The Healing

[Lasius]

The energy from the multi-elemental sphere of crystalline reality around Lomes was erratic, so many elements had failed, and those few that were working had to pick up the slack, which was causing their failure at an exponential rate. As Lasius flashed into existence outside the room or lack there of where Lomes floated his eyes widened. Time had obviously failed as well, the detonation that had occurred while they were in the war room during the initial council was replaying itself every few seconds in a repeating time loop. Chunks of stone and shredded furniture exploded outward and reformed in the shattered time stream seemingly with random abandon.

He stepped back a few feet and took stock of the Arcs on his person, Life rested on his left hand, the golden piece of delicate seeming jewelry glowed and pulsed with power, the sturdiest of all remaining elements, and the one he was banking on the most. Shadows was inert, calling shadows through it could help or hurt him at this point but it might be a gamble he was willing to take while wearing the Arc of Life. Only if it came down to that though. Lightning flickered sporadically, his home element, he couldn't trust it, not here so close to the heart of chaos itself.

That left Dreams Getting through the Elemental Shield would be tough, but the shield of reality was going to be impossible without the Arc of Dreams to aide him. He had little experience with it, so he would have to go through the elemental shield first relying on the Arc of Life to keep him alive. Then plane shift to the dreamworld physically to step through the crystalline barrier. And back into reality, to take off the Arc of Life and use it to heal Lomes... Simple enough plan... it was what happened after he took off the Arc of Life that bothered him. What elements hit him then and if he could withstand the onslaught without the protection of the Arc's immortality.

He set the Arc of Shadows and Lightning on the ground and stood, the Arc of Life on his left hand, Dreams in his right “No point delaying...” And leapt forward.

Time froze around him and then detonated, pieces of stone and shrapnel ripped through his body, blood sprayed the tower, pain like he had never known tore through him and ripped a scream like a man dying from his lungs. This scream would be heard over and over in the repeating time loop as long as he was inside. The Arc of course immediately healed his wounds, and he impacted the Multi-Elemental Shield first.

Death hit him as he went through, green Necrotic energy twining around his body and entangling his soul. It was unbearable. In this instant the golden power of the Arc of Life, and the green energy of the Death element literally had his very soul in a tug of war. It was excruciating, he could feel the peace of death, the seductive call of never feeling pain again, but it was cold, still his family, his first wife and daughter called to him, beseeching him to tear the infernal Arc of Life from his hand and join them. Almost... Almost he did it but the Arc of Life fought back, it sensed in some arcane way in his mind the thoughts of primal instinct, the will to survive, it showed him images of his friends, his family, his people that counted on him. For some reason it lingered on the Image of Malkate. Malkate and Alexia shimmered in his mind, one alive the other dead and reaching for him. At last he was forced to let go of his past, he embraced the image of Malkate and the Arc of life surged, the will to live suffusing it with all the more energy, golden power tore his soul free. But not alone, a trail of green nether energy wouldn't let go it wound around his soul and was ripped into life with him.

He gripped the Arc of dreams tightly, pushing through the pain as his body flew forward into the crystalline sphere, and channeled what little energy remained in him through it. His form flickered and vanished, slipping into the dreamworld as it passed through the barrier and onto the other side. He released his control of the Arc of Dreams and phased back into this world.

Pain exhaustion was his core, he barely had the energy to lift his head and look at Lomes, as he floated there next to her.

“You did well, my little Avian, you did better than i thought you would. I don't know if you can hear me, I don't know if you still have any control over the shields around you, but I'm not Immortal any longer. I cannot heal you, but I have brought you the Arc of Life. I will put it on you and restore your Life force. It will leave me without protection, so if you have any control left please be gentle to me on the way out.”

Her eyes remained closed, her form still nude and suspended in nothingness. She didn't react to his words, but her chest still rose and fell softly. She was still alive and that meant he was not too late. He slipped the Arc off his hand and onto hers, it flared brilliantly and power flashed outward through it the detonation shattered the crystalline sphere of reality and propelled him backward through the elemental sphere once more.

As he passed through the sphere Magick stuck his body. He seemed to pause in mid air, the Arc of Dreams fell from his suddenly limp hands, and clattered on he paving stones far below. His form blured and shifted, it was still part man as hie hit the wall in the hallway outside Daegan's chambers, but by the time he got to his feet he didn't have feet any longer. He was on all fours, a woolly coat surrounding him, his mind didn't really register the change in itself, he was just pissed here was no grass to eat. Being a sheep was better than being dead he supposed.

“baaaaaah.”

The Multi Elemental Sphere collapsed, and the pieces of the Tower reformed back into place without falling. The door to Daegan's Chambers reappeared, and the Arcs on the floor outside of it shimmered back to life. Elements were restored and Lomes slept peacefully on the bed inside as the Arc of Life rapid restored her Life.

[Malkate Rose Sedi]

Malkate stepped near Lasius, about to tell him she could transport him but realized that he did things the way he would. She wasn’t going to be lands away when he did this, on the chance that something didn’t go right. So as her body transported, the uncomfortable pop of traveling with the Lightning childe, but her body didn’t fully connect with her mind through the travel, and instead distanced itself in a kind of blood curdling sensation that took apart natures and connected them again. Her eyes closed as they reappeared outside Daegan’s keep, and she watched in a silent way as Lasius dropped the arcs and leapt forward. Her heart surged with him, and as all the times before her hand curled around the gnarled staff like a beloved protection blanket, and she felt the same frustration of the past that she was useless in these situations come rising to fruit.

So she watched the silent battle begin as he moved in though she was unaware of the trials that brought him forth, only that the pain of death was too close for her liking at points, but his body, that life force she felt so connected to surged and renewed, and sent a warming sensation across her flesh like some kind of unfelt breeze at one point. Her long red curls shifted slightly and she reached out a hand to rest on Daegan’s shoulder, unsure of how the man was faring since the return to sight was bestowed upon him from the Arc of Life. She was sure more than anything the man was shell shocked – the sudden deaths of his daughters, the chaos of his tower, the possibility of loosing his soul, the loss of sight she was sure at Darken’s hands, and as the battle raged within she spoke to the Sage of Shadows.

“I am unsure of what happened in that room, but I will promises you this; if in my power I will assist any who stand against Darken. I have a vendetta against him, but my vendetta is a soul where the body is useless. Death is a reprieve I wish not to grant him, but when the time is right, you have my aid in your vengeance. For now, I suggest you rest, heal, and spend time with your child. The land needs to heal before any more blood is shed, the earth and more is wounded. This is not a time for debts to be paid.”

As Lasius descended back to the earth, the flash of worry across Malkate’s face was all too naked, too raw for the world to see. Her hand resting against Daegan’s shoulder would tense, but release as a sort of mortified look came across her face at the appearance of the sheep-man. Confusion almost beat with the irony of it all and before she realized where the cackle-laughter was coming from her hand clamped over her mouth. It was coming from her, a kind of desperate release of tension that she didn’t even realize her body was holding as the world seemed to right itself and the Arcs surged to life. Her fingers deftly reached down to take up the Arc of Dreams once more, she had no qualms handing it over to Lasius but she knew Daegan’s aversions and she was more curious to it’s nature than anything.

So she moved over to the sheep, and kneeled down as her fingers reached out to take it’s little face in her hands and amusement played across lips, twitching.

“I can’t tell in which way you’re cuter, Las, but I’ll do you this favor I guess.”

She leaned forward, her lips moving to press against the tip of the little almost snout that Sheep have, and pushed the magic forth through that so he would shift back into his natural form, releasing the previous spell upon him as her body pulled the energy through the Arc of Magic once more. She waited until he shifted and stood up, arching a brow as the man became a man once more, and stood before his glory within the courtyard. Malkate started laughing, her hand reaching out to rest upon his head as clothes would unwind around him, in the form of a large billowing cloak, complete with long sleeves and a deep hood. It was, of course, black with the thick silver lining on the edges.

“This is only a temporary spell, it will wear off in a few hours, so I suggest you locate something more… suitable by then.”

Malkate wavered, slightly, her form suddenly slumping heavily across the wooden staff as her eyelids half closed. Her hand shook slightly before she pushed herself up, her red eyes suddenly very tired.

“I need... I need to rest… stupid…”

She took a step forward, completely intent on moving to her own place when her body suddenly slumped forward, landing on the stone. She’d be hot to the touch, and her breaths would be shallow, but she would be resting… sleeping at last.

[Daegan]

Daegan groaned as the darkness shattered, a brilliant light suddenly filling his eyes. He winced hard, stumbling backward slightly as if the sudden burst of light had forcefully smacked into him. He blinked several times, and as his vision flickered back into focus he could feel the cold grip of terror sweeping through him. Daegan’s hands curled into fists as he stumbled backward a few more steps. Fingernails bit into tender flesh as tiny drops of blood began to form in between his clenched fingers.

Lasius’s words didn’t infiltrate Daegan’s thoughts who appeared to be standing there staring into nothingness. His body was firm and rigid, his gaze locked onto some unknown object in the horizon. The brilliant white light around his body was making his mind race, the wickedness of what had befallen him beginning to be realized.

Likewise, Daegan did not hear the comforting words of Malkate. Instead, it was her touch that brought him out of his daze. His eyes flashed once with the nether Soul Fire and his gaze cut to the two abandoned Arcs lying where Lasius had left them. His eyes narrowed his fists now white-knuckled as more blood flowed from the palms of his hands.

As the red mage moved to Lasius, Daegan turned and in several quick and fluid movements retrieved the Arc of Lightning and the Arc of Shadows from the ground. The Arc of Lightning surged brilliantly with azure bolts of electricity, the erratic energy of the lightning crackling up his left arm. He could feel the awkward power of the Lightning and the lingering surge of energy from the Arc of Shadows. It haunted him to not feel the touch of the shadows, and utterly infuriated him he could not call forth his Element.

The clouds above Cyrida began to swirl and gather as Daegan walked, claps of thunder echoing in the distance. The winds began to shift as the glowing Sage walked, bringing the two Arcs together. The dark, inky shadows snaked around the dual-bladed Arc, brilliant bolts of azure lightning crackling along the Arc of Lightning. As the two blades grew closer and closer, the energies began to mesh, bolts of lightning crackling along the Arc of Shadows and vice versa.

There was a sudden explosion of thunder and lightning as the storm clouds above shuddered. A single bolt of bright azure lightning flashed in the growing darkness and seemed to strike Daegan in mid stride. He could feel the rush of energy as the lightning meshed with the shadows, the violent lightning dancing with the silent shadows.

Daegan’s right hand curled once more into a fist as he turned to face the Tower of Shadows. His eyes narrowed into slits as thunder once more boomed.

Lightning flashed above as Daegan thrust his right hand in the air, the once more combined Arcs of Lightning and Shadow glistening in the eerie light. It was only for a second, Daegan’s form disappearing as the lightning flickered away. There was another loud clap of thunder and the winds began to howl, torrential rains sweeping across the City of Shadows.

Without a word, Daegan was gone.

[Raeghan]

She hadn’t moved since the scalding wounds threatened to take her life deep within the heart of the volcano in Tre Betal. Her skin was that of stone, her eyes ever-gazing at the black mountain in the horizon. The winds began to shift as the dark storm clouds from Cyrida stretched outwards, taking over the Dryad Woodlands.

Thunder boomed in the distance as the winds whipped up more, howling through the branches. But she was unaffected, lost within the earth as her body was restored. Her form encased in stone to heal the intense burns she had sustained when the Fire Element failed. She paid no attention to the faintly glowing Arc of Fire that lay at her feet, the Arc of Earth clutched in her stone hands.

Another clap of thunder exploded overhead, causing the earth to shudder slightly. The statue of Raeghan rumbled quietly as her eyes flashed open from deep within the earth. The scent of a thunderstorm filled her nostrils as it was absorbed into the forest floor. Yet helpless she watched, unable to break the ancient healing ritual her body was undergoing. The purification from the earth itself.

There was another loud explosion of thunder and another brilliant flash of azure lightning. It surged downwards (or upwards specifically) and struck the very crown of the stone statue. Upon impact, the thunder was replaced with a banshee like scream, the stone statue crumbling into millions of pieces of tiny rock. The Arc of Earth wobbled for a second and then was steadied by a hand that seemed to appear from nowhere.

The shriek ripped through the whole of the Dryad Woodlands, dwarfing the booming thunder overhead. She watched with fury as the visage of her father appeared from the bolt of lightning, gripping the Arc of Earth in his left hand. Another shriek of rage ripped from her throat as he bent down to pick up the Arc of Fire in his right.

Sinking deeper into the earth as the sensation from the lightning seemed to echo throughout her body. She forced herself deeper into the calm and forgiving soil, as if she was sinking into the very souls of the trees in the sacred forest. She melted into the roots and bedrock of the land, forcing herself into deep slumber.

[Daegan]

Daegan shuddered as the fury of the Elements surged through him. The brief images of his daughter and the familiar feeling she left behind in the stones she’d been reduced too faded from Daegan’s mind. The carnage of the Arc of Fire only fueled the rage he felt in his heart, the sheer anger wrought from Sitherack. Bolts of fire danced upwards along the bracer on Daegan’s right hand, bolts of lightning arching along the flames, tendrils of shadow sliding around them.

His eyes flashed as the power coursed through his body. He felt almost drunk from it, the rush from the Arc of Fire and the strength from the Arc of Earth. Daegan felt as though he could shatter the whole of the Gods himself. Had any remained, of course. Thunder exploded overhead once more as another brilliant flash of azure light overtook his body, the Arcs vanishing along with him.

Thunder boomed and exploded violently as the massive thunderstorm raged over Cyrida and the Dryad Woodlands, the clouds looking as though they were on fire. The eerie red made the azure lightning look even more terrifying as ever clap of thunder seemed to cause its own earthquake.

For days the storm raged on, the intense thunder and hellish lightning never faltering. Daegan was forcing all of the rage he could muster into the storm, making the heavens cry with his anguish.

After a straight week of the intense storm, the last clap of thunder boomed throughout the City of Shadow and the last bolt of lightning flashed as the form of Daegan once more appeared outside the Tower of Shadow. He slumped over slightly, using the Arc of Earth to steady himself as he barely held onto the Arc of Fire. Slowly he moved forward, his body still glowing with the bright light Sitherack had cursed him with.

The shadows screamed to him, begging for the Sage to remove the brilliant light that glowed around his body. He ignored there pleas, fatigue quickly setting in from the viscous storm he had manifested into. Once more his body lurched forward, only he was unable to steady himself.

His eyes rolled into the back of his head as the Arc of Fire crashed to the paving stones before the entrance to the Tower of Shadows. As Daegan’s knees bit into the hard stone, the Arc of Earth crashed to the ground in a similar fashion, the Sage’s body being laid out from sheer exhaustion. The crackling lightning around the gauntlet he wore on his right wrist flashed brilliantly once and then faded as Daegan slipped once more into unconsciousness.

[Lasius]

Lasius took a second to get his bearings after Mal brought him back to Sedian form. The very brief existence as a sheep had given him a glorious new perspective on life, the balance of nature and animal, and how the destruction reaped by the Sedi over the past thousands of years had nearly destroyed millions of years of complex evolution. However that all rapidly fled from his head as he came back to his normal body, and was replaced with a grumbling sensation in his stomach. Briefly he thought of grass but shuddered and decided he would be very careful with the next multi-elemental barrier he encountered.

His eyes found Mal crumpled in a heap on the floor in front of him and tightened with concern. He knelt to scoop her up, the magical flowing robes making him look like some kind of wizard. Definitely not the look he was used too, however he did approve of the colors. She was easy to lift for a Sedi but he was surprised by how light she actually was. Humans were rare in this world anymore, and they were always significantly lighter than a Sedi of the same size and build.

He carried her into the next room, his eyes playing across Lomes nude form resting comfortably onto of Daegan's bed. His thoughts turned to Daegan as he laid Mal down next to Lomes and pulled the covers up over the two to help them rest more securely. The Sage of Shadows was likely over the brink now. He could feel the raging storm outside with Daegan's essence inside of it. To think that even with the Arc of Lightning the man could manifest himself as a thunderstorm without the years necessary to master lightning as an element. It could only mean that his thoughts had become as random and erratic as Lightning itself. It of course wasn't hard to see what had pushed him over the brink. His fists tightened as he moved to a chair pulling it over to the side of the bed to keep watch on the two girls.

The Race was dwindling faster than he could control, truthfully he couldn't think of any way to increase their population fast enough to give them a fighting chance. But he put the troubles of the Sedi out of his head for the moment. Mal seemed to be resting comfortable, and Lomes breathing was getting stronger. They would be alright, it should be good enough for him to get some rest for now. He leaned back in the chair stretching and yawning as his eyes drifted closed. His last conscious thoughts were of some random thing Mal may have mentioned concerning his clothes as he was coming back to Sedian form.