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((crap, forgot about the fans! Nice move, Fifi! ))

Kaz plunked down in a chair next to Kanna's bed. The woman was still out, her still body covered by a sheet; they'd left her clothes and fans in her room--

Kaz jumped up, "s**t!" In a pluff she disappeared, reappearing in Kanna's room to find that the kimono and fans were gone. Hopping around in anxiety, repeating her expletive made for a rather amusing display but Kaz was far from laughing.

"They're gonna kill me, they're gonna kill me, they're gonna kill me....!"

Daystar jumped but she didn't lash out, seeing as she was prepared for the transfer. She tilted her head upwards and succesfully got her face pointed directly up at Salen's. It was easy enough to accomplish that feat, it was the odd focused look that usually unnerved people, seeing as (no pun intended) she was blind.

"Salen." Losing a bit of control on herself, his name came both out of her mouth and sounded in his head in the her multitoned dragon voice. She didn't notice.

[I agree with Scarlett. I totally forgot about Kanna's ability with the lotus petals on her kimono, although I probably would have taken the fans...we'd be screwed either way I guess lol. You're not going to me make this easy are you...]

Salen narrowed his eyes as Raziel spoke, but said nothing in reply. A fight was inevitable between them for even though he was a traitor to the family, he was still the rightful heir of their noble house. Raziel's desire for that position was even greater than as Salen's severe reluctance of it. A fight between magic and the sword...what an interesting fight that will be. he thought as he took Lady Daystar's hand. Speaking of which...

Salen's attention was caught immediately as the dragon's voice reverberated in his mind just as her surprisingly softer voice floated through his ears. His body stiffened, slowly relaxing as the 'voice' faded away in his mind, leaving him rather surprised and wary, "Lady Daystar, I it is not often that I am unnerved by things, but to hear another dragon's voice in my head apparently does the trick." he said as he began to lead her into the room, "It would make my life easier if you would refrain from doing that from now on." he tried to keep the tension out of his voice, but he wasn't completely successful. His first encouter with hearing the mindvoice of a dragon was with Troden's 'persuasion' techniques, and that did not go very well...

--

Ashra grinned at that, but didn't reply. There was no need to...atleast until he was strong enough to give him a sound hit in the head in reproach. It was bad for a the usually smart-aleck teacher to be bested in sarcasm by his student...it could mean he was losing his touch...

--

The elders looked up from the Book of Fate just as Lina turned around, her grey eyes casting a curious glance at them both, but lingering a little longer upon Mira before returning her gaze to Stefan. The female...she reminds me of someone...

"In that case, you hae found the right person," Lina answered, offering him her hand, "I am Lina Sec, the Lady of this home...who are you?" They couldn't be Rajens for those with that dark mark could never enter here, so she assumed they were guests of Remus or the elders.

--

It went as expected, Dorien answered coldly, slowly reverting back to his formerly rude self, But what didn't do as expected is having my eldest children go against my wishes. Where were you and how did they get away? Of course, he was also jumping to conclusions as he used to as well... Kari I expected to disobey me for that is her nature, and she will be dealt with appropriately, but Tyran would only have gotten permission from you to go. Dorien was right about his children of course for Kari marched to the beat of her own drum most of the time and Tyran usually stuck to the rules, but this time with Kari making him do it, they both broke those rules.

--

Kari stood at the dark barrier infront of her with a fanged grin, I finally here... she thought as she lifted her hand and touched it, "I wonder what my creations have up to..." the barrier slowly melted away upon her touch, allowing her to walk through with ease. The stench of iron and death hit her instantly, causing her to stop momentarily before continuing on.

The elfs didn't seem to notice her as they continued to work, their dark eyes seemingly blind to anything except their work. It was relatively easy for Kari to looked into the boxes a few carried, most of them containing what appeared to be weapons of various kinds, most of which Dorien made sure to give a painful lessson on.

She stopped in her tracks as a small group of hooded men in black cloaks made a semi-circle around her. Kari narrowed her eyes and summoned her twin blades, a warning two those who stood infront of her. A small ripple of murmuring filled the area as the swords seemed to drink in the darkness around it. It could have very well been the shadow of Dorien's own sword in solid form...

The murmurs floated around her in an eerie song, each sound heavy with an ancient sinister prensence that felt so familiar...

Dark Reflection in all it's glory,
Sure to destroy all things holy.
Never shall weilder gain eternal rest
Until Lucien looks upon Her silver crest...

"Lucien..." Kari murmured as a wave of dizziness swept her up into tide of darkness. The maids screamed as they saw the princess lying almost lifeless upon the bed, her swords on either side and a strange markings upon her face. No one seemed to notice through all the sudden chaos the silver circlet resting upon her head or the way those markings had faded away...

--

Tyran winced at the question, but the smile still remained upon his face. He deserved that afterall..., "So he would have been angry reguardless of what I did... My timing is perfect as usual I see..." with a shrug he took her hand, "Let's get this over with then."

"You're tired, Teacher." Quinn read Ashra's facial expressions clearly, "You're hardly losing your touch. No need to worry. But alas, I must prepare for my departure. Will anyone be coming with me, or am I handling this alone?"

-----

"The gods don't take kindly to eyes that linger." Mira's voice sounded, her eyes never leaving her work. She continued to examine her surroundings. The paintings, the vases, the people...everything. It fascinated her, "But your heart is pure, and your curiosity is clear. I think they will forgive you for that."

Stefan grimaced slightly at his wife's words. They were honest, as always. And so he continued, "If you are the lady of the house, then the one we met earlier must of been the Lord. But that's beside the point. My name is Stefan. My wife behind me is Mira. We're looking for someone."

"The magic on this home." Mira began again, this time looking at Lina directly, "Who cast it? Its power, it's style, is familiar to me. It radiates a kind aura...it radiates the aura of time itself."

Troden watched everyone go with a satified smirk upon his face. The plan was flawless. No stone was left unturned and all obstacles were easily bypassed. Lady Forenthiel was a calculating woman who controlled her city with a fist gloved in velvet and drenched in blood. She knew her Lorindel inside and out, giving them all the more advantage over Lina and the STU. Now the only thing to do was begin the plan a little earlier than expected...

"Isabelle, I want you to go ahead of me with the Rajen task force chosen for Lorindel and begin the search with Forenthiel's chosen Watchers," he said as they were finally alone, "I will stay behind to tie up a few loose ends before meeting you there. And you should bring Salen along with you. He will serve you well." the grin became more sinister before he faded away, only to reappear within the Rajen base with Raziel waiting expectantly nearby.

"Kanna's fans and kimono?"

"Both are ready for the ceremony as ordered, sir."

"Excellent. The Sullas will soon have a leader made to my liking by the end of the night."

Kanna watched in horror as Troden slashed his wrists with her warfans, his black blood falling upon the kimono and making it burn with black fire. She could barely understand the spell as he spoke with the voice of a dragon, the force of his magic almost making her gasp needlessly for breath. The kimono strangely did not turn to ash but slowly transformed infront of her. What was once white had become tainted with indigo and red, and the fans that were once gold were now bloodred.

Kanna screamed as the clothes suddenly flew at her, attaching itself as if tattooed upon her skin before becoming fabric and the fans were now markings on the top of each hand, "Traitor! Take this off of me, you worthless excuse for a dragon! You destroy our family's honor and now you're after an entire race! I will kill for this, that I swear!"

She gasped as the kimono suddenly began to strangle her, locking her limbs until she was on all fours in the process. Oh no my dear sister, it is I who will kill you when your usefullness has run out... the goes began tightened their grip, making her lose her ability to speak...

Outside of the dream, Kanna's body had fallen off the bed in its struggles, and wound up tangling itself tightly in the sheets she was wrapped with in the process. Her eyes snapped open as the cool floor startled her into consciousness, her breathing ragged as she sat up. She didn't notice Kz as she hopped around, or the fear chant she was repeating. All she noticed was the small tattoos of bloodred warfans now upon the top of her hands...

[Just to make things a little less serious, how about some good ol' Mona vs Vajra action? lol That would sound so wrong if Vajra wasn't so outrageously gay...]

Meanwhile, Monaleth stood infront of Ama's apartment silently, her hand hovering just over the knocker. She could easily tell that Amadeus was angry, his very aura shook the building with his aggression. She figured Vajra had chosen to come out of his hiding place in that Lola and Cupid's restaurant and was making a big deal out of nothing, but when she heard Tyran's own voice answer back, she didn't know whether to leave or not.

She looked very much life a life-sized mood ring as the streaks in her hair, the short kimono that she wore and even her eyes switched colors to match her conflicted emotions. What would if she tried to stop them? What would happen if she didn't?

Monaleth sighed and held her head in frustration, "What would Vajra do in my position? Oh lord...did I just say that?"

[WWVD? (What Would Vajra Do?) ...When people start listening to that diva, that will be the day when the world shall end as we know it... LOL]

Artanis simply sat there stunned for a time... Six thousand years? In the future? He had wanted to do so many things while in the Valley, and had already done enough to get himself well known in that Nation. But to start over and go for it again? That thought both scared him and excited him.. And thankfully the excited part was winning out. A grin slowly spread across his lips and he looked right at Torrent.

"I say I'm staying! There seems to be a lot more here for me to do and work with than there was back in the Valley. If nothing else I can help your friends here with their magic and electricity combination. Seems they've overloaded each other..."

Quickly getting up, Artanis stood over Lodae and Shock Matrix with hands stretched out over their heads. Sparks flew out from his hands down to them and coursed through their bodies, lifting them slightly off the ground before lowering them back down as the revivification process finished. Artanis turned to look at Torrent and Karrot.

"Hopefully those two should be back up shortly. I took away much of the overloading electricity, so they won't have to worry about sorting it out."

Only the wind made a sound as Dorien and Kari stood within the training grounds they had battled only a few hours before, but this was no training simulation. This was a true duel between father and daughter. No one understood why Kari challenged the elvan leader or why he had accepted. Most thought Kari had grown tired of waiting for Dorien's death and decided to speed up the process, and Dorien agreed just to show the Crown Princess her place. Dorien knew it had nothing to do with the throne or power, but with the very thing that had weakened the Ten in the first place.

The Unbalanced Darkness. The one known as Lucien.

He and the rest of the Ten had long since studied that dark book Salen and the others had foolishly used towards their destruction, and even now they were still trying to process what had truly been done. The secrets they had found within it was something made Vincent command them for the first time never to speak of until the time was right.

Dorien's gaze narrowed as they prepared for battle, and their blades hummed with the anticipation of battle. This thing has once again taken over Kari. Dorien thought and sending this message to Vincent as the fight commenced, I believe now is the time to speak.

Vincent stiffened as the message came to him, the darkness in Merlin's room fluctuated wildly as he said, Very well, but let us wait until after Ashra's vessel has been found. He is not ready to deal with the actions we'll have to take from here on out. And Dorien, about Kari, you know what to do...

It would be wise for you not to fault by memory Vincent, Dorien answered as he blocked Kari's attacks. She is my daughter. I know what to do.

Vincent sighed as the message was ended and turned to Merlin, "Merlin, there is much we have to talk about."

--

Ah, now it makes sense. Lina thought as Mira completed her introduction. Who else would be able to locate Quinn's magic with such ease, but his own family? Lina only wondered in Mira knew exactly what was happening within the city her brother resided in...

"Quinn is doing well, although it is needless to sasy that much has happened over the years, both good and bad." Lina replied as she gestured for the elders to bring the Book of Fate towards them and giving the shadow cats a reassuring look that Mira and Stefan were friends. She would need to talk to Merlin about them later, "He is a good friend of my husband and myself but he is the only one who could truly tell you how he has been doing. Tell me, do you know what has been going on over the years? It is of the utmost importance that you do, or you may find yourself an unwilling fighter in the many events to come."

It may have appeared that she was changing the subject, but it was exactly the opposite. Quinn was now entangled in the fate of the Ten just as deeply as she, and she believed Mira and Stefan would choose to help their sibling, they needed to know just what they would be getting themselves into.

"Great! But before we can take you up to the surface I have to warn you, things are alot different. So for the first little bit, keep your hands to yourself, stay out of the black part of the street, and try not to smash anything."
Torrent leaned closer to Artanis and whispered, "All three things he learned from experience, so Trust that he knows what he's talking about."

The sound of metal clashing rang clear in the air followed closely by silence. The birds chose not sight nor did the voices of those wathing the duel choose to speak as the two came together...and stayed still.

Why did they stop?

Has someone finally...

What is going on?

Is the duel over?

Unspoken questions charged the air with even more tension than before. Kari's voice, although soft in its whisper, cut through tension like a knife to only leave confusion behind, "Mother, how you hurt me."

This was it, the perfect moment to end this before it even began. But as Dorien prepared himself for the final assault, he watched as a black tear fell down her cheeks and burn away. Was that...was that the real Kari talking? For once in his life, the great elvan warrior hesitated in a battle. It was the worst mistake he could have made.

Dorien hunched over slightly as he clutched the dark blade buried deep within his chest. The thin line upon Kari's face slowly returned the grin from before as her slender hand twisted the blade and then set it free, "It seems as if even Death himself cannot kill his own daughter. I thought afterall these years you would have lost that heart of yours...How disappointing."

She moved away to let Dorien kneel to the ground, clutching the burning wound as e did so, "Instead of killing you, I'll let you wallow in your dishonor. Maybe then Death will once again realize his place in this realm and all of the others." black orbs fell upon Magnolia and the grin became a fanged smile, Dark Reflection, the exact shadow of Dorien's own blades. As his clean souls of corruption, mine fills pure souls to the brim with it. I suggest you keep him locked away before those orbs of ice fill with blood. With that, Kari disappeared in spiral of black mist.

Dorien watched his daughter leave with in a daze, Kari, I have failed you...

"Of course I do," Tyran replied quietly and letting a deep sigh escape his lips, "I love her Amadeus. I can tell that she was hurt far more than you give me credit to. Please understand that I thought I was doing what was best for her, and for that I have no regrets.Tell me, what would you have done if you were in my position? You care for Lady Monaleth right? Would youo choose to stay with her one second before the end or leave for a second to be with her forever?" he trailed off, his pale eyes darkening for a moment as a heavy weight seemed to fall onto his very soul.

Brother...I need you.. The darkness...it's too strong..

Kari!

He looked up at Amadeus and gave him a kind smile, a surprising change to the hard stare from before, "I won't leave her again. Which is exactly why I want to take her with me to help yet another strong woman. My sister Kari."

--

Salen did nothing to reply as he helped Daystar to her feet and set her in a nearby chair. What was he to say to her? That he had willingly come back to the Az'il family and is now following the orders of a dragon he knows will sooner or later take advantage of her? Of course not.

"I have joined Troden in his quest for freedom from the Ten," Salen said finally, "I am merely a soldier as I was so long ago. A worthless pawn. And you..." he allowed himself a moment of weakness and caressed her cheek, "You look exactly as you did then." his hand slowly lowered, "What is your role in Troden's plans?"

--

"I am glad that you atleast know a little of what is going on," Lina said as the book was placed in her hands, "But I think it would make more sense for a family reunion before we speak of anything further... besides one more thing." She began to turn the pages, slowly moving through them until the image of a child with golden eyes peered at them through the page, "This is Lord Ashra, Signet's Balance and Quinn's teacher. If you are to meet him, tread lightly with your replies to his inevitable questions. He can be rather unpredictable even with a smile upon his face."

Lina looked on in surprise as the image of Ashra began to crumble as if made of sand. He ust be taking a turn for the worst. We must hurry... "I wish I could lead you to Quinn myself, but there much I must do here. But I can send you to the place where you will most likely find him." The light around them brightened considerably as she closed her eyes and sent them to the Grand Clock Tower, a place she knew Quinn would mostly likely be. She then turned to the others, "Let's move out everyone. I fear that if he stay here a moment longer, Lord Ashra may not have much to hope for."

--

"Good for business? No. Good for the future? Of course not...Where was I going with that?" he murmured, his look of confusion lasting only a moment before the seriousness returned, "The book that Salen found and foolishly used, the book that as reduced my body as well as the others to nothing but a crumbling vessel, was created by a being known as The UnBalancer. It has many forms and has been named many things. Some mistake it as the Devil, while others believe it is just the End of All Things or Armageddon. At this moment, the being has chosen to call itself Lucien."

Vincent looked at his arm as he rolled up his sleeve, revealing the soft pale skin hidden underneath. He then offered his wrist to Merlin, "Drink. My words won't mean anything without the memories attached to them." he then continued with his story, "Salen awakened Lucien when he and the others wanted to eradicate the Ten from all forms of existence. Even though he failed to completely stop us, the intention was strong enough to allow Lucien some semblance of life. His only purpose is to destroy all things within a blanket of darkness, thereby destroying all Balance and life as we know it.

Lucien is not an evil being to be sure. He is a form of Darkness that was used to wipe the mistakes of the Powers That Be clean, like the human's story about the Flood in a way. He destroys innocence as well as corruption in anyway possible...just as the UnBlancer for Light does. Yes, there is a second being who no doubt will be awakened as well. This being, currently known as Saro, has the same purpose but blankets everything with unbiased Light instead. When these two beings meet, all they have touched would have been destroyed except themselves. Their powers will meet in a clash that will destroy everything else left untouched and soon after the Powers That Be will create life anew with the amounts of melded Light and Darkness left behind, saving the remnants of the original Lucien and Saro for when the job must be done once more.

The Book of Lucien was the one Salen and the others had dared to open started this process prematurely. If we find the Book of Saro, I believe we can atleast stop Lucien from doing any harm when he has gained his full form. That is why some of the Ten have been missing lately, to search for that Book." with a small stretch and a fanged yawn Vincent shrugged, "Well, that's it. Any questions?"