World of Sylfe: The New Age - IC

The voice of his grandfather came back from a distant part of Are'zel memory "You would be sure if you hear a dragon, for their voice are without equal in the worlds." Seeing Tia'Mara's reaction at the sound, he deduced that one more part of the legends was true; Raducan, as a dragon, was the source of such manifestation. Bur far from fearful with the sound, the roar was a little light of hope in Are'Zel's heart.

The sudden efforts from the hurt and weak ceree brought him back to reality, but his words hit him hard. Blurred images and deep pain assaulted his mind, and through his bond, he found out another characteristic of this stranger: he could not reach his magic, despite how deep he could feel his soul. The reason was still unclear, but his fear and suffering were pointing... a choice. His own choice.

Are'Zel approached the other ceree's ear and whispered, so low that made him unsure if was outloud or just his mind speaking. "Let's make a deal now, so we can gain time to decide later. You can use my magic for your intentions now, if you know what to do. And I'll make you blind for a short period... and try something to help..." He was still insecure, and deeply sad. In one moment he took the resolution and positioned his paw over the face of the other ceree. A quick and weak light flashed, and he used his body to hide it from the monsters; that would cause a terrible burning feeling, and make the other blind for at least an hour. That was a technique used for the Bright Scales to blind a prey or animal, if keeling it was unavoiadable, or it's sacrifice absolutely necessary.

Still with his paw in place, he focused all his energy to strenghten the uncommon bond he felt with the stranger; their feelings and sensations mixed, and his eyes started to burn more and more. At the first moment, being completely open to the other, he felt blindness overcome his own sight, and his memories pop here and there. Focusing more to clean all that unnecessary consequences of the bond, he connected his own vision to the other's mind. The blurred images were clearing again, but his cry was not helping. Regaining his composture, he asked the other with weak voice "I don't know if this is working properly... can you see?" If someone could look Are'Zel eyes, would notice that his eyes were now of a different collor, becoming the mix of his own green eyes with the ones of Nocru.

Another thing might catch the attention of those staring at the sky and it's new moon... Except this marvel was one that nearly demanded attention, as it gave off light greater than the combined moons. An enmorus red fireball arched through the sly, larger and faster than any meteor. It thinned out and readjusted itself downward. It few... Into the center of the feild near the forest and the town. A great explosion occured, followed by at least 3aftershocks.

Seeing the wave of destruction coming at them from the explosion, Tia shrieked, pulling up a forcefeild with her magic that covered the three of them... She gasped looking at the great crater that had been craved into the earth. Probing out with magic she looked into the crater, only to draw back as an angry force pulsed within "we should go... Now!"

Radon turned his head to see the explosion, head have to deal with it later. His senses where out of whack... Something told him that something far worse was beginning. His mind was torn away from the thought when light streaked across the ground, blasting a monster to bits. He looked to the source... Liara. He smiled at her, placing his tail down so she could climb up. He lay down on his back and began to heal him as he continued to fight... Together again, they where nearly unstoppable

Deep within the crater a being stirred. It was... A ceree. But no normal ceree, from head to tail he looked demonic. He sighed, crawling out "so this is where they send me... I'll make them pay for this he rumbled struggling to get out of the crater. He missed his wings...

A flash of light followed by an intense burning sensation were the only things that occupied Nocru's consciousness moments after his insane request from the male. In his mind, he screamed, yelled, and bit at the male, but he knew that the male was doing him a favor. He relished the pain, not to the point of masochism, but it was a close as he could get to death.

Suddenly, he felt something... shift, for lack of a better term and he sensed new emotions wavering, flickering in and out of existence at the borders of his consciousness. They were trying to pervade the dark mists of his sadness, but with little success. He felt a little of it being siphoned off into the distance, into what, he could not fathom. His mind was hazy and thinking was an effort.

He opened his eyes and only darkness greeted him. And then, light. His vision was back, but something was different. It was as though he was detached from his body, and could not control his head. His vision swiveled and he found himself looking at his own body. He then understood that there was a bond of sympathy between him and the male and that he could see through its eyes.

"Quick, we must move..."

back at the crater, the nightmarish ceree finished climbing out. he yawned and stretched looking about... he glanced over at the forest, did that area of the ground just move? no... sure his imagination. he stopped to think, surely he would find some people soon... if they didn't run away from him he might be able to figure out whats going on, he would need a name. he already had a name, he was just forbidden from speaking it as part of his punishment... what to call himself now? remembering his cursed appearance, he decided. "Issend" he muttered to himself, it was fitting as it meant demon in an ancient language.

he looked to the town, squinting, he could see a large form trashing about. "interesting" he murmured. walking to the town to see what was going on. after a few minutes of walking, he paused... he was at the edge of the blast zone from his arrival, he had heard a bit about the lattice, and contact with th grass infront of him would send ripples through it... after all he was not connected to it, in this world he was an anomaly, and should anyone be watching the lattice the ripple would be noticed "why am i even worried about this? besides i need some power" he walked forward, placing his paws in the cool grass. he purred at the feeling, then the grass began to die around him as he drew energy from it and the the lattice, refilling his own energy stores.
at the same time he did the the warlock, Merun would feel a sudden shock as this otherworldy being, this anomaly, made contact with the lattice. he would also notice it was not a part of the lattice and he had no control over it... looks like Merun might have something to worry about..

--
Tia sighed, glancing again at the smoking crater, see could of sworn she saw something come out of it. filling to the brim with fear and worry of whatever might come out of that crater, she became determined to get going. she began to push forward, practically dragging nocru and Are'Zel behind her "come on come on, lets move. he says we have to hurry to town lets hurry!"

An age-old being, a woman garbed in a gown of beautiful silvery-white that gleamed in the darkness of the void walked across the inexistent floor. The heels of her pearl-encrusted shoes clacked against an invisible surface. She lifted her hand and pushed. A line of light appeared in the darkness and widened to reveal a majestic hall made of crystal and milky gold.

She strode down the hall and opened a door. "Faith!" boomed a voice from across the table that faced her. She smiled grimly, there was something in her eyes that spelled disaster and the once jolly voice fell silent.

"The tower has been made manifest. Destiny has awoken" said the lady, her sonorous voice echoing down the table, the faces of all that were there turned dark. "We cannot tarry, call forth the heroes of Keth. The Plains of Fate await. The Third Sphere will soon be whole again. Malkuthe. Return to Sylfe."

The blue-haired elf stood from his chair and walked towards Faith. As he did, his form shimmered and glowed, and when he stood before the woman, he was a full-figured Ceree and towered over her. He bowed. "It shall be as you wish. For Haien'Echti!"

His roar blasted through the spheres.
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Merun smiled at Raducan's resistance. With a single gesture, he forced Raducan and Liara into their elven forms and cast a spell to keep them there. Only someone who held the lattice would be able to undo the spell.

Radu and liara blinked, looking first at themselves then at each other. there had been nothing but a flash of light and a feeling of immense magic... now they where elven. and with a few swift tries from Radu, he figured out they where stuck like this.
liara looked at him worried, "how could this happen?"
Radu growled "now it makes perfect sense, the sword missing, maetesk awakening, and us being forced to transform... someone is using the lattice." he sighed, looking at his wife, then at the monsters that surrounded him. he gave a small grin "we have been in harder situations... i think. looks like i'll have to bring out my sword"
Liara gasped "you still have that thing!? i thought you hid it away"
"with magic i hid it within myself" he grinned, making several quick and complex gestures with his hands. fire burst from his chest, forming into a long black bladed katana. it was none other than Tanik, the legendary sword of fire once used by the ancestor amteh who had blessed raducon at birth. a growl forming on his lips, he charged forward, slicing at the monsters. in a single firey swipe he had decapitated many. he grinned swinging the sword in his hands, waiting for the next couple monsters to charge him
liara, made a gesture with her hands, blasting swift arrows of light at her enemies as fast as she could. he methods also made short work of her assailants

The power of the impact stunned Are'Zel for some moments, and he was grateful that Tia'Mara was so quick with her protective shield. But things were growing even more out of control. He positioned himself near the male ceree to help him walk the final distance between them and the chaotic city. Trying to focus his mind, followed Tia'Mara, trying to move his head only a little, reducing the weird feeling that assaulted the other, sharing a vision that comes from an ungovernable source.

The creature that came from the crater was not clearly visible to Are'Zel, but as they approached, he had the feeling that the sight would not be an easy one; still, something about the stranger made him remember Francheza, or something she said in the past. That was not very clear, and probably, was not important in those circumstances. Soon, the group was really near the city borders...

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Francheza was terribly scared. All her community was fighting the monsters, but they were not decreasing in number, while they suffered many losses. Her father just disappeared, but she had the feeling he was still alive, fighting to protect her, together with the youngers and elders deep inside a cave. But their improvised stronghold would not last long, since the sounds coming from above were a clear sign that the last guards were giving their best... and failing.

The caves were really deep, and the elders already went far inside, preparing a strong spell to repeal the beasts for a longer time, but Francheza had another urgency: She would find her brother, using the time the elders were gaining to the Bright Scales to run and find him.

The troops were already fighting, Arienor led a team of archers at the ramparts as they released wave of arrows to the monsters.'Good thing I completed the test a week ago.' Arien was referring to her feat of creating the copy of the Laudethe armor which was an initiative to fight withe warriors of the tribe.It was hard work, she remembered working day and night for that thing, and the proud face of her father as she present the armor to him.

Speaking of which her father with the remaining warriors was fighting the monsters at the front gate. Previously he and the elders agreed if the monsters won't dissipate the remaining villagers would evacuate and hide in a cave behind a massive waterfall.I hope he's okay.she thought nocking an arrow and releasing it, hitting its target on the head."When will these ever stop?"she exclaimed getting tired for 3 straight hours they fought, the wave monsters neverending.

Three white figures reappeared near the town that Arienor and her people were staunchly defending. A number of monsters had already flooded the town and the fighting was nowhere near a visible end. There was nothing they could do to thin the number of monsters that were constantly besieging the small village. Their arrows were beginning to run out, they had always spent a lot of time fletching arrows, but even the arrows that had been saved in the largest silo in town were beginning to vanish like wildfire.

The white figures entered the town and with small gestures pushed the monsters out. They began preaching the Triune Church.
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The sky was beginning to turn into day once more, and as it did, something more terrifying was revealed to the denizens of Sylfe. By now, all of the towns save the Ceree settlements had been purged and converted. The innate power of their race allowing them to see past the good-willed masks that the missionaries wore.

However, most of the Ceree had been forced into it. Those were the towns that didn't have powerful enough magic wielders, unable to resist the power of the missionaries for too long. Fortunately, Are'Zel's community had powerful mages, and that was what saved them, for a time. In a flash of light, a brilliant blue Ceree appeared in the midst of the milling sides. He roared and all the monsters and even the missionaries were decimated.

"Tell me, where is Raducan?" he demanded.
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The afternoon sky that came around as the day returned to its normal cycle was anything but normal. Opposite the sun was a black disc, its borders glowing with a sinister red and bolts of purple lightning streaked across its surface. Around it was a small area of gray where the clouds didn't move and everything was eerily still.

It was the first sign of the Convergence. When the eclipse occurred, Keth would be reunited once again.

Much time had passed when Syagrus awoke from his slumber. He immediately sat, and tried to surmise the events that had happened. The last thing he had remembered, was battling a horde of enemies. Beasts of every kind varying in shape and size. He was able to hold them off for a while, but slowly the enemies had overpowered him his sight descended into darkness, and he blacked out. The rest however, was a vague dream. He had dreamed of battling the enemy using insurmountable amounts of magic. He had also dreamt fleeing the battle, and resting on the very cave he was standing on. Was it all a dream? Or is it more, much, much more.

He had unconsciously shifted to his human form, and looked at his hands. They held his twin blades. They were both intricate in design, the bronze metal with a steel hue and the red glow of the glyphs, it reminded him of the time these blades were forged, or reforged as these blades came upon him from an old Sacred Wings ceree, stating that the blades now belong to me as an inheritance, since 'Master Seraph' died. Since the blades did not suit him well, he had reforged it, taking the metal and melting it, adding a new metal in the process. As soon as he was finished though, a blue glow appeared and made the glyphs embedded in the metal, though as soon as the glyphs were made, they glowed a bright red, and the glow dissipated. He had named these blades, and he favored the use of these blades. Whenever he used these blades, it would mean instant kill for the enemy.

He smiled. He held the blades to his face and breathed. Ithuriel... Raziel... awaken... As soon as he said those words, the blades briefly showed their original form: steel blades with golden strings attached to the handles. They then glowed a golden aura, the glyphs shining a bright blue. Magic had coated the blade, letting multiple colors mix with the gold. Magic had formed an armor around him, hardening until an intricate armor completely surrounded him. His eyes glowed blue, then shadow, until it had returned to its original gray. He staggered and the magic faded, but the golden glow around the blades still existed. He laughed. Now that he had awaken his blades, he was twice as deadly. He set out, to find more prey.

"Hold that thought..." muttered Malkuthe, his senses tuning in to Radu's unique soul pattern. It was made easier because his presence in the lifestream was magnified intensely by the power of the blade Taniik. The night seemed to be troubled. He could sense rapid fluctuations in the lifestream and when he closed his eyes to see it, he could see it glowing dimly. He swore a tinge of red had crept into it... but there were more pressing matters at the moment.

When he had determined Radu's exact position, he turned to the people of the town and said "Enjoy this gift, trust no one." He breathed into the air and from his breath coalesced a pale white orb that seemed to radiate energy. "This should keep any evildoers away, take care that it not fall into the wrong hands." With that, he turned and was gone. Before he arrived, he already knew that Radu was in trouble, and a lot of it from the looks of things.

"Well, Raducan, my friend, it is good to see you and Liara again" he said, casually swatting aside attacking monsters with alerons and his tail. "I'm afraid Haien'Echti needs you once more"
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Once they were in town Nocru saw Tia'mara for the first time and it took a moment before it dawned on him that she had two tails. If what he remembered of his visions was correct, this was the Ceree upon whose shoulders, her father's burden had been thrust upon. She would either doom, or save Sylfe.

"Go, tell your father you are safe..." said Nocru, the strength starting to creep up into his voice, the adrenaline keeping his sorrow at bay. Time was running out.

Radu turned and slashed a monster, and in that motion he saw liara. Liara was standing limp looking slack jawed at something. against his better judgement he took his focus off the fight for a moment and looked where she was looking... and went slack jawed as well... "Malkuthe!?" it was, without a doubt. the face of the best friend he had been denied seeing for oh so many years! why he would of gone and hugging him about the neck until even malkuthe had trouble breathing, sadly this thought and action was pushed down by having to slice yet another monster in half "dam things just keep coming... but great gods above, Malkuthe! my dear old friend, its been so long! lord, i dont even know how long it's been, considering your 'time' on that world of yours i supposed you had forgetten us mere mortals" he joked, pushing Liara out of the way to gut a monster that tried to sneak up on her...

Radu sighed "my help again eh? i know haien'etchi is in trouble... someone has taken control of the lattice, if you didn't already know (which i'm pretty sure you do)... though in all honesty, i'm not sure how much help i can really be. i didn't become immortal and stop aging like you... i surprised myself i've been able to do as much as i have already." he paused for breath... seriously, at this point Radu and liara where well over 200... which was on the side of being 'old' in ceree standards. "but, i'll do what i can... just one problem...Liara and I are stuck in Elven form, whoever's in control of the lattice forced us into this form, and now we are stuck like this"
--

Tia'Mara looked at Nocru for a moment... he seemed to be thinking something about her, she couldn't tell what. most likely her imagination. she nodded to both the ceree "right, i'll see iif my mom can help, she's a good healer" she promised as she ran off. she fought her way tough, and partly jumped over, the remains of the monster horde. she ran to hr mother who embraced her.
"Tia'Mara! i told you not to sneak off from the house... when you didn't come back i was so worried about you!... if you do that again your grounded" Liara threatened her daughter.
"aw mom... but i was helping these two guys" she tried to explain but she was interupted by her father
"anyways, we'll get to that later... tia, meet malkuthe, he was one of my best friends when i was your age. he directed her attention to the blue, who she was fairly sure she had never met before
"wait when you where young? but he looks so much younger than you..." she said turning this way and that to examine his features.
"... thats kind of a long story..."

Elsewhere, two figures were arguing in the darkness. One seemed like a ceree, with pale blue fur. Another was that of a dragon, made of molten rock. The dragon's blue flame, faintly illuminated the darkness. The ceree was trying to persuade the dragon, but the dragon was persistent, and it resulted in this argument.

"I think it is time to help the boy. He has awakened Ithuriel and Raziel. His magic has strengthened with the awakening. It is time for the boy's spirit to merge with ours."

"Never!" snapped the dragon. "The boy is too young. He should not be waking the two this early. Besides, as much as I want to go back to that plane and help, I cannot leave else this world crumbles."

"Is this about what I did before?"

The dragon remained silent.

"Noundele!"

Noundele sighed. "Yes partly. After you received your father's magic you became arrogant, thinking you alone can save the plane. You died a short life Seraph. I would not let that happen to the boy."

"I thought it was heroic..." muttered the ceree.

"It was arrogance! Stupidity! Enough of this Seraph. I have favored you already. You were my vessel. I helped you control your magic. I assisted with your foolish battle. I took your spirit during your final moments and let you live in the shadow realm as a spirit. I even gave in to your whim by letting a little of our power trickle into the boy. I even let Rubian become part of the blades as of your wish. But this is enough. Let the boy mature. Let Syagrus grow. The blades will suffice for the lack of power he has. It has my, yours, Rubian's powers and other powers as well. It is more than enough."

The two disappeared, and the light along with it.

Are'Zel was able to understand the situation a little better, following fragments of the conversation between Raducan, Tia'Mara and the ceree presented as Malkuthe. This name remained in his memory, like part of a long lost story... but he had a good memory for good stories, and he was sure that he never heard a word from his family or the elders about Malkuthe. Maybe words were whispered when he should not be hearing. But his feelings were telling another version: this story was much deeper and far in his existance than his own life. That was a confusing conclusion, but real in some level; he could not participate in the events regarding Raducan and Malkuthe in a long lost time, but still...

That was not a good time to be lost in thoughts, or to be too sensitive. Are'Zel took his resolution, and chose a "mask", the personal name he gave to all the "personas" or characters he lived as an artist and storyteller. If he was too weak to survive these events, he would try to be another person, revesting himself with the strenght of a warrior. "Please, lords, we have a wounded partner, and he proved himself very important in the events we are witnessing." He called out loud in Malkuthe's and Raducan's family direction. He was too worried to think about the right and polite way to call such important personalitites, and he was sure they would not care that much. As a little monster approached from behind, he punched the ground with his paw and stabbed the monster with a pointy rock, without even turning to look at it.

"I have some magic, and I'll try to assist you with all I can. Just give me the orders." his expression was serious. With some generosity, you could even forget that he was just an ordinary ceree...

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The sounds of fight around the place Francheza was hiding started to quench, and she feared that all the guards could be dead. Thinking about all the old and children that would be defenseless, she reunited all her courage to throw herself in battle, but was surprised by a slightly wounded guard, with a tired smile. "The last monsters around were defeated. I'll talk with the elders, please, stay here while it's safe." he procceeded to the chamber where the others were hiding, leaving Fran with her crazy ideas. Maybe that was the best opportunity to escape.

Nocru was confused with what was happening. Whatever was happening here was not in his visions. Not even the wide-spread attacks of the monsters. His vision only told him that whoever was outside a town would die that night. He didn't know, he simply didn't know what to do. Had he not been so weak that he already was sprawled on the ground, he would have collapsed then and there. He sensed something anomalous, but Are'zel's gaze was transfixed on the large blue Ceree, something was odd about it but whatever it was that Nocru felt, it was different.

Nocru saw the Ceree with two tails with her mother. A pang of sorrow swept through him. He missed his own family so very much. The thought broughr Sadness clawing at his insides again and all of a sudden, a vision ripped through him.

He was alone in his room, having come home after inhaling that gas... The ground around Nocru began to form small cracks, trembling ever so slightly. Whatever Are'Zel had tried to inhibit his visions was not working well.

The ground was shaking and his mother was screaming his name. "Nocru! Nocru!" Nocru began to rise to his feet. As he did, a bolt of lightning struck and decimated a nearby house. "How many more must be added to this burning list!!" he yelled at the skies, the bond between him and Are'zel had snapped, but it wasn't broken, just momentarily severed. the wind began to pick up and a few meters away from the town, a large funnel cloud was beginning to descend.

"Why... Nocru?" asked his brother who was hanging by a paw on the side of a large fissure. "Save me!" the small Ceree cried out, but with the vision ravaging him, nothing could interfere. Nocru squeezed his eyes in pain, his claws digging into the dirt. He felt someone trying to go near him, but he lashed out wildly with his alerons. "Stay away from me! STAY AWAY!" he begged.

Assaulted with the vision, Nocru ran out of the town. His legs were fumbling and his gait was erratic. He was only driven by a single objective, to save people. All around him, lightning gouged large furrows into the ground. Fractures followed where his feet landed. He stopped at the edge of a large crater, but unable to contain himself, leapt into it, hoping that whatever was in it would kill him. Suddenly, the visions stopped. The only thing Nocru heard before passing out was a hollow grating sound.
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Malkuthe cursed under his breath when the gray Ceree began convulsing. The magic that flowed from him was immense. It wasn't any product of his own doing, though. The magic was from the lifestream, erupting from him like a geyser. The shower of bolts and small earthquakes followed the Ceree out of the town. He stayed long enough for Malkuthe to determine the problem. But he had little time to state what he knew because just outside the borders of the village. The most massive tornado he had ever seen touched down.

He flicked an aleron, confident that his powers as an eternal would stave off the tornado. What came next, or perhaps, what DIDN'T come next shocked Malkuthe. The tornado gave a visible wobble, and then continued on its path. Unfortunately for the three stunned missionaries that were waiting outside for the fighting to cease, they were caught up in the tornado. Leaving yet another settlement unconverted.
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Merun watched from his balcony the black disc that hovered in the sky. Around it, the sphere of petrified gray had gotten a little larger. Whatever he did to destroy it using the lifestream wasn't working. It was as though it wasn't of Sylfe. He growled, frustrated. He pounded his staff against the castle floor and the entire building shook in response to his anger.

He composed himself and descended, ready to hear the good news from his emissaries.

Radu sighed and slapped his forehead, he then slowly dragged it down his face in a sign of annoyance. "Malkuthe i've been thinking... now i believe i know why the Fates ended up making me a legendary hero and you an eternal... to keep us as far away from each other as physically possible. i mean look, every time we see each other, disaster strikes." he shook his head and looked at the tornado. good gods, that was a iggie... wait did he just see 3 ominus white figures get sucked up into it?... nah must be his imagination.

h looked at malkuthe, who made a move as if casting magic. Radu turned to the tornado, which flickered, but didn't stop. it seemed malkuthe couldn't make it just fizzle out "malkuthe if you can't control it, try and find a way to block it, or at least keep it from entering the city for awhile. my family and i will go and inform everyone to get to the storm shelters!" he said looking at his wife and daughter, they nodded and dispersed. Radu laughed and shook his head "ahh, malkuthe, just like old times eh?" he said before running off to help people get to the shelters

-----

Issend blinked, some strange grey ceree had run like a madman into the crater, falling into it's depth. Issend sighed, about to turn back to his path, seeing the tornado... he suddenly realized he had 2 options. 1 run across the field and hope that town has a safety shelter of some nature... or go back and help that ceree. normally he would've gone for the first... but a sudden pang of guilt struck him. biting his lip he looked back, it was his fault that crater was there. he cursed himself, this feeling was not like him... but he felt he needed to help that ceree.

giving a short groan he ran back. once back at the Crater and looked over the edge... what he saw made him gasp.... the grey had already been saved... by a strange ceree like being. his body seemed to be made completely from black stone. biting his lip, that stone creature gave off power something terrible.... but he wouldn't fear it. he felt that it would do him no harm if he did it no harm. he even felt his demonic appearance would not frighten the strange being, after all it was made from stone, he was a nightmare... Issend slide down into the crater to meet with the stone being "err... hello, is there any way i could help you... and that poor lad?" he asked

Malkuthe didn't have to try to know that nothing he was going to do would work. Feeling into the depths of his immortal soul, he found that something was blocking his access to the energy of Echti itself. Something had severed him from the true source of magic, the core of the plane. He could access enough magic by drawing it from the two lower spheres where it was at its most dense, but even then, he couldn't even do anything apart from elementary magic.

"It must be a side-effect of the convergence..." he muttered to himself. He jumped at the sudden question that came from somewhere near him.

"What's a side-effect of the convergence?" said a pinkish-purple Ceree.

"By the Ancestors, don't scare me like that, Saffyre... WHY are you here?!" he snapped, startled by her presence. "Well, stop that tornado, and then after that try to bring it back, you'll see what I mean."

Saffyre protested for a moment, saying that Malkuthe wasn't making any sense. Eventually, under Malkuthe's continuous prodding, she did as he asked. Her magic was well and true for the first time and sure enough the sky was clear once more. She did as Malkuthe had said and tried to bring it back. Her eyes widened for a moment, but then her face contorted into one of utter understanding.

"He has awoken, and his body is beginning to merge with his soul... Soon he'll be at the peak of his power. Faith's fetters can only hold so long, Destiny will soon be whole. We can only pray we find enough heroes to storm the eighth sphere..." said Saffyre, looking with a worried expression at the angry black disc in the sky.

Arienor gazed in wonder at the three figures standing at the square, yet she didn't trust them.At first she thought they were their savior for they had driven out the endless stream of monsters but when they started speaking about the rubbish of religion and all she started to hate them."Who do they think they are anyway?"Arienor growled as she heard them say that their old traditions were of no use.She was planning to attack when her father sidled beside her, and reading her mind stopped her."I know you don't like them as much as I do Arien but they might be dangerous."

"So we're just gonna stand here and do nothing?"Arienor asked."No.Me, and a group of fighters will try to drive them out and you meanwhile bring this to your mother for they have evacuated just in the nick of time."her father said indicating a bag full of medicine and supplies beside him."Eh what if you fail?How do we know that it's safe to come back??"the chieftain's daughter retorted."Just do it!And don't let them catch you"commanded her father signalling a group of fighters to start surrounding the cloaked figures.

"Be careful then pa."Arienor said taking the bag in her mouth and started running towards their hideout.'I hope all goes well.she thought as she picked up pace.

Seeing the tornado had been cleared, Radu and his family came back. upon re-entering the area, Radu blinked in shock as he saw Saffye. "for the love of all thaat is holy...." he turned around to his wife, who was already running at Saffye.... Radu managed to tackle Liara just before she could tackle Saffye. "liara, calm down... i know you never liked saffye after everything that happened all those years ago... but you've got to just calm down"
Liara sighed "oh fine... i'll behave... for you"
"no tackling?" he asked as he helped her up and brushed some dirt off her dress
"none" she smiled and gave a quick kiss on the cheek.

Tia'Mara made a short gag sound as she re-entered the area. she blinked at the pinkish ceree, walking over she asked her parentss a quick question "who is that lady?"
Liara growled "a terrible excuse for an ete-" she was stopped by a hand from Radu.
"that would be Saffye, Malkuthe's mate, as it where" he smiled and walked over to the pair. the original intent was to make formal introductions... then try and think of a reason why they wouldn't need anymore acts of heroism from him. then he paused. his ears caught but one line of conversation... and it contained far more than he had ever wanted to hear.... "Destiny.. is... awakening?" he managed, a small amount of terror creeping into his voice. he had met with destiny before... and that was when destiny was still asleep. that evil man, Radu and Cael, with a little divine help, had only just been able to prevent destiny from achieving his full plan... now that destiny would be awake, matters would get worse...a small thud was heard as Radu had fallen straight backwards and hit the ground. he was still awake though, and staring at that terrible black sphere

Venturing towards unknown lands, Syagrus assumed human form, clutching his glowing blades, his senses sharper than usual. He figured anything he saw would be potentially dangerous to him so he decided to kill every living being he saw. Soon enough, he had left a trail of dead animals. Lycandu, elf, and any other creature that unluckily crossed Syagrus' path were killed instantly. Syagrus wore a huge grin on his face. Almost maniacal, insane. The ecstasy he experienced from killing so much, it was enough to make him laugh. The laugh, the deafening laugh, his eyes almost showing no pupils, he was almost on the verge of losing sanity, all because of the pure ecstasy.

He had unknowingly arrived at a crater and trying to see if there was anything to kill, it spotted it's perfect prey. The ceree, demonic in appearance. The thought of killing such a rare beast almost made him insane. He wondered what would happen to him if he actually killed the ceree. Would he laugh, cry, or would the ecstasy and insanity be enough to make him kill himself? Surely that would be the ultimate ecstasy. He jumped, blades at hand and charged at the beast, while bellowing a crazy laugh that would make one hide in fear.

Issend heard the laugh, and sensed danger. he turned to the psychotic looking figure that was leaping towards him. he growled, then released a burst of red energy from his maw. the burst shot forward, becoming similar in appearance to a spear as it closed in Syagrus. the spear of energy shot through him and knocked him backwards... the spear caused no physical damage, but Syagrus would by now be convulsing as terrible pain ripped through his body. Issend slowly crawled out of the crater and walked over toSyagrus, standing over him...

"Mortal fool, you dare challenge me!?" he roared, wrath clouding his mind as he so often allowed it to. he placed his paw of the stunned male's head.... then sent another bolt of pain through him. Issend then let off him and began to pace in a wide circle around Syagrus "come on you worthless insect... get up! get up and fight me!" he roared, fangs dripping with anticipation. even weakened from his true power, he knew he was far stronger than this being... but something about those blades threw him off. those swords, they had power. he smiled licking his fangs... he could easily kill this mortal and take them. then those swords would be his all his...

Seeing the sudden reaction of the gray ceree next to him made Are'Zel perplexed, but his instincts made him follow the other just as quickly. He could not manage to help him, for the other was running at it's best, and strange phenomenon always exploded nearby his path. He could barely see the other through the tall grass, and his mind was out of reach, embraced by a pain much bigger than Are'Zel could understand. That created a shield, preventing even the most reasonable part of his mind to reach the source of all his suffering, driving him mad.

When they reached the open field around the crater, his senses were overwhelmed by all the information. The ground was dry and everything nearby died with the impact that caused the crater; the open field gave him a good vision of the monstrous tornado, the most recent of unnatural events, and it's complicated moves stated that someone was trying to manipulate it, maybe without much efficiency. But the primary reason of Are'Zel's running was just jumping to the crater...

Reaching it's border, another scene formed itself like the next step of the nightmare. Two different creatures, both vaguely resembling ceree, were nearby his fallen friend, but making him no harm. He approached galloping, with no time to fear. "Do not harm him in anyway!" He made his voice clear to the others. Another strange move on the corner of his eye made him look and see that the tornado was gone. One less thing to worry about. Maybe someone in the city can help us with that madness, after all.. When he reached the place where his friend fell, he studied both strangers with distrustful eyes. The red ceree looked dangerous and strong, even being a little smaller than him. Considering that he appeared with the crater, maybe he was one of the strange events of this troubled day; but his disposition was not clearly agressive, and maybe he could leave them all in peace.

The other was just unnatural, and his existence only made Are'Zel think about all the powers he didn't know, and that were surrounding him, his own magic seemed completely out of control. He noticed some little flowers and bushes nearby that were not there moments ago. His proximity with the gray ceree was also making him a little more sensitive and unguided. And as the last drop to pour his mind and magic apart for some time was the man running through the crater, with assassin eyes, emanating violence in such degree that even the red demonic ceree next to him would look less terrifying. But the reaction of the last one was quick and definitive, their fight in a tense moment. "You all don't understand" Are'Zel said in a hollow voice, his behavior becoming out of his control. The ground moved itself a little around the area where he stood with Nocru and the stone creature, and he snarled like a wild animal. "You are lost..."

Maetesk touched Nocru. It was the barest graze of his body caused by turning to look at Are'Zel and he nearly jumped when the gray Ceree convulsed in his place on the ground. Its eyes fluttered open and the gray looked at Are'Zel. "My visions! They're gone!" he yelled in surprise.

"Be still, we do not know what happened, but I assure you it will not be permanent..." said Maetesk, his voice hollow and grating, but no longer made of the multitude of voices that it had held in a time long past. "Be quiet, someone is coming"

A lady in white appeared before them and pulled the two fighters apart. "Come with me, the planes need you... the glory of war awaits..."

Before Nocru or anyone could object, they were in a strange place filled with a myriad of strange creatures and people. "what is this place?" asked the gray Ceree but the lady was no longer there.

The look of shock and rage on Syagrus face was immediate. He couldn't believe that such a beast would be able to do such harm to him. The mockery didn't help calm him down. Even though the shockwaves would've prevented him from even standing up. He moved and twitched. He stood up, eyes showing pure hate at the ceree. His blades glowed blindingly white, his eyes shifting from grey to blue, to shadow. His magic abruptly bloomed around him in the form of a multicolored aura, coating every part of him. His wounds had started to heal. The magic had started to solidify around him, forming a suit of armor on his entire body. It was light, yet it defended him well, the perfect armor. Ithuriel! Raziel! Show the fool his insolence! The blades vibrated, and it emitted a sound, a scream that only the two can hear. It was a deafening sound, enough for one to break down. Before he could show his and the blades true power, someone interfered.

A lady in white stepped in front of them, her expression firm and the message was clear: The fight was to be for another day. "Come with me, the planes need you... the glory of war awaits..." Syagrus' armor still hadn't dissipated, and was more than eager to battle and kill the demon ceree, but the lady in white made him swallow his anger and for a rare moment, have an expression of calmness. His sight had become blurry, and when he finally focused, he found himself within a medley of strange creatures.

Vador, chieftain of the Highwind along with other fighters surrounded the three alien figures, they casually blended in the crowd so as not to rouse suspicion from the three. As the three figures were about to conclude their lecture, Vador signalled the ceree fighters to attack and shouted "We will not allow you aliens to break the traditions of our ancestors!You foul creatures must be admonished!" He then launched himself from the ground and spiraling in the air he breathed fire with all his might.

Arienor stopped to rest under a tree, she went through the supplies to check if her sister's medicine was there."Oh here it is."she muttered as she saw the round-leaf covered medicine among the other things. Putting all back again, she resumed her run towards the fall which was 3 kilometers from the village.As she reached the cliff overlooking the falls and of a river, she looked back towards the direction of the village and ignoring the bad feeling growing in her heart, Arienor hoped that her father and the remaining villagers were alright.