I'm Coming...

Death twitches my ear; 'Live,' he says... 'I'm coming...' - Virgil Cobblestone streets bathed in the silvery light of a full moon, shadows flickered and danced across the streets as inky darkness grew in the lightless reaches. The soft trickle of moving water the only sound whispering through the quiet night; the screams of playing children, the bellowing voice of the town crier, provisioners selling their wares, and fishermen with the sounds of their casting lines and catches all gone from the city canals and without them an eerie silence was all that was left. A strange melody of creatures played the night’s hymn now, rats skittering in the shadows and stray cats howling a haunting melody from their unseen places. Her quiet footsteps became a steady beat against the melodies of the night, her eyes, fathomless depths of deep sapphire swirling with the twinkling, violet darkness of the void, scanned through the twilight with careful caution for those that may still yet linger in this dark realm of shadows as she did. A lone dwarf lumbered toward the forges, his stout figure a dark shadow against the illuminating flame of the roaring forges that surrounded him in the night. A guardian of the flames, air whooshed into the flames as they roared back into life. Her ear twitching as the flames crackled and popped against the silence of the night, his gaze shifting in her direction as she passed by without a word. Strangers in the night, he grunted, turning his back to her and walking away. Sapphire orbs followed his trail into the night until it consumed him, blinking she continued along the path toward the announcement board littered with recruitment flyers. Mercenaries for hire, bodyguards, treasure hunters and employment opportunities splayed out in a colorful display before her eyes. Scanning the pages lazily as she passed, her figure disappearing behind the billboard and descending the ivory stone stairs that led to the embassy. Gravel crunched beneath her light footstep, the chilling grasp of winter clawed through the breeze and raked through the thick ebony robes she wore, the cloth wrapped tightly around her body and head leaving only her eyes exposed to the harsh chill. A haunter of the night she moved with slow grace across the open space between the city and the embassy. Leaves rustled gently overhead, her sapphire orbs looking skyward at the glittering expanse of stars that glittered across the sky. Her footsteps slowed before coming to a complete halt in their path, inhaling deeply her eyes closed as she held her breath for a moment before exhaling and opening her eyes. Looking forward once more her focus turned now to the portal that was open before her, Hues of deep sapphire and violet danced with traces of ebony depths, much like her eyes, reaching a hand out from her robes and into the void she watched as it vanished, her arm soon to follow as she took a slow step forward and with one more step she was completely consumed. Infinite void stretched out before her, the same hues of the portal that brought her here, sapphire and violet danced and twirled together across the never ending sky littered with glittering lights. Massive chunks of land floated freely throughout the sky, peebles to small land masses held together closely by an invisible force. Ren’dori and Quel’dorei gathered in loose groups, the soft murmur of conversation humming through the air. Sapphire orbs blinked slowly as she stood there and observed in silence. Home. This was the home of her people now, cast from the scarlet and golden city of magic and beauty. There was a charm to this place though, a beauty in the void that surrounded them. Telgorus was a place of infinite beginnings and ends, every possibility, every outcome, it was all here. Ebony robes flowed around her as she took a step forward, moving past the groups that gathered across the primitive camp like home they had created. Not a single eye turned to observe the violet woman wrapped in black, her eyes unwavered as she moved forward. There was nothing left before her, an endless chasm opened up before her, rock crumbling underneath her weight and drifting into the air as her eyes scanned the distance for a suitable location. Her body vanishing from view, enveloped by shadows, as she leapt through the void and away from Telgorus mainland. Shadows manifested some distance from Telgorus, her body appearing from the shadows. Pulling away the hood and mask of the robes the loose fabric rested against her shoulders and back, draped across her. Violet hands raised from within the folds of fabric, reaching for a clasp that held the ebony robes around her body, finding the ornate golden clasp shaped in the fashion of a raven’s skull she carefully released the pin that held the fabric together. The ebony fabric cascading down her body and onto the ground. Manganese violet hair falling over her lavender shoulders and brushing down against her lower back. Slipping her feet from the silk slips she wore, her bare feet paused against the rough stone ground beneath her. Pulling her satchel away from her body, kneeling down, her hair cascade froward covering her upper body as she set the bag upon the ground and opened it, pulling forth a tome. Black leather, blacker than night, worn around the ages from many years of use and decorated with swirling dark violet patterns. A single smooth amethyst was set into the cover of the tome, the dark light of Telgorus shimmering and dancing within the crystal. Her voice nothing more than a hushed whisper upon the silence that hung in the air. “Messorum evoco qui me tetigit.” The light flared violently within the crystal and the dark violet swirls began to emit a dark glow that matched their color. A smirk slowly crept along the corners of her lips as she stood, tome in hand, and began to walk toward the area she had already prepared. Set before her on the ground was a large circle, within the circle was a large ‘X’ and at the cross section of the ‘X’ a triangle was painted, the flat bottom of the triangle painted straight through the cross section evenly. On each corner of the triangle small circles were painted and candles placed within them, from the bottom center of the triangle’s a straight line was painted down, branching into three lines like fire. Carefully placing the tome at the center of the circle she carefully took a step back, kneeling in front of the circle. Pushing her hair away from her face, sweeping it back behind her ears to secure it there, she smoothed the black and scarlet tunic she wore against her skin and unsheathed a dagger from the holster strapped against her thigh. The delicate silver shone in the dark as she placed it softly on the ground in front of her. Letting her gaze fall to the candles placed on the corners of the triangle she snapped her fingers, electricity flickered and sparked toward the three candles and ignited them. A soft red flame flickering to lift, motionless as the wicked burned a straight flame, no wind to disrupt it. Lifting the dagger from the ground with a deep breath she held it against the opposite palm, pausing. “What lengths are you willing to go for power?” The voice echoed through her thoughts, but it was not her own. How far was she willing to go? Taking a deep breath and exhaling, her thoughts focused on drawing the void forward, the potent power consuming her body and dancing like flames against her skin. Running the blade against her palm, she winced at the sudden sting of pain that radiated through her hand. Quickly she clenched her hand into a fist as the blood began to run. Holding her hand directly above the tome the blood dripping and running slowly over the smooth amethyst embedded in the cover of the tome. A burst of heat from the candles flared and the flames grew higher, their red flames turning a violent purple and as if a sudden wind had taken them, they whipped back and forth angrily. Closing her eyes slowly and tilting her head back, looking skyward blindly, she began chanting softly. “Ad construgendum, ad ligandum eos, pariter et solvendum. et ad, congregantum eos, coram me.” Shadows surrounded her, a malicious black fog, growing darker, more powerful, with every word she whispered. A hand reached out of the darkness, or more something akin to the likeness of a hand, it grasped at her exposed throat, her breath growing ragged and her pulse quickening at the creature’s touch. Fingers tightened against the soft flesh of her neck as she rose to her feet slowly. Opening her eyes a devious smirk spread across her lips as she viewed the shadowy apparition that flickered in front of her for the first time. “You are bound to me, to my blood and my will, you can not harm me.” Clear, concise and unafraid of the creature she had released her voice never waivered. Haunting laughter, like nails against a chalkboard echoed through her mind. “What will he think when he learns what you have done?” The determination in her gaze faltered for a moment, a pang of worry and doubt flashing across her eyes. Growling she glared at the phantom, her emotions playing games. “I will control you this time, you have no power over me creature!” The conviction in her voice was weaker, the doubt that had seeded itself already growing in the pit of her stomach. What if she could not control this thing? What if she was truly in over her head this time and the apparition that held her now would finally bring about the end it had already attempted? Her gaze narrowed, as she looked up at it, observed it. A dark creature with no legs, it flickered like an animated shadow before her, though its grasp upon her neck was very much so real. “You will control me little Ren’dorei? Child of the Shadows? Or is it I that will control you?” That same haunting laughter echoed through her mind along with its voice. Her nostrils flared and her glare fixated hard on the creature. “Unhand me, I command you to release me from your grasp.” A command, no question or request lingered in the tone of her voice. Conceding, the phantom released its hold on her neck, the arm of the thing falling to its side. Taking a deep breath of air she steeled herself, this was no time for doubt or troublesome emotion. Emotions where a gateway, something that the void would exploit and use against her in her times of weakness when she was easiest to manipulate. “You care for him, you love him, but what of his demons? What of yours?” The ring, his sudden outburst and inability to control himself, her failure to protect herself and the loss she suffered due to it. No, nothing had happened in ages and if something had happened or would happen he would come to her, he swore to her he would, and they had moved past her past transgressions and failures. “What if you can not stop him the next time? Where is he now? Do you not wish he was here with you now? Or are you ashamed of your actions? Must you hide your true colors from him?” A sinister grin cracked across the apparition's features, the claw like hands held out, turned upward toward her. Where was he right now? The question echoed through her mind over and over again. Why had she not tell him where she was going? She could have left a note, but would that have been enough to explain what she was doing? Would he have come to stop her? “I am not hiding from him, and he would never hurt me. You are trying to find something to make me falter, to concede to you, open myself up to you, and I will never.” Her words venom upon her lips as she spat at the wraith, she would never allow herself to be swallowed by the darkness inside of her, she would control it, wield it as she pleased and use it to protect those she cared about. “You will never achieve your goals with thoughts like that, power comes at a price. You know that little dove. What price are you willing to pay for the power you desire? What price?” The echoing voice trailed away, turning sinister as the energies around her began to flare and spark. Growling her eyes darted back and forth searching the darkness as power surged around them. “You want this? You want to control this? What will you give for it!?” A booming echo filled her ears as chaos erupted around her. From nowhere a cyclone of wind stirred and flung her hair upward as the swirling winds spun faster around the clearing, tossing loose rocks into the air and the candles on the ground lashed out with their flames. Rooted in her spot she would not give up now. “Stop this! Your mind games are lost upon me.” A command, her voice thundered over the roaring winds and as quickly as they had appeared they vanished. An eerie calm fell over them as she looked around, panting. A bead of sweat trickled down her brow, her hand rising to wipe it away but instead smeared blood along her face. The cut she had made in her hand was bleeding again, blinking as if lost in confusion she swayed a little before catching herself. “What are you willing to give up little dove? You refused to give us what we asked for before.” A memory, just a single memory. That is all it wanted from her in exchange, but it had to be of its choosing. She had no say in what it was she would forget. All the bad and the good, what would it have taken from her? No. She refused to forget any of it in exchange for the power she craved, maybe she was simply greedy. She wanted it all with none of the cost. Dark laughter escaped her lips, her head shaking slowly. “A memory is not so easily given, everything that has brought me here has made me who I am and I refuse to forget even a second of it.” “Why walk this path then little dove? The void will consume you, the Gods Will, will be done and their Empire built again tenfold.” Pursing her lips into a tight frown she clenched her hands into a fist, flinching at the pain that shot through her right hand and arm. A soft green mist enveloping her wounded hand, the bleeding stopping for now. “You are nothing but a pawn to the Gods. An instrument of their destruction created entirely by your own choice!” “I will be no one’s instrument. I am not a dog to be made to heel.” She had to remain concentrated, keep this thing controlled or banish it should things become too tiring. The fact she had been able to summon and control it so far already delighted her, she had been correct in her assumptions and research this far. Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly she could feel the exhaustion in her bones, it was time to end this. “You, my little wraith, shall be mine.” Taking a step forward she entered the circle, standing just before the phantom. Something tugged at the pit of her stomach, was it fear? Pushing the thought out of her mind she rose her hands, her wrist touching as she raised her open palms toward the shadowy apparition. Void energies gathered in her palms, a link quickly forming between the two. The connection between the two twisted and flared a siphon of deep violet and sapphire colors, siphoning the energies from the apparition and transferring them into her. Maniacal laughter echoed around them, her brow furrowing in concentration as she tried to block away the eerie sound and focus on her task at hand. “There is always a price little dove.” And explosion of energy sent her flying backward, slamming into an outcropping of rock with a sickening thud. Sliding to the ground she groaned, her hand instinctively lifting to inspect the back of her head where it had hit the rock. Warm, sticky liquid coated her fingers through her hair and she winced against the touch of her fingers. The world flickered in and out of view as she attempted to stand upon shaking legs. One hand pressed against the rock behind her, the other pressed against her thigh as she stood hunched over and relying greatly on the support of the rock behind her. A hand pressed against her neck again, lifting her off her feet and holding her limp body like a ragdoll. Blinking through the blurred vision she gasped, the wraith grasped her now, broken free from the circle and the book that had bound it. The book was burning, violet purple flames consumed the pages and this time it was truly burning. “You will make a lovely addition to my power little do-.” The apparition's words were cut short and without warning she was falling again, her body falling limp upon the ground. Through the lapse in her vision something yipped at her, a lovely shade of sky blue and ivory. Her vision was failing through and everything was growing colder. This was how things ended, she still had so much she wanted to do- so much left unsaid. Tears began to slid down her cheek, the clear liquid running streaks through the blood smeared across her features. Something warm touched her hand, nudged her from the thoughts consuming her mind. The same yip she had heard earlier echoed through her mid, forcing herself to focus on the creature before her it was a large sky blue fox. The creature was trying to nudge her up, pull her from the darkness that was consuming her. Gritting her teeth she growled in pain and determination, clawing her way forward and bringing herself onto her knees. Her focus remained on the fox as it leapt away from her and attacked the wraith, keeping it at bay so she could gather her energy. This was her chance. Mustering what energy she had left and bringing herself back onto her feet, she mimicked what she had done before. Focused on the apparition as it warred with the fox-like creature she placed the bases of her palms together and took a deep breath to steady herself. Another link was formed between herself and the wraith, this time with the help of the fox though she was not the sole focus of the thing. “That is where you were mistaken, I will not so easily be claimed.” Her words labored as her breathing grew ragged, the fox leaping away from the apparition as it screeched out in agony. Gasping she dropped to her knees as the phantom vanished from site and the connection was broken, but not entirely lost. There was a surge of new energy that coursed through her veins and burned through her mind. Sighing as the fatigue and blood loss finally began to take its toll on her body. Gleefully the fox leaped over toward her, sniffing around her face and neck curious though she had no energy to shoo it away. “Feel like helping me out a little more?” A small smile broke across her lips with her raspy voice, looking over the fox as if waiting for a response. As if knowing what she was asking it laid down beside her and allowed her to climb on top of it. Wrapping her arms weakly around its neck she held herself against it as it jumped up into the air and wings appeared as if by some magic of their own. Closing her eyes as her breathing slowed down, there was nothing but darkness and calm as they flew back to the mainland.

[۞ KAT ۞ AKA Red Viper]