Welcome to Gaia! ::

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Halo yawned and opened the door of the house. Morning sucked. That was what she decided. It sucked ALOT.

The woman was standing on the step in a pair of fluffy slippers and a big soft and fuzzy green robe. She tightened it around her against the chill of the morning breeze and looked around with blinking eyes against the light.

"Friggin sun.. being.. on." She rubbed the back of her arm over her eyes.

What was she out her for again?

Oh right. The newspaper.

Halo glanced down at the paper and noticed something sitting next to it. Something pretty and shiny.

"Oohh what's this?" The woman leaned over and picked the stone up in her hand. She recognized the look of it, though the name escaped her momentarily.

..and then she almost dropped it. It started to thrum and vibrate in her hand. With a yelp she let go but instead of falling the stone seemed to erupt with.. something. Smoke.. or shadows.. or something swirled and enveloped the stone.

It rose up to the level of Halo's gaping face and glinted slightly as if it had personality.

"Oh s**t." Halo stood and whirled around, the stone drifted and absorbed into her shadow.

"WREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!!!"

==reserved -- reaction to uberplot and growing==

reserved == tai chi

He didn’t really sleep. He found moments of zen that usually occurred in the evenings. It was easiest since the household was left in slumber and his bond’s relaxation was something he could help tune with.

It was the eve of their new year (though technically it was now said year) and the children had been allowed to stay up late and on the striking of the clock they were out on the doorstep with pots and pans. But most of the joy was missing for his bond with her husband gone. Bloodstone tried as he could to calm and reassure her but it was something that he couldn’t connect with.

Now was zen time and he searched, in his dream like state, for a way to help her. He’d been skirting, recently, onto the edges of what he suspected must be his past self. He never saw much. Just mist and mountains.

In his dream he found himself on a winding path. The fog was thick but comfortable. He felt like he was walking and, as dreams were, he couldn’t describe it but he knew he was doing it. The fog got thicker the higher he climbed and the path remained smooth. He felt a chill on his chest the higher he got, and he felt as though the rest of him were clothed. It was strange, to be clothed in a dream, as he had no memory of what clothes were like.

He thought of Halo and how he could help her. Would he find it at the end of this path? Or was this path something bigger and he would find his solution on the way to higher enlightenments?
Bloo began to feel uneasy and a growl filled the air. He immediately tensed but, even in dream, let his body only become a spring for his energies. He focused his fear as best he could into constructive power.

He heard jingling and the sound of heavy paws.

A woman weeped behind the sound of growls but were muffled in the thick fog.

He heard claws clack on stone.

The sound of his clothing rustle. His bare feet made no sound. His prayer beads shifted in mute whispers as if quieting themselves for him.

He broke the fog and there was a clearing beside the road. A woman sat in front of a small shrine and prayed and cried. Her kimono was the color of mourning and he felt a strong pull to comfort her. Was this a representation of his dilemma? Was this Halo?

She glanced up from her sleeves and her eyes were those he was familiar with, but it wasn’t his bond. He felt her pull though and he wanted to make her comforted.

“Warrior.. please..” She sobbed daintily and he heard the roar again, “Turn back. It is coming!”

He wanted to speak out to her but found no words. The roar sounded closer and then the paws were heavier, a run, and a dazzling beast burst through the fog into the clearing.

The beast appeared to be a lion, stylized like that of an Asian guardian statue, but the upper half of it’s mighty head was clad in a mask. It was red and white and beads the color of blood hung from the sides. The lion’s huge body was covered in armor and the tip of it’s tail was a burning flame. The armor of the beast was the same red and white but was decorated in crosses, like that of the crusading European warriors.

Bloo recognized the insignias but not the beast. He wondered what such a dream beast meant. It gave off an aura of pure fear that clashed with his own peaceful glow viciously.

It is a dream beast.. He rejected his thoughts since he found he could not talk. I will find my solution in it’s defeat. But I will not be affected by this harmful essence. It flow through me. I am peace. I am calm.

It roared again and rose on it’s hind paws where it now stood like a bear, waving it’s arms. The fear became stronger and Bloo felt his dream self tremble. The beast made for the woman and despite his fear, all he could hear was her cry of help.

She was so beautiful.. he couldn’t stand by!

“NO!”

He finally found words in his head, in the dream, and they felt unnatural. The shadow was jerked from his meditation suddenly and found himself back within in his room.

The woman? The mountain? The beast?

He rose from his meditative pose and made for his bond’s room. He would check on her and the children.

Soft whispers issued from the door of Alex and Lafe. They rarely slept during the nights. He was surprised they were still in the house.

He slipped through the door of Otium’s room and frowned at Mael’s empty bed. Otium had left it as mussed as his brother had, but had gathered all the snake child’s favorite toys for his return. The pale boy himself was curled in his bed next to his guardian beast. She held her paw over his waist in a protective hug.

All was well.

As Bloo turned to leave he heard it in the hall.

The paws.

The jingling beads.

The beast could not be here! It was a dream beast!

He heard it’s growl. It was outside the door. It was here for those he cared about.

He phased through the door to face it, and yes.. it was there.

It seemed bigger than he remembered, perhaps because his dream self had been larger, or perhaps it was the beast’s magic. The fear was undeniable and he could almost smell it.

The only thing he could think to do was fight. He’d felt, and taught to Otium, that fighting was reserved for defending your loved ones and that most problems should be solved through peace. Bloo discovered that this was the time for violence.

If it was in the flesh than that meant it couldn’t touch him. Or so he thought. As a shadow he was intangible most times unless he willed it to be so. He was getting better as time went on.

The beast slashed and in his foolishness, Bloo relied on his shadow self. The claws glowed and the fiend felt a burning on his chest. He’d been hurt! The pain was nothing he felt before and he watched his body pulse and the wound appear as four glowing red scratches across his chest. His silent, emotional distress was felt through the house to those tuned enough to pick it up and unbeknownst to Bloo, Otium was rising from his bed in the other room and his bond would soon be coming down the hall.
The beast roared and Bloo wondered if he was the only one who heard it.

“Bloodstone?” Otium talked little on a daily basis but when he did speak he was very proper. He’d emerged only to find the fiend hurt and facing, what to him appeared to a twisted and distorted house, it’s shingles twisted into jagged teeth.

On instinct the child’s guardian beast was in front of him, rearing on her hind legs to battle and Otium took a fighting pose that Bloodstone would have been proud of if he hadn’t been in pain. He saw otium’s eyes flaring blue and the familiar swirl of spirits around him.

But this beast was here for him and he saw the lion turn it’s attention on Otium now. This would not do!

Fighting his pain Bloo stiffened. He made himself tangible and closed his eyes. He felt the invisible weight of prayer beads around his neck and though he knew he didn’t really have them, he felt more focused, more himself, with them there.

He breathed in the fear, like a deep breath and held it. He felt himself get cold and heard horrible things in his head. He heard the woman’s crying and he hear the screaming. He heard the roar of flames, the clash of swords and felt the tingle of malign magics. He felt like everything was dying around him.

He opened his eyes, fighting the feeling, and saw the beast, held off by Otium’s spirits and by his animal. He saw the boy trembling and muttering angrily about a house and about his brother. He felt his bond coming down the hall.

He had to protect them!

Bloo felt like he was crying, the fear was so intense, the images so horrible. But he had to be strong. He was a defender. He was peace!

Bloo projected with his mind, the lion abomination rose to him again.

Bloodstone swallowed his breath. He tok that fear he had breathed in, the whole dark aura sucked away from the monster, and he swallowed it. It dropped into his body like vicious gumball. His chest scars glowed and so did his gem and the ball of fear absorbed. But like all energy exchanges it didn’t disappear it changed.

He breathed out and what was fear was replaced with calm. Whatever they each had seen in the horrible beast had changed. Otium relaxed his pose and watched as the house shivered and glowed. Bloodstone watched the lion writhe in pain.

It shrunk.

It morphed.

And on the floor was a glowing jade statue resembling the beast he had encountered.

Halo finally reached them in time to see the conclusion. She looked at the statue and dropped to her knees to examine it.

“It feels horrible Bloo. What is it?”

A demon..

He floated, holding his chest where the scar still remained and realized he was wearing large prayer beads. For now though, he just picked up the statue and felt he was the only one safe enough to hold it.

We’ll take it to Reyna and Athan. They may know.