The Awakening of the Heirs

Subject: The Awakening of the Heirs Sat Jul 28, 2007 6:57 am

~Years had passed since the Aradnian Empress had performed formal ceremonies. She somehow had come to doubt that the ancient traditions could live past the Darkness that had fueled them. Standing before her empire, she would cling tightly to the only ones left to her, her daughters Ellysia and Liniai.~
"MOTHER, YOU SUFFOCATE US. WE DO NOT NEED YOUR HELP FOR THIS."
~Looking down at the twins, Rhi would smile silently and let them go, waiting for their powers to fully awaken.~
"You know what to do, mi carinao. Be well."
~In a matter of moments, white and sapphire flames would consume the twin children. Silence would come over the crowds. Strangely, the ceremony would cease as screaming began. Rhi would stand completely still, tears running down her cheeks. For years, she had known that her daughters could not survive their awakening. The blood of a godslayer never mixed well with the blood of a god. She would let the crimson stain of her bloodtears blind her as her daughters' screams washed over her. When it was finally over, she would collapse in the desert sand, unable to continue her feeble fight to contain the Darkness that was threatening to consume her.~
"Mi carinao. Peto veniam. Peto veniam."

Subject: Re: The Awakening of the Heirs Sat Jul 28, 2007 7:26 am

~Hosetu would appear next to the weeping Phoenix, wrapping her arms around her daughter.~
"Rhi, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere, mea liber. I'm here."

Subject: Re: The Awakening of the Heirs Mon Jul 30, 2007 12:42 pm

"Ha! Hehehehe."

~His cold laugh falls to the ears of the saddened woman.~

"Foolish child."

~A small white orb floats down from high above. Slowly the orb expands and forms into Lord Yoko. His white hair sways gently with the arid wind. He cracks his knuckles as he extends his claws. His eyes flash red then back to normal before he steps up to the women.~

"You were warned."

~Yoko's glare becomes more intense as he comes closer.~

"We gave you the Prophecy, but you failed."

~He steps up next to Rhi, lifting his hand high.~

"By the Honor of the Fox Spirits, You shall pay."

~Yoko slams his hand against the side of Rhi's face, knocking her back.~

"Grieve, but remember, Phoenix, You are marked. You will pay for adandoning my love."

~Yoko turns to Hosetu.~

"And you, Librarian.... You...."

~Yoko retracts his claws and turns from the women, looking out to the crowd.~

"HEAR ME, MORTALS! You are marked by a Lord of Judgement. You have one hundred thousand years to remain. I shall return to punish you all!"

~Yoko vanishes in a whisp of smoke, whispering a reminder as he goes.~

"Death to those who abandoned her...."

Subject: Re: The Awakening of the Heirs Mon Jul 30, 2007 2:24 pm

~The crowd would greet his appearance with silence. Rhi's tears would vanish as she stared in shock where he had stood.~
"Non! Not Aradni...not my people...my children..."
~She would remain rooted to the spot, horror written in her eyes.~
"No..."
~Shaking her head.~
"Won't my own death suffice?"

Subject: Re: The Awakening of the Heirs Mon Jul 30, 2007 2:29 pm

~In a burst of Dark Fire, a woman would appear behind Rhi and Hosetu. She would stare at the scene before her in silence before placing her hand upon her twin's shoulder. The only difference between she and Rhi Anai would be the absence of a scar upon her face.~
"Sister, stop it. You are making a fool of yourself. Of course, your death will not suffice. Would the death of the single man who killed me have stopped you from destroying half of our empire? No. Enough. Stand."

Guest

~A silent whisper covers the crowd. A small orb of pure light floats down to them from the heavens, taking form as a fox-spirit. His eyes seem cold, yet harbor an unusaul kindness. His aura fills the city, putting everyone into a state of nervousness.~

"You, Phoenixes. If you wish to spare this land its demise, and these mortals their deaths, you will do something for me."

Subject: Re: The Awakening of the Heirs Tue Jul 31, 2007 10:46 am

~Slowly, as if entirely unsure of herself, Rhi would stand.~
"My Lord knows my only thought is of my people's safety. What would you have me do?"

Subject: Re: The Awakening of the Heirs Tue Jul 31, 2007 10:48 am

~Veritas would solemnly arch her brow at the odd being and shake her head.~
"It is not my place to interfere in this. I merely came to shake my twin from her stupor."
~With that, she would vanish.~

Subject: Re: The Awakening of the Heirs Tue Jul 31, 2007 10:52 am

~Hosetu would stand beside Rhi, ignoring Veritas.~
"Lord, you have merely to ask, and we shall do what is best for Aradni."
~She would flinch, an old vow shaking her to her core.~
"However, if it is my loyalty you require, I can promise you nothing. My loyalty will always lie with the late Empress of Harad. She, and only she, will ever be able to fully bend my will to hers."

Guest

~As the Aspect vanishes, a lone man walks through the streets of the capital, his white hair gently swaying in the desert winds. His face bears a warm smile, and his eyes fall kindly to the people.
A saintly aura emanates from the stranger, removing all negative feelings from those around him. The man stops near a small child, sitting alone by the street. The child looks up at the man, her face dirty and her eyes full of tears.~

"Come."

~The man takes the child's hand, lifting her onto his shoulder. He continues to walk through the city, the child watching people as they stare at the outsider. The man tosses a bag of money onto a nearby vendor's stall as he takes a few pieces of food and passes them to the child, who eats them greedily.~

"Such a pity...children starve in the streets."

~The man continues through the streets, but stops as a guard orders him to halt.~

"You're reason for stopping me, Sir?"

~The man asks of the guard, facing away from the man.~

"Turn you bastard."~The guard growls.~

"Reason?"

~The man repeats, sitting the girl on the ground next to him.~

"Turn, damn you."~The guard growls again.~

"If I turn, you will die."

~The saint sighs, awaiting the guard's reply.~

"Ha! Damn fool."~The guard grabs the strange man by the shoulder, intending to spin him around, but bursts into flames as soon as his hand touches the man's clothes.~

"I am sorry for that, but you should have known better."

~The saint lifts the girl again and walks on, passing through the gate into the city proper. He walks for a long time, before reaching the mas of gathered people.~

"Part."

~He calls, causing the crowd to part for him to pass through.~

"You, child, are Empress, no?"

~He asks of Rhi, moving his hand up to the girl on his shoulder, steadying her as he approaches the woman. The girl gently tries to pull away, but the man pours his aura into the girl, calming her fear of the Empress.~

"We have to talk about this."

~He says pointing to the child on his shoulder.~

Subject: Re: The Awakening of the Heirs Thu Aug 23, 2007 6:54 pm

~Rhi stares at the child in utter disbelief.~
"This...this is not possible. I have systems in place to prevent this..."
~She shakes her head, fresh tears coursing down her cheeks.~
"How could this happen?"
~She stares up at the man, then looks beyond him at her guards, comprehension dawning on her. She stands and raises her shaky voice over the murmurs of the crowd.~
"Where is Sirin?"
~A guard nearby shakes his head.~
"He disappeared around the time that the Haradian Empress died, Rhi. Did you not send him to Harad as your Ambassador?"
~Rhi breaks out into a stream of Aradnian expletives, then apologizes to the child, who merely laughs at the silliness of it all.~
"Sirin, my Grand General, was in charge of the systems I had to prevent poverty and starvation. In all the recent chaos, it did not even occur to me that I had sent him to Harad. I fear he may have died there."
~Having said the formal account of the cause of this horrific new trend in the Aradnian population, Rhi's voice cracks, belying her true depth of emotion. Clearing her throat, she shakes her head.~
"I shall simply have to give the possition to another of my Trusted..."

Subject: Re: The Awakening of the Heirs Sat Aug 25, 2007 3:05 pm

~The Man Who Walks the streets nameless walks up behind, Rhi placing a hand on her shoulder~
"I grieve your loss, Rhi."
~He kneels beside her~
"It's a shame when the gods feel time to take the life of a child childeren are the only innocence left in this world"
~He looks towards Rhi.~
"I will Protect you. I am yours."
~Then he stands up, scanning the scene, watching Rhi Cry.~

Subject: Re: The Awakening of the Heirs Sat Aug 25, 2007 3:07 pm

~Rhi glances at Sirin's second-in-command.~
"I suppose you know that this makes you the Grand General, then, Wolf?"

Subject: Re: The Awakening of the Heirs Sat Aug 25, 2007 3:16 pm

~The Man looks at Rhi.~
"You've never called me that before."
~The Man Thinks for a second.~
"I guess I'm forced to this job. I accept it."

Subject: Re: The Awakening of the Heirs Sat Aug 25, 2007 3:24 pm

~Rhi nods.~
"Good. You will begin immediately. You have all of Sirin's responsibilities, Wolf. Those are some big shoes you have to fill. Don't let me down."

Subject: Re: The Awakening of the Heirs Sat Aug 25, 2007 3:26 pm

~Wolf Laughs.~
"Let you down? I would never."

Subject: Re: The Awakening of the Heirs Sat Aug 25, 2007 3:32 pm

~Rhi smirks.~
"I doubt you will be able to live up to my standards, Wolf. Sirin was like a son to me."

Subject: Re: The Awakening of the Heirs Sat Aug 25, 2007 3:41 pm

~Wolf laughs more.~
"A son? Something has softened you up, Rhi?"
~Wolf sits and thinks.~
"Besides, Family is no need for my kind."

Subject: Re: The Awakening of the Heirs Sat Aug 25, 2007 3:44 pm

~Rhi frowns.~
"I raised him for 150 years, so, yes, a son..."
~She glances at him.~
"Everyone needs family, Wolf. Even the loners like yourself need someone."

Subject: Re: The Awakening of the Heirs Sat Aug 25, 2007 3:48 pm

~Wolf looks a little sad ~
"I've gone too long without family. I've become accustomed to loneliness...I checked a record from somewhere; I lost track of my age after my wife died and son ran away when I was about 132. I am 1709...that's 1577 years of Loneliness."

Subject: Re: The Awakening of the Heirs Sat Aug 25, 2007 3:57 pm

~Rhi places a hand on Wolf's shoulder.~
"You aren't alone. Aradni is your home. My people are your people. My friends and allies are your friends and allies."
~She smiles.~
"Don't you see, Wolf? You are my right hand."
~Rhi suddenly recalls the Saint.~
"Friend, forgive me. It will take some time for Wolf and I to fix this mess. In the mean-time, you are welcome to stay here, in Aradni. It is not often that foreigners are greeted with as little hostility as you have seen."

Subject: Re: The Awakening of the Heirs Sat Aug 25, 2007 4:00 pm

~Wolf twitches a little when Rhi's hand touches his shoulder~
"If I don't know these people, how are they my friends or allies?"
~Wolf looks around~
"Sorry if my sudden twitch scared...you the last time a Hume touched me, some few hundred years ago, it was to try and stab me."

Subject: Re: The Awakening of the Heirs Sat Aug 25, 2007 4:03 pm

~Rhi laughs.~
"Surely, Wolf, you can sense that I am not Hume? I am a Phoenix."

Subject: Re: The Awakening of the Heirs Sat Aug 25, 2007 4:07 pm

~Wolf looks ~
"Like I said, it's been a long time since I've let anyone or anything touch me, except for different creatures I've been in combat with."

Subject: Re: The Awakening of the Heirs Sat Aug 25, 2007 4:12 pm

~Rhi nods, silently assessing her new Grand General. She knows she will have to test the very limits of his endurance in the months to come. She only hopes that he lives up to Sirin's praise.~

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