A chronicle of epic not yet refined.

[Tacitus]

The few that remained in the streets received but one stroke of luck this day. It came in the form of a man flying overhead who was attempting to throw up without having eaten for at least a day. With no food in his stomach and limited fluids therein the few living would only be subjected to a minor inconvenience at Kargin’s passing. The field he had erected could do nothing to save those below him from his unfortunate bile ejection. What the field did save was his lungs from the outside should any naughty little shards of rot head in his direction. While it may not have been necessary the knowledge of safety was at the very least a luxury few could afford.

Another luxury was contact with a greater mind. The most Kargin could have hoped for would have been a return from the Empress in the same manner as he had delivered a message. Instead he not only received what she had been saying but what she directed to his mind via telepathy. For a brief moment his senses expanded through the telepathic link and he received a flash of insight. He found it; the face he sought; the aura of his target; the smell of his clothes; the unique sound of his footsteps; all of it in a single flash. His only reply to his Mistress Kalahari was silence. His mind and his ancestors went quiet as everything around him paused to allow him passage.

Being a man of power The Philosopher would no doubt know that he was being viewed from afar by more than just keen eyes. No, the Elder’s senses pierced the veil. The heretic would have a single moment to react before a powerful spiritual presence pressed forth to float before him. The blue-haired spiritual warrior arrived with a bolt of white light striking the ground twenty feet from The Philosopher to blossom forth into a column of white light. The warrior took hold of the staff of light, wielding it as a powerful weapon though it was nothing more than light and power. Each motion caused ripples of light to follow in its wake, a long strand still yet connected back from whence it came. The tail upon the kite wavered in the winds of war like so much tattered flesh.

The spiritual warrior seemed a blur, his features lost within a whirling dervish of light and spiritual power. If he were to move at speeds of a normal man he might not be worthy of terms such as ghost and dervish. No, this specter had evolved well beyond the human condition and even though his body may have been lacking the power of his soul was absolute. The staff quickly shifted from a mere defensive implement to the offensive. From the center the warrior drew back with two fingers and launched a single stream of light from the center. The line that exited was crisp and clear. The one major oddity to the projectile was not that it remained tied to the staff but that it seemed entirely two dimensional.

The assault moved with a speed befitting a projectile composed of light and though it was aimed at The Philosopher’s chest he held no hope of truly hitting the man. If it missed as the Elder suspected it would the projectile would continue on only to ricochet off some nearby object. The ricochet would bring it back for another perfectly aimed strike that similarly held no hope of hitting the man. If it actually found its mark or was parried in some manner the arrow would ricochet as it would anything else. Attempt to cut the streamer trailing behind it would be met with the streamer itself moving out of the way. However, should the streamer be cut or the projectile given pause the whole would explode in a pulse of spiritual power and raw kinetic force.

An explosion was not among Kargin’s goals. Anyone can cause an explosion but it takes an evolved mind to develop something unique. Even now he was compounding genius atop brilliance with mere strategy alone. The whispers of his ancestors echoed in his ears and the power of the world and beyond danced at his fingertips. While it was true that the streamers from the Longbow were an excellent assault and defensive measure they were also a conduit of power. Within the realm of dreams the possibilities are endless and when those dream are made manifest the power of a mere man is limitless.  

[Tacitus]

The dervish allowed a smile to grace his lips. The staff of light subtly shifts as the arrow veers off from striking The Philosopher. While Kargin was surprised at the speed of his own projectile he had planned for this already. The first impact merely glanced off the heretic with increased speed. The arrow lanced off to the side before rebounding to return and continue the assault. Each time the arrow struck an object it would increase in speed though if the Elder had to adjust its direction it would slow ever so slightly. However, each time it seemed to make contact with The Philosopher it would reflect a mere half inch away from his body. It was these near misses that added a slightly larger burst of power through the conduits which gave credit to the fact that it seemed to reflect off his aura.

In a blur of motion and light a complex grid was quickly built in the air around The Philosopher that started as merely a web of spiritual energy. Even minor motions from the heretic caused the streamers to retreat away from him where it built a sphere of light. Those that had once been streamers of light building a web outside the sphere joined and twisted into tendrils of spiritual power. Each tendril grasped at the air and drew in more power but not once did the streamer linking the sphere to the staff of light waiver even an inch.

The spiritual warrior gripped his staff and took a half step back. Violent azure light burst from the streamer as though it were being stretched beyond its natural limits. The feeling of weightlessness fell over The Philosopher as his captor left to the skies and pulled the sphere along with him. Bursting through obstacles as though they were nothing more than paper the blue haired warrior surged into the skies. A faint blue mist trailed behind the blur as an endless supply of power seemed to fill the sphere until it finally reached a peak some twelve hundred feet in the air.

The same streamer still connected the impromptu wrecking ball to the staff of light held by the blue haired warrior. However, this staff of light was connected to the streamer that had been left fluttering in the wind, at the end of which floated a man with spiked hair of a brilliant crimson. That same smirk flitted across the Elder’s lips as he gazed up through the ghost and apparently through the sphere to the floating prisoner.

The streamer vibrated and the sphere transmitted his whispered words with clarity, “Suffer not the heretic to live.”

Kargin shifted the solid steel shaft in his hand ever so slightly. The four runes blazing upon its length flare with light as the wrecking ball falls from the sky. His own altitude drops drastically as he drags it down towards the earth and sends a pulse of power down the streamer. The ghost bursts with light as the Echelons upon its ghostly body gleam at the pulse’s passing. The surge reaches the sphere just as the wrecking ball strikes the ground. All at once the field holding The Philosopher prisoner collapsed inwards upon him and, in fact, focused the kinetic forces he would have been experiencing as well as the impact with the ground.

And then the bubble burst.

All of the spiritual power that had been gathering compounds the massive blunt force trauma as a secondary explosion rips through the crater created by the impact. Immense spiritual pressure bears down on the unfortunate target of Kargin’s wrath in an implosion of malicious dreams. With but a dismissive gesture the Elder wipes the face of Sahure clean of this taint. Whatever remains is shuffled away into the same river that feeds the Dream Pools and that Nailo had dispatched Izuza upon no more than a few moments before.  

[Tacitus]

Death raged around the young woman as light and shadow battled on in continuation of an ancient struggle. When shadowed hands reached forth for the spiritual warrior it would be delayed for a moment attempting to grasp at spirits and wisps of light. It bought the warrior but a single moment before the dervish was captured and the blazing runes across his body flickered with their unearthly light. He watched in what seemed to be surprise as his arrow was broken and his dreams shattered.

And then Alice detected the hint of a smile on the ghost’s lips.

Her augmented arm spun around and would have crushed the man’s internal organs if there had been any in the way. Instead the significant lack of anything to strike not only sends her fist flying through the man but breaks the illusionary enchantment and punches through the shadow just behind to devour the magic that Vhaerun had granted her so kindly. For a moment he is immensely pleased with her trickery but then the divine connection ends with the last image he receives from his chosen being an expression of rage.

To be sure, Alice would not be receiving any benefits from Vhaerun for some time to come after the impromptu display of spite orchestrated by Kargin. Not only had her own arm pierced the enchantment and destroyed her own doppelganger but the latent energy left behind by the image had enhanced the disruption and collapsed her link to the divine. As a pleasant side effect this burst of nullifying magic based upon the arm’s hunger and Vhaerun’s ejection had utterly consumed one of the Shade Tornadoes. For a moment Alice would feel the unfortunate sting of her failure here but then it would be replaced with pain. The arrow she snapped had exploded. Some of the energy had been contained by the raw force generated tore into her from behind.

However, it was at this same moment that the staff of light behind held by the image met the same end as all the arrows Kargin had yet fired. With so much spiritual energy packed into one place Alice would have been better off to assault the warrior’s staff before attempting to assault the man himself. With nearly the same force that The Philosopher had experienced hitting the ground not minutes before the staff of light detonated nearly on top of the poor girl. Her body was tossed like a rag doll until it slammed into another nearby wall where she hit with enough force to damage the empowered wall and become trapped in the grasp of stone. It slowly seemed as though each building nearby was allowing its sentience to come forth, and this one in particular had a hold on the girl.

Meanwhile, the Denizen had struck the spikes and been impaled as planned. The grace of Lloth would sustain its life but in the interim Kargin decided to utilize his connections with the Shape and the Stone to reconfigure the grand beast. The Denizen pulled away from the wall with the spikes still attached to its massive body. A glint of blue light flickered through its eyes as it shuddered and the stone shifted to coat its body. When it charged forward the beast’s feet did not actually seem to leave the ground but actually pass down through it. Overall the beast was lower to the ground but the power of Stone had enhanced its durability and weight tenfold. The power of Shape had granted it passage through earthen materials as though it were a mere ghost when it was beneficial but also increased its connection with the ground. If Alice tried to throw the beast again she would find that lifting it was beyond even her massive capabilities as it seemed to be anchored by the entire planet.

Its tactics were much the same as it had been for the entire fight thus far, if not with a significant speed boost. The beast charged at the trapped girl with the intent to put a clawed hand through her gut and into the stone behind her. This assault would be met with more stone spikes from behind in an attempt to cut her across the middle but as was Kargin’s way this was not the true assault. He had tasted her aura several times over by now and in his cozy little lab he was constructing dreams for victory and a nightmare for the mutated mystic. At first, however, he was merely content with giving the Denizen the ability to launch the same sort of arrows Kargin employed from his eyes, empowered not only by Kargin’s spiritual energy but the summoning skill of S’rin and the fell queen of the Demonweb Pits.  

[Tacitus]

Blasted stone and dead flesh caved under Kurn’s weight when he stood atop the fallen beast. The manner in which The Denizen gave way to him was strange as it seemed the whole was sliding down into the ground. While indeed the demonic light had left the creature’s eyes and its head had been impaled upon the multitude of spikes no further blood came forth. Gasses escaped from what remained of its flesh with slight spasms of contained magic and immense spiritual energy that still danced through the stone portions of its body. Stony lids closed over pale blue eyes…

“I did some reading and you guys really are terrible. You destroy other civilizations just because they refuse to follow the same religion you do.”

"It still amuses me the extent of hypocrisy that exists on both sides of a war between religions."

The trapped spiritual warrior craned his head as best he could to look upon the Avatar despite Kargin not requiring line of sight to see him. The ghostly figure was too weak to respond to Alice’s suggestion that he submit and he certainly had no intention to do so. With a crackle of spiritual energy the image failed for half a moment. This brief respite caused the shadows binding the illusion to fall away and when the projection returned it was standing away from the clinging darkness.

“I had sought to enlist these beleaguered folk for a greater calling, but they are not warriors. ... They will not do.”

The spiritual warrior flickered at these words and in that brief moment a long dialog passed between brothers. Their inner dialog was set against the background of immense mountains of blue stone reaching into purple skies accented with clouds of dark crimson. Underfoot sprang flowers of deep jade with vibrant orange petals. The preconceived notions of space warped as the two brothers and their two ancestors came into focus. Seated upon the mountains the Elder brother seemed almost one with the stone as his massive size shifted upon his impromptu throne. Shar stood at ease among the scarlet clouds with a faint hue of emerald rolling off his body in waves. Ren was content to mind her flowers while Tyson sat cross-legged upon a blue pillow not far away.

The Younger brother let out a sigh that echoed through the air, “We’re not warriors, he says. Allow me out of this prison, brother, and allow me to show him otherwise. This girl has given us enough trouble and your games have filed us.”

The massive figure shook his head, his voice rumbling with the power of stone, “We will not be troubled by the girl. We have the means to exit this venue and make an assault against a larger threat, but with the odds in Our favor. We are allied with the Stone. The Shape will obey. The drow, curse his name for abandoning Us twice, has left us a boon. The creature he called forth through the gates to whatever hell spawned his race is still active on the field of battle. Most of its body has been destroyed but We can use what remains. We will be aided by the Stone. We will finish this, not you, Shar.”

Ren looked up with a sigh and then glanced to Tyson but neither of them interrupted the Brothers. Shar made one last bid to regain control, “You cannot be serious! So far this entire fiasco has been orchestrated by you and your goddamn illusions and misdirection. The jig is up. They can see through your guise. The projection is failing.”

Kargin shook his head and continued, “We are confident that Our new tactic will quite your insubordinate soul. Until then sit down, shut up, and enjoy the ride.”

With a snap of his gargantuan fingers the mindscape dissolved to an inky blackness wherein there existed only Kargin’s floating body. It was at this moment that the image reappeared after its brief flicker and as an afterthought the Elder gave it one last order. It waited until Kurn had initiated his attack and when the net was due to come down upon Alice and the Avatar came up on her left flank the image moved. It charged with supernatural speed beyond even that which Shar could attain. Kargin had employed it in hopes that it might act as a distraction, coming up on her other side with a message, “I hope you have enjoyed your Jihad. If you survive Kurn, I would speak to you in the flesh.”

The Denizen’s eyes flickered back to life as it sunk through the stone and disappeared from sight. Where once it had been a foul demon charged with foul energy it had become a receptacle for spiritual energy. Wherever Kargin had been it was now apparent that he had left his body behind entirely and sent it through the stone and into this new form. When he entered the body Kargin’s power of the Stone and the Shape rewrote the entire structure of the beast. With The Denizen fully underground it was quickly rebuilt with increased size but the same core of living tissue and stone.

At first the spiritual mage attempted to breathe as would any living being but quickly realized his new form lacked lungs for the simple reason that it now lacked the need to breathe. The experience touched on drowning as his mind did its best to comprehend the change from a body of flesh and blood to a construct of living stone. He could feel his awareness extending to every shard of stone in the new body and for a moment he contemplated how the body could be a living being but quickly dismissed it.

With as much thought as he might have given his own arm he willed the rebuild stone arm of the beast through the earth. The Stone’s power in the surrounding earth meant nothing as the Shape gave way to this unique ally and as such the entire body seemed able to move through stone effortlessly whenever it was beneficial to the massive intellect therein. What was more he could almost feel the connection he had with this body. It was a connection that surpassed possession by magical means. This body was his, and he would not be moved from it.

With his attention directed back towards combat Kargin saw fit to begin his assault in a relatively simple way so as to not make it clear that he was in direct control of this new body. With a slight spin in the earth the body darted forward past rock and sand alike leaving absolutely no trail in his wake. His speed increased greatly and with each passing moment he gathered more power from the Stone around him. Each moment he remained underground his form would become stronger and faster. He charged through the earth with two massive arms stretched out in front of him as he sought to slam into the lower half of the painted worm with enough force to sunder the surrounding stone and generate a powerful quake.  

[Tacitus]

The flow of blood passes from one generation to the next in a pulsing river of spiritual secrets and divine power. Carried from Keiji’s father Korenaga is not only the power of Isawa teachings but the prestige of defeating a fell Kuni Shugenja. The defeat of Kuni Kitetsu helped to redeem the honor of the Asako family name after their realization of their faults in pursuing the Path of Man. The Kuni’s son, however, would grow up to feel that this act was a disgrace as Kitetsu had nothing to do with Kuni Yoki’s meddling in the affairs of the Henshin. Thus before Keiji had even come into the world his bloodline was marked for vengeance by the young Kuni Hanzo.

Keiji was born in the opening month of spring in 1142 to Korenaga and Yuki in the month of the Moon in a time of relative peace within the empire. The majority of his younger years were spent playing in the foothills of the Yama no Kuyami, drinking in the beauty and wonder of the blood-soaked peaks during each sunset of his childhood. Though he remained in a rather small village for the majority of his young life he was able to learn much from around the Phoenix provinces due to the heavily travelled pass nearby and the presence of several shrines. The high amount of traffic passing through the area was also a boon in that there was never a shortage of capable samurai in case fell goblins or ogres were seen among the peaks.

The heavy traffic through the pass came as a final boon to the young Keiji when he was noticed by an Isawa Shugenja. His talents were recognized not as a pure ascetic and seeker of Mysteries and Riddles like the majority of his family. No, his talents were recognized in the form of a blessing of the kami placed upon the boy and the affinity for the clarity and purity of his mind and spirit. It was at this time that he left the Yama no Kuyami mountains for Michita Yasumi where the Shugenja could collaborate with others and subject Keiji to the proper tests.

Keiji’s blessings from the Kami allowed his studies to progress with haste and by the time he had reached the end of his second year of instruction he was able to pass all of the tests laid before him with ease. He was even able to impress his sensei, a female Water Shugenja named Isawa Nao, when he not only showed a mastery of water but power over the Void as well. The majority of his studies were highlighted with polite violence with other students under the tutelage of other Shugenja as a part of the underlying friction between the Asako and Isawa families. Some children even viewed him with jealousy as though he were stealing secrets of the Isawa family in addition to the enlightenment of the Path of Man gifted to his bloodline by Shiba. Unfortunately it was around this time that his training was hindered by a terrible event that shook the very foundations of the Phoenix clan. The whole of the Isawa Shugenja were called upon to reluctantly serve Hantei XVI, The Steel Chrysanthemum, in the War of Spirits.

Isawa Nao was called away as part of a secret group of Shugenja that planned to sway the tides of battle back towards the living and secure the Phoenix children. While his training in the elemental arts was suspended Keiji took up other pursuits, mainly focused upon the healing of wounds for those occasions when he would be unable to call upon the will of the Kami to perform healings acts for him. He studied aspects of medicine and the less desirable aspects of human anatomy but he did not personally indulge in dissection of dead flesh.

It was several months before Isawa Nao returned to him and she was genuinely please that he had sought further instruction while she was away. She was slightly disappointed that he did not further his studies of the elements on his own or in concert with some of the other students and was even worried about his interest in human anatomy. It was then that she warned him against displaying knowledge of human anatomy beyond simple herbal remedies and to certainly never dissect dead flesh. Even though he vowed to never take part in dishonorable acts with the flesh of others Nao informed others of his knowledge and ensured that a close eye would be kept upon her pupil as he matured.

For the next several years his training was rather uneventful with only moving from one venue to another creating any excitement. His training had begun in Michita Yasumi and moved briefly to Kyuden Asoko to take perspective on some of the few Asoko shugenja as well as view where the Emperor’s Winter Court was held on multiple occasions. Their stay within the walls of the white bastion was short, however, as Nao wanted to move on, feeling uncomfortable within the walls of an Asoko castle. With her pupil they made a pilgrimage to Shinsei no Sumai Mura, the Holy Home Village. Here they studied in the shadow of the Earth shrine erected in ages past by Shiba Esade, learning specifically of the secrets and the strength of the earth.

It was here that Keiji finished the majority of his formal training leading up to his gempukku in the Holy Home Village. He was allowed to experience other aspects of the path to enlightenment beyond mere elemental supremacy. Those in the sacred village imparted upon him their perspectives of the knowledge passed down from Shinsei so many generations before. When it finally came time to venture into Mori Isawa for his single night along within the mystical woods Keiji strode confidently away from the sacred village and from the guidance of Nao.

A mere hour within the ancient forest would have been more than enough to bring enlightenment to any mortal in all of Rokugan. During his night of meditation deep within the forest he was visited by several kami, most notable those of water and air. Those kami of water that visited him imparted secrets of clarity and healing techniques while kami aligned to air whispered him secrets of power he could not control. He was taunted and tormented by the fickle air spirits, having never been able to properly guide their efforts or ask them to fall in line to his wishes.

These taunts, however, fell to the wayside as Keiji’s senses expanded beyond mere sights and sounds, past even the spirits. While he was not able to peer directly into the Realm of Void he could feel the power that lay just beyond his sight. For that brief moment he contemplated seeking all the mysteries of the void. This notion was quickly dismissed, however, as more than the fair share of Shugenja that walked down the path to The Void fell to the side in madness. He was content touching upon the infinite mysteries without the threat of losing his mind.

When Keiji emerged from the woods he met with Nao and intended to tell her of his experiences within the mystical forest. His sensei would hear nothing of it. What Keiji had gone through was for him to know and him alone. Unwilling to let his experience be passed off as another wonderful thing any shugenja might experience he pressed further. He spoke instead of the ultimate mysteries of the universe. Once again she cut him off, asking of him if he had the fortitude and will to explore the Realm. When he did not answer immediately Nao concluded that their time together had come to an end. Until he could expand his boundaries or until he was willing to stare into The Void she had nothing left to teach him. The two parted and Keiji promised to return when he was ready to seek further enlightenment.

Keiji’s first stop was the village in which he was born and once there he stayed with his parents for a time. For several months he stayed with his family and regaled them with tales of his adventures around Phoenix lands. However, he would never speak about his ordeal within Mori Isawa and would never give any hint to an interest in or power over the Void. The months with his family were spent simply enjoying himself before he knew he had to fulfill some form of destiny for the honor of the Asako name. With their blessing he left them behind once again and travelled out into the plains between the mountains and the forest.

He wandered along the main roads until he came to the small city known as Nikesake. The shrines there had cemented the peace between the Phoenix and the Crane for generations and Keiji’s time there broadened his horizons more than studying with Nao ever could have. While it may not have been a major trading hub he was able to learn much of Crane culture and news of the Empire as a whole. For a time Keiji studied under a wizened herbalist whom was able to further his knowledge of medicinal herbs and their application. And yet with all he learned he was never truly satisfied as the city simply gave more of the same sights from day to day with fewer new and interesting people passing through than he would have liked.

As with so many before him he left the city behind in search of something more to expand his own personal human experience. In his travels he came upon a single structure alongside the road. It was miles from any city or village and when he investigated he found that it was a rest stop for travelers. It had been set up as an impartial location between the Lion, Phoenix, and Dragon where anyone traveling through the area would be able to rest and recover. Here he spent the majority of his time for several years to come, tending to the herbs and taking over as a healer as he awaited new omens to a grand destiny he knew lay among the stars.  

[Tacitus]

Kargin was a man of some intellect and while he may not have had much in the way of a formal education he was a crafty one. He had no way of knowing that Paint had left behind a gift in the belly of the beast, but he did not plan on making such an attack again anyhow. After the straightforward attack patterns The Denizen had displayed thus far he was loathe to continue such obvious assaults. Instead the Elder had decided on something less direct which would hopefully lead to his own benefit in due time.

Within the stone and rock the spiritual construct shifted and extended both hands towards the drill-worm. From each clawed digit a stream of blue-white light burst forth without disturbing the stone in the slightest. In fact, each stream of energy seemed to have the same aura as the background of Sahure itself and was therefore nearly invisible to every form of detection. The streams operated in much the same way as the arrows Kargin had fired from his staff in that they left behind a trail and were infinitely malleable to his will. The projectiles raced through the stone until they reached the worm where four erected a net in the path of the creature while the other six looped around the worm to close around its body and restrain it.

In mere moments the high speed streamers looped around the beast a dozen times each and the net expanded to become too large for the creature to avoid. At first the drill tore into the net and started to destroy the bonds but this only caused a furious release of spiritual energy. The release empowered the net around it and the stone beyond, which effectively trapped the creature in a shell of spiritual energy. If the worm managed to break through its bond the loops had been designed to merely contract and crush the creature under immense pressure. If this constant pressure caused the creature to explode it was of no consequence to Kargin; his attention was needed elsewhere.

Trapped in a tightening noose the creature had mere moments before spiritual power flooded its frame. Kargin had planned not to destroy the beast but to borrow it as he had The Denizen. At that point the worm ceased to be a creature born of a single mind; it had become a construct of thoughts and ideas reinforced by all the power of the Stone and the Shape. Unfortunately this did not empower the creature in any way other than to slow its movements and make it a much more effective wrecking ball.

The idea that the beast was a highly effective wrecking ball might have seemed out of place if not for the fact that it burst from the ground bristling with spikes. It had been allowed passage through the earth and when it rose up to return to Paint it did so with gusto. Six brilliant white-blue streamers seemed to carry and direct it along its path as it soared through the air on a collision course with the artist. The first swipe had been aimed in an upwards arc in a thrusting motion that would not endanger anything else if it missed its target. While Kargin could not control its velocity as well as he might have his normal arrows it was still a dangerous projectile. There was a bonus, however, in that both Kargin and Paint had included an explosive component. It had more than enough force to trigger Paint’s blast when it hit anything and if the streamers were destroyed the entire thing would detonate anyhow.  

[Tacitus]

The mindscape trembled as Rashael’s words tore through the fabricated reality Ren had carefully generated for the brothers. Ren and Tyson had watched the boys since before birth. The woman had guided their souls to the land of the living. The elderly mage wrapped their minds in a haze and set in place the proper eldritch connection to link them when they met. Whether they had known one another in a past life was irrelevant at this point as their very souls had been sculpted to be two halves of a greater whole. Carefully laid plans had all at once been destroyed and with it the trust the boys had in their ‘ancestors.’

Ren wheeled to face the fissures of doubt rending her perfect creation. The field of rose petals around her exploded into a million shards of glass which in turn seemed to tear further gashes in an otherwise peaceful expanse. Tyson hung his head as he contemplated the easiest way to hold the situation together. Ren was not as passive. This dark figure had singlehandedly destroyed eighteen years of her work and she was not about to let him tear her children apart.

Great trees burst from the ground throughout the mindscape as the woman’s power attempted to repair the damage. Roots and vines lashed out at the once peaceful world and spanned expanses of chaos. This, of course, represented her attempts to destroy the boys’ memories as they were being created. She was quick and sloppy, and in her attempts she no doubt damaged something within the two before her power was thrown back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The twin phantoms both twitched as their heads were drawn back as being pulled by the ear. Their faces contorted for a moment as a foreign power gripped their minds. They had never before encountered such strength, even when they looked upon the infinite blackness before them. All at once they were released and stumbled forward a half step each. Their minds reeled and each of them attempted to piece together what had happened. Ren was fortunate that Tyson had been able to cover their tracks and pull her back as neither brother remembered what had happened in the mindscape as neither of them had been there.

The two phantoms were actually not much different from the pale body that was quickly losing color in both its eyes and its hair. Kargin was the slimmer of the two dressed in blue cargo pants and a dusty gray dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He wore no shoes and his spiky red hair gave of sparks of spiritual energy as he slowly pulled himself back to reality. Just for a brief moment it looked as though he had two long blue wings wreathed in celestial fire but Ren’s forced retreat had pulled away the image with it. Shar, on the other hand, was built with thick arms and legs with tanned flesh fitting of a man of the desert sands. He wore not the casual dress of his brother or the police uniform he had died in but a loose tunic and baggy pants that seemed almost cliché. When his brother flashed a pair of wings he was lost for a moment in a cloud of wisps in the shadow of a great Obelisk.

Breaking through the haze Kargin was the first to speak, “Re-… reincarnation. If what you say is true then our very existence nears blasphemy to the Echelonian faith… if we even qualify as faithful to begin with.”

As the elder fell into silence Shar spoke up, almost trampling the end of his sibling’s words, “Do you mean to say a body for each of us? A pair, with no true bonds but that of our brotherhood between us? I would relish the opportunity to live and to breathe in flesh and blood all my own without having to relinquish control to a man who does not truly live.”

Kargin glared at his brother before he turned his gaze back to Rashael, “We appreciate the offer, but my younger sibling does not seem to understand the ways of the world. You are not offering this to us without cost. While I would greatly enjoy being rid of some less than stalwart companions and returning my mind to a state of solitude, you must want something in return.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ren sat in an overstuffed chair in a room filled with books. To her left a small table sat between hers and another chair which held the elderly mage the brothers knew as Tyson. The library sat within the impossibly proportioned tower which lay on the fringe of a demiplane erected by their combined power. It was one of many intermediaries they had established between their true tower and the mindscape they had built for Kargin and Shar. She slumped down and let her gaze rest upon the fire that was only barely alive in the small fireplace before them.

Tyson reached out to take her hand, “Do you think that they will hate us?”

Ren’s slender fingers wrapped around his as a slight smile flickered across her lips, “I hope not, but old habits die hard.”

Tyson sighed, “They will find their way. Shar was a strong man, and Kargin… he’s our son. He’ll make it through.”

Ren shook her head, “No, I don’t think they will. Not the way we all wanted. You can’t see it, whatever he is it is beyond your power to predict. He’s an unforeseen variable in the experiment. We can only hope that Shar watches over him and hope that this life turns out better than before, that Shar’s influence from the start will rein him in.”