Zahrael

They walked a short distance, the fallen pine needles of the nearby forest cushioning their steps to quiet indistinction. Neither of them spoke, but the silence was almost as effective as speaking could have been; every passing moment, Aiden could feel Lilias growing more confident. She thought he was going to answer her questions. She had no idea that it would be the exact opposite. The thought twisted Aiden's lips into a small, melancholic smile. Sad, that he should have to trick and exploit his friends in such a manner, but he knew she would never willingly admit or answer the questions he intended to put to her. She had gone to great leng

"What is it?" The voice was as dim and distant as the stars. It was as soft as silk, but strong as stone. There was something about it that spoke of sensuality, of grace and eloquence. It was beyond beautiful. He only wished it would shut up. His head pounded with each beat of his hearts, and even through the fog of half unconsciousness, he felt cheated. He was alive. In some perverse way, he had been looking forward to death, waiting to feel the life leave him. He had wished to spit in Death's eye, but now, he was once more saved from him. He was alive, and he had never been more spiteful about it. Dull aches covered his body, and he felt

Consciousness seemed to return slowly, all but leaking back into him. The blazing, igneous torrent of agony in his stomach and chest had subsided to only a dull, throbbing ache. Voices buzzed distantly, both inside his mind, and outside, but he could neither isolate a specific voice, nor understand a single word that was said, no matter how hard he tried. His attention span seemed to have been sundered; for his mind was in constant motion, but switched topics far more frequently than it pursued them. Only one thought remained clear in his mind, and it was that life line that he clung despairingly to, until he had tethered enough strength to c

Consciousness seemed to return slowly, all but leaking back into him. The blazing, igneous torrent of agony in his stomach and chest had subsided to only a dull, throbbing ache. Voices buzzed distantly, both inside his mind, and outside, but he could neither isolate a specific voice, nor understand a single word that was said, no matter how hard he tried. His attention span seemed to have been sundered; for his mind was in constant motion, but switched topics far more frequently than it pursued them. Only one thought remained clear in his mind, and it was that life line that he clung despairingly to, until he had tethered enough strength to c

Act IV: Secrets of the Fallen "There is no way to tell his story, Without telling my own. And if his story is really a confession, Then so is mine. What will it come to Where will it end Where is the last stop On this journey among shadows Will I ever find myself Where am I being sent?" -Shadowed, Evergrey |Night, Second Hebreth of Hydros; 1490| "Always in Darkness, Aiden SwiftRunner." Evan said, as she stepped through the window, on to the balcony, and came to a stop standing beside Aiden. "I heard a quote once; 'though my soul may set in darkness, It will rise in perfect light. I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful o

The cluster of humanity that gathered around the stone entrance set into the sloping, grass covered hillside was punctuated randomly with Elder Races. Aiden and Rahvin, DragonLords; Ren, Fairy; Kiren and Kerin; SoulLess; Kroen; Anvar. Aiden had been surprised to find SoulLess and Anvar here. He had thought Ardune was a Human City. Kroen had turned out to be the leader of the City Guard, which only made sense to the DragonLord. After all, who wouldn't want the leader of the cities' defenders to be an eight foot tall mountain of metal, who happened to wield an axe bigger than Aiden himself? The SoulLess also happened to be part of the City Guar

A twisting miasma of gray smog rolled and roiled across the featureless blackness as far as the eye could see in any direction, dull emerald green light seemed to illumine the clouds from within, lending the eternal night a hellish green cast. There was only one thing here, aside from the darkness of the preternatural night; a waist high table of solid stone rose from the ground a few feet away from him, and the bloody crimson light that rained down on it seemed to come from nowhere. An ominous and sinister sense of apprehension filled Aiden, as he began to take slow steps toward the table. He could only vaguely make out the shapes on the tab

Act III: Mistakes "You will release your life, Forgetting what's forsaken. The reason why, You are alone again. You will begin to cry, Hearing the silence breaking. You breathe a lie, But you are alone again. From the heart of darkness, You call to me; Spirit raging on." -Breathe, Disturbed |Night, First Hebreth of Hydros; 1490| The radiant orb of Shaltar had burned away its time in the sky, and as it set behind the distant horizon, the clouded heavens overhead began releasing their burdens. White flecks of snow spiraled slowly downward in chaotic courses, following rifts of air current only strong enough to alter their paths. T