[Game Thread] Prologue - A Brave New World

[FrozenTear]

When your death came, and how swift it came, you realized that all your joy, fears and worries were for nothing. Then Death came for you on his pale horse, a scythe by his side, there was little you can do except to watch his skeleton grinning at you under his black cloak, and took all of you away. Leaving nothing behind but a lifeless corpse.

Was your life a grand one, or full of suffering? It mattered little now. Death judged all life the same. That all life will one day bow down before him.

You all heard the stories. Stories about a man die, only to be reborn again in another form, another time, in another world. They called it reincarnation, you called it a religion. A belief. Nothing more, nothing less. But when you felt those gentle hands in the darkness sending you down a stream, you could feel… for once, Love. True, unconditional Love. Together with it, shackles were freed and chains broken. You felt whatever weight you had on you shoulders when you were alive were lifted.

And then you opened your eyes, welcomed by a stream of warm, untainted light. You thought it was heaven’s light. You could also hear the chirps of the birds in the distant, and the crisp scent of fresh grass in the first light. Yes, it was indeed a brand new day. You looked around you, and you were laying on a grassy knoll, surrounded by what seemed to be a forest of pines. But what was this? There were others? And the moment you laid your eyes on the strangely clothed ones, you suddenly felt… enlightened.

It was a strange feeling… It was as if you always knew about them, but someone had hidden them from you and had now lifted the veil. About the powers and the knowledge that you possess within you.

Then you looked at the other three, and you looked at yourself. So... It seemed that they were not the only ones in strange clothings.

[Hanz]

It didn't take a genius to tell that you were somewhere alien. While the place felt closer to your home, wherever what would be, you knew it was somewhere else.

Your instincts tell you that you're now somewhere strange. Something unseen is lurking about, is what you assume, a creeping chill approaching you from the unknown.

But you probably just throw that conclusion to the wind, where are others to talk to!

[QuilledNinja]

The pain that burned through him as the bullets pierced skin, muscle and organ was fleeting and for that Quinn was grateful. Flashes of white against a dimming world, a world he did not fit into and now was thankful for it to be at an end. In that moment where Quinn made the decision to buy the others time and stop the gunman the only way he knew how he found an absence of all the burdens that had plagued his life. None of it mattered and only what he did at that moment meant anything. Even the idea of death was no longer relevant whether it was oblivion or something else entirely and Quinn was content with that.

Quinn watched dispassionately as Death approached and the fear one should have at the pale creature on horseback was absent. Instead he followed obediently after safe now in the knowledge that there was something after the moment of death regardless of what that thing could be. His eyes felt heavy, a strange feeling for the dead, he though, but closed them on a whim. With his eyes closed the feeling of travelling altered and soon it felt like he was floating down a gentle stream.

Quinn didn’t know how long he drifted for or even if time had meaning anymore. He only knew when the sensations changed and he felt alive again. It was a pleasant feeling bathed as he was in the warm sunlight. Slowly other sensations began to return. The heat of the sun on skin, the weight of clothes and a gentle breeze playfully tugging at hair and the sounds of birds singing about the day teased his senses. All of this pulled at Quinn bringing him back to consciousness and his eyes fluttered open.

Even as he blinked in the bright light of the clearing, the deep earthy smells of fresh grass and plants around him strange thoughts invaded his mind of training, abilities, languages and powers he now knew he possessed. He took in a deep breath, the first of this new life, the sweet smells of this new world assaulting his nose and causing him to smile pleasantly. He didn’t know why he was here or why he had been given this second life but he wasn’t about to waste it.

Quinn turned his head and looked to the left then the right seeing the still forms of three others nearby and knowing instinctively that he knew them despite having never seen them before. Quinn could not remember or seem to know their names but something inside of him told him that they were here for the same reason he was and that more would be revealed.

Quinn sat up feeling a foreign lightness to his body even as his clothes weighed down on him much more than normal. He frowned at this strange reverse from what he’d known and raised an arm to stare at his hand. A metal and leather gauntlet shone back at him and the sleeve was made up of small metal scales. Armour his mind provided, Scale mail to be precise. Hair, crimson in colour, slipped forward to block his vision to the sides and distracted Quinn from the strange way his arm looked in the armour. He turned his head to the left and right watching in amazement as the hair moved with him. It was his but the colour and length were both wrong. But if this is a new world then why should I expect to be the same person? he asked and then promptly answered himself. Because ones sense of self is tied up in the vision of the physical as well as the mental. To change the physical shell would… would indicate a possible mental shift. His thoughts continued their strange journey. But if one died then one could argue that there was a profound mental as well as physical shift.

Quinn laughed, the first real sound he’d made since his death. His laugh sounded very strange to his ears both musical and light in a way that jarred with his sense of self. The sound stopped abruptly and Quinn’s gaze returned to his hand and arm. Smaller and thinner they held a strength he never had and yet a delicate grace about them which in turn bespoke of the alien feeling of his body. He curled and uncurled his fingers watching in fascination as they did just that. Curiouser and curiouser…

“Who, what am I?” Quinn spoke aloud and was greeted again with a voice not his own. Soft and high his voice sounded like that of a woman. But that was not right. He licked his lips feeling a sense of anxiety begin to grab at him and took a few deep breaths. This… this cannot be right… can it? He became more aware of the rest of his body and looked down to confirm the worst. The armour pushed out nicely into well shaped protrusions before tapering down to a trim waist. He wiggled a foot and watched as the slim appendage wiggled in time proving that it too was attached. His breathing increased and any sense of serenity went with the overwhelming fact Quinn was now a woman.

“This can’t be.” Quinn began to speak trying to keep from freaking out by talking it through. “This is wrong! This is very, very wrong. How does being dead do this to someone? It doesn’t make sense. I’ve got to… But how?” Quinn stood up ready to run and then froze remembering the others lying about the hill with him. His face, now hers he mused, reddened with embarrassment. What if they knew? Did they know? He couldn’t let them find out and would have to be very careful. Even now they seemed to be waking the same way Quinn had.

He, no she, blinked back teas and worked on calming her emotions. Until she figured out where they were, why they were her and most importantly why she was a woman, Quinn would have to play the part. Her mind told her she had access to divine magic, one of many gifts beyond the new body bequeathed to Quinn and would be needed. Beyond that she just didn’t know. She swallowed and moved to the nearest of the Whoever posts after methree and knelt beside them using her new knowledge of healing to make certain they were ok.

“Hello, can you hear me?” She began to speak forcing herself to be calm and focus on the words not the light sound of her voice. “Does anything hurt? Are you injured?”

[Kellos]

The sound of ambulance sirens was the last thing Jacob Seld hear before he passed away from the world as we know it. His last thoughts were grim remarks about how this was finally the end of his unlucky streak. It did not occur to him to think about whether he was going to heaven as repayment for the life he suffered or hell, as if God still desired as vindictive and cruel to him in the afterlife as in the waking world. No, more likely he was going to be sentenced to oblivion, for it would be the misfortune to end all misfortunes to be yanked from existence after years and years of suffering. A life lived for naught, a fitting end for a man like him.

However, the world had other plans for this man's soul. Perhaps the higher beings took pity on him, or perhaps this was yet another way that the world was attempting screw him over. There were only two facts that were known for certain. The first was that this soul would be reborn, placed in a new body and set off into a new world, to live out a new life. The second part was that he would be given a very big boon in this new life.

When the last of Jacob's senses completely blacked out, at first there was only nothing, an endless void of oblivion. However, that void was soon filled by an immense power. It was as if a giant ball of light was approaching him and it was burning with the intensity of all the stars in the night sky. It was nearly overwhelming, if were still bound to the mortal realm, Jacob would be recoiling from the power. However, Jacob did not find himself fearful of the power. Rather, he felt familiar with it, as if were a long lost friend and it was reaching out to him. He almost felt like reaching out to it.

"Was this heaven?" was the first thought to come to mind. Before Jacob could fully determine what the power was, he felt as if the power dispersed and that he was being blinded by the rays of light of the sun. However, the power still lingered somewhere, he could feel it. He then heard the voice of a young maiden trying to wake him up. It was then that he realized that he really was being blinded by the rays of the sun as he regained consciousness.

When Jacob, no Jacob was not his name anymore, when Aeternus regained his full senses, he was first met with the sight of a fair lady bearing down upon him, with a mixture of confusion and worry written on her face. Blades of grass tickled his body, and the first thing that Aeternus noticed was that this was not the scene of a freak car accident.

"Y-Yeah. I think I'm alright." He noted that his voiced sounded different. It felt familiar, and sounded similar to how he spoke, but had a sort of different inflection to his previous voice, holding more confidence without even trying. As he picked himself off from the ground, he noticed a few other changes had occurred. Firstly, the jeans and t-shirt he wore at the time of the accident were not what he was wearing. Rather, he instead wore an elaborate white robe, trimmed with gold, comparable to an elegant set of priestly robes. Beneath the robe was a set of studded leather armor, which loosely fitted his build. He also took note of a marking upon his right hand, a rune resembling a set of blue angel wings. A few other changes, such as a new smoothness in his skin, and perhaps an inch or two gained in arm length, along with some other changes which he would later notice, such as his change in eye color and hair, would serve as further indicators of his new state.

However, the physical changes did not impress him so much as the metaphysical changes. He continued to feel the immense power that he felt earlier, only now he could tell that it did not come from an outside source, but rather, it felt as if it were within him. It raged wildly inside his being, as if someone dropped a jar of marbles inside a small funnel and all the marbles tried to scramble down the tiny hole. He felt like he could just reach out and grab a portion of it, and use it to shape the world, as if he were a god. However, he also feared this power, for he felt as if it were not his to use, even if it were a part of his being.

It then occurred to Aeternus that there a lady and two others beside him and that they should be addressed.

"My name is Ja-" Aeternus cut himself off before he continued his introduction with his new name. "Aeternus. My name is Aeternus." "Note to self. That's my name," Aeternus thought to himself. "What is yours, and where are we?"

[QuilledNinja]

The man’s eyes opened and Quinn breathed a sigh of relief. Her newfound knowledge told her there was nothing wrong with him but Quinn was worried that perhaps she was the only one to survive arriving in this new world. “Y-Yeah. I think I’m alright.” The man answered though Quinn noticed he seemed distracted and wondered what was going through his mind. Was he ripped from another world through death as I was? Is his body as alien as mine is to me? She thought the former to be truer than the latter but gave him space and time to finish his introspection.

Quinn moved back a step and knelt there, hands folded on her lap, waiting and watching. The tattoo of wings was easily visible and she wondered what it meant and if it had any significance to what he was now. And what is he? What are any of us? I have a sense of what I can do but I do not know why. By his look I’m certain he is ignorant of this as well. She sighed at her failed musing and continued to watch him. His gold trimmed white robes were immaculate and with his light blond hair and blue eyes made Quinn think perhaps he was a celebrity or an important political dignitary in full regalia.

"My name is Ja-" Aeternus cut himself off before he continued his introduction with his new name. "Aeternus. My name is Aeternus." "Note to self. That's my name," Aeternus thought to himself. "What is yours, and where are we?"

Quinn blinked and averted her gaze realizing much too late that she was staring. In truth she was hoping that he had evidence on him of what they were doing here but knew it could be misconstrued. His question caught her for a moment. Who was she? Did Quinn Embers even exist anymore? And if he was gone then what did that make her, a stranger in a strange place with memories from another world. Fear coursed through Quinn at the thought of losing her identity further. Shakespeare may have said ‘What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet’ But to me it is all I have left to link me to being me.

“Quinn…” She offered her hand to Aeternus kicking herself for hesitating at the sound of her voice. “Quinn Embers.” She looked around the area and shook her head, her eyes passing over the others and coming back to Aeternus. “Truthfully Aeternus I have no idea where this place is.”

[Kellos]

"That makes two of us." Aeternus picked himself and began to dust himself off and compose himself, trying to recall what happened in order to make sense of what happened. "To be honest, I don't even know how I got here. The last thing I remember was me driving home when all of a sudden a kid ran in front of my car. I think I managed to veer out of the way in time. However, I think I crashed into another car. I'm not sure." Aeternus shook his head, trying to clear his mind. Though he managed to return to functioning thought, his mind still suffered a few migraines here and there.

"After that, everything went black. I thought that I would die back there." Aeternus then realized what he said and looked at himself again. "Then again, considering the situation right now, I that could be what happened and this is purgatory or something. Too bright and sunny to be hell, and if this is heaven, this isn't really what I had in mind."

Aeternus then began to look around and noticed that there were two other people besides him and Quinn. One looked like a short female, an emo one at that. The other looked of a monstrous beast in a humanoid shape. "By chance, do you happen to know who those two are?"

[MichaelFTrevino]

The empty darkness was vast. This was a foreign feeling to Gutter. It wasn't the unconsciousness of sleep or even the nothingness of being knocked out. The darkness was vast, yet so closed that it brought about claustrophobia. Gutter looked, sounded, and felt five-hundred miles tall and yet he was a fleck of dust when he thought more on his size. If he wasn't mistaken, he felt as if he were moving consciously but without control, towards an origin.
Distant motes of light were now visible and visibly, were getting closer. Were they drawn to him? As the lights drew near they appeared more like sparks from a fire. Sparks moved as if they did come from a fire. Steadily drawn in a direction with pauses and turns here and there, but without fail, in one direction they all always moved.
"Why do you not look at the source?" queried a delicate voice. What gutter heard, or thought, was the word source but what it more felt and sounded like was, us, you, them, him, me, and her all at once.
"You are right little flare, we, you, and they are the source; origin and finality. So many come to the light and hear what they want to hear but you heard what we are saying. This is one of the many reasons we/you chose us/you/him/her."
"Is this heaven? I do not belong and I will not go! Is this God? I do not recognize your power. Where was your power when I killed my parents? Where is your power when my sister is forever in service to the RUF?"
Without consciousness in his action Ishmael turned to face the Source, the Blaze. His anger challenging the Origin and it's white light to which all sparks, motes, flashes, and twinkles return.
"Energy is not really created nor can it be destroyed, spark!! You have a further purpose that needs fulfilling! When you inevitably return, know then what it is to return now so you can fully comprehend it later." With that, his being flew into the origin and was at once transported to another blackness.
Ahhh. The familiarity of this blackness feels good. The grass upon his back feels good. However, the uneasy feeling that he is dead has put a wrinkle in the good feelings.

"By chance, do you happen to know who those two are?"
With those words his Eyes pop open. He is no longer Ismael or Gutter. He is no one and only good for suffering. This revelation bores into his psyche. He releases a roar he's never heard come from his mouth. Like that of a lion or a monster. Another roar is loosened as he attempts eye contact with either stranger and attempts to stand.

[Kellos]

The sound of the beast waking up knocks Aeternus back down to the ground. He stares in horror at the monstrosity as it unleashes its rage. "Why must the world hate me so?", Aeternus lamented as he attempted to back away.

The monster looked Aeternus in the eye, the only thing that Aeternus could do was instinctively wave his hands in the air as if trying to ward the creature off, while screaming for dear life. However, a strange feeling began to grow in his right hand. The rune began to glow and light began to emerge from his palm. Aeternus could feel the power inside him channel into his arm and accumulate in the area of the rune, and emerge from the palm of his hand. The light tried to form the vague shape of an orb, but remained in that form, refusing to complete. Aeternus felt as if it were waiting for some sort of command, some sort of blueprint as to what it's supposed to form. "Great I figured out how my powers work, but now it looks like I'm threatening the thing."

Aeternus shook his hand and the power quickly dispersed from it. The rune lost its glow and the power seemed to flow back right into Aeternus, unused. Aeternus then made an attempt at standing up, though his legs were still quaky with fear and his eyes struggled to make contact with the other pair glaring at him. He then began to, in what was possibly a futile attempt, attempt to pacify the beast.

"Look," Aeternus began in a soft voice. "we don't mean you any harm, if you don't mean us any harm." Aeternus begins backing away from the creature in an attempt to put some distance between him and it. "My name is Aeternus, this is Quinn," Aeternus said motioning over to her. "And I have no idea who that girl is," he said motioning over to the last present person, "nor of what the heck is going on so...please, please, please, please don't kill us."

[QuilledNinja]

Aeternus’ story in essence confirmed that he was very likely from the same world Quinn was from. Based solely on how they were dressed and what they carried, her mind supplying the items in her pack for her, Quinn knew this world did not have technology like cars. Even that little glimmer of a connection was enough for Quinn to latch onto. If for no other reason than she would not be facing the unknown alone. She almost corrected Aeternus on being dead, the feeling of the bullets piercing her flesh was still too fresh to be a dream, but she didn’t want to upset him. Not when he was the only one awake to speak to and she didn’t know what he would do on finding out that he was indeed dead.

"By chance, do you happen to know who those two are?" He asked her and Quinn turned to look at the two still lying on the knoll. Her eyes roamed first over the small woman then to the much larger man-creature. She frowned as her eyes lingered on the large sleeping form. What is it? Not human with greenish skin and those large teeth… They almost look like tusks! A strange creature indeed and though the feeling remained that the other two were known to her and yet not known did not ease the feeling of tension in her. The way his muscles twitched even in sleep suggested prodigious strength and reminded her more of the comic book hero/monster Hulk than anything else.

She turned her attention back to Aeternus to let him know that they were only sleeping when the large green one literally roared to life. Quinn screamed in fright and attempted to get to her feet but coordination was something for a calm mind and with her new form and clothes Quinn severely overbalanced and instead of a graceful, if frightened retreat, she tripped and tumbled onto her back.

“Oh god help me, it’s a monster! Please don’t let it eat me!” Quinn babbled and struggled to get her feet back under her. “I, I have to get away. Stay away beast!” She rose shakily to her feet and from her belt pulled a small dagger holding it between herself and the olive-skinned creature glaring at her from across the knoll. Fear stole the faint colour that was in her cheeks and her blanched knuckles bespoke of the tension in her small hand. Quinn’s mind tried to rally and searched for something with which to defend herself and felt the first stirrings of magic within her soul. Words formed in blue fire to her mind’s eye and the effects she knew would follow if she were to speak them gave her a modicum of bravery. That tiny sliver of confidence also held her tongue as Aeternus took charge and spoke to the rippling wall of muscle.

[Muggins]

Linet shifted, from left to right, enjoying the warm morning sun and cool summer winds against her face. Her sheets had been pushed aside, and she was lying fully clothed atop her bed. There was an oddity about how she'd slept that night, though; her bed was hard. It wasn't the old springs of her mattress, but the bed itself which was rock solid. Something tickled her cheeks, like cat's fur - but she'd never had a cat in her apartment. She didn't even remember opening her window last night, since it always let in the smog from the city. She opened her left eye, then the other.

This wasn't her room.

Quickly pushing herself from the ground, Linet coughed and clasped at her chest. There was a strain there, deep and constricting, in a place she couldn't reach. She was wearing a oversized, woolen jacket that she never remembered buying, and she felt inadequate. No, more than that; she felt short. Cripplingly short. She pressed her hands against her face, pressing into her squishy skin. It was so very soft, almost as though she-.

Oh, hell no.

Other people babbled between themselves, but Linet remained quiet. She felt, and looked, like she was sixteen - but how was that possible? For that matter, how did she go from her bed to here? Was she dreaming? Were the voices behind her, as she sat nervously upon that grassy knoll, merely figments of her imagination?

She didn't resort to something so crass as slapping herself, but she did pinch the back of her hand to no success. She also tried checking her watch, hoping that doing so twice would provide some indication, but it turned out that she wasn't wearing one. While her dreams had always been quite vivid, they were nothing compared to what she was feeling now. Even then, simply suggesting that she was dreaming usually woke her up. No, this was the real thing - but what was she going to do about that?

Something roared behind her, and she shifted about on the grass to get a better look. The voices did, indeed, have people behind them; one was a lady, while the other two were men. One of them appeared particularly beastly, with strange green skin, and Linet assumed that he was the source of the noise. "Uh, hello?" she queried nervously, her voice smooth and foreign. The dull throb in her chest subsided as she continued tactlessly, "does anyone here know where my breasts went? Or, for that matter, why I'm suddenly sixteen years old and in the middle of a forest?" She remained seated, concerned that she might not only draw the attention of the beast but that she might topple over as soon as she tried. Her legs were tiny - who was to say that she even knew how to walk with them anymore?

[Hanz]

Only Tiny Embers

It seemed like complete introductions would have to wait for a while. For it seemed the sun was low into the west, almost setting below the horizon. Our travelers needed to find shelter, quickly. Who knows what dangers some wild valley would have on four fragile travelers such as themselves?

The forests that surrounded them might have had some resources for their survival, perhaps they can find shelter, food, and water in there. In the morning they could set out for the nearest town, but not during the night, unless they were feeling brave against the elements.

[Muggins]

For a long time, there was silence. Well, it was actually about six seconds - but they seemed long to Linet, especially after she'd asked a question. Apparently, nobody knew. More astoundingly, nobody was willing to say anything. At a guess, she'd call the rest of the party a bunch of prideful snobs who can't admit their own ignorance. While it was too early to judge them, it wasn't too early to gather first impressions.

"Alright, fine," Linet growled, "don't answer me, don't say that you don't know. Because that would be bad." With that distinction made, she huffed and took to her feet. At first she was shaky, being in a significantly younger body and all, but after a few moments she got the hang of standing. She didn't dare walk, though - right now, a single step would probably send her toppling over. It was best to just let herself get adjusted to staying still first.

"So, nobody knows where we are," she continued, "and nobody knows why I'm armed, shorter and younger. But that's okay, really. We're just stranded is all." Really, who gives little kids weapons? For that matter, did she even count as a child? "I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to head off," Linet said, "since, well, I was in the city last night, and this is certainly not the city."

Another question briefly rose to Linet's mind: how long had she been unconscious? The last thing she'd done had been going to bed at eight o'clock, ready to face the next morning with pride. Except it was now nighttime again, and she wasn't even herself anymore. Had she gotten drunk and spent the last day wandering out into the countryside? What about her job? Did she never turn up, or did she sing and play the guitar while completely blasted? How's that going to look on her resume?

Thinking these very deep and meaningful things, Linet started the shaky walk towards the forest. With any hope, the canopy would provide ample shelter against the rain. Maybe she'd even find some poisonous berries and murky water to get sick off of. She'd never been good at camping.

[FrozenTear]

Night will come for you soon. And before long, the frigid breath from the mountains from afar will also touch you, caress you. Though you doubt the coldness itself will kill you, but you can be certain other things can. You realized that out here in the wilds, you have no shelter, no food and no water. Your clothes will keep you warm for the time being, but for how long? As confused as you are, you know that you need to move if you want to continue to see another daylights. Momentarily, you also thought of dangers that may lie within the pine forest, but you are running out of options first.

But at least you do have your priorities set straight for you: Find a place to stay for the night, find a water source, and finally worry about food. Maybe you should also look what you have with you… You might find something worth taking note of. You should also find companionship with the others who are stranded with you here. Maybe they can help you survive, just as you can help them.

As for all the other questions that weren’t asked or answered… Well, you can think about it later.

[Kellos]

Aeternus was shaken from his hysteric fear by the remarks made by the last person to have woken up, whoever she was. "That girl has a point. I say, so long as we all aren't going to kill each other, we might as well stick together and find somewhere to camp out for the night. Then, we can sort out what's going on." Aeternus then took off after the girl heading into the forest.

[QuilledNinja]

The awakening of the girl was overshadowed by the angry green skinned man-creature and for the moment Quinn’s fearful attention stayed on the one who could snap her in half. Which was unfortunate as the revelation that the one she assumed to be a small woman was actually a young girl was in itself a surprise and one Quinn would have been interested in.

Maybe it was the long pause between bloodcurdling roars of anger, or the strange and confused comments from the girl or a combination of the two but when Aeternus relaxerd it gave Quinn a small measure of comfort that perhaps she had overreacted to the man-beast. Not that she was prepared to turn her back on it but it seemed like a good sign that it didn’t just attack the moment it saw them. Even armoured she didn’t think the small dagger in her hand was at all threatening to it.

She managed a glance behind to the retreating forms of both the girl and Aeternus and made up her mind. She didn’t want to be stuck in a strange place with just this creature for company. It’s barely wearing anything and I don’t want it to think that I am an option to keep warm. No, I think I’ll be much safer with Aeternus. And suiting her thoughts Quinn slowly backed away from the creature before turning and running after the others.

“Wait for me! I don’t want to get lost alone out here.” Alone seemed like a bad idea right now despite what she knew she was capable of. The problem was going to be working through her fear so she could act when needed. Suddenly facing a gunman in a restaurant seems easy compared to this.

Wide eyed she kept glancing back over her shoulder to see if the green skinned creature was following. She frowned to herself thinking that despite how terrifying he was, the creature had originally felt like someone she could trust. And it’s not like we know anything about it. Maybe he was like me and changed so drastically he doesn’t know what to do now… And we just treated him like a monster.

Quinn felt bad and stopped up. “ Casting light spell on dagger.Lumina lux igneo!” She motioned quickly over her blade and was rewarded with a strong glow illuminating the area around her. She waved at the creature still on the knoll and called out. “If you can understand what I am saying, please join us! I’m sorry about how we reacted! I’ll keep the light on so you can catch up!”

She turned and continued to hopefully do the same to Aeternus and the girl. She had questions for the girl and wondered if everything was actually random and equally thankful that she didn’t show up in this world as an infant or an animal.