#MAJOR THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS EVER READ RESPONDED TO OR YAPPED WITH ME

[made-my-peace-with-all-the-bad]

I love it when I yap and people get it like I do

[komohine]

hello oh my gyad you’re my favourite artist EVER. I love the warm tones of your drawings and the way you draw keith and james is so so pretty (you have 100% converted me to be a jaither) like seriously keith is gorgeous and the outfits you draw him in are ethereal. I have many questions ive been brewing for a little bit and you don’t have to answer all of them but feel free idunoo👍👍👍

1. in the college au, does keith have his cheek scar? if so, how did he get it?

2. what is james’ and keith’s favourite thing to do with each other in free time? in every and any au you have

3. how does wearing clothes bode for james in the android au? does every tiny string get caught between the metal or does he just not wear a shirt half the time? or the third more sinister option, fabric just doesn’t catch in the plating at all

4. what colour are keith’s eyes.

5. does james play any sports/instruments like every freakish extracurricular absent parent having kid ever?

6. thoughts on the keith neurodivergent headcannon?

7. would james ever introduce keith to his family? or is he no contact/they wouldn’t care?

8. do you headcanon keith with any galra features? if so, what are they?

9. favourite food and colour headcanons for the both of them?

10. do you think keith would have any piercings?

+ a singular drawing request, soggy keith (thankyu for reading c:)

Hello i love you guys take notes from this anon please ask more questions like this i wish tumblr allowed me to answer a question more than once but PLEASE ASK HUGE QUESTIONS LIKE THIS I LOVE YAPPING ‼️😄 I LOVE YAPPING ‼️😄

Also THANK YOU FOR THE COMPLIMEBTS HEEHEE 🙏 i try my very best to deliver fire content 🫡 which is why i havent posted a finished piece in a while… im cooking… 😈 also its way too late for me rn to get out of bed and draw so i will reblog this with soggy keith… sometime later…

Beware a huge freaking wall of text… but id appreciate it so much if anyone reads and responds to my headcanons and adds on 😄

1) TW: ASSAULT. i was debating this, and i think yes but its much smaller than the one he has in canon. He gets it in roughly the same way, an altercation with kuron (evil shiro, except kuron is just a major asshole who isn’t related to shiro but tries to take his place through manipulation. Keith (and everyone except james actually) fell for it). Keith eventually confronted kuron outside a bar after repeated attempts to get closer with keith during their night out and kuron got pissed and pulled a knife. Fortunately keith is also an mma legend and wiped kurons ass but he got a pretty bad cut on his cheek. James made sure everyone knew about what kuron did (james is hella connected because of his parents wealth and also bcs he was trained for a while to inherit his parents company. Also, James is an incredibly smooth talker and can convince anyone of anything. So kuron pretty much has zero chance at a job in the future cause he got blacklisted from everywhere lol). This is me painting sheith as the weird freaky violently uncomfortable shit it actually is lol 😄

2) canon compliant: literally anything that isn’t high risk and stressful. Cooking, reading, sitting on the couch watching bad horror movies and shouting out plot predictions and then laughing when they’re right. Because theyve had too much drama in their life. They really appreciate the times when they can wind down. Playing fetch with kosmo is also fun, because yk teleporting wolf, so they need to get creative to get kosmo to exercise.

College AU: similar, chill things. But because of james’ absolutely insane schedule and keith’s investigative work about his father’s unusual death, they don’t really get much time together outside of studying together, lunch dates (james always makes time for lunch. Well he tries, but he has notoriously bad scheduling luck so he’ll end up with back to back classes from 8 am to 9 pm, no lunch break, or random 2 hour gaps where he needs to go off campus to a diff location for his next class so he cant acc spend those 2 hours relaxing its just him fighting downtown phoenix traffic), etc. but they’re both pretty outdoorsy, so both him and keith like going camping when they can. Its a nice break for the both of them. Also james made keith run a marathon with him once. Keith barely survived, snd slept for 18 hours after, but it was fun! In return keith dragged james to his mma gym and tried to get him to do a kick (because james is one hell of a sprinter. He has sprinter legs. That should theoretically translate super well into an insanely strong kick) but james was too nervous. every time he stepped in the ring he’d just stand there awkwardly and not move. He did send one of those punching bags flying with a kick though after he worked up the confidence (keith was right!)

Android au: uhhh kind of not applicable i fear. I cannot say why. But sometimes james lets keith clean his gun. When things get rough, he’ll let keith fix him up if there’s anything broken.

3) lowkey the sinister third option. Maybe they have some special super tightly knit fabric that’s impossible to catch on things. But also, the androids are designed pretty well, and are surprisingly devoid of super snaggy edges

4) violet. In human au, black, but im a firm believer of him having dark eyes that shine a dusty violet when the light hits them just right

5) canon compliant: TRUMPET AHHAH HES A TRUMPET PRODIGY no actually it makes me a little mad just how good he probably is at trumpet. Like gorgeous, bright tone. Huge dynamic range and lung capacity. Im so mad. Probably also piano. And fencing. He is also extremely good at sabre fencing. And i was saving this hc for later but wtv ill just repeat it: james was the one who taught keith how to wield a sword because i refuse to believe keith picked up his bayard and it formed into a sword just because. No man, its because james would beg keith to practice fencing with him and keith would finally relent and james would teach him pretty much all he knows. And keith remembered those lessons.

College au: track and field. Specifically, sprinting. James is acc so good at sprinting that he went to the olympics twice and won silver in the 200m the first time, and gold in the 100m the second time (lets pretend youssef flash (usain bolt counterpart) stayed home that year for whatever reason). And also ballroom dancing! Like waltzes and shit. Hes such a loser. And probably piano and trumpet too but they’re not so important lore wise.

6) YEEESSSS i also believe in james being neurodivergent in some way. No neurotypical man likes finance that much (my personal headcanon. Also in college au he does high level 1000 page math workbooks for fun.)

7) canon compliant: i havent thought that much abt james’ family in the canon universe. Tbh theyre probably all dead (hence why he reacted so harshly to hunk in that one scene) by the time he and keith get together officially so there’s not much he can do. He’d take keith to his sisters grave just to tell her the news (his older sister was the only person in his family of like 7 that gave a fuck abt him). During their garrison days, he probably never mentioned keith as a way of protecting him from his family.

College au: yes! He tried! Unfortunately his homophobic republican christian parents did not appreciate it. James really introduced keith as a last olive branch because he was alr so close to cutting them off, but their reactions were so bad he lost his temper in public (never before seen) and stormed out halfway through their planned lunch dragging keith by the wrist. And then he cut them off.

8) me personally no. If im being so fr every time i see galra feature Keith it always comes across as infantilizing in some way? 😭 like “ooo kitty ear keith!” somehow you are infantilizing both asians AND a completely made up race guys. The only real feature is maybe his funny coloured eyes? But galra eyes are yellow so uhhh… but i think internally there’s a lot more galra presentation. Like his heat/sickness tolerance, sleep cycle, endurance, etc.

9) i havent really thought of this, i have colours I personally associate with them but hmmm. (Canon compliant, but probably applies to all of my aus) Keith’s favourite colour? I dont think he would really have one specific one but he might list off some colour combos he thinks looks nice. Like red and black. Hes also not super picky, but he really misses his dad’s halo halo. James is too depressed to have a favourite colour. And he likes anything that is a painful experience while consuming. Like very strong and bitter black coffee, straight everclear, your most acrid cigarettes. Because he hates himself.

10) in my college au he has a snake bite! Only one though, on his right (our left) side. Also he has his lobes pierced. I dont think he’d have anything in canon compliant, just bcs his hair is already pushing the garrison guidelines and i dont think they’d let him pierce anything. Maybe earlobes, but thats it. Same goes for android au.

[xennariel]

Grim Aria - Prologue

It’s here! This is the prologue to my novel, a story fifteen years in the making!

If you enjoy the prologue and want to read more, this will be posted as a monthly serializaton on my Patreon for patrons. If you are interested in this story, or are even just a fan of my fanfiction, consider supporting me on Patreon? I’m Xennariel there too.

A huge, great big thanks to my betas @canadiangold @lieutenantriza @ladywiltshire @astroshadowdeviant @sapphiredragonprincess and everyone that read it over for me and gave me their thoughts on it. Your help is very much appreciated, even if I didn’t listen to all of your suggestions. lol

This is also posted on FictionPress and AO3!

Chapter 1

Genre: Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Horror Rating: T for violence, swearing, and gore Summary: Xennariel Revenlyr is an Ankhari, a race of demon from a world known as Shadira. After tragedy strikes her people, she feels she has nothing left to live for but vengeance for her family. She decides to dedicate her life to finding and killing Chiron, the Lord of the Chaos Demons and the man that is responsible for her family’s deaths.

Due to events beyond her control, Xen finds herself trapped in an unfamiliar place that she later discovers is our world, a world dominated by humans that are unaware of the existence of other dimensions. She spends the next eight years futilely trying to find a way home, thinking she needs to get back to Shadira in order to kill Chiron. But maybe she doesn’t need to go that far to find him after all.

Begrudgingly accepting the help of a young man who seems oddly interested in the paranormal, Xennariel faces challenges, unexpected enemies, and attempts to cope with past trauma while trying to find a way home. Through it all, she refuses to give up on getting back to Shadira, regardless of the attachments she might be making in our world.

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Dew drops clung to the the foliage of the deep woods, a light mist permeating the air. The early morning breeze was cool and the twin suns had yet to breach the horizon, leaving the hushed forest covered in shadows.

Four small figures moved through the trees, swift and light, the plants under their feet glowing in tones of blue and purple with each step, the trees changing color with each brush past them. The children’s soft giggles echoed through the forest as they raced toward a lake at the center. Running at their sides were two young wolves, a white wolf alongside the male child and a silver and blue wolf hugging close to the girl. The wolves playfully nipped and yapped as they ran, enjoying the fresh morning air just as much as the children.

They burst through the treeline and stopped at the banks of the lake to gaze out over the bright turquoise water rippling gently before them. Across the lake, reflected in the calm surface of the water, was a massive willow tree. Its branches were adorned with blue and purple leaves and flowers that flowed elegantly in a wide canopy. The dark trunk twisted like a braid reaching toward the heavens.

“Sheza is beautiful from here,” the boy said, eyes bright with a soft smile on his face.

“Mhm… the communion is tomorrow morning,” the girl replied, her eyes never leaving the Great Tree of Shadows. “I’ll share the secrets with you. Everything we do, we do together.”

“What if Mom finds out?”

“She won’t.”

“Okay… promise?”

The twins gently touched their foreheads together and held hands.

“Promise.”

They stood there for a few moments longer, the lake water lapping lazily at their clawed feet, before the girl stepped back toward the forest path and motioned to her brother.

“C’mon, let’s go back, Mom’s prob’ly already looking for me to start lessons.”

They returned to the path to make their way home, but neither were in any hurry.

“I know you’ll do a good job with your lessons today, Xen,” Xevran said as they walked back through the woods. “Good luck.”

“Yeah, thanks. I’ll be fine as long as she doesn’t make me try portals or guardian magic today,” Xennariel responded with a grumble.

Their walk home was filled with silence. The chatter of birds and cadence of their steps over the twigs and leaves on the path were the only sounds to be heard, subtle and calming.

Soon they arrived at their home city, Raizyx. The city around them was filled with the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It was awash in soft lights of blues, silvers, and purples, much like the forest that surrounded it. Raizyx blended in well with the forest, with homes built into large trees, well-worn paths made of stones and leaves, and stone and log buildings standing along the paths. Sheza stood behind it all, like she was watching over everything. From the city, the dark mist spiralling around Sheza’s trunk was visible. It seemed to come from the tree herself, and it spread to cover the ground around her and seeped partly into Raizyx before dissipating.

As expected, when the children finally arrived home, their mother was waiting for them, a raven perched on her delicate shoulder regarding them with scorn.

“You are late for your lessons, Xennariel,” their mother, Rizel, spoke. The calmness in her demeanor and voice belied the disappointment her children knew she felt. She stood with the city as her backdrop, fair skinned and radiant as always with her hands folded in front of herself, long dark hair tumbling over her shoulders and back in waves. Her sharp, dark eyes focused on the twins in silent admonishment. Ever regal and the picture of serenity, the only signs that she was upset were the look in her eyes and the way her graying feathered wings folded stiffly behind her.

“Xevran, you’ll come with me today, as usual,” a tall man with long, pale hair said, walking up to them. A large bear was at his side and he scratched her behind the ear absently as they walked. When he stepped up next to the twins, he bent down toward Xevran and, with a wink, added, “And maybe we’ll spy on your mother and sister sometime.”

Rizel crossed her arms and cocked her head, giving her husband a glare. Rel, the raven on her shoulder, mimicked the expression.  “Val…” she said, a note of warning in her voice.

Valran chuckled and put his arms around the twins, giving them a gentle squeeze. His children took after him with their lighter hair, gray-blue skin, and light blue eyes. Even their wings matched his, leathery instead of feathered. Where their mother was bird-like, Rizel’s husband and children’s features were more reptilian.

How identical the twins appeared despite being fraternal was surprising to everyone who met them. Virtually the only way to distinguish between the two was to notice that Xennariel’s right eye was sea-green in color while her left was the same blue as her brother’s.

“Fine, fine, we’ll keep to ourselves,” Val said with a laugh, standing straight again. “Come, Xevran.”

Xev turned to his sister, giving her a pitying glance. “Good luck, Xen.” He and his white wolf turned and hurried to follow Val and the bear as they sauntered off.

Xennariel frowned and nodded, waving to her brother and father as they left. When they were out of sight, Rizel returned her attention to her daughter.

“Today I want to focus on guardian magic and the activation of portal runes.”

Of course she did. Xennariel was convinced it was a punishment for being late again.

“Yes, mother,” Xen sighed, resigned to her fate.

With the silver-blue wolf following closely behind, she followed her mother to the place all Guardians from her clan were trained for as long as anyone could remember: a large, foreboding castle isolated on a mountain floating in the sky. Its dark stone spires and steeples stretched into the clouds, casting a shadow over half of Raizyx.

They climbed the wide, winding stone staircase that led to the castle. Xen frowned as she peered over the thick railing at the other children her age, all playing and laughing. Instead of being out in the forest, playing with her brother, Xennariel had to spend her days learning how to strengthen her mind and magical abilities for the day she took over as Guardian in place of her mother. But all ever she wanted to do was spend more time with Xevran.

She sighed at her thoughts and continued on, following Rizel into the castle.

The Ankhari, known to many of the mortal races as Silence Demons, are one of the five major demon races that exist in the world of Shadira. The other clans live on the four other continents, each ruling over their own continent and each with their own demon lord, or Guardian, of their clan that specializes in a specific type of magic. The five demon lords make up a council that the people of Shadira dubbed The Great Five or simply The Five. Each continent has a Great Tree that the demon lords of the clans commune with. Their hearts and souls bind with the tree at a young age and the environment and condition of each continent is directly bound to the condition of the demon lord’s soul. If the demon lord is upset or distressed, the continent they rule will suffer. Plant and animal life will become sick or even die off until the demon lord’s soul is healed. If they become sick, the continent becomes sick. This is why only those with strong minds and powers are chosen as Guardians. Xennariel...

“Xennariel?” Rizel turned to find that her daughter didn’t seem to be paying attention. It was nothing new, but the information she had just explained was of vital importance. If Xennariel was going to be the next Guardian of the Ankhari, she needed to keep her heart and mind as strong as possible. The very ground they walked upon depended on it.

“Xennariel, are you even listening to me?”

Xennariel looked up at her name and nodded.

“Yes, mother,” Xen responded, sounding as bored as she looked. “But I already know all of this. We start lessons like this every day.”

“Because this is important. Your communion with Sheza is tomorrow morning. You will inherit my burden some day as the only Ankhari connected with Sheza until a guardian is chosen after you. This delicate cycle must not be tampered with. The circle must not be broken.”

Xennariel worried the inside of her lip and clenched her fists under the large wooden table at which she was seated. Tampering with the cycle meant minor mistakes, such as waiting too long to commune, as well as other, more taboo things, like allowing one who was not a future lord of the clan to bind their soul with the great tree. Sharing the connection, especially with multiple others besides the current guardian and future guardian, could have potentially disastrous results. Xennariel knew that, the knowledge being ingrained in her for practically her entire life, and yet, she was still willing to share the communion with her brother. Xevran deserved to be guardian, far more than she ever would, and she would ignore the possible consequences in favor of the two of them leading their people together. The twins had always felt like they were one soul split into two bodies, so there was no way both of them binding themselves to Sheza at the same time would end badly.

“I know,” Xen replied, hoping her mother wouldn’t see through her sudden uneasiness.

Rizel looked over her daughter and sighed. "I know you do. Now, let us adjourn to the courtyard." As they walked, Rizel continued to go over important lessons she knew Xennariel needed to constantly be reminded of. "And never forget, Xennariel," Rizel finished just as they reached the door that led to the courtyard. "All life is important. Everything has meaning. Every soul must be honored and treated with respect and kindness. Violence is not the answer. If you remember that, I know you will become a fine guardian."

"Violence is sometimes the answer," Xennariel muttered under her breath so her mother wouldn't hear. The wolf pup at her side whined and bumped his head into her leg. “Quiet you. Mom’s not always right.”

The day dragged on as Rizel began working with Xennariel on her use of magic. Usually Xen went through her daily lessons with her mother effortlessly. Her magical abilities were exceptional and she never needed to focus too much to accomplish what her mother asked of her. Unfortunately for her, it happened to be the day her mother chose to work on guardian magic and portal magic, the two schools of magic Xennariel could not master no matter how hard she tried. The only thing she seemed to be good at was wielding shadow magic and destroying things. When it came to guardian magic, which included healing and protection, she could never heal more than minor cuts and bruises, and creating a strong protective barrier was out of the question. And despite having memorized all the runes needed to create portals, she could never seem to be able to activate those runes.

Though her mother never said anything, Xennariel would catch the brief look of disappointment in her eyes whenever she failed to create a portal or heal a wound. It was that look that drove her to work harder, but also why she would become even more upset when she continually failed. Xen’s thoughts drifted back to Xevran who, in direct contrast to her, could naturally wield powerful guardian magic without much magical training. Together, the twins were unstoppable. It’s why sharing leadership of their people made so much sense to them.

By the end of the day, even after so much hard work and effort poured into everything, Rizel and Xennariel went home with nothing to show for it.

Frustrated and tired, Xennariel retreated to the woods again with her brother, gripping Xevran’s hand as they ran, their wolf spirit guardians at their sides. They arrived at the other side of the lake outside Raizyx and Xennariel flopped to the ground against a tree, her wolf coming to rest his head in her lap. She clutched the pup to her chest and buried her nose in his fur.

“Why can’t I do it?” Xennariel said, voice cracking, muffled by her spirit guardian’s fur. “What good is a guardian who can’t use guardian magic?”

Xevran sat down next to his sister and leaned against her. “You’ll get it one day, Xen, I know you will. I believe in you.”

Xennariel sniffed and wiped away her tears, looking up at Xevran. He was always so supportive of her and she didn’t know what she would do without him.

“Thanks, Xev. I’m so happy you’re with me. We’ll always be together, right?”

“Right,” Xevran giggled and smiled, tackling his sister, eliciting a laugh from her. She forgot about her worries as they played the rest of the night before returning home to sleep.

-------

It was still dark when Xennariel awoke on the morning of her communion. With hours before she had to begin getting ready, she groaned and tossed and turned in her hammock, trying to get a little more sleep. It was no use. Throwing back her sheet, she leaned down to Xevran in his hammock below her. Maybe they could get some play time in before she would have to be apart from him all day? She saw that Zyamishka, Xevran’s spirit guardian, was awake. One of the pup’s eyes cracked open when Xen leaned over her hammock. Zyamishka nuzzled Xevran’s hand and the boy stirred, waking slowly and yawning as he reached to pet his spirit guardian.

“Wanna go play by the lake?”

Xevran looked up at Xennariel and grinned.

“Yeah!”

Xennariel flipped down from her hammock with Shakuran, her wolf spirit guardian.

“I’ll race ya!”

“I’ll win!”

Fits of laughter overtook them as they ran off, jumping over rocks and logs, trying to get ahead of each other with each leap. They crashed into each other when they reached the lake, falling into the cool, shallow water as they came to a stop to catch their breaths. Their smiles were radiant as they splashed each other, their spirit guardians yapping and hopping about them as they played.

After a while, Xennariel’s movements became less enthusiastic and her gaze drifted off every so often. Xevran was quick to notice the change in her demeanor.

“Don’t be scared, Xen,” Xevran said.

“I can’t help it. What if I mess up? You’d be a better guardian, Xev. They shoulda picked you. You’re nicer and good at healing people and stuff.”

“Nuh uh, I’m no good with any magic ‘sides guardian magic.”

“... I guess.”

The suns soon rose almost above the trees and they knew they had to go back. Reluctantly, they trudged out of the lake, making sure to return to Raizyx with plenty of time before the communion. Xen had important things to do that day and they didn’t want to be late. They were never scolded by their parents, but that didn’t mean they never felt bad about disobeying, like they had the previous day. The communion was one of the most important events that would ever take place in Xennariel’s life and the twins made sure to arrive home early. Xennariel and Xevran went their separate ways when they reached Raizyx and wouldn’t see each other again until the communion was complete.

In preparation for her communion, Xennariel was required to cleanse herself beneath the waterfall by the lake. The cool, turquoise water was thought to bring peace and clarity to those who meditated beneath it as it cascaded down into Lake Vryn. As Xen sat on a large rock under the fast moving water, she stared across the lake at Sheza, breathing deeply, trying to calm her steadily fraying nerves. The knowledge that everyone in the city would be watching her and judging her in just a few hours weighed heavily on her mind and it took every ounce of effort to focus and meditate.

After the cleansing, she was then dressed in traditional ceremonial garb that included robes of various shades of purple, green, and gray, jangling silver anklets embossed with gemstones, silver earrings along her long, pointed ears, a silver jeweled cuff near the top of her long, leathery tail, and a crown of leaves, flowers, and thorns atop her head that weaved into her long, azure hair. The clothes were surprisingly light and she was able to move better than she had anticipated. The robes were scratchy, but she could probably ignore it if she concentrated hard enough on everything else around her.

Once she was ready, she took a deep breath and stepped out into the bright afternoon. The suns were high, clouds dotting the sky, and birds sang happily in the trees. Xennariel’s heart pounded in her chest, her blood rushing through her ears. She clenched and released her clammy hands into fists at her side in a failed attempt to relax, but she was good at pretending. She walked forward confidently, a mask of steel on her face, her dark wings folded regally behind her. Shakuran trotted at her side with his head held high.

‘There she is, the future guardian.’

‘Isn’t she one of the cursed children?’

‘She’s Rizel the Eternal’s daughter. I expect we’ll see great things from her.’

‘Lady Rizel wore those robes better, I think.’

Xennariel could hear the whispers of the people around her as she walked through Raizyx toward Sheza. They weren’t being nearly as discreet as they thought. Clenching her jaw, she tried not to react, though her tail swished briefly in agitation.

She would be nine years old in just a few days and the things her people spoke, comparing her to her beautiful, kind, and compassionate mother, were like daggers in her side. Hearing those things at such a young age created wounds that would fester and stay with her for most of her life, especially if she was never able to measure up to her mother one day.

Attempting to block out any further comments from bystanders, Xennariel concentrated on walking, focusing instead on the jingling made by the charms on her anklets with each step forward. She could feel the soft push of Shakuran in her mind, reassuring her and encouraging her to keep moving. If it weren’t for him, she would have already fled the ceremony. Catching Xevran and her father’s gazes helped too. Their smiles were infectious on any normal day, though all Xen could manage at that moment was a meek upturn of her lips when she walked passed them.

When she finally reached her mother standing at the base of Sheza’s massive trunk, Rizel nodded at her, her smile full of warmth, pride visible in her eyes. Xennariel nodded back, absently fidgeting with her robes.

“Xennariel Megari Revenlyr,” Rizel spoke, only loud enough that Xennariel and those closest to them could hear. “Future Guardian of Soruzen, Chosen of the Ankhari, come forward and place your hand upon Sheza, Great Tree of Shadows. Focus your spirit and hear her voice.”

Xennariel took a deep breath and stepped forward, placing her tiny clawed hand on Sheza’s trunk, scattering the mist that seeped from it. She closed her eyes, focusing her energy as her mother instructed. Her heart began to beat erratically in her ears again as her fear of failure bubbled up. She stomped the feeling down and pushed through her unease, refusing to ruin this moment that she had been preparing for her whole life. Her mother had been so proud. She wouldn’t let her down. Couldn’t.

As Xen concentrated, the noise around her diminished and soon a silver light appeared where her hand met Sheza, gradually growing brighter and stronger. She began to feel a comforting warmth envelop her, slowly drifting further through her body the longer she stood there. In her mind, a soft sound grew louder and she honed in on it, listening intently. It was like pleasant music playing just for her, soothing chimes on the wind echoing in her mind. Whatever worries she felt evaporated as she communed with the great tree, filling her with knowledge, strength, and understanding beyond her years. The energy tingled down her spine with a pleasant warmth that calmed her.

It wasn’t nearly as scary as she thought it would be.

Sheza’s song eventually tapered off. Xennariel opened her eyes and stepped back, her fears alleviated. Xevran would surely be able to commune just as easily and it felt like a great weight was lifted off her shoulders. It was something she never told him, but Xen had been worried that binding to Sheza would be hard on Xevran. Now that she had done it, she was even more confident in the plan they would put into motion that night when everyone else was asleep.

“Well done, Xennariel.”

Xen looked up at her mother’s voice to find a loving smile on Rizel’s face. Rel, Rizel’s raven spirit guardian perched on her shoulder, radiated more warmth and affection than Xennariel had ever felt from him. Xen couldn’t help but return the smile, giggling at the sudden happiness and lightness she felt now that the communion was over. Shakuran was overjoyed as well, circling closely around Xennariel’s legs and nuzzling against her side, ears perked and tail wagging as he whined.

There were cheers and chants and applause coming from the people around them, but rather than reveling in the attention, Xennariel just wanted to go home and be with her family for the rest of the day. Rizel noticed how uncomfortable Xennariel appeared and she put her arm around Xen’s shoulder, pulling her close for a quick hug before leading her home as the crowd slowly scattered behind them.

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It was nearing early morning hours when Xennariel and Xevran snuck out of their home. The only sound was the crunch of their clawed feet on fallen leaves as they made their way through the dark city with only the light of the moons and stars to guide them.

“It was so neat Xen! You were all glowy and I can’t get over it!”

Xennariel laughed and nudged her brother.

“I know, Xev, you already told me.”

“Well I’m gonna be talking about it forever, I think. You think it’ll be that easy for me too?”

“I bet. All ya have to do is concentrate on your powers, focus on Sheza, and listen.”

Xevran nodded and the two of them approached Sheza, her leaves and flowers glowing in the night. The mist pooled around their feet as they stood there, looking up into Sheza’s canopy. It looked like the night sky, dark and twinkling with stars. It was mesmerizing.

Xevran slowly lifted his hand and placed it hesitantly on the trunk before him. He closed his eyes, focused his power, and waited. Xennariel stood next to him, nodding and smiling. This was it. They were going to be tied to Sheza together forever.

Except nothing happened.

A long silence stretched before them before Xevran frowned and opened his eyes again.

“Nothing’s happening.”

Xennariel’s ears drooped, her look of disappointment matching his.

“You can’t hear anything? No song?”

Xevran shook his head and Xennariel huffed. It wasn’t fair. It had to work.

“Let’s try again. Together.”

“Okay.”

The twins put their hands onto the trunk at the same time and concentrated with all their might on the tree before them, their spirit guardians even joining in, placing their paws at the base of the trunk.

This time, the effect was almost immediate. Light engulfed the twins and their spirit guardians, the dark mist swirling about as a breeze kicked up around them.

Xevran grit his teeth. Sheza’s musical voice reverberating in his mind was quiet, but it was somehow painful. It was almost too much to take and before long, he had to let go of the tree and catch his breath. The music gradually faded and he was filled with a sense of power that hadn’t been there before. Zyamishka felt it too, just as Shakuran had when Xennariel communed, and she leaned against Xevran’s legs as Sheza’s song subsided. They had connected with Sheza, but their strength had been exhausted. All the training Xennariel had undergone must have prepared her for her communion because it had been so much easier for her.

“Xev! Are you okay?!” Xennariel leapt to her brother’s side and gripped his shoulders. She was shaking, frantic and confused about his reaction to the communion.

Xevran smiled weakly at his sister and nodded.

“Yeah, I’m just really sleepy now.”

“That didn’t happen to me. I was fine after when I did it. Maybe something went wrong?”

“Nah, it was kind of quiet, but I heard Sheza’s song that time. I feel a little different too. Lighter. Stronger.”

Xennariel nodded. That sounded right. It was how she felt too. But Sheza’s song had been loud in her head, not quiet.

“She wasn’t quiet for me…” Xen looked back to Sheza in thought. “Maybe… oh, I don’t know! Maybe she connected to you through me?”

Xevran thought about it for a moment and nodded.

“Yeah, maybe. I thought I heard your voice too for a moment. It was strange.”

“Well at least it worked! Let’s go home and go to sleep. Maybe you’ll feel better tomorrow.”

Xevran nodded. Xennariel helped him stand and he leaned heavily against her side as they walked home at a slow pace.

-------

Xennariel woke early the next morning despite getting to sleep so late. She hung from her hammock with a huge grin to face Xevran upside down. She wanted to play before her lessons that morning, as always, but Xev was sleeping deep and peacefully. He must have been tired from their struggle to bind him with Sheza and Xen didn’t want to wake him, so she jumped from her hammock and crept out of their room and into the predawn darkness alone with Shakuran. Neither Xev nor Zyamishka heard her leave.

The morning air was crisp as Xennariel and Shakuran ventured to their favorite spot on the other side of the lake. She flopped onto her back at the shores of the lake, staring at the steadily brightening sky peaking through the canopy of the trees. The tranquility of the forest was calming. Water lapping gently at the shore, a soft breeze rustling the leaves on the trees, birds singing around her. It all brought her peace as she lay sprawled out amongst fallen leaves and flowers.

A pillar of fire exploded from behind Sheza and Xennariel leapt to her feet, eyes wide.

“Xennariel! Xennariel!”

Xevran’s panicked cries came from behind her and she turned to find her brother and Zyamishka running toward her, out of breath, eyes full of fear. Something was terribly wrong and she could feel the tension on the air. She gripped Shakuran’s fur to ground herself before fear took over, moving to meet Xevran on the forest path.

“Xev, what was that? What’s going on?”

“It’s Mom and Dad!” Xevran replied in a huff, trying to explain as quickly as he could. He was pale and breathing heavily and it took him a few moments to catch his breath before he could speak again. When he did, it came out rushed and Xen almost didn’t understand him. “Mom’s friend from the Drashu clan came to visit, but then he went somewhere with Mom and his men just attacked Dad for no reason! And, and then when others tried to stop him, his men attacked them too! I ran away to find you. We have to stop them!”

“What?!” Xennariel gasped. “Why would they do that?”

“I dunno, but Dad’s in trouble.”

“C’mon, let’s go!”

Xennariel and Xevran ran faster than they ever had toward their home, Shakuran and Zyamishka at their heels.

The Drashu were known as Chaos Demons to the humans and other mortal races of Shadira for good reason. They specialized in fire magic and out of all the demon clans, they were the ones to cause the most problems. But Chiron, their lord, had been good friends with Rizel for many, many years. Like many of the Drashu guardians before him, he was kind and easygoing. For him to suddenly attack them was confusing to Xennariel and Xevran, but they would defend their family and their people against anyone who threatened them, no matter who it was.

The chaos echoing from Raizyx became louder the closer the twins came. Screams and the scent of smoke were carried on the breeze, filtering throughout the forest. As the twins entered the city, they gasped at the sight that greeted them, moving closer together to grip each other’s hands tightly. Shakuran and Zyamishka pushed against the children’s legs, shivering and whining.

The fire burned with the fury of a thousand dragons. It surrounded them and the billowing, black smoke blocked out the sky. The Ankhari people both fought and ran in the streets, evacuating their homes or trying to stop the Drashu that were attacking them. But with Rizel nowhere in sight and so many people passed out on the ground from the smoke, they were fighting a losing battle.

Xennariel gripped her brother’s hand tightly and glared, turning to her brother with determination in her eyes.

“C’mon Xev, we have to help.”

“Let’s do it.”

Xevran raised his hands toward the sky and brought them down swiftly again, a nearly invisible barrier forming around himself and Xennariel as he did so. Xennariel leapt forward, pulling her arms back to create a ball of shadows surrounded by crackling blue light between her hands. Once the ball was formed, she shoved her arms forward, shooting the ball at one of the Drashu attackers. He fell as the ball of shadows hit him. Not waiting to see if he would stay down, Xennariel spun and shot her shadow magic at every Chaos Demon she could see.

The attackers finally noticed the twins and threw balls of fire at them in an attempt to stop them, but Xevran’s barrier prevented the fire magic from even touching them. So long as they were together, there was no way anything could hurt them.

That was when Xevran caught sight of his father just as Val was struck with an arrow made of fire. Xevran called out to his father, but his voice barely sounded over the battle raging around them. He reached for Xennariel’s shoulder, grabbing her attention as he pointed frantically toward where their father fell. Xennariel caught on quickly, but had no time to despair.

“Go help Dad!” she yelled as she shot out another wave of shadow magic in a seemingly futile attempt to thwart their attackers.

“Will you be okay!?”

“Yeah! Go!”

The twins made eye contact and nodded in silent resolution before Xevran ran off to try to protect their father.

Alone, Xennariel had to be careful. She was powerful, but without her brother next to her, his barrier was not as strong. It dwindled and flickered the further away Xevran was. Just as the barrier began running out, a wave of fire came barreling at her. Unable to dodge it fast enough, Xennariel waited for it to strike her.

But it never came. Something jet black screamed past her in the air, nothing but a blur of feathers to her as it hit the wave of fire and redirected it. Xennariel smiled once she realized what it was.

“Mom!”

Rizel stepped forward, her spirit guardian swooping back toward her. He landed on her shoulder and shook his smouldering feathers.

“Stand back, Xennnariel.” Rizel said as she ran past her daughter. “Get someplace safe!” Rizel lifted her arm and pointed at the Drashu that had attacked Xennariel. “Go, Rel!”

Rel lifted off swiftly from her arm, a blur of feathers again as he transformed into an arrow, weaving and whistling as he struck the Chaos Demons. He swooped back to Rizel and became a staff as she reached for him, purple lightning crackling from a gem at the top.

Xennariel stared in awe at her mother. She had never seen her fight before. So this was the power of a guardian. Possessing the ability to transform her spirit guardian into any kind of weapon. She wondered when she would be able to do such a thing. It seemed like an impossible feat.

Seeing her mother fighting so hard filled her with more determination and Xennariel stood, prepared to continue fighting alongside her. Ignoring Rizel’s warning, she ran toward her, only to stop after a few strides. Xevran's barrier shattered like broken glass around her. Crying out, she fell to her knees, gritting her teeth as her hands clenched at her chest. Her vision swam, ears ringing, the sounds of fighting drowning out. Shakuran fell at her side, panting heavily. It was strange, he shouldn’t have been feeling the same pain, and yet he lay at her side, yowling in obvious distress.

Xennariel looked around for any sign of what could be causing her such torment and her eyes landed on her father and brother, both on the ground a ways away, unmoving, blood pooling around them, seeping into the dirt. Her eyes widened at the sight. She gasped and clutched at her chest with one hand, the other reaching for Xevran.

“Xev?” she breathed, voice quivering.

The wind tousled his hair, smoke and debris falling over him, yet he remained unmoving. Xennariel realized it then, like a firestorm exploding in her chest. Xevran was gone and she felt his death as if it had been her own. Like a piece of her soul had been torn from her. She cried out and continued to reach for him, unable to find the strength move as her world came crashing down around her.

She was so distracted, she hadn’t even seen the man with long, bright red hair approach her. Her mother’s oldest friend, Chiron, lord of the Chaos Demons, stood towering above her. His black horns curled up from his temples, red and black armor reflecting the fire from the burning city around them. He and his dragon spirit guardian cast shadows over her and Xennariel still did not move, still did not see them. A cruel smile split Chiron’s face. He reached out and his spirit guardian became a flaming sword in his hand. He lifted the blade, a terrible glint in his blood red eyes as he glared at Xennariel.

“Your existence is a mistake,” Chiron spat, his voice a heavy baritone. “You too shall die now.”

The flaming sword came whistling down toward Xennariel, but it never struck her. Something warm and wet hit her face and she slowly turned to see her mother above her, impaled on Chiron’s sword through her chest. Xennariel’s eyes grew even wider with a sharp inhalation. It felt as if time slowed down around her. Rizel fell to the ground and Xennariel reached out, her tiny hands pressing into the seeping wound in her mother’s chest. Rel fell on the ground next to Rizel. He was fading, his form shimmering in the firelight. Rizel rested her hand on his soft back, the other coming to grasp Xennariel’s hand weakly.

Next to them, Chiron dropped the sword and it returned to the form of his dragon spirit guardian. He gripped his head in his hands, shaking his head as he slowly stepped back from Rizel and Xennariel.

“No...Rizel. Not Rizel. No. Why?”

His rambling was barely audible to Rizel and Xennariel. They no longer acknowledged his presence as Rizel lay dying.

“M… Mother…”

“It’s… all right… my darling.” Rizel’s voice was a whisper as she lifted her hand to touch Xennariel’s cheek. “You must…  run away. You are the guardian of the Ankhari now. They need you. Get away and survive... so you can protect them.”

Xennariel shook her head and her voice broke when she responded.

“No, I can’t… I… I don’t know how.”

“You can. I… believe in… you.”

A purple light emitted from Rizel’s fingertips resting against Xennariel’s right cheek. Her green eye lit up in a flash of purple, an intricate magic circle appearing inside her pupil for mere seconds before the light faded and the symbol disappeared. Rizel’s hand fell limply to the ground and Xennariel shook her head.

“Mo… Mother?” Xennariel stared into Rizel’s lifeless eyes and shook her shoulder. “Mother?”

Chiron was upon her again, shaking with barely contained rage.

“You! You brat! This is your fault! You should never have been born!”

Chiron lifted his sword again with a furious roar. Xennariel still stared at her mother, as if she were in a trance, ignoring Chiron. Her tears fell at last, streaming down her face, stinging the cuts on her cheeks. She lifted her shaking hands covered in her mother’s blood and her eyes drifted from her hands to the broken bodies of her brother and father. A sob escaped her lips.

Unable to control her emotions any longer, she raised her face to the sky and screamed. An explosion of magical energy burst from her body as she cried, killing everything within the Central Continent of Shadira.