A New World

Which world seems more appealing?

Acheo	60.0%	[ 12 ]
Earth	40.0%	[ 8 ]
Total Votes:			[ 20 ]

[Emma Nightingale]

Square in your ship's path are Sirens, crying
beauty to bewitch men coasting by;
woe to the innocent who hears that sound!
He will not see his lady nor his children
in joy, crowding about him, home from sea;
the Sirens will sing his mind away
on their sweet meadow lolling. There are bones
of dead men rotting in a pile beside them
and flayed skins shrivel around the spot.
Steer wide;

XXXXX XXXXX Alex’s actions weren’t unrealistic, no matter which world one was in. She was the same, the day her dear Alexander the Great perished. Her heart, if she had one, no longer pained at the mention of his name. Her face was stoic, though, she actually empathized for the human girl, Thessalonike would never admit it to a living soul, or unloving one. Of course, unlike the human girl, she had lost her life to the one she lost. The girl’s situation was much more tragic, she was left unknowing. Her brain was crazed with speculation and assumption and nothing. She knew nothing. The earthling boy could be gurgling his last breath as his throat was easily sliced, or been dead hours ago as an arrow was notched in his brain, struck through his eye, or limping away into the forest, hoping for a miracle to save him. No, she did not blame the child. She was pitiful and went through much in the last weeks, Thessalonike did not envy the fate’s design for her.

XXXXX As Flynn spoke, her expression remained the same, but she still stared at the female as she lost her balance and continued to plead, tears dashing down her face. Thessalonike wasn’t sure how many times she cried out her familiar companion’s name, however, it was rather distasteful. Nowadays, the mermaid had a newfound backbone, very different to her old life which still grew hazy up to now. She couldn’t imagine herself blubbering for another; she’d lost too many lovers in the past and accepted their fate. All, however, except one. Now, her heart clenched. Squinting her eyes in response, Thessalonike turned to follow Flynn. She didn’t try to refuse his words, they were blunt but true. It was her life to manipulate men to make them love her and do her bidding before she killed them in the most gruesome ways.

XXXXX ”These humans make me feel nothing.” Lying seemed like the best course of action. Refuse, refuse, refuse, and eventually you will believe. Picking up her body from the tree, she followed after Flynn, her fingers drifting on the leaves that reached to the ground. The white sphere stalked the bright sky, dulling it with predator instinct before it struck. The pack followed its leader before the luminescent prey escaped its touch, but just barely.

Keep well to seaward; plug your oarsmen's ears XXXXX
with beeswax kneaded soft; none of the rest XXXXX
should hear that song. XXXXX
But if you wish to listen, XXXXX
let the men tie you in the lugger, hand XXXXX
and foot, back to the mast, lashed to the mast, XXXXX
so you may hear those harpies' thrilling voices; XXXXX
shout as you will, begging to be untied, XXXXX
your crew must only twist more line around you XXXXX
and keep their stroke up, till the singers fade. (Book 12, 41-58 of The Odyssey) XXXXX

[leka_liko]

So his name was Noel... Somehow, the fact that he had slightly hesitated made her feel a bit uneasy.. But like she thought, he had nowhere to go. "Alright then." She replied, still a bit suspicious. Thought, what worried her the most was the fact he'd suggest heading to the mountains. A safe place had he said...

Takara was far from okay. There was nothing safe in the mountains... There was only terror and havoc. The people who lived there had no pity. She knew well... Too well. The last time she went there, she had seen and experienced things that she wish she would never remember again. The elf would not return there, never. "No. Not in the mountains. This is far from a safe place. There is a threat out there that nobody wants to face." Takara said, her eyes scanning the horizon. "If you had friends there Noel, they are probably all dead by now." She continued. Despite all her efforts, fear kept surfacing in her eyes.

But the conversation completely changed when Alex awoke. She was definitely in a state of shock... And was already getting up. The young earthling began to stumble away from them, shouting for her twin brother. Yet, all of this was in vain. "Okay ... This has to stop ..." Takara muttered under her breath before following Alex that of course, had not gone further than a few steps. In less than two, the elf held her by the shoulders and was now facing her.

It was at this point that a loud noise was heard, the sound of a painful slap. There was now a red mark on Alex's left cheek. "Enough!" Takara shouted, knowing that it was the only quick and effective way at the moment. "You can not depend on your brother Not now!" She paused, shaking her a little by the shoulders. "Alec is strong, he will join us sooner or later with others." She lied. Really, The elf had no idea if they had survived or not. Alec had barely learned to fight, it was still wondering if he had been able to defeat an enemy.

And Alex ... It was still a mystery to where she had collected this power. But that should wait, Alex would definitely not be able to answer right now. Takara sighed and continued with a surprisingly soft voice. "Your brother is not dead, you have to do like him and get up for now... They shall find us back... Or we will." At these words, the elf looked away. "But right now, we have to go..." She mumbled, slightly biting her inferior lip.

"Although I hate this idea greatly, we will go towards the mountains. But my only condition is not to get too close."







Location: The clearing
Company: Alex and Noel.
thinking I don't like this

[Emma Nightingale]

And with that, our adventurers were off! Exploring in different directions to find unforeseen challenges and surprises. What will become of the three groups? Tune in and find out!

[Silver Arcaine]

It had felt like endless hours of walking through the slowly decreasing temperatures north. Penelope was used to the low temperatures, having lived in them her whole life, yet it was noticeable that Aden and Alec weren't as accustomed to it. It was at least a plus, that while Aden was still weak from the whole ordeal not too long ago, he was able to carry his own weight. He was moving slow, yet didn't need to be carried. Penelope kept a positive attitude the entire way, guiding them through the path towards her home in the north. The river they were following would soon come to an end, and the dirt and grass would turn to snow. They had been traveling far and wide, and it was an hour or two before the next days sunrise when Penelope grew a huge smile on her face.

She began jumping up and down, through her fatigue and ran over to Alec, grabbing his hand and continuing to jump. Her soft, warm hands clammed around his gently as she stopped jumping and looked up at him, continuing to smile. "We're almost there! Weeee are almost to myyy home! Alec! Alec! We're almost there!" she said, releasing his hand and hugging him tightly, pushing her face against his chest. She was extremely excited to get home, and see everyone and introduce them to her new friends. She couldn't wait to get here. Pulling away, Penelope gave Alec a bright rose-cheeked smile.

She turned and looked up at a large, steep, and extremely tall mountain side. "All we gotta do, is climb that mountain, and huzzah! We are there!" she said, nonchalantly stating how easy it would be to transverse the mountain, when in fact, it would be the opposite. She began trotting towards the incline, and accidentally tripping and landing face first in the snow. Laughing, she tried to get up yet her arms gave out on her. Turning to her back, she looked up at the guys and spoke with a small squeak to her voice. "Wow, I'm more tired that I thought." she said, spreading her arms and resting her head in the snow. Her hair flowed out and snowflakes glittered her cheeks with a small shine. "Perhaps...we should sleep and head up in a little while?" she said, laughing a bit and resisting the urge to move from her current location.

[Emma Nightingale]

XX - This girl is insane. The thought had crossed his mind on more than one occasion as the trio ventured. Once she regained her energy, Alec wasn’t sure which Penelope he preferred: the dead weight or the highly energized. He theorized that she was electrocuted by, like, lightning or something as a child and after that couldn’t stop moving. He wondered if ADHD was possible in Acheo. Sometimes he thought about knocking her out cold in the deepest parts of the night while camping and he was sleep deprived and she was sitting there talking… and talking… and talking… and talking… He wondered if he were the crazy one at that point. However, he preferred those thoughts to the only other ones he had: Alex. He just wanted to knock his own head against a large oak tree over and over again. He knew if he dwelled on his sister, it’d be the end of him. He couldn’t accept saying, or even thinking about what he had done… Again. Not to mention what he saw her do. His head began to hurt; he clenched his teeth at the pain. His brain didn’t want him to think about it either. Even as the group ventured on with Ark walking in eerie silence with the weirdest of faces and Penelope going on about flowers and rocks or something, he could feel his thoughts being erased for his own good. He couldn’t even recall properly whatever happened even if he wanted to.

Relaxing back, his hands went to the back of his head as they trailed on from the river to meadow to forest to snowland. He simply told himself to breath while his body went on autopilot, his head trying to decide what to take in and what to throw out. He slept when Ark told him to, ate when his stomach grew bothersome, and finally gained sleep right before they had to get back on track. The cold was unbearable and had an annoying habit of reminding him he was alive and able to feel pain. He wondered if that was what it was like for those mountain climbers and if he’d be like the ones to never return or looks toes and fingers or a nose. Just in case, he often kept his hands over his nose. Suddenly, Penelope burst from her irregularly quiet spot. Apparently, they were almost to her home, Alec wasn’t even aware they were headed that way. He wondered what it’d be like. He’d seen machines he’d never seen before, from the past and present. Was her home high technology based? Unlikely, he decided, since that seemed to be for higher classes.

Soon the group stopped and all they could do was look directly up a ninety degree angle at a gigantic mountain. He was dumbfounded as his mouth instinctively fell open. How the frick did she even get down? There’s gotta be some kind of staircase or something. Alec gulped as another fwoosh of wind attacked them, in which, Penelope took without a second thought. She was definitely a mind-boggling sight, thought he truly wondered how sane she was. Especially as she so easily commented on climbing a mountain, as if no grand feat. Had she not taken a look at his lanky body? Unless she could control the wind, they were screwed. Penelope then continued to walk into an incline and then slip, he had a defeated smile. Alec couldn’t believe this girl. Shaking his head, he exasperated a long sigh as he watched her recline in the snow, as if she were relaxing on a beach. He couldn’t help but break out in an uncontrollable fit of laughter. This couldn’t be real. His face grew red as he covered his eyes in embarrassment while his spine went straight and his laughter grew louder. Finally, as hyperventilation kicked in and he collapsed into the freezing cold, he caught his breath. Staring up at the growing night, his face grew serious. His thoughts only on Alex. He’d allowed them to be separated. There was no way she’d forgive him now. With his body on the brink of exhaustion, his tired, bruised, dark circled eyes closed as his chest in even slow heavy breaths.









All systems go, the sun hasn't died
Deep in my bones, straight from inside
I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my systems blow
Welcome to the new age, to the new age.

[Silver Arcaine]

xx Aden had been following behind the two, slowly but surely. It was a long path, and he was tired. His body still ached from the soreness of near death, and his heart and mind ached from being so close to reclaiming his kingdom, and so close to reuniting with Alex. His eyes followed the energetic girl as she erratically moved with energy equivalent to no adult he'd ever met before in his life. She was a happy person, something that Aden envied, yet something he knew would be her downfall. This world wasn't suited for happy, free thinking people. It was a cold, dark, violent place. Giving her an irritated glance, Aden continued following them until their movement halted. The girl had reclined in the snow, and Alec had laughed and retired off his feet as well.

xx Aden grew angry. His body was torn asunder, yet he still stood on his feet. These two collapsed like weaklings, weaklings that would die if they continued to act this way. Knowing this, Aden, out of honest compassion for their well-being as well as the desire to move somewhere where they would be safer, he spoke out. "There is no time for weakness or sleep. We move until we reach the summit, then you can rest. There is no question in this matter, unless you wanna die a weak, frozen coward; now stand and move." Aden said firmly, having raised his voice and glaring a dark scowl at them both. They both hesitated to respond or react.

xx Aden watched as Penelope sat forward and frowned slightly at the harsh words and looked over at Alec, then down. Aden never wanted to hurt anyone, physically or emotionally, yet they weren't safe yet. Stopping here would leave their tracks easily traceable, and if human enemies didn't get them, the wildlife would. Aden watched as Penelope stood to her feet, still looking down like a disciplined child, then looked over at Alec and continued his harsh stare. "Now!" he urged, giving him a demanding and continuously angry expression.

[Jeanie in a Lamp]

The bright red of her cheek didn’t fade for days. She had hardly uttered a word since being slapped for her foolishness. She had always depended on her brother. It had been hard to stumble to her feet. Even with the words that Shaded tried to use to encourage her. She made her believe her brother would find them again. Only because she needed him. She never would have left if she thought he was dead. She would only want to be with him. She stayed quiet through their travels. She didn’t want to say anything to might earn her another mark from Shaded. She knew the woman already disliked her. She found her weak and had expressed it by the looks that often covered her face. She never said a thing wanting to avoid confrontation. She knew the woman could hold her own in a fight if not completely defeat her. They walked in silence to the mountains. Her feet were sore, her breathing was shallow, and her ego was bruised. She could see Aden in her mind the way he had looked when he left. Her hand was clasped around the necklace he gave her. She didn’t realize the blood that had settled on her hand from the many cuts she got pushing branches to the side.

Finally she lost her patience with their constant walking. She stopped in her tracks and glared at them. They were strong and she was weak. She was tired and she refused to go on. “What is the point of this? All these places look the same. We don’t even know where we are going” her voice raised quickly. She was tired and it was obvious by her dark eyes that bore into them. “Shall we continue to stumble around and hope someone finds us? Hopefully someone who won’t kill us” she let go of his necklace and turned her back to them. She sat down on the ground and kicked out at a branch. She huffed and closed her eyes pressing her palms to them. “Tell me Shaded. Since you are the expert in all this, where are we going? What are we working towards?” The questions were clearly sarcastic. Her irritation was clear about their lack of knowledge. She was tired of being in a world she didn’t understand. The people around her were insensitive warriors. Her brother was gone, and a man she may have liked could be dead. Slowly these things were starting to become accepted.

[Emma Nightingale]

XX - As his chest slowly hummed with calm breaths and a wide yawn, Alec could feel sleep within his grasp, so close… Then a booming voice interrupted him. Another yawn erupted from him as Ark spoke the word sleep. It was such a beautiful word, like poetry, it slipped off the tongue in a beautiful melody of serenity and rest. Then, he brought up death and completely took out his mood to sleep. For a moment, Alec balanced the pros and cons of dying of a wonderful sleep or trudging on only to die of frostbite and blue fingers and broken-off noses. It wasn’t a pleasant death. Alec refused to look at Ark, the nickname he still called him because he couldn’t stand the thought of someone so close to his sister lying to her. He pushed the feminine mirror image of himself from his mind as he stood. The harsh command from Ark barked behind him as he offered a hand to the oddly-quiet Penelope.

After tugging up the small girl, the two walked in silence following Aden. Alec was a coward. How he had thought that anything would change from his time on Earth was ignorance. He was pitiful, weak, and useless. He was pathetic. His hands formed fists. How was he to challenge Ark’s words if they were true…? Her brows furrowed as they walked on, the cold burning at his eyes and nose as he tried to defend with raised arms. The hooded cloak made it easier, but they were still up against low odds. He still couldn’t believe he was doing this.

Somehow, after hours of resting in safe areas and camping overnight, and then continuous travel, the group reached its destination.







All systems go, the sun hasn't died
Deep in my bones, straight from inside
I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my systems blow
Welcome to the new age, to the new age.

[leka_liko]

It had been a while now that the three headed for the mountains. They only stopped in the evening to eat, train and sleep. And yes... Even after all Takara's efforts, the young earthling had no idea how that power had reached her during the attack in the Kingdom of Arcaine nor knew how to use it again. She had fought clumsily and never was she, according to Takara, going to survive long using this "technique" that some could also call luck. If she followed well the training, the elf thought, Alex would never have to fight awkwardly ever again. In addition, it seemed that she had a preference for ranged weapons... So the bow would definitely be effective. But let's be realistic, to get to shoot well, it took years of training and Takara only had a few days. It was also necessary to show her the basics of bare hand fighting because more than once she would be expected to fight without a weapon. Personally, Takara wished very much that her powers resurface...

Each day of traveling brought them closer to the place she had always tried to flee. The fact that Noel knew a safe place out there was not reassuring at all. If he knew people back then living in the mountains, they were definitely already dead. Nobody survived an attack by the Cursed Kingdom. Takara's nightmares were getting worse and her visions more intense. Sometimes, the elf almost had to stop to regain her balance. The mark on her neck often sprang, as if they were close. Everything was starting to get strange and Takara almost thought of turning around... Which would probably be the best and logical thing to do. But no... An idiot she was to ignore that uneasy feeling and continue to the only place she dreaded...

They were now about halfway there... The sun was starting to set and that was when Alex came up in front of her and Noel. "We'll stop here for the night... You look really tired, you should go to sleep early today." she simply replied, avoiding the question the best she could as she dropped her leather bag under one of the trees. But knowing Alex was a persistent one, she knew the conversation was far from going to be over soon. Takara half listened to the earthling as she looked around, picking up a few sticks and branches on the ground that were dry enough to be burned. Days and especially nights became colder and their clothing was not what could be called adequate for these kinds of weather. A fire was the only way to keep them warm when they weren't moving around.

Takara walked back several minutes later and lit the fire with the least humid branches then placed a few pieces of meat from the deer they had hunt earlier that day over the fire. Despite the fact she was rather hungry, she decided to give her part to Noel and Alex. "Alright... Now I'll answer your questions." She paused before taking a deep breath. "First, we're heading towards the mountains, Noel seems to know some people there..." The elf hesitated for a moment. "Which I highly doubt... But it's also the fastest way to find back your brother and the others if I remember correctly the direction they ran away to."

The elf frowned a bit though, after remembering one of Alex's question... Someone finding them? That won't kill them? Nope. The more they got closer, the higher chances of getting found were... And dying was the only thing that awaited them if they were caught. She watched them eat for a small while in silence before letting out a small sigh... It was probably time she present herself properly. "Oh, and by the way... My name... It's Takara." The elf mumbled before getting up. "But it doesn't really matter. For now, I'd prefer if you did not call me that... It's risky..." She did not try to go further into it, it was not really something she was up to talk about.

Thinking the conversation was over, she got up and walked away from the fire to sit under the tree where her leather bag had been laying, away from firelight's the reach. With a quick gesture, she removed the bandage around her neck, revealing the black mark of the Cursed Kingdom. The more they got close, the more painful her mark became. Takara placed her hand on the mark and started massaging it, hoping somehow to ease the pain... But frankly, it did nothing. "Stupid mark..." She whispered to herself as she took out a bandage roll from her leather bag and gently unrolled a part of it to wrap around her neck.






Location: Halfway to the mountains.
Company: Alex and Noel.
thinking I don't like this at all...

[Jeanie in a Lamp]

Alex stared at the woman as she gave her tired excuses. She needed rest, she looked exhausted, they needed to stop. The words were like digging a knife into her side. The more she heard the more she realized she hadn't once made a decision in their little group. She was sick of hearing what she needed. She didn't need anything from these people let alone want and she certainly didn't need to be told what to do. She had been tiring to make a point by stopping. She had wanted them to see that she was no child that could be pushed in any direction but instead she agreed with her and had them stop. She didn't even have the decency to speak to her face. She picked up sticks for a fire Alex didn't need. Her temper kept her plenty warm. She crossed her arms and leaned back against a tree until the woman came back. She listened slightly with her eyes glaring straight ahead into the air. She didn't even look up when the woman handed her a cooked piece of meat that was still pink in the middle. Had she been looking she may have noticed that Shaded didn't take any for herself but her self pity was far too consuming. She gave a dry laugh as she said she would finally answer her questions. From someone who had been avoiding questions since Alex met her, she found it ironic. She would only answer the most pointless and rhetorical of her questions. She only kept her opinions to herself because she still hadn't forgotten the slap she had earned herself. She picked at her food forcing some of it down.

She got her answers and they scared her. It was like she was sure they would die. She sighed as she finished what little meat they had and stared down at her hands. If there was no chance for them she was glad Alec got away. He at least deserved to live. He had never once done anything for himself. All he had ever done was protect her. He needed something other than her. She was dragged out of her thoughts when she heard her speak her name. She wasn't anymore reassured when she requested she didn't speak her name. Her eyes narrowed into slits as she left her with the man she couldn't remember the name of. She threw the rest of her meat to the ground and followed the woman as she left them. She assumed she didn't hear her being too consumed in the tattoo on her neck. She didn't care as she grabbed her shoulder. "That is it. You owe us a lot more than your name. I have traveled with you, listened to you demean my brother and me, taken your looks, and your insults. It is about time you explain why you think you are so high. Why can't we say your name? Why can't you look anyone in the eye without looking terrified or hateful? What is that mark?" She didn't take her hand off even though she had a feeling she should have. She wasn't thinking properly. She only wanted to know who was protecting her. She wanted to know why she was even helping them.

[Silver Arcaine]

xx Noel had been quiet for the most of the trip, listening carefully and taking in everything they had to say. It was interesting to learn about these people, yet strange that they were such a desired group. He wasn't sure what the deal was with this, Alex girl, but she was special. She released power, power that can only be described in legend or fairy-tale. Power that reminded him of...well...someone else. He thought it strange, yet knew what must be done. To complete his mission...to save his parents, he had to deliver these people. It was what must be done.

xx After a trial of traveling, Noel noticed the tension between his two female companions growing. They obviously have known each other for a while, and obviously...were enemies? He wasn't sure, but he knew that they weren't too pleased with each other. Noel realized, almost immediately, what the mark was on the girls neck. It was...far too familiar. Interjecting for a moment, Noel spoke out. "It is a mark of the cursed." he said aloud.

xx Being often undercover, he recognized when his presence was being questioned, and hopefully showing knowledge, or at least slightly opening himself to the group, would be a way to make them more trusting in him. Dodging eye contact, he continued. "My home...in the mountains where we are going, was, lets say attacked by the Cursed." he remarked, noticing the puzzled look in Alex's face, and the curious undertone with the other female.

xx '"Stop your trivial quarreling, you can discuss this when we aren't at risk for hypothermia, dehydration, or the wildlife. My home may have been, attacked, by the cursed, but it still stands. And there we will find sanctuary. Upon reaching it, you can focus on whatever training, or quarreling you desire." Noel finished with, walking past them towards a small slope. "It's not far now, maybe another 2 hours." he said, looking in the distance as he began walking further along, hoping they would abandon this needless argument and reach his delivery point.

[Silver Arcaine]

xx The sun had just started setting as the group arrived at a small tattered stone step way. It was the stoop to Penelope's home. Penelope had been talking Alec's ear off, the entire way, even through the fatigue and Aden's salty attitude. She had been excited, describing her home, her room, the monks that lived there. Everything about the place. Even the food, which was amazing! She couldn't wait for him to taste it. He would never want to leave...and she wouldn't mind if he stayed either. Giving him a huge smile as they arrived at the steps, Penelope began nearly jumping at the sight of the large structure before them following the stairs.

xx "Alec! It's my home! We are finally here! We're here! We're here! Weeeerrrreee heeeereee!" she praised, galloping towards the entrance of her home with a huge smile plastered on her face. She couldn't wait to give everyone a huge hug and tell them about her friends, and her short-lived adventure. She temporarily left the two she'd been with as she ran inside, only to be stopped and have her smile stripped from her face. The sight she saw, the sight was, it was, horrifying.

xx Blood stained the walls of the opening room, every wall. The few, elderly individual's bodies who lived there were scattered about. Punctured, wounded, torn apart, completely decimated. Penelope's mouth hung open, shocked as she began trembling at the sight. Her breathing increased as she began breaking down into a fit of tears and erratic behavior. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. It couldn't be real. She tried to help them, the bodies, but they were too far gone. Her hands were painted with blood from simply trying to revive them. It was useless.

xx Feeling sick, dizzy, and crying erratically, Penelope wobbled to her feet and ran towards the door. She bumped into Alec along the way, yet her playful personality was stripped from her face. Her hands were pressed against his chest as she was crying. Tears of true heartbreak, not of pain, or of anger, true sadness, and it was apparent in her eyes. Her bloody hands left bits of residue on Alec's shirt, as she weaved past him and Aden, around the corner of the structure, where she fell to her knees and began vomiting.

xx The sun had set as she'd been inside, and the darkness was more painful than it had ever been. Still trembling, and crying, Penelope made her way towards the cliff-side, and plopped down on her bottom looking out towards the horizon. Thoughts filled her mind, sadness. Anger. Everything that one might feel. Whoever did this needed to pay. They were innocent, they raised her, they were the closest thing to family that she'd ever known. And now, they were dead. She sat silently crying at the cliff-side, disregarding the entirety of her surroundings.

[Emma Nightingale]

XX - Alec was baffled; it took no time at all for Penelope’s mind to be erased of all negatives. How did she survive this horrid world? Filled with violence, deceit, survival-of-the-fittest and the ultimate unknown. How did she make it? Maybe that was the trick: forget everything. The tall brown haired boy looked to Ark, he just couldn’t get used to calling him Aden, he and Penny were exact opposites. Where Aden thrived through strength and logic and survival and was the epitome of testosterone; Penelope survived on… happiness? She was anything but quiet so a rogue was out of the question. Perhaps it was her ignorance and thoughtlessness that forced her to be underestimated. Alec wasn’t sure, he had only seen a small percentage of this world and that frightened him the most.

XX - Penelope exclaimed even louder than before, she was home. The short redhead looked at him with eyes he’d only seen in his younger sister who was proud of an accomplishment that needed to be praised. The smiled was forced onto his lips, his brows furrowed. What would her home be like? They had finally reached the mountaintop, he looked beside him to watch the sun below him. It was an odd experience. He was no adventurer, no thrill-seeker, no bungee jumper, he couldn’t even steal anything. Yet, his heart threaded through his veins, pumping at an unimaginable rate. He wondered if it was possible to pull a vein, like one would an overused muscle. His heart had only pumped this quickly when a girl had accidentally toppled over him in school, or rather, he thought, when he had collided with Penelope. Of course, the color had drained from his face at that point.

XX - The small girl galloped to the first building she saw, a magnificent stone building, modest in design but exquisitely built. Gardens adorned a few areas, but something was off about them. As if they were dried up and uncared for recently. Some were wilted. Alec paid no thought as he waited; the boy had no intention of ruining her heart-warming reunion with her family. After a moment of silence, something in him told him to go into the room, it was a gut-wrenching feeling. He battled it for a second before huffing a breath. He looked to Aden, but he was too busy staring at something off in the forest. It would be up to Alec to forgive the feeling in his stomach.

XX - He entered the doorway, the sunset grasped past him, extending his shadow through the doorway and atop a crumbling Penelope. His hazel eyes shone as red dirtied the floor illuminated by the waning light. His eyes grew wide; a small candle-light glow brightened Penelope, the tips of her hair and clothing shined like gold. His mouth was agape at the sight of the walls as his eyes steadied and grew accustomed to the darkness; how he regretted that feature of human life. Penelope’s body rose trembling and cried incoherent words of hurt and confusion tumbled from her lips. She ran towards him, but not to him. Her small frame clashed into his own thin one, her stained hands pressed against his chest, leaving him bloodied and astonished. It was one thing to be stripped from his world and into another, without another word to his parents; but she had witnessed the aftermath of their deaths. She threaded past the two boys and escaped their sight, the sounds behind the building left little to the imagination, however. He cringed with every ark of her back that forced the few items they had to eat back up.

XX - Alec knew she needed time; living with Alex for years, watching over her, told him that girls sometimes just needed to be alone with themselves. He clenched and unclenched his fists as he battled with himself. Finally, he submitted and followed her to the mountain ledge. He had no idea what to say. His eyes meandered through the grass, his shoulders bunched up from his lack of confidence in the field of talking to women, let alone comforting them. Hazel eyes finally slowed at a snail-pace to find the back of Penelope, her light top, now a shadowing black, wavering in the gentle breeze. His face grew eschewed at the unfamiliar sight. A dark figure, a shadowy transparent thing stood behind the unknowing Penelope. Alec broke into action, reaching for Penelope, ”Penny!” As if unaware of his presence, the red-eyed creature turned; agitation obvious in his stare. The blood drained from his body as it disappeared with the wind. His breath was shallow.

XX - The red-faced, sniffling girl turned in confusion to an odd scene. Turning around in circles, Alec takes in a deep breath, Surroundings, clear… The frick was that?! His mind went wild, Was it just in my mind? Am I hallucinating from lack of sleep and dehydration and an over-worked body? He was worried to say the least. Swiping his slightly-bloodied hands, from grasping at Penelope as she ran from him, over his face, Alec took a few short breaths. ”Penny… I-uh. Mmm…” After a few awkward moments he tried another effort. ”M-My condolences… There’s nothing I can tell you to make it hurt less. I-I wish there was.” He was stuttering, the nervousness obvious in his voice. He avoided the “I know they’re in a better place” line. He scratched the back of his head, his hands stuck in his pockets as he mulled over the black embodiment and the recent tragedies that surrounded them. This wasn’t normal was it? Seeing so much death? Nobody had talked about the soldiers from the kingdom, the numbers of deaths, no one talked about saying a few words: they just continued on. Like it was every-day.



All systems go, the sun hasn't died
Deep in my bones, straight from inside
I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my systems blow
Welcome to the new age, to the new age.

[Silver Arcaine]

xx Penelope had been broken to pieces. Everything in her life had now been taken from her. In cold blood...murdered, killed. Innocent people, who never did anything wrong to anyone. Were just murdered like that. Penelope sniffled and cried, thinking of revenge, then thinking of their memory, those last moments when they were sending her off on her short-lived adventure. Giving her some good food, raising her from a child. She could remember before that, being a young child and growing older. Thinking of the door-frame notches they would do, to measure her height. Holding her in the darkness of night when she was scared. Reading to her, any book she wanted. Telling her stories. Playing hide-and-seek. Teaching her everything she knows. Being true parents. Being people that she loved. People who were now mutilated in her childhood home. Tears streamed down her cheeks constantly until Alec's voice rang through her ears.

xx She turned behind her and looked around slowly to see what he was freaking out about. It was nothing? Her red puffy eyes scanned the ground and up to him puzzled. He seemed to be, worried about something, but she wasn't quite sure what it was. Her eyes dodged his, and her voice remained silent as he began to speak. He offered condolences, and while it was a nice comment, Penny felt it didn't fix the situation in reality or in her mind. She felt horrible for thinking such negative thoughts, yet couldn't help it. She began crying again as Alec came to the end of his sentence, burying her face in her hands. She didn't want him to see her this way. She was a weak mess...and he was strong and brave. Or so she thought so anyway. Clearing up for a moment, she began walking slowly towards Alec, her eyes on the ground yet her feed gliding towards him.

xx Penelope walked past him, still looking to the ground, as he was looking towards the cliff-side. She turned her body away from him for a moment, her back to him as she spoke quietly "Whoever did this...whoever is responsible...no matter how many. I'm gonna get them." She said, her first words of negativity that she'd ever spoken around Alec. "No matter what. This can't happen to anyone else...its up to me. Perhaps...up to us?" she said, sniffling more as tears streamed down her face once again. Just at that moment, her small frail arms wrapped around Alec's back, clutching him tightly. It was a warm, yet cold hug. Her cheek pressed against his back and her breathing could be heard radiating in range of his hearing.

xx Yet, right at that moment, Penelope walked past Alec towards the cliff-side. While Penelope was walking past Alec, he was still being hug. Penelope was far out of the range of possibility of being the one hugging him, yet still it was happening. As she entered Alec's vision, the breathing behind him began to increase to almost a huffing. Penelope looked out towards the horizon again, her back still to Alec, who was now visibly upset.

[Silver Arcaine]

Aden had been fatigued from the trip, yet fully capable of continuing. Even so, he was happy to have arrived at their destination. It would be nice to get a full nights rest and possibly even something half-way decent to eat. He could only imagine what ruin his kingdom was in. The exiled prince, coming out of nowhere, killing the King, of whom most people think is a second crime. And just, escaping. He knew this was bad, and would have to find some other way to reclaim his place as King. Taking a deep breath, he watched the erratic girl run towards the doorway of the large impressive tower, yet his yes were pulled away by an interesting sight. A glow in the distance of the tree-lines. Hesitating for a moment, hoping it was real and not some hallucination. The girl ran inside, and Aden turned towards the figure. Without saying a word he started walking towards it.

Just at that moment, the girl began running out. Aden missed her face, but assumed it was just her continuing to be hyperactive. This glow was alluring to him, and he had to find out what it was. Walking solemnly towards it, leaving Penelope and Alec in the back, he grew closer and closer to the figure. Just as its features would come into range, it would move backwards until it disappeared into the trees. Placing his hang on the hilt of his blade, Aden entered the darkness of the trees, and saw nothing. Rubbing his eyes gently, he thought that he must be seeing things, and turned to walk back, only to see the golden glowing figure standing before him. A beautiful, non-human being from what he could tell. She was glowing with the light of a god and seemed to be some king of divine being. Looking at her for a moment, trying to figure out exactly what 'she' was, Aden spoke out firmly. "Why do you lure me here being? If my life is what you desire, then it would have already been taken. Speak!" he said, scowling and placing his finger around his sword again, prepared for anything.

In reality, Aden was scared. Concerned for his life, and the life of his people, and the idea that he would never see Alex again. Giving the being an angry look, Aden began to feel calmed. As if drugged or smoothed with some form of motherly love. He released his blade, and spoke out quickly. "Tell me." he said, looking interested. He knew this was someone...different. Someone significant. He looked the creature in the eyes carefully, looking for a sense of purpose.