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 Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2007 2:24 pm
The Sanctum lay in its pure, ruinous glory, sparkling white beneath layers of the earth and her arms. Walls stood like broken teeth amidst the tall grass, jagged and deteriorating. Pillars that had once stood as proud as obelisks had fallen, broken, shattered, and lay in lines as if reaching for the pieces that had once made them so grand. And it was silent.
There was quiet, which implied peace, but there was no peace here. Simply silence. No, despite the safety Alexei had initially felt when he had first arrived in this dream, it had long since been torn away, replaced by longing. Oh, how he wished to pull the pillars back up! How he wondered what it had looked like in its glory days. He would wander, lost, on edge, completely tense. He would kneel to pick up the broken pieces of the life that he figured must have milled through this beautiful sanctuary. And as always, he would reach a still, stale pool of water and throw the bit of ivory hard and far – and as it touched the water with nary a whisper, he’d be awake in his bed.
But the longing, God, the longing followed him into the waking world and ate away at him piece by piece.
This time, however, was different. This time when he awoke to the stifling quiet of the night and the pitter pattering of rain, the want, the need was so intense that it hurt. He felt suffocated by it.
Gasping wildly, Alexei shoved the covers from his body and rolled from his bed, landing heavily upon his feet. The items outlined in his room rushed up to meet him, a nauseating wave of vertigo crashing over his head. He had to get out. He had to get out. The little boy wandered around his room in a daze, grappling with the obligation to go and the want to stay.
He yanked his shoes on and knotted the ties haphazardly, wobbling over to his bureau and dragging the squeaky drawers open. Peering inside, in his delirium he grabbed his watch, a handful of candy and the new, unopened packet of underwear his father had bought him.
Neva’ go anywhere wi’out a clean pair! Alexei waved away Lily’s voice and shuffled out of his room, closing his door quietly behind him.
In the hall, he stalled. His father…what if his papa’n woke up and looked for him? What if he panicked and did not find him? The little Herald bit hard upon his lips, before he tore away and raced for the steps; any longer and he’d crawl into his papa’n’s bed and never leave.
But you have to! his soul quavered. You have to go now!
Unfortunately, the silhouetted body of Jumbo stood up as he approached the door.
“Shh, Nio, I gotta go. I gotta go now.” The great dane whined balefully, sensing the urgency of the little boy, who pushed his nose away when he pressed close.
“I gotta Nio. Just…if papa’n wakes up…just…” Alexei swallowed hard and patted his canine’s massive head before slipping outside; he could hear Nio’s distressed cries all the way out of the tiny town, and could feel the soft scrabbling of his nails as he ached to follow.
--
The ache dulled as he wandered outside of the town, slipping and sliding along the muddy trail that was almost familiar. The bottoms of his new pajamas were ruined, sodden and caked in sludge, and he had a feeling the hard candies in his pockets were becoming sticky. His curls stuck to his face no matter how many times he swiped them back, and his face became steadily flecked with mud.
The night loomed around him, open and free despite the rain and pregnant clouds overhead. The little Herald entered a copse of trees and presently slipped hard enough to send him flying forward, hands pin wheeling, “Ah!”
They flew out in front of him and slammed hard, along with his knees, into a slab of stone.
In that instant, the world was flipped upside down.
Thank God for that packet of underwear, otherwise the poor boy’s head would have become a steady acquaintance of the ground beneath his head. He bounced sharply and curled inwards with a cringe, vertigo hitting him once again. Alexei’s stomach twisted and he dry-heaved.
M’weak.
When he looked up, his weakness was all but forgotten.
“M’dream…”
The sky, the grass, the smell of it all…his dream reared up above him open and grand, bursting from the confines of his mind and winging in all directions. He could feel the spongy earth beneath his feet as he stood, and taste the crisp air around him. His eyes ached from the realness of it.
And the silence…was gone. Though apprehension crept up his spine, there was something…
“Voices?”
Alexei began to wander and in his wanderings he discovered life. Life that he had never seen before in his dreams of ruined splendor. Winged life.
The little boy squeezed the damp plastic beneath his hands and gaped at the group of Heralds not too far from him.
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Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2007 7:57 pm
Holding onto Shay around the neck, Nikolai whimpered quietly. He missed Jade terribley, and he hadn't the faintest idea of why he had to be here in the first place.
He sniffled, looking as if he might cry for a moment until he looked to Kemuri waving at him with a smile. Timidly he gave a small wave in return, but didn't seem able to smile back.
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Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2007 9:46 pm
Shayna looked to the new Herald who was joining the group.
"My my there sure are a lot of you cute boys around here."
She smiled sweetly at the young herald she held in her arms, and nodded at the new one joining them. That awful feeling in her gut was pushed aside as she tried to keep her mind off it. She turned to Kemuri and gave a smile.
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Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2007 6:46 pm
Kemuri sort of made his smile into a small pout as he watched the young Nikolai. He didn't seem pleased with the urrent situation. Well, no one did, but Nikolai was quite young compared to the others like Lind and the newer boy that arrived and seemed to catch his red-ish eye.
He turned his head over to the new boy. His clothes looked plain, and his body was clearly a child's. He had longish wavy hair and green eyes. His eyes were what Kemuri was most interested in. They were a different green than some blonde humans, it was way too bright. though he shouldn't be the one talking since the red eyed gene wasn't very common. He lifted a hand and made a smile. A wave and a smile came out.
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Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 12:47 pm
As happened recently, all the Heralds had another instinctual drive leading them to the wall of the valley. Despite having vines, vegetation, and other acts of nature surrounding the ancient ruins; the wall itself was untouched as if an unseen force repelled and denied any attempts to reclaim it.
All the Heralds gathered after a time, and their glittering eyes looked around expectantly. Unspoken questions were shot about, but no one -not even Shayna and Taka who had been here before- knew why they were called to this wall. Some had already made themselves comfortable, the feeling settled that they would be there for awhile.
Some time passed, and finally the air itself stirred. A form gathered on the wall, and a mist swirled around. Carefully, something manifest. It was a man, or maybe a woman... gender could not be easily determined. The face was smooth and beautiful as any woman, but had edges that no woman could claim. The long white hair was mostly pulled in a simple braid down the beings back, but wisps of it escaped and fluttered in an unfelt breeze. It's hairless chest was bare, and definately not one belonging to a woman. Long feathery wings, which marked this being as obviously a Herald, were folded on the back. The only clothing was a white cloth wrapped around the waist.
The figure sat on the wall gracefully, leaning on flawless legs. Bright blue eyes surveyed the Heralds, and finally a smile broke out on the being's face. "Hello, younglins. I am sure you are wondering where you are. This is the Sanctum, a Sanctuary for the Heralds who survived the fusion with their sacrifice. It has been in existance for a long time, before history was written. The first Heralds live on Gaia among the inhabitants, but after a few centuries decided they wanted a place they could call their own.
"With sacrifices of their own, they made this place. It looked very different back then." The still semi-translucent being looked around the valley almost wistfully. "Anyway, aeons passed. With each new generation, the Sanctum took on new qualities. Centuries ago, the Heralds started to forget -just as you all have slowly forgotten- about this place. The Sanctum suffers without its Heralds to regenerate its power. A Storm came, and toppled the buildings they Heralds had created. Too late, they realized their mistake, and some who tried any last-minute efforts were caught under the debris. Without anyone to help, they soon died and their very essence was given back to the Sanctum, and it was allowed to live on some more -but it was changed. The buildings no longer stand, and all that is left is this single wall."
The being patted the wall it sat on affectionately and turned back to the Heralds that still stood, sat, and watched, in front of it. It said no more, but remained as if waiting for them to realize the implications.
((Discuss among yourselves what this could mean. Starting Monday, the being-Herald will answer questions and explain more with more involved RP.))
+ Notes +
+ How does your Herald react - surprised, saddened, unbelieving?
+ Does your Herald see a connection between that age-old Storm and the current one that was brewing on Gaia?
+ Has your Herald connected its dreams to this fantastical tale?
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Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 5:01 pm
Rand just shook his head at Lind's question. "I don't know." Then the woman said something that perked Rand's interest. "You know Taka?"
But before he got a chance to talk much further, something compelled him to go toward the wall. He wasn't the only one who felt it; he could see everyone slowly starting to move toward it, even Alexei, who he hadn't seen there before. Rand tried to catch his eye, but was soon distracted by the figure who appeared.
What the? Fusion? Sacrifices? What was this person going on about?
...that story didn't have a very happy ending.
"So? My house didn't have much left of it, either, but with some sailors...and some dwarves...I think...yeah, it was the dwarves." Rand nodded, as if confirming his own knowledge. "So how come no one's rebuilt it since then?"
Maybe it was the feeling in his dream, prodding him on. He didn't just feel like he knew this place, he didn't just feel like it had once been beautiful...he felt like he should DO something about it.
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Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 7:22 am
Nikolai, who was one of the youngest among the Heralds, didn't quite understand verbally what was said as well as most of the others. However, the visual was clear enough to speak for itself.
The child cringed as he saw the wall and clung all the more tightly to Shay. Hiding his face in her fiery hair the boy was quick to try to blot out the thoughts of his dreams he'd had. Head in a whirl as the thoughts of the monsterous storm ripping through the land came back, Nikki couldn't help a whimper.
Glistening wings twinkled brilliantly; almost frantically. Obviously the small boy was more than a little afraid. With the storm that struck the Herald's domain however long ago, the boy was fearful it could just as easily strike again. This time, instead of a dream, it could well be reality.
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 11:26 am
Lind jumped slightly as the person just...appeared on the wall and began to speak. As with the Sanctum, the being seemed familiar, but only just slightly, enough to be annoying because he couldn't for the life of him think of why. He glanced around the clearing at the mention of the storm, images from his dream seeming to overlay on top of what was actually there.
He turned back to the being on the wall, eyes full of questions, none of which he seemed to be able to articulate.
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 7:09 pm
Mackerel had arrived like the others, and chose to sat on the ground by the wall well before the being 'arrived'. The girl sat, playing with the lacy hem of her nightgown.
As a general gasp of surprise went around the group, she looked up just in time. Her small eyes narrowed, Mackerel's own skeptism of the situation showing plainly.
She listened to the misty figure politely, but the moment the mouth stopped moving, the young Herald broke in; some of her words mixed with Rand's own question.
"What does this 'Sanctuary' have to do with us? Why do we care? And who are you, the Ghost of Christmas Past? And not only that, but are you a man or a woman." The look on her face gave the idea she didn't like this new arrival - though, it may have been due to the 'power' it had over her.
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 8:02 pm
Kemuri looked to the being on the wall. He didn't dare speak of anything rather than this child with the green wings who was spouting out questions like water coming out of a tap. He did wonder those things about this being though. It was natural to be curious, wasn't it? Kemuri kept watching as he waited for this being to do something. Smite them? grant them with freedom? to escape this place? anything was good if they could escape back to their homes. well, that's what he thought. it might've been different for someone else.
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:46 pm
Soft color took to Alexei’s face at Shayna’s words, and he quickly looked away, eyes catching on Kemuri. Seeing another, older Herald – and male at that – was a touch stupefying, but something about the other calmed him. He squinted and returned the wave thoughtlessly, when his mind alighted upon it.
Black wings. Just like his father. Alexei, although very much perplexed by the situation and dreamscape as a whole, drew a little nearer to the older male.
Rand, Lind, Nikolai…and so many others.
“Wha’s goin’ o—“
The anxiety came back, and like a line that had hooked a fish, he gravitated towards the wall with the others.
When the being appeared, Alexei for once wanted to step up and reach out. His narrow shoulders tensed, and his dark brows drew in and hardened his otherwise softly featured face. What was going on?
“Are yeh gonn’keep us here?” The words burst from him unbidden. He looked around at the others, bright eyes frantic. “Are yeh gonn’make us stay?”
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2007 11:52 am
The being watched them all carefully, seeing how each Herald was going to take the news. It was the green winged one that caught some of his attention. For a moment, the being couldn't help but wonder what the world was coming to if such young children -even Heralds- had that kind of attitude.
"Well, to answer at least the question about me... I am neither. I came in to being much like how you all did -granted it you will undoubtably not remember such a life, and that includes having no definable gender. How I came to be this way comes a little later in the tale, I suppose. For now, you can just call me The Guardian." It smoothed a loose strand of hair behind a perfect ear and smiled encouragably as it looked down at Alexei, "I could not keep you here. The Sanctum needs its Heralds, just need you all to understand. I guess I will start from the beginning.
"As mentioned before, Heralds made this place. They would fall to Gaia, and only by the sacrifice by someone there could they get a second chance. At that time there was a large number of survivors. They eventually found each other, and from their dreams pieced together their past. Times were very very different then, but I get ahead of myself.
"The Heralds then decided they wanted a place to themselves, where they were free from the troubles of Gaia. So, they gathered and combined their powers. They made the Sanctum. But, the Sanctum could not hold on that alone. So, they intercepted one of their own -me- during their mission and convinced me to join their cause. When that happened, their powers created and formed this place, it was me that kept it... existing. That was a long time ago....
"So, they lived on. Heralds came and went, but then they stopped coming. The Sanctum used to be civilised. There were buildings and homes, temples and shops. They all existed in harmony. When the Heralds stopped coming, stopped offering their own 'gifts', the Sanctum suffered. There was a large storm, and it ruined everything the Heralds had made. A few were still around, but they were not strong enough. The Storm had gathered for too long, and those souls that tried to keep it away feel beneath the buildings." The Guardian stopped. It's sparkle left its eyes as it considered those dark times.
"Really, they were the last ones that kept the Sanctum around. It was, you could say, their life force that allowed this sanctuary to live on, and keep the new Heralds from becoming too....." It turned to the two new Heralds, with dark wings and red eyes.
"Anyways, there was not enough Heralds to rebuild," The Guardian looked at Rand. "Sure, Heralds were reborn, but they seemed to have forgotten this place. It was only by the sacrifice of those Heralds so long ago that kept everything okay, but lately, well... the Storm began to brew. New Heralds were affected, as you might have noticed with the two newest arrivals," it nodded to them, but its experession was kind and a bit worried, not disgusted. It was as if it had seen Heralds like that before.
"This current Storm has come, and by calling you all here, I think I have averted the crisis - at least for now. I fear that when you leave again, the Storm with gather again and threaten to destroy the Sanctum once again.
"As you may have... noticed, what happens here affects your world of Gaia. Even though the full harshness of the Storm did not dissipate into the other world, once it was pushed away from the Sanctum it could disperse and die out. If it were to come again, and destroy this sanctuary, there is no saying what could result from such a disaster."
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Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 7:16 am
Lind slowly let that information sink into his mind, comprehending some of it. But the message was clear. The only problem was, it wasn't a good one. Storms in Gaia? So...if this place (the Sanctum, he corrected himself) was gone...then would Gaia be gone? His family? Sure they were annoying sometimes, but...
...still...
"Can we stop it?' he asked quietly, staring wide-eyed up at the being on the wall.
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Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 7:42 am
The boy whined in Shay's arms, looking timidly up at the guardian on the wall. The dreams of the Sanctum falling were haunting, and the small child was too young to comprehend it. Bits and pieces of what the Guardian had said made sense: others like them gave this place something of theirs to create it, there was a big storm like in his dream, and now there were no Heralds there but those called.
If this place is gone.... home will be too?
When he heard that, Nikolai's eyes went wide. Gone? But if everyone was gone, that ment.... Beginning to cry at the thought, Nikolai was only concern with one thing. For the first time, he made it quite clear just what it was he wanted.
"Mm-Mama!"
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Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 1:55 pm
Alexei’s brows drew together in a line, cheeks sucked in as he chewed on them thoughtfully. He thought of his papa’n lying in bed, fast asleep, unaware of where his son had disappeared off to; he thought of Jumbo curled up anxiously at the door awaiting his return. A return that was just as questionable as the place he was in. And in a way, if his papa’n…died, it would be his fault.
Nikolai’s strangled cry made him wince, tiny fingers fisting against his pajama bottoms.
“S’not a matter o’ ‘can’,” he said, ignoring the being on the wall and turning to Lind. “We have to. I cain’t let papa’n…” He broke off and shook his head, turning his gaze back to the being, shyly first.
“Are there enough o’ us here to…to keep’em safe? Our fam’blies, I mean.” It was clear that he didn’t care a bit for his own safety, only that of the few people on Gaia who really, truly loved him. Azruael had saved his life when he had been fated to die, and now it was his turn.
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