The air was thick with tension, a palpable heaviness that seemed to weigh down even the spirits of the living. The Crimson Vale, once a place of serene beauty, now stood as a twisted altar to the Red Lord, its very essence corrupt and dark.
(Inari, voice low, strained with a mixture of anger and bewilderment, words like a viper poised to strike)
" Xora...what is the meaning of all this?"
She wore a slanted grin of indifference, her fury little more than a poof of smoke compared to the smog that was her indignation.
"Were you not listening? The Hand is here to oversee this most sacred reunion. A rite of blood and blades, of bone and sacrifice. And you, as well as I, have been chosen by our Red Lord."
"I...refuse,"
Inari spat, his resolve hardening.
"You cannot…"
Inari's fist clenches, defiance ringing in his tone. Xora's voice was a mixture of pity and scorn.
The Eye has no dogma over me! It cannot sway my heart, nor my soul, no matter what twisted phantoms it tosses before me.
Xora's expression shifts, becoming more contemplative, but her tone remains condescending. Her eyes glinted with a menacing light, her aura growing more formidable.
"And yet, here you stand…returned to the place you damned. If not by the whim of our Lord, then why?"
"..."
Inari's silence was a testament to the struggle within him. He couldn't deny that he was drawn here, but the idea of submitting to the Red Lord's will was abhorrent.
"I'll tell you why. Because no matter what flesh you wear, whose blood courses through you, in the root of your very soul the Red Reign influences. It reminds. The hum of the Blood Song will always draw you to the site of its whims, whether you are aware of its pull or not..."
Inari's scoff was a weak attempt at dismissal, but even he knew she wasn't lying. Even now, he could feel the beckoning of the Red Eye's curse boiling his blood. He had made it this far by pure will alone, but here, in this sanctuary of cardinal madness, his resistance was thin.
"That’s absurd!"
Xora’s voice turns cold, like steel.
" Your Moonblood, this aura within you, that horrid fox, they have safeguarded you. But here, this wound belongs to you. Vescrutia has abandoned you. Your stain, your scar, has earned you the planet's scorn. And under the authority given to me, Opression, you can not stand in defiance any longer… The Red Law binds your blood, the Mark of the Chosen sired in your soul…if my Lord calls, by Ordinance of the Scarlet Moon, you will abide."
Inari, though defiant, is visibly shaken. He can feel the pull she describes
"Minratha, together, we can stand against this demon, find a way to bring you back from this...Please...don't make me do this."
His plea was desperate, the last vestige of hope before the inevitable. As Inari spoke, Xora's aura began to thicken, an eye blossoming in the sky, echoing a heinous frequency that they both could feel flooding their bodies. There was a slight hint that his words had reached her, but the furious decree of her Lord overshadowed all. Xora’s features harden as dreadful, pulsing energy begins to radiate from her, the eye in the sky growing larger and more intense, echoing its influence on them.
"Seven Pillars Rise…"
She uttered, and the stone of the Crimson Vale began to tremble as dark energy crackled around her hand. The cultists forming the arena started to hum a low chord, their combined observance creating a barrier preventing either combatant from escaping. Inari's hairs on the back of his neck stood up as his form was beset by the pull of the Eye's call.
"Seven Chains Broken…"
The energy began to coalesce, eventually becoming a great sword brimming with crimson energy. It fell upon the ground, forming a small crater from its sheer weight.
"Seven Doors Opened…"
Inari struggled to hold his body straight, the force emanating from Xora like a hand gripping his throat, trying to snap his neck.
"Only One Reign…"
Her eye gleamed bright with a reddened fury, the final words before the battle, dripping with icy conviction.
"The time for words has ended…"
Xora's voice was a chilling whisper, her resolve unshaken. Xennin, the high priest of the cult, stepped forward, his voice echoing with the authority of the Red Lord.
" Chosen of the Fel Sovereign, state your names, and let the Law of Blood be sanctioned!"
Xora, with a predatory smile, raises her hand to the crimson light of the sky.
"Xora, Red Knight of the Fel Sovereign. Chosen of Wrath…"
Inari, still very confused about this, did not know how he should even respond. He knew very little of this creature or the laws that the cult stood upon. But he knew, even if he somehow managed to turn tail now, Hellena would be his replacement. Besides, he had promised her mother that he would see her home, safe and sound. His word was his bond, his very blood, his life, his covenant, binding, affirming. He would stand, battered and bruised, drained of more than half his nature, but standing.
" Speak your name, Chosen, before the scarlet moon's glare…"
Inari, finally finding his voice, speaks with a mixture of fear and resolve.
"I am Inariel Hellgate, Crimson Crown of the Myotis, and I will stop you, all of you!"
Xennin’s booming voice fills the arena
"The Chains of Wrath and Pride, let your blood paint the path of our lord of brimstone. Commence!"
Xora's sword rose, the crimson energy crackling around its blade, and the battle atop the Crimson Vale was ignited.
A Fabled Return [END]
-
Inariel Myotis
- Drifter
- Posts: 164
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2019 7:57 pm
Re: A Fabled Return
"Those eyes..."
Inari breathed, taking a hasty step back as the air crackled with heat. Her eyes burned with rage.
Xora's laugh was a low, guttural rumble.
"Did you expect polite introductions, mut?"
Her voice was a silken threat, each word carrying the weight of mountains. Her crimson heels clicked against the stone as she shifted her stance. Inari's gaze darted to the gleaming sword lying discarded nearby. He tensed, ready to anticipate her move.
"The blade... she'll grab it."
Thwack!
Inari grunted, the force of the blow knocking the air from his lungs and sending him airborne. His vision blurred for a split second as his blood surged, a desperate defense against the crushing impact. "She bypassed it?!"
"By the moons..."
He gasped, feeling the violent currents of air whipping around him. Jagged rocks and debris spun like deadly toys. He instinctively spread his wings, the leathery membranes straining against the gale.
"She bending the wind to her will? No, this is just raw power!"
A heartbeat of false calm. Then, a terrifying shadow loomed.
Thump!
Just as his wings parted, there she was, already before him, another flaring kick this time an aerial axe kick. Like a red hammer of judgment, she brought it down like a crimson gavel. He threw his hands up to guard, hardening the blood in his arms, but her leg stopped short, just inches from his face.
"Shit...a feint? From up here?!"
"Ha...peon."
The taunt was followed by a rush of motion too fast to track. A searing pain exploded at the base of his skull, sending him spiraling downwards. The world spun, threatening to consume him. He fought against the encroaching darkness, his will a fragile shield against the brutal assault. She snickered, a cruel, mocking sound that echoed in the wind. Before he could react, she vanished in a blur of speed, her movements so fast that his eyes could barely trace her. She reappeared behind him, chopping him in the neck with staggering might. The force of her blow sent him crashing back to the earth. The might of her strike nearly drove him to unconsciousness, but with a spurt of pure willpower, he held on, even if by a thread. He landed on all fours, his scarlet mane dropping over half his face. He panted heavily, the agony of her blow to his stomach still lingering.
Thud!
He landed hard, his legs buckling but holding. Heaving breaths escaped his lips, the air tasting like ash and iron. His scarlet mane fell forward, obscuring his vision. Xora was there instantly, her silhouette stark against the bruised sky, her hand resting on the hilt of a wicked-looking blade.
"How could me and my sister have been so blind..."
Her voice was laced with a chilling disappointment. Inari struggled to meet her gaze, his eyes burning with a mixture of defiance and regret.
"We truly thought that you possessed a strength unlike anything we've encountered...a beloved child of the moon, embraced by both light and shadow, but now...as I see you groveling before me now."
"Ngh..."
Each inhale was a painful reminder of the crushing kick.
"In the end, you were just another weak mankin. Willing to burn the world for your selfishness. A coward. All you have ever done was run away. Even the day you wound up in the Black Forest it was after fleeing...all you ever do is pillage from those foolish enough to trust you! A mistake I assure you I will not make twice..."
Her voice rose with each accusation, the air around her vibrating with her fury. Inari felt a pressure, an invisible force trying to tear him apart. Her rage clawed at the seams holding his being together. Under the weight of her mighty spiritual dogma, it was taking all he had just to remain himself. As if the Eye was trying to unravel his very being through these encounters.
"A mighty mongrel, a groveling guardian...no different than any other beast, no more righteous than any other demon...you were crafted from desires, I have no idea what it is my Lord sees in you...but I am privileged that he grants me the chance to prepare you..."
"Minratha..."
"I said stop calling me that!!"
Crack!
Her fist balled, and before he could finish, the back of her hand crashed into his face, shattering his jaw instantly. He gasped in pain. His jaw stung in agony, his teeth scattering across the stones. Blood splattered, painting the ground a darker shade of red.
"Minratha died the day you chose to betray her for the desire of your heart....the day you sired this scar..."
A raw pain echoed in her voice, a wound that hadn't healed. Her aura scathed around her, a fiery red that seemed to scorch the very air. It intensified, a palpable wave of dark energy radiating outwards.
"You asked me...how I could allow myself to become a pawn, but what you fail to realize, is that you have always been a pawn of the Eye...we would've lived...Moonfang would have continued to thrive and enjoy peace...had we not taken in the very chosen of the demon we faced against....my sister...would still be here..."
She drew her sword, the steel glinting menacingly.
"Though I suppose I should be thanking you. For had it not been for you, Allen, Inariel, I would have never known such bliss. Such freedom! We will bathe the world in crimson before drowning in a flood of red, for we serve not just a demon! Don't you see former Kin? The Eye is fate itself! HAHAHAHAHA!"
A trickle of blood dripped from the corner of Inari's mouth as his jaw began to knit itself back together, a slow, agonizing process.
"No...you're wrong..."
Inari breathed, taking a hasty step back as the air crackled with heat. Her eyes burned with rage.
Xora's laugh was a low, guttural rumble.
"Did you expect polite introductions, mut?"
Her voice was a silken threat, each word carrying the weight of mountains. Her crimson heels clicked against the stone as she shifted her stance. Inari's gaze darted to the gleaming sword lying discarded nearby. He tensed, ready to anticipate her move.
"The blade... she'll grab it."
Thwack!
Inari grunted, the force of the blow knocking the air from his lungs and sending him airborne. His vision blurred for a split second as his blood surged, a desperate defense against the crushing impact. "She bypassed it?!"
"By the moons..."
He gasped, feeling the violent currents of air whipping around him. Jagged rocks and debris spun like deadly toys. He instinctively spread his wings, the leathery membranes straining against the gale.
"She bending the wind to her will? No, this is just raw power!"
A heartbeat of false calm. Then, a terrifying shadow loomed.
Thump!
Just as his wings parted, there she was, already before him, another flaring kick this time an aerial axe kick. Like a red hammer of judgment, she brought it down like a crimson gavel. He threw his hands up to guard, hardening the blood in his arms, but her leg stopped short, just inches from his face.
"Shit...a feint? From up here?!"
"Ha...peon."
The taunt was followed by a rush of motion too fast to track. A searing pain exploded at the base of his skull, sending him spiraling downwards. The world spun, threatening to consume him. He fought against the encroaching darkness, his will a fragile shield against the brutal assault. She snickered, a cruel, mocking sound that echoed in the wind. Before he could react, she vanished in a blur of speed, her movements so fast that his eyes could barely trace her. She reappeared behind him, chopping him in the neck with staggering might. The force of her blow sent him crashing back to the earth. The might of her strike nearly drove him to unconsciousness, but with a spurt of pure willpower, he held on, even if by a thread. He landed on all fours, his scarlet mane dropping over half his face. He panted heavily, the agony of her blow to his stomach still lingering.
Thud!
He landed hard, his legs buckling but holding. Heaving breaths escaped his lips, the air tasting like ash and iron. His scarlet mane fell forward, obscuring his vision. Xora was there instantly, her silhouette stark against the bruised sky, her hand resting on the hilt of a wicked-looking blade.
"How could me and my sister have been so blind..."
Her voice was laced with a chilling disappointment. Inari struggled to meet her gaze, his eyes burning with a mixture of defiance and regret.
"We truly thought that you possessed a strength unlike anything we've encountered...a beloved child of the moon, embraced by both light and shadow, but now...as I see you groveling before me now."
"Ngh..."
Each inhale was a painful reminder of the crushing kick.
"In the end, you were just another weak mankin. Willing to burn the world for your selfishness. A coward. All you have ever done was run away. Even the day you wound up in the Black Forest it was after fleeing...all you ever do is pillage from those foolish enough to trust you! A mistake I assure you I will not make twice..."
Her voice rose with each accusation, the air around her vibrating with her fury. Inari felt a pressure, an invisible force trying to tear him apart. Her rage clawed at the seams holding his being together. Under the weight of her mighty spiritual dogma, it was taking all he had just to remain himself. As if the Eye was trying to unravel his very being through these encounters.
"A mighty mongrel, a groveling guardian...no different than any other beast, no more righteous than any other demon...you were crafted from desires, I have no idea what it is my Lord sees in you...but I am privileged that he grants me the chance to prepare you..."
"Minratha..."
"I said stop calling me that!!"
Crack!
Her fist balled, and before he could finish, the back of her hand crashed into his face, shattering his jaw instantly. He gasped in pain. His jaw stung in agony, his teeth scattering across the stones. Blood splattered, painting the ground a darker shade of red.
"Minratha died the day you chose to betray her for the desire of your heart....the day you sired this scar..."
A raw pain echoed in her voice, a wound that hadn't healed. Her aura scathed around her, a fiery red that seemed to scorch the very air. It intensified, a palpable wave of dark energy radiating outwards.
"You asked me...how I could allow myself to become a pawn, but what you fail to realize, is that you have always been a pawn of the Eye...we would've lived...Moonfang would have continued to thrive and enjoy peace...had we not taken in the very chosen of the demon we faced against....my sister...would still be here..."
She drew her sword, the steel glinting menacingly.
"Though I suppose I should be thanking you. For had it not been for you, Allen, Inariel, I would have never known such bliss. Such freedom! We will bathe the world in crimson before drowning in a flood of red, for we serve not just a demon! Don't you see former Kin? The Eye is fate itself! HAHAHAHAHA!"
A trickle of blood dripped from the corner of Inari's mouth as his jaw began to knit itself back together, a slow, agonizing process.
"No...you're wrong..."
-
Inariel Myotis
- Drifter
- Posts: 164
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2019 7:57 pm
Re: A Fabled Return
“I…cannot refute my actions. ”
He spat out a globule of blood that sizzled slightly on the cracked stone floor. His jaw felt like shattered glass, but even as he spoke, the jagged edges knitted back together, bone reforming with sickening wetness.
"Whatever the cause may be…those choices the darkness born from them…that sin is indeed my creation"
He said through a mouth full of blood as his broken teeth reformed. He struggled to stand she gripped her blade tightly.
“At the end of the day Allen fell prey to his own secrets despite being a guardian of others. In the end…he never trusted the people around him with his true feelings and thoughts…Pressed between his love for Hyomyn, and his loyalty to your sister...his true sin was hiding his hands...”
He pushed himself up, grunting with the effort. His core felt like it had been hollowed out by her earlier blow.
Frustration tightened his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut for a fleeting moment, the familiar sting of loss hitting him anew. The image of Bako and Kirin, of he and Aurelius, shattered and scattered across the celestial tapestry, flashed behind his eyelids. A phantom ache, sharp and agonizing, mirrored the physical pain racking his body. The nobility of his final act offered little solace against the persistent gnawing of regret. The longing to hold him in his hands once more.
“But that’s where he and I differ! I, Inariel do not hide, I do not flee nor do I run! Even after reaping the lives of my kin did I stand and welcome the mantle of Crown, the weight of their deaths gems of encumbrance I wear with pride. In a world surrounded by things that want me dead, I dare to live…my every breath is in defiance of your god's fabricated fate….”
In Inari's faint heart, the hum of his blood palpated. It had been a whirlwind of a journey and he had made many many arrogant mistakes along the way. In his witnessing of Allen's shortcomings he could find many points where they were similar, their tone, their mannerisms, their grand monologues...and yet where Allen would have rathered ignored his past, scared of what laid beneath the mask of his amnesia, the tragedies he must have sown. Inari instead chose to dive head-first into the abyss. It was this drive, this willingness to peel back the layers that led him to the Myotis, lead him to Aurelius...if he had just taken the easy way out and ignored the obscurity of his being Antares would still be killing his kind and rotting the Astral kingdom from the inside out. It was this push and pull, this cause and effect that informed him that in this life, in this place and time, he was a man that took ownership of his faults...and strove every day to defy the whispers of doubt and instead chose to act to mend the wounds he's inflicted...he was a warrior, sorcerer, flame and water...pain and healer.
“What you call fate is nothing more than a well-designed web of intentional misfortune. The lives of the hurt attached to the fretted fingers of a puppeteer who treats their vulnerabilities like ornaments for its amusement….but…I”
“Your betrayal reminded me of a cold hard truth. One that the haunting howls of the Moonscar bellow to me...endlessly. A stark reminder of a truth I wanted so desperately to ignore...“
She lifted her blade pointing at the prattling foxling.
“That only those with power can determine what is fact and what is fiction. I say you are nothing more than a facetious fox, fodder for the foundation of a world soon to reflect this truth…I plan to prove it."
“And I say...I found at least one person in this life... throughout my many lives. That I could hide nothing from...and for that light...that faith."
Inari's naten soared as his ava flooded through his body its mystical enrichment healing his wound and heightening his ability. Her eyes narrowed.
"I will stand...for upon my head is an actual crown...not a fabrication. Engraved upon it...A vow I made to carry it into the future!"
She darted forth another kick this one aimed for his head but unlike before his body moved to meet the blow catching her leg in the palm of his hand.
"I will suffer your slander no more, I will have my vengeance!"
Inari's eyes became like that of a feral beast. He could afford to face her half-heartedly any longer. He...hated how this all turned out but in the end, he was here to keep his word. And to do so he had to fight fire with fire.
"If you want to stay bound to the past find, I won't hold you any longer!"
With his spare hand, he flicked his index finger causing several giant spikes of blood to rise threatened to skewer them. She twirled her large blade smashing the hilt into the ground creating a shockwave of force that tore the earth up around her placing distance between her and Inari whilst dealing with the spike trap. Through the cloud of debris whipped up she came accosting him like a missle her blade coming down with a strike carrying a belligerent amount of power. Just as she reached him from between his palms a red spear manifested from his blood countering her strike. After the initial blow it cracked but he swiftly reinforced it as she came immeadily for another strike. The Cultist watched in awe as these two titans exchanged blows that could be seen as nothing else but extraordinary.
Pettica: Such a beautiful spectacle
Miran: A gorgeous painting, like watching living art<3
Xennin: Even so...he's fighting dearly to stay alive...but the real fight, hasn't even begun yet...
He spat out a globule of blood that sizzled slightly on the cracked stone floor. His jaw felt like shattered glass, but even as he spoke, the jagged edges knitted back together, bone reforming with sickening wetness.
"Whatever the cause may be…those choices the darkness born from them…that sin is indeed my creation"
He said through a mouth full of blood as his broken teeth reformed. He struggled to stand she gripped her blade tightly.
“At the end of the day Allen fell prey to his own secrets despite being a guardian of others. In the end…he never trusted the people around him with his true feelings and thoughts…Pressed between his love for Hyomyn, and his loyalty to your sister...his true sin was hiding his hands...”
He pushed himself up, grunting with the effort. His core felt like it had been hollowed out by her earlier blow.
“But that’s…”"You worry that darkness awaits where you tread; that pain is your only keepsake. That your is a path leading only to death and destruction...But..Inari...to me..."
Frustration tightened his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut for a fleeting moment, the familiar sting of loss hitting him anew. The image of Bako and Kirin, of he and Aurelius, shattered and scattered across the celestial tapestry, flashed behind his eyelids. A phantom ache, sharp and agonizing, mirrored the physical pain racking his body. The nobility of his final act offered little solace against the persistent gnawing of regret. The longing to hold him in his hands once more.
“But that’s where he and I differ! I, Inariel do not hide, I do not flee nor do I run! Even after reaping the lives of my kin did I stand and welcome the mantle of Crown, the weight of their deaths gems of encumbrance I wear with pride. In a world surrounded by things that want me dead, I dare to live…my every breath is in defiance of your god's fabricated fate….”
In Inari's faint heart, the hum of his blood palpated. It had been a whirlwind of a journey and he had made many many arrogant mistakes along the way. In his witnessing of Allen's shortcomings he could find many points where they were similar, their tone, their mannerisms, their grand monologues...and yet where Allen would have rathered ignored his past, scared of what laid beneath the mask of his amnesia, the tragedies he must have sown. Inari instead chose to dive head-first into the abyss. It was this drive, this willingness to peel back the layers that led him to the Myotis, lead him to Aurelius...if he had just taken the easy way out and ignored the obscurity of his being Antares would still be killing his kind and rotting the Astral kingdom from the inside out. It was this push and pull, this cause and effect that informed him that in this life, in this place and time, he was a man that took ownership of his faults...and strove every day to defy the whispers of doubt and instead chose to act to mend the wounds he's inflicted...he was a warrior, sorcerer, flame and water...pain and healer.
“What you call fate is nothing more than a well-designed web of intentional misfortune. The lives of the hurt attached to the fretted fingers of a puppeteer who treats their vulnerabilities like ornaments for its amusement….but…I”
“I…am more than my past…more than my mistakes.”"You are more than pain, than torment. Those are things you've suffered, not what makes up all of what you are."
“Your betrayal reminded me of a cold hard truth. One that the haunting howls of the Moonscar bellow to me...endlessly. A stark reminder of a truth I wanted so desperately to ignore...“
She lifted her blade pointing at the prattling foxling.
“That only those with power can determine what is fact and what is fiction. I say you are nothing more than a facetious fox, fodder for the foundation of a world soon to reflect this truth…I plan to prove it."
“And I say...I found at least one person in this life... throughout my many lives. That I could hide nothing from...and for that light...that faith."
Inari's naten soared as his ava flooded through his body its mystical enrichment healing his wound and heightening his ability. Her eyes narrowed.
"I will stand...for upon my head is an actual crown...not a fabrication. Engraved upon it...A vow I made to carry it into the future!"
She darted forth another kick this one aimed for his head but unlike before his body moved to meet the blow catching her leg in the palm of his hand.
"I will suffer your slander no more, I will have my vengeance!"
Inari's eyes became like that of a feral beast. He could afford to face her half-heartedly any longer. He...hated how this all turned out but in the end, he was here to keep his word. And to do so he had to fight fire with fire.
"If you want to stay bound to the past find, I won't hold you any longer!"
With his spare hand, he flicked his index finger causing several giant spikes of blood to rise threatened to skewer them. She twirled her large blade smashing the hilt into the ground creating a shockwave of force that tore the earth up around her placing distance between her and Inari whilst dealing with the spike trap. Through the cloud of debris whipped up she came accosting him like a missle her blade coming down with a strike carrying a belligerent amount of power. Just as she reached him from between his palms a red spear manifested from his blood countering her strike. After the initial blow it cracked but he swiftly reinforced it as she came immeadily for another strike. The Cultist watched in awe as these two titans exchanged blows that could be seen as nothing else but extraordinary.
Pettica: Such a beautiful spectacle
Miran: A gorgeous painting, like watching living art<3
Xennin: Even so...he's fighting dearly to stay alive...but the real fight, hasn't even begun yet...
-
Inariel Myotis
- Drifter
- Posts: 164
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2019 7:57 pm
Re: A Fabled Return
With the gal of a surprising second wind, Inari despite his tattered state stood up on par with Xora's grand displays of raw strength and power meeting each blow with a mighty one of his own. As the battle progressed Inari's attacks were becoming more focused and difficult for her to deal with. The crimson stars clash, the sound echoing like thunder. Inari ducks under a wide, arcing swing from Xora, the wind of her passage whipping his already tattered clothes.
Elena: (Eyes wide, watching from a distance) That may be so, but to be able to hold his own... despite the great lengths she went to weaken him before he arrived… it’s almost unbelievable. Look at him!
Mirana: (Calmly, with a hint of pride) What do you expect? He is our lord's personally chosen Vessel. His very being is consecrated.
Pettica: (Dryly) His entire purpose is to serve as a well-to-be-filled. Nothing more, nothing less.
Xennin: (Leaning against a crumbling pillar, a smirk playing on his lips) It is impressive, but we all know how Xora loves toying with her meals. Dragging it out, savoring the despair…
He nods towards Inari, who stumbles back, catching himself with a clawed hand against the scorched ground. A fresh line of blood stains his arm.
He said looking over to the red-haired girl whose lacerations continued to bleed. The time was nearing for the rite to be completed. All they needed was Xora to claim victory. The crimson stars clashed in one brutal display of power after another streaking across the battlefield like strobing lights crashing into each other. Each time they crossed blads Inri felt the full weight of her determination, she was firm on her path, and she bought allegiance to this cult, but even now Inari felt that she could be reached but first, he had to show her that he was no coward. Several fissures were created from their clashing each one cracking his spear until ultimately it was shattered.
Xora's voice was a low, confident purr.
"Heh, your blood cannot stand against me. It crumbles before my power."
She said as she watched his hardened blood become shards. Inari, despite the pain, grins, a flash of defiance in his amber eyes.
"Then let my claws stand in their stead!"
The claws of the Myotis were virtually indestruble able to carve through most metals with ease. He infused them with naten a scarlet hue clad them as he dived back into the fray with an unrelenting barrage of strikes. She struggled but ultimately still possessed the upper hand in raw power however Iari would not allow his stand to be ignored pushing his battered body past its limits. His eyes flared and the fallen blood shards became a torrent of blades he sent flying towards her. With a furious display of blade strikes, she deflected each one with Inari blurring with speed appearing to the right of her aiming to tear the flesh from her right side. However responded with a fierce counter that saw her elbow closing against the blow to which he responded with a powerful spinning kick that caught her off guard sending her flying backward and catching her balance by driving her blade in the earth. He leaps back into the fray, a flurry of scarlet-infused strikes. Xora blocks and parries, a flicker of surprise in her crimson gaze.
Grunting with effort
You’re… persistent. More than I anticipated.
Elena: He’s actually pushing her back! His attacks are becoming more targeted.
Mirana: His connection to our lord strengthens him. It defies simple exhaustion.
Xennin: Don't get ahead of yourselves. She's still in control. Just watch.
Xora intercepts a claw strike, her blade ringing against Inari’s hardened claws. She shoves him back with a surge of raw strength.
"I must admit, it is… admirable that you can still fight so fiercely despite the Moonscar’s disturbance. I was sure this would be a walk in the park."
Inari, breathing heavily, but his voice is strong
"Are you truly so surprised? I am more than the eye's influence, more than this curse… greater."
He said as his hands moved faster than the normal eye could perceive weaving a spell together. From the blood gathered in his hand, he called forth his earth naten, it serving as a makeshift "ground" for his blood to fester within, from his hand a myriad of bloody tree roots manifested clamoring towards her like myriad bloody ribbons. Despite this disadvantage, the Myotis were internally wired for adaptability and meeting a struggle where it was, their very nature, the reason they fought was survival, and protection, for Inari, the crown these points were his very foundation...and yet, unlike many of them, Inari did not trek this path for survival alone. He was set to ascend, to become!
(Scoffs)
"Oh, please. Tricks won’t save you now."
Her claymore erupts in a fiery red aura. She spins it once, twice, the heat radiating outwards.
"Vermillion..."
With a terrifying speed, she brings the burning blade down, a wave of scarlet energy tearing through the bloody tendrils. The force of it slams into Inari, sending him flying. He crashes against the crumbling castle wall. Xora strode towards him, her voice dropping, a chilling undercurrent now present.
"Well, this won’t do. That glimmer of hope in your eyes… You still feel you can come out of this a victor. I thought hope was beneath you.
Her voice became low, and menacing almost as if it wasn't her speaking anymore. The air became impossibly saturated with despair. Insticualy he fell back without even thinking, as if this display forced his body to respond. He recognized this dread...the day the Eye came to greet him personally, the day it tried to tear the seed of creation from him.
"No matter...My lord grows restless, and I tire of your presence..."
Xennin: (Straightening up, the smirk gone) Here it comes…
Mirana: (Gasping, clutching her chest) You don’t mean…? Oh my… It’s been ages since a Chosen used it.
Pettica: (Sharply) Elena… strengthen the barrier. It’s about to get dangerous here.
Mirana: And the others? Their soul selves are what keep this arena intact.
Xennin: They are merely shrouds, cloaks of a greater being’s design. They would gladly be devoured if it would bring the Fel One glory… do it, Elena.
Elena: (Her voice strained with concentration) Understood.
A red glow emanates from Elena’s outstretched hands. Visible strands of crimson energy begin to connect the other cloaked figures, their forms flickering like dying embers. These energies flow towards Elena, Xennin, and Mirana, coalescing into a shimmering, protective shield.
"It is time for me...to crush your resolve...to grind that faith into dust..."
Her form became engorged by a dazzling beam of scathing light straight from the hovering patron above. Her screams of torment and agony brought his ears to bleed. Her body contorts, her screams piercing the air, a symphony of agony and power. Inari covers his ears, a pained expression on his face. The flesh from her body was seared from her as her twisted soul energy warped her form bringing for a scarlet harbinger of her Lords will incarnate. A towering monstrosity that still echoed remnants of her former form.
"Jinga no Shi..."
Elena: (Eyes wide, watching from a distance) That may be so, but to be able to hold his own... despite the great lengths she went to weaken him before he arrived… it’s almost unbelievable. Look at him!
Mirana: (Calmly, with a hint of pride) What do you expect? He is our lord's personally chosen Vessel. His very being is consecrated.
Pettica: (Dryly) His entire purpose is to serve as a well-to-be-filled. Nothing more, nothing less.
Xennin: (Leaning against a crumbling pillar, a smirk playing on his lips) It is impressive, but we all know how Xora loves toying with her meals. Dragging it out, savoring the despair…
He nods towards Inari, who stumbles back, catching himself with a clawed hand against the scorched ground. A fresh line of blood stains his arm.
He said looking over to the red-haired girl whose lacerations continued to bleed. The time was nearing for the rite to be completed. All they needed was Xora to claim victory. The crimson stars clashed in one brutal display of power after another streaking across the battlefield like strobing lights crashing into each other. Each time they crossed blads Inri felt the full weight of her determination, she was firm on her path, and she bought allegiance to this cult, but even now Inari felt that she could be reached but first, he had to show her that he was no coward. Several fissures were created from their clashing each one cracking his spear until ultimately it was shattered.
Xora's voice was a low, confident purr.
"Heh, your blood cannot stand against me. It crumbles before my power."
She said as she watched his hardened blood become shards. Inari, despite the pain, grins, a flash of defiance in his amber eyes.
"Then let my claws stand in their stead!"
The claws of the Myotis were virtually indestruble able to carve through most metals with ease. He infused them with naten a scarlet hue clad them as he dived back into the fray with an unrelenting barrage of strikes. She struggled but ultimately still possessed the upper hand in raw power however Iari would not allow his stand to be ignored pushing his battered body past its limits. His eyes flared and the fallen blood shards became a torrent of blades he sent flying towards her. With a furious display of blade strikes, she deflected each one with Inari blurring with speed appearing to the right of her aiming to tear the flesh from her right side. However responded with a fierce counter that saw her elbow closing against the blow to which he responded with a powerful spinning kick that caught her off guard sending her flying backward and catching her balance by driving her blade in the earth. He leaps back into the fray, a flurry of scarlet-infused strikes. Xora blocks and parries, a flicker of surprise in her crimson gaze.
Grunting with effort
You’re… persistent. More than I anticipated.
Elena: He’s actually pushing her back! His attacks are becoming more targeted.
Mirana: His connection to our lord strengthens him. It defies simple exhaustion.
Xennin: Don't get ahead of yourselves. She's still in control. Just watch.
Xora intercepts a claw strike, her blade ringing against Inari’s hardened claws. She shoves him back with a surge of raw strength.
"I must admit, it is… admirable that you can still fight so fiercely despite the Moonscar’s disturbance. I was sure this would be a walk in the park."
Inari, breathing heavily, but his voice is strong
"Are you truly so surprised? I am more than the eye's influence, more than this curse… greater."
He said as his hands moved faster than the normal eye could perceive weaving a spell together. From the blood gathered in his hand, he called forth his earth naten, it serving as a makeshift "ground" for his blood to fester within, from his hand a myriad of bloody tree roots manifested clamoring towards her like myriad bloody ribbons. Despite this disadvantage, the Myotis were internally wired for adaptability and meeting a struggle where it was, their very nature, the reason they fought was survival, and protection, for Inari, the crown these points were his very foundation...and yet, unlike many of them, Inari did not trek this path for survival alone. He was set to ascend, to become!
(Scoffs)
"Oh, please. Tricks won’t save you now."
Her claymore erupts in a fiery red aura. She spins it once, twice, the heat radiating outwards.
"Vermillion..."
With a terrifying speed, she brings the burning blade down, a wave of scarlet energy tearing through the bloody tendrils. The force of it slams into Inari, sending him flying. He crashes against the crumbling castle wall. Xora strode towards him, her voice dropping, a chilling undercurrent now present.
"Well, this won’t do. That glimmer of hope in your eyes… You still feel you can come out of this a victor. I thought hope was beneath you.
Her voice became low, and menacing almost as if it wasn't her speaking anymore. The air became impossibly saturated with despair. Insticualy he fell back without even thinking, as if this display forced his body to respond. He recognized this dread...the day the Eye came to greet him personally, the day it tried to tear the seed of creation from him.
"No matter...My lord grows restless, and I tire of your presence..."
Xennin: (Straightening up, the smirk gone) Here it comes…
Mirana: (Gasping, clutching her chest) You don’t mean…? Oh my… It’s been ages since a Chosen used it.
Pettica: (Sharply) Elena… strengthen the barrier. It’s about to get dangerous here.
Mirana: And the others? Their soul selves are what keep this arena intact.
Xennin: They are merely shrouds, cloaks of a greater being’s design. They would gladly be devoured if it would bring the Fel One glory… do it, Elena.
Elena: (Her voice strained with concentration) Understood.
A red glow emanates from Elena’s outstretched hands. Visible strands of crimson energy begin to connect the other cloaked figures, their forms flickering like dying embers. These energies flow towards Elena, Xennin, and Mirana, coalescing into a shimmering, protective shield.
"It is time for me...to crush your resolve...to grind that faith into dust..."
Her form became engorged by a dazzling beam of scathing light straight from the hovering patron above. Her screams of torment and agony brought his ears to bleed. Her body contorts, her screams piercing the air, a symphony of agony and power. Inari covers his ears, a pained expression on his face. The flesh from her body was seared from her as her twisted soul energy warped her form bringing for a scarlet harbinger of her Lords will incarnate. A towering monstrosity that still echoed remnants of her former form.
"Jinga no Shi..."
-
Inariel Myotis
- Drifter
- Posts: 164
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2019 7:57 pm
Re: A Fabled Return
"My Lord, My God! I offer to you, my flesh, my vessel! Descend from your crimson throne, your blood altar, wield my flesh to achieve your purpose. Vanquish the betrayer, devour his light! I give you, The Ego of Wrath!!"
Inari's eyes widened in horror as he watched Minratha make the declaration, her voice piercing the realm like a knife. The air around them began to distort, as if reality itself was bending to accommodate the power she was unleashing. The ground trembled, and the sky darkened, casting long, shadowy tendrils across the landscape.
"A fine offering, fine sacrament..."
A wicked voice echoed in their minds, making Inari's skin crawl. Xennin and the Red Oracles were already on their knees, their faces contorted in a mixture of fear and awe. The air was thick with the smell of burning blood and the whispers of the damned.
"Xora! Don’t! Please, you can’t do this!"
Inari cried out, but his voice was drowned out by the cacophony of terror that filled the air. He tried to reach out to Minratha, but she was beyond reason. Her eyes, now a deep, burning scarlet, seemed to see right through him, past his fears and into the very core of his being.
"Waste not your time...little flea,"
The voice in their minds sneered, and Inari's heart sank as he recognized the speaker—the Red Eye, a terror beyond this realm. As the blinding red light began to wane, a wave of heat washed over them, causing the blood in the area to evaporate into a bloody mist. The air was thick with an unspeakable horror, and Inari felt his sanity begin to unravel.
"No...Minratha..."
He whispered, his voice barely audible. The demon's voice was like a cold wind, sending shivers down Inari's spine.
"Seven pillars rise... Seven chains broken... Seven doors opened... Only one Reign... my reign."
From beyond the shroud of crimson, a figure emerged, its presence like a beacon of dread. The blood vapors condensed, forming a smoldering crown of villainy atop its head. The Fel Sovereign’s form was a twisted amalgamation of Minratha’s beauty and the grotesque, malevolent essence of the Red Eye. Her scarlet eyes seemed to burn with an inner fire, her gaze echoing the ebb and flow of insanity and power.
"No... Minratha... What have you done?"
Inari's eyes welled up with tears as he realized what had happened to Minratha. The demon’s voice was like a cold wind, sending shivers down his spine. He tried to reach out, to stop the horror that was unfolding, but his hand was gone, severed from his arm in an instant. So bereft with anguish, he scarcely registered the pain of having a limb severed from him.
"I told you, didn’t I? All is destined to preside beneath me. My will shall be the law that governs all things. Struggle in futility no longer."
"For what reason? For what reason must you torment me? The world?"
Inari struggled to speak, his voice breaking with each word. He felt the weight of the world on his shoulders, the lives of those who had trusted him, and the loss of Minratha, who had once been a beacon of hope.
"Reason?"
"You still speak the language of slaves. Eternally bound to meaningless notions. Madness possesses no reason... it is a purpose for an otherwise purposeless existence."
The dark sovereign spoke.
"You don’t get to decide what has meaning! Those who have given their lives so that I may walk this path, their memory held substance!"
Inari screamed out, his voice raw and filled with desperation. He felt a surge of determination, a final stand against the overwhelming darkness that threatened to consume everything.
"Of course I do, for there will be no power greater than mine... no purpose higher, no existence more prevalent."
The demon’s astral presence was so great that the Red Oracles were struggling to keep their barrier up, and their semblance of sanity intact. Their very sense of self was slowly being siphoned from them, leaving only hollow shells. The ground around them began to crack and crumble, the very fabric of reality tearing apart. The screams of the residents of the Vareth swamp, both of Grannis and aboard, filled the air as they met their end in sacrifice to the eye. The air was thick with the stench of death and decay, and the sky was a dark, bloody red.
"Countless plans, countless ages. Though my name changes, shifts to accommodate the modern ages, my dogma remains unchained. I have given rise to untold dynasties who once sang homage to my wake, and prayed for destruction from the very hand that crafted them."
It's voice a low, resonant rumble, laced with ancient power. The demon's eyes, burning with an inner inferno, narrowed slightly. A whisper of genuine, chilling concern entered its tone.
"This universe is dying, corroding. And only through blood shall it be restored, rekindled. But first, it must be extinguished..."
Inari flinched, trying to rise, but the demon's grip on his right leg tightened, a bone-crushing vise.
"That is the purpose of you, what rests within you. One of three keys that will aid in the kindling, the restart of all life… the Seed of Creation, harbors the coding of life itself… crystallized sinew of a myriad dead, given their lives to create that single crystal…"
Inari's ears perked up, his gaze sharpening. This was new information, the first he had heard of the gem's purpose. Of how it was forged.
"Now do you see, little flea? Within you echoes the very song of creation, the Blood Hymn that sparked the dawn of countless lifetimes… the Astral Soul. Resist me no longer, our aims, they are the same."
The young crown face fell into a deep grimmace.
"I am nothing like you!"
"In more ways then you may ever know. Have you ever questioned why, of the myriad curses that could have been beset upon you, I gifted you the bane of Loss? Of course, you have. I have felt your curiosity clawing at me. For what is life truly without death? One cannot beget its purpose without the other. In each life, you struggle, you forget, you seek, or learn, you...crave. And with power, you impact, shift...and just when you claim that which you desire, it is snatched from you..."
The demon paused, a knowing glint in its eyes as it studied Inari's reaction.
"That is the essence of acquisition, the premise of dreamers who dare thread their whims into reality. What use is the notion of happiness? Joy? When all else is determined by blood and ability? Do not forsake all that I have given you, little fox. The power in your blood, the fury behind your claws. You are a bottomless well, an endless font of knowledge, of might. I have given you life eternal, so long as flesh exists in the world so shall you. I offer this world, what I have offered all worlds ruled under my decree...a choice..."
The demon's voice turned a caress, a promise of dark glory. Inari's eyes flashed with defiance, despite the constricting pressure.
"Never! I'd rather be nothing than what you want me to be!"
It sighs, almost a lament, then a harsh laugh.
"Such spirit for one so small. It won't save you."
The tails continued to tighten, the demon’s grip unwavering. The Seed of Creation pulsed weakly beneath Inari’s skin, a silent cry for release within the oppressive darkness.
"Nothing can absolve you...of my design."
Inari's eyes widened in horror as he watched Minratha make the declaration, her voice piercing the realm like a knife. The air around them began to distort, as if reality itself was bending to accommodate the power she was unleashing. The ground trembled, and the sky darkened, casting long, shadowy tendrils across the landscape.
"A fine offering, fine sacrament..."
A wicked voice echoed in their minds, making Inari's skin crawl. Xennin and the Red Oracles were already on their knees, their faces contorted in a mixture of fear and awe. The air was thick with the smell of burning blood and the whispers of the damned.
"Xora! Don’t! Please, you can’t do this!"
Inari cried out, but his voice was drowned out by the cacophony of terror that filled the air. He tried to reach out to Minratha, but she was beyond reason. Her eyes, now a deep, burning scarlet, seemed to see right through him, past his fears and into the very core of his being.
"Waste not your time...little flea,"
The voice in their minds sneered, and Inari's heart sank as he recognized the speaker—the Red Eye, a terror beyond this realm. As the blinding red light began to wane, a wave of heat washed over them, causing the blood in the area to evaporate into a bloody mist. The air was thick with an unspeakable horror, and Inari felt his sanity begin to unravel.
"No...Minratha..."
He whispered, his voice barely audible. The demon's voice was like a cold wind, sending shivers down Inari's spine.
"Seven pillars rise... Seven chains broken... Seven doors opened... Only one Reign... my reign."
From beyond the shroud of crimson, a figure emerged, its presence like a beacon of dread. The blood vapors condensed, forming a smoldering crown of villainy atop its head. The Fel Sovereign’s form was a twisted amalgamation of Minratha’s beauty and the grotesque, malevolent essence of the Red Eye. Her scarlet eyes seemed to burn with an inner fire, her gaze echoing the ebb and flow of insanity and power.
"No... Minratha... What have you done?"
Inari's eyes welled up with tears as he realized what had happened to Minratha. The demon’s voice was like a cold wind, sending shivers down his spine. He tried to reach out, to stop the horror that was unfolding, but his hand was gone, severed from his arm in an instant. So bereft with anguish, he scarcely registered the pain of having a limb severed from him.
"I told you, didn’t I? All is destined to preside beneath me. My will shall be the law that governs all things. Struggle in futility no longer."
"For what reason? For what reason must you torment me? The world?"
Inari struggled to speak, his voice breaking with each word. He felt the weight of the world on his shoulders, the lives of those who had trusted him, and the loss of Minratha, who had once been a beacon of hope.
"Reason?"
"You still speak the language of slaves. Eternally bound to meaningless notions. Madness possesses no reason... it is a purpose for an otherwise purposeless existence."
The dark sovereign spoke.
"You don’t get to decide what has meaning! Those who have given their lives so that I may walk this path, their memory held substance!"
Inari screamed out, his voice raw and filled with desperation. He felt a surge of determination, a final stand against the overwhelming darkness that threatened to consume everything.
"Of course I do, for there will be no power greater than mine... no purpose higher, no existence more prevalent."
The demon’s astral presence was so great that the Red Oracles were struggling to keep their barrier up, and their semblance of sanity intact. Their very sense of self was slowly being siphoned from them, leaving only hollow shells. The ground around them began to crack and crumble, the very fabric of reality tearing apart. The screams of the residents of the Vareth swamp, both of Grannis and aboard, filled the air as they met their end in sacrifice to the eye. The air was thick with the stench of death and decay, and the sky was a dark, bloody red.
"Countless plans, countless ages. Though my name changes, shifts to accommodate the modern ages, my dogma remains unchained. I have given rise to untold dynasties who once sang homage to my wake, and prayed for destruction from the very hand that crafted them."
It's voice a low, resonant rumble, laced with ancient power. The demon's eyes, burning with an inner inferno, narrowed slightly. A whisper of genuine, chilling concern entered its tone.
"This universe is dying, corroding. And only through blood shall it be restored, rekindled. But first, it must be extinguished..."
Inari flinched, trying to rise, but the demon's grip on his right leg tightened, a bone-crushing vise.
"That is the purpose of you, what rests within you. One of three keys that will aid in the kindling, the restart of all life… the Seed of Creation, harbors the coding of life itself… crystallized sinew of a myriad dead, given their lives to create that single crystal…"
Inari's ears perked up, his gaze sharpening. This was new information, the first he had heard of the gem's purpose. Of how it was forged.
"Now do you see, little flea? Within you echoes the very song of creation, the Blood Hymn that sparked the dawn of countless lifetimes… the Astral Soul. Resist me no longer, our aims, they are the same."
The young crown face fell into a deep grimmace.
"I am nothing like you!"
"In more ways then you may ever know. Have you ever questioned why, of the myriad curses that could have been beset upon you, I gifted you the bane of Loss? Of course, you have. I have felt your curiosity clawing at me. For what is life truly without death? One cannot beget its purpose without the other. In each life, you struggle, you forget, you seek, or learn, you...crave. And with power, you impact, shift...and just when you claim that which you desire, it is snatched from you..."
The demon paused, a knowing glint in its eyes as it studied Inari's reaction.
"That is the essence of acquisition, the premise of dreamers who dare thread their whims into reality. What use is the notion of happiness? Joy? When all else is determined by blood and ability? Do not forsake all that I have given you, little fox. The power in your blood, the fury behind your claws. You are a bottomless well, an endless font of knowledge, of might. I have given you life eternal, so long as flesh exists in the world so shall you. I offer this world, what I have offered all worlds ruled under my decree...a choice..."
The demon's voice turned a caress, a promise of dark glory. Inari's eyes flashed with defiance, despite the constricting pressure.
"Never! I'd rather be nothing than what you want me to be!"
It sighs, almost a lament, then a harsh laugh.
"Such spirit for one so small. It won't save you."
The tails continued to tighten, the demon’s grip unwavering. The Seed of Creation pulsed weakly beneath Inari’s skin, a silent cry for release within the oppressive darkness.
"Nothing can absolve you...of my design."
-
Inariel Myotis
- Drifter
- Posts: 164
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2019 7:57 pm
Re: A Fabled Return
The sonnet of sorrow sang by the Hand only further exemplified this world's soon-to-be future and all subsequent worlds: total unity, total annihilation, total rebirth. Inari was... helpless. The last time the demon held him in its grasp it was only by the memory of his parents, the last echoes of their love residing within him coupled with Amrit's metamorphosis that he was able to resist...and even then, that was but a sliver of the demon's presence. Here, after gorging itself on Xora's inner being, hollowing your flesh, and wearing her skin she served as an avatar for one of the most dangerous cosmic horrors. Its presence alone was mountainous growing larger still with each fleeting moment. The ground was saturated in sanguine rot, the air filled with horrid screams and sullen songs while Helena suffered in the background, a morsel waiting to be consumed. Despite his best efforts, despite actually wanting to make a change, wanting to right his wrongs it seems that he was still lacking.
For all his bravado, all his proclaiming, when it came down to it, he simply wasn't enough. These thoughts pulled him deeper and deeper into despair. The Fel one's voice was Deep, guttural, laced with Xora's cadence.
" You will release the seed, you will let go of the stone... Give in, Inariel. Unity awaits. Annihilation precedes rebirth. It is the natural order, the song of creation and destruction."
Inari's eyes became swollen with blood as the demon's grip tightened. His line of vision blurred as he felt his spirit began to slip away from him. All of it, everything that he had done, all the searching he had done, all for naught...all yielded to nothing.
"Aurelius...
Mother...Father...
Forgive me...in the end I simply...wasn't enough"
Tears mixed with blood streamed down his face. He closed his eyes, the image of his parents' faces, fading memories, flickering in his mind. His bloodshot eyes bled on the stained earth. The demon dug its hand deep within Inari's chest, the pain unbearable as his warm blood coated the demon's hand feeling its hand caress his CORE. Inari's vision swam with crimson. The demon's grip on his chest was like a vise, crushing the air from his lungs. He could feel his lifeblood seeping into the festering earth below. Despair, thick and suffocating, threatened to drown him. He felt the demon's hand probe deeper, closer to something vital within him. Then, as his consciousness wavered, a different voice, calm and familiar, resonated in the fragmented realm of his mind.
"So this...is the legacy of the Myotis? What I would've given to be able to see it with the eyes of the living."
Inari’s eyes flickered open, not in the physical world of rot and screams, but within the blood-red landscape of his inner world. Allen stood before the shimmering golden tapestry, its threads fraying at the edges as the dark sky above cracked like shattered glass. Inari’s physical pain receded, replaced by a hollow ache in his soul.
"I…have failed… I failed you, Minratha, Sophia, Hyomyn… everyone. I promised…"
His voice was weak, echoing faintly in the Red Realm. Allen turned to face him, a melancholic sadness in the phantom eyes.
"No...quite the opposite."
Allen’s hand reached out, fingers brushing against the luminous strands of the tapestry. Wisdom, memories, the collective knowledge of generations, threatened to unravel into the encroaching darkness.
"It is we… who have failed you. For each of us placed upon your shoulders our hope and desires, even knowing that it could fracture your mind… we should’ve sought to assuage you of your guilt, knowing that it was the truth beneath your facade of fury."
"My fury is no facade. Look at this! At everything! I've watched myself fail and fumble everything in my grasp. The demon blames it on my curse… but perhaps… this was always my fate. To break."
"Hmp… fate? And here I was thinking how alike we were… but our vantage points couldn't be more different."
Inari gestured around the crumbling Red Realm, mirroring the despair of the outer world.
"Look around you! Around us! At every turn we are hunted, desired, pursued, and culled along with everything dear to us. Hiding… masking. This is the result of the foolish… hope."
Allen stepped closer, his phantom form emanating a gentle warmth.
"Yes… but if we were so useless, if all of this was all so pointless, for what reason then did you seek me out Inari? If it all held no point, if all of this was purposeless why then did you come here? Into this realm of echoes?
"Xora… said it was the design of the Eye… that I had to…that I held no choice."
A hint of steel entered his voice. A deep sigh, heavy with ages of sorrow and understanding.
"There is always...always a choice. Xora… Minratha… is blinded by grief, beset with the tragedy of all she lost, of what I took from her…
"...."
"When I… sullied the Moonflow, our curse spread to her, my madness became hers. It… tainted our connection. But… it was never severed. Isn’t that obvious? Or would you rather accept the convenient folly of fate?"
The crown's eyes widened slightly, a flicker of recognition.
"E’vanoris… that silver eye… so I didn’t just imagine it. That was… her?"
"She recognized me… her fury, her lament. When we came in contact with the tree upon our first visit, the land recognized our scourge… but also… its parent. But that the tree gave you the last of its light, means that she is still in there, somewhere."
"But...she is far beyond my reach."
"When you revisited the past through our shared bloodline… the memories of my life before coming to the Black Forest returned to me… I had been running for years… centuries. I once belonged to an enclave of scattered Myotis who decided to leave the caverns long before I was born, so I never knew our people, only stories of past glory. My parents were hunted, giving their lives to ensure I live. I… tried so hard to fit into society. Tried to make friends, to form bonds. But at every turn, I was either outcasted for being an Elv, or my ignorance of this world's customs placed a rafter between me and others….I had given up hope, that I could ever be a puzzle that fit comfortably in the world."
"For years I wandered the planet aimlessly, attacked by many creatures, agents of the Eye, but I survived. I was a feral beast, a prime vessel for the Eye in nature and deed. I knew nothing but the shadow of the moon, the darkness of life. A life of solitude, and existence of seclusion… and I felt that was for the best. Because I could do nothing but kill, and harm. But… then I came upon Moonfang, so close to death… so close to destruction...I would have never thought the day would come when a new crown would sit from my bloodline."
"Then you met Hyomyn..."
"Yes...for the first time since my parents there was someone who looked at me, with worry, concern not for their wellbeing, but for my own. In this world that had only ever given me disdain, here this person, a shining light...to me...Hyomyn was like the sun rising after a cold dark moonless night..."
Inari's gaze became piercing, the despair momentarily pushed aside by a sharp question
"So why Allen? Why did you betray them? Why did you betray him?"
Allen’s smile falters, his phantom form momentarily flickering. He looks down at the fraying golden threads, a deep sorrow etched into his features. Pressing, sensing a vulnerability beneath Allen's stoicism.
"Because I...was afraid and ignorant. The Desire I consumed was intentionally sent to me by the eye, a seed planted that in time bloomed. It used me, to get to the goddess...to deepen my madness."
"I had only ever known loss, every connection attempt was only met with a severing afterward. I..didn't understand my own emotions for him, and by the time I began to comprehend them his heart had already belonged to Sophia. I...wanted so desperately Inari, to be happy for them. To be able to accept things as they were and live out eternity with them and Minratha. Though I did not have the family I wanted, I had exactly the family I needed...but in the back of my mind...I could feel the darkness festering. I... didn't want them to see me as ungrateful...as a monster. I...didn't want to lose anything ever again. So I took up a mantle I cared little for, to protect and draw closer to that which meant everything to me...I've earned their hatred...and now, they all are demons. You must think me a fool..."
Allen said.
"I do...I think you're downright stupid."
Inari looked at Allen, his expression a mix of frustration and determination.
"But...I deeply understand your feelings. I have often found myself battling the same concerns. So many have placed their faith in me, and because of my past choices, I often feel that I am undeserving. That I don’t have what it takes to be what all these people see me as. What I speak for myself. To be the crown our people deserve. But...there was one person, one being who only ever encouraged me to do what I thought was best to do. One willing to embrace me in the light, or walk into the abyss. Though I find it hard to have faith in myself at times...I...I want to have faith in those who have faith in me."
He said to Allen, who cracked a slight smile.
"Minratha held faith in me...it is the source of her curse and that which tethers her to the Eye. Yet, she is not gone, there is still a chance, Inariel."
Allen's voice was valiant, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
For all his bravado, all his proclaiming, when it came down to it, he simply wasn't enough. These thoughts pulled him deeper and deeper into despair. The Fel one's voice was Deep, guttural, laced with Xora's cadence.
" You will release the seed, you will let go of the stone... Give in, Inariel. Unity awaits. Annihilation precedes rebirth. It is the natural order, the song of creation and destruction."
Inari's eyes became swollen with blood as the demon's grip tightened. His line of vision blurred as he felt his spirit began to slip away from him. All of it, everything that he had done, all the searching he had done, all for naught...all yielded to nothing.
"Aurelius...
Mother...Father...
Forgive me...in the end I simply...wasn't enough"
Tears mixed with blood streamed down his face. He closed his eyes, the image of his parents' faces, fading memories, flickering in his mind. His bloodshot eyes bled on the stained earth. The demon dug its hand deep within Inari's chest, the pain unbearable as his warm blood coated the demon's hand feeling its hand caress his CORE. Inari's vision swam with crimson. The demon's grip on his chest was like a vise, crushing the air from his lungs. He could feel his lifeblood seeping into the festering earth below. Despair, thick and suffocating, threatened to drown him. He felt the demon's hand probe deeper, closer to something vital within him. Then, as his consciousness wavered, a different voice, calm and familiar, resonated in the fragmented realm of his mind.
"So this...is the legacy of the Myotis? What I would've given to be able to see it with the eyes of the living."
Inari’s eyes flickered open, not in the physical world of rot and screams, but within the blood-red landscape of his inner world. Allen stood before the shimmering golden tapestry, its threads fraying at the edges as the dark sky above cracked like shattered glass. Inari’s physical pain receded, replaced by a hollow ache in his soul.
"I…have failed… I failed you, Minratha, Sophia, Hyomyn… everyone. I promised…"
His voice was weak, echoing faintly in the Red Realm. Allen turned to face him, a melancholic sadness in the phantom eyes.
"No...quite the opposite."
Allen’s hand reached out, fingers brushing against the luminous strands of the tapestry. Wisdom, memories, the collective knowledge of generations, threatened to unravel into the encroaching darkness.
"It is we… who have failed you. For each of us placed upon your shoulders our hope and desires, even knowing that it could fracture your mind… we should’ve sought to assuage you of your guilt, knowing that it was the truth beneath your facade of fury."
"My fury is no facade. Look at this! At everything! I've watched myself fail and fumble everything in my grasp. The demon blames it on my curse… but perhaps… this was always my fate. To break."
"Hmp… fate? And here I was thinking how alike we were… but our vantage points couldn't be more different."
Inari gestured around the crumbling Red Realm, mirroring the despair of the outer world.
"Look around you! Around us! At every turn we are hunted, desired, pursued, and culled along with everything dear to us. Hiding… masking. This is the result of the foolish… hope."
Allen stepped closer, his phantom form emanating a gentle warmth.
"Yes… but if we were so useless, if all of this was all so pointless, for what reason then did you seek me out Inari? If it all held no point, if all of this was purposeless why then did you come here? Into this realm of echoes?
"Xora… said it was the design of the Eye… that I had to…that I held no choice."
A hint of steel entered his voice. A deep sigh, heavy with ages of sorrow and understanding.
"There is always...always a choice. Xora… Minratha… is blinded by grief, beset with the tragedy of all she lost, of what I took from her…
"...."
"When I… sullied the Moonflow, our curse spread to her, my madness became hers. It… tainted our connection. But… it was never severed. Isn’t that obvious? Or would you rather accept the convenient folly of fate?"
The crown's eyes widened slightly, a flicker of recognition.
"E’vanoris… that silver eye… so I didn’t just imagine it. That was… her?"
"She recognized me… her fury, her lament. When we came in contact with the tree upon our first visit, the land recognized our scourge… but also… its parent. But that the tree gave you the last of its light, means that she is still in there, somewhere."
"But...she is far beyond my reach."
"When you revisited the past through our shared bloodline… the memories of my life before coming to the Black Forest returned to me… I had been running for years… centuries. I once belonged to an enclave of scattered Myotis who decided to leave the caverns long before I was born, so I never knew our people, only stories of past glory. My parents were hunted, giving their lives to ensure I live. I… tried so hard to fit into society. Tried to make friends, to form bonds. But at every turn, I was either outcasted for being an Elv, or my ignorance of this world's customs placed a rafter between me and others….I had given up hope, that I could ever be a puzzle that fit comfortably in the world."
"For years I wandered the planet aimlessly, attacked by many creatures, agents of the Eye, but I survived. I was a feral beast, a prime vessel for the Eye in nature and deed. I knew nothing but the shadow of the moon, the darkness of life. A life of solitude, and existence of seclusion… and I felt that was for the best. Because I could do nothing but kill, and harm. But… then I came upon Moonfang, so close to death… so close to destruction...I would have never thought the day would come when a new crown would sit from my bloodline."
"Then you met Hyomyn..."
"Yes...for the first time since my parents there was someone who looked at me, with worry, concern not for their wellbeing, but for my own. In this world that had only ever given me disdain, here this person, a shining light...to me...Hyomyn was like the sun rising after a cold dark moonless night..."
Inari's gaze became piercing, the despair momentarily pushed aside by a sharp question
"So why Allen? Why did you betray them? Why did you betray him?"
Allen’s smile falters, his phantom form momentarily flickering. He looks down at the fraying golden threads, a deep sorrow etched into his features. Pressing, sensing a vulnerability beneath Allen's stoicism.
"Because I...was afraid and ignorant. The Desire I consumed was intentionally sent to me by the eye, a seed planted that in time bloomed. It used me, to get to the goddess...to deepen my madness."
"I had only ever known loss, every connection attempt was only met with a severing afterward. I..didn't understand my own emotions for him, and by the time I began to comprehend them his heart had already belonged to Sophia. I...wanted so desperately Inari, to be happy for them. To be able to accept things as they were and live out eternity with them and Minratha. Though I did not have the family I wanted, I had exactly the family I needed...but in the back of my mind...I could feel the darkness festering. I... didn't want them to see me as ungrateful...as a monster. I...didn't want to lose anything ever again. So I took up a mantle I cared little for, to protect and draw closer to that which meant everything to me...I've earned their hatred...and now, they all are demons. You must think me a fool..."
Allen said.
"I do...I think you're downright stupid."
Inari looked at Allen, his expression a mix of frustration and determination.
"But...I deeply understand your feelings. I have often found myself battling the same concerns. So many have placed their faith in me, and because of my past choices, I often feel that I am undeserving. That I don’t have what it takes to be what all these people see me as. What I speak for myself. To be the crown our people deserve. But...there was one person, one being who only ever encouraged me to do what I thought was best to do. One willing to embrace me in the light, or walk into the abyss. Though I find it hard to have faith in myself at times...I...I want to have faith in those who have faith in me."
He said to Allen, who cracked a slight smile.
"Minratha held faith in me...it is the source of her curse and that which tethers her to the Eye. Yet, she is not gone, there is still a chance, Inariel."
Allen's voice was valiant, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
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Inariel Myotis
- Drifter
- Posts: 164
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2019 7:57 pm
Re: A Fabled Return
"Tell me...if there is even a sliver, I will take it."
Inari responded, his fists balling in frustration.
"Minratha’s flesh...is unfortunately forever lost to the Eye. But...part of her spirit remains...in you..."
Allen’s words hung in the air, a mix of despair and a hint of possibility. He spoke with a tone of regret.
"!!!"
Inari’s frustration was palpable.
"The Eye...or Fel Sovereign is a creature that values secrecy above all other things. To understand a demon is to know its nature, its truth. And so it parades itself as a being beyond the comprehension of mortals...but it is the most mortal of us all. In all its scheming, its manipulation, it has revealed to me...part of its nature."
"It’s...nature?"
Inari inquired, trying to piece together the complex puzzle Allen was laying out.
"You have seen them, yes? Desires, demons born from corrupting a being's Root."
Allen rebutted, his eyes locking onto Inari’s.
"The...Root..."
He recalled his first Omen, the Red Root, and suspected it held a deeper meaning as it was the foundation for his other omens.
"Within each of us exists a space where consciousness and self-reflection dwell. Known by many names: soul realm, dreamscape, Root. It is the skeleton of one’s essence, the blueprint of dreams, desires, wants, aspirations, and the darkness we prohibit others from seeing. The Eye is not some omnipotent force...but rather, I believe it is a sorcerer of the highest order. One that understands the threads of the soul and how to influence the Root, weaponizing one’s soul against them, twisting its ambition, creating an ever-entangling knot. The Eye is a nexus of entangled souls...but...ours. Our thread has the potential to resist."
Allen touched his chest, the faint warmth of the Moonflow’s mana flowing through him.
"Legend tells that the Moonflow was a simple pond of water that gained its luminance, its magic, from being bathed in the moonlight for eons. This...is not entirely wrong, but not correct either."
"What do you mean?"
Confused, Inari reached for clarity.
" Across Vescrutia, there exist raw deposits of naten, some small as a puddle, others as vast as a lake. These deposits are known as Oasis. Deep beneath the Night Sacrium is such an Oasis—the earth, the waters that birth the Moonflow were emboldened by the existence of this vast well of raw potential. This is the true secret that Sophia protected within her domain."
Allen continued to detail his thoughts.
"So the Moonflow itself is but a...result of the pond being upon the sacred ground, where the water soaked up the lunar light, mingling with the mana of the soul who died there, creating the Moonflow, and in turn, Minratha."
Inari responded, his mind racing with the implications.
"The Lunarwood that I created...their roots touched this Oasis and tethered the Moonflow back to this place, drawing their power from it. This connection exists to this day."
Allen nodded, his expression growing more serious.
"But...the Moonscar, the land it’s marred by it."
"No...for there remains an untainted dew, a drop of the Moonflow undefiled."
"What E’vanorus gave to me..."
Inari touched his chest, feeling the faint warmth of the Moonflow’s mana coursing through him.
"It is the last vestige of Minratha’s original nature. If you reach it...then perhaps you can revitalize the Moonflow...healing the Moonscar..."
"Then there’s a chance."
"It was the Moonflow’s power, and my being linked to this oasis, that provided me the strength to resist the Eye for as long as I did. That is the essence of what it meant to be a Guardian of Twilight. To guard this oasis hidden from all."
Inari’s eyes widened, a mix of hope and disbelief.
"So it is a question of chance...."
"No..."
Allen’s voice was firm, his resolve unshakable.
"It is a matter of resolve. Of choice...of desire. Unlike me, you do not run. You never hide or shelter. You wear your heart on your sleeve, and your arrogance is a shield. But more than that, you carry the weight of your people’s hopes and dreams. The Eye may have corrupted Minratha, but it has not defeated you. If anyone can reclaim what was lost and free us from this curse, it is you, Inariel."
Allen said as he turned to face the tapestry. He planned to draw on it all, the power of each an every Myotis past and present to achieve this.
"You know that the Hellgate all possess some notion of psychic sensory, some through taste, others through touch. However, the ears of the Myotis are especially uncanny. We...hear the echos of energy, can sense the vibrations of naten as it moves about the world's seen and unseen. Icaryon, the spell he used, though hasitly drawn hell enough power to return you to your original form, and strip...I remember the cords of his magic...I can...recreate his spell, and bequeath it to you."
"But he was a child with a pure heart, how could I wield such magic with hands befouled as these?"
"Because the notions of good and evil are but mortal concepts to conceptualize reasoning behind the action, behind the cause. If the eye spoke any truth, it was there is no true reasoning to life, nor anything really. It is all based around purpose, and the will to carry it out. Icarion wished to stop the bloodshed of his family and that became the anchor that his spell reacted to. But he was but a fledgling of divinity. In your hands, the original bearer of this curse and the current crown of our family, a being who has over a millennia of choices and anchors...it may very well rend the curse from us, and all those connected to us....you..."
"Could untwist Minratha's root, untangle my web of discord, and return all as it was."
"I can... embolden your connection to your mana, albeit it for a limited time The Eye's stifling presence is too formidable for me to risk it long term. Such power defies the laws of reality, I cannot know what the reverberation from such a thing may be. But as of now, it is the only chance we have."
"I'll do it, just tell them what I need to do."
"Right now the demon searches for your CORE....offer it instead to the Moonscar. We will perform a ritual of blood and soul, you in the Physical realm, I in the temporal one. Stall the demon, while I guide your CORE to the Oasis. We have only ever taken from the mother, it is time we gave back to it instead. She once favored us, let's restore her faith....and end this nightmare once and for all."
Inari's eye became filled with resolve, there was no certainty in any of this, but he would do anything to avoid the Eye getting what it wanted. Xora's dogma prevented him from accessing his mana outwardly, but from here, and with Allen's help, he might be able to draw on enough to do what he needed to perform the rite. To cast Purity.
Inari responded, his fists balling in frustration.
"Minratha’s flesh...is unfortunately forever lost to the Eye. But...part of her spirit remains...in you..."
Allen’s words hung in the air, a mix of despair and a hint of possibility. He spoke with a tone of regret.
"!!!"
Inari’s frustration was palpable.
"The Eye...or Fel Sovereign is a creature that values secrecy above all other things. To understand a demon is to know its nature, its truth. And so it parades itself as a being beyond the comprehension of mortals...but it is the most mortal of us all. In all its scheming, its manipulation, it has revealed to me...part of its nature."
"It’s...nature?"
Inari inquired, trying to piece together the complex puzzle Allen was laying out.
"You have seen them, yes? Desires, demons born from corrupting a being's Root."
Allen rebutted, his eyes locking onto Inari’s.
"The...Root..."
He recalled his first Omen, the Red Root, and suspected it held a deeper meaning as it was the foundation for his other omens.
"Within each of us exists a space where consciousness and self-reflection dwell. Known by many names: soul realm, dreamscape, Root. It is the skeleton of one’s essence, the blueprint of dreams, desires, wants, aspirations, and the darkness we prohibit others from seeing. The Eye is not some omnipotent force...but rather, I believe it is a sorcerer of the highest order. One that understands the threads of the soul and how to influence the Root, weaponizing one’s soul against them, twisting its ambition, creating an ever-entangling knot. The Eye is a nexus of entangled souls...but...ours. Our thread has the potential to resist."
Allen touched his chest, the faint warmth of the Moonflow’s mana flowing through him.
"Legend tells that the Moonflow was a simple pond of water that gained its luminance, its magic, from being bathed in the moonlight for eons. This...is not entirely wrong, but not correct either."
"What do you mean?"
Confused, Inari reached for clarity.
" Across Vescrutia, there exist raw deposits of naten, some small as a puddle, others as vast as a lake. These deposits are known as Oasis. Deep beneath the Night Sacrium is such an Oasis—the earth, the waters that birth the Moonflow were emboldened by the existence of this vast well of raw potential. This is the true secret that Sophia protected within her domain."
Allen continued to detail his thoughts.
"So the Moonflow itself is but a...result of the pond being upon the sacred ground, where the water soaked up the lunar light, mingling with the mana of the soul who died there, creating the Moonflow, and in turn, Minratha."
Inari responded, his mind racing with the implications.
"The Lunarwood that I created...their roots touched this Oasis and tethered the Moonflow back to this place, drawing their power from it. This connection exists to this day."
Allen nodded, his expression growing more serious.
"But...the Moonscar, the land it’s marred by it."
"No...for there remains an untainted dew, a drop of the Moonflow undefiled."
"What E’vanorus gave to me..."
Inari touched his chest, feeling the faint warmth of the Moonflow’s mana coursing through him.
"It is the last vestige of Minratha’s original nature. If you reach it...then perhaps you can revitalize the Moonflow...healing the Moonscar..."
"Then there’s a chance."
"It was the Moonflow’s power, and my being linked to this oasis, that provided me the strength to resist the Eye for as long as I did. That is the essence of what it meant to be a Guardian of Twilight. To guard this oasis hidden from all."
Inari’s eyes widened, a mix of hope and disbelief.
"So it is a question of chance...."
"No..."
Allen’s voice was firm, his resolve unshakable.
"It is a matter of resolve. Of choice...of desire. Unlike me, you do not run. You never hide or shelter. You wear your heart on your sleeve, and your arrogance is a shield. But more than that, you carry the weight of your people’s hopes and dreams. The Eye may have corrupted Minratha, but it has not defeated you. If anyone can reclaim what was lost and free us from this curse, it is you, Inariel."
Allen said as he turned to face the tapestry. He planned to draw on it all, the power of each an every Myotis past and present to achieve this.
"You know that the Hellgate all possess some notion of psychic sensory, some through taste, others through touch. However, the ears of the Myotis are especially uncanny. We...hear the echos of energy, can sense the vibrations of naten as it moves about the world's seen and unseen. Icaryon, the spell he used, though hasitly drawn hell enough power to return you to your original form, and strip...I remember the cords of his magic...I can...recreate his spell, and bequeath it to you."
"But he was a child with a pure heart, how could I wield such magic with hands befouled as these?"
"Because the notions of good and evil are but mortal concepts to conceptualize reasoning behind the action, behind the cause. If the eye spoke any truth, it was there is no true reasoning to life, nor anything really. It is all based around purpose, and the will to carry it out. Icarion wished to stop the bloodshed of his family and that became the anchor that his spell reacted to. But he was but a fledgling of divinity. In your hands, the original bearer of this curse and the current crown of our family, a being who has over a millennia of choices and anchors...it may very well rend the curse from us, and all those connected to us....you..."
"Could untwist Minratha's root, untangle my web of discord, and return all as it was."
"I can... embolden your connection to your mana, albeit it for a limited time The Eye's stifling presence is too formidable for me to risk it long term. Such power defies the laws of reality, I cannot know what the reverberation from such a thing may be. But as of now, it is the only chance we have."
"I'll do it, just tell them what I need to do."
"Right now the demon searches for your CORE....offer it instead to the Moonscar. We will perform a ritual of blood and soul, you in the Physical realm, I in the temporal one. Stall the demon, while I guide your CORE to the Oasis. We have only ever taken from the mother, it is time we gave back to it instead. She once favored us, let's restore her faith....and end this nightmare once and for all."
Inari's eye became filled with resolve, there was no certainty in any of this, but he would do anything to avoid the Eye getting what it wanted. Xora's dogma prevented him from accessing his mana outwardly, but from here, and with Allen's help, he might be able to draw on enough to do what he needed to perform the rite. To cast Purity.
-
Inariel Myotis
- Drifter
- Posts: 164
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2019 7:57 pm
Re: A Fabled Return
Several sanguine gyphs manifested around Allen as he used their connection to bolster Inari's tether to his mana. Outside Akai Kizu his body was being ravaged by the eye which had begun its ritual, the Rite of Domination. Once more the desmon sought to pry the Crown's CORE from his carcass. As I rummaged through his being Inari's once vacant stare became engorged by a silverly gleam.
" G..get..."
The Demon's eye widened at the reverberations of this energy force. It had felt it before when it tried to consume him in the battle against Udiah, the essence of the Silver Fox.
"Impossible, the Dogma of Oppression, this should be lost to you..."
Inari's hand latched onto the demon's arms like a vice with a rapidly growing strength as his body became outlined with runic markings. From behind the silvery glint of his glare, the twinkle of his birthrune shone brightly.
"Get your fucking hand off me!"
His eyes became suffused with an awe-inspiring silver blaze as his birth rune, Lunesta, manifested boldly behind it.
"BAKO KAGAMI!!!"
Unleashing a blistering burst of mana from his eyes his mystic art fired twin beams of devasting power burning the demon's head clean from its shoulder causing it to stumble back, realizing him in recoil. Inari fell to his knees, his blood cascading onto the ground. He knew the demon would regenerate soon, so he needed to act fast. Inari went into his chest wound and produced his CORE, a ruby-like stone fashioned into the shape of a heart. It palpated with the force of his mana, all that he was, all he aspired to be was of this stone.
"Come...Amrit"
From his body a silvery vapor manifested as Amrit returned to him. But it manifested as a small silver fox whose tail was adored in kirin azure lunar light. Its small stature is undoubtedly due to the pressure placed upon Inari's soul. He placed his head upon his family's as words could not express the joy in his heart being able to see him again. He stared deeply into the eyes of his other half there was little time, the demon would be on its feet soon enough.
"My friend, my fire, I entrust to you, everything that we are. Run into the cassam below, do not stop digging until you catch the scent of flowers, the scent of night itself. Will you do this?"
"Do you need to ask?"
Amrit's jaws widened as if began devouring the stone its cardinal essence filling its belly. Inari petted his familiar before standing. The headless demon's sinews began to reform the exoskeleton of its design.
"Go, Amrit, wait for Allen's voice then follow his instructions...."
It was then that the tiny fox fled into a hole in the ceiling. The Barrier of the Hand prevents Inari's flesh from fleeing its ground, fortunately for them, it did not hinder his soul.
"I must admit, this was quite the unexpected development."
The demon said its head completely renewed. Inari's wounds also healed retiring his hand and sealing the hole in his chest. His eyes burned with a silvery vengeance as they locked onto the Fel one, his hair began to adorn its silver gleam as his mana roared endowing him with its power once more.
"You Aymara have always been tricky, people."
"Aymara? What lies seep from you now foul one."
"It matters little, you have chosen to defy, to stand. I will destroy this forest after I drain it dry. There shall be nothing left but dried brimstone!"
In a furious jaunt, the demon launched itself toward Inari unleashing a maelstrom of sword strikes. He bobbed and weaved through a few of them, others saw his arm removed from him, but as swiftly as it was taken it returned, the Black Blood of Udiah still coursing through him, and with his form uninhibited at present his regenerative properties were peak once more. He struck back when able sending his claws, dripping with mana cleaving through the demon tendrils, the slithering appendages formed spires of chaotic mass that erupted into a volley of smaller spears aiming to skewer him. AA flank attack, but one that saw his chest puff up with pride and air as he unleashed a powerful bellow of sound force that reduced them to ashes whilst pushing the demon back from him.
Inari didn't let up, this time going on the offense from the palm of his hands came forth several orbs of blood that began rotating around him. Suffused with his silver mana they began to shine with the brightness of the moon, becoming mini incarnations of its lunar energy orbiting him like salitlies. There were six of them in total 4 of which he sent flying after the eye. All creatures possess a wavelength, a frequency that ebbs from them, like an orbit, their pulling force. Inari understood this and thus crafted an arbitor that could hone in on the demonic signature of the horrid creature before him unveiling an onslaught of celestial magic that the demon could not avoid. The orbs seared holes through the demon for each one it deflected another struck true.
From within Akai Kizu Allen tethered to Inari's Root saw the world through Amrit's eyes. He lending his knowledge of Sophia's domain guided the furry creature through the malefic castle. It was littered with traps and magical contraptions created to kill anything foolish enough to wander. Nimbly, the silver fox traversed nearly meeting its end several times but either through skill or luck navigated the expanse. Amrit's nose twitched, as it caught the scent of night, a murky scent of shade and hidden intent. From within the temporal realm, Allen invoked his magic corroding the illusionary veil and revealing Sophia's Garden of Gloom. His heart sank in despair as he witnessed what had become of it. Once upon a time, this space was filled with the brilliance of some of the most gorgeous plantlife he had ever seen now was a twisted demonic reflection of terror. The Gloom blossoms were all wilted away, eons of secrets and knowledge, a botanical archive of ages never to see the light of dawn again...lost.
"I...I am the cause of all this."
Allen's thought echoed within Amrit's mind. Who became quickly annoyed.
"Yes yes, it's all your fault, but we're here to fix this aren't we? Well? Be swift about it, Inari is fighting for his life up there!"
The snide little fox's comments snapped him out of his cocoon of regrets before he could become too encapsulated within them. Amrit was right, as it so often was, what they had come to accomplish would not see the knowledge returned, but at the very least the land restored, their bond to the planet reforged.
" The Oasis is just beyond there."
"Hey, Allen...why are you helping us? Why now?"
"Because it's high time I stopped creating problems....and started solving them."
"This realm once did everything in its power to give me a better life, and because of my selfishness so many lives, so many legacies were lost. Inariel, he, has known this same anguish, this same fear. But unlike me, his resolve burned so brightly it pierced the darkness that I tried to hide and run from. Honestly...he's a lunatic really. Who goes charging straight into an abyss?"
["Yes, he is quite the handful...luckily I've got enough tails to hold him."
"Heh, yes, he is quite lucky to have a guardian like you guiding him through it all. But if I'm being entirely honest. Inari...is everything I believe the others saw in me. Now knowing the truth of this curse, that I am just, another side of him I realized. The parts of me that others held faith in, were just the echoes of the original persona.
"He'd scold you for talking like that. Though he is prone to spurts of it himself, Inari hates self-loathing. You are you Allen, and Inari is Inari. yet there are parts of you that echo in him and vice versa. You are two separate people with separate ideals and lives, your experiences, what made you, you happened. And yet, you are Inari as well. Two sides of the same coin....you, are just as real as he is. Your friends, believe in you, just as Inari and I do."
A tear swelled in Allen's eyes from within the spectral realm.
"You are quite the wise one, aren't you."
"But of course, you and that other red-haired fool would be lost without me. Now, tell me what to do, time, and what not."
"You must tap into Inari's CORE, and use the moonflow within you to remove the sigils....be careful though. Even I have never laid eyes on what lies behind this door."
"Only one way to find out..."
As instructed Amrit honed in on the seed of creation's awesome wavelength. Allen feeling this surge guided the mystical energies of the crimson mana weaving its essence through the door feeling the sway of the magic keeping the door sealed he quickly deciphered it. As the door opened a dispatours miasma escaped from it, a deep smog of rotten malice. A barrier manifested before Amrit, keeping its form from being consumed by the heinous smoke. As it weigned both Allen and Amrit became encumbered by awe. For what they saw was not a pool of raw naten they were expecting but a chamber of red crystal spires stabbing into what seemed to be a giant heart.
" G..get..."
The Demon's eye widened at the reverberations of this energy force. It had felt it before when it tried to consume him in the battle against Udiah, the essence of the Silver Fox.
"Impossible, the Dogma of Oppression, this should be lost to you..."
Inari's hand latched onto the demon's arms like a vice with a rapidly growing strength as his body became outlined with runic markings. From behind the silvery glint of his glare, the twinkle of his birthrune shone brightly.
"Get your fucking hand off me!"
His eyes became suffused with an awe-inspiring silver blaze as his birth rune, Lunesta, manifested boldly behind it.
"BAKO KAGAMI!!!"
Unleashing a blistering burst of mana from his eyes his mystic art fired twin beams of devasting power burning the demon's head clean from its shoulder causing it to stumble back, realizing him in recoil. Inari fell to his knees, his blood cascading onto the ground. He knew the demon would regenerate soon, so he needed to act fast. Inari went into his chest wound and produced his CORE, a ruby-like stone fashioned into the shape of a heart. It palpated with the force of his mana, all that he was, all he aspired to be was of this stone.
"Come...Amrit"
From his body a silvery vapor manifested as Amrit returned to him. But it manifested as a small silver fox whose tail was adored in kirin azure lunar light. Its small stature is undoubtedly due to the pressure placed upon Inari's soul. He placed his head upon his family's as words could not express the joy in his heart being able to see him again. He stared deeply into the eyes of his other half there was little time, the demon would be on its feet soon enough.
"My friend, my fire, I entrust to you, everything that we are. Run into the cassam below, do not stop digging until you catch the scent of flowers, the scent of night itself. Will you do this?"
"Do you need to ask?"
Amrit's jaws widened as if began devouring the stone its cardinal essence filling its belly. Inari petted his familiar before standing. The headless demon's sinews began to reform the exoskeleton of its design.
"Go, Amrit, wait for Allen's voice then follow his instructions...."
It was then that the tiny fox fled into a hole in the ceiling. The Barrier of the Hand prevents Inari's flesh from fleeing its ground, fortunately for them, it did not hinder his soul.
"I must admit, this was quite the unexpected development."
The demon said its head completely renewed. Inari's wounds also healed retiring his hand and sealing the hole in his chest. His eyes burned with a silvery vengeance as they locked onto the Fel one, his hair began to adorn its silver gleam as his mana roared endowing him with its power once more.
"You Aymara have always been tricky, people."
"Aymara? What lies seep from you now foul one."
"It matters little, you have chosen to defy, to stand. I will destroy this forest after I drain it dry. There shall be nothing left but dried brimstone!"
In a furious jaunt, the demon launched itself toward Inari unleashing a maelstrom of sword strikes. He bobbed and weaved through a few of them, others saw his arm removed from him, but as swiftly as it was taken it returned, the Black Blood of Udiah still coursing through him, and with his form uninhibited at present his regenerative properties were peak once more. He struck back when able sending his claws, dripping with mana cleaving through the demon tendrils, the slithering appendages formed spires of chaotic mass that erupted into a volley of smaller spears aiming to skewer him. AA flank attack, but one that saw his chest puff up with pride and air as he unleashed a powerful bellow of sound force that reduced them to ashes whilst pushing the demon back from him.
Inari didn't let up, this time going on the offense from the palm of his hands came forth several orbs of blood that began rotating around him. Suffused with his silver mana they began to shine with the brightness of the moon, becoming mini incarnations of its lunar energy orbiting him like salitlies. There were six of them in total 4 of which he sent flying after the eye. All creatures possess a wavelength, a frequency that ebbs from them, like an orbit, their pulling force. Inari understood this and thus crafted an arbitor that could hone in on the demonic signature of the horrid creature before him unveiling an onslaught of celestial magic that the demon could not avoid. The orbs seared holes through the demon for each one it deflected another struck true.
From within Akai Kizu Allen tethered to Inari's Root saw the world through Amrit's eyes. He lending his knowledge of Sophia's domain guided the furry creature through the malefic castle. It was littered with traps and magical contraptions created to kill anything foolish enough to wander. Nimbly, the silver fox traversed nearly meeting its end several times but either through skill or luck navigated the expanse. Amrit's nose twitched, as it caught the scent of night, a murky scent of shade and hidden intent. From within the temporal realm, Allen invoked his magic corroding the illusionary veil and revealing Sophia's Garden of Gloom. His heart sank in despair as he witnessed what had become of it. Once upon a time, this space was filled with the brilliance of some of the most gorgeous plantlife he had ever seen now was a twisted demonic reflection of terror. The Gloom blossoms were all wilted away, eons of secrets and knowledge, a botanical archive of ages never to see the light of dawn again...lost.
"I...I am the cause of all this."
Allen's thought echoed within Amrit's mind. Who became quickly annoyed.
"Yes yes, it's all your fault, but we're here to fix this aren't we? Well? Be swift about it, Inari is fighting for his life up there!"
The snide little fox's comments snapped him out of his cocoon of regrets before he could become too encapsulated within them. Amrit was right, as it so often was, what they had come to accomplish would not see the knowledge returned, but at the very least the land restored, their bond to the planet reforged.
" The Oasis is just beyond there."
"Hey, Allen...why are you helping us? Why now?"
"Because it's high time I stopped creating problems....and started solving them."
"This realm once did everything in its power to give me a better life, and because of my selfishness so many lives, so many legacies were lost. Inariel, he, has known this same anguish, this same fear. But unlike me, his resolve burned so brightly it pierced the darkness that I tried to hide and run from. Honestly...he's a lunatic really. Who goes charging straight into an abyss?"
["Yes, he is quite the handful...luckily I've got enough tails to hold him."
"Heh, yes, he is quite lucky to have a guardian like you guiding him through it all. But if I'm being entirely honest. Inari...is everything I believe the others saw in me. Now knowing the truth of this curse, that I am just, another side of him I realized. The parts of me that others held faith in, were just the echoes of the original persona.
"He'd scold you for talking like that. Though he is prone to spurts of it himself, Inari hates self-loathing. You are you Allen, and Inari is Inari. yet there are parts of you that echo in him and vice versa. You are two separate people with separate ideals and lives, your experiences, what made you, you happened. And yet, you are Inari as well. Two sides of the same coin....you, are just as real as he is. Your friends, believe in you, just as Inari and I do."
A tear swelled in Allen's eyes from within the spectral realm.
"You are quite the wise one, aren't you."
"But of course, you and that other red-haired fool would be lost without me. Now, tell me what to do, time, and what not."
"You must tap into Inari's CORE, and use the moonflow within you to remove the sigils....be careful though. Even I have never laid eyes on what lies behind this door."
"Only one way to find out..."
As instructed Amrit honed in on the seed of creation's awesome wavelength. Allen feeling this surge guided the mystical energies of the crimson mana weaving its essence through the door feeling the sway of the magic keeping the door sealed he quickly deciphered it. As the door opened a dispatours miasma escaped from it, a deep smog of rotten malice. A barrier manifested before Amrit, keeping its form from being consumed by the heinous smoke. As it weigned both Allen and Amrit became encumbered by awe. For what they saw was not a pool of raw naten they were expecting but a chamber of red crystal spires stabbing into what seemed to be a giant heart.
Last edited by Inariel Myotis on Tue Jan 28, 2025 2:02 am, edited 3 times in total.
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Inariel Myotis
- Drifter
- Posts: 164
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2019 7:57 pm
Re: A Fabled Return
"We...we all had it wrong, all this time."
Allen said, Amrit, stepping into the chamber wearily, his fur standing up as if sensing the danger being placed here.
"It...feels like we're not supposed to be here Allen."
"This is the domain of a fallen goddess; it is sacrilege for us to even know about it. But all this time, I assumed the Moonflow was but a product of the oasis. But all along, the Moonflow was the oasis itself."
"What...is that thing?"
Amrit could feel Allen's recollections as they observed that slowly beating structure, pieces of its woodflesh flaking off.
"This...is...was, where the goddess slept. Sophia and Minratha were fae born from the affluence of Kirin and Bako. Their task was protecting their respective domains, which required a great amount of power. Thus, every two centuries, one of the goddesses would venture into a slumber that lasted 50 years to recuperate. This is where they slumbered and it was this chamber that the Guardians of Twilight were set to guard as they could not defend themselves whilst they slept."
"So...it's some kind of cocoon?"
" I once read about structures of the old world amalgam of mystic ingenuity that protected Oases from being mishandled. This...heart seems to be a vestige, and the Moonflow, the blood that flows through it, this entire time what rose to the surface was but a sliver of the whole....This is it, the birthplace of the Goddeses"
"These red spires, they feel like that demon out there."
The fox's brow furrowed.
"So this was the Eye's true aim. It...used me to corrupt this vestige in turn corrupting the moon flow and taking its power for itself. Xora, a goddess gone mad, still held her connection to this place. If we can cast out the Fel one's influence from this heart, we can start detangling this shit show."
"Well, we're here, tell me what I have to do..."
Meanwhile, Inari and the Fel one were locked in mortal combat. An encounter shook the realms of seen and unseen producing shockwaves that threatened to bring the castle tumbling down. The Crimson crown was holding his own, but Allen's influence was finite and burning away quickly. Time, was unfortunately not on their side.
"Amrit, as part of Inari's soul, you possess the spiritual presence of his divinity. You must infiltrate the heart and release the seed of creation into it. Doing so will provide the connection I need to begin the spell, but..."
"But what?"
"This corruption is far more diabolical than even the curse of the Moonscar, being this close to it I can barely keep my mind intact. I...I don't know if you will survive this...if the demon mana takes you...you could devoured by it...or worse become its slave."
The fox spirit despite the stake strode forth without an ounce of hesitation.
"Just who do you think you're talking to Allen?"
His tail twitched with anticipation, preparing himself for what was to come.
"I am the better half of the first Myotis to be crowned in over a thousand years. An incarnation of the moon's serenity, and the claw of its shadow. Inari's heart...his soul is stronger than any of you give him credit for...even he seems to lack that understanding...but I was born from the pit of his being...and have seen first-hand his resilience. Since he became aware of me...Inari has survived one catastrophe after another. "
Amrit recalled Inari's memories. His regret for killing Bora, the spark that opened his mind, and his heart.
"From the moment his eye first opened he has faced nothing but ridicule and assumption of his nature. Labeled a bloodthirsty beast.... not that they were always wrong. But..."
"He is the type of person that despite his vast potential, constantly searches within for ways to be better, stronger for the pursuit of his ideals...and to safeguard those who are precious to him. To take back that which was stolen from him. His family, his right to one! He's managed to surprise everyone who met him. Going up against a demonic god to do so. He even managed to get a leg up on me, I was sure he was going to slaughter all the Myotis because of their weakness...but I think Inari chose to save them because he saw himself in them. What injustice had done to them, to him."
The spirit's gaze drifted to the corroding canopy above them. Even now he could smell the lingering traits of its prior luminance.
"Lightless, forgotten, condemned...isolated. He had a choice, given a chance to finally become a part of something rather than proving how different he was...do you know what Inari's wish is?"
"To become the most powerful being there is, to stand upon the pinnacle of all existence..."
"Can you imagine why that is?"
"I...cannot"
The fox spirit stood firm against the pulsing waves of madness calling it.
"Because he is tired of losing the things and people precious to him. He knows he can protect nothing without power and has been willing to delve into forbidden magic to save that which he cares for. There is no evil he will not face, no foe he will not slay, even risking becoming a demon to do so. In that, you are very similar. The only difference is, he continues to fight! He laments his powerlessness and hides this through bravado and brave speech, but on the inside, he is crumbling from the weight of watching people constantly sacrifice themselves for him. That desire...that wish...."
"..."
"That conviction is his true Root, that is what Inari is, who he has chosen to be. And he will have it, even if it means I cease to be, I will risk it to see him free of this nightmare!"
At that moment Amrit's chest began to pulsate as the Seed Of Creation, font of his existence and connection to Inari, its sanguine light emanating from him from a beacon, like the stars above. Allen could not help but be moved to watch this courageous little fox tackle the task before him. In that moment Allen himself held a vision. He witnessed Hyomyn standing where Amrit was. His eyes widened as his friend looked back at him.
"Heh...you're right Hyomyn...you're always right."
With his vigor emboldened brighter and bolder than ever before Allen began his incantation.
"Let's go, AMRIT!"
He bellowed his will stronger with the memories of his friendships behind him. Guiding his voice as he recalled the hum of Icarions spell.
"Right!"
The spirited fox lept inside an open lesion, digging into the heart and reaching its center.
Allen said, Amrit, stepping into the chamber wearily, his fur standing up as if sensing the danger being placed here.
"It...feels like we're not supposed to be here Allen."
"This is the domain of a fallen goddess; it is sacrilege for us to even know about it. But all this time, I assumed the Moonflow was but a product of the oasis. But all along, the Moonflow was the oasis itself."
"What...is that thing?"
Amrit could feel Allen's recollections as they observed that slowly beating structure, pieces of its woodflesh flaking off.
"This...is...was, where the goddess slept. Sophia and Minratha were fae born from the affluence of Kirin and Bako. Their task was protecting their respective domains, which required a great amount of power. Thus, every two centuries, one of the goddesses would venture into a slumber that lasted 50 years to recuperate. This is where they slumbered and it was this chamber that the Guardians of Twilight were set to guard as they could not defend themselves whilst they slept."
"So...it's some kind of cocoon?"
" I once read about structures of the old world amalgam of mystic ingenuity that protected Oases from being mishandled. This...heart seems to be a vestige, and the Moonflow, the blood that flows through it, this entire time what rose to the surface was but a sliver of the whole....This is it, the birthplace of the Goddeses"
"These red spires, they feel like that demon out there."
The fox's brow furrowed.
"So this was the Eye's true aim. It...used me to corrupt this vestige in turn corrupting the moon flow and taking its power for itself. Xora, a goddess gone mad, still held her connection to this place. If we can cast out the Fel one's influence from this heart, we can start detangling this shit show."
"Well, we're here, tell me what I have to do..."
Meanwhile, Inari and the Fel one were locked in mortal combat. An encounter shook the realms of seen and unseen producing shockwaves that threatened to bring the castle tumbling down. The Crimson crown was holding his own, but Allen's influence was finite and burning away quickly. Time, was unfortunately not on their side.
"Amrit, as part of Inari's soul, you possess the spiritual presence of his divinity. You must infiltrate the heart and release the seed of creation into it. Doing so will provide the connection I need to begin the spell, but..."
"But what?"
"This corruption is far more diabolical than even the curse of the Moonscar, being this close to it I can barely keep my mind intact. I...I don't know if you will survive this...if the demon mana takes you...you could devoured by it...or worse become its slave."
The fox spirit despite the stake strode forth without an ounce of hesitation.
"Just who do you think you're talking to Allen?"
His tail twitched with anticipation, preparing himself for what was to come.
"I am the better half of the first Myotis to be crowned in over a thousand years. An incarnation of the moon's serenity, and the claw of its shadow. Inari's heart...his soul is stronger than any of you give him credit for...even he seems to lack that understanding...but I was born from the pit of his being...and have seen first-hand his resilience. Since he became aware of me...Inari has survived one catastrophe after another. "
Amrit recalled Inari's memories. His regret for killing Bora, the spark that opened his mind, and his heart.
"From the moment his eye first opened he has faced nothing but ridicule and assumption of his nature. Labeled a bloodthirsty beast.... not that they were always wrong. But..."
"He is the type of person that despite his vast potential, constantly searches within for ways to be better, stronger for the pursuit of his ideals...and to safeguard those who are precious to him. To take back that which was stolen from him. His family, his right to one! He's managed to surprise everyone who met him. Going up against a demonic god to do so. He even managed to get a leg up on me, I was sure he was going to slaughter all the Myotis because of their weakness...but I think Inari chose to save them because he saw himself in them. What injustice had done to them, to him."
The spirit's gaze drifted to the corroding canopy above them. Even now he could smell the lingering traits of its prior luminance.
"Lightless, forgotten, condemned...isolated. He had a choice, given a chance to finally become a part of something rather than proving how different he was...do you know what Inari's wish is?"
"To become the most powerful being there is, to stand upon the pinnacle of all existence..."
"Can you imagine why that is?"
"I...cannot"
The fox spirit stood firm against the pulsing waves of madness calling it.
"Because he is tired of losing the things and people precious to him. He knows he can protect nothing without power and has been willing to delve into forbidden magic to save that which he cares for. There is no evil he will not face, no foe he will not slay, even risking becoming a demon to do so. In that, you are very similar. The only difference is, he continues to fight! He laments his powerlessness and hides this through bravado and brave speech, but on the inside, he is crumbling from the weight of watching people constantly sacrifice themselves for him. That desire...that wish...."
"..."
"That conviction is his true Root, that is what Inari is, who he has chosen to be. And he will have it, even if it means I cease to be, I will risk it to see him free of this nightmare!"
At that moment Amrit's chest began to pulsate as the Seed Of Creation, font of his existence and connection to Inari, its sanguine light emanating from him from a beacon, like the stars above. Allen could not help but be moved to watch this courageous little fox tackle the task before him. In that moment Allen himself held a vision. He witnessed Hyomyn standing where Amrit was. His eyes widened as his friend looked back at him.
Spoiler
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Inariel Myotis wrote: Sat Dec 14, 2024 4:35 pm Inari found himself no longer in Minratha's company, but now that Hyomyn's, the two of them were venturing deeper into the realm, away from the peaceful shores of the Moonflow. They walked through a forest of shadows, where the trees seemed to whisper secrets. The path was lit by the faint glow of bioluminescent mushrooms, casting an eerie, fleeting light.
"You ok, Allen? You've been spacing out a lot lately, brooding more too, well, more than usual."
He looked over to Allen, his bright blue eyes seeming to command the truth of whatever they laid upon. Inari could feel Allen's inability to keep the truth from his closest confidant. He had been chosen, but he couldn't fathom why. Hyomyn, his childhood friend and a beacon of light in the darkest times, seemed the obvious choice. Allen felt that his ability to protect stemmed solely from his capacity for destruction, and he feared that this would be his downfall. His gaze is earthbound as they travel.
"Why do you think Sophia chose me for this trial? I feel like a shadow among the trees—like I don’t belong here. I mean, look at you. You shine with purpose. You’re meant to be a Guardian of the Moon."
Hyomyn, on the other hand, moved with a lightness and confidence that belied the gravity of their mission. He had always seen the good in Allen, even when Allen couldn't see it in himself. As they walked, Hyomyn placed a reassuring hand on Allen's shoulder.
"That’s where you’re wrong, my friend. It’s not just about shining; it’s about understanding the darkness, too. You have a depth that many don’t. That’s why Sophia sees something in you."
Allen shook his head in disagreement.
"But what if that darkness becomes a madness that consumes me? I can only protect myself with the sharpness of my fangs or the burn of my spells. Even still... I don’t— I don’t want to be a vessel for violence; I want to be a Guardian, but all I know is how to slay."
Hyomyn becomes visibly irritated by Allen's self-deprecating words. He gripped Allen's shoulder tightly, holding him firmly as he glared at him.
"Listen to me. The darkness you feel isn’t all you are. It’s only a piece of your story but doesn’t define you. Your story has yet to be entirely written. Every shadow holds a glimmer of light, and I see your light. It shines even brighter when you protect those who can’t defend themselves."
Inari could feel the weight in Allen's heart begin to lift, the stirring chaos within him quelling. Here was a man who possessed just as much power as he had yet seen the world through many different, softer eyes. At the same time, Allen wanted only to reject his calling. One more reason he felt Hyomyn was better suited for the task. Yet...one thing was true indeed. Allen was accustomed to the darkness in a way he prayed his friend never had to experience. That was his purpose for being here, for undergoing this trial. To be the one to bear the darkness so that those around him that he cherished, including the Alondra who raised him, could enjoy the serenity of light. Even still, He could not help but doubt his success in the trials ahead.
"But what if I fail the Trial of Twilight? What if that darkness pulls me under? Sophia’s trials are meant to test our grit, and I fear mine is built on a foundation of rage and despair. Whomever I was before you found me, Hyomyn...these nightmares...I...I wasn't a good person.
Inari's heart grew heavy as the ebbs of Allen's words rang out into the black forest. He knew precisely what troubled Allen, having also long brooded in the mire of his known and unknown past sins. Not only that, but to be a being that held no moral compass, no emotional intellect to now trust in an awareness of it sent him down a habit hole of regret. To know now the weight his former self carried and how he struggled with it was a somewhat comforting comparison to the first vision that gave the impression that he was beyond the demon's influence. He fought...is friends fought.
" Trials are about growth, not perfection. They push us to face our fears and confront what we hide in our hearts. Trust me, I’m terrified too. No one has ever been known to survive Sophia's games. Not since the founder when the village first came to be. But instead of running from the darkness, we must embrace it to find our strength."
"How can you be so sure? What if I lose control? You know what I’m capable of when I’m cornered."
"I have, and I have also seen your capacity for change. When you first came to, you were like a feral fox, cold, untrusting. Many of the villagers were scared of you. But when our village was under siege by a group of wild monsters, you stood by my side to defend them.
Allen blushed slightly, trying to hide his embarrassment. The memories of those times flashed before Inari, a menacing foe, fell in defense of a little girl...who happened to be the elder's daughter.
"You’ve shown kindness and compassion in the darkest moments. Fighting isn’t the only way to protect—there’s also understanding, courage, and wisdom. You have those qualities, Allen! I’ve seen it. When shit hits the fan, you do not flee; you do not fold, you stand!"
His convictions were like threads of faith sowing shut the innumerable rears in Allen's confidence. At one point, Inari would've been completely baffled by such words. But since he met Aurielus, someone who shared blind faith in him, he understood the breath of Hyomyn's determination in his belief in his friend. He thought he could barely imagine it coming from someone with whom you have shared much of your life. Allen...he took Hyomyn's words seriously.
"I value your faith. It feels like an impossible burden to carry the potential of failing the people who depend on me."
Hyomyn smiled at his friend, a smile that carried an almost divine warmth like being bathed in the sun's illustrious glow. This feeling was one he felt after he witnessed Bora's emotions.
"You won’t be alone. We’re in this together. We’ll face the Trial as comrades, and if you stumble, I’ll be right beside you to lift you back up. We’ve trained for this moment; we need to trust ourselves."
"If you say so..."
"Ha, you're impossible, man. I mean, look at this forest. It may be full of shadows but remember: the stars still shine above us, even when hidden. Like the moon, we can find our way through darkness together if we commit to facing it. And even should something ever happen to me... remember this, if you remember nothing else."
Hyomyn turned from him, now facing the sparkling sky above.
"Should you ever stray from your path, if you ever fall back, I will be your backbone...just look up towards the sky, and you'll see me, man; I'll be your guiding star. Even if you become a bad guy, I'll knock some sense into you! Cuz well..."
Hymoyn turned his head back toward Inari, a secure cat grin on his face nervously stretching his face; his cheeks flushed red from embarrassment.
"That's what friends are for, dude."
At that moment, Inari felt a flood of feelings cascade through him like a torrential maelstrom. It almost sent him into a dizzy spell, an overwhelming sensation of euphoria. This was a feeling he had never encountered, but it was intense... incredibly so to the point that he nearly felt himself being consumed by it as if Allen's persona could also devour him. But he stood firm amidst it as it quelled in time.
"Friends...yes...of course. Thank you, my friend...let us keep the lady of secrets waiting no longer..."
Hyomyn took off running.
"The last one there has to rub the elder's feet!"
Allen let out a dry chuckle before taking off after him. The two companions walk deeper into the shadows of the Black Forest, a new resolve stirring in their hearts. The path ahead may be uncertain, but he could feel that Allen was more resolute to face these trials than before. The image of the black forest would fade transition with an almost acquiesced countenance before revealing the next part of his initial inquiry.
"Heh...you're right Hyomyn...you're always right."
With his vigor emboldened brighter and bolder than ever before Allen began his incantation.
"Let's go, AMRIT!"
He bellowed his will stronger with the memories of his friendships behind him. Guiding his voice as he recalled the hum of Icarions spell.
"Right!"
The spirited fox lept inside an open lesion, digging into the heart and reaching its center.
Last edited by Inariel Myotis on Wed Jan 29, 2025 8:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Inariel Myotis
- Drifter
- Posts: 164
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2019 7:57 pm
Re: A Fabled Return
From within the epicenter of such a concentrated amount of malefic mana and naten Amrit felt the seam of its very existence being gnawed at. Like the essence itself was a living being trying to consume it. From within the temporal realm, Allen was hard at work recreating the force of Icarion's divine Lunar magic. The wisp of the prior Myotis elder speaking to him emboldened his resolve. Here, connected to the nexus of the Myotis's past, present, and future he became the anchor for their experiences, their knowledge flowing through him. Despite this, he struggled immensely against the dogma of the Fel Sovereign. I was like holding the jaws of a predator at bay while trying to solve the world's most difficult equations.
Still, he persisted using Amrit and by extension Inari's immaculate resolve to do what was needed. Several glyphs, gilden outlined with silver mana manifested around him and through Amrit etching the language of the spell upon the fox's flesh. Living magic is a force born when the power of emotions becomes so great when focused and giving purpose so stout it develops desires of its own. To see its purpose fulfilled. Icarion held an uncanny potential if allowed to grow could have become something to be reckoned with, yet he poured all he was into creating a spell to reverse the the pull of the threads of fate itself. In that aspect, he and the Red Oracles were similar, as they both defied the laws of causality by manipulating these very threads.
"I was running from the truth of my selfishness. Not wishing to inherit the pain that remembering all that I lost would bring, and still, despite this, I lost everything anyway.
The magic intensified, becoming stronger by the second. Inair's core rippled through the unseen realm, like an earthquake shaking the very fabric of space-time.
"I've...held on to this pain, this anger, at myself, a world for so long, and because of my inability to let go, the very earth has become a twisted playground for Desires...."
His emotions were getting the better of him, causing an also in the spell conjuring. This backlash tore at Amrit who grunted in pain trying to contain this well of power. It was then that Allen heard Inari's voice.
"To embrace what is, what can be Allen. You must let go of what was. Reimagine your fate, and redesign a better future. Let it go, Allen. And entrust your dreams to me! Your Crown! Your legacy!"
Inari's words reached deep within Allen, pulling from him the resolve needed to execute his spell. He thought about Hyomyn, his faith in him, the pain of betraying him. Sophi came to mind, how against her better judgment, she chose to welcome him into their fold. Then, Minratha appeared before him. A phantom of her silver eyes becoming him to do what he needed to right his wrong. He...had to release the world he once knew and entrust the new one to the one who inherited his faults and strengths.
"Do it Allen! Do it now!!"
His eyes narrowed filled with purpose.
"Mystic art."
"Purity!!!"
With that Allen released it all. All his grief, his inhibition, and his connection to the past. This spark ignited a dazzling chain reaction that caused Amrit and the Seed Of Creation to respond. An incandescent vermillion and silver gleam encased the realm in its light. Amrit, cradling the seed in its chest began to dissipate like a capsule of medicine being digested dealing its essence into the corrupted heart like an antibiotic devouring the heinous mana. It started breaking down the crimson spires traveling through the root-like appendages that channeled the Moonflow traveling through the moon scar. From beneath the rooftop of the Crimson Vale did the light of his spell blossom from beneath both Inari and the Fel Sovereign. The force was so grand it completely removed the presence of the barrier, dwarfing the influence of Xenin and the Red Oracles' power by fathoms. Unable to hold their presence as the might of their lord was brought to ruin. Within Inari began a chain of events that shook him to his very core.
"YOU WRETCH!!"
The demon cried out as it dashed in a burst of speed trying to cleave Inari's head from his shoulder but before it could even reach him its face cracked like a parcel doll. The land no longer under the befoulment of its essence, uprooting from its control no longer served as a stable land to hold its existence. It was then that Inari was overcome with a barrage of visions. Within them he saw a realm that differed from Vescrutia, his soul felt a longing, a deep connection to what he was witnessing. With every knot of The Eye curse being detangled from within him facets and details of this place became more clear to him. Though his mind could not recollect his connection to this place every fiber of his CORE recalled it, longed for it. The visions ceased and with them, he felt an overwhelming warmth overcome him, like a blazing hot sun, it then quickly cooled into a crisp river as he felt the Moonflow overcome him.
"Mother...thank you..."
Was his lone thought as his eyes flared with a brilliant crimson gleam. Knowing that his prayers fell on deaf ears, but to him, feeling the pulse of the earth once more returned his ability to commune with nature once more. And with that restoration, his time with The Wood, who taught him the species of plants, the nature of the creature who called the planet home, returned freely now did that pulse course through him and he back to it in a wonderous exchange of communion.
"Bloom..."
Without a single second to spar the realm formerly marred by the Moonscar responded to his call. A myriad of thorny tendrils erupted from the death snaking around the castle entangling the demon in a snare of nature vehemence. The Avatar lashed about but the more it struggled the tighter the vines became. It became weaker as if the vines were feasting on its malevolence. Inari would feel a tight pain in his chest as he vomited a black bile. After it was expelled his form began to shift, his ears grew more pointed and his body encased in fur. His wings once a bright crimson red now were a solem black with red outlining. His hair grew long now just barely trailing the ground. There was little for him to ponder, he could feel the...rightness of it all. This was who he would have become had the curse not weakened him. His original form.
"You...used the Seed's Power? Even without the other keys?! YOU THINK YOU'VE WON?! THIS IS BUT ONE OF MY PLOYS A MERE RIPPLE IN THE OCEAN OF MY DESIGN! I WILL CLAIM YOU AND THIS ENTIRE REALM!"
Inari's hand gripped closed as a thrown wrapped itself around the demon's mouth.
"Perhaps one day, but today, you have failed, and we have succeeded. Your dogma holds no claim over me any longer, your words but triffles on the winds. I am no longer your prey, demon...."
Inari's eyes grew bright and with a glow in his chest, the ground rattled as his mana uninhibited began to manifest. Alongside it his naten also spiked. They blended creating a massive incarnation of Amrit.
"You are mine..."
Like a bullet of light, the giant familiar massive maw devoured the demonic avatar shattering its last tether to this realm devouring the remnants of the Fel Sovereigns' presence. All that remained was a haunting laughter on the winds.
"Snicker, panic, flee. Do whatever brings solace to your wilted heart, but know this. I will not rest until every last thread of your...meddling is severe until the blood of each one of your followers is picked from under my claws. Until your wails are nothing more than a brisk stale wind. This is no threat, for the sake of everything you've stolen...it is an oath!"
A pledge that he would see fulfilled. Knowing now, that he would have accomplished none of this if not for those who walked this strenuous path with him. And though he was no longer bound to the demon literally, their fate was inescapably intertwined. He could not fathom the extent of the cult's reach but would spend the rest of his days devoting himself to their eradication. The presence of the Fel One began to rapidly deteriorate and the blackned earth began to return to its once verdant state. Though much of the land had perished in time the Moonscar would heal and life would thrive in abundance. The Crimson Vale was no more...the Night Saricarum returned and with it, in time, the essence of the Moonflow would flourish once more.
Still, he persisted using Amrit and by extension Inari's immaculate resolve to do what was needed. Several glyphs, gilden outlined with silver mana manifested around him and through Amrit etching the language of the spell upon the fox's flesh. Living magic is a force born when the power of emotions becomes so great when focused and giving purpose so stout it develops desires of its own. To see its purpose fulfilled. Icarion held an uncanny potential if allowed to grow could have become something to be reckoned with, yet he poured all he was into creating a spell to reverse the the pull of the threads of fate itself. In that aspect, he and the Red Oracles were similar, as they both defied the laws of causality by manipulating these very threads.
"I was running from the truth of my selfishness. Not wishing to inherit the pain that remembering all that I lost would bring, and still, despite this, I lost everything anyway.
The magic intensified, becoming stronger by the second. Inair's core rippled through the unseen realm, like an earthquake shaking the very fabric of space-time.
"I've...held on to this pain, this anger, at myself, a world for so long, and because of my inability to let go, the very earth has become a twisted playground for Desires...."
His emotions were getting the better of him, causing an also in the spell conjuring. This backlash tore at Amrit who grunted in pain trying to contain this well of power. It was then that Allen heard Inari's voice.
"To embrace what is, what can be Allen. You must let go of what was. Reimagine your fate, and redesign a better future. Let it go, Allen. And entrust your dreams to me! Your Crown! Your legacy!"
Inari's words reached deep within Allen, pulling from him the resolve needed to execute his spell. He thought about Hyomyn, his faith in him, the pain of betraying him. Sophi came to mind, how against her better judgment, she chose to welcome him into their fold. Then, Minratha appeared before him. A phantom of her silver eyes becoming him to do what he needed to right his wrong. He...had to release the world he once knew and entrust the new one to the one who inherited his faults and strengths.
"Do it Allen! Do it now!!"
His eyes narrowed filled with purpose.
"Mystic art."
"Purity!!!"
With that Allen released it all. All his grief, his inhibition, and his connection to the past. This spark ignited a dazzling chain reaction that caused Amrit and the Seed Of Creation to respond. An incandescent vermillion and silver gleam encased the realm in its light. Amrit, cradling the seed in its chest began to dissipate like a capsule of medicine being digested dealing its essence into the corrupted heart like an antibiotic devouring the heinous mana. It started breaking down the crimson spires traveling through the root-like appendages that channeled the Moonflow traveling through the moon scar. From beneath the rooftop of the Crimson Vale did the light of his spell blossom from beneath both Inari and the Fel Sovereign. The force was so grand it completely removed the presence of the barrier, dwarfing the influence of Xenin and the Red Oracles' power by fathoms. Unable to hold their presence as the might of their lord was brought to ruin. Within Inari began a chain of events that shook him to his very core.
"YOU WRETCH!!"
The demon cried out as it dashed in a burst of speed trying to cleave Inari's head from his shoulder but before it could even reach him its face cracked like a parcel doll. The land no longer under the befoulment of its essence, uprooting from its control no longer served as a stable land to hold its existence. It was then that Inari was overcome with a barrage of visions. Within them he saw a realm that differed from Vescrutia, his soul felt a longing, a deep connection to what he was witnessing. With every knot of The Eye curse being detangled from within him facets and details of this place became more clear to him. Though his mind could not recollect his connection to this place every fiber of his CORE recalled it, longed for it. The visions ceased and with them, he felt an overwhelming warmth overcome him, like a blazing hot sun, it then quickly cooled into a crisp river as he felt the Moonflow overcome him.
"Mother...thank you..."
Was his lone thought as his eyes flared with a brilliant crimson gleam. Knowing that his prayers fell on deaf ears, but to him, feeling the pulse of the earth once more returned his ability to commune with nature once more. And with that restoration, his time with The Wood, who taught him the species of plants, the nature of the creature who called the planet home, returned freely now did that pulse course through him and he back to it in a wonderous exchange of communion.
"Bloom..."
Without a single second to spar the realm formerly marred by the Moonscar responded to his call. A myriad of thorny tendrils erupted from the death snaking around the castle entangling the demon in a snare of nature vehemence. The Avatar lashed about but the more it struggled the tighter the vines became. It became weaker as if the vines were feasting on its malevolence. Inari would feel a tight pain in his chest as he vomited a black bile. After it was expelled his form began to shift, his ears grew more pointed and his body encased in fur. His wings once a bright crimson red now were a solem black with red outlining. His hair grew long now just barely trailing the ground. There was little for him to ponder, he could feel the...rightness of it all. This was who he would have become had the curse not weakened him. His original form.
"You...used the Seed's Power? Even without the other keys?! YOU THINK YOU'VE WON?! THIS IS BUT ONE OF MY PLOYS A MERE RIPPLE IN THE OCEAN OF MY DESIGN! I WILL CLAIM YOU AND THIS ENTIRE REALM!"
Inari's hand gripped closed as a thrown wrapped itself around the demon's mouth.
"Perhaps one day, but today, you have failed, and we have succeeded. Your dogma holds no claim over me any longer, your words but triffles on the winds. I am no longer your prey, demon...."
Inari's eyes grew bright and with a glow in his chest, the ground rattled as his mana uninhibited began to manifest. Alongside it his naten also spiked. They blended creating a massive incarnation of Amrit.
"You are mine..."
Like a bullet of light, the giant familiar massive maw devoured the demonic avatar shattering its last tether to this realm devouring the remnants of the Fel Sovereigns' presence. All that remained was a haunting laughter on the winds.
"Snicker, panic, flee. Do whatever brings solace to your wilted heart, but know this. I will not rest until every last thread of your...meddling is severe until the blood of each one of your followers is picked from under my claws. Until your wails are nothing more than a brisk stale wind. This is no threat, for the sake of everything you've stolen...it is an oath!"
A pledge that he would see fulfilled. Knowing now, that he would have accomplished none of this if not for those who walked this strenuous path with him. And though he was no longer bound to the demon literally, their fate was inescapably intertwined. He could not fathom the extent of the cult's reach but would spend the rest of his days devoting himself to their eradication. The presence of the Fel One began to rapidly deteriorate and the blackned earth began to return to its once verdant state. Though much of the land had perished in time the Moonscar would heal and life would thrive in abundance. The Crimson Vale was no more...the Night Saricarum returned and with it, in time, the essence of the Moonflow would flourish once more.
The team
