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"No, no, you can't do that." Azmaria told him,"Believe me, I would prefer to have them helped, but what I have been blessed with is a delicate gift that I alone must care for. There is no telling what effect this could have. It would be better if they were to heal correctly on ther own."

She gave him a sad smile, and touched his hand.

"But I appreciate the gesture, thank you. What about Blaise, though?"

Rosette patted Az on the head.

"Are you sure? You have to be careful. We don't want them getting infected."

"They won't." Azmaria informed her,"I've had them damaged much worse before, don't worry."

"Then I'll do it." Azmaria told him,"My abilities go beyond more than just external damage."

"Az, what about your wings?"

"No, I'll do it. They're damaged, not useless."

Azmaria layed her hand on one of Blaise's shoulders and began to sing. Rosette was horrified to see more blod begin to ooze from her wing's wounds as she sang. The color flooded back into Blaise's face almost instantly, but Azmaria cried out as she stopped, the blood from her wings was pooling on the ground.

"Azmaria, we have to do something about this!"Rosette told her, but the wings vanished she reached out to touch them.

"Its alright. I can take it. Is Blaise better now? "

"It's what I was meant to do." Azmaria told him,"It's my job. It might hurt, but I can do it, just believe in me, please." Azmaria told him, wiping her eyes,"I'll feel better later."

"Maybe after ve all eat?" Satella proposed,"Soups on! Vake up Blaise. She vill vant to eat too."

Rosette looked in at the pot contents, and she had to admit, she looked impressed. She didn't think Satella could cook at all. The grumbling from Rosette's stomach was evident.

Satella looked quite satisfied as she watched everyone downing there food, and not a disgusted look from the one of them. That was a job well done in her book.

"I vant you all to 'ave seconds, not objections." Satella told them,"I vant you all full before you go so sleep."

"I have to admit, this is pretty good!" Rosette told her," I'll have fourths!"

"Zhat sound more like zhe Rosette I know." Satella said, glad to see a smile on the girl's face,"You all seem much better. And because everyone is awake I vant something done. Rosette, apoligize for acting so rudely, and Blaise apologize for overreacting. Zhen all this silliness vill be behind us and ve can continue vithout problems."

((It's a bit long, sorry. And I'm done setting things in motion. I'll get back to Algren now.))

The ring of stones had stood there for countless years. Millenia it had stood but no one knew why it was there and the white haired figure knew only one man had known of it's existence, and that man had lost his head a day ago. The white haired walked through the maze of stones, the snow falling slowing and the black and broken earth cracked under his footsteps. The white haired man had been gone from here so long.

At long last Asmudius came to the center of this twisted lyberinth of stone and looked to the center. There, in frozen ice was a black and wretched body encased The white haired man walked up closed to the block of ice and placed his hand upon. Instantly he heard voices, millions of them, screaming agonized voices begging him fot release from this prison. Asmudius pulled his hand away, looking deeply at the stone once more.

"Therto." Asmudius whispered to the stone. "Therto, can you hear me?" A cracking noise reached his ears and the white haired head swivled around to look upon a rising figure, a broken, frozen body, ice cvoering the hollow eyes. Bones stuck out of rotted flesh and Asmudius smiled "Obviously you can."

The dead thing flexed its hanging jaw several times and spoke, the voice like insects wings upon warm air.

"Yes I can hear you my Lord. It is good to see you once more. What do require of me?" Asmudius smiled and placed the hand upon the ice. The voices swept into him once more and then he removed his hand. The dead thing flexed it mouth again and spoke.

"I see, but I will need to wyrstones rebleed again. The Old Ones bleed them dry and my power reaches no more than to that corpse." Asmudius nodded his shaggy head and then stopped. For a moment nothing happened and then the long hair began to draw in on itself, shortening from the shoulders up, up, up till only two inches remaning, stiking up violently. Asmudius shivered and smiled.

"Fear not my faithful one, the stones shall be re-bleed. and a fresh supply of puppets shall be yours." the dead thing made a gargling nose and the jaw cracked horribly as it spoke

"Excellent, excellent" Thje dead thing suddenly stiffened and a sniffing nose filled the air and the body twiched as it's head spun a behind it, the neck snapping audibly. "Coming, a coming!" Asmudius nodded.

"Several to be precise." And as if his words were a cue, seven figures emerges out of the night, each wrapped tight in tattered cloaks. Two wore cloaks of bright red, one a sick yellow and the rest deep black. Asmudius watched as they all bowed and began chanting in a dark tongue. Asmudius spat in disgust and his voice was harsh.

"Silence! I did not summon you for your excuses." Silence resumed "Asmudius looked every figure over with narrow eyes and then went on. "Each of you, each of you survived the scattering and destruction of my empire. Each of you were my generals and trusted lieutenants. You served me well, but once I was gone, your loyalty faltered. Eh,. Keliko." One of the figures in read began to twist and shake in agony as Asmudius looked darkly at him. "Am I not right Sasia?" He looked at the other figure in red and she began to writhe like the other. The figuers in black began to writhe and twiste as well. Only the figure in yellow was spared this toture. Asmduisu let this countinue for awhile and then it ceased. the figures all gasped and Asmudius went on.

"Will you serve me once more?" The response was quick and pained, each swearing loyalty to him. Asmudis smiled. "I thought so." Asmudius spun around in a circle, his clothles spiraling madly as he looked at the clouded and frozen heavens. If the old ones could only see this now." Keliko rose up and gasped, his breaths sharp and short.

"And how is it you have returned to us in such a strange body my lord." Asmuis continued to stare up as he responed.

"It matters not, what does matter is that I need the the wyrstones rebleed. think your up to it Sasia woman nodded and grunted a aknowldegement.

"Excellent." Coutinued Asmudius "Then you shall find and rebleed the stones. as for you Keliko. the Cult of the abyssmal must be rebuilt. See to it. And have a supply of puppets ready for Therto. He will need them as soon as you can!" The two fiugres in red bowed from where they kneeled. "The rest of you shall cause havok and destruction in the outermost part of the empire. Understood?" The figures in black bowed as did the figure in yellow. Then you are dismissed, except you Von. I will speak with you." The figure in yellow bowed as the other figure faded into the dark. The figure in yellow stepped forward, pulling his hood back.

The falling hood reveal a young face, attractive almost except for the fact that the left half of the face was covered in bandages. The brown hair was jagged and waved madly even though there was no wind. the one good eye glinted dark red, it's mate covered by the white bandages. This youth was tall, and thin, starved almost. Von came close and bowed low.

"You, Von" Spoke Asmuis looking down from the heavens at the man. "Are one of three I can trust alone." Von nodded low. "That's why I choose you for this task. i want you to do something no one else can."

"Name it my lord Melecus." said the boy in a voice incredibly pleasing to the ears. Asmudius smiled and came close to Von's right ear.

"The messiah is alive."

"Impossible!" Von's one eye widened.

"It's true im afraid" Grumbled Asmudius. "Alive and very well. I want you to change that!" Asmudius forced Von's hand opened and thrust a small book into his hand. "This is the Tomb."

If fear had been eveident in Von's eyes when Asmudis had told him of the Messiah, terror now took over. Von had to fight the immense impule to cast the book away from him. He knew the magic of the book, the power it possessed, knew the darkness within. A darkness even his master before him had never been able to fully control.

"Use this book," Hissed Asmudius. "Find this Messiah and use this to destroy her forever, is that clear?" Von nodded and bowed as Asmudius pulled away, leaving the book in Von's hands. Von looked down at the green cover and shivered as he turned to leave. In a moment Asmudius and and the block of cold ice were alone. Asmudius looked at the dead body standing oddly before him. Soon all of humanity wold look like that corpse and the whole world would be like this. Black frozen, broken and dead. Asmudius cackled as the winds whipped the far north and sent whispers of doom into the lands far, far south.

((Okay so it's really long))

Blaise stood and walked outside. It was still raining pretty hard, but all the better. The patter of rain would keep their conversation from being overheard. But even still she moved away and stood underneath a tree a distance away from the old settlement. Just to be safe.

Leaning against the runk of the tree she waited for Rosette and Chrono. She didn't know who should start. There was so much she wanted to stay but every time she tried to piece something together she would lose it. This was fro some reason hard for her, she couldn't imagine how Rosette and Chrono felt.

Blaise rubbed her eyes a bit then stared at the ground. She wrung her fingers absent mindedly and let out a breath she felt like she'd been holding.

"Well, first . . . first I wanted to apologize. I'm sorry for asking . . . I didn't mean for it to hurt you, Rosette. And I'm sorry for trying to run off like I did, and I'm especially sorry for puting Azmaria in danger and that she got hurt. I was just . . . so angry . . . so frustrated. I didn't want to say something to hurt you more, something that I would regret forever. If I hadn't left you then I wouldn't have been able to hold it . . . I was thinking terrible things. And now I feel foolish, though I know I would have said something terrible if I had stayed. I remebered what happened the last time something like that happened and I didn't want to make the same mistakes. I'm sorry."

"Well . . . could you give me the full story? Of what I'm not exactly sure. Just start from the beginning of wherever you're comfortable. I'm sure I'm going to get everything in little bits at a time, and I don't mind that, I just don't want you guys to hate me for wanting to know or making you recount certain things. Whatever you're comfortable with right now."

Blaise really didn't want to feel like she was pushing them and she didn't want them to feel that way either. They needed to make thir bonds and trust stronger but one bad move could bring it all crashing down. They were all very touchy people, which wasn't entirely good.