Path To Divinity

[FAB]

Don't worry! Yours is still excellent.

[Zay-el]

After a long wait, here's the next part for all to enjoy. 83 I hope you'll like it, and rest assured, the next part won't take this long. XD

Thankies marching towards Luckster again for the beta! 8D

Chapter 7: Remembrance

Part 1

Memories and dreams...distorting inside one's mind from the pure shock of them, forming eventually a new past, a new reality that has never existed. Pain numbs the mind and body, forcing one to forget the most horrible of images, but also the truth inside of them. Dreams dig right into the deepest depths of the subconscious, searching for strange and unusual combinations, uncovering the dust from people, locations, events one would rather forget for an eternity.

Tossing and turning, insides revolting, fear grasping hearts with its icy claws, mercilessly squishing them to introduce the victim to pain of unimaginable magnitudes. One must be vary of what dreams could do. They can either show one the deadly truth, or a shallow lie...but all lies fade as time passes.

What one tries to conceal will lurk in their heart forever, poisoning their every moment of existence until they can no longer bear it all and either give up on it altogether, or finally try and fight, deciphering the markings imprinted upon the mind, searching for those few words that will explain everything...their misery, their pain...and in the end...their salvation.

A sharp cry cut into the silence of the room, the young voice echoing off the marble walls. Ly panted like she had run from one end of the Glade to another, salty beads of sweat running down her forehead, intermixing with a few stray tears that seemed to have escaped the confine of her eyes.

The fairy shook her head to get rid of whatever remained of her dreams, wincing soon after. A slow pulse throbbed on her leg, the feeling all too familiar to her by now. She sighed and dropped back into her bed, her head sinking into the mottled pillow. Gazing off into the darkness of her room, she couldn't even remember at first why it was so dark in it.

A moment after awakening was all she needed though. It had been three whole days since that dreaded night when the unimaginable happened. Mister Dark had returned from his seemingly eternal absence, kidnapping both her and her dearest friends. He put all of their lives into peril by tossing them into the depths of the caves of the scorpion, Skops. Although as it later turned out, even he was just a victim to the mage's manipulations, driven to attack them by foul magic.

It was in that cave that she had to cling to consciousness from a horrible wound one of the creatures inhabiting the caves inflicted upon her. Now, treated by her fairy sisters and Betilla, it was showing signs of healing, though she was commanded to stay in bed until her leg was completely healed.

At first she would have taken upon the chance willingly, almost happy to spend some time in her room, Betilla visiting her nearly ever hour or so. Sadly, her wound wasn't the only thing that marked the tragedy of that night. Something else had happened, and a word traveled along the Glade, a word no one ever thought they'd hear again: murder.

She could still see it before her, every second of it etched into her memory. She could remember that fateful sphere of darkness as it flew towards Shya with such speed no one would be able to stop it. It all happened so suddenly, so without warning. The fairy twitched violently, collapsing into her son's arms.

She recalled the shock and confusion that struck, just as the death-bringing darkness ball hit Shya, burning nearly all the way to her heart. Every time she thought of Salian, she saw the boy crouching, holding his mother's body in his arms, soaked from her blood, the inhuman shock purely all over his face. She still heard his voice as he desperately called out for her, even though she died nearly right upon impact.

She didn't want to lie around, waiting for her leg to heal perfectly. She suspected Salian needed those who stood close to him the most right now. He had no one besides his mother, no one who could care about, no one who could ever replace her. The fairy knew well how close they were to each other, maybe even more so than most other families.

Neither Rayman, Globox, not even Murfy had visited her since her sisters grounded her, but she didn't feel the least frustrated about it. She had enough problems with the fact that she didn't want to lie around at all. She wanted to be next to Salian, helping him somehow cope with the immense shock this tragedy has caused.

Mister Dark had not appeared since. Rayman attempted to find him right on the night of the murder, but was unable to follow the mage's tracks. Sadly, that was one field the cloaked monster excelled in. Most didn't even understand why he killed Shya of all people...for all everyone knew, he was trying to exact vengeance upon Rayman...though at this point, it seemed like he'd ruin the life of his friends first.

Ly sighed once more, wishing she could help her friend in some way. But no...she couldn't even help herself. Ever since that night, she'd been tormented by nightmares every time she managed to fall asleep. The scene was never completely the same, something new always appeared in it, something she tried to kept hidden in the depths of her mind. Why can't I just forget it already?

She quickly got irritated of just lying around and sat up, ignoring the faint throb of her wound. It had been bandaged securely by now, and she knew her sisters were nearly done with replacing her tattered body suit with a new one. They had offered something different, either traditional robes or a different pattern for the new, but she declined both of them. She loved her old body suit too much to just drop it in favor of a different one.

For now, she was clad in a deep-green nightgown she had received as a gift from Betilla on the day of her creation. Most fairies usually didn't care about the day when they were brought upon the world, but the Elder fairy had kept a note of Ly's, especially since she knew just how much the young fairy was attached to her.

She quietly slipped out of her bed, pulling out a pair of slippers from under her bed. She knew from experience just how cold the marble tiles could be. Taking a deep breath, she slowly stood up, applying pressure to her injured leg. Though she had to bite into her lower lip at first from the throbbing, it eased a bit after the first few moments. She panted a tiny bit, taking a small step forward. Her wound ached once more, but not as painfully as it did when she stood.

Slowly limping over to her door, she pushed on the handle just a bit, peeking out. No one seemed to be around, and though her sisters were exceptionally sweet to her since she was found, she didn't wish to run into any of them, knowing she'd only get a lecture and taken back to her room. Though she still remembered how Rayman reacted when she was straining her wound, she decided to take her chances. Her wound wasn't as bad as before, so she'd take a much smaller risk than before...and at least there'd be someone around for sure, in case she'd overestimate her body's abilities.

Soon, the only sound echoing in the Council corridors were her tiny footsteps, limping slightly but moving without halt. She could feel little beads of sweat forming on her forehead once more from the sudden strain after such a long break, but she continued nevertheless, trusting her resolve would be able to battle the pain.

Knowing the way by heart, she reached Betilla's quarters rather quickly. She could feel her heart lifting a bit just by standing before her door. Not wanting to be rude though, she knocked softly on the door. A few second passed, later adding up into minutes, but there was still no sign of the Elder fairy.

Ly pondered upon the topic for only a few more seconds, before reaching out for the handle. She was slightly surprised to find the door was open already, almost calling her inside. She shrugged and entered the fairy's quarters, closing the door after herself. She glanced around the familiar room with a childish smile on her face. No matter how many times she'd returned here, she always felt relaxed when she was in Betilla's quarters. There was something about the subtle harmony of the place that calmed her no matter how her heart would rage.

The Elder fairy's room wasn't much bigger than her own, and much but much better furnished than hers. Books were piled in an orderly fashion upon the shelves, little objects lined up before them. The fairy couldn't quite guess the use of some of them, but found it really nice form of decoration. She found herself blushing a bit as she noticed something all too familiar: a little, chipped gem resting on one of the middle shelves...the same one she'd been struggling for half a day to get it.

“Look what I've found!” the child squealed lifting her hands so she could see the object in her dirty palms.

Her green eyes glimmered along with the treasure she held, an excited smile posing on her face. She was just plain filthy all over, her body suit covered by muddy patches, her short, blue hair all ruffled up. Even her face was all dusty, making it quite obvious she'd been nearly digging for whatever she was showing her now.

A small, sky-blue gem sparkled in her little hands, coated by several layers of dirt. It seemed to be contaminated by other materials as well, making it completely worthless. It couldn't ever be formed into a pure gem from the other minerals in it, and it's chipped state made it rather worthless for even so much as a small decorative piece.

And still, she picked it up, inspecting it in the sunlight for a moment, smiling brightly. She placed it back into the young fairy's messy hands, softly touching her fingers and letting it clench around the gem again. She continued to smile at her, reaching up and patting her head a bit, stroking her short, blue locks as well. She giggled upon the praise, glancing up so their jade eyes would meet.

“I want you to have it!” she stood up on her toes, her little tail wagging as she offered her newfound treasure to the older fairy. She wished to make someone happy with it, instead of keeping it herself, and the Elder was her first guess.

“I appreciate it...and I promise I'll keep it safe.” she purred, gently taking the chipped gem from the younger fairy's hand, patting her head again. She giggled even more happily than before and leaned forward, hugging her leg for a moment, still too small to hug her properly.

“I can't believe she really kept it...” she mused. As a child, she deemed that every promise would last forever, but as she had grown up, she realized as time went by that nothing was eternal. Nevertheless, it was heartwarming to see the Elder fairy never went back on her word.

Her peaceful look suddenly twisted from pain, her leg signaling it couldn't take any more pressure. She gasped a bit from the sudden surge and settled down upon a couch, putting her healing leg to rest, letting her slippers drop on the ground.

She grumbled for a while about her inability to heal already, before sighing and sinking into the pillow on the side. Though she hadn't noticed it before, her little walk did exhaust her body quite a lot, unused to putting such strain into injured parts. The fairy did her best to ignore these uncomfortable circumstances and get as relaxed as possible to relieve her sore thigh.

A few minutes of lying around seemed to do the trick, the stinging pain easing into just a continuous throbbing. She yawned a bit, feeling tired all of a sudden. Her body seemed to have gotten used to the couch by now, signaling for her to take a little nap. Shouldn't fall asleep...Betilla might be here any moment...

The young fairy kept trying to stay awake, but it was becoming harder by the second. Her eyelids seemed to gain weight every moment or so, her mind ordering a partial shutdown already. She groaned and tried to rise, only to find herself in the impenetrable hold of the couch, her head glued to the pillow. She managed to at least gaze aside, her view locking on the large closet the Elder fairy held her robes. Faint memories bubbled up in her, only to lose track of them as she finally lost the struggle to stay awake.

The halls of the Fairy Council echoed from her heavy steps as she stormed through. Green and yellow flowed after her, crimson locks often tagging along, molding into one colorful view. Anger was an emotion her kind rarely showed, or at least, tried their best to hide, but she didn't care about it. She'd seen and experienced enough to allow herself this luxury.

“Ignorant fools!” she grumbled, heading straight to her quarters. She knew it was highly disrespectful to talk about the rest of the Council members as such, but she it was her honest opinion. To belittle the obvious threat that was continuously looming over them like a shadowy cloud, was something she didn't swallow too well.

Slamming the door behind her, she slumped into her chair with a groan. The fact that she'd just left in the middle of a Council session was surely something they'd later rub under her nose, but she was too tired to think about it right now. She just needed a little peace and quiet, and enough time to come up with a handful of reasons for the next meeting.

None of them knew just how serious the current situation was. A rising power from Candy Chateau had been in discussion for ages now, as well as how to deal with it. Despite her attempts though, the majority of the Council still believed it'd be best if they didn't take any action for the time being. They were afraid, and while she understood their fear, it also angered her that none of them would even try and come over it.

“If he's right...then the more we wait, the worse...” she muttered, heaving a deep sigh. She glared at her mirror for a moment, her blood almost beginning to boil. “Where are you when your people need you?” she growled, pure accusation in her voice. “You know who he is...why all this secrecy? If we'd tell everything, we could take a step before a catastrophe!”

She suddenly fell silent as a tiny sound reached her ears, coming from somewhere inside her room.

“Who's there?” she queried, getting up from her sitting spot. She didn't remember waiting for any guests, thus the question as to who it could be, was open. A small whimper seemed to come as an answer, followed by faint sounds of movement, and clothes rustling.

The fairy walked over to her dresser, sure that she'd find the intruder there. Just as she reached for the handle, there was a short little cry. Turning the handle, the interiors opened up, revealing a small figure wrestling under a pair of her robes. Betilla couldn't help but laugh and pulled the clothes off, revealing the visitor.

A pair of green orbs sparkled upon light reached them again, the dark-blue hair just barely falling into her eyes. It was another fairy, and quite a young one. Purple stripes coursed around her yellow body suit; the traditional attire of fairies of her age. Her bushy tail curled over her thigh as she sat in the dresser, gazing back at one of the Elders of her kin.

She realized herself quickly and wiped her eyes a bit, only managing to get her hands wet from her tears. Despite being around Betilla all the time, she still wanted to give her proper respect every time, and that meant looking prim and proper as well. The Elder fairy on the other hand, didn't seem to care about that and reached forward, helping her wipe off the silvery droplets, before they'd race down her blood-red cheeks again.

“How long have you been there?” she asked gently, seeing she was kind of upset. The younger fairy seemed terribly embarrassed though and couldn't utter a word. Instead, she just gazed at the floor, her pointy ears lowering from being found trespassing. Betilla smiled softly at her, having known her since she was only learning to walk.

“Well...let's get you out of there, sweetie.” she purred, reaching over and collecting the child in her arms. She decided to settle her robes again later and went over to the sofa, settling the young fairy down. “Now, why were you hiding in my closet, Ly?” she quizzed gently upon sitting down next to her.

She seemed reluctant to answer and just brought her knees up, hiding her face, shining from shame. The Elder fairy couldn't help smiling at her behavior and lightly started stroking her hair, knowing that always calmed her down. It always did when she was younger, and she doubted that had changed in only a few years, not to mention it's only been a little more than eight years since her birth.

She seemed to be right as Ly slowly crawled out from her self-made containment chamber, showing her face again. The little one scooted closer to the older fairy and leaned against her, whimpering a bit. Betilla purred to her softly and put a hand over her, stroking her arm a bit as well.

“I thought you were getting along nicely with your new friend.” she queried gently, wondering whether they boy said or done something that might have upset her this much. She just shook her head though, signaling her recent playmate didn't do anything. “Then what happened, sweetie? You know you can tell me...” she purred.

“...they were...they did...” she muttered, trembling a tiny bit. The Elder fairy stroked her arm again, helping her hold back any more tears.

“Your sisters were teasing you again?” she queried, already knowing he guessed well, even before Ly nodded. Though fairies were pure creatures from the start, that didn't always stop them from being a bit sinister, especially when they were kids, and didn't yet understand the world as older ones did. Like all children, they too were unable to judge what was good and bad.

“...my tail...” Ly whimpered, the mentioned part of her wiggling around a bit. “...they teased...and pulled on it...” she gripped Betilla's robe a bit, trying not to cry again.

The Elder fairy groaned, shaking her head. It was same story over and over again. Young fairies picking on the even younger ones. Pure or not, fairies could get very evil about as simple things as appearance. She knew all too much about her kin, more than enough to sometimes criticize her own race. She pulled Ly closer, purring soothingly to the younger fairy.

“And didn't your friend do anything?” she continued questioning, knowing that the more Ly talked about it, the faster she calmed down. As a second reason, she also wished to know the effects of Shya's upbringing. “Didn't he defend you?”

“...he did...he shouted at them...” the little one admitted, still clinging a bit to the Elder's robe. “...but they were quicker...and I ran off...”

Again, Betilla frowned a bit. The fact that these fairies continuously abused that the boy didn't share their speed and agility, was yet another thing she often thought about. She sighed for a moment, knowing all too well this could leave marks later on. Ly slumped her head into Betilla's lap, breaking her pondering.

She smiled and ran her hands along Ly's growing deep-blue hair, playing a bit with the locks. The fairy seemed to unnerve finally, snuggling a bit into her lap. Her tail started wagging a bit, a sure sign she was beginning to feel comfortable again. Over the years, she had grown to know what could make the young fairy ease, being her prime tutor, and perhaps the closest to her amongst her kin. She had seen the spark of talent in her at a very young age and decided to personally make sure she'd be taught everything she knew.

“You can't always run off whenever something bad happens.” she purred, stroking her head softly. “How will you ever grow strong if you keep retreating?” she queried, tilting her head a bit.

“I don't now...but I don't even know what to do.” she grumbled, much more annoyed than sad now. “...and just because they have wings and I don't.”

“Well look at me then!” the older fairy chuckled. “I don't have either, and still, I'm pretty confident about my looks. You should learn to just ignore then...or and if they pull on your tail, then pull their wings! I'm sure Sal would assist you.” she winked.

The little fairy giggled just from imagining the scene, blushing a bit from mentioning Sal. “Do you really think he'd help me?” she queried, glancing up into the Elder fairy's eyes.

“I know so.” Betilla nodded, smiling down at Ly. “After all, his mother, Shya, has a tail as well, plus he's a good friend of yours already, am I correct?”

“He's sweet...and I like playing with him.” she admitted, a red tint posing on her cheeks. “He's my first fairy brother.” she giggled, her tail wagging from her once more cheerful mood. “And he-” her ears suddenly twitched as she heard a voice calling her outside.

“Well, it seems he's also looking for you now.” Betilla mused, recognizing the voice at once. She carefully set the fairy back on her feet, gazing into her eyes for a moment. “Don't let others intimidate you.” she smiled a bit, but Ly noticed in her voice that she was lecturing her. “And if you feel bad, let your friends help you.” she added, stroking her hair one more time.

The younger fairy nodded, her ears twitching to the call again. She paused for a moment, before kissing Betilla's cheek as a thank you and ran off. The Elder could hear her walking off with Salian, the two already plotting revenge. She chuckled and shook her head, feeling a bit proud of both herself and Ly. “Farewell-”

“-Ly?”

The fairy's eyes sprung open, only to be met by a pair of jade orbs beaming at her. She quickly sat up, realizing she'd been resting in Betilla's lap.

“Slept well?” the Elder purred, chuckling at her startled behavior. Ly blushed deeply, embarrassed that despite all her tries, it seemed she did fall asleep after all. Noticing her flustered look, the older fairy winked at her. “Relax...you know my door is always open for you.”

“I know...” she muttered, still a bit startled about the wake-up call. “...I just didn't wish to meet you while snoring.” she joked, smiling a bit.

“Yes...as far as I can guess, you didn't come over just to sleep on my sofa.” Betilla mused, getting to the point of her visit in that gentle, but firm way she always did.

Ly smiled faintly at her, brushing a few locks of her hair out of her eyes. One of the many reasons why she had always respected Betilla, was that she didn't waste effort on needless ceremonies, but spoke always with such honesty and straightforwardness. She didn't coat everything with sugar, but did speak her mind when she felt the need for it, not caring at all about what others might say.

“It's Sal...” she blurted out finally. “I...I'm not sure he'll be okay...I should be next to him right now.” she sighed, her heart heavy of the slight accusation. With or without her wound, she should have been with him in such difficult times.

Betilla gazed aside for a few moments, sinking into her thoughts. She had visited the boy herself a few times, and it wasn't a pretty sight. Shya and Salian had a very close mother-son relationship, deeply caring about each other. She still kept her promise and never told him the facts behind his early childhood. Now that the fairy had passed away under such horrible circumstances, she decided to keep it a secret from him forever.

She sighed, the memories still haunting her. It's only been three days, and the entire Glade was discussing the murder, millions of possible reason coming up every second. Ly only noticed now that the older fairy's eyes were slightly bloody, dark circles around her eyes. It was apparent she had only little sleep since then. True to that, she barely had any rest, and even those were filled with nightmares. She knew too much to just sleep soundly.

“No!”

His cries kept echoing along the clearing as she tried to tear him away from her body. He didn't let go, clinging to her with all his might. Tears ran down his cheeks, joining the growing patches on his shirt, many of them already stained with blood...the blood of his mother.

“Sal please, let go of her already!” she screamed, managing to finally pull him off, into her arms.

The fairies didn't waste a single moment and tried to heal her right there, knowing that she'd die even before they Council would be near sight. They all concentrated their powers on trying to heal her, pushing themselves for the limit...but no avail. The blast of dark energy went right through her body, rupturing everything in its way. It was sheer luck it didn't go over into the boy holding her.

A single glance was enough for Betilla to know there was no use now, the fairy's empty look signaling it as well. She pulled Salian close, turning away, despite his protests. He tried to free himself from her hold at first, only to finally give up. He slumped onto her as she embraced him tightly, feeling as he trembled in her arms.

Ly watched the horrific sight from the arms of one of her sisters, shocked beyond words. Her mind barely registered the fact that something terrible just happened, just after all their trials have ended. Uglette and Globox tried to drag the kids away, not wanting to give them a glimpse of death so soon. Rayman was nowhere in sight, having run off in a desperate attempt to find and immediately take vengeance upon Mister Dark.

All who where there though, were either watching the dying fairy, or the boy in the Elder fairy's arms. They all felt sorry for him already, knowing that with this, he became an orphan...again. He had no family besides Shya. He would be all alone in that house, surrounded by nothing else than the tear-bringing memories of his late mother.

Salian kept clinging to Betilla, feeling as though the entire world was being torn from him. Despite all hope and desperate wishes, he knew deep inside his heart that there was no use...his mother was gone. His tears drenched the Elder fairy's robes as she held him tightly, trying to at least comfort the boy in his enormous loss.

She didn't speak at all, knowing no words in the world could ease his pain right now. The fairies around Shya finally gave up the struggle, one of them going closer, lowering her eyelids for the final time. Salian felt the fairy gently rocking him in her arms, stroking his hair soothingly. It didn't do much to calm his raging heart though, which kept tormenting him without halt, charring him to ashes from the inside.

He could barely comprehend the fact that his life would change now. He was alone now...without a mother, without a family. He felt every ounce of strength he had left leaving him, all of his energy being used up from the crying. Tears of sorrow and desperation shed for the person who had been with him for as long as he could remember. His knuckles, white from grasping Betilla's robe, slowly lost their grip, his mind pushing him into a world of dreams to free him from the pain.

Betilla felt the boy falling asleep in her arms, exhausted after everything, especially the shock. She watched silently as the Teensies slowly prepared a makeshift carrier for Shya's body to take it back to the Council. Globox and Uglette began to guide their children home, giving them evasive answers about what happened to Shya. Her kin took Ly back towards the Council as well, knowing she was still in need of medical attention. Rayman soon reappeared, panting madly. She didn't need to ask to know he'd run through half the Glade, with no avail.

He hung his head, going closer to the fairy and the tormented boy in her arms. Gently taking Salian from her, he walked after the others, intending to find a room for him to sleep in, knowing it would be best if he was under the watchful sight of the Council. The Elder fairy sighed, getting up to her feet again. She glanced around the clearing one last time, before turning away to follow the hurrying limbless back.

“...so much for your protection...”

She spun around at once, glaring around in pure anger. The cold, derisive voice was an all too known one to her, belonging to the person she least wanted to see right now.

“Where are you?” she growled, loud enough for him to hear if he was truly as close as his voice indicated. With the master of the night though, one could never now. “Show yourself, you coward!”

“Coward?” he asked back, his tone teeming with pure mockery. “Why are you cal-”

“You know full-well!” she shouted, her cheeks red with fury, the depth of the color rivaling her scarlet hair. “I never thought you'd go as low as murdering an innocent fairy, especially from behind! Show yourself if you're so confident in your power and face me!” her hands glowed slightly, raw power gathering from her anger.

“You've done this already Betilla...and even then, I defeated you.” he scoffed, sounding like he was shrugging off a bug. “And don't tell me about that fairy being innocent...she was just as guilty as you are.”

She threw off a sphere of pure energy, letting out a cry of anger along with it. The sphere flew for a bit, only to disappear from sight after a short while, hitting no target. She panted a bit from the sudden energy use, glaring around. She hoped the mage would be bold enough to appear, giving her another chance.

“Amusing...” he remarked, sounding unimpressed though. “But completely worthless. You can't defeat me Betilla...you couldn't do it back then, and you still can't. You only have yourself to thank for that though.”

“I don't know what you're planning, Dark.” she growled, putting a lid on her temper for the time being. “But if you think I'm going to sit idly and watch as you torment everyone, then you're in for a huge surprise.”

“You know who I want!” he replied, his voice menacing for once. The darkness around her got thicker, though she didn't even flinch. She'd never been afraid of the night, and she certainly wasn't scared of him. “You know it yourself...that nothing will change, as long as he's alive!”

“I've been looking over him for years now.” she gazed fearlessly into the darkness, looking like a bright torch amongst the shadows. “And no matter what you do, no matter who you attack...that won't change.”

There was a long, eerie silence, before the shadows moved again, flowing away from her a bit. He didn't wish to waste anymore of his precious time on her, knowing the stubborn material she was from.

“If you want to die that badly.” he mused, becoming rather distant. “If you stand in my way, I will not hesitate to kill you as well. I won't let anyone stand in my way from now on.” The darkness around the clearing slowly sept away, giving place to the soothing rays of light as dawn came upon her.

She kept gazing before herself, words and actions replaying in her mind over and over again, puzzling her unendingly. Nothing will change, as long as he's alive... She thought much about his words back then. Polokus had been resting in the spirit world once again, though she had no doubts he knew about the murder of Shya.

Is this truly the way you want the world to change? Through bloodshed and tears? She knew it was hopeless to try and understand his exact motives, yet she tried time and time again, trying to decipher what many would just throw aside as cryptic musing. Maybe he knows the entire truth now? She sighed, knowing that if he did...than this was only the overture.

“Are you okay?” she heard suddenly, making her glance aside. She had almost forgotten about it, but Ly was still next to her, now looking rather worried of the Elder fairy.

“It's okay...I'm just tired.” she sighed once more. True to that, she'd been wishing for some decent moments of sleep, but every time he'd managed to doze off, something always woke her up all over again. Ly still kept gazing at her with worry, making her smile faintly. “I assure you, I'm doing well.” she patted the fairy's uninjured leg a bit. “How's the wound?” she queried, diverting the subject.

“It's healing nicely...” Ly mused, forgetting about the earlier discussion, lightly brushing over the wound on her thigh. “I'm supposed to get another healing today...after that, I should be safe to walk again.” she sighed, brushing her hair a bit again, like she always did when she was nervous. “I just wish I could heal much faster.”

“You want to comfort Salian, am I right?” she queried, raising a brow. The younger fairy nodded, a very faint crimson tint appearing on her cheeks. Usually, when the boy came into discussion, this happened to her, with changing intensity.

“It must be really hard for him. I should be by his side at a time like this.” she admitted, resting her hand just above her injury. “If it wasn't for this stupid wound, I'd already be doing that.”

“I'm sure he knows just how worried you are for him.” the Elder fairy gently patted Ly's shoulder, smiling at her. “He knows how badly you were injured when you all came back...he surely knows you're still healing.”

“I should get another healing today...they say after that, I'll be able to walk freely again.” she mused. Though it was most efficient, fairies didn't always use healing magics. They consumed a lot of energy, mostly due to their connections to life itself. Also, there was a risk one would get too used to healing magic, until their own body's self-healing capabilities began to decrease rapidly. “I really hope so...I already feel sick to be in my room so much, and I'm sure Sal would welcome his friends.”

“At a time like this, definitely.” Betilla nodded, smiling softly. She could see under the general caring that the fairy harbored deep feelings towards the young boy, feelings maybe even she didn't realize yet. “Until then, you should go back and rest a bit...I'll do the same.”

“Alright.” Ly slowly got up, her injured leg shaking a bit, but ready to be used. She leaned down and quickly kissed Betilla on her cheek, thanking the fairy for her time. The Elder didn't even offer her help, knowing she'd only offend her if she did. The young fairy didn't like relying on others, becoming more and more independent, much to her pride. “Thank you for everything!” she called, her wobbling steps echoing in the corridor a moment later.

“Always happy to.” the fairy purred, rising from the sofa and getting over to her bed.

She dropped onto the cushy mattress, pulling the soft covers over herself. She closed her eyes immediately, knowing that if she wouldn't sleep now, she'd be up for the whole day. She let her thoughts drift off into her dreams; a place where she never had to worry, where her actions didn't have such an impact as usually. We shall see what will change and what will remain eternal, in due time...

- - -

Chilly winds flowed around the top of Candy Chateau, picking up any small object they could to drag them beyond the horizon, to worlds unknown. They caught as many things as possible, their eternal role to push or pull, until one would give up and let them guide. Merciless or gentle, faint or powerful, but they were always there as a force of nature, for eternity.

He gazed off into the distance, the pair of yellow eyes glinting almost tiredly in their sockets. The wind currents were bold enough to touch him as well, pulling on his long, dark-blue cloak, as if trying to get him to take it off. His large hat was in danger as well, the little, yellow spheres dangling around almost joyfully. He didn't care about any of them though, too deep in his thoughts to so much as take note of the insolent currents.

Vast lands lied before him, streaming to the far ends of his sight, teeming with life. Hundreds and thousands of creatures, each of them with their own set of fears, loves, wishes, desires and tragedies. He knew well that by this time, everyone in this half of the world had been told about his deed. The world once again talked about Mister Dark, the fabled evil who had finally returned to claim the world as his own, ending the ages of tranquility Polokus had granted, replacing it for his total reign of darkness.

He narrowed his eyes, smothering bitterness pooling inside him. Fools...find something to feed them with and they become mere animals to control... He heaved a tired sigh and gazed off again, sinking even deeper in his thoughts. Shadows gathered around him, slowly coursing around the mage, encircling their master as obedient pets.

He thought over everything from the start, carefully viewing every weaker point. The plan he'd been preparing for years, delaying it over and over again...it was finally becoming reality. For a moment, the fleeting thought of backing out appeared in the corner of his mind, but he brutally silenced it, tearing it out by the roots. Blood was already stuck to his hands, making it impossible to return. He had gone too far to just turn back.

“...master?”

Dark slowly turned to face the figure behind him, gazing down upon him, a quizzical light in his glowing eyes. He took a step backwards, glancing up into the mage's eyes with a tiny amount of fear as always. He deeply respected the spellcaster, and not only because he was created by him. The sheer aura that surrounded Dark was enough for him to pledge his loyalty for an eternity.

“What is it?” he spoke up after a brief silence, his slightly raspy voice mostly missing the pure wickedness he usually had.

His servant stepped out of the shadows surrounding the mage, revealing his entire form to the fading sun. His stature was of a known form around the residents of the Fairy Glade, but not belonging to the one they knew, even though they could have been mistaken as twins. He was a whole different person that the well-known limbless, though his origins tied them together somewhat.

Crimson eyes gazed into the mage's yellow orbs, though glinting only a tiny bit, compared to his. Strands of his dark-purple hair hung just above his eyes, shaped in neat flops. The dusk poured a few stray rays of light upon him, emphasizing how much he belonged into the night instead.

The deep-blue shirt stood hard against the wind, though it managed to sometimes crawl into his blue shoes. He didn't feel cold at all though, the foul magic that was bubbling inside of him already supplying him with chills, his pale-blue hands and face further indicating that. His scarred face showed he'd been through a life of pain, which only hardened him more and more, the faint light in the back of his eyes holding the kind of brutality the most vicious creatures developed over time.

“...I...failed you master...” he sighed, hanging his head before the mage. “...I should have killed that fairy, so you wouldn't have had to do it on your own.” he stood ready for the punishment, knowing failure was something he didn't always take too well.

Instead though, he felt Dark's cold hand on his head, stroking the base of his flops. He gazed upon his master with a bit of surprise, his chin hanging slightly loose. Unlike with most, the mage actually treated him with what most would define as affection...or at least, the lack of the usual bitter anger he harbored towards most living.

“Don't stress yourself about it.” he mused, his voice rather calm. One would think he was actually happy, but his servant didn't take that for granted. It was hard to judge the mage's mood, with his face always hidden. “Everything went as well as possible...it couldn't have gone any better, to be honest.” he removed his hand soon enough, but the feeling he left in him was a lasting one.

Though he didn't always understand his master's cryptic words, he did grasp the fact that he didn't do anything wrong. The shadow of a smile appeared on his pale face, just from sensing Dark was glad with the flow of the events. He still felt confused over a few things though, thoughts racing in his head.

“Why that fairy though?” he queried, gazing into his eyes again. ”Rayman was in the open...why not him?”

The mage's eyes glinted a bit more for a moment, the robes rustling. He knew well enough to know his master was chuckling from the question.

“You think your master had finally lost his mind?” he asked back, the shadows gathering closer around him, making him look even more menacing than usually.

“Of course not!” he almost shouted the words, growing even more pale than usually. He had no intention of offending Dark in any form. He was just wondering about his motives.

“It's part of something I've been preparing for a long time now.” the mage answered finally, easing on his frightful look. “Something that shall rock this world from top to bottom...” he almost amused by now. Seeing his servant falling into his thoughts again, he turned away, gazing off into the distance again

“And...what will we do now?” the limbless stepped almost to his side, scouting the perimeter along with the mage. “What's our next objective?”

“We wait...for every piece of the puzzle to fall into place.” he mused, his eyes burning in otherworldly yellow as his thoughts drifted upon the upcoming battles he'd need to fight. “But soon...we shall make our move as well.” he stated, sealing the end of the discussion.

The winds grew in power, blowing hard as if they were trying to toss the two off the edge. Even the forces of nature seemed to be afraid by his words, fearing what he was to bring upon the world. It was as like they already knew that whatever this creature was planning, would forever change everything.

[Holy Crap]

Good (and long) as always! It's funny, just this morning i thought "hm, Zay hasn't updated his fanfic in a while!"
But yeah, fantastic, very descriptive as always. Your truly a fantastic writer, I look forward to more.

[Limely]

Whoa! I didn't notice you'd updated this until now! D:

I'll read it as soon as I have the time, right now I really need to go to bed.

[Holy Crap]

pfft, who needs sleep anyway?

[Zay-el]

I know it's been a very long time since I've been around to update, but I just thought now was the time to announce something: THE STORY IS NOT DEAD! Yep, even with the long break, I haven't given up on it yet. X3 And to prove it, here's something I'm guessing you've been waiting for far too long now.

Part 2

Mortality is one of the greatest blights and gifts that had been granted upon humanity. Without doubt we've all spoke wishes to live forever, at least once in our lives. To hold in mind that we're not eternal, but instead, quite fragile instead, is a feeling many claim to understand, but all too less know well.

For even if our own easily extinguished life might be forgotten for mere moments, we're constantly reminded of the fact, through others. We are all surrounded by the obvious signs that we're nowhere near close to the gods we proclaim ourselves to be. We're all liable to die at any second. Life is so easy to extinguish...

Once we come in contact with death once, we never forget the ruthless and unforgiving nature of it. The afterlife awaits us all, one sooner than the other, but once someone gets proof of this, they'll bear the mark for the remainder of their lives, never able to escape from the grasp of death, no matter when that might occur. They become tainted by our own mortality.

The murky water stirred around from even his most careful steps, ripples lazily expanding into gigantic sizes. His shoes sank into the mud at almost every third step, though he didn't seem to pay much attention to it...or better, none at all. The air itself felt moist to his lungs, the large amount of humidity in it making breathing only a tiny bit hard.

Trees of relatively size, but tremendous leafage covered most of the bog that surrounded him, acting much like curtains. His steps were becoming more and more unsteady as fatigue slowly came over him. Emotions were good as secondary power for only a short while, before they'd lose strength and eventually prove more harmful, than good.

Not much was fueling the boy by now either way. A black void was present where his heart should have been, fed constantly by the many negative feelings that continuously pulsed within him. A monster of guilt, despair and grief kept tearing him to shreds inside, not giving him even just a single second of mercy.

Even he didn't know by now as to what was it that kept him going forward, but it was still there, still commanding him to continue. He just couldn't go back now, and face the truth he'd known ever since that night...that his mother was no longer amongst the living.

The past few days left nearly no imprint in his mind, either way. It was all just a blur, a living and never-ending nightmare. He knew that Rayman and nearly all of his friends kept being besides him to somehow ease his pain at least a tiny bit, but they too knew it helped nearly nothing. It was way too much for just one person to bear such a weight.

Salian let his hand rest on the bark of a tree for a few moments, while he collected his breath a bit. Beads of sweat kept running down his forehead like a stream, not showing any sign of stopping. The air was heavy around him, making him a tiny bit sleepy. He didn't want any rest though...if he had any, he'd only relive those moments once more, just like every time someone managed to get him to sleep a little.

He closed his eyes for a bit, trembling as he could see it all in his mind's eye once again.

She felt so light...so nothing of weight, even though she was resting fully in his hold. He couldn't move anymore, his heart coming to a momentary stop. Those empty eyes...gazing at him with the absence of the lambent vigor that should have pulsed from them, and the blood...the hot, almost steamy body fluid, running down her gown, his hands, onto the ground painting everything red...a river, a tidal wave of his mother's crimson blood...

Several birds and bog creatures scattered as he slammed the side of his fist against the tree with a loud cry, almost sinking to his knees right then. He couldn't bear to see it all once more. He couldn't accept that all this had come to pass. It was hard to imagine life could be this cruel.

“Mother...” he whimpered, able to feel his eyes watering a tiny bit once more.

What world would allow such to happen? His hands clenched into fists upon the tree's bark, though his nails were unable to dig into it. What fate is such agony? He gritted his teeth, bitter tears slowly sliding down his cheeks. ...what god would abandon his servant?

“Damn you!” he screamed. “Damn you all!!”

That was all his strength allowed him though. He could no longer do anything. He couldn't cry, he couldn't try and destroy anything anymore. He was just tired, lost, lonely and stuck in a hole he couldn't get out of without some help. He needed the hand of someone...anyone...

“Salian? Is that you?”

The boy flinched to the call of his name, raising his visage from the ground with a rather surprised look. He couldn't properly identify the voice at the first moments, spawning a short-lasting distrust. As he finally realized who addressed him, he forgot all of that, along with the anger that pulsed in him before.

His gaze was met with a rather friendly one, even though it came from the strangest of places...from the marsh, exactly. The figure rose a bit in the water slowly, letting the boy see him fully. An elusive creature his kind was, their natural habitat giving them one of the best hiding place of the planet.

Purple scales glimmered along his long and slender form, his posture creating a sort of wave-like appearance, with some parts of his body always under the swamp-water. His prolate face, though rather strange for one who hadn't seen such before, showed nothing that could be defined as even remotely dangerous. Those who knew him would have laughed at even the idea of him hurting anyone.

A Marsh Serpent he was. Their kind were the most natural inhabitants of the Marshes of Awakening, as they roamed every inch of water of it. They were benevolent creatures, often sought after by weary travelers of the swamp. It had always been a fondly told legend that whenever one would get lost in the murky Marshes, one of the Serpents would find them and safely lead the unwary out.

“Hi Sssssam...” the boy sighed, his elevated mood not lasting for too long. Even though it's been a long-long while since he'd seen the Serpent, not even his presence could relieve him.

“Hello to you too!” the mentioned Serpent swam a bit closer, clearly seeing signs of distress upon the young boy. It would have been against his entire being if he didn't check whether he was alright. “...how are you holding up?”

The boy's gaze snapped at him again, though this time he looked truly shocked. Out of every kind of question, this certainly wasn't one he had anticipated before. It was as though...he knew. He can't...I've never told him...nor anyone else! The Serpent's gaze was anything but unknowing though. He seemed perfectly clear with what happened a few days ago, though from what source, Salian couldn't possibly begin to guess.

“The Teensies.” Sssssam spoke up again, his look an almost sorry one. “They've been around a day ago, warning everyone that Mister Dark had returned...and what he'd done already...” he added, his voice lowering slightly as he gazed at the boy.

Salian shook his head a little bit, as if trying to prove that he was doing fine now. However, it was pretty obvious that he was still very far from it. His pains had only begun. The time of reckless sadness was slowly ending, giving place to the simple, cold grief. Sssssam continue to look at him for only a little while longer, before he turned around, swimming away.

The boy trembled a little, a subtle feeling of betrayal coursing in him. For just a moment, he felt as though even the Marsh Serpent had decided to leave his presence, deeming it nothing but a blight. Even from something so simple, only the worst things could come to his head. His sulking ended abruptly though as Sssssam suddenly reappeared, pulling a small punt with a rope around his body.

“Come on...” he called, his calm voice almost startling Sal for a moment. “A little ride never hurt anyone.” he added, seeing he was very much unsettled.

His thoughts lost logic soon though, as he finally got into the worn old boat. He moved without any real decision, slumping into the moldy wooden contraption. Sssssam seemed happy of his decision and began to move, dragging him along for a little ride along the Marshes. He personally found a little stroll to be great to take one's mind off anything bad...and right now, he knew the boy needed this little relief more than anything.

- - -

“This just can't get any better, can it...?”

The trip the Salian's room only yielded quite the worry to the Limbless. His footsteps barely even echoed along the Council Halls as he quickly strode through the corridors, heading straight towards the entrance to the Hall of Doors. Normally, he didn't quite like the maze of Teensie portals, due to the rather uncomfortable feeling when he crossed through them, but this was an exception.

For now, he was trying to find one of his closest friends, who seemed to have simply vanished into thin air. Due to the events a few days ago, the very shadow of pure fear grasped his heart, images of Dark, or any other malevolent force for that matter, taking the boy for some foul reason. He knew this was highly unlikely though, as not even the shadow mage would have been able to enter the Council, without someone sensing his presence.

Thus remained the only other plausible explanation: Salian had run off somewhere.

In all honesty, Rayman had to admit he expected this to happen, sooner or later. The boy had just lost his mother...it was perfectly understandable that he just couldn't face the truth and accept her passing. Thus, to escape the horrible reality that was this life, he-

“-fled to Polokus-knows-where...” he groaned, taking another sharp turn. However, he was met with an unexpected obstruction, all of a sudden.

A loud band shook the hall as they both landed on the ground, dazed from the sudden knockdown.

“Ouch...watch where you're going...” a distinctly feminine voice reached the Limbless, prompting him to rub the blur out of his eyes.

The curly blue hair, lambent green eyes and soft features, instantly gave her identity away. Ly rubbed the back of her head a bit from the fall, before glancing back at Rayman. A cheery smile immediately appeared on her face, once she realized it was him.

“Sorry, Ly...” the Limbless chuckled a little in slight embarrassment, gently taking her hand and setting her back on her feet again. “I didn't exactly plan on running into you like that.”

Instead of being angry or any of the sorts though, the fairy surprised Rayman by lifting him up into the air and into her arms. He couldn't even speak at first, momentarily stunned by the friendly gesture. Before he could get used to it though, she had already placed him back on the ground again.

“About time we finally met again...” she remarked, though pouting a little bit out of playfulness, even though she knew very well why he hadn't visited lately.

“Well...to be honest, I wanted to make it a group visit.” he mused, grinning slightly. “But...it didn't quite turn out as planned...”

The fairy's smile calmed down a little, a bit of worry mixing into her feelings. She very much knew what he meant. Although she had no true concept of what it was like to lose a close sibling, she knew it had to be excruciating. Nothing could possibly compare to the loss of the very one who brought him upon this world.

“I hope he's doing better now...” she sighed, twirling her blue hair a little, like whenever she was nervous. She'd let it grow again lately, though it was doubtful whether she was just trying it out a different style, or merely didn't care about it too much.

“I wish it was like that...” the limbless sighed as well. “In all honesty, he's doing worse every day...he's barely eating at all and I doubt he got any sleep lately.” he listed, looking rather worried, not to mention anxious as he remember the reason why he dashed down the corridor. “Not to mention he seemed to have run off now...” he added, startling Ly.

“What do you mean 'ran off'?” she asked, her eyes widening slightly. Sure, she expected him to take Shya's death rather badly, but she didn't think he'd decide to vanish altogether. “But...where to? And when? Didn't anyone watch over him?” Questions kept blurting out of her, heart sinking to the fact. They had just returned from the clutches of certain death, and she didn't want to have Salian, nor anyone else of her friends in mortal danger once again.

“Apparently no one was around at that time.” Rayman answered as best as he could, careful not to upset the fairy any further. “I doubt he left for real though...he left all his stuff here. He just probably needed to get away from here, for a short while.” he added, able to see Ly easing up a bit already. “Still, I was just about to go after him...no matter what, the Council is the safest place for him, right now.”

“Mind if I tag along?” Ly queried, glancing into the limbless' eyes.

She expected to see rejection in them, but instead, she found only a gleeful light instead. She couldn't help smiling back at him, able to guess what just happened. He knew it; he knew she would follow him with, or without his approval. She ran her hand along her, signaling that unless serious running was involved she'd do fine. Having just gotten another dose of healing magic, it was doing pretty well now.

“After you, madam.” the limbless purred, even making a quick bow out of playfulness. Even in worry, he had always been one to find some glimmer of light in the dark, smile in the grief.

“Why, I'm flattered.” she winked, giggling a little bit before going forwards, Rayman following close by. Wherever Salian was, both were very hopeful that he was alright, or at least in the right hands.

- - -

“You'll never really get over it...”

Salian flinched from the words, his attention centered upon the marshy scenery, till that moment. That one sentence was more than enough to divert his attention. He turned towards the purple Marsh Serpent, who was still in the middle of giving him a tour of the Bog.

“What did you say?” he asked back, unable to hold back just a little edge in his voice. His feelings about the death of his mother, was a touchy subject.

“I said that you probably won't ever get through Shya's death.” Sssssam repeated himself, as if he was merely discussion the weather. “Not for a couple of years, at very best.” he added.

In an instant, the boy felt something he never thought he could harbor for someone like the Marsh Serpent. Pure and unquenchable rage flared up from the very depths of his soul, consuming every bit of rational thought he had around.

How does he DARE say that?! His hands clenched into fists as he frowned upon Sssssam. If he hadn't been swimming, he would have attacked him right there, without a true and valid reason to silence him, unless to keep those foul words from his ears. He didn't want to hear of his mother's death. He just couldn't accept that it was the actual truth.

His rage dissipated quickly though as Sssssam turned sharply, causing the old boat to swing about a bit. Salian lost his balance right at the first movement, nearly falling overboard. In the end though, he merely ended up falling in the boat, groaning from the blunt pain. Even though the planks seemed age-old and moldy, they were hard as the exterior of the Fairy Council.

“Cool down, Salian.” Sssssam called from up front, the very tone of his voice surprising the boy. It seemed the Serpent anticipated such an anger. “This just proves what I've just said. Although I haven't seen you in these past few days, you're either way past grief already, or have never even begun to do so.”

Salian's blood quickly began to boil once more, his gaze hardening as well. Even though he pretty much calmed down after nearly sinking into the bog, this was more than enough to awaken a blinding fury in him. This was way more than he could accept without some kind of repercussion. Just as he was looking for something he could use as a weapon though, he noticed the Marsh Snake was gone already.

“You obviously miss her, but your feelings are directed towards your own misery, than Shya's untimely death...”

He spun around to face the Serpent, but he was long gone by the time he looked. Panting a little from the forcibly contained anger, he kept glancing around to find him, his words only working to upset him more with every second, to the point where he could barely even think straight.

“Your suffering doesn't come from the pain of losing her-”

“You just don't know what to do with your life now and that's what really troubles you-”

“In all honesty, you're merely clinging to the foolish thought of her being still alive, instead of coming in terms with the truth-”

“She's gone, Sal. And nothing will ever bring her back now...”

“SHUT UP!!” the boy screamed, losing his balance once again, from the continuous spinning around, falling into a sit.

Salian barely even realized the tears that kept running down his cheeks, nor the fact that he could no longer feel angry. He only felt as though there was a black void withing him. He'd been denied of everything, even anger now. He had nothing left to keep him going, as sadness was definitely not something that would push a person forward. The boy swallowed the rest of his tears, feeling terribly lost and forgotten right then.

He only flinched as he felt something wet and slimy touch his neck, making him turn with a shocked look, only to find that it was merely Sssssam facing him with a rather sorrowful look. The boy was too surprised to care about his long-gone rage anymore. He just remained sitting there, gazing into the eyes of the Serpent.

“I only know because I've been through the same.” he spoke up once more, his voice turning compassionate once more. “During the Pirate Invasion, most of my kind was wiped out by the robots. There were only a handful of us left, by the end. I went through the same pain, the same sorrow you're experiencing now...”

The boy couldn't speak in earnest, his look one with shock as he kept gazing at him. He'd only ever known Sssssam as a friendly and ever-cheerful person. He never expected him to have such a grim past. Sure, the invasion brought all kinds of sorrow upon the world, but the casualties were moderate, as far as he knew. His silence only made the Serpent smile though, able to sense some guilt in him.

“It's alright...you had no idea, nor do most people.” he assured, sounding rather lively. “I just meant to say that I know what you're going through now...and the worst you can do now, is to mope on. Shya's gone, but you're still here and there are people who still wait you with arms spread wide.”

Salian couldn't help but smile a little upon his words. Even if it was hard to admit, he had a point. Though Shya was in the Spirit World now, he was still around with the promise of a long and happy life. But only if I chose to continue...

“Come on...I'll take you back to the portal.” the Serpent winked, seeing all he said was taken into consideration.

The boy nodded absentmindedly, still smiling to himself. Yes...it doesn't have to end here. A tragedy, true, but not the closing page of the story. He eased into a more comfortable sit as Sssssam began to tow the boat towards the portal he came through. A minute later, he felt the boat stop all of a sudden. He merely chuckled a bit, leaning towards the Serpent.

“Okay, I got it now...you can stop playing arou-” his words got stuck mid-way though, as he realized something was wrong.

Sssssam was gone. No trace of air bubble, no movement under water, nothing at all. Fear began to gather in the boy, only before he noticed something in the marshy water...something far bigger than the Marsh Serpent could ever grow into.

He immediately went overboard with a loud cry, able to hear the boat being destroyed by something. Panic struck him that instant, the primal urge to get himself into safety. Even though he was a naturally good swimmer, the swamp-water hindered the task quite a lot. Suddenly, he saw it.

He only caught a slight glimpse of it, but it was enough to freeze his blood. The exact looks didn't remain in his head at all, but rather the details, the kind that further hurried him to flee. It was definitely an aquatic creature, but as colossal as he had never seen, besides Carmen the Whale. Just seeing the razor-sharp teeth and the single, hungry-looking eye was more than enough to get him moving.

Luck finally became his lover for a moment, as he managed to get to shore without the creature attacking him. He did feel it swimming around, the rippling of its huge body enough to promptly catapult him onto the muddy beach. Coughing and spluttering from the water, he tried to get up, instincts still commanding him to move on.

He suddenly heard the sound of footsteps, seeming to be getting close to him. Though weak and confused, Salian immediately got into motion again and tried standing up, wanting to face whoever it was. They took Sssssam already...but they wouldn't do the same to him! The moment he had a decent foothold, he raised his fists, ready to defend himself.

However, he never even got that chance. The moment he was prepared, the figure raised its hand, blowing golden dust into his face. His senses shut down almost that instant, his entire body becoming heavy as lead. The last thing he could see, were a bunch of rags, before he blacked out, landing in the mud once more.

- - -

“Well, according to the Teensies, he should be around here somewhere...” Rayman mused, looking disgusted at the squelches his shoes were making in the mud. He was almost two inches taller already because of how much had piled upon them.

Ly followed him with a giggle, although she wasn't doing so much better either. Her body suit was already stained enough to make several less timid fairies cry, though she didn't seem to care about it at all. Unlike Rayman, she only had a single article of clothing to get dirty, either way. She had no shoes even; rather than that, the material of her body suit was much thicker around her feet, serving almost better than any footwear could.

“He'd really chosen the best possible place, that's for sure.” she mused, taking a good look around, both to keep an eyes out for Salian, and get some sightseeing done. She'd rarely ever been to the Marshes before. “Good news is that it's relatively safe here, right?” she asked, just to make sure.

“When you know where to go.” Rayman remarked, getting a little scowl from her. “Okay, okay, it's actually pretty safe...especially since we've already been here a few times together. He's probably near Sssssam...whenever either of us appear, he always arrives there minutes later, as if he had a radar.” he chuckled.

“No offense Ray, but you're not hard to spot.” she pointed out, smirking a little. “After all, a little guy with no arms or legs ain't that hard to recognize.” she added, skipping ahead of him, coating a little of his shirt with mud as she passed by.

“Oh, is that so?” he raised a brow, quickly running after him. Even though she was faster on forest ground, he had the upper hand here, because of the more difficult terrain. “Well, let me just say that you're not exactly blending in either.” he explained, also smirking. “Blue hair and green lips pretty much stand out here, not to mention the body suit!” he slid just ahead of her suddenly, making her stop in her tracks, unless she wanted to knock both of them down.

“I always wanted to ask anyway...” he continued, the smug grin on his face not fading at all. “Why did you decide on green lips anyway? Was it because you wanted to look more like Betilla...or just to appeal to a certain someone?” his smirk went even wider as she merely raised a brow, but couldn't suppress her bodily reaction, in the form of a blush.

“Ah, shut up.” she grumbled, grabbing his hood and pulling it over his face, securing it tightly as well.

“Why you little...” he growled, only hearing her giggling as she left him, his sight being reduced to the interior of his hoodie. He only managed to free himself a few minutes later, running after her with a growl. “I'll get you for this!” he promised, only to bump into her.

He groaned and glanced around, his blood freezing as he realized why she stopped. The purple body and long face easily gave away the person they were both gazing upon. He had his head on the beach, looking somewhat wounded.

“Sssssam!” Rayman cried, dashing to the side of his friend, just as Ly started taking care of his wounds. Most were only minor ones, but they could still use some patching. “What happened?” the limbless asked in a hurry, getting a really bad feeling out of it.

The Marsh Serpent glanced up at him, looking both pained and angry. It happened in less than a moment and even now, he praised his luck of evading those terrible teeth. He could feel the familiar energy though, which made him so angry. “Witchery...” he growled simply.

“Ray...what did he mean by that?” Ly queried, glancing at them in worry. She didn't exactly get what the Serpent meant with that, but guessed it must have had to do something with his condition. “And where's Sal?”

The limbless remained silent as he stood up though, glancing firmly into a single direction. No matter the trees, bushes, creatures or anything else, he could see the cottage clearly in his mind's eye and its resident. He clenched his fists, scowling deeply. The little search for Salian had just turned into something a lot more serious.

If you've hurt him...not even your most foul tricks will save you from me...

[Zay-el]

Been quite some time again since I've updated. X3 The reason for that were my graduation exams though, which have finally ended not all that long ago. So, without further ado, enjoy the next part of the epic saga. XD;

Path To Divinity

Chapter 8.1: The Witch's Den

Tied to mortality is the everlasting feeling of fear. That feeling which binds one's stomach into knots; the dreadful emotion which almost inevitably brings along misery, chaos and in certain cases, destruction even. None of us are free from dread itself, as though it had always been something unwanted, it is also something stable, something we can unwillingly count upon. True fear is not the kind which merely makes us jump in shock, but the one that forever grasps our hearts and doesn't let go, not until it siphoned all the might from us, leaving us open to the nefarious presence behind our fear.

Though some might claim to overcome our temporary frights, one is never truly free from fear. Some form of it will always find its way into the lives of mortals...if not in the face of a monster, then perhaps the fear of loss, or on that case even, the fear of being alone against the world.

There it was again. The sound of little, but forceful steps, steadily echoing in what seemed to be just his imagination. He knew that couldn't have been the case though. His mind had never blocked his senses this much before, not even after awakening from a bad slumber. It only took a couple of moments for all of it to come back though and because of it, he almost wished he could simply retreat into the safety of his psyche, far away from the harmful truth; the one he so didn't want to accept.

Eventually though, he was left without choices, especially when even the tiniest fragments of his memory were finally rekindled by the light of consciousness. He had been lost, he was found, he was alive, he was...Salian. That final, revitalizing push to consciousness finally did the trick, his eyes opening wide. He remembered it all now. His childhood, his friends, the caves, the Marshes, his outing into another realm of existence, everything.

"...that...had to be something really strong..." he muttered to himself, simply glad to just hear his own voice again. It seemed like such a long time since he'd last had some real thoughts in his head, since he'd been...

"-kidnapped!"

The thought struck him with an almost unexpected power, immediately filling him with various feelings, though very few of them were actually positive at this moment.

First thing first, he tried to reawaken his senses as well, gently trying to get his unresponsive body to work under his bidding once more. That only brought mediocre results though, as while he could feel strength returning to his body bit by bit, he could also sense that this would not be as easy as he expected.

After a bit of glancing around, he finally concluded that he wouldn't be going anywhere, at least for the moment. From what he could see, he was in some kind of cellar and a pretty old one at that, judging by the sight of the rather moldy wood. Yet, the most alarming thing was still his own predicament, as he had no idea what to do yet.

Although the very realization of that fact was bothersome, that didn't stop the boy from attempting to move, regardless the apparent obstruction. He tugged at his body, only to realize that while he didn't seem to be held back by anything, he still could barely even move an inch. Before the slightest bit of panic could have struck him though, his fears were left to rot as his body seemed to break free from whatever unseen force kept them under its hold.

Slowly, but surely, he had blood travel back into his arms and legs, until he decided it was time to take a hasty leave. Whoever had caught him, Salian had quite the doubts that it did that just as an elaborate prank. The moment he was to take on the initiative though, he came across the most peculiar obstacle...in the form of a wall, right before him. Perhaps the only problem with that was the fact that he could see right through it!

"Ah, took you long enough to wake up!" an old voice grumped up, a little too close to him for comfort.

The face that appeared with it was more than enough to make Salian cry out in fear and retreat slightly, only to find the same invisible barrier behind him as well, not giving him too much ground. Only after the initial fright did he actually observe whatever creature this was. It seemed just around Rayman's height, hunched over and thoroughly worn from what Salian could only guess, hundreds of years. Despite the scratchy, slightly eerie voice it had, the tone also informed him that whoever this was, it was a she.

Apart from the voice though, he wasn't sure he would have guessed it otherwise. With her ragged clothes, which resembled old food-sacks a lot more than actual clothing, a stained cauldron resting on top of her messy hair and an altogether quite worn frame, he might have guessed otherwise. Her face wasn't much better, with so many wrinkles he couldn't even begin to count them, along with a toad-like mouth, that made her look like the epitome of the expression, 'freak of nature'. Salian suspected she must have been very old, though that still didn't explain much to him, since didn't wear out most creatures this badly.

"What do you want from me?" he snapped quickly, perhaps a bit too hastily even, with his position.

"Know your place you pitiful child!" the old woman growled, not really taking his tone lightly. Salian quickly noted that she seemed to be easily angered. "Lets just say I require a rather unique favor from you..." she mused, her tone suddenly turning somewhat softer, though the boy could see through the act.

"If it were anything half-decent, you wouldn't have attacked me and my friend." he retorted, scowling at her. He raised his hands, but could only touch around the surface of the wall that separated him from the outside world.

"Heh, for a fairy from the Glade, you have common sense in you, boy...that most unusual." she mused, grinning a bit, in a way that sent chills down Salian's spine just from how creepy it was.

"I'll ask again: what do you want from me?" he repeated, feeling slightly offended by her words. "Whatever you want, I definitely don't have it. I don't have anything." That however, sounded more true than he wished it to be.

"Quite the contrary young fairy." she chuckled slightly, enjoying to watch him in the dark of her intentions. "You have perhaps even more of it than you imagine!"

Trying his luck slightly, he raised a fist and hit the wall, only for his hand to nearly break. The punch however, finally made him realized just what this wall was. He remembered such a hit from long ago and to his luck, he still hadn't forgotten that tiny bit of experience.

"...glass?" he found himself muttering, his eyes widening slightly. The fact that he couldn't simply shatter it, combined with the sight of the old woman and some ominous words from a friend, all fit together. Realization followed it shortly as well, just in time as she started grinning. "...you're..."

The old woman adjusted the cauldron on her head, looking the young boy in the eyes. She knew he had good ideas of who she was by now, thus she felt it was time to properly introduce herself. "Bégoniax...Witch of the Bog."
* * *
"You think he'll be alright?"

The fairy skipped onto a more stable looking rock formation, hoping this would stand her weight. The stones couldn't be trusted her, as many of them were almost like a trap. She learned it the hard way and was already muddy to her waist by now.

"Sssssam's pretty tough, even if he doesn't show it. He'll be alright." Rayman mused, sending out his fist once again. The moment it caught a strong enough branch, he used it to fling himself over, landing quite ahead of his fairy friend. "I'm more worried about Sal right now..."

Despite what many thought about the swampy parts of the world, they were indeed, rather simple to navigate through, as long as they knew what to be cautious of. While he knew the Marshes quite well, the same couldn't exactly be said for Ly. Nevertheless, she did try her best to follow him, even if that meant crossing through a long lake of mud, at this time.

"I really hope she hadn't done anything to him." she sighed, quickly catching up with the limbless. She might have had less elaborate methods of mobility, but was perhaps even more nimble than the famed hero himself. Despite some arguments, legs really did help her project more strength into jumps for instance, than him.

"Believe me, I hope for the same." Rayman remarked, helping her regain her balance after her final jump towards solid ground. Together, they headed continued towards the witch's nest to retrieve their lost friend.

"You...think Sssssam was right?" Ly asked suddenly. "...about her, that is..."

The limbless could quite well understand her concern about what they've heard. Fairies had always been regarded highly amongst other species, mostly for the fact that they were Polokus' emissaries. As such, they were the closest to the fabled creator, out of every creature. The thought of one of them turning out the way Sssssam had described, was almost unimaginable.

“Does it really matter at all?” Rayman called back, making her flinch from her thoughts.

If she hadn't seen the current look in his face already, she would have been terrified of it. It wasn't the usual warm and friendly expression, but much more of cold fury. She didn't need anyone to tell her to know that he was angered beyond words. One of his friends had just lived through some rather unsettling events and life still didn't intend to be kind to him. It was no wonder he got so worked up over it.

Although she understood his frustration, she still couldn't share it with him though. It was far from her people's nature to feel this way, even in worst-case scenarios. That's not to say they were always calm and collected, but they were highly unlikely to feel hatred or to continuously harbor ill will against anyone. Being Polokus' emissaries, they had an instinctive respect towards every living creature. At least, they were supposed to...

She liked to blame it on her age, as she was nowhere near considered adult by her species. With life-expectancy of near eight centuries, she was still almost an infant next to her sisters. Perhaps that was the reason why she felt so different from them. They were all so tranquil and calm, unlike her, who could never stay in one place for long. She knew she had picked up this trait mostly from Rayman and Salian, both of whom practically spent their whole lives trying to satiate their wanderlusts.

Although it was a slow process, they seemed to have infected her over time as well. First she was reluctant, the teachings of her sisters ringing in her ears constantly. Then she discovered the fun of living out every day to the fullest. In all honesty, she felt much happier living according their initially unwanted influence-

“Ly...?”

The sudden call made her flinch yet again. Not only did she space out for a moment, but even her initial thoughts were sidetracked in the end. The slightly stoned feeling in her thigh also informed her that she hadn't been paying attention to her pace. Healing aside, it still stung a bit every now and then.

“I'm okay...was just thinking of something...” she mumbled, walking past the limbless, slightly red from the embarrassment.

He gazed after her for just a few seconds, before a faint smile appeared on his face. In every situation, there were moments like these that could relieve his nerve a bit. It wasn't much really, more of a simple confirmation that he still had a reason to stand up for. A proof that he really did have all these friends.
* * *
“You do know he'll get here, eventually?”

The old witch turned back for a few moments, though not paying too much attention to the indignant boy. She rather seemed to just discard whatever he said, in favor of concentrating. She had since placed her cauldron-cap on the ground, lit a fire under it and proceeded to brew up perhaps the strangest mixture he'd ever seen.

He angrily slammed at the surface of his mirror prison once more before beginning to calm down somewhat. The moment that happened though, gloomy thoughts began to circle around him again. Up until now it seemed adrenalin kept him from thinking much of his current station and perhaps even less of the loss he had endured. Sssssam might have been right about the need of him letting go of what happened, but that was much easier said than done.

It wasn't only his mother's death that haunted him. For once, it was something much more complex, or perhaps even just brutally simple. His childhood suddenly rose in comparison to the last few days he'd endured, starting from that fateful little entourage into Clearleaf Forest. Something kept bothering him deep inside; thoughts and accusations that he had no right to make, yet couldn't help but bring up. A question he didn't have the right to ask, yet still had done so anyway.

“What are you, if you don't even help those in need?” he hissed, his hand clenching from futile anger.

“He can't hear you...” Bégoniax suddenly spoke up. Salian flinched, averting his gaze towards the elderly creature. This was perhaps the first time she actually replied to anything he'd said.

The soup-ladle stopped stirring the mixture, in time as the old woman hung her head. If Salian hadn't known better, he would have thought of her being nothing more than just a fragile elder. Given what he knew already about the witch though, he just couldn't trust even her current stance.

“He never could...” she continued, as if he wasn't there at all. The boy could hear it from her tone that she seemed to be getting upset, for some unknown reason. As the brew suddenly started to change color rapidly, fear began to grow in him. “You can ask him a thousand times, but he'll never listen...” she hissed, both of her arms shaking. “He doesn't care...he never did...”

He suddenly let out a sharp cry, just as Bégoniax suddenly turned towards him once again. Sure, she was threatening already, but it seemed she'd promptly transformed in just a few moments. She seemed even more weak than before, but at the same time immensely terrifying. He could have sworn she had just escaped from the Cave of Bad Dreams. The worst were her eyes; normally just gleaming with hatred or apathy, now only one thing was visible in them. Madness...pure insanity, the kind he knew would haunt his dreams for a while.

Contrary to his best hopes, the witch just continue to approach him, rambling on incomprehensibly. Salian would have gladly continued backing away from her, but had no space top do so. The insanity only seemed to grow in the witch as he could faintly see her hands twitching occasionally for no reason, as well as her almost foaming. She raised her bony arms, as if reaching right to grab him. For once, the boy really hoped the mirror had the same properties on the other side as well.

“Trust him and you condemn yourself to...a slow and painful death...” she whispered, her eyelashes twitching slightly. “All is right...all is fine...all is-” she paused for a moment her head falling back slightly as she suddenly started wailing. “Carve your own or you shall head along the road of the damned. Gone the old and let a new ascend!” she screamed at the top of her voice.

As abruptly as it began, it all ended right after. She took a few deep breaths, her body seeming to return under her control. The glowing madness in her darkened eyes seemed to retreat for now, recouping in the back of her mind. Salian could hear himself panting all of a sudden, his legs shaking madly. He hadn't realized up till now, but he was completely terrified all along this highly unsettling scene.

“Looks like it'll be ready soon...” Bégoniax said, glancing into the cauldron to check on her mysterious mixture. Its color had softened again, as if reacting to its maker's emotions. “Lately it's been much easier to channel my magic through this art.” she explained, as if he had deliberately asked for it. “And for my next one, I'll definitely need all the help I can get.” she chuckled.

Salian wasn't really in the mood for jokes though, still trying to collect himself from the scene that had just occurred a few moments ago. He had to get out of here somehow, there were no doubts now...the longer he was here, the bigger the risk that she might simply snap altogether.

“You do know the entire Fairy Council will hunt you down, if you hurt me...” he said, though not holding high hopes to this kind of reasoning. As to his expectations, Bégoniax merely laughed at his pathetic threat.

“They can search the entire Marshes, for all I care.” she mused simply. “If I want to, I can make you disappear so they would never have any chance of finding you.”

“What's your goal with all this, anyway?” he asked, having never gotten a straight answer to that. “My inherent powers are still dormant and I know no well-kept secret of the Council.” he listed all possible ideas he could come up with. The best idea he could come up with was that she somehow wanted to steal his magic away, but it would have been no use at this point. Despite being as old as Ly was, his own abilities hadn't surfaced yet at all.

Bégoniax merely turned to him again, slowly approaching his prison. “True...you have no real value, as of now.” she concluded. “You're loud, obnoxious and an annoyance in every way possible. Still, you do have one thing I can put to good use.” she stopped just before his mirror prison, hanging her head for a moment, before picking it up with a sudden move that startled the boy.

“Your blood!” she shrieked, her eyes once again containing that powerful insanity that had given him the creeps before. “That's all I need! A fairy full of life and spirit, so vigorous it almost makes me cringe to think of myself!” she said, a wicked, spiteful grin forming on her wrinkled face.

“It'll help me...reborn, rejuvenate, rekindle the flame of my life!” she continued, chuckling madly to herself, as the boy finally caught on as to what she wanted from him so much. Nothing material, but something much deeper and meaningful to him...his very life-force. That was what she needed so badly. She just continued to laugh to herself, before calming down again finally, returning to her work.

“Not much longer now...” she purred, stirring up the mixture again.

With just enough space for that, Salian slumped on his knees, blunt terror haunting him. This old witch was truly a lot more dangerous than Mister Dark himself, with her madness. Chills ran down his spine as he raised his arms, hugging himself a slightly...anything to relieve the tension resting upon his mind.

Someone...

The witch threw in some more mostly unidentifiable things, eventually causing the entire mixture to transition into a shade of gold. Regardless the color, Salian couldn't feel the least bit relieved of it. Every moment just propelled the inevitable towards him; the promise of losing all his strength to Bégoniax. There was no escape for him and by the looks of it, no help either.

“Perfect!” she exclaimed suddenly, forcibly tearing his attention away from brooding upon the situation. “Now all that is left...” she dipped a small vial into the still bubbling mixture, careful not to let too much of the liquid touch her skin though.

Salian felt the hair stand up on his back as she turned to face him, the wicked grin on her face eliminating all hope in him that his situation would turn out for the better yet. This was it...no escape, no help, no way to evade the impending call of destiny. Bégoniax didn't come any closer, but began reciting an incantation; the sheer tone of her voice hurting his ears a bit. The liquid inside the vial began to glow brightly, along with the old witch's hand.

Suddenly, it hit him. The boy cried out in pure agony, his hands grasping his own chest. He felt as though someone was trying to promptly tear out his heart, bringing along an impossible amount of pain. His throat quickly started to ache from the screaming, his eyes slowly rolling back as he more and more lost grip of his consciousness.

This is it...it's over...

And then-

Nothing.

Salian inhaled heavily, sweat dripping down from his forehead from the pain he'd endured. He was still on his knees inside the mirror prison, but apart from that, nothing seemed to have changed. He was still alive. He felt no change at all, except for breathing somewhat harder.

“...why?” Bégoniax spoke up all of a sudden, startling him. Of course, she was still here as well. “I had it perfectly!” she screamed, spinning around and throwing the vial at the wall. The glass exploded, the steamy liquid downright charring the wall slightly. Without even looking into her eyes, the boy already knew she had snapped once again. “The web, moss, crystal shards, blood...all were perfect!!” she shrieked, nearly tearing out locks of her messy hair.

She immediately seemed to calm down though, as something came to her mind. “Could it be?” she muttered to herself, trotting over to Salian's prison again. Much to his disgust, she leaned as close as possible, narrowing her bug-eyes at him for several second. Even before leaning back, he could see she seemed to start chuckling for some inexplicable reason. “Oh, the grand tragicomedy of it all!” she laughed loudly. It sounded more insane than decent though. “He did it...the cowardly bastard actually did it!”

Salian didn't get a single word of her rambling, but it seemed she knew was she was talking about. He couldn't bring himself to ask what she was talking about though, as he found her just too erratic to speak to.

“Now I understand...” she stated to herself, grinning as if she had found the ultimate truth. “It all comes together...the end and the new beginning...death and rebirth...” Salian couldn't honestly decide at this point whether she had any tiny shred of sanity left. “You...” she mused, turning to face the boy again. “You poor little child, you have no idea what he's got in store for you.”

“I always thought it was just some...elaborate trick, a mere lie like so many.” she continued, still not making much sense to the boy, though intriguing him somewhat. She knew something, though he wasn't sure he'd be able to piece it together. “The other won't have to wait for long now...soon, it'll begin. Poor fool...” she chuckled again, only to gaze into his eyes again. “You must be so lonely...” she remarked. “I almost feel sorry for you...”

Salian felt tempted to shake his head, as for just a single second, he could swear he had seen something in her look he hadn't before. An emotion he thought she couldn't feel at all. Instead of making him feel better though, it just confused him even more, as it didn't have any basis to which he could truly relate to...compassion.

[Holy Crap]

That doesn't sound good...