Welcome to Gaia! ::

As the skies darkened and the clouds grew, Yukiku looked up. Bracing himself for what was to come, seemingly waiting for a message to arrive to him. A mission. He took his sword and shield, unique to him, and bowed to the messenger, Aren. And kneeled down before him, asking an honorable question. "Messenger of the goddess Aevah who gave us life, please lead me to serve the world as i shall. I am ready to aid you in battle to keep order in this world, and to purify the demons which try to invade it." He stayed there, bowing down, his eyes closed. But before he said this, it seemed as if he was a timid guy, A guy who could fall down on the ground just by hearing the sound of thunder. Now, he seemed mroe of a dedicated warrior, like a Samurai. A loyal servant of the good world. It seemed as if he was ready with everything he needed for this grand, divine mission.

Dusk had been at the circle early, since her guardian had his residence above the bakery in the Marketplace. All the time that she'd spent waiting had been filled with working on one of her new projects (a knitted shawl in shades of blue, purple and green). She wasn't quite satisfied with the transition of the colors, but what could she do? There were three different rolls of yarn scattered across her legs and next to her. Sometimes you just got so caught up in the clicking of the needles that you just let yourself go, she thought sadly as she held up the half-complete scarf and stared at the gaps where she'd skipped a stitch.

Then Aren arrived, so she decided to just take it apart while she listened. Only he didn't talk very long, so she was still unravelling the mistakes from her shawl when he finished speaking. Because she was busy, Dusk didn't bother to stand as the others had done, but sat and pursed her lips to think of how best to phrase her thoughts. "We do as we must," she said precisely, emphasizing each word. If none of the others knew what she meant, well, too bad. She wasn't afraid of them- she was, of course, afraid of the thought of death, since she hadn't been alive very long. However, it was a challenge, and backing down might lose her some truly wonderful ideas. A great deal of epic stories came from quests to defeat darkness and evil, after all...

The frigid breezes taunted Paulamoni as it blew wisps of her hair around in an erratic manner. "Oh my," Paulamoni phrased meekly as she attempted to shield herself from the zephyrs with her parasol, "I simply do not like staying out once the sun sets..." She had always been the child who could not stay awake past a certain time, and was fighting the urge to fall asleep even now.

Paulamoni began to feel anxious as other dustchildren arrived at the circle. Although the desire to befriend other kids like herself was indeed there, she knew that this gathering was not the time for such frivolities. The circle was eerily silent, but the children had all mutually gathered for the same reason. It was a pity that the circumstances were so morbid and gloomy, as Paulamoni would have loved to greet the others.

After a few moments had passed, Aren revealed himself to the crowd of dustchildren. Others bowed, but Paulamoni could not be bothered to dirty her silken dress- so she found curtsying just as suitable. The wind continuously sent chills down her spine, especially when she had to look in the direction of Aren. Something just felt... cold and foreboding. Aren's expression led Paulamoni to believe that the news he was going to deliver was grim.

Unfortunately, her hunch was not off the mark. The words continued to resound in Paulamoni's head:

"Unless you do not fear death..."

The situation was unfathomable. Why would someone want to willfully harm another? Paulamoni felt as if she was heavier than an anvil when she began to feel that sinking, anxious feeling in her lower stomach. She was not one who could protect herself from harm; rather, she depended on others to keep her out of harm's way. But who would want to protect her from death? Most of the situations she found herself in were that of scraped knees, lost toys, and spilt milk. This was totally unlike anything she had ever been in before. Paulamoni decided to voice her opinions.

"B-but, who would want to harm us? I'm sure there is a reason for whatever is going on... Perhaps they're lonely! Yes, we all feel that, do we not? Why, if I was lonely... Maybe I would be mean, too! Perhaps we should make friends with whoever is behind this... Yes, that is what we should do! I can prepare a cake, or maybe buy sweets! That would make me feel happy, indeed!"

Paulamoni's idealistic notions of friendship were often awry, and this instance was no exception. As the concept of making another happy filled her head, Paulamoni began to forget the situation at hand. If the note's prophecy came to fruition, Paulamoni would, sadly, be the first to die.

The last few days had been both trying and incredibly frustrating. Morgan was uncharacteristically silent, watching the people of the city with knowing eyes but not telling her anything. The sickness was growing though, sidling through the streets to embed itself in the people of the city, in not just their bodies, but their minds. Fear was spreading like a plague; no one knew what caused this illness, no one knew how to stop it or heal it.

Thus, it came as no surprise when the dusts were summoned to a meeting. Everything was going wrong in the world, and inevitably, someone was called upon to make it right. Cordelia wasn't impressed, though Morgan teased her about being a sulky, reluctant brat; this was her destiny, he'd reminded her with a knowing smirk, and she couldn't shun it now. Besides, if she didn't go, someone might get hurt, and already so many people had fallen ill.

They'd walked to the marketplace in relative silence, Morgan humming a long-forgotten tune Cordelia hadn't heard before, the dust valiantly ignoring her guardian, her mind turned to more important matters. She idly supposed it could be worse; there could be a potent, immediate threat rather than one lurking in the shadows as a mystery, a war zone rather than an illness. She knew she wasn't strong enough to take on a demon, not yet, maybe not ever. Not by herself. She couldn't do anything but distract an opponent long enough to get away, and yet she couldn't run if she was with anyone else. If Delia had any luck, they wouldn't run into any demons, they'd just find a way to fix whatever was causing this sickness and move on.

"You nervous, Dee?" Morgan asked as they neared the circle, watching the little girl carefully. "You're quiet tonight."

"I just don't approve of destiny rearing its ugly, misshapen head like this," Cordelia snapped back, sharper than she'd intended. People were sick, people would likely get sicker, and she didn't like it at all. What could she do, what could any of them do against an illness? If it was magical, maybe they could find the source, but otherwise, there wasn't much they could do, and yet they were being called on to take action.

Morgan laughed, shaking his head. "You're thinking about it too much, pretty one. Just go, talk to them, find out what's going on, and then worry about it. Besides, you never know. It might be fun, playing at a savior," he grinned, ruffling her hair lightly.

Delia knew he was right. Morgan had that annoying habit of making everything seem simple. "Maybe," she allowed reluctantly. "You'll wait for me at the marketplace?" she asked, suddenly anxious. She hadn't been around her own kind much, and the thought of going into this situation alone suddenly seemed daunting.

"Of course, sweetheart," Morgan smiled, pressing a kiss to the top of Cordelia's head. "Now go on, don't keep the powers what are waiting."

A touch of her anxiety faded at that, though she'd never tell Morgan he was a calming presence, and she gave him a smile full of bite and no mirth. "Good," she nodded before turning away from him and heading into the circle itself, steadying herself with the thought that this was only a meeting. Whatever was happening, whatever would happen, this was simply a gathering, at least at face value.

She was late, or so it seemed, so many dusts already stood around the circle. No one seemed to have more information though, and the apprehension flooded the air. The past few days were difficult for everyone, the strange changes in the air affecting the dusts with vicious potency.

As Aren began to read the message, Delia felt her heart sink. Of course there was a deeper reason than just the appearance of the illness in the city. A prophecy of doom. How fitting, Cordelia shook her head slightly as she took in the words. Darkness, buried, misfortune, warnings, entwined with darkness (darkness again), fear, death. All trigger words for worry and bad things of a monumental nature. Somehow, Delia should've known that's what was coming from the moment she'd received the message to come to meet Aren, that there was something important that needed to be shared.

After all, what else was significant in times like these? Nothing but downfall and destruction.

She enjoyed these enigmas though, and she'd put all her focus into trying to solve the problem. At least she had something she could do; she might not be able to fight, but she could certainly think, certainly work to find the answers necessary for success. If she was lucky, that would be enough to protect her dear ones. It was all she could do, Cordelia knew she was useless beyond her mental faculties in this arena, she couldn't do anything to shield her friends--

Bah, why was she thinking like this? This forecast of ruin to come wasn't for the present, there was still time for her to try to break through the puzzle and help prevent this 'cloud of darkness.' If there was time, she'd have to bully Morgan into teaching her how to fight, even though she'd resisted the idea when he'd brought it up. That would be a useful skill, no matter how annoying Morgan would be with his 'I-told-you-so's'

"Well then," she smiled at the other dusts easily, "I suppose we'd better keep our eyes open for any clues. Unless there's something more you haven't said?" She tried to keep the question directed to Aren from coming out, tried to keep from it from filling with a touch of concern. It wouldn't do to seem like a panic-monger at this point, she'd only just met the other dusts.

Fingering her pendant, Delia looked around at the others, watching for their reactions. She didn't fear death, but she feared for the others. If they didn't play this well, they could end up with them all in deep trouble.

Aidan walked quickly through the town to Amies Circle, a frown upon is otherwise calm face, and a flame hovering by his shoulder, pushing back the darkness of the street. Aidan couldn’t help but feel that the looming darkness, which swallowed the path behind him and hid the path ahead of him, reflected his situation in the town very well. It was a silent metaphor, and even where the light from his small flame hit, shadows loomed in all the corners.

Some of the humans he had grown to respect were ill with the mysterious disease that had struck the city, causing him no end of worry. To further that worry, on most of those humans, usually while they slept, he had attempted to help with his healing fire - to no avail. Though he hadn’t expected to completely wipe out the disease, that it had no effect at all had disheartened him. Aidan felt helpless, and his inability to affect the situation had left the normally outgoing young Teen quiet and withdrawn for the past few days.

He had wondered about the idea of the disease not being a natural occurrence, something that might mean there was hope in stopping it. If it were true there might be some hope in saving everyone still. Aidan hadn't wanted to give himself false hopes though, and a small part of him whispered that it was just that his pride had been stung by the lack of help he’d been able to give, yet the meeting tonight made him more suspicious, and his hurried steps were a sign of his eagerness for information.

As he reached Amies Circle his eyes skittered around until they landed on Aren, the pale figure standing in front of a group of dust, and he found himself standing at the edge of the group with his arms folded, uncharacteristically silent as the rest of the dust arrived. Aidan stared at the ground without really seeing it, lost in his worries and thoughts.

When Aren read the note, Aidan’s frown only deepened. That didn’t seem like much of a reason to call such a meeting- to warn them not to get in a dangerous situation…

But no, the note said ‘this is the time to act’ which meant she wanted them to risk their lives…

‘even though she created us for this purpose, it seems like she’s giving us a choice first…’ Aidan felt loyalty swell up at this thought. His eyes flickered over to aren, with a sudden understanding, as he realized that what he felt was only a small portion of what Aren must feel, who actually spent most of his time with the goddess.

Then too, this confirmed the nagging suspicion that the disease wasn’t natural, it was caused by these ‘winds of misfortune.’ Whatever that meant. He supposed it was up to them to find out.

As other members of their group declared their thoughts, he felt heartened. It didn’t seem like he’d be alone in his efforts either. He didn’t believe a single one of them could seriously consider abandoning the town for their own sake. What was the point in life if those you loved were gone? How could he live with himself if he just abandoned those who needed him?

“I will do everything I have to, to protect this town." He said quietly, a declaration to himself as much as to add to the group's. The gloom that haunted him the past few days seemed to be lifting, and the corners of his lips twitched upwards. "Even if it does cost my life!"

It was dark when she arrived. It suited her, to walk the streets alone with the occasional street lamp that seemed to glow as she walked through the town. For a good time she just watched the water as she stood on the southern docks. Watching the pitch black liquid surge in with such courage, yet retreat like a coward soon after. A cold breeze blew, but she either did not feel the chill, or she did not mind it, her white eyes unblinking; an emotionless gaze. Then, in a sudden movement she whipped around, hair darker then midnight itself disheveling itself even more, and headed for the circle in which she was summoned. Dust Aren had suggested it, though honestly at first she wished not to come, but her annoying guardian Jackie kept prodding her to the point that she had stormed off, if anything to get away. Now that she was in the general area, however, she decided she would at least stay to see what the fellow dust had to say.

At the circle, the message was revealed, and Lore thought to herself as she listened to the others respond. The ones that she noticed anyway. After her thoughts were collected, she opened her mouth to allow her cold, weepy voice to drip past her lips.

“Many have wondered, what is death? The final success? The final failure? It all depends on how one dies. Dear messenger of She who gave me life, I tell you now, I place my now beating heart in the line of fire. For if I die a failure, it is nothing new to me, as I have watched my hopes and dreams slip away and shatter right before my eyes…” she paused for a moment, thinking. “And if I succeed, either with my death or with new knowledge of what this shadow may be, then it shall be my first taste of victory; an elixir that has eluded my lips for far too long.”

Her dark eyes reflecting the light of the moon, Arrakis stepped from the shadows into the circle of Dusts.
“Fear death?” her tone amused, a smile twitching her lips, “It is hard to be afraid of the inevitable. Having watched it happen to the creatures of this planet for far longer than I can remember, I have learned that one can neither run nor hide from the end, for death has always known where it’s prey resides.”
Looking around the group, her lips now twisted into a sneer, “ Harder still to watch those of you trembling in terror, your stomachs churning at the thought of your existence ending. Do you forget that this life of ours was a gift from Aevah? That it was her decision to bring us out of the darkness of in-animacy?”
Staring now into each dust’s gaze, making sure they met her eyes, Arrakis continued her rebuke. “Shame on those of you who hesitate at defending this world. It’s security is the sole reason for our existence, we were made to fight the darkness, and fight we shall.”

Turning on her heel, Arrakis swiftly approached Aren and kneeled in front of him, her wings falling around her like a cloak. “I will not hide from battle Aren, I intend to defend the humans of this planet as my lady Aevah has bidden me to do. If it is my fate to die while destroying the darkness, while defending innocence, I will welcome my end with open arms. I can only hope that my brethren can find strength in their hearts to fight with me.” Ending on that note, Arrakis stood tall and with a look of tranquility on her face, melted back into the darkness.

Jumping from rooftop to rooftop heading southwest, Arrakis laughed softly to herself as she anticipated the other dusts‘ reactions. ‘Heh, how does one eliminate fear? By bringing forth an anger hot enough to burn their fear away. Their outrage at my accusations should be kindling plenty to light a fire under even the most cowardly of them. This planet needs more than frightened children to protect it, for it is going to take warriors to halt the coming shadows.’ Landing softly on a solid building overlooking the town, Arrakis began to scan the streets, looking for any signs of danger in the darkness. ‘These humans are barely children themselves, completely unaware to the danger that faces their entire race. They would be helpless without us.’

Sitting now on the building’s ledge, one leg dangling over the edge, Arrakis’s gaze was drawn towards the glowing night sky. ‘Fear death?’ she mused, 'I do not think I can fear a thing I have come to know before. What and who I was died when I came crashing to this planet. It was shocking and so very hard to come to terms with, but having a purpose has stilled my turbulent mind. Now reborn, I am at peace and will continue to accept what fate brings my way.’ Reflecting on her past and future, Arrakis’s night was spent watching over those who slept, oblivious to their danger.