[ ! ] A grain in the sands of time [Complete]

[Era]

The Nightfall had just occurred. Devastation had shown its face across the marred city that once boasted its bright, warm color scheme to the world. Most of the buildings were in shambles. The land had been scarred with fissures and cracks that had told of the way Twilight Town had been brought to its knees. The everlasting sunset had traded places with an unending night and the world had gained an eerie undertone. What measly light drifted down from the evening sky was poor, only weakly illuminating the planet in shades of mysterious indigo. On this particular day the air was warm and dry. A building to the left had been late to shed its last few bricks, one final protest against the sudden demolishing gust that swept its wings across the world.

In this particular corner of the Market Street, tucked into a back alley and largely unnoticed, a huge sphere rested. Its girth was covered in frosty fractals. It would have appeared to be the work of magic, though without further inspection the sphere would remain nothing more than an out-of-place object amidst an apocalyptic purple scenery.

(Thread status: Open! Requesting participation.)

[Jin]

Jin had only been in this strange, new world for a little over a day, but he was already starting to grow tired of the setting. The people took to slinking in the shadows, the sky was empty and bleak, and the strange monsters that had also attacked Tamnia seemed to be here in great numbers as well. The town was small - Jin still hesitated to call it a world - and not that hard to learn his way around, but there had to be some source of food or water out there that hadn't been entirely destroyed.

There had to be something out beyond the walls. Worlds weren't set to one town. The merchants that sometimes occupied the marketplace needed to get their stock from somewhere. There was no way that a source of fresh water and some farm to grow crops could be that hard to find. And yet, Jin still found himself wandering through the market as he looked for some new door that he'd yet to spot. How long would it take before he snapped and started punching holes in walls? Hopefully that was still some time away.

As he walked, something caught his eye. The two grey orbs flickered over to something he'd yet to see, and with a swift step he closed the distance - a trail of static stemming behind him indicating his use of speed. Whatever it was, it looked at least a little important.

The large sphere of artistically patterned ice definitely hadn't just formed here naturally. Someone or something had to be behind it or...

Maybe the creator was inside?

Cautiously, Jin drew one of his blades and charged an electric current through it. Taking the blunt edge of the weapon, he tapped against the surface of the sphere cautiously, sparks shooting out in every direction each time the weapon made contact with the object.

"Not something you see every day," Jin commented to himself as he looked quizzically to whatever it was he'd stumbled upon.

[Cora Williams]

Down the street of the Market came what seemed to be a little girl, passing her time by casually walking through to get a third glance of the shops.  She felt she was, more or less, ready to open her business finally.  A quick look to tell her what supplies she would need was in order.

That, and a silly, improvised song.

"And, we will find our precious thing
Or precious someone

Let's not give in to dispair
Our quest is won

There is danger here
But it will disappear
And we'll keep our cheer!

Now there is a ball
it kind of looks like ice

Hey, it's that guy from before,
He seemed really nice

If a little strict
but that's okay
because he helped to save the day

Look, they have apples!
I want some nommy noms

I think I have some change
Lets go and get some

I'll treat myself today
Hold on what they hey! That ball wasn't there before, was it?!"

Seemed it was enough to distract her from her silly song.

Okay, new problem. That looks very interesting! I gotta have a look!

Mana here to counter point: It is new and shiney, meaning other people will come, meaning strangers.

Okay, fair point, we should just walk away!

Or we could investigate and see what it's all about!

Mana, not helping! I'm just going to walk away!

Yeah, better safe than sorry. Still, one has to wonder where it came from and why it's there now. It could be made of some kind of neat stuff that could be handy for synthesis... Cora? You... you still wi- WHOOOAAAAAA!!!

With a burst of wind, she was suddenly in front of the ice ball, inspecting every angle of it for any part she could break off. Even the smallest sample would be perfect for synthesis research.

[Era]

Each time the energy from Jin’s swords made contact, the orb would glow a bit and a quiet ethereal hum would throb not from the sphere itself but from everywhere within the immediate area. It was a beautiful sound: inhuman and empyrean, yet quiet and peaceful.

The air was cooler the closer one got to the large sphere. Upon inspection it appeared that there was a clearing in the layers of feathery hoarfrost. It was only a small window between the reaching white fingers that stretched across the surface. Through the clearing one might have been able to see someone frozen inside.

The figure distinguishable through the blur had been frozen with one hand clasped to the other just in front of her chest. Her upper body had been curled in to emphasize an action just before she had been placed in stasis. Frozen in suspended animation, poised in the perfect position to make a strike, a small black dragon clung over her shoulder.

Despite whatever this scene meant there was a small touch of peace that seemed to settle over the scene, were anyone looking for it.

What had spread over the immediate area was a sensation that quietly moved the soul. If it was a good movement or a bad movement was difficult to say; it may have varied person to person. The entire scene was strange, a bit incongruous perhaps, but one that hinted of a gorgeous magic. Just what sort of magic, outside of the sphere of ice that sat boldly amidst Twilight Town’s ruins, was anyone’s guess.

What was certain was that there was an individual inside this formation, cryogenically untouched by time. And there was no immediate understanding of how to break the stasis.

The feeling in the air here seemed to echo with what once had been strong emotions. Perhaps the key to this puzzle had to do with a stirring of the heart?

[Jin]

The resonance that echoed through the ice and permeated the surrounding area as Jin's energy met the object sent a chill through the surrounding area. If there was danger, Jin didn't sense it. In fact, there didn't seem to be any ill intent in the air. That was surprising, given the state of the town that Jin was now forced to call home. Usually a leftover scrap of bread was enough to start a fight around here. Finding somewhere that was actually tranquil? That was rare.

Of course, that moment of tranquility was quick to be tarnished by the appearance of a chipper young girl. Cora - if Jin was remembering her name right - wasted no time in bounding across the area on some whim or another. From what Jin had gathered, this girl was incredibly impulsive and simplehearted. That innocence would only serve to get her hurt eventually, but the same could be said for every child. Because of that, Jin paid the girl no mind.

"What are you going to do if you get stuck to that thing, exactly?" he question absently as he circled the sphere of frost. His eyes took in every detail as best they could, looking for some weakness or sign of melting. At first glance, there was nothing. However, upon closer inspection the window into the ice became clear.

There was a girl in the ice, seemingly generating the power that kept it frozen as it was. A small, lizard-like creature rested on her shoulder within. By Jin's estimates, she was probably okay. If the ice along with the energy permeating the area belonged to her, then so long as it wasn't melting she should be okay. Still, what was the point of it?

With his free hand, Jin slowly pressed down on the chilled container's surface and streamed more of his energy into it. He took a breath, shut his eyes, and began to focus on the feeling that permeated the air and the girl that was supposedly generating it.

He didn't like to pry into minds, but with situations like this exceptions had to be made. If anything was going to go wrong, the answers Jin was looking for would be found in the mind of the person who created the situation. Though, if they were asleep, this might require something a bit deeper than standard telepathy. That was fine; if he had to dig deeper, he would.

'Hey. Anyone awake in there?' he projected. It was the equivalent of a mental handshake; responding would establish the connection between their minds and allow the conversation to begin. A rejection would mean that it was time to leave well enough alone. If there was no response, things would have to get a bit trickier. 'Do you know where you are?'

Jin's ability to detect thought was mostly empathic, but when it came right down to it you could communicate just as well with emotions as you could with words. In fact, getting to the root of a feeling was probably a more direct method of coming to understand someone. He would just have to hope that whoever was inside the sphere was friendly.

[Cora Williams]

She didn't expect to be welcomed with such a cool breeze upon her arrival. It was pleasant and gentle, at least as far as she could comprehend. She couldn't help but play with the coolness a little, leading a small breeze to swirl around her in order to feel the coolness more directly. It took her a minute to realized that a question was asked.

Was it directed at her? There was no else around, so maybe it was her.

"Um... Well, if I do get stuck, then I just need a little bit of warm water," she replied politely, "though, I don't have any on me. I'll keep my distance..."

Not that it will stop you. Your curiosity is peeked.

There is a magical sphere thingy of ice, and it's making for a very serene scene! I am totally taking some for synthesis experimentation later!

I am beginning to see why Mogen worries so much about you.

Returning to her inspection, she did take notice of the special surprise inside.

"Whoa, there's a someone inside!" She exclaimed, taking a step back. "I've heard of 'Prisoner of Ice' but I thought that was only in fiction! I wonder if she is someone of great importance then."

Considering all of the books you read, that is very likely.

Mana, it's not always like in the books! She is not a princess or a chosen one who is meant to bring balance between Light and Darkness by mastering all magic! Don't be silly!

So, what about the lizard that looks ready to bite at a moments notice?

Obviously that's her spirit guide!

You need to stop reading books, Cora.

"BLASPHEMY!" Cora cried out. She only then realized what she said out loud. A quick look showed her that the one with her was kind of busy focusing on something else. She sighed in relief.

Yet what he seemed to be doing was interesting to her. He seemed to know what he was doing. Maybe if she followed suit?

Thus, placing both hands on the sphere, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as he did. She wasn't really sure what to expect, but if it did something helpful...

The wind whispered of a strong... Something to her. Whatever it was, she was pretty certain she wasn't the only one who noticed it. It felt like... An emotion?

Wind... If you know something, tell me please! I'm already too curious to let this go, and if by chance help is needed.... With what little magic she knew, she focused on the air in the vacinity. It always whispered to her when she was in danger, and it always guided her when she needed it most. Maybe it could shed some extra light on this emotion she was sensing? Or perhaps this was completely unrelated to her wind, and a different approach was required?

Or maybe she was full of herself and no where near the level of skill needed to gain something like that. It was time to see just how much control over her magic she truly did have.

[Dilan]

Patrols of what was once a great city always made Dilan somber, as he protected those who couldn't protect themselves well enough. Thoughts of his time with the Organization, watching the Battle of 1000 Heartless happen in Radiant Garden, besieging other worlds, and now this, filled him with an immense amount of guilt. He had once been a proud guardian, but he was reduced to nothing but a puppet meant for Xehanort's agenda. This he would atone for, and with every strike of his lance, he strengthened that resolve. He felt closer to the light with each person he helped, though he still couldn't see it entirely.

Still, patrols brought him to pay attention to strange activity. One person walking into an alleyway wasn't particularly suspicious, but when another followed, that caught his eye. He stopped his walk down Market Street when the second person entered, and watched briefly before retracing his steps, looking down. Watching the two figures was mysterious, but what was stranger was the orb of ice that seemed to have formed at the end of the alley - and what was inside it. He could see a person preserved in it, obviously in a deep sleep. This merited a closer investigation, but he wanted to keep quiet until he was sure it was safe. It took a small spell, but suddenly, he stepped on wind alone, making no sound with his footfalls. Closer he moved forward, watching the man with the blades and the energetic youth closely as they investigated, both eventually touching the orb.

Having determined no threat, he began to draw closer, but stopped when another wind formed, though the source eluded him for a second. He expected an enemy, but calmed when realizing it came from the youth, a small current she seemed to be making herself. The Whirlwind Guardian found himself smiling a little bit, thinking how endearing it was to see another user of his element. This convinced him to step forward and join the two, and though he said nothing, he gave them a nod of acknowledgment as he investigated the sphere himself.

Cold to the touch, and no flaws... It certainly wasn't natural, and that both intrigued and concerned him. Regardless, he joined the other two, but where they were reaching out, he simply focused his wind, as well. The kid might have been onto something. Where her gusts were whispers, his were a little bit stronger, enough to blow off hats if anybody had been wearing one. She would note, however, that his magic seemed to react to hers, almost as if she could take ahold of it and use it as well...

[Era]

An answer; a sign of life; a whisper of sentience beyond the frozen sphere that encased the two beings locked in a stasis. The chill wind that swirled across the fresh ruins would reveal no such secrets. There was only silence to respond to all three attempts at contact. A disheartening answer, but for the consciousness that dwindled on a plane between reality and the ethereal, time wasn't fixed: it was in flux.

Another minute would pass. Two. Three, even. By now perhaps the crowd had been lost. Perhaps none would have lingered to listen. For usually an answer would have come by now. And who could be blamed for turning away? None of them.

Finally there had come a returned attempt at contact: not on a voracious burst of wind, but on the wings of a whispering breeze. It was quiet, almost distant. It wasn't entirely a statement. It wasn't entirely audible, but it would echo along the wavelengths of the souls of her audience. The reply was a simple one: nothing more than the echo of a baseline idea.

   ...  I am assured.                                         

Fighting back from the ethereal between, the being trying to communicate had also left an emotional impression on the one who could feel it: like a faint heartbeat came a pulse. To any who could see it, it looked aqua in color with green undertones. The primal sensation was trust.

There was naught more than that. The atmosphere would seem to lighten once again, returning to the tranquility and the soft cool that had first welcomed these onlookers. It would seem that was all that any who still listened would hear.

[Jin]

Time had a funny way of working. At times, when you were engaged in what you were doing, you could lose your sense of time and be entirely absorbed into the moment you were working inside of. However, just because time stopped for you didn't mean that the rest of the world would wait for you to finish. You'd be responsible for catching up with time on your own.

At other times, though, the seconds seemed to drag by as one slowly bled into the next. This could happen for any number of reasons, but waiting for something had to be the most common.

Jin was feeling time drag on now as his hand remained planted firmly on the ice. The energy in the air was as stagnant as it had been when he first arrived here, but the fact that there was energy at all meant that the girl and her pet had to be at least somewhat alive.

Patience was a skill that he'd honed alongside his swordsmanship. With proper motivation, he could empty his head and tune out the flow of time with the best of them. In that vein, he removed the still-sheathed swords from his belt and placed them on the ground in front of him. He sat, legs crossed and the hand that was not still connected to the ice rested against his now exposed inner thigh.

He ignored the two that had come to observe the ice, pushing their presences and their energies out of his mind entirely as he allowed his mind to take in the bigger picture; to stretch out and grab at all the details that formed the surrounding area until his closed eyes were no longer a hindrance to his senses. He was focused, he was aware, and most of all he was open.

The response came after time that Jin could no longer be bothered to keep track of, and it resounded across his senses as clearly as any voice could be.

Back on Tamnia, it wasn't at all uncommon for the battles that plagued the world to leave behind a few casualties. The rare cases were the ones whose bodies were so badly damaged that they fell into either catatonic or comatose states. Usually, people were either uninjured, wounded, or dead. It was strange to have someone completely healthy but unable to awaken.

The case of the girl and her pet was incredibly similar, though her method of communication was perhaps even more subtle than the lost thoughts of the comatose lying in their beds. Still, Jin's senses were strong.

The girl - or perhaps her pet? It was unclear - was assured. Assured of what? That she - it? - would be okay? Was she sensing their presences around her even while she was in the ice and so far from herself?

Trust...

Jin's brow furrowed, but just barely. Trust who? The child? The man? Him?

But there was something else beneath all the projected emotion and messages; something that Jin knew not just from senses or observation, but something that hummed at the core of his soul in a deeper way than any projected emotion ever could.

Battle.

Jin's mind nearly snapped shut in recoil as his conscious flashed back to the conflicts on Tamnia. Vivid imagery of green flames devouring cities, of blood spilled because of idle, incapable, unreliable young hands, and of two identical, poorly crafted grave markers sitting alone in a recently quieted forest flashed in his subconscious, and the result of it all was one simple question that rebounded from his soul in response to the waves he'd received from the figure.

'Why do you fight?'

[Cora Williams]

Well... Not getting much...

The wind works in mysterious ways! We both know this, Mana! And we both know that I'm still a novice!

Just give it time and if it wants to it'll talk to us?

That's the idea!

Well... Let me know how that goes. I'mma to play checkers with myself.

... Wait, I have mental checkers? I have mental board games?!

Her thoughts (as well as her inner distraction, thankfully) were haulted by the presence of another, who simply gave a nod to her. Being the shy girl that she was, she looked a little to the left while politely returning the gesture. She was right to worry that others would come, but at least there was a bigger and more pressing distraction to keep her from running away in a panic.

Besides, she couldn't afford to leave now. The wind was responding suddenly, and with quite a bit of force. Before she knew it, her hat suddenly took flight.

"My hat!" She cried out, already about to take off after it. Then she decided against going after her hat. The wind was trying to say something, and she couldn't afford to ignore it.

It was not a normal wind that she came upon. This wind seemed to be with purpose, as though it had its own source. At her stage, she couldn't tell where or why the wind acted this way. She just knew that it was, in a way, responding to her. Maybe she could ride this current to here more than her usual whispers?

It didn't seem to bare much fruit, not for a long while. At the rate things were going, she began to wonder if she should instead use this wind to try and reclaim her hat.

That was until she heard a new response. This one did not come from the wind. Or maybe it did? Regardless, she heard the message not with her ears, but with her heart.

She is assured? So... She is okay? I... Wish I understood the message...

Also, hearing that from somewhere deep within... Totally new territory...

That was admittedly creepy... Which means it was really cool!!!

Cora, you are hopeless...

It seemed that was all she was going to get out of this. With her current skill, she seemed to doubt that she could gain more. If anything, the other two were more likely much more experienced that she was and more likely to get results. All she could do for now was put her trust in them and hope she can be of help latter if needed.

With that in mind, she temporarily shifted her focus to trying to use this wind to see if she could reclaim her hat. She bought that with her own money on Traverse town, and she would not allow herself to lose a momento of one of her past homes!

Too bad the hat was a bit further than her sight could spot, so it was likely she would have to look on her own once she knew she wasn't wanted.

[Era]

In the nether she had become immune to the cold surrounding her body. There were no muscle aches. There was no gravity.There was only a numbing sensation that came with touching the realm of the nether. It wasn’t that Era was necessarily advanced in her skill set. Nor was she intending to enter the realm between physical and spiritual, waking and sleeping. It was really more of an accident that had stemmed from her will to find a way to persist: the last shot she had to stand against the darkness. This was simply the ramification of pulling the trigger.

It was hard to understand her senses, hard to understand much of anything past the need to communicate. Deep within the part of her being that was still awake Era knew that the prime objective was to get out of stasis. The best way to do that was to keep her ears open.

The presences she’d sensed earlier still seemed to be near her frozen body. Had her attempt to reach out to them worked? Maybe they couldn’t hear her. Maybe she would have to focus harder and send a louder message?

The mental and spiritual energy expended to hold her in stasis were taxing enough. She could feel the draining impact from exerting so much energy. She simply wouldn’t be able to do this forever. On top of that, every message she sent to the outside world slowly depleted what energy she had. She would wait just a little longer and scan what she could sense and feel from those gathered outside for any attempt to reciprocate communication. After all, the best thing she could do to preserve her energy store was to remain as still as possible.

With that understanding, her metaphysical aura would settle, allowing her being to listen and her mind to open. Something finally came through the darkness. The exact message had been lost in the blurred expanse between, but she thought she understood the context. Something about a purpose behind her fighting. The actual reason that gave her cause to fight.

The question ignited memories that had been tied to her being: memories that stemmed from the deeper roots of her heart.

There was an oceanside. A small abode on the beachfront and a window that looked outside.

Next, a blip of a blue humanoid cat standing in the water.

A redheaded boy who had helped her fight off her demon.                       

The next image flashed: a gummi ship crashed into the wall of a diner.

         Half a second later and she held a floating orb of water in the rain.    

Something within her was stirring. Her answer would have been friendship, but at the heart of it, even that was an underlying factor behind the two primal explanations for why she fought.

The exact words she needed in order to relay a response would be far more difficult to convey, but Era felt she could gather the energy to communicate the right feelings.

Drawing on the inner strength of her being, she focussed her energy. In the physical realm, the orb began to glow with a cyan aura. An intense energy saturated the alley. The fractal feathers along the top left edge of the orb began to sputter and pop as a fissure ran straight along the top right edge of it.

From outside the crystalline orb the immediate atmosphere would bestow upon its curious onlookers one sensation, then give pause before shifting into another. The first sensation was simply Light. Another hairline crack would roll down the front of the sphere. The feeling of Light would linger for a few long seconds. Once she had given ample time to communicate that, the next idea would take its shape. It was not such a different idea from the first. The energy became a little more intense and another series of cracks rolled across the feathery ice fractals that encompassed the ball of ice. The second sensation was Hope.

The curious samaritans here were helping. It would only take a little more now to pull her out of the ethereal.

[Jin]

Through his mind's eye, Jin was able to feel the young girl take off after her wayward hat. The other man, as he was apt to do, remained eerily silent. That was fine; the more quiet it was, the easier focusing on within would be.

There were...images, and emotions attached to them as well. Complex, complicated emotions tied to the people and places that flashed through the girl's mind when Jin had asked his question. There was a weight to all of them that had to be considered and appreciated.

Still, if she was fighting for these people - if she was fighting for ""ight" and "hope" like the cocoon seemed to call out into the aether - then how in all the worlds could this girl afford to sit idle as she was?

Anger, if ever so briefly, flashed in Jin's mind and through the energy that connected him to the girl's. Images of armed men and women approaching from the distance and the sound of thousands of steel-toed boots marching in unison resounded throughout both. Then, in an instant, those soldiers warped and became the army of Shadows that had finally managed to swallow Tamnia.

Darkness had consumed his world since long before the Heartless had ever made themselves known - Jin knew that now. He'd been fighting as hard as he could against it for as long as he'd known how to hold a sword. He'd fought until he was out of electricity and laying on the ground bleeding out; his only saving grace was Kailyn and her healing touch. He never stopped going until he physically couldn't move past the point he'd reached.

And now this girl was likely in the same fix.

Understanding, if that was a description for an emotion, was the next thing that Jin felt.

'I get it. You're spent and you need time.'

The ice was cracking - the girl obviously wanted out, but it was a matter of whether she had the energy to break free or not. She was weak; barely hanging on if Jin was sensing things right now that the gap between his mind and hers was closing. Whatever energy had made it harder to connect to her was weakening.

'But time isn't a luxury we have right now. If you want to get anything done, you need to get out of there. If you need energy, take mine.'

Jin's grip tightened against the ice, his fingers digging into the cracks that were forming along the surface as his lightning coursed around the ice. The neon blue electricity soon turned navy as its concentration increased. Bolts of power arced up from Jin's hand and back down into every side of the sphere. It wasn't an attack, but an attempt at transferring pure energy. That was something Jin certainly had a lot of.

'If you want to make any real difference, if you want to save the Light and your friends from fading away, you need to wake up now!'

[Cora Williams]

Seems like she wouldn't have been able to get far before things started to draw her back in.

A little look, just a little look. She just wanted to see how far she could get. She just wanted to see if her hat was anywhere nearby.

Then came a strange new glow, effectively re-capturing her senses.

There was a new sensation in the air now. Wait, was it in the air? A sensation was reverberating through the immediate atmosphere. Even she with her limited skill could tell that this was a concentrated effort from within the sphere.

Okay, Sphere lady, she thought to herself, You win. I guess I can just get a new hat later.

With that, she returned to try and figure out what was happening. The air sang of sensations of hope. The air sang of sensations of light. The air around Cora sang of the purest form of confusion. But that wasn't as important.

What was important were the cracks forming all around the sphere. What was important was the man surging lightning all around, yet it didn't seem to cause any harm. Was he trying to break her out?

Wait, maybe I can do something now too!

Such as what? Your power isn't exactly something to write home about... Unless... the other guy, that's what you're thinking, right?

Our combined wind might mean something! He's still here, just kind of silent and stuff. If nothing else, it's worth a shot!

Even if it's just you doing something on your own your still gonna try anyway, aren't cha?

If they need help, I can't ignore it, especially if I am able to do something about it!

Taking rebar in hand and spinning it around, she slams one end of the staff into the ground. It was an entirely unnecessary move to make, but she seemed to believe that it was. It helped her to concentrate on her magic, after all.

Taking the wind into her will, she starts to try and have the air seep through the cracks of the sphere. Maybe it will help widen them for easier escape. If the lightning is suppose to help, maybe this will give the current something useful to flow through.

[Dilan]

Observation is all the others would get out of Dilan for some time. Ignoring the other two for the time being, he focused on the strange anomaly, and the sheer degree of... Something it emitted. The only way he could describe it was feeling, but the message of such a thing was clear. He felt trust, he felt companionship, and light. All those ideas put forward to him made him think, so deeply that he didn't realize the hairline fractures until the others began focusing on the orb, channeling elemental energy into it. It was a unique response, but he knew they saw it as a response. That had to be what the being in the ice was seeking.

A hand raised as Dilan joined them, the wind at his command mingling with Cora's, as lightning danced on the surface of the sphere. He was trying to think of a response other than magic, though, and pondered the memories and thoughts that came with the being's messages. Such minor things, but there too was a degree of relevance. What else caught his attention, though, was this presence was unnerving to him, almost as much as it was intriguing. The more he felt their power, the more he could feel his skin pebble with goosebumps. Nothing effective as a statement would come to mind, so instead he pressed with a question of his own, the wind seeming to whisper it as he focused.

What do you need? Why are you here? Why are you so-

Shock came to him as he realized the emotion he was feeling. Familiarity, that was it. This presence, he knew it from somewhere, somewhere big. But the memory was not his own, but one of something he had been trying to forget. His magic reacted to his emotional state, but he clenched his hand and took claim of it again. Still, as he did, flashes back of a great storm, a great battle came to him, and a world succumbing. And it scared him, to think of his exploits as that monster, Xaldin, and the pain he had caused. But this presence had been there, he remembered it, and he had half a mind to flee, from the memories and the guilt.

Only the reminder that he was changed made him stay. What consequences he had to pay, he would, but for now, the presence - no, she - had to wake up.

I remember you. You mention Light, and that's something we need right now. Sleep no longer.

[Era]

The young woman's spirit was listening to what the others were telling her, feeding off of the emotional and spiritual vibrations connected to their thoughts and feelings, desperate not to miss the communication inside of this timeless expanse. Now that she was tuned in she was listening loud and clear, hearing their encouragements as though through a warp of blurry water.

Oh, she was listening to Jin and Cora quite clearly with their offers to feed her energy. It was an odd form for her to feed off of; something she wasn't quite used to, but they were doing their best to use what they had to help her. She would have been a fool not to use what raw energy they were so willing to give.

For a few moments she could do nothing outside of gather their energy and channel it into her own being; her own strength. The orb seemed to glow a little brighter, not only from the enormous amounts of energy surrounding it from the outside, but from the inside too.

The image of the storm cracked through her mind like a surge of lightning. The memories were too close, too true. Era hadn't even realized during the past few years that she hadn't fully dealt with the events that took place on Destiny Islands that fateful evening. For her it was a friendly reunion. Then an intense fear as they noticed the invasion. The heat of battle. She had been wounded, and then, there was the cave-in. Far too quickly the battle had receded and both sides began to disappear from Destiny Islands as the world started to fall.

A large fissure snapped along the top of the sphere. Then another ripped across the bottom left. The fractures were beginning to glow quite brightly from the inside.

She remembered an enormous feeling of loneliness. Rook was in that cave when it fell. All this time she was trying to convince herself to listen to what echoes sounded off of her heart; that he didn't truly feel dead to her. He couldn't be. But then, she hadn't heard from him. She hadn't seen him. She hadn't even felt a stir from his personality in so long, it was easy to question the hope she'd been holding onto for so long. It would have been so much easier just to give up on it and succumb to the caustic idea that he could never come back.

Recognition stirred her out of the slump of self-doubt that was looking to crawl its way to the surface of her mind. She focussed instead on the one now trying to communicate with her. Try as she might, she hadn't quite recognized his presence yet.

The electric one was right - if she was going to stand up against the darkness - if she wanted to protect her friends, she didn't have time to sit idly. And having collected enough energy to muscle her way out of this icy chrysalis she would send one final thought to her rescuers: a plea for protection.

Her saviors would have no time to contemplate what that meant. All at once the rest of the ice around Era burst open. The conflict of energies pushing from both the giving and receiving sides left the frozen shards nowhere to go but to get caught in a spiral of wind. Immediately after being freed the small black dragon around Era's shoulder had finished her leap, diving straight into her heart. The creature all at once disappeared inside the young woman, but she left no physical wound.

All at once lost memories flooded her mind. Pieces of herself long forgotten began to stir inside her. The sudden feelings and associated thoughts left Era feeling ill, and she crumpled forward in the pain and nausea brought on by the sudden sickness. Her arms wrapped around her stomach, eyes snapping shut as a tsunami of sadness and anger and guilt swirled inside of her. On top of that, depression knocked at the door of her heart, ready to make its way inside. Self-doubt washed over her, and suddenly Era let out not a scream, but a whimper.

Darkness wrapped around her feet, crawling over her body, steaming off her back. Its wispy tendrils coiled around her and the poor girl looked discolored; darkened, somehow, like her being itself was fading. Then, all at once she was engulfed and transformed into a being of roiling shadow. The creature grew tall, sharp yellow eyes seeming far more feral than the gentle presence the good samaritans had previously grown to know. The appearance was of a haunting, jagged-toothed werewolf. Its hands were adorned with purple scythe-like claws the size of swords, akin to the blades Era normally drew to fight with. Each claw would roll on its own time, completing a backward spin. Behind those dark eyes, the beast breathed a quiet, rolling growl. It searched one face, then the next. A raspy voice would speak to them. "Where is the one whom she hopes for?" The frightening smile curling the corners of her shadowy lips was a bit haunting. It told not of the joy of despair, but perhaps of an interest in toying with these new flies. It wouldn't be long before the beast would swing wildly at the three below. This thing had little room for logical reasoning. There was only anger. And depression. Fear and self-doubt and rage. Such things left no room for reasons, only for action.

Towering above the three good samaritans was something neither woman nor beast. She was the chaos. And somewhere deep inside, swept under the tide of darkness, was Era.