Welcome to Gaia! ::

In the days since the The Moment, Zeal had been wandering aimlessly across the land. His home, destroyed. The great expanses of the underground city, for the Vanguard of Adrestia, had not even a shred of existence left of it. He was lucky enough to escape on the outskirts of the battlefront with the witches. His Masters died there, and even now, he could remember their broken corpses scattered across the ground. They had been the last fighters, Zeal could tell, and when Zeal came across the scythe of one of his masters, he knew it would always act as a reminder to what he had left behind. It took him some time to adjust, and to learn of what had happened to the world. It was more difficult for him to gather information, being that all his life he had little connections with the outside world. The Vanguard were often thrown aside and ignored, accused of being necromancers. Zeal tried only for a short while before telling himself it was useless to communicate. Instead he began his journey independently, seeing the outcome for himself.

Now he started anew. His travels had brought him to Onisato, in the kingdom of Yuki No Okuko, and his first stop was the abandoned shrine. Zeal always made sure to visit shrines, abandoned or not, to learn what he could from the spirits or residual energies left behind there. He was not one to pray, or to think to himself intensely of those who have passed only to wish them a good passing. The shrine here was modest and almost typical, the red structure and blue roofing was to be expected, and it was refreshing to note that it was completely abandoned. Zeal stood at the front of the complex, by the archway that greeted him to the place of worship. His feet crunched down on a light layer of snow, and he could feel the cold begin to creep around the edges of his feet, getting through his thin boots. The cold wouldn't be good for most adenturers with such barely insulated boots. But he was used to dank and cold tombs and halls. His attire was best suited for agility, and being able to move easily and quickly, as well as silently. If it weren't for the snow, he could have explored this place silently, like a ghost. But each light step he took left a quiet crunch until he neared closer to the building, where the snow had barely set. Here he could see how the building had been neglected. Ahh... he thought to himself, taking in a breath through his nose, the closest to home I've been for many moons. His pale pink eyes looked up at the sky before returning to the building before him. With a glance, he peered over his shoulder at his scythe. Its pole was shorter, about half it's normal size, and the blade was folded at a 90 degree angle as to make it easier to travel with. From amongst the flurry of dark feathers on his shoulders he could see the weapon's crystal embedded into the blade, decorated with the head and skin of a raven.

Before he took another step, he heard the sound of a voice farther into the shrine, and he stared aimlessly into the dark building before him, which was divided up typically. A lost soul? Zeal pondered, his lips parted. "All hail Zaphir! Bringer of Light!" the voice said, a girl by the sounds of it, and far too alive to be that of a soul calling out to him. Without much of a thought, Zeal pushed forwards like a shade with light steps, looking behind thin walls until finally coming across a girl, curled up in a spot just for her in one of the rooms. Calmly, Zeal said "If i may be so bold, I have never heard of Zaphir. Would he, she, or it approve of such a resting place?" Zeal stood in the doorway, his arms hanging by his sides, and his pale pink eyes resting on the girl almost disinterested.

Zeal raised a brow at the girl, who was quite obviously outraged by their denial. To carry out an unknown person's will, without question, without reward being uttered. What difference was that to what he was asking. There were many magics in the world, but she didn't have to know information about him, and if it wasn't magic that got that information to her, then he would be more worried. "Cost" Zeal uttered, "is a very flexible scale." As for the rest of the woman's strange, yet sleep outburst, Zeal could give no more replies. No sooner did she complain of being bored before rambling on to herself, like a child with no friends, before retreating to her phone and vanishing completely.

Zeal blinked, Zarina was gone in moments, not even that, as if she had never been here. The Vanguard exhaled and tilted his head slightly, as if it might offer him a new angle to observe the scene. It did not. He finally turned, stepping to the side to face Mr Ultor. His pale pink eyes slowly looked him up and down, as if he was inspecting a scripture and reading it in his head. "I've never liked cryptic magi. I heard you sheath your weapons, were you expecting a fight? No less the power beneath this shrine?"