Fantasy A Dance of Darkness and Light || Teh Dergon & StenWelf

[StoneWolf18]

Eris had gone to her room and laid down, needing to process the day’s events thoroughly. Kunosa was gone. The new guardian was chosen and now imbued with his element. His. A man of all things. Even though she thought bitterly about that, she knew it would have been worse. Such as a, king, queen, or princess to a large nation. Hell, even a human man would’ve made them weary considering how war hungry they are. Yet even with all that on her mind, the woman was able to slowly drift to an uneasy sleep. Although uneasy was much more of an understatement… A dream came to her, one that should’ve been pleasant but quickly turned sour. She was in the training hall with a rather young Kunosa . The girl finding it awfully funny at how she was able to run around the room at incomprehensible speeds. Eris normally would’ve scolded her but now within the thick of things, she laughed for the first time in weeks...

“You can’t catch me!” She sang in a child-like manner, grinning and giggling the whole while.

“Are you so sure about that?” The drow would reply, seemingly attempting to chase her even though the act itself would be hopeless.

Soon the young light guardian was unable to control herself, ramming straight into her mentor. The two laughing as they lay sprawled out together on the floor. Yet as she saw up and looked down at the child that was on top of her, the scene soon turned painfully morbid. The girl’s shape twisting and morphing into one of rather horrific proportions before it disintegrated into ash. Shocked by this sudden change, Eris barely had time to react when an extremely powerful gust of wind blew the remains of Kunosa's corpse away, the origin a figure at the other end of the hall. It was for the most part rather obscure but one thing was clear, it was masculine.

She blinked her eyes open as the concerned shape of Freya filled her field of view. “You were dreaming…” She murmured, it a statement rather than a question. Groggily Eris slowly rose to a sitting position, grumbling “I’m fine.” The older woman would tilt her head slightly, her eyes giving a very clear indication that she wasn’t buying it. “You were muttering her name in your sleep.” Cursing silently the dark elf raised a hand and ran it down her face, it coming away wet which only worsened her mood. “We all know you miss her dearly… if you were to-” She began but was quickly cut off. “Talking about it won’t help.” She muttered whilst moving to stand. “I strongly encourage you to do so. You slept through the night, he is waiting in the training hall. Afterwards you can get breakfast.” Eris didn’t bother suppressing a huff in annoyance. “So I have to make progress with him or I don’t get to eat.” Freya didn’t bother with a response as she just gave a small smile before exiting the room.

She tried to clear her mind of the dream, but bitterness and a slight worrisome pit in her stomach still remained. Was she going to be able to instruct the man or would there be more to it than teaching Kunosa? Are there going to be hidden complications? Those and many other questions buzzed around her mind, not realizing she had already reached the hall until a moment after standing out in the massive doorway. Sighing and giving her had a brief shake, Eris continued to see him standing there. “You’re here. Good.” She began emotionlessly, approaching so they stood a few feet apart in the large room. “We are going to start by being able to put your energy in a physical form. This is essential to all spells as even the smallest ones take the smallest amount of energy.” Bringing her hands together before her, she conjured a small ball of darkness which she played with absentmindedly. “Close your eyes and clear your mind. Take hold of that power within you and center it within your hands.” The elf did so and at first, nothing. Dispelling her own orb she began to frown. However when she opened her mouth to suggest something… it was lost to the wind. An aura began to surround the man, one that seemed much greater than Freya’s own. It was wild and having an intense light with a force to accompany it filling the room wasn't helping. Barely able to keep her balance, she tried to shout for him to stop but her words were inaudible as he did what she feared.

Centered it in his hands.

The blast was louder than any crack of thunder or rallying war cry as it collided with Eris, sending her back into the wall that had been at her back. Falling to the floor in a heap, she struggled to get air back into her lungs as she painfully tried to right herself from her place on the stone floor. Yet the others had already come running in, Freya’s eyes wide as she noticed the scene before her while Iiza and Phyrrha ran over to assist the guardian of darkness. Barely able to stand due to how hard she had hit the wall (there now being a clear spider web-esc crack where the impact occurred) it was certain Eris looked upon the new light guardian with genuine fear. “Take care of Eris.” Snapped Freya hastily, it being the first time in awhile that she had seemed so tense. “NOW!” She commanded, the four quickly exiting the room only leaving the two guardians. “This… this is impossible…” she muttered partially to herself while pacing around him although Glindir could hear her just fine. Pausing before him, her face had taken a considerably hard edge. Was it worry? Doubt? Suprise? Fear? Or a mix of all of them? “The aura you are now generating makes it seem as if you've been learning for centuries. Almost at my level. Which is why you had such a great effect upon Eris.”

While the conversation between the elf and nymph was occurring, said drow had been half lead half carried to the small dining area they had, sat in a high backed chair with reasonable cushion seeing as it was the head of the table where Freya was suppose to sit. Grabbing a glass Iiza conjured cold fresh water that softly splashed inside before lifting it to her lips. Drinking greedily she muttered after swallowing. “That man… he is either hiding something or…something is extremely wrong.”


@DergTheDergon

 

[DergTheDergon]

Glindir simply nodded at Eris's monotone instructions, deciding that he should wordlessly get this over with as best he could. He did as he was told, closing his eyes and drawing in a deep breath, beckoning forth the energies within him, these new feelings that had been stirring in him, powerful and nearly overwhelming. This apparent Light energy that stirred within him, it felt warm and comforting yet hot and nearly painful all at once. He felt as though his body was charged with more power than it could handle. Yet, at first, as he tried to mentally draw the energy down his arms and into his hands, there was nothing, as if his body itself was acting as a physical barrier. Then... it all came rushing forth at once, and Glindir's eyes shot open in surprise.

What he witnessed shocked him to his very core. As he felt the energy pulsing all around him, he saw Eris' lips trying in vain to form audible words over the pulsing of his manifested light. Then, all of a sudden... boom. Eris was sent flying by a shockwave accompanied by a blinding flash of light from Glindir's own hands, the elf himself unable to comprehend what was happening. 'This... must be some sort of dream... I can't have truly just done that...' The elf thought, looking down at Eris with just as much fear as he saw in the dark elf's own eyes, his fear being of his own power just as hers was. He stood there in utter shock and awe, staring down at his shaking hands, the hands that had just caused such devastation to a trained, powerful guardian, and one of the oldest ones to boot.

Freya's words were what eventually snapped the green-eyed, white-haired elf out of his confused stupor, the Nymph first yelling commandingly at her companions, then muttering to herself, then finally, her words directed at Glindir. His eyes widened at Freya's words. "Gods.... how is that possible?!" He exclaimed, balling his hands into tight, shaking fists at his sides. He looked down, and quietly asked a question. "How difficult do you think it will be to learn to control this power? I must, if I am to be a guardian and not simply a destructive force without meaning to be. I beg you to teach me, Freya... you are the wisest, and have the best chance of helping me not to harm another fellow guardian. If this is my fate... I want to give my all." This fierce passion had come from nowhere, as if Light itself was awakening it within him.

StoneWolf18

 

[StoneWolf18]

Freya sighed as he said this, knowing that the man was going to be rather eager to want to control his newfound ability. And so she held her own hands out, gesturing for him to take hold as he had done with Eris moments before. "I'm going to do the opposite of what I normally do with much younger and normally frightened girls. Instead of pushing you further by adding to your energy pool, I am going to subtract from it until it is at a more manageable level." Before he could protest, she already had begun trying to find where his was. And similar to the last time, there was nothing. Which only further confused the Earth guardian as he seemed to contain as much power as a mortal. But then... it found her. The force behind it was so sheer and unexpected that her mouth had partially opened in a soundless cry, now trying to siphon some of it off.

Yet there were two problems.

It was resisting.

And it seemed bottomless.

Quickly she was beginning to feel sick as his light began to unbalance her earth, forcing her to suddenly break the connection between them. The energy soon left the room as quickly as it had appeared, Freya appearing extremely unsteady on her feet, swaying dangerously, not responding with a dazed look in her green eyes. So it wasn't much a surprise when she finally slumped to the floor, unless the man would catch her.

Meanwhile Iiza was tending to Eris while Pyrrha was retrieving things for her. It was mainly various books to try and figure out what was happening with Glindir. In response to her comment that something was wrong, Pyrrha rolled her eyes. “No shit… when I first got here I could barely light a candle.” Iiza sighed. “You could, your rebellious self just didn't want too. Just kept complaining and saying how such a big scary dragon you were.” The woman in question frowned in embarrassment, muttering something along the lines of “Blame my damned father” as Eris reached for one for one of the book, wincing at the pain the movement caused while her ribs were realigning themselves. “Are you two done yet?”

Apparent they were, but before they had barely began looking, Eris frowned as she read over what appeared the oldest tome in the bunch they had. It was a holy book of sorts, or something that resembled one. Explaining that the guardians were actually gods in a corporeal form and that they were to be worshiped as such. It sounded like nonsense, people being burnt to ash as a sacrifice to the guardian of fire, drowned to water, and so on. The depictions of the guardians appeared rather off too, standing at unnatural heights with unpleasant scowls upon their faces. Extremely unnerved by this, Eris cleared her throat before setting it down upon the table open. “You might want to read this.”

DergTheDergon

 

[DergTheDergon]

Glindir stared Freya in the eyes somberly, his expression one of frustration at himself. He then began carefully stretching his hands towards hers although Glindir had no clear idea of what she might be planning. Then, he thought of something. "But are you certain-" She cut him off by taking his hands forcibly, not allowing him to caution her based on Eris's adverse reaction to his disproportionate power. At first, again, he felt nothing, and found himself relaxing. Perhaps Freya was far more prepared to deal with this than Eris was.

But, she wasn't, to the dismay of both new and veteran guardian. Once again, it all came rushing out of Glindir at once, and it hit the earth guardian, hard. Glindir watched in abstract horror as he witnessed her receive intense pain from the experience, so much so that she broke the connection seemingly out of a need to do so for her own safety and/or sanity. Suddenly, he realized the light was gone. It must've worked, whatever she did... but as Glindir looked upon Freya's dazed face, and saw her body sway unsteadily, he realized that her victory had come at quite the cost. "Freya!" He called out, in vain. He sprung forward to catch her, and was barely able to do so before she seemingly passed out.

Glindir looked down into her closed eyes with sympathy once he had her steadily in his arms, holding her princess-style. She was the most powerful among the guardians but could not handle the power of the new guys... that just wasn't right at all. Something was afoot here, something out of thier control.

Glindir sighed, and decided to follow after the other guardians, and hopefully find at least one of them, likely two or more thankfully. He walked carefully while holding the unconscious Freya gently, a look of utter bewilderment and shock on his face. Once he met a guardian, he explained before they said anything. "She tried to subtract from my energy pool, lessen the impact. It worked but.. well..." no explanation was needed.

StoneWolf18

 

[StoneWolf18]

The two crowded next to her and examined the pages that were on display, both gaining different expressions that shared one common theme. Pure confusion. "What the fuck?" Pyrrha commented, thinking their thoughts out loud although in a noticeably more bulgur fashion. But before they could even begin to discuss it further, Glindir walked into the kitchen with a limb Freya in hand, explaining what had occurred in a rush. Moving to take the earth guardian from his hands, Iiza cursed under her breath. "Take her to her room." She instructed, her lover doing so as the water guardian took a seat, running a hand down her face. Eris now passed him a wary glance, stating "Do not try to use your power until we figure out what is causing this. We don't need the stronghold to collapse or someone to be killed." But the man didn't respond, appearing suck within a daze of sorts before his eyes rolled back in his head. The whites taking on a pure glow as a deep laugh erupted from his throat, one that was clearly not his own. "My my, this is surely entertaining." What was once Glinder mused as Pyrrha would return. "Uh... are you okay?" She asked him, he flashing her a grin. "Never better my dear. Possessing someone is quite invigorating." At this Iiza frowned deeply and stood. "Who are you and what do you want?" "Isn't it obvious? It's the very element that he is bound to of course. Although my previous name has been lost to time, you all surely know me by one much more common." Eris spoke up this time. "And why would Light gave any reason to speak to us?" Light shrugged. "I wanted to stop in, say hello, maybe romp in the hay a bit...." before his eyes narrowed and voice took a much darker turn. "I am here to give you all a warning. This world is a rotting cesspool, boiling over with the disgusting darkness humanity has scummed to. And instead of letting it fester, I am going to burn the rot away, start anew on a mound of ash that is as moldable as wet clay. And nothing will stand before me. So I suggest pledging your allegiance as soon as possible, before it is much too late." With that the glow left the eyes of the man he had possessed, his now drained body failingly limp to the floor.

They quickly got him to his room, the three rather rattled over the strange encounter. And as they shut the door and turned around, they were startled by the sudden appearance of Freya. She looked fatigued with dark rings beneath her eyes but steady. "He contacted you." She demanded. "Didn't he."

They hastily recounted what had occurred, the guardian of earth cursing and entering the man's room, checking to see if he was alright.

DergTheDergon

 

[DergTheDergon]

Glindir gently released Freya as Iiza motioned to take her from him, watching Phyrra leave with her with a deeply concerned look on his face. Glindir began to feel strange at this moment, as if something was wrong with him, but simply chalked it up to having become a guardian. He then turned and looked Eris in the eyes, then his vision blurred, fading away, something not allowing him to respond to her at all. He was unconscious while Light had control over him, his mind having gone entirely blank, his green eyes glazed over with light.


Glindir woke with a start, nearly jumping out of the bed, his eyes darting all around him. He remembered, after a few confusing, terrifying moments, that this place was indeed his home now... but how had he gotten here? The last thing he remembered was bringing the unconscious Freya to the other Guardians, her being taken in order to rest, and Eris saying... something to him. That's when the memory faded. Glindir rubbed at his temples with one hand and he sat cross-legged in bed, the world blurry around him and a ringing in his ears, as if something had been messing with his head. He sat like this for several long moments, looking down until his head shot upright facing the door, Gildir hearing someone come in.

His eyes widened at who he saw... it was Freya, looking a little worse-for-wear, but certainly awake. "Freya... wh-what... happened?" He managed groggily, slurring his words slightly.

StoneWolf18

 

[StoneWolf18]

Freya approached, leaving the other three outside as she began speaking so only he could hear. ”Glindir…” she began slowly, as if trying to figure out how to explain this to the man. ”You had been… possessed… by Light. The current embodiment of the element you guard.” Giving him a moment to mull that over, she would continue. ”He was warning us apparently, telling us that he will stop at nothing to restart the world. Destroy all the progress that has been made before beginning it again himself. Don't ask me why he would want to do such a thing, it is beyond me.” Listening to his final thoughts she would nod, stating ”Please try and get some rest. If he tries to talk to you again, tell me immediately.” And with that she turned and left, clearly distraught over the current turn of events.

Most of their time from then on was spent trying to figure out why Light would do such a thing. They spoke for hours, Pyrrha’s suggestions while beginning rather humorous becoming repetitive and dull. “Maybe… his whore’s pissed him off?” She threw in, resting her head on her arms with a painfully bored look upon her face. The earth guardian sent her a sharp look, it being the first time they had seen her so agitated in a long while, if ever for that matter. ”We’re getting nowhere…” She groaned before cursing. ”All of you… just go get some sleep. I'll try to find something-” But Iiza cut her off. “I will only go to bed if you do as well, believe it or not trying to take some of his energy drained you earlier.” Now Eris had become curious. “But… did it work in limiting his power?” The nymph had a defeated look upon her face as she shook her head. ”No… I believe that.. his pool of energy is bottomless for when I made that connection, I felt as if I was drowning in it…” Trailing off, her brow furrowed as if she had just realized something. And in fact, she did. ”If Light would want to take over the world he couldn't do it alone… so of course he would be giving the new guardian such capabilities! Why didn't I realize this earlier…” As that was said, the half-dragon nodded and eagerly stood. “Great so can we go sleep now?”

Eris entered her bedroom, the door shutting behind her, not bothering to light the braziers as she made her way over to her bed. Not wasting any time in quickly falling onto the piece of furniture. Today didn’t seem all that fatiguing but mentally she was absolutely destroyed. It wasn’t that far fetched considering everything was rushing at her at once. From Kunosa disapearing to Glindir being male and now Light wanting to take over the world… she didn’t have much longer to mull over the subject as she soon fell asleep.

Or so she thought…

Her eyes were forced open to view a landscape devoid of everything but a thick coating of ash that was occasionally stirred by a faint wind. A desolate landscape… he said he wanted to burn away the rot… was this what Light wanted to accomplish? Having not expected such a thing, her eyes remained wide, taking a small step back, boot sinking in the soft material.

“Terrifying… isn’t it?” A gentle voice spoke up behind her. Somewhat startled, Eris turned to see a woman. She was abnormally pale, thin and could be taken as small if she didn’t stand around eight feet tall. Immediately making the connection, the woman’s throat seemed to tighten, eyes widening further at the sight of Dark. Unsure what to say as it wasn’t common to see yourself before the equivalent of a goddess. But she simply kept speaking. “This is what Light wants to do to the world. Burn it all until there is nothing left but a heap of ash that he can shape ot his will.” The element soon faced the drow with a softer expression than one would expect from someone perceived as so dark. “Why?” Eris finally managed to speak. “How would he ever accomplish such a thing if he was the only one with such a goal?” Her expression fell slightly, as if trying to remain composed. “He has already changed Fire’s mind for when she was mortal, she hadn’t had the best experience with mankind. And so she was easy to...sway.” Her tone had grown somewhat saddened by this point. “Even if you help… how are we supposed to fight them off sound they direct attacks towards us?” She could hear her voice growing desperate, the weight of the past few days settling heavily upon her shoulders. “I’m rather glad you asked that…” Dark murmured before holding out a hand, conjuring a blade out of the very substance she presided over. “Please, do not take this the wrong way. Darkness had been so corrupted over the many years that there is no other way.” And with that she rushed forward, sending it through the woman’s heart.

It seemed to occur in slow motion. The amount of pain that was generated until it met its mark. Her body falling limp as the woman soon leaned over her, but her vision didn’t fade. But rather she remained conscious, the sword impaled within her chest as the element leaned over her, placing her hands on the hilt and forcing it in deeper. Even more pain blossomed from this, Eris having stars dance across her vision as it numbed her mind. Finally, however, she removed it from the hole in the chest cavity. But as her eyes looked upon the metal, she instantly noticed that something was wrong. Her blood hadn’t stained it but something much darker, thicker, and apparently with a mind of its own as it wound its way down, eager to replace the blood she hat lost with itself. By now the blade had been dispelled, Dark kneeling beside her, whispering as if speaking to a frightened child. “Sleep….”
~~~~~
Pyrrha was finally glad that’d she be able to get some shut eye for once. The past few nights she hadn’t been sleeping well, and with this new turn of events, it was safe to say that there was just another thing to throw onto her already full plate. Collapsing into bed with a sigh and extinguishing the torches with a wave of her hand, the woman gladly drifted off.

Moments later the fire guardian was standing upon the edge of a tall cliff face, the expanse far below her rather a rather beautiful combination of rolling hills and thick forests. Then someone walked up beside her, someone she definitely wasn't expecting. The woman stood much taller than herself, broad with brown hair and eyes glistening as if backlit by flames. “Where do you believe we are?” Fire asked curious, not taking her eyes off of something in the distance. Something she couldn't quite see. Returning her eyes to the sight below, Pyrrha was slow to come up with an answer after realizing who she was speaking to. “I-I'm not sure… somewhere on earth?” The element chuckled deeply. “Yes, that is correct. But this isn't the rotted earth you inhabit, no. It is what Light wants to create. A world without such blackened pits, bubbling with vile hatred and cruelty.” The guardian frowned for this isn't what Light had said earlier. “But he wants to burn it all to ash…” she commented, trailing off. “So things can begin anew.” Facing the smaller woman now, she continued. “I know humanity has forsaken you. If you hadn't become a guardian I'm sure you'd be stuck in some cave at your father's clutches, or a king’s favorite and exotic whore. Do you not agree?” Pyrrha's expression faltered as her eyes didn’t rise so meet the ones intensely looking down on her. “I…” she replied hesitantly, knowing that she was right. “And because you were told all your life that you were nothing but a mutt, a toy to be thrown around and sold to the highest bidder, wouldn't you want to rid the world of such evil so no one would have to suffer a similar fate?” All she could do was nod, having trouble processing the situation. “Then join with me and Light. I’ll give you the power that you deserve, the one that had been taken from you when you took traits from your mother.”

Silence fell over them for a good few minutes before Pyrrha looked up, a newfound determination within her reptilian eyes as she nodded once more. “I will stand by you.” A smile then touched Fire’s lips as she simply stated “Good.” Before a fierce pain erupted through the smaller woman’s body, a cry escaping her lips as she fell to her knees. It was a fierce burning sensation that she had long forgotten about ever since she began immune to heat and flames. Everything hurt as if it were being compressed and stretched at the same time, with her eyes squeezed shut, she briefly opened them to look at her hands. They had taken the appearance of smoldering embers, cracks glistening and glowing, giving the appearance of molten rock beneath within her veins. But the sight couldn't have been beheld much longer as the pain reached unfathomable heights. Her eyes shut once more as everything went numb, her mind threatening to give out. “Don't resist.” Fire scolded her. “It will only make it that much more painful.”

And so, she didn't. The last burst of pain so great her mind soon was unable to comprehend the situation, responding in the only way it could. Unconsciousness.
~~~~~
Iiza was reluctant to leave Freya alone considering she most likely wasn't going to sleep. But she did so anyway, as to not stress the woman further. Moving into her room, she momentarily glanced at the pool of water in the corner before climbing onto her bed. Oddly enough, an odd exhaustion soon took hold of her, coaxing the woman to ever so slowly fall asleep.

Her visions was suddenly filled with a rather terrifying view. She was gazing out at a distant shoreline, it nothing but a heap of ash and dust. The sky was blackened and dark, sunlight seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time, due to it being impossible to detect through the haze within the sky. Glancing down at where she stood, Iiza had a choked cry escaped her lips a she stood on a mound of the same substance, it barely large enough for her to fit both of her feet upon its surface, the frothing dark water that surrounded her licking at her boots. “You seem afraid.” A deep, feminine voice said behind her, the dark skinned guardian turning and almost losing her balance as she saw a towering woman seemingly standing upon the water beside her. A tanned complexion with dirty blonde hair spilling over her shoulders, her eyes an impossibly deep blue. Iiza took a moment to take this in, struggling to force her words out. “What is this?” Water’s expression worsened. “What Light wants to accomplish. The fool is hellbent set on burning the world to ash, and with it, tainting the water so no life would survive in its depths.” “He couldn't!” She exclaimed, still not fully comprehending the situation at hand. “But he will try…” Water said with a grimace. “He…” she trailed off, clearly choosing her words carefully. “Corrupted Fire… she now siding with him.” Iiza felt as if she had taken a blow to the chest, all the air leaving her lugs a she heard this. “Does that mean-” “Yes it unfortunately does.” Water said with a sigh, her expression softening. “But, if you are willing to help defend against this utter madness, I can give you the tools to accomplish such a thing.” Pure despair, grief, and the beginning of a fierce hatred began to flow through her, the guardian saying “Yes… I am…”

Just then Water would flick her wrist, the small pile of ash disappearing from beneath her feet. Giving a cry Iiza was quickly lost beneath the festering current, sinking ever so deeper as she thrashed her limbs, the vile substance already having filler her open mouth. The feeling of drowning, one she had never felt before, was utterly terrifying. Even more when the light from above faded from her view, being submerged in darkness.
~~~~~
Freya was still up. Pouring over different tomes and scrolls, trying to find any bit of information useful. Her candle had run dangerously low, floating in a pool of its own wax as she skimmed yet another page, setting it down with a faint huff of defeat. She was getting nowhere.

A few minutes later she began to feel the combined exhaustion of that day settling upon her rather heavily. ’I’ll sleep for a moment…’ the guardian thought to herself, compelled to move the clutter out of the way and rest her head on her arms, quickly falling asleep.

Her eyes were opened upon a rather horrific display of a dead forest. Trees nothing but gnarled trunks twisting their rotten way into the sky, bones of various deceased animals scattered along the ground among the ash. Concern flashed across her features, reaching out a hand to touch one of the trees, its scorched surface crumbling slightly underneath her touch. “It isn't the most pleasant site.” A kind voice sounded behind her. Turning, Freya’s eyes brightened for the first time in a long while upon seeing a familiar face. Feeling akin to a child once more, she smiled wide rushing towards the woman. ”Earth!” she exclaimed, the element kneeling down an embracing her as she had done many years ago. “It's lovely to see you too, my dear.” Earth greeted her, although releasing and allowing the guardian to step back. “However I wish it was under better circumstances…” Freya nodded, her face talking upon a more solemn appearance. ”I'm assuming this is about Light.” The taller woman nodded, gesturing to the display around her. “This is what he wants, Fire has already aligned with him.” Freya cursed softly before sighing deeply. ”What are we to do to stop him?” A small smile appeared on Earth’s lips. “This.”

Pressing her hand to the ground beside Freya, fresh green vines soon sprouted from the covering of ash, the guardian about to ask something out of confusion but stopped as the vines began to wind their way around her. ”Earth…” She breathed slowly, the cocoon soon winding its way up around her waist. “Don't worry dear, I'll be just fine.” The element assured her as the vines continued up her torso, binding her arms to her sides until they finally reached her head. But they didn't act as she expected. They forced their way down her throat as her vision was cut off, quickly suffocating her. “It’ll be over soon.” Earth cooed as the guardian’s vision faded.
~~~~~
By now the whole stronghold was silent. Deathly so. Should someone awake and explore the halls, it would be a rather uneasy experience.

DergTheDergon

 

[DergTheDergon]

Glindir stared into Freya's eyes with a mix of shock, horror and disbelief as she said he was possessed by light, and that light, an element that most folk associated with benevolence and purity, wanted to destroy the world. Begin it anew instead of allow it to fade away, but no less malevolent in Glindir's eyes. There was so much beauty and good in this world, as much as there was pain and ugliness. Glindir clenched his fists as he listened, nodding in understanding after a short while of simply sitting there and trying in vain to comprehend what he had just been told. "I... see... I will certainly let you know if it occurs again.... if I am... aware of it that time, at least..." Glindir sighed, rubbing his temple.s He still had a massive headache, so when Phyrra said that he should get some rest, he promptly began lying back down. "I have no intention of following light's whims, Freya... I just wanted you to know that," he said just before Freya left the room. The fatigued elf closed his golden eyes, eyes altered by light, and drifted to sleep once more only a moment later.

Glindir awoke atop a hill, towering above a beautiful landscape that seemed to have come straight from a painting: serene, perfect, untouched nature amidst a golden sunrise. Standing right in from of him, as Glindir slowly sat up, was a tall, lean, blonde-haired man with striking golden eyes and hair that seemed to flow down his shoulder like a golden-silk waterfall. His expression was a calm, serene smile. "Light, I presume?" Glindir said, a cautious and nearly hostile edge to his tone. "Yes, Glindir, it is I. There is no need for the hositlity in your voice, young elf." "Oh? Your mad ploy to destroy the world is not cause for that?" Light laughed, a joyous sounded that, despite Glindir's dispositon towards his element at the moment, lifted his spirits a little, along with Light's unsettlingly serene expression. "Oh Glindir, you make it sound so barabaric. Look all around you... this is what your people's homeland will look like once I am done with it." Glindir's eyes widened, lookin frantically all around him... it did look a lot like the hill overlooking his home village. "But you'll have to end the the lives of countless innocents to do this!" "Child," Light said, shaking his head as if he was lecturing a small boy on simple morals. "The people are suffering... there will be no suffering in the world I will create. Do you know how this place will look in 5 years, give or take, after a powerful human nation finally decides they want to rid the world of elves?"

Light snapped his fingers, and the scenery before Glindir changed rapidly and drastically. Trees died, villages below were burned and reduced to ash, and over time more and more trees disappeared until there was a massive swath of stumps where the forest usedto be. "This is what they will do to your land if you allow the current evil societies to rule the world." Glindir stared in shock at the scene below him, tears welling in his eyes. he had to admit... light had him right where he wanted him.

"let's pretend for a moment that I believe you," Glindir said coldly. "What will happen to my family, to those i am close to? To me?" "I will keep them all safe, move you all to my realm while the world is rebuilding. I will give you the final say in this, and will not take control unless you want me to... but if you allow me, I will grant the power for you to make all the change you want to see in the world, and then, to live in a new world devoid of the evil and suffering that suffocates this world."

Glindir was silent for a long while, not feeling as though he should say anything at all. Light simply smiled at him, and after a long while, spoke up again. "One more thing... Fire also believes in my vision for the world. Phyrra could be a valuable ally... you will soon find that the other guardians resent you now anyway, fro being assiciated with me... it is your choice."

With tha,t Glindir found himself waking with a start, sitting bolt upright, a cold sweat coating his chest and forehead. He knew... that dream was far more than a dream.

Glindir had to to tell Freya. Light had talekd to him again and Freya was likely the only one who knew how to resist Light if he tried to take things into his own hands... but Glindir knew, deep down, that a part of him agreed with Light, a small part of him he tried to push down into the depths of his mind as he threw on some clothing and went looking for Freya, carefully navigating in the dark. it was quiet in the halls, eerily so, even with the others lieklyasleep. Something was wrong... had all the Elments meddled with thier guaridans? Glindir feared the wors,e and began to all but run towards where he remembered Freya's chambers were.

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