Fantasy [Private] El Stories

[Heavengiver]

"What is this...? I was hoping to not meet Xavier until at least Hamel! What are the odds...?"

Rain resists the urge to groan. Suddenly, she wants to disappear and convince the boy that he's hallucinating. To cover up her inner thoughts, she flashes a sly smile and steadies herself, letting Oblivio stand on his two feet.

"Thanks, Phantom! But Xavier boy, you sly fox. Missing me more than the elf you have a crush on? Have my charms finally seduced you~? That's no good! You never know when someone will swoop her off her feet." Rain flashes a teasing smile at Raven, who is completely confused by her behavior.

"W-Why are you looking at me like that?"

As expected, the dragons gives her and Xavier a horrified face. She laughs despite struggling to support Oblivio (although now it looks like he's supporting her) and the tense atmosphere in the air. Add stares at her as if she's crazy, and Rena explodes with the prettiest blush on her cheeks.

"R-R-Rain!!!"

"It's a joke, Rena. A joke! As to answer your question, well, we should head back to Altera. Oblivio here won't last much longer without a comfy bed and thinking time. I'm afraid his injuries are a bit...special. It's best if you don't touch him since his body just absorbed a huge amount of Henir energy."

K KizayaTaishuro Late Phant0m

 

[Late]

Xavier
​

Xavier’s turn red and he felt the dragons staring at him. “Don’t say things like that,” he growled in annoyance, pointing a finger at Rain. He felt embarrassed.

“What you been up to, mister?” Aragorn taunted Xavier, nudging the poor boy with his snout. “I thought Octavia laid down some house rules about girls.”

Octavia didn’t really said anything yet had an amused stare at Xavier. Xavier only had a glare of annoyance, unsure what to say to defend himself. He earned curious stares from everyone about “house rules”, making him feel more vulnerable. Only Aragorn and Octavia know about that.

“Ugh...” Xavier groaned, having his hand to cover his face.

Octavia finally chuckled before turning her head at the other group. “Well, friends of Xavier are friends of mine. Mind him, he doesn’t take jokes too well, unfortunately his teacher gave him that quirk,” the blue dragon said. “You need assistance to help your...friend there?” Octavia asked as she glanced at Oblivio.

Phant0m Heavengiver K KizayaTaishuro

 

[MementoDei]

Lara turned around towards the black dragon who had spoken and so did Allegro. Many others began to listen to the wounded dragon speak with such sincerity that many wiped their tears and listened silently to him. They had watch in horror their town be destroyed, their neighbours be reduced to a bloody mess, but they were still here, alive. Lara left Lento and walked towards the dragons to see a familiar purple-haired magician stand beside it.

"Hello, my name is Lara. I am an acquaintance of Xavier and Lento." She looked up to meet the black dragon's gaze. "I suppose you two are the dragons Xavier went to save. I know my dimension is not very welcoming, but I can get everyone out towards a nice place in the real world where they can start anew. I can guarantee that much. It is like you said, black dragon. Feita was not destroyed, at least not completely."

She looked again at the magician, Lara knew she had seen her before, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly when. The priestess saw Velder's symbol on her clothes and understood where they had probably met. Having more reminders of her failures wasn't helping her to get to the point. She had to say it.

"I suppose Lento couldn't tell you much about what happened, but that's what I'm here for." She looked at the confused magician and the severe gaze of the dragons. Now, she really had no choice but to say exactly what had happened and so she did. Lara told them her attempt to extend their time or to make the commander change his mind now that his troops could settle the scores in another fight. She told them that she had confidence on her sole powers to defeat them all if that was the case. Her ultimate goal was protecting the citizens from suffering something they had nothing to do with. Lara didn't hide the fact that her plan had failed, but that the commander wasn't willing to destroy the town until the promised time had gone up. "I suppose you have seen a man in armour called Ash. I...guess he might have helped you fight the demons before the evacuation." Lara continued by telling them that she had seen the man come, armed to the teeth, towards where the demon commander was. She knew that he was there to quite possibly kill the man who held the bomb. The priestess watched the black dragon turn his gaze away from her while the magician simply continued to listen in disbelief. Lara lowered her gaze and told them what she had done in a desperate attempt to immobilize him so she had the time to evacuate whoever was left in the village. "You know the rest of the story. I know my initial plan was full of flaws, but...*sigh* I put you all in danger when it mattered the most. For that, I am truly sorry."

Late

 

[Late]

Aisha
​

Aisha was in disbelief from what she heard from Lara and the dragons were upset. It almost seem like Ash was in fault for the lost of lives from the explosion. If he haven’t left them, they could’ve saved so many more. Hell, he could’ve helped. Though the damage was already done and there is nothing they can do to fix it.

“You...did your best to save everyone here. I’m sure we would have lost many more people if you didn’t help us, Lara,” Aisha mumbled softly.

“That is true,” Cornelius agreed along. “You simply did your best...” He cast a strange stare at Lara then, Athena staring closely by as well. The two dragons seem to pick up something odd about her but they kept quiet about it. “...I suppose we can leave this place then,” he grumbled, glancing around. “I do have a plan on what we can do next once we are in a safe place for the survivors. I believe we are at a desperate need for extra hands.”

MementoDei

 

[MementoDei]

Lara nodded at the dragon's words. She looked around, there were more than two hundred people around her. From what she remembered, around sixty percent of Feita's population was saved, thanks mainly to Lento and his plan to use her world as a secure refuge for the survivors. She did have in mind clearing in the dense forest that separated Ruben from Elder.
"Lento, both of us might be able to stay here for a long time, but the high levels of mana here aren't good for any living human. I'll open a portal to a safe place between Elder and Ruben. You'll have to guide your people to start anew."
"I'm not fit to lead if I can't speak, Lara. I saw it on everyone's face back there, I can't speak normally ever since I lost my hearing."
"Let me guess, you want me to serve as an interpreter for you. You understand that it will raise lots of questions about what happened to you and what you really are. Do you still want to do that?"
"Lara, a leader must be honest no matter what. You understand that too, I suppose. There's little to no chance people will turn or us because of our nature. Not anymore. But if you insist on having your nature hidden, I understand. I'll find a way to build back the town with our new allies, for as long as I live."
"My, how noble of you. I'll open the portal now, rally everyone you can, I'll take care of those around here."

Lento nodded and got up, he poured a small quantity of mana unto the sand to form a message to Allegro, who was still crying. The alchemist looked up and wiped his tears and nodded before going to deliver the message to all those around. During that time, Lara told her plan to Aisha and the dragons before going on her own to deliver the news of their new refuge. Slowly, the people began to move their belongings and Lara opened a portal towards the location she had chosen for the villagers. The calmness of the afternoon's sun over the trees was a sight of hope for all and, in a matter of two hours, everyone was out of her dimension. Dusk was coming and the hunters from the town went out to find a meal for everyone while Allegro explained to a group of women to collect the edible plants of the area. Lara sat down and watched with a little heartache how the villagers, although tired and sad, clung their minds to hope. It was a sight she never imagined to see before her eyes. She was tired and some of the pain from using her prison for such a long time began to distort her content smile. She quickly took one of the blood beads given by Dust to ignore the pain while her left hand began to bleed.
Late

 

[Phant0m]

Phantom chuckled a bit at the exchanged between Xavier and the others and he shrugged. "I'm all for finding a place to rest but..." The priest looked over to Ivy, "We came here to see if the earth here can make Ivy feel better." Concern crashed over him, and Phantom walked over to Ivy. "You feeling ok Ivy?"

Phantom swayed a bit, but he kept his staff firmly in the ground and put his weigh on it once more.

Late Heavengiver K KizayaTaishuro

 

[NinthSomnus9029]

Ash

Ash let out a gasp of breath as he laid in the forest swords dug into his very body, "They left.." Ash moved his head to see nobody was around, he couldn't really tell because of the blood that got in his eye.

Ash realized that his actions where like those of the leaders he once followed. "I left...them..didn't I....I should've stayed." Ash said. He tried to stand but it seems a few of the blades kept him on the ground, and Ishmaels spear didn't help either.

Ash didn't know how many minutes have passed but he knew help wouldn't come. "I can't even heal...this dam spear.." Ash thought. He chuckled to himself, this situation reminded him of his old life, but this time it was his fault. Ash couldn't help but only see the negative in his actions.

"Maybe some got away...that's kinda good." Ash thought.

"Your fate as a warrior makes it hard for you to lead. It's sad, but don't worry, that world is safe." A voice said.
​

Fume Heavengiver

​

 

[Heavengiver]

"Oh no, I get great pleasure from teasing our dragon boy here. His reactions are spot-on."

The way she says pleasure almost suggests something more. Before they had time to react to it though, she plasters a serious frown, ready to address the issue with her ally.

"Thank you, but I haven't had much experience with dragons and Henir energy, so I'm worried that it might affect you negatively. Where I'm from, dragons do not exist. I'll help Oblivio myself." Rain turns to Phantom and the dragon that he mentioned, Ivy. Without fear, she walks over to her, studying, observing.

"Phantom, is it? I'm not too sure if the area here is good. There is some sort of parasite running loose that's affecting the Nasods here, and their spores are everywhere."

"They shouldn't have to worry about that. Those spores only target the Nasods. Still, those things, once they possess a Nasod, will come to attack anything. They'll be troublesome if you're looking for a place to recover. So either way, we have to destroy them." Her answer rings as though it's the truth. She really only talked like this once to Xavier and Phantom...when they were in Bethma.

"Let's head to the outskirts of Altera then. We'll explain to the townspeople about your conditions."

"Yes, yes, let's go! I can't wait to tell you how your Xavier has grown to be such a ladies man!"

Her laugh, one that starts from her belly and pushes out from her throat, drowns out any objections from Xavier. She stays close to Oblivio, though, internally making sure that the crystal in his chest doesn't suddenly act up. The last thing she needs is an explosion of Henir energy that corrupts everything and turns her new guests against her.

The thing that bothers her the most is how he's going to take the truth. From what she knows, Xavier likes her other side more. Hearing that the gentle and kind girl will probably never come back may be a blow to him. But Rain knows she can't act that way either. They are two separate people with their own personalities. She refuses to be like her other self, if only to give him a sense of comfort.

"Rena, was Rain always...this odd?"

"Ahahahaha...who knows?"

K KizayaTaishuro Late Phant0m

 

[Late]

Xavier continued to stay embarrassed, wanting it to just stop. Yet it felt weird to hear the siren side more often than the other one. He have many questions to ask but maybe it was best to save it for later.

Meanwhile, Aragorn was casting a very curious look on the boy. Octavia was probably having so many questions at the back of her head as Ivy seem to chuckle at the conversation.

Ivy lifted her head slowly and nodded at Phantom. “I am fine, my wings are bruised but Xavier saved me from the fall...Thank you for your concern, human,” Ivy said to Phantom. “The fresh air here gives me strength already, I think we have enough time for me to heal safely.”

Xavier sighed happily at the good news. He wanted to ask how she was feeling after performing his stunt on her but maybe when she was healed up it would be good.

“Just...keep the infected boy away from me,” Ivy mumbled low. “Away from the dragons really.”

Both Octavia and Aragorn perked up at Ivy but they didn’t say a word about it, only exchanging glances at Oblivio.

Phant0m Heavengiver K KizayaTaishuro

 

[KizayaTaishuro]

Carna didn't really mind having to stay away from people. He was more than being infected, way more than just corrupted.

Sure, Carna knew that the experiment was meant to do something heinous to the children. It was how his friends were turned against him during the experiment. When his friends were dropping like flies, the remainder of them turned against their leader--Carna. They pelted him with stones, kicked his bruises, shouted profanities and blamed him for everything. Even when he was the one who helped them from being discriminated by the town, even when he gave them shelter and made friends with them...

...at least he killed them completely. They wouldn't have to face his fate. At least...he ended them with his own hands. He was more...than just an infection, but an abomination meant to destroy a God. That would probably mean he might die. There was no point getting chummy chummy with dragons, or anyone else.

"You realize...there is no point to anything." Nihilism was a concept he was familiar with. Oh well...

Heavengiver Phant0m Late

 

[Phant0m]

"That's good to hear," Phantom said with a smile about Ivy's improving condition.

Why did you want to heal the infected boy? Xiopetec snapped. Can't you feel Henir's energy from him?

I'm a HEALER, so I heal! I offered because he was injured and he declined. I don't give a flying shit about Henir, I care about a patient's well-being first.

And what about me, my child? Do you care about me?

Of course!

That's good to hear

If this is about what was going on earlier you said we would discuss this later. Preferably alone.

...how are you feeling?

Like shit.

Phantom grunted in frustration when Xiopetec went silent once more. Though it wasn't unusual for Xiopetec to "leave" from time to time to give the priest some space to breath, her being "gone" for this long has grated on Phantom's nerves, and made his already queasy stomach turn with concern. His goddess must be severely affected by what's going on...or if all of this had triggered Xiopetec's mood. If his goddess is in a mood, Phantom could already feel a headache pounding in his temples.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?" He asked, his voice a bit strained. The priest swayed on his feet once more before just plopping on the ground beside Ivy. Hopefully, Phantom's little sick spell can pass soon. If this is how bad a short exposure Henir's energy can affect him, he didn't want to even consider how Xiopetec felt.

Late Heavengiver K KizayaTaishuro

 

[Heavengiver]

The ponggos are really fussy creatures. Though to be fair, if she was one of them, she would be the same way, especially if dragons randomly decide to knock on your town's footsteps. Altera almost went through a seizure when Oblivio and his newly expanded group passed through the entrance. Raven immediately goes to the chief to explain the situation, while Rain, Add, and Oblivio head over to the inn to further investigate the crystal in his chest. Phantom remains outside the city with Ivy and the other dragons.

"Xavier, umm..." Rena finds she has nothing to do other than to keep Xavier company. Their last meeting wasn't exactly the best of farewells, and the elf is unsure whether or not he is happy to see her again. She fiddles with her long ponytail as she stares at Xavier nervously, possibly anticipating a less-than-friendly conversation.

"Do you want to sit down somewhere and go get something to eat? I would like to know what you've been up to, especially with all of those dragons with you."

Xavier seems to agree and Komodo, recognizing an old friend, walks close to her, flicking his tongue out in greeting. Seeing his pet dragon put her at ease, but she was slightly surprised at how much it has grown. Has it really been that long? They make their way to the inn, eventually finding a spot in their restaurant.

...
​

"Yep, it's really no good. That thing is stuck in you. The only thing we can do is push it into your body unless you don't mind having that jolting out like that."

Rain picks at the dark shards that was his wings, crumbling the bits in her fingers. They sink into her skin, lightly dusting them black. "Any ideas, Add? I'm not an expert at these sorts of things, nor do I know Oblivio like you do."

Late K KizayaTaishuro Phant0m

 

[Late]

Aisha
​

Aisha did her best to help everyone around, gathering up supplies they needed as the dragons seem to look eager for a hunt. She was glad that the villagers seem to look hopeful now that they are away from the front of the war. Yet she couldn’t help but think about how far will the demons will push it. If they try to go further ahead, surely the dry desert of Bethma will slow them down. Water is a rare source in the desert unless they manage to reach to the lake on time.

On her break, Aisha found Cornelius and Athena were talking among themselves. Aisha wasn’t sure what they were talking about as they were whispering in a different language. She couldn’t pick it up so she just went ahead to find a seat to herself and have a book to read.

Moments later, the two dragon separated. Cornelius went ahead to see how the townspeople are doing as Athena stopped a few people by for a question about any nearby lake. The people were timid in front of the fearsome dragon yet Athena was patient for an answer. After they pointed out a direction, she went off to check it out.

Cornelius went ahead to settle down for a moment as he inspect his own claws. It’s been awhile since he stepped through on fresh grass and feeling the heat of the great sun. Unfortunately since it was dusk, the warmth of the sun didn’t last so long. The dragon let out a sigh, his eye travel around until it settled on Lara who was sitting close by. He have questions but something tells him to be careful with them.

“...your name is Lara, am I correct? I am a little bit curious about you,” Cornelius said in a soft tone. The woman perked up her head at Cornelius. “You seem to have...an unqiue characteristic compare to others here.” He eyed down on her bleeding hand, his expression was hard to tell.

MementoDei

Xavier
​

Xavier watched in amusement how the small furred creatures reacted to the appearance of the dragons. Aragorn was a bit pleased from the expressions he was receiving from the town. Though the ponggos eased up when the dragons settled outside of the town. Ivy kept Phantom company as he seem to look a bit sick. The man reassured that it was temporary and will meet up with them later on in the town.

Besides that, Xavier was a bit amazed at the city. He haven’t seen anything like it before. The boy was happy that Rena wanted to talk to him to catch up on things, he have a lot to tell to the elf as Komodo was happy to see the elf and willing to eat something good.

Once they settled down on a table in a restaurant, Komodo didn’t show any shame as he settled his head over Rena’s lap, wanting to be petted. Xavier was a bit tad annoyed at the dragon’s behavior, not believing that Komodo was this happy to see her again. Yet he didn’t say anything about it, Rena looked surprised at Komodo’s behavior and she didn’t ignore his wishes to pet him.

After ordering their food, Xavier went ahead to tell her how he have been doing during the time they got separated. From Elder to traveling to Bethma, from finding the dragons to get them out of their hiding spot, and to the recent battle he got into. He saved certain details he didn’t want to bother talking about. Such as Perkisas’ power, the damage done on Cornelius and Athena, the strange appearance of Ishmael talking to him. He still couldn’t quite wrap his head around that. His story eventually ended with how they came to Altera to have Ivy living in a suitable home.

Xavier realized he already had his meal ready to eat as well his drink by the time he was done. He didn’t recall when it came in, but Komodo was reaching for his trainer’s plate as he was already done with his own. From the looks of it, he prioritized talking to Rena over his head so Xavier started to feel awkward. He cleared his throat as he finally started to poke his own food.

“I guess I really went off with it,” Xavier commented with a small smile. Though he brightened up a bit as he stared at the elf. “But you know, I am happy to see you again. Back before, it almost felt like I have second mother to watch over me, I’m glad that you’re doing fine here.”

Heavengiver Phant0m

 

[KizayaTaishuro]

He thought about what he could possibly do. He didn't have any knowledge of this, but there should be a way to fix this. If the Unification process was still in effect, he could possibly do something. Anything at least.

"I could ask the ponggos to lend me some Nasod materials," he said. "The Unification system that Dust implemented, it's pretty useful, I'll admit. There are ways to alter the system to make sure Henir's energy doesn't go out of control, but there's one downside to it. I can't guarantee that it'll fix what's going on with my brother. I don't know enough about Henir's energy, or what it does, in order to balance it properly. ...the problem is, even if I did know, I don't think it'll help. That bastard, Henir, really did something shit and it's messed up Unification completely."

Meanwhile, Carna was listening to the conversation. Even he didn't know what was happening to his body. "I'm up for embedding the crystal in further. I don't think there's a way to take it out unless I cut around it, killing myself in the process... so I'll opt for stabbing it in." It certainly wasn't going to be a peaceful process, however.

Heavengiver

 

[MementoDei]

Lara​

The priestess looked up at the wingless black dragon that just glanced at her injured hand. Instinctively, she put her behind her back to hide it. She wasn't sure why the dragon decided to talk to her, but whatever it was, she could try to kill him in her dimension if he became a threat. She sighed. "I should give up that way of thought already...."

" I am indeed different from other humans, black dragon. However, I mean no harm to anyone here. But I guess that answer doesn't satisfy your curiosity, does it?"

Late

 

[Late]

Cornelius
​

“No, it really doesn’t,” Cornelius chuckled, slightly nodding his head. “I suppose I picked up something familiar about you but it could be a mistake. I am an old dragon, my senses are probably failing me.” Cornelius sighed afterwards, still studying her carefully. He eventually frowned and move his gaze away from her. “So, what are you then?” He questioned. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

MementoDei

 

[MementoDei]

Lara
​

Lara lowered her gaze. "Something familiar, huh? Is it because of Fujin or Bahamut..?" She knew that dragons could detect their own kind faster than others and so she undid her illusion to reveal her true appearance. A black wing pushed her cape away and a red horn appeared on her left side. Her eyes turned green and her skin became very pale. She glanced at the dragon and noticed he was looking away. It didn't matter if none of the villagers noticed that she was a monster in disguise.

"I think that, considering the power I sense from you, you must be ancient. You've certainly heard of Lost Souls during your life, or maybe even seen a few."

Lara got up and cleaned the blood on her hand with another water golem to clean the dry blood of her healed hand. "You came to talk for that reason, didn't you? This is not a question of me minding or not your question. Your kind is very sensitive to magic and, before this day, I lived a life of survival. I suppose you understand what that means for souls like me."

Lara looked at the dragon, then faced the sky where the sun's agony tainted the sky with its blood until it ran cold to form violet clouds above. Night was slowly crawling. The mark on her fingers had now contaminated half of her hand.

Late

 

[Late]

Cornelius glanced back on her and grunted. “Can’t say that I haven’t met a few,” he grumbled. “Great power comes with greater consequences. And you’re right, I am ancient. I learned a lot within my life time except for a couple of things in particular. Such as Lost Souls, like yourself.” Cornelius looked up the sky and see that Athena was flying from a distance. He was a bit glad her wings werr working fine now as she got further away to do a task he asked from her. “I’m just curious on how it works, how much you can handle and how much is too much,” he said to Lara. “And whether when you find peace or not.”

MementoDei

 

[MementoDei]

Lara​

Lara cocked her head, she never imagined that an ancient dragon would be look to know her full power. The priestess didn't doubt that the dragons would probably count on her to defeat the demons or something, but she had already some plans on her mind and repeating the double alliance the way she did in Bethma wouldn't be possible. She had to find a way to weaken Ishmael's grasp on Darhan, make him remember that he is not Durahan, a mere puppet, but a soul who sought the same rest she tried to do.

"Lost Souls are...unique from one another. Their basic limitations vary depending on who they were when they still lived. Some can live for thousands of years by constantly pushing their limit, but that is only possible by selling ourselves to the Gods. We find peace by reaching the limit, but, I'm a special case. I need to do something beyond reaching my limit before resting in peace. I have changed my shell of flesh two times already and will probably be forced to do so until I find a way to break the chains that keep me in this world."

She scoffed and smiled weakly at the dragon. "I sometimes wonder, black dragon, if beings that naturally live for as long as you have, ever get tired of being still breathing. I know that I grew tired of this already. Even the elven blood that still runs in my veins wouldn't have allowed me to see the world through...." Lara stopped her sentence as a burning sensation began to spread from her back. She gritted her teeth as Henir's voice invaded her mind.
"Shh...you may play a little more with your fate this time around, but that's cheating. You don't want to start all over again, do you?"
"Argh! Henir!...how..?!"
"Lento?!"
"Remember our deal, Lara."
The god's voice vanished and left a bitter taste in her mouth and a frown on her forehead. She looked at Cornelius and simply mumbled that her limit was closer than she had initially thought.
"Lara...Just how much of your powers can he control?!"
"I'll see you near the lake when the sun sets."
Late

Durahan​

He looked calmly at the corpses laying in piles of guts and blood, the last flames that consumed the rare houses had died out and left a strong smell of incense mixed with iron. Those were the mortals and demons who tried to unbalance the world. Everything reminded him of something he had seen before. A fleeting memory of a brunette woman that smiled to him flashed before his eyes. He couldn't remember her face and it saddened him somewhat. His powers had been growing and so did the memories of that woman.
"Who is she?"
"Durahan, come see me. I'll explain you how to get rid of those hallucinations. They aren't memories but side-effects of your growing power."

 

[Heavengiver]

"Very well. I'll push the crystal in. Oblivio, if it starts to hurt, take deep breaths and focus on something else. Talk to your brother, anything. Once I'm done, then we can search for a way to stabilize the energy. If worst comes to worst, I might have to split my pendant in half and implement it into Oblivio."

Rain places her hand against the tip of the dark crystal. The energy briefly flow to her fingers and into her body, but her own Henir energy clashes against it, as if it's a virus. "I see...Glave's deposit of energy is so unlike Henir's, and yet at the same time, they are similar enough that it can disguise itself as it. So that's how he hid my world from Henir. What an elaborate joke that is. But how was I able to absorb the pool of energy back then? If that's Henir energy, then I should be suffering some side effects...could it be that it's somewhat diluted, and the energy inside of me is slowly converting it into my own? There are just too many questions...but that's what makes things interesting."

She shakes her head and, borrowing her own Void energy, begins to force the crystal into Oblivio's chest. It moves slowly, stopping abruptly at times. Whenever it stops, Oblivio's eyes squeeze shut as he grips his fists. The pendant on her neck glows dimly, as if it's encouraging her. Rain presses her hand harder, harder, until she starts to sweat.

...
​

"Don't worry about that! I've been curious about what you and Rain were up to. And...I'm glad that you're doing alright, too. You've grown a lot since we last saw each other."

Rena then launches into her own story, from chasing after her adoptive brother to dispelling the corruption inside of her to training her skills in order to become stronger. She talks animatedly, the short and sweet memories of fighting with her brother and his crew bringing a warm smile to her face. That smile drops, however, when she mentions that her brother had recently returned to the demon realm to continue his duties.

"I really wish that he didn't have to leave. I told him that no matter what, I would follow him, but it seems like I can't. Rain told me that if I do chase him, I'll only cause him grief and sadness."

The elf understood why she said that. They would be enemies if they see each other again, and she would force Dust to make the hard decision of his duties or his family. Demons aren't too lenient on betrayal either, according to Rain's experience with them. It might be possible that even if Dust wants to abandon the demons, he can't because then he will be constantly pursued until he's dead at their feet.

Xavier then asks her how Rain came into the picture, and Rena's frown only deepens. "She happened to fall from the sky one day and save our airship from crashing with a single magic circle. She won't exactly say why she's traveling with us, but she seems to be interested in Oblivio." The astonished look on his face almost made her laugh. Indeed, randomly falling from the sky doesn't really answer much, but that's all that Rena knows.

"Hey, Xavier, did Rain tell you about herself and where she's from? I find it really hard to wrap my mind around it."

K KizayaTaishuro Late Phant0m

 

[Phant0m]

Phantom watched the others go and he looked to Ivy. It was a test, to see if he still had double vision, but he only saw one Ivy. The priest relaxed and he Pat Ivy's shoulder. "Thank you for keeping me company," He thanked and stood.

He looked to the other dragons as well. "Thank you all." He sighed and grabbed his staff. "I'm going to wander around the city before going back to the others." He waved goodbye. "See you later! Take advantage of this time to rest!"

The priest walked into the city. He smiled softly to himself, glad to finally feel well again. A couple of ponggos approached the priest, and Phantom gladly fell into a conversation with them until he caught a glimpse of a white cloth rimmed with gold in his peripheral. Phantom's stomach dropped as he looked over to see a middle-aged woman with black hair walking with a teenaged boy beside her that looked very much like her son, and very similar to Phantom-minus the white. Both wore white cloths that were proper for a priestess and priest respectfully.

"Of all the places," He muttered. Feeling eyes on him, the teenaged boy looked over his shoulder and made eye contact with Phantom, said something to his mother and begin to make his way to the priest. "Shit." The priest quickly turned to the ponggos he was conversing with. "I'm sorry! But I just remembered that I need to get home some supplies! See you!"

Phantom weaved around the other ponggos, trying to distance himself from the teenager when he felt someone grab his arm, effectively halting the priest.

"Brayden? Is that you?" The boy asked.

Phantom turned around, looking down at the boy and shaking his arm out of his grip. "Why are you talking to me Jesiah? I distinctly remember you saying I was dead to you," Phantom snapped, "And it's Phantom."

"Brayden that's a stupid name," Jesiah deadpanned and he glanced over Phantom's attire, "You actually committed to that fake goddess."

"Xiopetec is a real goddess! Insult her in my presence again and you'll regret it." Phantom turned, "Now I have to-"

Jesiah grabbed his shoulder. "Wait! Brayden-"

"IT'S PHANTOM," Phantom shoved Jesiah away, "I stopped being Brayden when Mother and Father, Ginny, and you decided that I was no longer part of the family. Or did you forget that? You all abandoned me for a dumb goddess that doesn't care! Xiopetec cared! She helped me when I was traveling, she helped me get my shit together which was more than Ishmael. The least I could do for my Xiopetec was to give myself a new name, make myself a new person." Phantom looked over Jesiah, getting in his face and poking the boy's chest with his glowing staff. "Now get back to Mother dear and Father and Ginny before they worry that I'm 'tainting' you with my 'evil goddess'"

"Ginny and Father are dead,"Jesiah hissed. "Demons. Ambushed while we were traveling to Feita, and Mother and I barely escaped. The family fell apart when we lost you, Bray-Phantom." His amber eyes grew soft and Phantom watched the tears to start to pool. "And..I miss you. I really need my big brother."

The two stared at each other in silence, the atmosphere heavy. Phantom leaned away and turned his back once more on Jesiah. "I'm not your brother anymore. You all made that very clear." The priest quickly walked away and he pulled his hood up.

Phantom walked into a restaurant when his stomach reminded him that he had gone quite a long time without eating, and when he recognized Xavier and Rena in the crowd, he almost made a move to join them but he stood in place...then went to a different table, in the area of the restaurant where not a lot of patrons were sitting at. Phantom found some money in a random part of his robes and gave it to the waitress when he ordered his food and he put his face in his hands.

He wasn't going to cry, Ginny and his Father weren't worth his tears, neither were Jeisiah and his Mother. But, he couldn't help the moisture building in his eyes and he grit his teeth. He wasn't going to waste more any more of his thoughts and his emotions on them. He already grieved a long time ago.

Then Phantom silently cried.

It still hurt.

Late Heavengiver K KizayaTaishuro

 

[NinthSomnus9029]

Ash
He gasped for air, Ash awoke to find himself healed, he looked around to see the forest was empty. "The noises of animals have stopped." Ash said.
"Your people have suffered but some remain alive, along with the horse. The demonic girl is on her way here." The voice in Ash's head said. He didn't know who's voice it was but it hasn't been wrong once.

"I don't know what you did but thank you once again." Ash said.

Ash looked at his arm, runes ran itself around up to his shoulder. He didn't know if it was the Ares codex or just something that appeared.

When Ash opened up a view of his world, it laid in rubble. He could only stare at the view tirelessly. "A resistance was but a childish dream." Ash said clenching his fist. He used his magic to recreate his clothing, "Going at it alone will save more lives." He said as a hat formed on his hands, he placed it on his head like he used to, only difference from then is his hair color and clothing. No longer did he hide his hair with a shade od green but showed his midnightblack hair, his eyepatch was replaced with a leather one. His suit keeping his look but Ash decided to add a arm-shoulder guard. "Back to Velder." Ash said.

From behind Cai Er jumped out, "To the front lines Ash?" She said. Ash nodded his head. Raising his hand, the sword that stood on the hill flew back into Ash’s hand. "I'm at fault for Feita, for leaving it. Old habits die hard I guess." Ash said. He looked at the spear on the ground that was once deep in his body.

"I wonder where Dust is. I need to speak with him." Ash said looking at his sword as it vanished.

Cai Er sat on a tree branch as Ash listened in the wind.

Where are you, Dust.

Fume

 

[Late]

Cornelius
​

Cornelius stayed quiet after what Lara said about living a long time. He wasn’t sure if he should feel satisfied or be full of regrets with his lifetime. Though for sure, he was tired. “I am tired, yet I feel like the world has more to offer than I thought. For sure when my time comes, I’ll welcome it with open arms. Im not afraid of death, I stopped being afraid a long time ago. Yet I still have things to finish here first, and I won’t be in peace if I never get it done,” Cornelius mumbled. He took another glance at Lara after she grew quiet and slowly nodded his head, feeling somewhat satisfied. “Thank you for chatting with me.” At that point, he was done with his conversation and focus on gazing up in the sky.

MementoDei

 

[Fume]

Nothing was left of the town. If the demons couldn't have it, then no one could, was their thought process. Not his, Dust didn't want this, but he was being watched and to fool his superiors he'd had to destroy it.

He did gave them the chance to flee before anything, but that god just had to rush. Nothing he could do, but he did notice that he was being attacked up there before several swords sliced him and a spear was etched on his chest. He tell fell down onto the dead woods.

"Wait..." He noticed that he wasn't healing. "All of you, get inside the darkness portal. We've finished our job here. You'll get your next job available after you've gotten your mandatory 15 day break, afterwards, you'll be assigned to the next part of the battle."

"Thank you, sir!" They all saluted before starting to leave, but then they noticed that he was going the opposite direction. "Where are you going, commander?"

"Just getting something that might be useful. Go ahead of me." He replied while skidding down and traversing the forest. It took a while, but he soon pinpointed the man that he was looking for and saw the spear beside him, on the floor.

They looked at each other, but Dust didn't want to talk whatsoever and simply got the spear and started to move away.

NinthSomnus9029

 

[KizayaTaishuro]

Strange things were happening. The more the crystal was being pushed in, corrupted marks were appearing on Carna's face. Although they wouldn't be there for long, they were a temporary expression that he was in pain. He heard something screaming, but no one seemed to hear it. It sounded like a kettle was about to burst on the stove, screeching and shrieking to life.

..... (Past) .....​

"We've decided! You're going to be the leader!" he smiled brightly.

"I don't think I'm fit for such a role..." Carna wasn't confident that he could lead anything to begin with, but these people who he gathered, were placing their belief in him. When their own parents and guardians threw them out, they had been pelted with scorn just because their bodies were incomplete. Orphans with no limbs, orphans with no voices, orphans who couldn't work, or be normal, were abandoned without a care.

He was just one kid, barely a teenager, yet he helped those older (or younger) than him. Taking the hits for them, taking the stones and beatings, just to guide them to safety. The homeless had to help each other survive, right?

"You've always been helping us, even though some of us are older...it's hard to fathom why anyone would help someone like us. If we don't have arms, we can't work or earn money. If we don't legs, we can't even help ourselves live. If we don't have eyes or ears, we can't even comprehend our own suffering. Yet...you would shield us from harm even when it didn't benefit you."

Miller covered his stump, almost if ashamed. He didn't expect he would cause his parents, or anyone this much pain.

"...I've always found it hard to watch someone suffer. I don't think anyone deserves something like this to happen to them."

"That's a naive way of thinking, but..." Miller came closer and placed a hand on Carna's shoulder. "That's why you're fit to be the leader."

... "It's all your goddamned fault, you monster! You did this. You chose this. This is all your fucking fault! I wish...
you were never born to begin with!"​

Heavengiver Late Phant0m