World of Sylfe: The New Age - IC

Nocru awoke to Fran singing. There was something about the way she sang, the aura that glowed around her that just seemed to dissolve all negativity in him. In the distance, there was a village smoking and Nocru realized that they were back home. It sent a burst of panic through him that suddenly covered the entire area with a roiling mass of clouds that slowly faded as his heart was calmed by Francheza's soothing melody.

Across his paws and fore legs, veins of red pulsed. They were marks of the taint on the lifestream, a taint that not even Nocru was aware of. He opened his mouth to mutter thanks to Fran, but a sudden cough brought out a searing white fire. Fran had her eyes closed, so she did not see the flowers and grass in the ground reverse color and vanish. He whimpered and bit his lip.

Something strange was happening.

Issend and Tia sat in stunned silence, unable to move until are'zeal left. They looked at each other "should we follow him?" tia asked issend simply nodded. The duo followed behind are'zeal... But stayed a good distance from him, at least in sight range...

Tia looked to issend "issend I want to know... Do you really think this whole transformation as punishment thing is really as horrible as Are'Zel says it is?" she asked
He sighed " it is... And that's why it's perfect. The punishment transforms someone's form to reflect the way they truly see themselves. It serves as a wake up call, thus you can see what you have let yourself become... Few realize their mistake and relearn and repent... Most will simply fall into despair and resentment, often they will fall farther and actually become demons... That's why it's perfect, it's like a test that roots out all the ones who don't deserve to rise" he paused, then whispered into tia's ear "I'm trying to fix myself... But I worry about Are'Zel's sanctity and sanity"

Francheza continued singing to the moment the song ended and her voice faded. She heard the discrete noises Nocru made when he woke up. Opening her eyes, she saw the tense ceree. "Are you feeling well? Don't be scared, we will find a way to discover about your powers. You'll be safe, and will not be alone." She was not scared, but avoided looking too much to the red marks covering her friend, fearing that he could become too worried about it.

"I'll try to find the elders of my people. I think they escaped the attack. They could know something about that, or at least, point somewhere we can go to learn more. We'll do this together." she smiled a bit. Suddenly she felt a little vertigo and headache, but was distracted by the soft sounds of leaves. Someone was approaching.

"It's me, Fran." the voice of Are'Zel was clear, easy for her to recognize. The sad tone indicated the mood of her brother. "Avarel! I'm so relieved! Come on! Let's search for the others, and our family! Nocru seems okay. They might know something about--"

"I'm not going, Fran." His voice was decisive, making her stop. He entered the clear area, showing her how he was looking now. "They can't see me like this, they won't understand."

Fran looked surprised at him. "Oh, Avarel, what happened?" He approached a little more of his younger sister. "It's better for you that you don't remember about these things. It's about we being angels. I was not a very good angel, and this is part of my punishment. Now I understand a little about the preocupations of our father, and make me wonder how much he knows, indeed..." For his own surprise, Fran approached and hugged him "I don't believe that you were so bad, Avarel, even if you're not so happy and funny like when you are 'Kerwel'. You're gentle, kind and good inside."

Are'Zel hugged the little sister too. He didn't have the willpower to teel her the truth; that he was only like that with her. She would always bring the best of him to surface, but in his lonely moments, his bad intentions and thoughts would be close to his heart.

Kaldreiia jumped. The pure white flame that shot out of the gray's maw looked much like the Flames of Creation. It was an age-old magyke that manifested in Sylfe's beginnings. She had resisted the lifestream's currents and stood her ground, watching the strange creature that was before her. He would have to die, she thought, and it struck straight through her draconic heart. He was of her own flesh, blood and magic.

Something was off about the gray ceree. His body was not touched wholly by the lifestream. The lifestream seemed to want to claw itself away from him, but tendrils of it adhered to his body here and there. The tendrils were occasionally burned away by the taint that was in the gray. Kaldreiia knew that he would have to die, but he was also the key to destroying Algaisia's taint, as strange as that seemed. It was almost as strange as what had happened. In a flash of light, he and his companions had simply reappeared in Sylfe.

She willed time to slow around her. It was one of the only fragments of her old power that she retained. It only slowed in that portion of the lifestream and she knew that she would be whisked away immediately by the torrent that followed. She watched the flowers as they reversed colors in the green tinge of the lifestream. The lifestream shuddered and in a perfect dome around the flowers turned grey. She approached the dome and touched it.

It shattered into pieces around her paw. Around it, the lifestream bent and warped. Through it, the stream refused to flow, a violation of its omnipresent nature. The area of the dome started to grow dark.

It was a darkness deeper than black. In that area, the lifestream simply ceased to exist.
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Merun gave a start. The lifestream had just screamed. Ripples of chaos spread like wildfire through it. Trees suddenly died, newborn livestock grew two heads and entire fields of flowers went up in flames.

He willed the lattice to show him what was wrong. It drew him in and suddenly, he was floating above his own body, a visibly green-tinted specter of himself. A brilliant light flashed and he opened his eyes to a gray ceree, sitting dumbfounded. In front of him, though, was the source of the chaos. A section of the lifestream was simply gone in a perfectly hemi-spherical dome.

What had caused it, he wondered.
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Nocru looked at Are'zel. He had... changed. Something sparked within him and he stood, albeit shakily. He walked over slowly to stand beside Francheza. He looked at her, and he looked at Are'zel, or at least what had once been Are'zel. He gazed into the horned creature's eyes, a silent question of "how" in his own.

Are'Zel returned the gaze to Nocru, noticing the red marks over his body. That was a clear sign of something really wrong, for that ceree was too powerful for his own security. He tried to use the link to understand more about the situation, but it wasn't... there. The link he shared with both ceree in front of him was gone, or was blocked with another power. After that, Are'Zel felt strangely alone again, realizing that this fact could be another part of his punishment.

"We will find a way to help you, Nocru. Fran is right. But I'll help you with some distance, if we get in touch with our tribe again." The word 'our' felt strange, once he could not feel like part of it anymore. "Don't worry about it, Fran. I'll be okay."

Fran bit her lip. "You are frighteningly thin. Do you want to--"
"No. It's better if I don't eat. Ah, don't worry about it." Are'Zel tried to calm her, but his quick answer in a tense tone was not working. "Well, the others are here, too. I mean, Tia'Mara, the daughter of Raducan, and Issend. I think everyone is back to their original lands and worlds..." He paused, noticing Fran closing her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, just a little dizzy." The crystalline gem in her forehead glowed just slightly.

tia'mara stopped at the edge of the clearing, looking at Are'Zel, Fran and Nocru. she watched them, noticing how much Are'Zel seemed to change when near Fran. Fran just seemed to calm everyone down, especially Nocru and Are'Zel.. perhaps it had something to do with her angellic nature that she had yet to tap? either way, it was much better to see everyone calmed down... that was when she felt it, a shock pass through her body that made her give a small groan of pain afterwards... something was wrong... with... well she didn't exactly know what had gone wrong... all she could think of was... everything

the feeling had just passed when issend sat beside her, staring off at the others "is something wrong tia?" he asked, she turned her head away from him, running her talons through the dirt
"i... i dont know. i just felt... pain. like something was wrong with..." she paused, scratching her chin in thought
"wrong with...?" issend prodded, looking down at the female
"i honestly dont know..." she sighed

Nocru's keen eye had seen Tia shudder just as he sensed the rippling of chaos from where he had stood. His fractured mind was unable to grasp it all, though. "That ceree would have to kill me to save the world. At last, my own death, foretold.." he thought, but that thought too was swept away in the torrent that was Nocru's mind.

A grating sound echoed over the landscape like it shouldn't have. They were surrounded by hills and rolling plains, not mountains, yet the grating echoed all around. Nocru gave a start, that sound he recognized, it was his savior. Not all of his destructiveness had been reined in, but that single moment when he had touched the living statue Maetesk had changed everything. Suddenly, he found himself wanting to live again.

The closer the strange being drew, the less sorrow filled Nocru's heart. It was as if a thin veil had been lifted from him and he was thinking clearly for the first time. Stunned, he looked around with bulging eyes, as if seeing the world from a different point of view after decades of seeing it as a place to be feared. With a whoop he tilted his head skyward and released a jet of flame, brilliant white. It sparkled and gleamed like fire should not and even Maetesk took a step back.

The gouts of fire rained down on Nocru, swirling around him in glittering glory. The plants it touched on the ground, though, reversed color and simply vanished.
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Kaldreiia had returned to her watching the lifestream around the gray Ceree and was shocked. From the distance, another bubble that repelled the stream appeared. It was tall, but not very large. She found herself to be hearing a soft grating, she had not thinned the stream around her, in this place, where there were many gathered, sound traveled with much difficulty from the world of the living to the world of the dead.

It was Maetesk. She was shocked, not only because the creature was still present on Sylfe, but because she could clearly see the souls of the other Ancestors locked in his body, and something that looked like a soul forming itself. As he neared, the bubble around him seemed to... resonate with the one around the gray Ceree. A number of strands of the lifestream broke off from the gray, leaving only two or three connected to him.

As Maetesk approached, she sensed the Ceree's mood lighten, and only millenia of being a warrior prepared her for what happened next. The gray shot a burst of the Flames of Creation into the sky, but only causing little damage, unlike the first time. What surprised her though, was that the flames themselves refused to touch the Gray. It was a puzzling thought and she pored over it, unable to find an answer, she willed herself to her husband's side.

For Are'Zel, the approach of Maetesk caused deep impression. Not only he knew about the entity while acting in his angel duties - the existence of such creature and the events surrounding its existence were far too relevant to escape the eyes of the other planes - but he also studied about the Maetesk for the simple mission he had in his tribe: a story teller. A performatic, with the power to amuse the others and keep the legends alive. Also, keeping some stories in secret, to assure the power of such knowledge would never reach undesired ears.

And there it was, real, its presence unmistakable. Are'Zel could not guess if it would bring answers, or just add more questions to this puzzle. The reasons that moved the Maetesk... his mind couldn't reach them. Nocru's reaction just proved that the ceree had a deep connection with all that, and his power was far too dangerous. His poor mind, his immense power...

Are'Zel shuddered strongly, his face tense. The evil in his heart told a very sad truth, and instilled both fear and desire in his heart. Nocru was just the perfect tool to chaos.
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Francheza felt the emanation around them, and feared it's origin. But something caught her attention more than this fear: Nocru's eyes seemed to shine with a different light. The way he looked around himself was... like someone that finally wakes up from a long slumber. He was aware, he was there. That made Fran really happy; maybe they could help him someway.

The pure white flame caused a completely different reaction. She feared it, her eyes wide, and allerons stiff, something very rare to happen. For her, it seemed too wrong. Huge power, for both order and descruction. This should not exist in Nocru. It was like a flower that could simply kill the one's who touched it... Or a bird that could bring a mountain with it's beak. He deserved peace... live with only kindness around him. It was so clear that he would never find such peace... Not only in this world, but probably in all worlds.

She could not bear this thoughts. "Oh, Nocru. How... are you feeling? " she didnt know what to say. Tears flooded her eyes. She turned her face down, a failed attempt to hide her preocupation, and noticed the place where some plants existed few moments before. "Can you talk?"

Kaldreiia returned to the gray Ceree, her husband having not provided any good answers to her questions. Sielvoth was intelligent, much more so than her, a being that had lived for an eternity, but at times, that very intelligence irked her to the extreme. One moment he had been mumbling possibilities to her, and then the next he was walking along with the currents, muttering to himself about reincarnation and taints.

She had a little scholarly blood in her, but her time as a warrior had made her impatient when it came to grave matters, especially ones she did not understand. She thought of Amteth, brother of flames, and the many battles she had shared with him in their old world. She had been the one to open the rift in Aznala's wall and the power that coursed through her veins.. It was as though the very sun was in her. It was as if she had transcended her own mundane existence, an experience she both missed and cursed.

She was shocked out of her broodings by the conversation that happened between the two strange entities.
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"Ma.. e.. tesk..? No.." mumbled Nocru, wide eyes focusing on the statuesque monstrosity. He approached it and said "No... your name is not... Maetesk. Triethe, is that... you?"

A shadow of confusion crossed the rumbling beast's face and it was stopped in its tracks. "We are Triethe yet we are not him. We were Maetesk, but we are different now... We chose to keep the name, for until this moment, t'was the only name we knew." Maetesk"s soul was forming and its curiosity conflicted with his imperative to seek out the lattice.

"No.. Not Triethe.. who ARE you?!" yelled Nocru. To the others it would seem as though Nocru was having another of his visions, but in the gray Ceree's eye, that was not the case. Before him, Maetesk faded from one form to the other, seven in all before repeating the cycle. Some of the faces he knew, some he barely recognized, but the first he had seen was an elf with blue hair, one he recognized, strangely, as Triethe.

"We... are Maetesk..." said the creature, his voice the sound of granite against granite. "We are puzzled by your... insistence..."

Nocru's eyes glazed over and he snarled. He let loose a plume of flame whiter than white against Maetesk. The beast was consumed by the warmthless fire for a fraction of a second and then it was absorbed into the statue's body.
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Kaldreiia was pushed to her knees by the blast of flame. It emitted a high-pitched whine that sliced through her skull. The very world seemed to scream, and then it was absorbed into Maetesk. Small shards of the rocky spikes splintered off and disintegrated, the places where they had broken off were bleached white. Suddenly, from the very depths of Maetesk's being a ripple of chaos erupted. It hit Kaldreiia and she saw a flash of light and collapsed. It had overloaded her senses.
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Nocru seemed to wake from his daze and stared dumbfoundedly at Maetesk. A feeling of dread began to rise within him, but it evaporated.

Then the trees sprang to life.

while everyone else simple though Nocru had gone insane... Issend could see what Nocru was seeing... at least in a way. his eyes had turned blue, as he was no longer looking with his eyes, but he was looking with his soul. everything was a black void for a moment... but slowly a picture began to form. he could see a rainbow of color below him, that ground upon which he stood... from that, green pillars moved up towards the sky, tops widening out and humming with life, the trees and the plants all around. he could see orbs begin to form, each different... these where the souls of the people around him. he didn't have to see his own soul, he could feel it's shape... a brilliant blue orb being consumed by a black rock like shield that had red veins all over it. he glanced over at Tia's... an average sized orb that glowed purple, from the back it had twin tails growing out of it that moved freely.

he turned to look at are'zel... like issend's it was being consumed by the black shield, a sign of their corruption. he looked to francheza's seeing the soul of an angel, brilliantly blue and surrounded by a glowing gold ring. norcu's was very different... it ws white, and by itself rather small and weak... but red energy crackled around it. the red energy would even give discharges towards the ground that caused strange ripples.

he looked to maetesk, seeing a cluster soul... this was basically what nocru was seeing. a young, oddly new soul sat in the center, pulsing lightly... but around it several soul's orbited in random patterns, moving two fast for issend to get a good look... seven souls seemed to be standing out, each pulsing in turn... these pulses actually linked up with which being nocru was seeing... then the fire came, nocru's fire actually came out as a white blur... it seemed to wash over maetesk without to much trouble... but then the cluster soul became erratic, the souls broke out of orbits and began to zoom faster around the main soul, which was shaking slightly... then a new movement came about...

the green pillars that where the trees turned white and began to move. at this issend shook himself back into normal vision... the tree where moving! "what's going on" he growled... he didn't notice it, but his tail curled around Tia as if protecting her.

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Tia noticed none of this... she lay on the ground whimpering lightly. something about the presence of the white fire... it hurt her, even from over here. when nocru let out the fire she fell to the ground in pain... She couldnt explain the nerve racking pain that ravengened her form. tears blurred her vision as she tries to open her eyes.

When the pain spikes, the entire world as she saw it changed. For those moments, everything seemed to be made from millions of criss-crossing lines, these lines buzzed in time to the pangs of pain. She noticed these lines didn't cover nocru, infact they diverged away from him. She didn't even notice as the trees came to life... She couldn't think, all she felt was pain... "please make it stop ..." she whimpered

Francheza followed all the dialogue between Nocru and Maetesk, without understanding and afraid to approach. She felt the warm paw of her brother on her shoulder, saying that it was okay. There was someone else. When Nocru breather the bright white fire again, Fran experienced the terrible feeling of fear and sorrow...

The two siblings, unable to watch the Maetesk, felt, however, the difference in the trees around them immediately. Their tribe always valued the Forests and respected it to the most. When the fire started consuming part of the forest, before they were transported for the another world with the camp, they felt the pain of the forest on their very soul. And now, the chaos reverberated inside them as well.

Are'Zel tried to use his magic to control the trees and plants and soon discovered that it was severely limited. Snarling, he just watched the strange movement in the clearing. Francheza was in conflict, wanting to help both Nocru and Tia'Mara, who she just noticed by her strangled voice.

"Help Tia'Mara, I'll keep an eye on him." Her brother signed for Nocru. Relieved for the end of the indecision, Fran nodded and darted for Tia and Issend. The female seemed really disturbed and in deep pain. "Please, calm down. Try to focus on my voice, okay?" She started speaking on that strange way, a mix of fragmented angelic and white noise, like a voice coming from a deep tunnel. She realized the disturbance had a strong origin much bigger than her power. The duel of powers was discrete for a common observer, but someone able to see would be impressed by the strong aura of the young angel trying to fight the energy affecting the two females.

Are'Zel noticed the change on his sister, but he had something else to do. "Issend! Use your own energy to calm them down, but be careful to not use corrupt power! We don't know how this would effect these two!" He turned again to Nocru and where he presumed to be the Maetesk.

... For awhile tia'mara was simply a whimpering quivering mass. as Francheza began to sing, the images of the lines changed. The lines had been disturbed before, but with the singing these strange lines seemed to calm. After a few moment's tia eased up, breathing better.Tia sniffed, the pain was lessening somewhat. The disturbance had ended fornow, but the source of that disturbance remained. Tia tried to focus on francheza's voice, but it was hard. Tia whimpered again, covering her head with her paws, this time it wasn't pain... It was something she couldn't describe, but it spread thorough her body and mind quickly...

She began to mumble, not comprehending her own words "taint, burning... Hurts the lines... Lines are life. for legues, lines are disturbed... Make it stop... Why can't you feel?!" she said, covering her head still... In reality, Tia had become linked to the life stream in an unnatural way. She wasn't aware of this of course. Nor was she aware that her body was being used as a physical vessel to store the pain caused by nocru's taint...

Issend closed his eyes a blue shield forming around the three of them. A calming aura held within the sphere, but it didn't seem to help Tia...

Merun had forced the lifestream to take him back to where ever the gray ceree was, and he got there just in time as the Ceree released another stream of the flames. The shockwave this time emanated from the statue-like being and Merun threw up his hands to shield himself. When the ripple of chaos made contact with the lattice, it reacted by sending out a shockwave of its own.

Moments later, the trees were coming to life and uprooting themselves.
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Nocru found himself floating in the void of his mind. He could see, in the distance fractures stark white against the dark background. He was locked again, inside his own little prison, hoping that death would soon take him. But then he heard a voice. At first he did not recognize it, but it was sweet, sweet Francheza. Hearing it made his ears perk up.

What was the use of his own existence if it was only do destroy all creation, bring chaos into the world. What was he to do, destroyer of all things. What purpose would he serve if his very existence violated everything. These mundane thoughts swam around Nocru's mind as he drifted in that little void of his, unaware of what was happening in the outside world.

But then, hearing Francheza's voice brought something new to the situation. And he began to think more deeply. What more reason to let a being of destruction live, than to learn how to love. Love. Love was the answer, and perhaps if he learned it, he would be granted a peaceful death. Light filled his mind, and he smiled. For the first time in years, he smiled.

Nocru let ought a titillating laugh. It was a musical, melodious laugh that still managed to sound masculine despite being beautiful. And his eyes were filled with a new brightness, a new glimmer of hope. Seeing the trees, he told them, "return" and they did. Chaos had met cosmos and for the time being, all was well in the world.

Tia'mara groaned, the pain threatening to drive her into madness as the taint was slowly spreading from nocru... but then it stopped. the way it stopped was a little strange, at the exact moment Nocru had told the trees to return, the pain was sucked out of Tia'mara. she gasped, trying to steady her breathing when a new feeling flooded into her form. under her fur her face reddened as she felt a wave of pleasure flow over her, making her laugh. the pleasure came from the lifeforce itself, expressing it's own joy that the taint had lessened.

she stood, wobbling before falling against Issend.
Issend blinked at Tia's sudden change in behavior. he used a paw to catch her as she fell against him... he blinked and looked at Francheza "she's unconscious... but she's smiling" he commented, a tad confused at the sudden turn of events

"I'm so... relieved." Fran stopped singing, and smiled too, feeling happy after a long period of tension and preocupation. Tia seemed okay, and even the trees returned to their normal state; she could feel the forest calming again, regaining it's normal rhythm. And Nocru seemed good... No, more than that, he seemed great! "Nocru!" She approached the male ceree again, now that Issend was taking care of Tia'Mara.

Are'Zel was surprised, but also relieved by the sudden end of chaos. Waving a paw, he managed to create a small plant in front of him, and then made it bloom, with dozens of tiny white flowers. His power was back, and the forest was following it's course, curing itself slowly after the attacks it suffered. He looked to Issend and the unconscious Tia; he couldn't help feeling glad for the two, a good feeling growing beside his envious heart. Like Fran says, Kerwel, his good side, was back.

He looked to Fran and noticed she was faltering in her steps. Rushing, he gave his sister support, and felt her warm in fever, trembling a little. "What are you feeling?"

"Headache." She answered. "And something strange with my body, and my magic." she whispered to him. The realization was quick for Are'Zel, seeing the same symptoms he had himself while on her age. Looking to Fran's forehead, he looked to the bright gem she had near the temples. She was about time to pass the ritual to mold her horn, and he had little clue on how to make it himself.

Contrary to Are'zel's thoughts... There was actually no reason to be happy for Issend or Tia. Firstly Tia was unconscious, thankfully no longer in pain... But still unconscious. As for issend, he was left to watch the unconscious female. In other words he wasn't a happy camper. The fallen angel snorted in annoyance, glancing down at Tia. Alone with his thoughts, he began to ponder recent events.

He couldn't make sense of what happened to Tia... She seemed affected by nocru's actions, much like the forest had been affected... But why had noone else felt pain like her? It didn't make any sense. Issend sighed, looking down at her... She looked so calm, so peaceful... So beautiful, ... So... vulnerable. He gulped shaking his head to clear his mind. His mind was heading down it's old dark path, he couldn't let lust control him.

He had to turn his head away from her. Occasionally shaking his head as sinful thought tried to come back...

It was not so hard to guess what Issend was thinking or feeling about Tia'Mara, and Are'Zel caught the reactions of the damned angel with the corner of his eyes. The rudiments of a plan started to grow over his mind, in a chaotic mix of rightful and dark intentions. But he had another question to deal with, and one of most importance. Fran was in need of help.

"It's time for you to mold your horn, Fran." The young ceree bit her lip, listening to him "No one here can make the ritual, for we are the only Bright Scales ceree. We must find our father, or one of the elders. Can you recall where they are?"

"I think they moved to the Haven." Fran looked around, to Nocru, Issend and Tia. The second refuge of the Bright Scales was highly protected, deep inside the forest, and no one should know about it. Even if they were among friends, she was a little nervous "We were cornered in the south caves by monsters, and then the fire... I don't know what happened next. We were transfered to another world, and now we're back, in a forest pretty much untouched by the fire... so I don't know. I wish that attack never happened, we have lost many fellows..."

"I understand you..." Are'Zel lowered his sight; even for him, who could recall all his angelic existence before he was born in this land, the death of friends was something sad. For Fran, who could barely see beyond this recent life, the pain was much deeper and real. "Let's head for the Haven. When we get close enough, you will approach alone, and I will be with the others."

A single tear ran over the face of the young ceree, and Are'Zel nuzzled her. "I wanted to be with you, Fran, but if they notice the strangers, there will be conflict. And they can't see me like this. You must tell them about us, but also say that we will not enter the Haven, and that they should never look for us. Not even our father." Fran nodded in acceptance, and started walking in the direction of the Haven, still miles away, passing close to Nocru. Meanwhile, Are"zel turned to Issend. "We can take turns carrying Tia 'til she wakes up. When we get near there, I'll ask you to stop, for I'll respect the secret of the people who raised me as their own child."

"Be careful, Francheza" murmured Nocru as she passed by, her longer-than-usual brown hair the color of autumn leaves fluttered in the breeze. His aleron reached out to her and caressed her jaw. "Thank you" he said again to the retreating form.

"What must we do now?" he said as he turned to the fallen angels. "Do we follow her?" He sensed something amiss and his eyes fell on the prone form of Tia on the ground. He walked towards her and spoke a few words in Haienic without meaning to.

"Ala, sere'u ur'ynare" and to his eyes, for a moment, the world turned green and he saw the red tendril detach from Tia and enter his being where it was held in his soul, imprisoned.

Are'Zel followed Nocru with his eyes, and caught what he did. At the same time, he felt the sting of anxiety and the warm feeling of kindness in his heart. It was clear that Fran was now important for someone else, and his soul was full of joy. But he also knew in advance, that such circumstance would make the both of them suffer.

He also noticed what Nocru did with Tia'Mara 'He's not completely aware of what he can do, now. Even lucid... he's stil a walking source of chaos. Or maybe...' The thought floated around his mind before die. "Yes, we will follow her. But in a certain point, we will stop, and she will approach alone. But now, I want to keep her under my eyes, for I don't know how she will pass the next hours... It's a strange feeling for a Bright Scales when we need to have our horn molded. She's so young..."

Are'Zel unwittingly touched his own horn, but his paw also reached the new horns adorning his gaunt face. "Well, she was precocious for everything else, too... I'm worrying for nothing." He streched his back "We will probably walk until grows too dark. This is not a safe part of the forest, and we need some rest. You will prabably need some food, too. He looked to Tia'Mara and Issend. "How is she now? Do you need help?"

Tia gave a strange twitch when Nocru spoke the strange words and, though invisible to all, drew out the red tendril. her eyes fluttered open for a moment, a light blue eye focused on Nocru for a second... then her world went black again. she was now on an edge, rocking back and forth between dreamless sleep and the world of the lattice. when her consciousness slipped into the world of the lattice, she saw everything; all at once. everything of this world and others, everything covered in a layer of endless criss-crossing bluish lines.. she could even see the defects, areas where it was broken or damaged... then there was Nocru, just a strange black figure, a twisted mass of pulsating red threads swimming through his insides.

yet for all she saw in the world of the lattice, all was forgotten when he consciousness slipped back into it's dreamless sleep. sleep, the lattice, sleep, back and forth in a pattern Tia wasn't even aware of...
----

Issend raised an eyebrow when Nocru spoke the strange language to Tia. he didn't see anything happen, except that Tia twitched... she had been doing that on occasion anyway, he saw no problem there. he simply ignored that.

Issend turned his dark purple eyes to look at Are'Zel. he nodded "i can understand you wanting us not to follow to where you Clan is hiding. that will be acceptable." he glanced down at Tia "her condition does not seem to have changed in any manner, though her heartbeat has slowed down to normal levels. i imagine she will be out of it for some time. thank you for offering to help carry her, i should be able to carry her just time for quite awhile though." he quickly used his tail and his paws to transfer the girl to his back. she didn't weigh that much, at least not to him. "so... are we ready to move?"

"Something feels... off..." said Nocru, sniffing the air, alerons rising in agitation. He felt a tingle down his spine and he shivered. He looked Issend in the eyes, grim expression on his face.
______________________________________

None of them knew, and none of them noticed. They were protected by the presence of the taint in Nocru from its more devastating effects that had been activated by the flames of creation. Outside of their little group, the world was changing, and quickly. For each hour that they had spent in the plains of fate, ten years passed in Sylfe. Malkuthe watched helplessly from afar, knowing that the taint was working just the way Destiny had planned. Saffyre was at his side and a single tear rolled down her cheek. "So that was his plan for Sylfe. We never saw it coming. He wanted to get them stuck in time until the forces of chaos had grown so large that it would be nigh impossible to defeat them" she muttered quietly.

Faith watched the scene grimly over Saffyre's shoulder and she remembered a world that once was Oath's and a man named Gabriel, who had been played by Destiny. He was with Xi'tal now, and she knew no longer what had happened to the man. She shuddered, recalling that although the world had fallen under his command, Destiny had told her that the battle on that world had been lost. She was beginning to understand her eldest brother's scheme, she could only hope to know the entirety of it before it was too late.
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Kaldreiia and Sielvoth kept a close watch on the group that to them looked as though they moved an inch every month. Minutes became hours, hours became days, days became months and months became years. The seasons passed, one after the other as the small group slowly made its way to the Brightscales sanctuary.
________________________________________

Merun watched the group from afar, smiling, knowing that this was a boon from his patron. He set to work, sowing the seeds of chaos, knowing that in time he would be repaid for his efforts by his master. One day, he would grab that power and seek his master's end. He would become the new master of the cosmos on that day and with his ascension all order will be lost to the tides of chaos.
________________________________________

None of them noticed what was happening save for Francheza who had left the protective bubble around Nocru, and even then, only when it was too late.

Tia became aware of the situation first, yet the knowledge was basically useless. her mind swayed back into the world of the lifestream. rather than before when she would see everything all at once, this time her vision focused on the one area that included their current location. she could see the lattice, normally it was moving regular pace. swaying slightly as the lifestream flowed with it. yet know it was different. first she saw everything was normal, save for a large perfect circle with nocru in the center. the lattice in this circle had stopped it's gentle sway and was now barely moving at all, it seemed an age before any movement was visible. then the perspective seemed to switch. the life stream of the world buzzed rapidly, and the area within the circle now had the normal flow. the perspective of what she saw switch back and forth. she knew something was wrong...

yet when she came close to figuring out what it was, her mind began to leave the lifestream. anger and annoyance filled her form as the memories of what she saw quickly slipped away. those feelings quickly faded as she forgot the reason behind them... yet that flash of anger made her sleeping body move....
----

none was more aware that something was wrong than Issend. everything seemed... slower than it should be. he seemed to be moving the fastest out of them all, frequently he was standing a few feet infront of the rest of the group waiting for them to catch up. heck, even when Norcu spoke, his words slurred and came out very slowly.
"you have no idea" the fallen angel remarked to nocru's comment. as he was pondering this, he felt a sudden shift in the weight on his back. Tia gave a sudden twitch, surprised by the moment Tia slide off his back and landed on the ground. before he could catch her, her body rolled down the slight incline, going a few feet away from him. he bit his tongue to hold back a curse "troublesome female" he grumbled, then turned to the others "go ahead guys, i have to fetch sleeping beauty here, i'll catch up in a second." he said to them as he walked towards her.

then something strange happened. he turned away just in time to miss seeing what happened when Francheza when she stepped out of the bubble. and not moments after her he had left the barrier himself. nothing happened at first, as he went down to pick up Tia... then he noticed something, Tia's body was changing and so was his!

Tia woke up, the rush of time correcting itself blasting her out of her sleep. she blinked, looking at her body. she was practically an adult ceree at this point. for a second she saw someone else out of the corner of her eye, but then it was gone. she turned fast enough to see a large klimnu that resembled Issend's dissappear into the forest behind them.
she groaned, standing and stumbling. between her long sleep and felling awkward in her larger older body, she was having a bit of trouble walking normally "wha-what happened to me? how long was i asleep!?". she looked up, seeing Nocru and Are'zel and Nocru a distance away. they looked fine... yet they seemed to almost be still, yet there seemed to be some form of motion non the less.
and father away, she saw a figure who looked like Francheza, but much older. Tia groaned "this is insanity! what's going on?... where did Issend go?" she said looking around, perhaps the figure she saw earlier?

(i'm fairly sure i got the basic gist of the situation)

Francheza rushed to where Tia was, eager to calm down the other female, with such a puzzled expression. Tia might have noticed she had the precaution to stay away from the rest of the group, worriied about what would happen. Now Fran was an adult on the verge of being old-timer, but stronger and bigger than before. On her forehead, an intrincate and twisted horn emerged, crystalline and looking almost 'sculpted', with a rich design. Her long mane had a few braids, adorned with small jewels.

"Please, calm down. You stepped out of their reach. Don't try to reapproach now, or something terrible can happen." Fran approached Tia, hoping she was still recognizable."It's me, Francheza. The difference you see... it's because time passed differently for me and the group. And now, you're back to the current times, to the present. Since I noticed what happened, many years ago, I ran back to my people to get help; we've been your guardians for decades now. We could easily see how you seemed stopped in time, barely moving through the years. Probably the source of this is... Nocru."

Fran looked to Nocru, distant and stagnant, with an expression very hard to read "He showed us many strange and dangerous powers. Probably, for a reason still unknown, the time around him passes incridibly slow, and you were being affected by the same condition. Some years ago, I noticed you were going to fall... yes, you took years to touch the ground, falling from Issend's back; or at least, years passed to me. I eagerly waited for the moment... when at least one of you... would talk to me again. I came here everyday, through all those years. And now here you are. And Issend too, but I can't find him." Fran gave a terribly sad smile "I'm afraid to tell you, but these are dark times. Many dangers for our people, and chaos everywhere. I am old enough to be considered an Elder. Hardly a ceree lives that much. I'm sorry, but you won't find all your friends... and family. They are probably dead."

Fran was not only physichaly changed; she grew tough and severe, to be strong enough and help her people. She said about the dead in a calm way she could never do during the time she was under her brother's protection. She offered a paw "I'm here to help you with all I can. I'll try to find Issend too, for we need all the allies we can reunite. But about Are'Zel and Nocru, I can't say when they will be back to us, if they will at all."

Tia looked at the slightly younger female, now that time had caught up with tia completely she was basically still 3 years older than her... though only physically, mentally Francheza was now the eldest. her mind had the time to grow into the proud female she was today... Tia was still basically a teenager thrust into the body of an adult.
she gulped, taking in the information. she sighed "years... decades. so much of my life lost in what seemed just a few hours... and even less to me because i slept through it" she simply shook her head, trying to remain calm. she looked at nocru, she could feel that it was indeed his power that was causing the time paradox she had been trapped in.

Tia looked at Francheza, and without much warning, pulled the female into a tight hug "i feel bad for you.... having the just sit and watch us for all that time. it must of been terrible to see your friends and your brother like that, waiting for something to happen so they could come to the present" Tia said, finally letting her go... then he mind turned to what Francheza said about her friends and family... "no my friends are alive... two are stuck in a paradox, one is missing, one is sitting infront of me... and well one is in a seperate world that runs on a different time scale so i actually have no idea about that one" she grinned. then she sighed, sitting back. "yet my parents... they are dead, i have no proof... but somehow i know it, i can feel that they have passed on. it would seem the legendary hero and his wife finally get to rest" her paw wiped a single tear from her eye

she looked back up to francheza "i may not be half to hero my parents where... nor do i have many of there powers, but i will do my best to help in anyway we can. your right, we do need to gather allies... and find Issend. he shouldn't be that hard to find, he kinda sticks out in a crowd. as for them, "she glanced at nocru and Are'zel. "Are'zel will have to find his own way out, but i think nocru will be forever stuck there unless an outside force where to intervein. after all, if he is the source of the paradox, he can't exactly escape himself"

Tia paused for a second, then grabbed her scarf, that she had had since she was a little girl... the passage of time had made the fabric weak and tattered. without a word she ripped it off her neck, the scarf literally ripping apart as she did so. she then dropped it to the ground, it was time for her to move on.

Francheza was caught off-guard by Tia's hug. When did she become so unaccustomed to physical contact? Was she so distant now, after all those years? Was she cold? Was she so tougher? No... for she felt a tear running down her face, while her melancholic countenance slowly became a wide and sincere grin. But her proud nature made her quickly use an aleron to wipe the tear.

"Sorry, dear Tia... I underestimated you. I feared your reaction, but of course you're strong. Strong temper, strong heart, strong bloodline. Yes, your parents died, and I'm sorry to tell you. They waited every second even more eagerly than me, and breathed love for you until the last minute. They could feel, like me, that you have a hard fate, an heroic destiny like themselves. And, also like me, they had an unshakeable faith in you."

Fran's mind focused again in the practical things Tia just said. "Are'Zel is unaware of the situation, I have no idea how he could escape. I have a strange feeling that something, or someone will affect Nocru soon. That could be the end of this nightmare...And about Issend, when he stepped outside Nocru's power, he just ran, astonishing fast. But he's still close. I don't know why he's avoiding us." Fran couldn't see where Issend was, but the years sharpened her senses to a new level, and she was just familiar with his presence now. Anyway, not only in appearence, Issend had a powerful presence, almost emanating from him.