lay down in his tent, liara having gone outside for food. radu wasn't hungry.... annoyed was a better word. a poor innocent rock was the object of his frustrations. his claw repeatedly tapped it at high speed, slowly boring a hole into the stone. he snorted "why wouldn't cael tell me eon was leaving" he growled again, his claw raised and stuck down with force.... needless to say the rock split neatly in half

Liara sighed, having already heard what had happened from radu. it was always best to leave him alone during a 'mood' which he occasionally had due to various factors. she was indeed hungry, as she now was more often, feeding for two and all. she found she had stopped, a paw feeling her slightly swollen belly. she smiled remembering how radu had always made sure that she was extra careful "i can only imagine what he will be like when the child is actually born" she chuckled at how much of a spaz radu tended to be.
she resumed walking, having heard the call for lunch. she walked up behind Cael, who seemed to be gwaking at something. curious, liara leaned forward to get a good look

The desert was in full bloom. In front of him, a massive patch of flowering meadow spread across where there had once only been shifting sands. Cael smiled, there really was beauty in even the harshest of places. "Liara, what brings you here?"

[[OOC: I'm on the chatbox]]

Liara stared in wonder at the beauty of the 'desert' before her. the beautiful flower that blossomed everywhere. she was snapped back to reality by Cael's voice, she looked up at him "hmm? oh yes... well food of course, i am feeding for two" she chuckled referring to the recently sounded lunch bell. with that she quickly to her elven form, she had always disliked having to look up a bit when talking to Cael. now that she had mastered the art of taking elven form she preferred to speak to him in this form, for the sake of convenience. she sighed and glanced away "i... heard Radu talking aboutthat who thing with lady Maldia... and Eon"

"It's not like I didn't intend to tell him, Liara. Eon left just two days ago, flying with all his strength." Cael told Liara. He sat down even as sproutlings sprang up around him, his expression melancholic. He sat with his knees bent and held by his , face buried in the middle of them.

"I know Radu would have given chase and try to convince Eon. He won't be able to, Eon's will is already set. No, no amount of convincing could make him think otherwise, Liara. He'll just balk" Cael continued. It hurt, having to have kept a secret from a close friend but it was for Radu's own good. Eon might just try to mortally wound him should he display any kind of force. "Eon's probably at Alriiea now, he was in his feral form when he left. Radu would have no chance of following him, especially without Amteth's power..." Cael trailed off and looked hopefully at Liara for support.

Liara sighed and sat down next to Cael "you did what was best... and your right, if radu would of gone after Eon... the result would of been hard to look at" she admitted, she knew what that feral form could do against even the strongest ceree "though you are wrong about one thing... Amteth's power is still within radu, though he has been suppressing it to the point of almost everythinking it was gone" she smiled slightly "but radu never was good at hiding things from me... he's come close to transforming 3 times in the past 2 days" she shook her head

Liara placed a hand on cael's shoulder "radu will calm down soon, before the day is out more than likely... but regardless he will go after eon soon, even i can't stop him from doing that... after all, other than you eon was one of radu's best friends... ever since malkuthe left" she added

The hairs on the back of Cael's head stood on end as a grating sound came out of nowhere. The sound was accompanied by waves of varying energy. They were of a magic so wild and so free that he could feel the very fabric of reality distorting around him. He wouldn't have been surprised if he suddenly grew an extra arm.

The waves dulled in intensity and Cael immediately began to look for the source. He may not have been a very powerful mage, but the elven blood made sure he could sense magic when it was used. The sudden appearance of a well of power was a glowing beacon to him of where the strange magic was coming from.

He had been close enough to the lattice to know how the magic of Sylfe felt, and immediately he knew that what he now sensed was no fruit of Sylfe. With a gaunt expression, he headed towards the source of the magic, beckoning at Liara to stay behind. He could not risk her child for a hare-brained venture.

When he reached the source he saw Maetesk, emanating grating sounds as he moved. He was at a bend in the river, tracing a claw over a large rock that seemed to have been drawn from the depths of the ground. Maetesk was carving a strange glyph into the rock face and Cael could see the searing black fire that erupted in thin columns to the sky as he took his talon off of the rock.

A circle of black flame came to life around Maetesk, but it was low and weak, as though barely holding on to existence. Maetesk lifted his claw from the rock and grunted. He inhaled deeply and then exhaled. As he did, a thick black smoke rolled out of his nostrils onto the rock and the circle of flame intensified. One more breath and the flames leapt higher. Another and they began to spin as an eerie blue glow shone from within the onyx tendrils. Another raspy breath and the flames soared high, creating a whirlwind that turned the heavens dark as blue light emanated from within the vortex.

The explosion that followed made Cael's ears ring. When the dust cleared, Maetesk was far away, heading in the direction of camp. Whether his intentions had been sinister, Cael could not say. However, the moment his eyes fell on the place where the rock had been, his jaw dropped. There was a massive gate.

Cael pushed it open and almost fell when a nauseating feeling hit him as the image behind the doors swirled and warped. He stood there, stunned, when he saw Alriiea and two massive armies clashing in the middle.

Liara gasped, backing up "that energy..." she managed, the sheer power coming from the gate was eough to physically push her back. she returned to ceree form, since she had a better chance of protecting herself from anything that might come from the gate. she looked towards the encampment, seeing maetesk heading towards the camp "oh no..."

*in the camp*
possibly from the surges of power, the sense of Liara's fear, or the feeling of Maetesk's approach... the once sleeping eyes of Radu shot open. he could feel everything at once, so he stood in his tent, his wings flashing into existance and stretching out, shredding the tent as he did so. he roared, then ran, he ran until he stood just outside the encampment. he glared, his golden eyes staring into the soulless eyes of the still somewhat distant form of Maetesk . a small growl escaped his muzzle as even from here he could feel and see the massive gate

Cael ran as fast as he could towards Maetesk, not that walking would make any difference since the statuesque being walked as though it carried the entire world upon its shoulders. Upon reaching the stone-like monstrosity, Cael hesitated. He was unsure if he wanted to confront the beast, knowing that it could evaporate him at any moment. The lad steeled himself and took a hold of one of the spikes of Maetesk's armor.

Unfortunately, Maetesk didn't seem to notice Cael and he was dragged alongside the beast for a few yards. Cael got up when Maetesk paused momentarily. He ran up to the beast and barred its path. "What did you do?!"

"We do not comprehend" Maetesk replied, cocking his head. "What do you mean?"

"Why did you summon that gate?" Cael asked angrily. He wasn't sure if that was the tone of voice he should take, but it was too late to change.

"We sensed that you wanted to return to Alriiea" said Maetesk. "Also, our master grows tired of waiting. The key of his return is in Alriiea, so we must go back. We did not assist you, we merely opened a portal for our own cause, but if you wish you use it, we have no objection."

radu saw Cael approach maetesk, he sighed and took a step closer... he then pulled his paw back with a slight hiss of pain, lifting his paw he saw a small cactus needle sticking from his thumb. he pulled it out and spat it to the ground "by the pricking of my thumb, something wicked this way comes" he said to himself.
with that said he opened his wings and took off towards maetesk...

Liara ever so slowly and carefully began to walk toward Cael and maetesk. out of fear for her unborn child she would not dare stay out in the open alone. at the very least maetesk and cael might offer some protection if anything came out of that portal

Cael turned his back to Maetesk and walked away shaking. He had been content in the land of the Yahmyn, he had even made new friends... All memory of the war had begun to fade and he had found himself wanting to just settle down in the Westlands, but then, the fifth of the Great Ancestors had already revealed herself and with her, the secret of Sylfe's magic. After that, Maetesk had to go and create a portal back to where everything was happening, to where he had left everything behind.

Cael guessed that even if he did go back, the landscape would be very much different, he would no longer be able to use the mental map of Alriiea that he had meticulously memorized in his childhood. After all, the battle was being fought by creatures far more powerful than he. He tried to remember their names, but the memory was fuzzy. He shook his head, attempting to clear it, but the fog would not lift. His shoulders drooped as a strange feeling of sadness rolled over his entire being. Why didn't he choose to stay and fight?

Was he even given a choice to stay? The question rang in his ears and he fought to keep it down. "Did you really want to stay?" the sly feminine voice echoed in his head. The words it uttered bounced around his skull, causing him to sag to his feet.

"I wanted to stay! I wanted to fight! What choice was I given? None!" cried Cael in mental anguish. Tears were now dripping from his cheeks to the hot sand. His face was contorted in misery and pain.

Nearby, Maetesk watched without so much as a twitch.

Radu landed next to Liara, and they both stopped to look at the portal. Radu could feel power rising in his veins once again. his inner warrior calling him to go and fight for his people, his home, for everything. but something else beckoned him to stay, it was the part of him that would soon be a father. he could not bare to leave Liara alone for any given period of time, and it was far worse to bring her. he knew Liara was strong willed, but being pregnant he wouldn't allow her to risk her oh so precious cargo. Radu looked at the ground below in mental anguish, neither part of him would give in. he wanted to both go and stay, but he didn't know which one he should do. Radu sighed sadly.... it was at times when he was faced with a difficult decision such as this he would consult the older and smarter Malkuthe, but now malkuthe had set himself far out of their lives, gone off with saffye to become masters of their own worlds. to wrapped up in their own lives to remember or care about slyfe or the ceree in it

Liara looked at her husband sadly. she could've tried to convince him to go, but she knew he wouldn't leave her alone, nor let her stay. she could've tried to convince him to stay with her here, but the guilt would've been t much on both of them. it was truly an impossible decision for both parties. Liara looked up and saw Cael, he was in anguish over this as well. though he didn't quite know exactly what they where going through, how the unborn child in her belly made things so difficult. Liara sighed and nuzzled Radu "whatever you choose, i accept it" she whispered

"You were given no choices? There's always a choice Cael!" The words stabbed through skin and bone like a sharp knife. Hot thick streams were now flowing from Cael's eyes.

"I don't know!!" yelled the boy.

"Were you really that much of a coward to run away from everything?" The voice was cold and it carried a sneer in its speech. Cael shuddered as the heavy influence of the voice lifted from his body.

"I... Just... No!" said Cael, unable to form coherent sentences. His mind torn between staying safe and content and going back to fight for what was important.

"Ha! You are a coward Cael! You ran from everything you held dear!!" with a final sinister laugh, the voice abandoned Cael.

Liara sighed, breaking the silence between the two of them "Radu.... please go, for the good of everything you must go" she turned her head to hide her tears. she knew deep down, it was went to happen. it was Radu's destiny to leave now and fight. she could just hope he would come back one day soon
Radu blinked "b-but Liara... i can't just leave you, i mean th-" he tried to argue but she cut him off again. she glared mat him a mix of sadness and slight annoyance in her eyes "no, you have to go, you and i both know it. there are plenty of people here that will make sure i am taken care of.... and i have faith that you will come back to me soon" Tears leaked from Radu's eyes. she was right, he knew it, she knew it, they both knew all to well. he sighed nuzzling her, trying to show every bit of feeling in the same caring gesture.
with a shuddering sigh Radu withdrew from her, " i love you... and i will come back" then he turned and ran for the portal "i promise!!" he yelled back. he ran faster and faster, so he would get there before he changed his mind. he gulped looking into the portal as he ran for it, bracing himself for what was waiting on the other side

A metal grate erupted from the sand even as green growth overtook it. The sky darkened and at Cael's feet, an ancient symbol appeared. It was of three circles, the largest of which had a smaller circle intersecting it at the upper left, and yet another smaller circle intersecting the second circle in the side within the largest circle. Three wavy lines were drawn through the symbol. Maetesk recognized it and keened softly as a cool breeze spread through the land.

Cael's eyes turned a liquid black. His shadow squirmed and twisted, eventually becoming the shadow of a towering hooded figure. Cael opened his mouth to speak and the words left him in an ancient and scarred voice. It seemed to be coming from a throats at once, each voice distinctly different, yet they blended together in a terrible combination. Cael's lips opened but the words were out of sync.

"Trust me, you do not want to go there..."

Radu stopped, turning to see what had happened to Cael. he blinked. then he growled, the fur of his back standing up. Radu extended his talons which where noticably longer than normal "and why not?" he growled.he couldn't figure out if this figure was threatening or not, but he didn't like it possessing his friend.
Radu could already feel his powers trying to force themselves forward, rebelling against his wishes from 2 months of being held back...