Tales of the Betrothed (closed)

[Rada Han]

When I turned my head, to cry
I had to dry my eye
I saw the tortoise from the sea, bringing you back to me.


xxxxxx
Jean did not respond well to being tossed in a hole and successfully manhandled by a girl who was much smaller than he. She put her hands on him and he did not enjoy it, for once. It was not cool at all. "Let go of me, four-eyes! Harlot! Troll!" He shouted loads and loads of obscenities at her. She was stronger than he was, though, and kept pulling him, to his annoyance. "I can run by myself, you know! You salty b***h!" At last, he was able to struggle out of her grasp.

By that time, she'd dragged him some way through the tunnels, and the corridors were faintly lit by what seemed to be candles. How could candles be lit if the passageway hadn't been used in years? Unless they were enchanted everlasting candles... Suspicious. Jean looked back at the group behind him. At that point, smoke was sneaking its way into the tunnel. Not good. He took a drink of some of the water from the bottle Del had given him.

"Wait, where's Del?" He perked up, and some sense of panic reached his eyes. From afar, he saw another being lowered into the tunnel, then another.

"Del?" He called, "Del! DEEEELLLLLLL!"

Then, there was a great rumbling, strong enough to shake the underground. It was with that, that Jean took off running deeper into the tunnel, away from the blast. This time, grabbing hold of Miyaka's arm and dragging her along.

The path was a straight shot to the outside of the town of Bhegin, far from the carnage, far enough to see the damage. It was at least ten miles from the very first cottage and would take them a while to drag themselves there. Jean had never ran so much in his life.



and there across the sky, I see what, makes the legend.
The legend is true , and its you
Yeah, you are the legend, the legend is true.

[II-x-Bio-Hazard-x-II]

[Ӈ] ι т α s ɧ ι • [Є] т s υ к σxxxxxxxx

✖ ✖ ✖ “Αnyone can gιve υp, ιт'ѕ тнe eaѕιeѕт тнιng ιn тнe world тo do. вυт тo нold ιт тogeтнer wнen everyone elѕe woυld υnderѕтand ιғ yoυ ғell aparт, тнaт'ѕ тrυe ѕтrengтн.”

≻≻F e e l i n g┡ Groggy┦ L o c a t i o n┡ Bhegin┦ W i t h┡ Kirche, Anna and Adele┦

↳Sleep. Oh how good it felt to finally get some sleep. After Hitashi had been knocked out by the gas, it appeared he wasn’t going to be getting back up. He hadn’t even flinched when the princess took a swing at his lifeless body. Fortunately it was because he couldn’t feel it while in such a deep slumber. It was as if the bodyguard of the Shasta princess was a bear, hibernating in an oddly scorching hot winter. The princess had muttered something along the lines of ‘Why you lazy’, luckily for her he couldn’t hear it. Although if he was awake and had heard it than perhaps she would have gotten the same response, silence. Hitashi was far too respectful to argue with someone of such high stature. Though once in awhile he did slip up and talk back.

Somewhere in between the passing of Hitashi amongst the two guards he had awoken. His senses had been brought back to life. He could feel their sturdy limbs holding him up and while he wanted to jump down and walk himself, he was not able. Hitashi was still partially under the mystic gas’s spell, for he could not open his eyes or talk but he was awake. He could hear his surroundings, the crackling of the fearsome flames, the sound of wooden supports slowly giving into the forces of gravity. He could also smell that distinct scent fire had always had, he was very confused as to what had been happening but he wasn’t one to stop and ask questions. Safety always came first.

When they had reached the library he began to fight his eyes, battling the nonexistent glue that held them shut. And so he eventually did, after fighting off the effects of the gas he could once again see, speak and move. Maneuvering himself off of whomever was holding him he dropped to the ground. Now on his knee’s he looked up and observed his surroundings. The whole damn place had been set ablaze and they hadn’t much time to make their escape. Rising to his feet he looked to his sides figuring the two guards that still stood beside him were his saviors. “I thank you both greatly. For now I owe you my life…” his voice still weak. Immediately he panicked, he had almost forgotten about the princess.

His eyes frantically darted from left to right until he located her. Sprinting to her, he returned to her side once more. “My lady…are you alright?!” he shouted. Staring her down he observed every inch of her body to check for any vital injuries. She seemed like she was fine and had nothing too severe. “Forgive me for not awakening sooner, that gas had me in a deep sleep.” He stated in an apologetic tone. One of the guards however, appeared to be injured badly. Feeling responsible for her harm he had frowned. He planned on getting all three of the ladies that surrounded him out of the castle, safe and sound. Grabbing hold of the princess's hand he would not let her go this time, he had already jeopardized her safety once today, he was not going to let it happen again. Dragging her along with him he returned to his saviors. “Right, now it’s my turn to help you two get out of here…” he said with a grin. Since he had been half awake, he heard the conversation between guards and was well aware of why they were in the library. It had been revealed to him that a secret passage way out of the castle was indeed located in the library.

Debris fell to the ground preventing them from moving on. This was where Hitashi would make up for the burden he had been. Extending his arm out in front of him he applied pressure to it. Slowly it began to solidify into a stone arm. The arm had far superior strength than that of which a regular arm had. His new arm was able to resist the harmful effects of the fire as well as break anything that got in his way. In this case it was the debris. Launching his fist forward he successfully exploded the debris into millions of pieces. Dragging the princess behind him he sprinted towards the tunnel, motioning for his rescuers to follow.

{{OoC: Sorry it took so long...finally finished ALL major projects, so I'm not longer swamped.}}

[Triple Extra Large]

Lucian Gaska Igalios
Beghin castle grounds - burning study/library
Company: Miyana Kelforna, Hacheron Igalios
"CAVE CAVE DEUS VIDET "

The events that took place came across as mostly a blur to Lucian, having played second spoke in the grand clockwork of the world's intricacies. He was there, but he felt as though he was just dead weight. The gray-haired elf bore witness to the happenings as people came into the tunnel. The guards were off doing their hero thing, royalty came funneling into the tunnel by the troves, and needless acts of heroism were committed. Lucian felt jealous to a degree, but upon reflection he put such emotions in the back of his mind; it worked out better that way. He felt no need to voice his opinions in the times of despair, had no thoughts on the matters at hand, and above all, was simply there. What happened had happened, and he felt no impulse to raise complaints or point fingers. Lingering emotions, he figured, from the dinner would be present; it was inevitable that a game of "who done it" would arise once everyone was out of harm's way. For the moment, he took pleasure in being an observer, having not to put forth a monumental amount of effort. The overall tension in the atmosphere as the group walked forward down the narrow tunnel, however, was stifling.

Everything happened quickly, and for good reason. Guards, knowing the castle layout, made way to the exit, which was in the library area. A table guarding a secret tunnel proved to be an effective, if not overused, tactic as a means of escape. What worried Lucian was the fact that apparently no other exit existed; had the tunnel failed, would exiting prove impossible? Were there no alternatives in case the tunnel collapsed? Was it used at all in the past? Structural oversights in Bhegin castle almost seemed intentional. "We could reasonably surmise that choosing Bhegin castle as the place of negotiations was no mistake. Was it because there was only one mean of escape in times of emergency?" The elf put the thought in the back of his mind for later purposes. The tempo of his pace increased as he engaged in thought.

A woman, four-foot eleven-inches assisted in taking his guard, Miyana, into the tunnel. “We need to get them into the passage!” She beckoned to Lucian earlier. A man in armor arrived soon after and, presumably, the short but endowed woman was assisted by him, whom Lucian assumed to be a guard to one of the kingdoms. When Miyana awoke, she slipped free of the woman's grasp, put Lucian into the tunnel herself, then walked into the burning study to retrieve Lucian's brother. She retrieved Heron, still asleep, and passed the asleep elf to Lucian. Heron awoke soon after, and he, too, wrenched himself free from the arms of safety. Heron then began spouting words like bugs from a hive.

"Anyone know who tried to burn us up? Have we seen the Gradians and other kingdoms' royalty? They could be the instigators-- I don't want them to die, but they do need to be located when we're out of here. They could also be targets, and they don't need to roast. Who have you all seen?"

The Gradians would obviously be put into the limelight due to their ability to manipulate flames. Their haughty natures and overall misanthropic demeanor, stemming from arrogant natures, did not earn them any points in Lucian's eyes. "It's too early to be drawing conclusions. Can't say for sure. Don't want to begin placing blame just yet. This does not mean they aren't the most likely suspects." As with the location of the fire, he put the thought in the back of his mind. "Heron, I-..." The prince elder was going to say something to the effect that finger-pointing would have to wait for later, but he was cut off. "There are a lot of us missing... There are other escapes, right? By the Shadows, I hope they know how to get out...."

"By the shadows."

Perhaps it was nervous tic of Heron's, but the saying "by the shadows" was his rough equivalent to everyone else saying "by the gods." It did not bother Lucian, but ever since Heron had gained the ability to traverse the shadows, he had been referring to the darkness as a living, sentient being. It concerned the elf greatly; Heron's health deteriorated quickly for each use of the shadow power, and like any sensible sibling, Lucian was gravely concerned. He was concerned for his brother, and it made him question whether or not the shadows affected the younger prince's mental stability. Turning his gaze to the soot-covered elf, Lucian noticed a devilish grin dancing on his face. The gray-haired elf sighed, then continued walking, adjusting his pace so that he was a few steps behind Miyana.

She had been humming an unfamiliar tune while dragging the infamous Jean-Baptiste. Lucian was puzzled by her rather calm, if not cheery disposition in the wake of destruction. This further solidified her reputation as the "Blade Mistress," for indeed, her stage was the chaos-strewn world, and she alone was the performer. There had been many instances where Miyana elatedly saved Heron's and Lucian's hide; the fire assault was one such instance, only with more people to save. Lucian could at least draw the girl had at least some basic form of morality or honor implanted into her mind, for she rescued not only the Dradecan siblings, but others as well. She had shown she cared to some degree about other's lives, and as such, Lucian's idea of the cold-hearted contract-guard as his bodyguard was instantly dispelled.

Jean woke up soon after, shouted profanities at Miyana, then bolted off to find Adele, the water kingdom's bodyguard. She herself seemed to do well as a guard, but Lucian wondered how she could have the patience to deal with Jean's antics. He smiled lightly, figuring Jean to be some fool, then turned his attention to the others. "Del? Del! DEEEELLLLLLL!" Lucian heard Jean's calls. The elf couldn't say he wouldn't respond likewise if he didn't know where those he held dearly to his heart were. If Miyana and Heron just up and disappeared, Lucian would not know what to do with himself. He'd give up everything just to be with friends and family.

"Wait for a second." Lucian spoke, finally. "The amount of smoke coming into this very tunnel will be nominal at best. In case you don't know, smoke and heat rise. The floor here isn't flammable." He stopped walking. "Wouldn't it be best if we took a head count now instead of later? Just to make sure everyone is present and accounted for." The elf paused. "Also, if this very tunnel has withstood the test of time, structural stability isn't a concern as of right now. The only time we should be concerned would be in the case of a quake." He directed his speech to no one in particular. "I don't think now would be the best time for a game of 'whodunnit.' Right now we need to assess injuries and treat them likewise with available resources."

UPDATE !!:
Location: Beghin castle grounds - transition to outlying fields - tunnel
Company: Everyone who isn't of the land of fire

[Ariiadne]

all my life i've been the slave of consequence
wondering how this - life could be so in tri cate
__________i wanna rewrite my heart
█████████__and let the future in--------[♥]
________i call out -________________is anybody listening?
it's like i`m diving into emptiness (____________but at least )
____there`s something beating in my chest
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬ ▬▬

So lost in her dance, Bashirah only noticed their arrival to the library when the presence of flames increased tenfold. It briefly interrupted her movements, she was caught so off-guard by their strength. The multitudes of books, many old with brittle, highly flammable pages, fell prey to the fire. Each wall, lined with shelves upon shelves of literature, cascaded with the inferno, flowing up to the rafters in the ceiling and devouring them just as quickly. This was a dangerous situation, even for the fireproof Gradians. If the room did collapse, their flesh would remain unsinged; but their bones would be ground to dust.

Bashirah gazed over to her brother, who – unburdened with Aine’s body – actively aided her against the flames. He must’ve noticed the structural danger they were in as well. Navid darted between them towards a trapdoor, lowering Aurelia into its depths. As others made their way to the secret passage also, Bashirah and Kunal remained in the library, coaxing the flames to remain calm long enough for everyone to get in the tunnel. Soon, however, the hunger of the flames – despite their interference – would overcome the building and send it crashing down. The process began all too suddenly, a chunk of the roof plummeting to the floor not too far from Bashirah. The hole it created fed more oxygen to the fire, making it that much more unruly.

It was time to go.

With a spin and a graceful flourish of her arms, Bashirah bowed to the blaze, concluding her performance and signaling her leave. Their bodyguard urging them to enter the tunnel, the twins did so with not too much haste – Bashirah slowed even to take just one more deep breath of the smoke before descending to safety. Her peace was cut short, however, when the ground shook beneath them, and Navid suddenly decided it was a good time to run back out of the library. Confused, Bashirah watched as he disappeared. What had compelled him? Was he that daft? Didn’t he realize…?

With a violent crash, the archway supporting part of the roof as well as the doorway to the library gave way to the flames’ gluttony. It nearly knocked Bashirah off her feet. Startled, the Gradian princess followed the gust generated by the collapse towards the trapdoor, dipping inside with the others. As the tremors grew more intense, Bashirah joined the migration, at first just walking; but her strides soon widened and quickened as the tunnel shook so terribly, undoubtedly as a result of the entire castle’s disintegration. She made sure Kunal was close by. The light that once funneled in through the trapdoor was harshly snuffed as debris filled the hole, some of it sliding into the tunnel and ricocheting off the stone walls. One such piece of debris – a sharp, moderately sizable wooden splinter – lodged itself in her back in her right shoulder blade. She let out a small cry, denoting mostly surprise more than pain, but kept on sprinting.

Her way was lit by what seemed to be enchanted candles, dimmed briefly by the influx of dust and smoke brought on by the collapse. The sheer length of the tunnel, however, soon thinned the fog, and all was clear. This calmed Bashirah immensely, and she slowed from a mad dash to a steady march once more. Voices replaced the smoke. A ways ahead, she could see a group. Her ears appeared to tune into a conversation that was almost over.

"I don't think now would be the best time for a game of 'whodunnit.' Right now we need to assess injuries and treat them likewise with available resources."

Injuries. Bashirah brought her left hand over her right shoulder and cringed slightly at the tenderness from her minor wound. Moist blood coated her fingertips. Abruptly and deftly, Bashirah located the splinter and ripped it from her flesh, discarding it onto the floor, where it clacked on the stone.

Whodunnit. Bashirah let out a single, airy chuckle. At first, she thought this whole incident was the result of incredibly stupid and idiotic assassins – did they not realize Gradians were impervious to flame? But upon reflection, she then realized that her and her brother’s very strength made them the most likely suspects. So either this was an extraordinarily foolish assassination attempt, or an attempt to incriminate Gradius.

It wasn’t long before Bashirah got close enough to make out the features of the group – most notable were the royals of Dradecus, her fiancé included. She did not bother to stop and join them; merely, she sent them a light nod of acknowledgment – which, even for such a small gesture, was generous of her to give – and kept going. She did not want to remain in the dank corridor for longer than need be. Again checking to be sure Kunal was still near, Bashirah fixed her eyes ahead and maintained movement forward.

[amethyst jo butterfly]

αιиє ¢няιѕтαℓℓє

Laelιe princess

Engaged to: Kunal Sa'ir Mahapatra, Prince of Gradius
Current crush: ..........

╔═══════════════════════════════════════════
Her small bare feet scarcely made a sound as she ran through the halls along side the others. She scrambled, as the castle walls came dangerously close to caving in. 'Suri, Anna! Forgive me!' She mentally prayed as they went through the burning library. Aine felt a pain of sadness in her heart, to see all those books burning.. But this was not the time. Books could be replaced, people could not! 'Hurry!' She bade her tiring legs. It was of no use, she could not go any faster, in fact she found herself slowing somewhat.

Her whole body began to scream in pain and tiredness as they entered the candle lit secret passageway. Odd.. How where the candles lit? Magic? Well, if it was magic, she could not sense it.. Which was even odder, for fairies were very sensitive to such things. But again, she was far too busy pressing forward right now, to pay the small mystery any mind. She saw figures up ahead, and herd the whisper of voices.. Ahhh! It was Lucian, Jean and the others! Thank the gods, they were safe! Her ears twitched as she smiled following their voices for the smoke had grown far too heavy for her to see through now.

At last, fresh air greeted her lungs as she drew closer to the small party of people. She smiled brightly as she came to a rolling stop. "My lords, Lucein! Jean! Am I ever glad to see you!" It was true, granted she and jean were hated enemies, but she did not wish to see him harmed. AS she stopped her movement, she felt a powerful urge wash over her like a mighty wave.. She stumbled somewhat, her face turning as pale as a white cloud. her energy... It was gone. Just.. Gone.. Her vision blurred, as she grasped her bleeding forehead.. "Anna.. Has anyone seen Anna? Or Suri? My servants?" Yes, even on the edge of unconsciousness, she was still worried for her servants.. "Or the others?" Her speech became somewhat slurred, as she stumbled doing her best to stay alert and awake.

"Hacheon, Navid.." She began to list those that she did not see.. Yes, she knew all of their names.. Even the servants. But her words were cut short.. As she so suddenly fell, to the earth, her eyes rolling back. Her body giving in to the darkness that consumed her. it was such a shame, until now, she had been so very brave.. And so very strong... But it was a one sided fight.. She needed to rest, to eat... And her body demaned it, and she had no choice but to obey..

════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Current location: Outside the castle with the others
Current mood: has fainted
Occ:
Current injuries: A scraped Knee, a cut to the forhead, and a bruised shoulder

[V I V L I O N]

a d e l e x v a n a d i s
Bodyguard To The Prince of Zuleidi

The trek back seemed twice as long as the first time she had ventured to the library. Though, this was more than likely due to her new injuries or the fact that she had added at least twice the weight to carry this time around. None the less, despite the gut wrenching pain she felt as the man she carried rubbed against the raw flesh of her arms, her eyes remained focus, her jaw set. However, a growl of irritation escaped her lips as they finally came to the main hall but their path was blocked by growing flames. Her mind immediately tried to think of ways to get around the obstacle but luckily, the other female body guard was able to use some sort of wind manipulation to part the fire for a short time. Adele hastily crossed the threshold and continued moving towards the library, not slowing her pace knowing that she was the limiting factor of the small group's pace.

But as they came to the entrance of the library, the blonde felt the weight on her shoulder slipping. Her brows furrowed in confusion thinking that she had had a firm hold on the body guard. Trying to readjust her grip, she grimaced as the male fell to the ground and on to his knees, thinking that she had accidentally dropped him. Though, when he looked up to her with conscious eyes, she let out a sigh of relief realizing that it had been his own doing. "Don't worry about it." She growled. However, an irritated expression came across her features as the other guards seemed to suddenly feel like there was time to spare to diddle daddle. The other female guard began to dress minor wounds, or at least, what in her mind were minor. Burns were nothing new to Adele, in fact, she was rather used to them. Using brandishing irons as a form of punishment had been a favourite of the Head of the Guard while she was growing up. Nothing like a burning red fire stoker on the back of your shoulder. As for the male guard, he decided to use what time was left before the building collapsed to apologize to his charge for staying asleep for so long. Couldn't that wait a few more minutes?

She quickly moved to wear the desk should have been, but in the space was a large pile of debris hiding the opening. Adele desperately tried pushing the large pieces of wood and stone to the side but as she cleared what was on top, she suddenly came to a large piece of stone that must have fallen from the ceiling. With a grunt, she tried using her good shoulder and threw her weight but the debris would not move. She attempted this maneuver several times, but to no avail. The blonde finally stumbled backwards in defeat. Just in time for the male guard to display his strength. One of her brows quirked in curiosity as she watched the show with slight amusement. Waiting until everyone had gone down, including the newly arrived Gradian twins, she jumped down, expecting for the Gradian guard to be right behind her. She turned on her heel and looked up, just as a tremor shook the foundation of the building, which also formed the tunnel around them. Her body froze and she urgently called up to the last guard, "Come on! Jump down!" However, he suddenly ran back into the falling castle, his last words urging the other Gradians forward.

She raised an arm protectively to her face as debris suddenly fell from above and covered the opening. Adele coughed to clear herself of the sudden dust and dirt that had come into the tunnel, before beginning to run down the hall in the direction of the others. The Gradian guard was competent, or so he seemed. She hoped that he would be able to meet up with their group later on. As for now, there was no point worrying. Her focus was on her breath, trying to steady the laboured breaths. It was far better than thinking about the fact that her strides were becoming shorter and that her legs were dragging.

Though, she strained her eyes as she spotted a group farther down. Upon catching a glimpse of a male with long hair, her pace suddenly picked up with a renewed sense of vigour. The distance slowly closed between her charge and her. She pushed through until the last minute. When he was within distance, Adele tackled him from behind. "Nothing like a little heat, eh?" Barring her teeth, she forced a smile. "You alright?" She ruffled his hair casually, "If you got injured, we obviously have more to work on than just your aim." It might have seemed like an odd time to joke around but that's what she did with Jean.


" I will not bow. I will not break.
I will not fall. I will not fade.
I will take your breath away. "

[Sierra The Captor]

тαкє α ℓєαρ σf fαιтн.

ï ќṉøώ ώε'll ṃαќε ïτ.

Anna "Annabel" Crowbers. 21 years-old. Laelie Bodyguard.

Anna finished adjusting her wound as she strapped the loose gauntlet back on her forearm. Despite the course manner in which she wrapped her wound, she had no choice but to deal with it. She could see that the Zuleidan guard had multiple wounds on her body, ones she could see, at least, but it seemed she brushed it off as normal activities on daily basis. There was no denying Anna felt a little inadequate now as a guard despite her people’s weakness against fire, but the falling building shaking and a mild earthquake to go with it prevented Anna from delving further into her inadequacy. There was no time for that. At that moment the male guard woke just in time (not really) and decided to spend the rest of the precious few minutes explaining his gratuitous sentiment to both of them. Although Anna didn’t mind the speech on social occasions, this was not a social occasion “Yes, yes, good sir, you’re welcome let’s go,” she said absentmindedly, the words escaping through her lips into one breath.

She could feel the breeze passed her shoulder and realized someone went back into the now collapsing building. The Gradian guard. Anna turned around, perplexed, wondering who else is in the building that needs to be saved. Everyone she knew was already escaping at the passageway. At least, she thought she knew they had already escaped. The smoke in the library is preventing her from thinking thoroughly.

Her focus went back on the opening to the passageway, and to her dismay, it was covered with debris, probably the rocks that hall fallen from the building. She watched the other female guard try to kick the debris into moving, but to no avail. She tried several times until she backed away, coaxing Anna to comment “Be careful,” next to her, but the words come out airless, and very much, well, soundless. The male guard then spoke about paying back in gratitude for their help, seeing his arm coated with iron. Anna was surprised more than she was amused at his brandish arm, knowing that she had never seen such magic. To her it was magic anyway. She backed away slightly, letting the guard do his work and sure enough, the stone exploded and scattered into pieces at the touch of his ironed arm. She exchanged glances with the Zuleidan guard as she entered the opening before her, and before she knew it, she was running towards the opening with the Shazgard princess and her guard, clutching her wound in her arms.

The first things that she noticed about the passageway were the candles that lit their way. Surely if the passageway had never been used before the candles should not have been lit. Had someone used it before the Royals, or were the candles lit with magic? If it was the first notion, then the instigators have used this passageway as a means of escape after committing inferno on the Bhegin castle. If it was the latter and no one had actually used the secret passageway, then she would’ve sensed the magic within those candle, since her people are very much attuned to it. Either way, her growing curiosity was all the more inevitable. It was interesting indeed.

She finally caught on to the rest of the group, enough to catch on to the princess’s worried questions regarding the whereabouts of her guard and her maid “I’m right here, your highness,” she called out casually, almost smirking, but instead flinched at the sting felt on her wound. She ignored it, nearing the princess just as she was about to fall abruptly on the ground. Anna caught on to her limp body just in time, more than grateful that the weight of her princess was airless, she was able to pick up her mistress steadily with her one good arm. Poor girl, she had already used the last of her strength. She carried the princess, bridal style, ignoring the sting felt on her arm as she used her wounded arm to hold on to her legs.

God, who was she actually kidding? It was burning. But there was no way anyone else would worry of her safety but her guard. It was her job anyway. Speaking of her job, it then finally occurred to her who was missing amidst the group...

[Insanity Renaissance]

ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ I s a y comes out right
I can't love w i t h o u t a ʇɥbıɟ
No one ᴇᴠᴇʀ knows my n a m e
When I p r a y for sun, it suıɐɹ


╔════════════════════════════╗
║████❚❚❚ ℳιγαηα ❖ Жεℓƒσяиѧї❙❙ ███x║
╚════════════════════════════╝

⟹ ❡✯ ❴ δяαδεͼυϛ βσδγɢμαяδ ❵

I'm so ʞɔıs of w a s t i n g time
But n o t h i n g ' s moving in my ᴍɪɴᴅ
Inspiration c a n ' t be punoɟ
I get up and fall but...xxxxxxɪ'ᴍ ᴀʟɪᴠᴇ ❦

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Miyana smiled as she dragged Jean, suppressing the urge to hit him. 'Whine, whine, whine,' She thought as he spewed insults at her. 'Why must they always whine?' Her red eyes looked momentarily at the prince in her grasp, and she sighed. They were all things she had heard before. Heard a great many times. Except for most, they had meant it with more sincerity than the watery prince did. He merely exclaimed them in the annoyance that took him upon realizing that he was being overpowered by some "scrawny kid in a maid costume" as an old acquaintance of hers one commented.



Her mismatched gaze then went to Lucian as she felt the elder prince's eyes fall on her. The gray-haired man's amused expression raised a small level of irritation in the assassin. However, before she could manage to give him even a look of puzzlement. much less a glare of what-are-you-looking-at, an explosion rocked the tunnels, causing little bits of dirt to fall from the ceiling. Jean, who had been calling out for his guard (who she had seen enter the tunnel, so she was not worried in the slightest) suddenly grabbed her by the arm and began to drag the half-elf along, running far ahead of the main group.



Despite being dragged, it wasn't hard for Miya to remain upright. As she had lived much of her life in the shadows, even the tiniest bits of light given off by the candles made it easy to see the tunnel, so tripping wasn't a problem. 'Why is he dragging me along, again?' She thought, looking at the prince pulling her down the tunnel. Her gaze went to him, then to the arm that he had in his hand. Her sleeve was ripped, and in the dark, her scars seemed to glow, as if wanting to be noticed, though that was probably just her overreacted. Miyana's eyebrows narrowed as she mentally swore to herself, but before she could attempt to cover her arm, the prince had stopped as they had emerged from out of the tunnel.



"Your Highness," She asked the prince, taking a moment to absorb her surroundings and determine the best possible perching area for an assassin. There were eight. "Excuse my rudeness, but may I ask why you insisted I accompany you?" Her tone was soft and polite as her regular smile once again appeared on her face.


━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

I'm ǝʌıןɐ, oh y e a h
B e t w e e n the good & bad's where ʏᴏᴜ'ʟʟ find me
buıɥɔɐǝɹ for h e a v e n!
I will ғɪɢʜᴛ, and I'll s l e e p when I die!
I live! My life! ɪ'ᴍ ᴀʟɪᴠᴇ ~


「ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ✦ Outside the Escape Tunnel」 「ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴʏ ✦ Jean-Baptise」 「ᴍᴏᴏᴅ ✦ Annoyed」「ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛs ✦ And so it begins」「ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ ✦ 395 words」 「ᴏᴏᴄ ✦ Sorry it took forever to post, but, like I said in the OOC, my cousin is pretty much dying in a hospital so life has been kinda suckish recently.」

[Rada Han]

When I turned my head, to cry
I had to dry my eye
I saw the tortoise from the sea, bringing you back to me.


xxxxxx
To say Jean was flustered was to say that the seas were full of things that wanted to eat you. He couldn't understand how the Dradecan guard could be so careless about the whole situation. She certainly looked a bit crazy to him. Maybe that was it. The thought that she might have caused the fire wasn't a thought that crossed his mind. He just thought that it was an accident... and if it wasn't, was it a plan that went wrong? They were all alive. Well... At least all of the important ones. Another sigh.

Jean sighed and looked back into the hall periodically as they travelled further down the tunnels. He caught the eye of Bashirah and her brother, looking as radiant as always, and didn't feel motivated to continue their conversation, not that he could remember it anyway. Jean searched for signs of Adele, his trusty guard, any signs that she wasn't burnt to a crisp.

As he neared the elves, one of them was talking, although he could not care who it was, telling them to assess their injuries and whatnot. Jean had none, but just the singing of some of his hairs. At first glance it appeared that everyone was there, huddled into that tunnel. Then, the faerie spoke, and noted that her maid and her Guard was gone. Regrettably, the Prince opened his mouth to mutter that his own guard was missing, when suddenly, something hit at his back like a giant monkey. So, when he spun around to see none other but Adele there, the only thing he thought to do was exclaim her name and wrap his arms around her in a tight embrace. Just because he was relieved. "Don't you leave me alone with these crazy people again, you hear me? Let's get outta' here, it's getting hard to breathe."

Just like that, he was back to the same-old annoyingly cheerful Prince of Zuleidi. He let go of Adele and pushed past the rest of the group towards the exit. Wherever that was. He would cringe at every rumble from up above and by the time they reached the end of the tunnel, his socks and his clothes would be stained black by ash and dirt. His feet would be blistered, for he hadn't been wearing any shoes, and his fair complexion was flushed red from the effort and the heat.

Time went by quicker than usual, it seemed. Before long, they would find the end of the tunnel, marked by a staircase that led to another door in the ceiling, which Jean could not open himself because it was too heavy. They'd discover that the door had been covered in mounds of dirt and rocks, never seen by those on the outside.





and there across the sky, I see what, makes the legend.
The legend is true , and its you
Yeah, you are the legend, the legend is true.

[Rada Han]

a t r i p i n t i m e

↘ all is lost again

Outside Bhegin

When the group emerged, they would see a chilling scene before them, a city consumed by fire.

The clouds were choked by ash, and the moon hung visibly in the sky, peeking from wherever it could between those clouds.

It was supposed to be daytime.

Closest to their position, yet still a day of walking away, was Dradecus. Maybe the refugees went there, any survivors from Bhegin. It would certainly be their next heading, if possible.
When they were all above ground, admiring the view, lamenting their losses, and relieving their pains, ash began to fall.

With the ash, a piece of parchment fell to the ground at their feet, its corners singed by the fire that took the neutral city of Bhegin. It was the very same type of letter that greeted the Royals at the dinner table. Even the seal was the same, the writing, and the material. Its calligraphy seemed to be etched by flame, burned into the paper as if written by a torch.

Children of Yardis,

Prophecy has foretold that one day, a God would descend from the heavens, assuming the form of a Dragon, and would throw the world into chaos. This God would take our lands and her peoples hostage. She would skew the elements, turn the world backwards and restart history from its very first year.

The moon's embraced shall be conquered by the scorching sun, Mother nature would retaliate, hell would freeze over, the stones would capture their masters, the seas would reclaim its lands, and the tall ones would crumble.

Those who survived at the Northern Capitol are the only ones that can set the world back into order. The naivety of the children will be balanced by the strength of their guards and the wisdom of those who serve them.

It has been foretold that there are seven tomes of magic scattered across the land, kept hidden within each Nation, which shall grant power to those who possess them. It is only with these great books that Yardis shall not fall into eternal despair.

Fare thee well, Children.

What to do..? Believe the contents of the letter? Point fingers? It seemed now that their pairings were moot. Something major was brewing.

[K33LA]

『 кυиαℓ ѕα'ιя мαнαραтяα 』
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx▶ ▷ Prince of gяα∂ιυѕ

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx❝ Without нσиσя I am ṉøτhïṉģ｡｡｡❞

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃xx

xxxxxxxxxxx☼»» The entire experience was overwhelming. Kunal had never experienced an inferno like the one that had enveloped Bhegin Castle; it was wild, out of control... looking at the land made that increasingly obvious. In the distance he saw them, sensed them, those bright orange tongues, madly licking whatever obstacle they met. Fire consumed everything, rich or poor, man or woman; the flames did not discriminate. His breaths were quiet and shallow, his head suspended in disbelief, as if in a dream.

xxxxxxxxxxx☼»» It seemed most of them had made it out alive, each royal accompanied by at least one member of their entourage. Aurelia had made it, though she was still unconscious; Kunal had carried her outside since no one seemed to notice her lying near the tunnel's entrance. It was hardly his duty or desire to help her, yet such things meant little in a situation like this. Aurelia had been lucky; Navid, however, had not been. Surely, he was dead, crushed by the now smouldering embers of the castle. He had been a brave man and a good knight; a true hero in Gradius. Kunal would mourn him silently. Even from a royal, Gradian heroes deserved respect. He set Aurelia lightly on the ground.

xxxxxxxxxxx☼»» Lightly, Kunal's hand found its way to Bashirah's; much to his own surprise, he squeezed her hand gently for a moment. A physical display of affection was uncommon for Kunal... yet this situation was far more uncommon. Still, Kunal could not remove his eyes from the scene displayed before him. It was powerful sight - an entire kingdom crumbled to ashes. His body locked in place... It wasn't until the ashes began to fall like blackened snow that he was brought out of his trance. It was strange how peaceful this all was; everything around them was quite, no one spoke or moved - they all just stared in silence. The eye of the storm. Just as quietly and almost as unnoticed, a letter came floating from the sky. Kunal picked it up from the ground; it was both cryptic and confusing, yet it was somehow... true. How Kunal knew this he was not sure. There was something behind these words, but exactly what it was eluded him. Like smoke from a flame, he wordlessly passed the letter down the line. Bashirah was next to him, but it would make its way to them all soon enough.

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[V I V L I O N]

a d e l e x v a n a d i s
Bodyguard To The Prince of Zuleidi

Adele smiled widely as Jean spun around and called out her name. However, as he suddenly brought her into a tight embrace, the blonde sucked in a deep breath as the shoulder that she fell on got shoved back into place with a small popping noise. Though, after which, her facial features relaxed once more, and she let out a small laugh. She pulled back from his hug and rolled her eyes at his complaint. "I apologize, young Prince. I will stop playing the hero." The guard sarcastically saluted to the Prince, a lopsided grin gracing her lips, before nodding her head at his latter statement. "Good idea." She watched as the other bolted off the path, and just shook her head, thankful for the simple fact that he was safe. Without further ado, Adele was running once more to catch up with her charge. In attempt to keep Jean's mind off of the rumblings that seemed the shake the very ground around them, she occasionally bumped into him before picking up her pace as if a challenge to him.

Before long, they were beginning to approach the end of the tunnel. As soon as it was in sight she immediately began to look for any signs that others had been there before. Though, she was glad when everything appeared untouched. However, not prepared to take any further risks, she was fully intending to restrain Jean and force him behind her, considering the fact that they had no idea what lay just beyond the trap door in the ceiling. But in the end he had beat her there and was already attempting to push open the small wooden door as she got to the base of the staircase. Adele took note that his efforts were useless but figured she should keep his dignity in tact. "Oi, don't be trying to do that by yourself. You have to let a guard go first. I did not risk my life to get you this far just so that you could get kidnapped." Brushing past the other, she gave him a small wink before turning her attentions back to the task at hand.

She let out a breath of air in preparation as she placed the palms of her hands against the aged wood, knowing fully well that her limbs were going to be screaming at her later on for the wares of the day. Without a further thought for the consequences, she looked back to Jean. "On a count of three, push." Adele didn't want for confirmation but just continued on knowing that the rest of the group would be right behind them and that they would be just as eager to get out of the tunnel as she. "One, two, three-" On the word, the blonde used what left of her strength she could conjure to push. It took a moment, but they were soon rewarded with the gratifying sound of tumbling stones and shifting dirt. The trap door opened and, taking her swords back from Jean, she emerged from the tunnel first.

She had been expecting sunlight or even a fresh breeze of air but all she was met with was an eerie darkness. The hairs on the back of her neck (or at least the ones that had not been singed off at this point) stood on the end as her eyes surveyed the unexpected scene before her. For once, Adele was speechless. This was no longer just about them. Apparently, this was far bigger. The city below them was no more than a field of charred remains and remnants. Afraid of any other travesties she might see, the blonde turned back around to offer a hand to Jean and to any others that needed help. Though, her gaze turned up to the sky as she felt a light touch on her cheek. Her brows furrowed as ash began to drift down from the clouds. Now, she may never have traveled farther than the Zuleidi borders, but she was pretty sure that that wasn't supposed to happen anywhere.

Though, just when she thought that things couldn't get any weirder, she caught sight of a piece of parchment fell on the ground near the group. Looking around at the others around her to make sure that she wasn't becoming delusional, she watched as the Gradian prince picked it up and read the letter. He didn't take the initiative to read it aloud, so she was immediately curious as to what it could say. "What did it say, Sparky?" There was no ill intention behind her words directed at the prince but instead, she just seemed genuinely desperate to know what was written on that paper.


" I will not bow. I will not break.
I will not fall. I will not fade.
I will take your breath away. "

[Triple Extra Large]

Lucian Gaska Igalios
Location: Beghin castle grounds - transition to Beghin outskirts - tunnel
Company: Mahapatra twins, Aurelia, Heron Igalios, Kora and Kirche Zhaddagh, Hitashi, Aine and Anna
"Action expresses priorities."

The earth rumbled, and though he was once determined to take a head count, Lucian began to pick up the pace. The earth rumbled, and the gray-haired elf was not willing to stick around to find out the cause. He looked back at the group, surveying its members, running a small census in his mind. Among the newly present were the Gradius twins, Aine, and Anna; faces, though largely unfamiliar, he was glad to see. He smiled kindly back at the group, happy to know that, for the most part, they emerged unharmed. In the dim candlelight Lucian was able to see their faces, and was able to readily access any major injuries. He looked to the Gradian princess, Bashirah, and a trickle of blood was seen coming from a wound from her shoulder.

"Not too serious. Probably could bandage that up, maybe apply anesthetic. Will have to talk to an herbalist, maybe an alchemist..." The elf took into account her natural beauty; it was rare to to lay eyes upon a Gradius native, let alone meet one, in person. Dradecus, viewed as the cultural sewer and melting pot in Yardis, was visited rarely by "The Supreme." Aesthetically pleasing, the elf could at least tell Bashirah put time into her appearance. "Pity. Perhaps she's a nicer woman at heart? I can understand tough-to-get, if word-of-mouth is to believed, she's probably another 'Supreme' with a greater complex." He thought, to himself. Lucian averted his gaze and looked around, assessing what the group's overall physical status to be.

Heron, barring soot stains, was faring well. Kirche and her sister, Kora, were doing just as well. Their guard, Hitashi, was accompanied by Anna. Aine then arrived, proclaiming "My lords, Lucein! Jean! Am I ever glad to see you!" Aine, the faerie princess, appeared to at least be in good spirits. "Lucian, darling. Loo-shi-" Before he could complete "Loo-shin," the woman had suddenly clutched her forehead and fainted. This alarmed the elf prince greatly. Lucian ran over to the princess, concerned she may be losing blood at such a rate that she simple keeled over. "Lady Aine?" The land of wind guard, Anna, was present to catch Aine's limp body. Carrying her as though she were a bride, Anna looked to be in pain herself. What's worse, it was the same arm, the same hand, from which he had earlier taken a kiss. Though certainly coincidence, this made Lucian humor the idea that his very presence was cursed. "A kiss on a girl's hand and I render unto her arm harm? Does Lady Misfortune sit upon my lap?" The elf chuckled.

He turned his gaze to the unconscious princess of the land of faeries, who despite a cut on her forehead and a scraped knee, was not bleeding at a terminal rate. Lucian let out a relieved sigh, but still felt obligated to assist the faerie princess. Despite nearly dying, the petite, though beautiful in her own right, princess would not stop thinking about others. Selflessness in the face of death defined the hero, and the Dradecan prince admired that quality about her. "Hey." He directed his speech to Anna. He tore off a piece of his cloth jacket sleeve with ease, long enough to dress Aine's wounds, and gave it to Anna. "I'm sorry for earlier." He said, in reference to when he took the guard's hand and kissed it. "You know us crazy elves, huh?" Lucian laughed lightly, trying to alleviate some of the tension in the atmosphere. "Anyways, would you kindly wrap up Lady Aine's wounds for me? We need to make sure she wakes up." He smiled, then began to head back toward the group advancing toward the exit. "I'll be waiting for both of you on the other side."

Lucian paid his debts, and in part due to his stubborn attitude, he disliked being in debt. Whenever he felt like he owed, he paid in due amount. Money in yielded money out. Time invested in him was time to be invested to the investor. Everything, in his eyes, had a push-pull relationship; once it was balanced, then people can become happy. Some time had passed when finally the group had reached the exit: a staircase, leading to a ceiling door. The door itself was ajar, presumably having already been open by Jean, his guard, and Miyana. The elf wondered whether or not Miyana had taken Jean's profanities in stride or, like Heron, would receive some form of punishment, verbal or otherwise. Taking to the staircase, he exited the tunnel, then breathed in deeply, naively hoping he'd breathe in some fresh air. The smell of pandemonium overtook him instead.

His gaze focused on the moon, the one thing Lucian had learned to trust in. The position of the stars, the moon itself, and the position of the sun: time. Time was constant, flowing, and constantly marching on without regard. It was, like Bhegin, a neutral force. Unlike Bhegin, however, time did not burn. Time did not scream. Time did not live, laugh, or love. Time was not human. Time simply marched on.

Smoked billowed from the once-beautiful kingdom of Bhegin. Flames destroyed indiscriminately. Fires consumed everything. The raging inferno took lives, like the reaper at a field. Lone screams, those still caught in buildings, were heard. Anguish, sorrow, the thought of life ending to short, emotions that brewed from the assault on Bhegin filled the air alongside the smell of death and fire. Ashes fell from the clouds themselves, like angels denied entry into heaven. The black soot, ash, like snowflakes, fell slowly, mocking the pace at which Bhegin burned. It mocked how slow the world around it moved. It landed everywhere and anywhere. It scattered with the wind. The flecks of ash, like snowflakes, disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared.

Lucian turned his thoughts inward again, figuring that once everything had settled, a wave of irrational thought would overtake the group. Questions, like "who tried to kill who and why," were inevitable. He turned his attention to Jean-Baptiste, Kunal, who appeared preoccupied with reading a note, Adele, and Miyana, all of whom had arrived earlier. Given more time to gather their bearings, he figured that at least one of them would know where they were. "Then again..." The elf looked about himself, and noticed a beaten path nearby. It was vaguely familiar. "Is this the path to Dradecus? It could be the path to anywhere, but..." In the distance, he noticed a signpost which would guide him to where he needed to go. "The survivors would probably know what happened. They would definitely know better than we would. Our number one priority..." Lucian turned his brown-eyed gaze to the Gradian prince, who appeared totally immersed in the note.

He walked over to the group that was formed by those who had arrived earlier. "I believe it's best we establish or find some sort of shelter away from here." The elf suggested, to the group. "Our number one priority should be in treatment, followed by extracting information. Don't want to pry into our group just yet. Need outside sources." He turned to Adele, who had just referred to the Gradian prince as "Sparky." Lucian, too, was curious to know the contents of the letter. It appeared singed at the edges, implying it had been in the fire. A royal decree? A death warrant? It was some form of paperwork, one that, surprisingly, Lucian had been on-edge to know the contents of. "Sparky?" He chuckled lightly, then turned his attention to Kunal. "Perhaps you could read it aloud?" The urge to call Kunal "Sparky" was overwhelming, but the elf held his tongue.

A majority of the guards elected to the role of royal bodyguard appeared to be women. With the exception of Hitashi and Navid, this appeared true for the current convention at Bhegin. Miyana, Anna, Adele, the guards of darkness, wind, and water, respectively, were all female, and each had their own personality quirk. Miyana was mysterious. Anna was respectful and subservient, and appeared to be loyal to a fault. Adele, providing contrast to everything around her, appeared blithe, carefree, and appeared fearless. If not, then was she, like her master, a fool? Who would name a "Supreme" "Sparky?" The fearless or the brainless? In either case, Lucian instantly took a liking to the girl for her outspoken nature. "If only Miya..." Lucian began to think, to himself.

UPDATE !!:
Location: Beghin outskirts
Company: The Survivors

[Sierra The Captor]

тαкє α ℓєαρ σf fαιтн.

ï ќṉøώ ώε'll ṃαќε ïτ.

Anna "Annabel" Crowbers. 21 years-old. Laelie Bodyguard.

The elf prince came to her with the expression of utmost worry for the princess. It seemed he developed a soft spot for her princess’s high spirits, which made Anna break into a smile without much warning, in spite of everything that happened, and her weariness from it all. Her smile immediately faltered when he noticed that she was having a little trouble carrying the princess, and observing the loosely-tied bandage on her wound. Of course, the whimper that she had let out before was a dead giveaway, but she was not about to give in to her tiredness. In fact, her grip on the princess grew all the more tensed at his reaction. It was in her nature to be so stubborn under desperate circumstances, and whether it was for better or for worse, she wasn’t sure.

Upon the prince’s statement, Anna could only stare bemused. She knew the prince was trying to make the atmosphere into a lighter mood, and although she would appreciate such a homely gesture, all her humor had already gone off the drain the moment she woke up and realized the building was on fire. Still, Anna smiled at his statement, a little offended that he thought that the wound was as a result of his foreign action on their first encounter, but amused nonetheless. She shook her head at her words, not wanting him to take the blame for something that is of her own lack of vigilance “No, sir, my injury is as a result of my own negligence,” she explained “It is not to be mistaken for anything else. I believe it to be a sign for me to be more placate,”

She gingerly accepted the piece of cloth given by the prince, wondering why he seemed so concerned for her princess. It was understandable, so far the only one who seemed to have fainted from exhaustion is the princess, and she didn’t want to venture much into those feelings if for some reason, she had interpreted it wrongly. It would cause a whole riot should she decided to speak her mind on the matter, and Anna was not about to stir something that she wasn’t meant to be involved in. Slowly, she nodded at his advice as he advanced towards the group, holding the cloth in her hand. Not now, anyway, since she’s still holding the princess. And the earthly ground of the tunnel was shaking furiously if she doesn’t step on it. She ran alongside the others, carefully considering the princess is in her arms until she could see the stairs to the trapdoor. she flinched at the sudden sunlight when the door was opened amidst the modest candle-lit tunnel, and she, while wrapping the princess’ petite figure close to her, also emerged out of the trapdoor.

Anna watched the atrocity of the once peaceful castle of Bhegin, burned to the ground. It was truly a sight to behold; the flames that relentlessly embraced the demolished structures of the building, and ashes that scattered like flecks of blackened snow, dancing in the wind. Anna could not picture just how profound the sight was to the point where the whole group was speechless, unbeknown of what to say at the moment. Everything had been said and done, and they could not turn back and pretend as though it had never happened. The depressing whimpers and screams of the people who have not made it out alive were all the more audible to her ears, and all she wanted to do was tune it out.

Anna did not dwell on the matters of who had made it so far into the group before. If she started to count the heads of the people who managed to escape the death fury of the collapsing building, she would’ve weep at the idea that she herself knew not everyone was here. An image of Suri, crying in anguish as her body is smoldered and licked furiously by the flames of the inferno. She knew that Suri was only a maid, but she couldn’t help but felt that is she had decided to save her earlier; she would stand here by the princess’ side. One guard was fearless for doing something she wished she did; he had gone out of his way to save someone he didn’t have to given the dire situation they’re in. The faeries were not the only people who have lost a life, the Gradians did as well. As she caught sight of Prince Kunal holding on to his sister’s hand, she knew that this was only the beginning.

She turned her attention to the princess, who had peacefully slept in her arms. She wasn’t paying much heed to the letter Prince Kunal was intently reading over. She kneeled slightly, laying the princess on the ground, her back still resting against her right outstretched arm. With the cloth still in her hand, she ripped the cloth into two using her teeth and wrapped it around her wound, first on her scraped knee, and the other around her head, from where the blood had originated. It was only until one of the guards called out Kunal by ‘Sparky’ did Anna decided to make note of what the prince is holding in his hands. It caught her attention, mostly because someone had the guts to call a Supreme ‘Sparky’. She couldn't go there and see for herself the contents of the words because she hadn't the heart to leave the princess like that, though by the looks of it, Prince Kunal seemed displeased by what it contained.

“Dradecus?” she mumbled to herself when Prince Lucian suggested they go to Dradecus, the nearest city to them, and then eventually standing up “Perhaps we should follow Prince Lucian’s advice, and make haste for the city and heal the injuries of our fellow companions. These bandages cannot prevent someone from attaining some sort of a virus, and untreated wounds will lead to unwanted health problems,”

[Ariiadne]

all my life i've been the slave of consequence
wondering how this - life could be so in tri cate
__________i wanna rewrite my heart
█████████__and let the future in--------[♥]
________i call out -________________is anybody listening?
it's like i`m diving into emptiness (____________but at least )
____there`s something beating in my chest
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬ ▬▬

The atmosphere beyond the tunnel differed not from the atmosphere within. Dark. Quiet. Eerie. Bashirah hoisted herself out of the secret passageway with a muted effort – her shoulder, though nothing serious, made the task somewhat uncomfortable – onto the grass, its cool cushiony texture welcomed by her hands. There was no grass in Gradius. Just volcanic stone. However, she could not deny the majestic beauty of obsidian in the warm glow of firelight.

Scaling a small hill, Bashirah joined the gathering group of others as they stared out into the distance upon Bhegin – or what remained of it. The only source of light came from the still-scorching structures as fire transformed them into blackened skeletons. As much as the Gradian princess felt connected to the flame, she could not deny its ferocity, its destructive capabilities, its indifference. It simply consumed and consumed until there was nothing left for it to swallow. She watched sternly as the rest of the kingdom of Bhegin crumbled.

There was a gentle brush of flesh against her hand. Eyes darting in that direction, Bashirah was slightly taken aback by Kunal’s gesture. So accustomed was she to wordless and distant communication that this sudden physicality signaled that he was feeling quite strangely. And who wouldn’t, gazing upon a city they had not too long ago occupied? What exactly had taken place while she slept? Bashirah returned the gesture with her own small, compassionate squeeze of Kunal’s strong hand.

The smoke from the inferno laced the clouds, churning. Ash sifted through the sky, drifting lazily to the ground, in a solemn and incredible display. A few tufts landed in the cradle of Bashirah’s eyelashes, feathering them. She had never seen snow, and rain was just as rare in her country. But she assumed it was very similar to this.

Kunal’s fingers separated from her own after a while, much to Bashirah’s displeasure. However, the reason behind it seemed to be a piece of parchment that had ridden the air along with the ashflakes falling from the clouds. There was writing on it. Bashirah examined her brother’s face as he read it, trying to determine the note’s contents merely from his expression. A foolish endeavor. His Gradian demeanor never betrayed him. Though, she did notice that Kunal bore some wounds from their escape. Undoubtedly some falling debris scraped his face, for she noticed dark smudges on his forehead where he must’ve wiped the blood away. It wasn’t until he handed the parchment over to her that she could understand what it communicated.

"What did it say, Sparky?"

Ignoring the distasteful nickname for her brother, Bashirah took in the contents of the letter with a growing level of skepticism and frustration. What the hell was this? Mythology? She clenched her jaw. It all felt like a mockery. A game. A joke. And when it was asked that it be read aloud, Bashirah couldn’t stand the thought of letting those words leave her mouth. Was it not enough to sell them off to be married? Now they were being toyed with again, but with a childish tale of a divine dragon: the herald to the end of days. Bashirah scoffed. Only the part about the so-called ‘tomes’ intrigued her in the slightest bit.

“Nonsense,” she spat, barely able to contain herself. “It’s all nonsense.” Her statement, though apparently just about the note, was all-encompassing.

Not wanting to even hold onto it any longer, Bashirah shoved it brusquely into Adele’s hands before walking off a bit, isolating herself higher up on the hill, her back to the group. There, she appeared to start grooming herself, smoothing out the wrinkles in her clothing and brushing the gathering ash from its folds.