A New Dawn

[Oddood198]

OOC: I think I'm being correct, here. I may have completely mis-assumed on their entire upbringing...


Arren shrugged, "For one thing, we didn't know there was a war going on. We really didn't even have any idea what it was like down here at all." He said, "And even if we did, what would you really expect us to do? Let's be honest here for a moment: we're a handful of kids, just because our parents were great heroes doesn't mean we can banish all the darkness with a wave of our hand. We only even came down here in the first place because Reveka wanted to see what it was like."
What did he just say? Arren listened to what he was saying as he was saying it, and realized it didn't sound much like him at all. Too serious, and too open. He shook his head, being here, in the Darkness, was doing something to him, and he added another reason onto the pile to get out of here as quickly as possible.

[Wolfsong]

OOC- you got most of it right. They were somewhat aware, but the Grand Sage was not yet certain if he should reveal what was going on, and what people hoped their part was to be.

Jadis couldn't help but grin, sensing the sudden hesitation. A little slip there. "My apologies if I sounded accusing. I was merely curious." He smiled faintly. "So you came down because of Reveka, eh? She's your sister, isn't she. Where is she now?"

[Oddood198]

Arren nodded in confirmation that he and Reveka were siblings, not bothering to specify being twins. "I left her behind with Callysta." He said, "They're going to go back home, where they can be safe from the Darkness. Once I get Ethinine back, we'll join them, and leave this world below us to tear itself apart."

[Wolfsong]

Jadis raised an eyebrow at this last statement, then shook his head. "You can't," he replied simply. "The Dark won't let you do that. You think that simply living in a mountain will save you? The Dark, if left unchecked, will swallow and destroy everything it can, be it land, sea, or sky. There will be no place safe from its grasp." He met Arren's eyes, hoping the idiot would understand. "This isn't some game which we're playing, that we can leave when we get bored of it. This is reality, this is war. This is the Darkness, which will destroy us if we let it."

[Oddood198]

Arren met Jadis' gaze steadily, listening to him spout his nonsense about the all-consuming darkness. Then when Jadis had finished, Arren shrugged again, deciding not to go with the obvious reply of 'if it's so powerful, how can you beat it?', and instead saying, "Between the five of us, we may not be able to stop the darkness, but I have no doubt we'll at least be able to defend that small spot on the mountain from the darkness. So long as we have that, life will continue for us as it always has."

[Wolfsong]

Jadis raised an eyebrow. "You really think that? You really, really think that?" He looked around, staring at the blotted, tortured landscape around them. He stepped cautiously forward, peering further in. "Tell me, that carrier we fought back there, that's the worst of their kind you've met and fought, isn't it?" He turned back, looking back at Arren. "That man in the cave. He was caught by surprise. The only reason we brought him down so well at all was because of that element of surprise. He was strong though, I could feel it. We did not kill him either, he simply retreated so he could heal. And there's another out there, worse than he is." For a long moment he was silent, then said, "I could almost wish one were to appear to prove my point. You really are a stubborn fool to think you'll be safe."

[Oddood198]

"Well, I won't know that for certain until the time when I'm lying, dead, will I?" Arren said, "Besides, if you hadn't been in the way, I could have killed that man. It doesn't matter who or what, anything can be put to death by the sword, and that's a sword I would wield to defend Reveka. Whether I am a stubborn fool or no, no harm will come to her while I live."

[ClaecElric4God]

Shaddoc let out the breath he'd been holding when Nigal released him, but tried not to show how relieved he was. He quickly sat down, not willing to test Nigal's patience any further. Listening to Nigal, Shaddoc started when he mentioned Kirk. He knew that Kirk had been a valuable member of Nigal's group, and his expertise would be sorely missed. Finding a suitable replacement would be hard for Nigal. Of course, the worst blow was the news of king. Everyone knew the king was a good-for-nothing, and Shaddoc had seen this coming; but it wasn't any less of a shock to actually hear it. Shaddoc allowed the concern to show on his face, worried as much for Nigal's health as anything.
"What are your thoughts on the matter?" Then he added, "What are your plans?" He knew Nigal wasn't going to sit back and watch the kingdom crumble from the inside. And at this point, he was willing to do whatever he needed to to help. The time for remaining neutral was long gone.

[Wolfsong]

Jadis raised an eyebrow. "Oh? How long do you think you'll live with an attitude like that? Some things can't be killed by the sword." He began pacing, feeling a strong need to move around. "Those men, I was able to listen to their conversation. They're seeking you, all of you." Then he was tempted to get really nasty. "Actively seeking. Your sister you care so much about, who you left alone with that other girl? Some monsters don;t beed Darkness to move around in. Are you sure she got home alright?" petty, yes, but that's how he felt right now. This kid got on his nerves.

Emagene straightened, throwing back her slender shoulders. "Welcome back," she greeted in an icy tone. Ethinine's eyes widened when he saw who it was.
Gamaliel appeared to have recovered. He was moving smoothly and there were no scars to be seen. His gray robes were no longer blood-stained eitehr. He nodded once in her direction and stepped aside. Then entered another man, ebony black hair tied back in a long tail, eerie, cold golden eyes, dark red coat, and most eye-catching of all were two black wings. These wings seemed part of the shadow, and Ethinine only realized they were wings when the man stepped out of the cloud into the warehouse.
"Emagene. You're looking well," the man said in greeting.
"Tolerable, Azarael."
Demetrius appeared from the back, striding forward to stand between Emagene and Erasmus. Ethinine, not wanting to seem cowardly, stepped up to stand beside Erasmus, his heart quavering. Azarael noted his pressence and smiled.
"The mage's son. Pray, what is you name?"
Eramus nodded very slightly at Etho, so he spoke up, trying not to stammer. "My name is E-Ethinine." Almost instinctively, he shrank back. He hated having attention of any sort on him.
"Ethinine. I am Azarael, though I imagine they already told you that." He raised his eyes to the heroes of Light. He suddenly seemed to tower over them, a dark, grim, forbidding being. Ethinine took several steps backwards. Cold eys flashing, the man said, "I have one of the children now, Guardians. How long do you think it will take me to claim the others?"
Demetrius snorted. "You think that, because you got lucky once, we'll keel over and obey you? Do you really think so little of us?"
Ethinine noticed some faint shadows creeping around the door; the cloud was coming into the warehouse. Gamaliel stood out in it, but Azarael seemed strangely part of them. "I spent my time studying you, Demetrius, who has lost his sword. You're softer than you act. What wil you say when I claim your precious child?"
Demetrius' answering smile was a thin line. "I'll take you apart. Slowly. Just like you did to Mara."
"Mara? Oh. Your wife. I remember now." Azarael's smile was equally unpleasant. "I recall we used her to inspire you to come to us. An enjoyable sport it was."
Demetrius remained silent, clearly determined to not rise to the bait. Azarael looked part them to Ethinine, who despite his best efforts cowered behind his father. He nodded slightly and no longer seemed such a threatening figure. He turned, clearly leaving. just before vanishing out the door, he paused, then spoke. "one thing more, Emagene. It was recently reported to me that three men recently were seen entering the Dark sea. One was a new face, but seemed a weak mind. The second was the mad soldier, seeking life and death, damnation and redemtion at the same time. The third was your son."
"Arren?" Etho gasped. Emagene bit her lip, remaining silent and stoic.
"My shadows have already crept into his young mind, twisting his heart," Azarael continued softly, his eyes on her face. "How shall it be, I wonder, when the two of you meet again?"
"The reunion of peace," she replied boldly. "I ahve faith in my youthful son. I know his Light will withstand your Darkness."
"We shall see." and he left, followed by Gamaliel. The doors closed.
Erasmus visibly untensed. Demetrius returned to the back. Etho, unsure of what he could do, stayed near his father, who stared inently at Emagene. "Will you be well?" he asked her.
She smiled back at him, the creases in her forehead vanishing. "Yes. I believe though, he had more than telling me in mind, in coming to speak with us. I imagine he was measuring our new member." They both looked at Ethinine, who stared hard at his feet, saying nothing.

Nigal grinned at Shaddoc. "I'm working on something," he said. He stood, leaning out the open window. "I had Matt sent a carrier bird earlier, to the Grand Sage, on news of the children of the heroes of Light. I also asked him to come and talk with us, as he should have some news of his own." He turned, facing Shaddoc again. "The children are teens now, actually. Younger than you, but they have the potential to surpass their parents, as I recall. I only hope they're ready to help us fight."

[Koneko-chan]

OOC: Late reply; sorry! D:

Callysta's face fell, the gravity of the situation sinking in deeper. "B-but Grand Sage.. Isn't there something Reveka and me can do?" Wondering if Etho and Arren were still alive, then the other men 'Who were they?' Are Arren and Etho okay? Will we all be swallowed up by shadows?.. Callysta's thoughts clouded her mind with worry.

[Oddood198]

Arren eyed Jadis coolly, deciding, for once, he wouldn't give in to the bait and spark an argument. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I am sure of her safety." He said, his voice unwavering, lacking the slightest hint of doubt, "Because I left her with Callysta to look after her, and I have the utmost faith in both of their abilities to keep them safe. We may not be foolish enough to seek death in the Darkness, but we can at least defend ourselves from it."

[syphon]

OOC- Late reply agian, sorry

While tagging along with the two looking down, Talos was thinking to himself if whether or not he was making the right choice coming along. perhaps having passed through that darkness is making me have these negative thoughts? he thought. He looked back up at the two wondering he should say something. After also hearing about the dangers of that awful place. "Hey.....jadis...i dont mean to interrupt said talos somewhat nervously.But what are the chances of us succeeding? I mean i dont have any kind of power light, or even the level of skills that you have in a fight." Talos felt like a burden saying such things.

[ClaecElric4God]

Shaddoc stiffened, but didn't allow it to show. Of all things, why did Nigal have to talk about the children? If Shaddoc were a more talkative person, he might have slipped up and said something about his opinion of the children. But as it was, he simply stared at his hands, thinking. Was Nigal really relying on those children? From what he'd seen, they had skills, yes. But they had no actual battle experience that he could see, and they wouldn't have survived Gamaliel if he and Jadis hadn't come along. As much as he wanted to put his faith in them, Shaddoc couldn't bring himself to trust the fate of his people in their hands. One had been taken by the darkness, another had gone off with Jadis to try to get him back, but his arrogant attitude didn't give him much of a chance. And the other two were a pair of young girls who it didn't even seem right asking to fight. How were they supposed to change the tide of the war?
"And if they're not," Shaddoc said in a casual and straightforward way, not letting it show that he knew more than he was telling. "What then? Do you have a backup plan?"

[Wolfsong]

The Grand Sage smiled sadly at Callysta. He stood and walked over to them, laying a gently, reassuring hand on both hers and Reveka's shoulders. "Everything will be well," he told them. "We'll find them."
Reveka jumped when she heard a gentle cooing at the window. The Grand Sage turned, and they all saw a pigeon on the window. There was an odd tube tied to its leg, with an odd symbol on it. The Grand Sage inhaled sharply.
"Nigal?" he said incredulously. "After all these years..." He turned back to the girls. "I'm sure you're tired. Head to your rooms, girls, and sleep awhile. I'll tell you what we'll do in the morning."
Reveka knew better than to argue, even if she could. Nodding at Callysta, she turned and left. She ran to her room, closed the door, then felt the weight of not having Arren there with her come crashing down on her. She collapsed on the bed, crying, mentally screaming, "Arren! ARREN!!!"

"So how are the others?"
"Well...everyone was okay, last I looked," Ethinine said. "Of the twins, Arren's...what I guess you'd call the dominant leader. Reveka clings to Arren like a timid rabbit, and won't do a thing without him." He paused a moment, then asked, "Was Reveka always mute, Priestess?"
Emagene looked a little confused. "No...she had quite a healthy pair of lungs on her. She was louder than Arren," she added with a smile.
Etho nodded slowly. "She was mute when I first met her. She j ust stared about with wide eyes and clung to Arren. It took forever for her to feel at ease around us."
"What about Callysta?" Demetrius, seated on some boxes nearby, asked. He and Erasmus seemed to be playing some sort of handgame, and were watching each other carefully.
"She's quite well," Ethinine answered wistfully. "She's gentle and supportive, just don't make her mad. She gets really scary then." He paused, then added, "She can also weild shadows, sir. She had an unncanny knack for them."
Demetrius was obviously surprised, as his head snapped toward Ethinine with such a piercing gaze that Etho took several steps back. Erasmus, seizing his chance, lightly slapped Demetrius' hand. "Point," he announced with a triumphant smile. Demetrius, sufficicently recovered, turned and glared at him, which Erasmus cheerfully ignored. "And what about you, Ethinine? How have you been doing?"
"I've been well, F-Father," he answered, a little of his stammer creeping back in. "I kept up in my studies, and the Grand Sage says my knowledge of history and magic is astounding."
"Its been twelve years," Demetrius said suddenly. He raised his eyes to meet those of the Mage and Priestess. "Twelve years we've sat here. dreaming of home, of loved ones and children left behind, struggling constantly in the midst of Darkness and evil. Twelve years since we've laid eyes on our own children. Why did we let it go this long?"
"Because we can't get out, simple as that," Erasmus responded. "We're surrounded on all sides by creatures eager to kill us, held back only by the Dark's Hand. Your sword is lost, and Emagene's and my powers have been suspended. What can we do?"
Demetrius suddenly stepped forward so that he was directly in Erasmus' face. "We fight," he replied. "We don't give up!"
"What do you say we do?" Emagene asked softly. "We've tried before. What do you intend to change?"
"To not dive in unarmored. DId it ever occur to you we could make our own weapons?" Demetrius vanished into the shadows of the back. Emagene raised an eyebrow, but he kept talking. "I found materials I could work with." Demetrius appeared again, holding somethings. "They're merely stone, but its better than nothing." To Emagene and Erasmus, he handed out two small stone knives. Their edges were jagged, but that would perhaps be better. In Demetrius' hand was a stone sword. He turned to Etho, but the man shook his head.
"Don't worry." He held out his hands, and a small breath of wind traveled through his fingers. "I'm still capable. Guess ol' Azarael forgot."
Emagene smiled softly. "He probably doesn't believe you're something to worry about. Let me bless these new weapons, and then we'll try."

Nigal thought a moment, then shrugged. "Continue as we always have. It would just be really nice to have their joined aid. We were more than holding our ground when their parents were with us. Now we're barely holding on." He shrugged again. "But that doesn't matter. We will stnad firm, whatever comes, whoever helps us. I wish that idiot Jadis was here, but I guess I'll have to do without him. At least you came back, I appreciate that. I'm more than certain I'll need your help before all's said and done. Which reminds me, I wanted to ask you..." he fixed a firm eye on Shaddoc. "Who were those people with you, back when Jadis was trying to help me stand? Did they have anything to do with his decision?"

Jadis raised an eyebrow, but Talos' question made him hold his toungue. He gave Arren a grim look, clearly telling him they would continue this discussion later, and he turned to Talos. "I think, if we're cautious, we stand a 14% chance," he said with a straight face, then relented at the man's striken look. "I'm kidding, though not by much. The odds were close to the same when I regained Fort Neram for the Light, and I've got two other guys with me, so I think it raises the odds a little. Wishful thinking...Its probably worse... I think you'll be fine. But if it bothers you, stay close to us. Now lets get moving." and he started walking, glancing around cautiously.

[Koneko-chan]

Callysta frowned sadly "Okay.." She got up slowly, giving Reveka a little wave as she passed, walking in the opposite direction of Reveka to her room. Callysta opened the door and immiediately flopped on her bed. She buried her face into the bed, trying her best to fall asleep.

[Oddood198]

Arren thought for a moment on what Jadis had said, Fort Neram... I haven't heard of it, but it sounds like it was only an outpost for the Dark. He thought, Gol'lath is their fortress. No, their home. We'll hardly have a prayer.
Just then, he felt something, something familiar, and weak, at the edge of his consciousness, it sounded like a voice, like a cry, and then just like that, it was gone. Arren looked back toward the mountain, toward Reveka. I will return to you... I promise. He thought, willing his thoughts to reach her.

[ClaecElric4God]

Shaddoc's blood froze, but outwardly he didn't miss a beat. He'd completely forgotten about Nigal's presence at the fight, but it was natural for him to be curious about it. Shaddoc's quick thinking saved him, and he instantly came up with a suitable story.
Shaddoc feigned an irritated scowl.
"It was just a group of hero-wanna-bes. Barely more than children. They were playing in the woods when we started fighting, and decided to come and "help" us. As you can guess, they were more of a hindrance than a help, and we ended up having to protect them. After the battle, when Jadis and I parted ways, I escorted them back to their homes. You don't have to worry about them, I assure you they're safe."
"How can I be of service?" Shaddoc quickly changed the subject. "I'm willing to do whatever you need me to in Jadis' absence. I can't help but feel responsible for letting him leave you so short-handed at such a bad time. He really is a fool."

[Wolfsong]

Reveka's eyes widened. Was that...Arren she felt?! "Arren?!" she gasped. Instantly she threw everything she had into her cry. "Arren! Arren, can you hear me?!" But only silence answered her. Despondant and exhausted, she fell asleep.

The trio had been walking for a good long time, and it was beginning to show. Eventually, Jadis called a halt.
"We've gone far enough for today. We all deserve a rest." He glanced around, noting their surroundings. They had apparently left the forest behind a long time ago, for there was no sign of it. They stood between two hills, one much smaller than its neighbor, covered by the larger one's shadow. Vision was middling, depending on where you looked.
"Sleep would be suggestable," he continued. "I'll take first watch."

Nigal nodded slowly. "Wanna-be heroes, eh? Yeah, I could believe that, especially Jadis being so annoyed with them. He doesn't have much patience for nonsense."
He leaned against the wall, listening to Shaddoc's offer to help. Finally, he answered, "I cannot tell you how much your help would be appreciated. I actually have a need for skills like yours." After a moment, he added, "You would also be better for this than Jadis would, actually. He can be so impulsive sometimes. Still comes off as impressive, but all the same..."
He glanced out the darkened window. "Why don't you get some sleep and I'll fill you in on your new job in the morning."
He bid Shaddoc goodnight and watched him go. When the door closed, he shook his head. "Truth or lie? Always hard to tell with you, Shaddoc." He fell back into the bed, grimacing as pain laced through his injured side. "Is this wound really so bad, or am I getting too old for this?" he wondered. He looked out the window, staring up at the cloudy night sky.
"Grand Sage, are they ready? Are they even willing to fight with us? We can't hold much longer...we're barely clinging as it is."

"I don't know, old friend," Neoman said sadly, absently. he read the letter again and again, thinking.
"Neoman, we are falling apart from the inside, and can't hold much more. The boy in my charge remains strong of Light yet. What of your charges? Are they willing to help us? ~Nigal
"I just don't know."

When Reveka woke, she was standing once more in a fire-razed field. The black smoke filled the air, stinging her lungs. Eyes watering, she broke into a run, hoping to het away. She fell over an old log, but scrambled up and kept running. She was in a forest now, she realized, one that was burning. She ducked under a flaming branch and kept going. Where exactly she was going, she sure didn't know.

[Oddood198]

When the trio came to a stop, Arren immediately went about scraping sticks and rocks away from a patch of ground too make a comfortable place to sleep. Then, not seeing the need to say or do anything further, he quietly fell asleep.


His eyes opened again from the deep slumber, he was lying on the ground still, but something seemed different. Oh, it was probably the flames leaping up all around him, burning everything nearby.
Arren leapt up to his feet, looking around wildly, trying to figure out what was going on. He doubled over and began hacking violently as smoke filled his lungs and stung at his eyes, filling them with tears. Pressing his fists to his eyes, Arren began running away, he wasn't sure where to, or what direction he should go, he just knew that, surely, if he ran far enough he would eventually get out of the fire.

[Wolfsong]

Reveka soon left the forest, only to find she was back in the field. She paused, trying to figure out what was going on.
"What is this place?" she wondered.
"It is what will be."
That voice?! instantly, she broke into a run, only to crash straight into someone. She stumbled back, to see Arren. "Arren?!" she gasped. She instantly hugged him. "What are you doing here?"

[Oddood198]

Arren was running, running through a field, running for his life. When suddenly, he was hit by some solid object moving at a high speed, and he guessed it to be a person.
Oh, Light! He thought, falling to his knees with the wind knocked out of him,I've got to stop doing that!
He looked up and saw who he had crashed into. "Reveka!?" He exclaimed, and then hugged her at the exact same time as she did him. "I don't know... But don't worry, I promise, I'll get us both out of here."

[ClaecElric4God]

Shaddoc dropped his shoulders as soon as he pulled the door shut, heaving a sigh of utter exhaustion. This day had been draining in more ways than one, and Nigal's suspicious interrogations had been no exception. Sleep sounded pretty good right about now. He looked up at the sky, noticing the clouds.
Wouldn't it be lovely if it started pouring right about now, he thought as he laid out a pad and blanket on the ground. In his current state, Shaddoc was less than comfortable leaving Nigal for the night. With such a grievous wound, his most loyal ally off playing escort, and his right hand man turned traitor, Nigal was in a bad position. And even though there were no signs that anything would happen, Shaddoc wasn't going to take any chances. Maybe it was foolish, but Shaddoc was paranoid with Jadis gone.
Shaddoc set his bow within easy reaching distance, his arrows easily accessible as well. His dagger he kept close to him, and he spent a long time thinking and worrying about the day's events and what tomorrow would bring, before finally drifting into a shallow and fitful sleep.

[Wolfsong]

"That may prove difficult even for you, child."
Reveka turned. Behind her and her brother stood the man from before, the one claiming to be the Bearer of Black Wings. He was coming toward them, but walking this time. He gestured to the field around them.
"This place, while partly of made of the imagination of your mind, is still caught amid realities. That and....lets just say I'm holding it together for now. I've been wanting to meet the two of you for a long time." He smiled faintly. "For while I have met the daughter of Emagene, I have yet to meet the son. While she carries the Wings, you do bear some of the gift, so I cannot entirely afford to ignore you."
"Leave my brother alone!" Reveka mentally shouted at him, her hands turning into fists. The winged man smiled faintly.
"I believe I have yet to introduce myself. I am Azarael, the Hand of Darkness and Bearer of the Black Wings."

[Oddood198]

Arren looked at the man in front of them, he may not have been as good at sensing Light and Dark as his sister, but even he could feel the intense Darkness from this man. He stepped forward, putting his arm protectively in front of Reveka, while reaching for his sword with his other one, but only to find it wasn't at his side. Maybe he had dropped it, or simply never had it in this world, who knew.
"I see you already know who we are, so there's no point in introducing ourselves." Arren stated, cautiously watching Azarael, "I don't care about any of this war between Light and Dark, but I want to know two things: just what do you want with my sister, and is it worth having your putrid black heart torn out and stomped on?"

[Wolfsong]

Azarael smiled, a decidedly unpleasant and sardonic smile.
"Would you care to try your luck, boy?" he asked. He gestured to Reveka. "Your sister knows better, though she is still new to this passage. But it will come with time.
"As for your other question..." This he considered softly, his eyes still studying them. "In her last conscious moments, Emagene passed along her blessing upon the two of you, thinking thus that she could keep the blessing of the White Wings from me." He shook his head softly. "Ridiculous. She should have known better."
"Did....did you kill our mother?" Reveka asked softly.
Azarael smiled and didn't answer. Her heart went cold.

[Oddood198]

Arren felt his heart skip a beat, his knees weaken and he wobbled, almost falling over. His breath caught in his throat, Mother... is dead? He couldn't bear it, he couldn't stand the thought of it. His mother, Emagene, dead. Gone. Forever.
His arms went limp at his sides, and his head lowered. His mother... His mother, Emagene, and Reveka, those two were his family, his world. And now one of them was gone, and it felt like the world had split in two.

And now this man was claiming to be her murderer.

"I'll kill you..." He said, his voice small and weak from his dried throat. He clenched his teeth, moving his lips to bare them, and looked at Azarael with angry, wild eyes. "I'll kill you..." He repeated, his voice strengthening. He clenched his hands into fists so tightly that his fingernails dug into his palms, and blood started leaking between his fingers. He took a step forward, and with his hoarse voice, shouted, "I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!! Every one of you Dark abominations! I'll tear down the sky and drown you in your own putrid, festering blood!!!"
He charged at the Hand of Darkness, drawing one bloody fist back to begin pummeling him, screaming through his tightly clenched teeth.

[Wolfsong]

Reveka screamed as Arren rushed at Azarael. The Bearer of Black Wings, on the otehr hand, seemed amused at the boy's outburst. As Arren punched, he turned his body so that Arren's punch flew harmlessly past. He raised his hand and lightly brushed Arren, and a thin tendril of darkness crept unnoticed into the teen's heart. "I never killed her," he said softly, that only Arren would hear. "She lives yet, and waits for you. I have never meant any of you harm, and instead mean you well. Come to me, I will bring you all together again." and Arren suddenly vanished.
"What did you do?" Reveka demanded fearfully.
"I released him from the dream," was Azarael's reply. He turned to the frightened girl, hand extended. "And so I release you. Awaken, Reveka of the Wings. I will meet with you again soon."
"Wait!" But the world around her faded.
Reveka awoke back in her familiar room, her hands tightly clenched around the bedcloths. Softly, she unclenched her hand and stared at it. "Arren..." After a moment, she clenched her fist again. "I'm going to find you. I'm going to help you. I promise."

Jadis woke with a start. Mentally he berated himself dor dropping his guard as he looked around, trying to figure out what woke him. Then he saw Arren, and his bloody palms.
"Sweet stars! What did you do?" he hurried over and was preparing to bandage them when he saw Arren's expression. "...are you alright?"

Nigal was awakened by something hooting softly. He sat up, and saw a white owl perched on his window. Smiling softly, he sat up. "Hello, friend," he said, addressing the owl. The bird flew out into the middle of the room, and then changed. The Grand Sage stood there now. The two men clasped hands warmly, both obviously pleased to see each other again.
"I received your letter, and the bird is resting now," Neoman told him. "I'm afraid..."
"Please hold, just a moment friend." Nigal walked over to the door, opening it gently so that it wouldn't creak. "Matt?"
The boy, who had been dozing a little, lept up, though a little unsteady. "Nigal! What do you need, sir?"
"Can you find Shaddoc and tell him to come now? We may as well begin once we're alert."
"Yes sir!" and the boy ran off.
Nigal, smiling, closed the door and turned back to Neoman. "What is the word, then? How are the children?"
"I'm afraid...there is conflicting news for them."
Nigal's eyes widened. He sat down in one of the spare chairs. "What's happened?" he demanded. "They haven't died, have they?"
"No...but worse may yet come...."

[Oddood198]

"Liar, LIAR!!" Arren shouted, turning back around and throwing his fist again at Asarael...

Then, suddenly, it was all gone. The Hand of Darkness, Reveka, and the burning field, all of it, gone. Now all that surrounded Arren was the darkness of night and his travelling companions. Arren looked down, seeing that perhaps it was more than a dream, since he was already standing up and his fists were still dripping blood.
Jadis ran over to him and started preparing to bandage Arren's wounds, but he waived the man away, ignoring his questions as well. He spoke quietly as he stooped down and grabbed his sword, "Azarael, Hand of Darkness, Bearer of the Black Wings. What can you tell me about him?" He put his sword through his belt, then shook all the blood he could off his hands, and tightly grasped the sides of his shirt to stop the bleeding.

[ClaecElric4God]

Shaddoc woke with a start, pressing his dagger against his attacker's throat. But then the sleep cleared out of his head and he saw Mattemeo standing over him, eyes wide. Shaddoc quickly put his dagger away, shoving away his blanket.
"Mattemeo," he said hoarsely. "Forgive me, I was expecting something else." Shaddoc's sleep had been shallow and fitful, filled with dreams of shadows and darkness, and he could've sworn he'd watched Jadis being swallowed by it.
He nodded when Mattemeo told him of Nigal's summons. Equipping his bow and arrow, he walked toward the door, all trace of sleep gone.

[Wolfsong]

Jadis blinked, startled by the question. "Azarael? That's a name unfamiliar to me. However, the other titles, in fact, do." He motioned for Arren to sit, and sat down. Nightmares, he guessed, sleeping in the Dark could do that easily to you. "Hand of Darkness would be just second from the Heart of Darkness. The Hand is..well, like a regular hand I guess. The Heart is the mind of the body, and the Hand carries out its will. However, its not known if the Hand has a mind of its own, or is simply an extension of the Heart.
"As for the Bearer of Black Wings...you sure you don't know this one? Its like the White Wings, except instead of harnessing Light in its deepest, purest form, it is Darkness that it holds. Your mother, the priestess Emagene, was so strong because she was handling such pure Light. So the Bearer of Black Wings would wield pure Darkness." Then he asked, "Why do you want to know? Nightmares bugging you?"

Nigal, grave over the discussion he and Neoman had been having, glanced up as Matt's pale face appeared from around the door.
"Shaddoc's here sir," he announced in a small voice.
Nigal nodded. "Thank you. Go get some rest, Mattemeo. You look like you need it."
The boy nodded and vanished, but Shaddoc came through next. "Good morning, sorry if Matt disturbed you," Nigal said. He gestured to Neoman. "This, Shaddoc, is the Grand Sage Neoman. Neoman, this is Shaddoc, a good lad, almost as good as Jadis."
Then he added, "So, are you ready to hear what your assignment is?"