#only to end up in one that cuts off foreign mystic energy

[turtleblogatlast]

The fact that Leo can go literally anywhere on earth to be alone with his thoughts at a single moment’s notice is something that shakes around in my head all the time. Like, portals and teleportation are amazing and convenient abilities both in and out of battle, but they could also so easily be used to run away as well.

I don’t think Leo ever would, at least not most of the time. He loves his family too much, and is too dependent on their love and attention to cut himself off so suddenly like that, but it’s a very real possibility nonetheless.

It’s a good thing Leo’s overall temper is more on the mild side and he prefers going to his room or something to complete solitude, because it really is dangerous for a kid to have the ability to isolate themselves like that at their fingertips.

[grither55]

The Princess and the Peasant - (An Azula Epic) - Chapter 115 - The Last of the Mystics

Team Azula now walked back on their utterly broken-down feet towards the Sentinel Tree once more.

While the forest had finally gone back to its previous peaceful quiet in the wake of both Silah and the invading soldiers being dealt with.

All the while as Azula glared on with unusually exhausted amber golden eyes as she braced her little girlfriend's small body over her armored back.

While the three noblewomen pulled themselves along beside their leader.

All while they watched through the corners of their gazes as the small girl lay face first in the princess's dark hair.

"Azula-sama…" Elle murmured in a timid voice as she hugged the older woman around the neck while she listened to her master let out a low growl that sent a pleasurable shudder down her spine.

"Just one more wretched talk Elle and then we will go home." Azula remarked in a commanding voice as she stomped along with the young girl hanging onto her back.

While the petite girl nodded with a smile on her lips as she clung adorably to the much taller girl's back.

All the while as the others stared on from behind in silent amazement.

And it wasn't too long after that that the princess kicked open the door to the hut.

While the four highborn women quickly poured in as they struggled not to collapse on their feet.

"Boy am I glad to see this tree." Mai grumbled under her breath as they rounded their way around the corner.

"You and me both Clan Saolin." Zoi stated as she stumbled her way down the hall of the hollow tree.

Only for the four highborn women to enter in the next room.

And it was then that Nako dropped the book that she was researching with her brown eyes gazing back at the group in horror.

While Saro glanced up with his mouth ajar in shock.

And even Jiao stopped what she was doing to turn to gaze their way in disbelief.

"P-Princess! Are you alright! What happened!" Nako cried out as she ran towards her princess while Azula's cold eyes turned to glance her way.

And for the most fleeting of instances the princess's harsh gaze flickered with something akin to relief to see that her subject cared about her.

"I am alive Nako. We ran into a group of dangerous enemies on the other side of that spirit portal." The princess responded in a drained voice as sweat still dripped down her regal brow.

While the three commoners listened with looks of worry in their eyes.

And while the seductress tried to hide it the younger woman couldn't help but stare back at her battered lover in concern.

'What kind of enemy is capable of doing that to the princess and the captain! It looks like they just went another round with that monstrous puppeteer!' Saro thought with his golden eyes flickering in worry.

"Are…. you going to be okay Zoi?" Jiao inquired in a softer voice than usual while the noblewoman nodded her head.

"I'll live Jiao. I just don't want to see any more snow for a long time." The captain replied while her lover gazed back at her with a confused look in her eyes.

"Snow captain? There was snow there?" The lieutenant pondered in a bewildered voice as he now took note in the wounds that could only have come from the cold.

"I-is there anything I can do for you Your Highness?" The royal pilot questioned in a devoted voice while princess pushed her way past her.

"You three! Go fetch us water and be quick about it! And that includes you too peasant!" Azula barked with her usual bossiness returning in full force while she watched the three quickly nod in submission.

"Yes princess! I will do so immediately!" Nako exclaimed as she rushed off down the hall.

All the while as Saro and Jiao ran after her to assist her.

While Team Azula numbly found themselves somewhat surprised that the seductress had obeyed without her usual lip.

Although there were all so exhausted that they hardly gave a damn.

Ten minutes later.

Team Azula pushed open the door to Mava's study.

Only for their eyes to widen in bewilderment to see that the mystical woman was hunched over before her spiraling flames once more.

All the while as they made their way in to talk to her for the final time.

Until the battle worn princess plopped down on her ass in a chair with her exhausted girlfriend still panting against her plated chest.

While the three noblewomen dropped down to sit on the floor.

All the while as they gazed on in astonishment to see that their princess was so exhausted that she didn't even care about maintaining appearances by booting their little sister out of her lap.

"Old hag! Let's get this over with already." The princess snapped with a deep scowl on her beautiful lips as she took a heavy gulp of a large jug of water.

While she even paid no mind to the droplets of water that dripped down her parched lips.

Only for her possessive amber golden eyes to glance downward when she saw her little girlfriend reach up for a drink.

And not even a second after that she held it up to the girl's lips while she watched the small girl take a large swig.

"Y-yes wise sage, I must agree with my princess. I…I am ready to go home." The handmaid stated in a tired voice while her princess gazed at her in approval from over her shoulder.

Only for the five girls to watch in confusion when the flames sparked up once more while a sense of unease began to develop in their eyes.

"This is terrible news! It's…it's broken! And now the gateway is closed! You should not have let him get away!" Mava cried out in a foreboding voice as she sat with her back turned to the confused group.

All the while as the flames rose up once more before their uneasy eyes.

"Let…who get away? That horrible man…Nero?" Ty Lee questioned with a fearful swallow only for Mava to grimly shake her head.

While the five females gazed on with their weary minds pondering if the old woman was speaking of Felix.

"No! Not the scientist. He saved your lives for his own twisted ends. If not for his attack on the emperor none of you would have escaped to return to the other side." The sage declared as she turned to face the group with her hauntingly glazed eyes staring at them.

All the while as a renewed look of humiliation flashed before all of their eyes.

The mere fact that they were saved by a man who sought to dissect the benders amongst them was the ultimate insult to injury!

While the princess's amber golden eyes danced with rage once more as she took a furious swallow of water.

All the while as she leaned back on her posterior with her little girlfriend trembling from where she sat on her robed thigh.

"As much as I despise to admit it…she had us completely and utterly beat in both strategy and might. Not only did she spy on us months in advance. She…she was much stronger than us." Zoi commented with shame in her voice as she sunk back against the wall.

While Elle, Mai and Ty Lee shuddered as they were reminded over how it felt when their bodies had started to freeze over.

"That's…that's just because of the cold. If it was in the Fire Nation and we were at full strength we would have won." Azula insisted in a prideful voice with her callous amber golden eyes glaring onward.

While the others gazed on in an unconvinced silence.

"No. No it was not. That monster was toying with all of you. And that is the only reason why you sit here to tell the tale. Had she actually fought you girls and the scientist seriously then it would have been a much different outcome for you and him." Mava informed in a wizened voice while the team fell back into a stunned silence.

All the while as the anger in Azula's eyes only continued to soar to even higher heights.

"Who…who should we have not let get away wise sage?" Elle queried in a gentle voice with fear in her amber eyes once more as she sat on her master's thigh.

"Your brother. You wasted your time…fighting the bomber…and the redhead…and all of the others. When your single greatest priority should have been his capture at all costs." The sage stated as she sat before the rising flames while a face began to form in the smoke.

While looks of outrage formed in the eyes of the four highborn women when they found themselves gazing back at Felix's madly laughing face once more.

All the while as Elle swallowed fretfully with her amber eyes glaring back at her brother's insane face.

"D-does this have something to do with my confrontation with Felix when I fired that ball of energy at him? I was meaning to ask how I did that." The handmaid requested in a puzzled voice while her princess loomed protectively over her head.

"In a sense young Component. The closer a holder of the Component is to the Spirit World, the stronger the power of the Component will be. You tapped into the spiritual energy of the gateway and harnessed it to attack your brother." Mava revealed in a gruff voice while the group listened with awe in their eyes.

While they all turned to gaze back at their young friend's adorably confuddled face with astoundment in their eyes once more.

"So…that's why Elle was stronger. She harnessed the power of the portal. That must also be how the girl was able to defeat that man Reynolds." The princess muttered in a moody voice as she held her jug in hand with her stern eyes gazing down at the back of her pet's golden head in amazement.

"You perceive correctly princess. The principal function of the Component is that it is able to cut through and remove mystical barriers that stand in the way of the holder. As you know…this is also why the Component is able to disrupt the flow of chi of the Avatar and beings like him. And it is precisely why Elle was able to cut through the colonel's foreign weapon." The sage explained in a weathered voice while the highborn women still at the teenager in shock.

While Elle's cheeks started to turn pink as she blushed under all of the combined attention from her friends.

"I still can't believe that you are capable of such power…tiger monkey." Azula snorted in a fondly strict voice as she eyed her reddened girlfriend with possessive amber golden eye.

"I-I still wish I wasn't Azula-sama. I don't want to be have this power… I just want to serve you and nothing else." Elle mumbled in a distressed voice as she fiddled her thumbs while Azula allowed herself to smile down at her.

All the while as both Mai and Ty Lee said nothing as they fondly shook their heads over the young girl's innocently obsessive desire to serve the princess.

"Oh Elle. Don't you worry. You are going to spend your whole life serving me and perhaps…even your eternity as well." The princess sighed as she began to coil a fingernail in her ebony hair while she allowed a small smile to grace her exhausted lips.

While the two noblewomen almost shivered over how terrifying that sounded to them.

Only for the two to watch their little sister's smile more brightly after hearing those words.

"I…I would like that very much Azula-sama." The handmaid muttered as she smiled when a strong hand patted her golden head.

While she leaned back with the back of her head pressing into her master's armored breasts.

All the while as she paid no mind when her girlfriend propped her elbow up in her hair as she reclined her tall body behind her.

"Considering that the Component is able to go through a mystical barrier it is only natural that given the right conditions the holder can also go through a physical object as well." Mava replied in a seemingly timeless voice as she held herself up on her staff.

While Team Azula listened with marvelment in their eyes as they tiredly nodded their heads.

"Old woman. I demand that you tell me why we should have brought back my servant's vile brother and while you're at it you better be able to also tell me more about this link to the girl's power than you were able earlier." Azula snarled as she let out a protective snort of blue fire over her little trembling handmaid.

"In order to tell you that. I must first tell you who and what I am." The sage responded in a mystical voice while the group gazed on with curiosity in their confused eyes.

"Ugh. Whatever. But it had better not involve anymore riddles." The princess grumbled as she sat back with her jug in hand as took another relaxing sip of water.

All the while as her callous amber golden eyes kept a close watch over the teenager sitting in her robed lap.

"But…you said that you are Mava…right?" Elle asked in a voice that was filled with innocent wonder while her master scowled back at the wrinkled woman.

"That is right child. My name is Mava and I am the very last of a fading order of mystics whose sole purpose is to guide the Component." Mava announced in a learned voice as her face was accented by the flames while the highborn women listened with their eyes wide in disbelief.

"A whole order of mystics just to guide me?" The handmaid repeated in an awed voice while her princess sat in astonishment above her.

"Our order has existed for over a thousand years. It was first established long ago with the assistance of one of the ancient Fire Lords of old. So long ago…that I do not even know his or her name." The sage revealed in a profound voice with her words causing the Fire Nation women to stare on in shock.

While the princess's lips now curled into an angered glower as a blue torch lit over the wall behind her as proof of her ire.

"And you had the nerve to insinuate that I was unworthy when this very order was created by one of my ancient ancestors! That by itself makes me more worthy than anyone else in this world!" The princess hissed with great anger in her voice that was only tempered in part when she felt her serving girl place her gentle hand on her arm.

Only for the fury in her eyes to grow when the weathered woman slammed her staff down on the floor of the hut.

All the while as the three noblewomen sat there in a puzzled silence.

"No, it does not! The Fire Lords of old were noble leaders that cared about their people. Ever since Sozin the Royal Family has been naught but a line of tyrants. All your family has cared about is making yourselves richer at the expense of the peasants that suffer under your family's oppressive rule." Mava retorted in a resentful voice as she pointed a wrinkled finger back at Azula's furiously glaring face.

While the other three highborn women sat in an unsettled silence as they wisely avoided stating aloud that it sounded as if the old woman had a valid point.

"T-the princess isn't like her father and the others Mava. When she becomes Fire Lord, she is going to make it better. I know so. I…I believe in her." Elle insisted in a faithful voice as she chewed on her lip while Azula found herself visibly calming over her.

While Mai sighed under her breath as she mused that she could only hope that Azula at least made an effort.

Otherwise sooner or later she was bound to lose Elle's innocent admiration.

"Perhaps she will young Component. We shall see. In any event our order was created to keep the secrets of the Component alive for the day that the holder should return. And that is what we did…all of us for over a thousand years." The sage admitted in a greatly tired voice with her words stunning the team so deeply that the fury vanished in the princess's widened eyes.

"Your order managed keep such powerful secrets in memory for that long?" The captain asked in a stunned voice with her golden eyes wide in shock.

"F-for over a thousand of years? Just to talk to me or whoever came through?" The handmaid repeated in a disbelieving voice while her princess gazed on in awe from over her shoulder.

"We did. And we didn't do it just so some spoiled princess could make light of our sacrifice. I didn't do this because I wanted to spend my entire life in a tree you know. I did it because there was no one else left to take up the task and if I didn't do it then the order would have died off. And then there would be no one here to enlighten young Elle's mind." Mava explained in a sage voice as she balanced herself on her staff while Elle's amber eyes widened with emotion.

All the while as the highborn women sunk back in their seats in an affected silence.

"I…I am sure that Azula meant no disrespect Sage Mava. She…she just has never been very good at showing her emotions. And she is only just now starting to learn how to do so with Elle's help." The acrobat spoke in a hastened voice while the princess sat in a prideful silence.

While the mighty princess just let out a haughty snort as she turned to stare at the old woman.

Only for her amber golden eyes to glance down in puzzlement when saw her girlfriend standing up from her lap.

"Arigatou gozaimasu for doing so Sage Mava. I…and all of my friends are forever in your debt." Elle stated in a highly sentimental voice as she bowed at the hip while Azula sat scowling down at her.

Just as Zoi lowered her head in a respectful bow while Mai followed suit soon after.

And soon so did Ty Lee.

While Azula still sat scowling with her arms over her breasts only to find herself growling when she felt the acrobat push her head into a slight bow.

And not even a second later the princess sprang back up with her amber golden eyes still glaring back at the old woman.

Just before the team turned back towards the flames when they arose higher once more.

"We…have carried these hallowed secrets with us for all this time. All the while we were unable to share them with anyone outside of the order." The sage continued in a wizened voice while the five younger females listened in a spellbound silence.

"You couldn't speak to the Royal Family and the noble clans of it? Not even before the days of Fire Lord Sozin?" Zoi inquired in a fascinated voice while Azula still sat scowling in her seat.

Just as the princess's cold eyes took note of how her girlfriend's legs were wobbling in exhaustion.

And just when the teenager started to sway on her woozy feet.

She let out a lovable squeak when she was pulled down to sit in the older woman's lap once more.

All the while as her cheeks turned pink once more as she peered shyly up at her caretaker's stoic face while the woman frowned sternly down at her.

Only for the couple's attentions to be rapidly regained when the old woman shook her head no.

"We could not. Because with Sozin and afterward the sacred knowledge would have been used to cause even further suffering in the world. And before Sozin…the Avatar would have destroyed it." Mava answered in a timeworn voice while the team stared on with astonishment in their widened eyes.

"The Avatar…would have destroyed it?" The markswoman inquired in an unnaturally spellbound voice as the old woman nodded her head.

"The order lost the support of the Royal Family over eight hundred years ago because the Avatar believes us to be evil. The Avatar cannot understand because the Avatar cannot see the Primordial One or what it is doing. Therefore, the Avatar swayed the Royal Family and beyond to pay our warnings no mind. So, we were left with no other alternative but to sit and wait, and hope that the rune in this valley would prevent the Primordial One from coming for us." The sage remarked in a grave voice while the younger females listened in a stricken silence.

The more they heard the more frightening it became!

"That's what you're doing in this valley? You're…hiding from this creature?" Azula asked with utter disbelief in her amber golden eyes while Elle shivered in fear in her lap.

While a sense of newfound dread came over the entire team when the sage nodded her head with unrivaled graveness.

"Well, you don't have to worry anymore Mava! You have Azula-sama's support now! If the Avatar comes around Her Highness will give him what for!" The handmaid cried out in a devoted voice while the princess's lips curled into a small smile.

While the three nobles gazed fondly at their young friend.

Just as the princess patted the smaller girl's golden head while her hand then took to resting in the girl's hair.

"All of these improvements that you girls have been making in strength would not be possible if you told yourself before you even tried that the Avatar is the only one who can do it. And that is why this being wishes for the Avatar Cycle to remain intact…so that humanity will stay weak. Therefore, the creature has created a cloud over the minds of nearly everyone on this planet." Mava stated in a weathered voice with her hands clutching her staff while the team sat in an unnerved silence.

"Y-you said that it is doing something…what is it doing?" Elle stammered with fear in her voice while Azula gazed on with protective amber golden eyes from over her shoulder.

"The Primordial One does what your princess does when she gets her hands on a large bowl of cherries. It devours." The sage explained with her wrinkled fingers holding her staff while all but Azula stared on in amusement.

All the while as Azula sat there with her amber golden eyes burning with the infernos of war.

"Are you…making fun of your Crown Princess's appetite?" The princess questioned in a menacing voice while her girlfriend listened in an enraptured silence.

"I-it eats? Eats what?" The handmaid gulped in a fretful voice only to find herself comforted by the sound of her master growling behind her trembling ear.

"Chi." Mava responded in a vague yet utterly dire voice while highborn women and their young servant friend gazed back in an unsettled silence.

"It…eats chi?" Azula pondered in a greatly intrigued voice while she rose a regal brow.

"A great deal of it. To put it lightly. In any case Princess Azula. I will give you a word of warning. If you are truly serious about becoming worthy…and wish to remain alive long enough to do so. You will take great care who you speak of this being around." The sage advised in a deathly urgent voice while Azula rose an elegant brow.

"Are you…telling me that it is not safe for me to discuss it with my own subjects?" The princess snorted as she rolled her amber golden eyes while her serving girl shivered once more.

"That is exactly what I am saying. It has many followers throughout all walks of life. And if word gets out that you are looking for it. Its followers will infiltrate your palace staff…perhaps a servant…perhaps one of your guards…regardless of the mask it will get to you." Mava warned in a frighteningly ominous voice while a look of great paranoia passed over Azula's widened amber golden eyes.

While a newfound sense of terror came over the air as the entire team sat in a disbelieving state of quiet.

All the while as Elle swallowed in fright once again as Azula gazed on with searching amber golden eyes.

"So…it has a cult that is capable of penetrating even the ranks of the Royal Family?" The captain queried with a wary voice as she narrowed her golden eyes as she clenched her fist at her hip.

"A vast cult. A cult that is the entire planet." The sage declared in a terrifying voice as the team sunk back in their seats with their eyes wide in shock.

"T-the entire planet? But how is that possible?" Ty Lee stammered with great fear in her voice while Mava's flames rose up behind her.

"Because it has the whole world outside of this valley and Silah’s citadel is under its rune…its veil. The only people in this whole world that I know with certainty are aware of this creature's existence are everyone in this room…Silah and the one called Vega." Mava informed in a beyond dire voice as Team Azula gaped on with their eyes wide in incredulity.

"That's it?" Azula repeated in a disbelieving voice as she tried to fight down the sudden sense of paranoia that she felt rushing over her.

If the old hag was speaking truthfully…and she has yet to catch her in a lie.

That would mean this being can find them anywhere at any time!

"Now do you understand? If left unchecked…this creature will eventually kill every living being on this planet." The sage declared with her flames rising up over her while the younger females sat back with their eyes wide in horror.

"A-all life? We have to stop it Azula-sama!" Elle cried out as she reached up to tug on Azula's sleeve while her master let out a heavy sigh.

"You want to be worthy Princess Azula? Think not of how you desire power for your own whims and think instead of how you can save the world. This isn't about you or me…or Elle…it is about all of us. For we will all share the same fate if we fail." Mava spoke in a venerable voice as Azula stared on with her hardened amber golden eyes pondering those words.

"You said that this Vega will come riding on the wings of this force of darkness. But what of Silah? Is she allied with…it?" Zoi pondered with her golden eyes staring on coldly while her princess also glowered over the mention of the woman's name.

Only for all five girls to gaze on with curiosity in their eyes when the old woman let out a depressed sigh.

Almost as if…she was saddened by the loss of the other woman's enigmatic friendship.

"Silah…. was supposed to be the one sitting here speaking to the young Component…not me. She…was the one who was originally chosen to become the next sage." The sage confessed with sadness in her voice while the team gazed on with speechless looks in their widened eyes.

Out of all of the things that the old woman had told them.

That had to rank up there as highest with the existence of this…Primordial One!

"Silah and I are the last two members of the great order of mystics. My former master…chose Silah to succeed him and carry on this sacred knowledge until the day that the holder returns. But Silah…fell to her darker impulses." Mava spoke in barely perceivable whisper while the highborn women sunk back in unfathomable disbelief.

The simple fact that they were originally supposed to be speaking with the woman who wants to slaughter them just for pleasure was mind boggling!

"W-why…why didn't she?" The handmaid stammered in an emotional voice.

While she started to feel a sense of guilt for making people wait so long for her to reappear.

"Because child…to become the sage you must bind yourself to this infernal tree." The sage muttered as she sat holding her staff while the group stared on with their eyes widening in realization.

And now the entire team understood what Mava meant.

She…bound herself to the Sentinel Tree just for the sake of keeping this information alive so it could one day reach little Elle!

"Silah chose to reverse the power of the sage…and bind people to her as her puppets instead of binding herself to the Sentinel Tree. And after that…she left to follow the path of a dark sage and to live the life of the hunt. I know not whether she has aligned herself with this revolting creature but I know this. All Silah cares about is the thrill of her hunt." Mava commented with a scowl on her aged lips while a shudder spread throughout the air.

"And so now…we have to deal with this…Primordial One and its followers…while facing the Avatar and on top of all that…we have to deal with this doll freak chasing us down? Joy." Mai snorted with a shiver traveling down her spine while Ty Lee shuddered beside her.

While Azula and Zoi glared on with prideful fury in their eyes as well as an eagerness to pay the puppeteer back for their underground battle.

All the while as Elle began to shake once more when the flames rose up yet again.

While her amber eyes widened when she saw that her brother's face was forming in the fire once more.

All while the highborn women gazed on with looks of hatred in their narrowed eyes.

"All of that and much more. Your situation just got many times worse with your defeat on the other side of the gate." The sage began in a low voice as the team listened with their unnerved eyes gazing back at the young man's laughing visage in the flames.

"H-how?" Elle squeaked as she sat on Azula's lap while the woman stared on with murderously narrowed amber golden eyes.

"Child. The power has been in the blood of your family for countless generations…perhaps even as far back as to the days when the Fire Lord of old founded the Order of the Mystics. You see it was this noble Fire Lord who also founded the Component holder lineage." Mava announced with her hands gripping her staff while a sense of profoundly disbelief swept over the air.

While Elle turned to peer up at Azula with a newfound adorable admiration in her eyes that would have made the others chuckle if not for the gravity of what the old woman was saying.

All the while as Azula swelled with pride as she puffed out her breasts with a smirk already forming on her lips.

And that was all it took for both Mai and Ty Lee to sigh as they knew that Azula was going to make the poor girl worship her even more than before out of some perceived gratitude for what her ancestors did.

"Really? I really do have a divine right to rule over this one then." The princess boasted with a flip of her hair while she held her head high as she took delight in how her serving girl was now gazing up at her as if she were Agni herself.

"A-Azula-sama…I didn't know that your ancient family founded it." The handmaid stuttered in an awed voice as her princess stuck her nose up over her while her big sisters sighed in the background.

"Yes, well you can make it up to me by spending the rest of your little life worshiping the ground that I walk on." Azula huffed as she scanned her fingernails on her clenched fist with a spoiled smile already gracing her lips.

While she paid no mind to the sisterly growl that Ty Lee was sending her way.

Only for the old sage to cut the couple off before they could speak of it any further.

"No! The Fire Lord did not found the power itself. The Component was originally a force that was held inside an ancient tablet that held the key to breaching the Primordial One's defenses, so that the Matrix of Light could then be used to destroy it and its creations once and for all. What this Fire Lord did do…was merge the power within the tablet into a loyal follower of the then Royal Family." The sage explained in a greatly wise voice while the team listened in shock once more.

All the while as the mighty princess turned to gaze back down at her serving girl with a look of awe in her amber golden gaze.

"A loyal follower of the then Royal Family? Does that mean that young Elle is a descendant of this follower?" The captain asked in a marveled voice as she felt even more desire to protect the girl build up within her.

Under no circumstances could they allow Fire Lord Ozai to distort and use her as a tool of war!

It was a thought that was on all of the four highborn women's minds.

Even the Fire Princess herself.

"It is likely. As I told you all before. It is not restricted to just lineage that the founding Fire Lord created. It can transfer to someone who has no connection to the original lineage. I do not know all of the rules. What I do know is that the lineage was created so that the Primordial One could not destroy the power of the Component so easily." Mava replied with upmost seriousness in her gravely voice while the group sat in a stunned silence.

"Does…. that mean that Azula-sama and I are descendants of an ancient team of princess and servant? Am I really meant to serve her?" Elle asked in a lovably sweet voice as she gazed up at Azula's still surprised face.

While she and her girlfriend gazed back into each other's eyes as she smiled shyly under the older woman's stern stare.

All the while as she twiddled her thumbs while her princess's lips pulled into a charming smile.

And then she gasped when a strong hand lowered into her hair once more while she sat in shock as she found herself being petted under the princess's warm once yet again.

While the acrobat and the markswoman exchanged a wary look as they hoped that the princess wouldn't let it go too far to her head.

"It would seem so servant but fear not. I won't mistreat you." The princess assured with a smile on her lips while her girlfriend flushed under her domineering stare.

"O-oh Azula-sama. I know that you would never abuse me." The handmaid murmured with a hand on her reddened cheek while her big sisters sighed heavily.

Only for the adorable teenager to deflate when the old woman sighed as well.

"No. You two are not hearing me. The objective was not to create a servant that catered to the Royal Family's whims. The purpose was and is to save the world from the Primordial One." The sage explained with a gruff voice only for the three noblewomen to gaze on humorously when the couple seemed to not hear her.

"You…you really are my master Azula-sama." Elle spoke up in an adorably sweet voice while Azula smiled down at her in even more approval than ever before.

"Indeed, I am dear. And you really are my fated servant." Azula stated with a wide smile on her lips while her childhood friends stared at her in disapproval.

"A fated bond with a princess charming that was meant to be…how romantic." The handmaid gushed as she wrapped her arms around the taller girl's belly while the princess smiled down at her.

'So, my Elle really was meant to belong to me?' The princess thought with her beautiful lips curving into a content smile.

This just made Elle all the more special.

They truly were fated to stand side by side as the princess and her peasant.

"So…anyhow what happened to the founding Fire Lord? Obviously…whoever it was did not succeed. Is that right?" Zoi questioned with a stoic voice while the couple turned their attention back to the old sage.

Only for all five members of Team Azula to feel a sense of dread fall over them once more when the flames rose even higher.

"Wiped out and erased from most history books. The same fate that awaits all who the Primordial One destroys." Mava informed in a grim voice as the team sat back with their eyes wide in a sense of rising unease.

'Is all of this true? Is this being truly this powerful?' Azula thought with her amber golden eyes glancing on while she scowled deeply.

"What I was trying to get at child…is that there are means in which another member of your family can become the new holder with or without your consent." The sage declared in a voice of unequaled graveness while the team felt their stomachs drop as soon as they heard those words.

All the while as their eyes widened as they recalled the words that Felix spoke to them back in their encounter.

I know all about that power of yours Elle. And soon…very soon you will see that you need me.

It is time that we showed the world the power of the Turner family!

While a newfound look of rage came over the princess's mighty narrowed eyes as she glared on imposingly over her young girlfriend's fearful shoulder.

All the while as she began to clench her bloodied fists in her fury as she watched the flames take shape in Felix's face once more.

"My child…I regret to inform you…that you only possess half of the Component." Mava announced with evident unease in her serious voice as Elle sunk back with her amber eyes widening in confusion.

While the four highborn women stared on with their eyes wide in shock over the sage's grim declaration.

All the while as they swallowed in trepidation as they thought back to the power that Felix showed in their encounter.

Just as the princess abruptly stood up with her amber golden eyes burning wide in rage while her girlfriend fell from her lap with a squeak.

"You mean to tell me that the ability that worn showed in battle…was the Component!" Azula roared with her fists lighting up with blue fire once more while her lips sunk into a snarl.

All the while as Zoi gazed on with her golden eyes wide in fright like never before.

While Mai and Ty Lee now looked as if they had turned as white as a ghost!

"H-half? B-but I thought you told me that I was the Component!" Elle cried out from where she lay on the floor at her princess's boots while the woman towered over her.

"You are child. You used to possess all of it. But somewhere along the line you lost half. Did he do something to you at any point while you were unconscious?" The sage pondered in an urgent voice as the four highborn women stared on with absolute outrage in their murderous eyes.

While Elle now shook on the floor as she tried to sit up with her angered eyes gazing back at the visage of her monstrous brother.

"H-he…he always liked to put sleepy pills in food and drinks…that' why I…learned to cook my own food." The handmaid stammered in a voice of fearful realization as she audibly swallowed.

While the captain now stared on with her golden eyes agape in utter disgust.

While the princess and her two noble friends now looked even more regretful that they had not met their sensitive young friend sooner.

"Come here child. I'll see if I can pull it from your mind." Mava requested with a wag of her hand while Elle shakily stood up.

All the while as the highborn women glared on with promises of murder in their eyes.

And then the teenager came to a stop standing on her nervous legs before the old sage.

Just as the old woman reached out to place her wrinkled palm on the blonde's shaken forehead.

While the team stood back with their eyes wide with anticipation.

And then after what seemed to be a minute of unsettling waiting the hermit withdrew to face her fire.

While the teenager took a frightful step back as she saw her brother's image finish taking shape in the mystic flames.

All the while as the princess stepped forward to loom behind her frightened girlfriend with her callous eyes glaring imperiously back into the fire.

Only for her amber golden eyes to widen in a sense of some horrible foreign emotion when she saw an image of the girl laying on what appeared to be an operating table surrounded by a masked medical staff.

While Elle's amber eyes widened in horror like never before with her big sister's arising to their feet to stare on in shock behind her.

All the while as Felix stood over Elle with a man at the forefront who looked to be a doctor of some kind who appeared to be administering anesthetic to the girl.

"H-he's my brother…my own brother. Why…why would he do this to me?" The handmaid inquired with a tear in her eye while the princess now looked as if she were about to explode in her royal rage.

While the noblewomen stood stricken into a horrific silence unable to answer their adopted sister's sorrowful question.

"I must warn you…there is a chance that your sister will not survive this…" The doctor began in something akin to a hesitant voice while Elle in the present stared back in disbelief at her unmoving past self.

By the look of it this couldn't have happened more than six months before she came to the Fire Nation!

All the while as Team Azula was rendered into a state of absolute shock as they watched Felix roll his eyes in an almost Azulalike fashion.

Only even Mai knew that there was no way that Azula would have ever done something like this to Zuko!

"Elle will be fine. At least…more so than you will be if you decline me. If you have any moral reservations about it, I could just feed you to my seekers…" Felix spoke as he smiled menacingly back at the older man's terrified face.

While the highborn women listened in utter repugnance that the man hinted that he fed people to his pet beasts.

"No! N-no! I…have no moral compunctions…I…am ready when you are." The older man swallowed as he stood over the teenager with his remorseful eyes keeping a close watch on the girl's vitals.

And it was then that the entire team began to turn hot white in their rage as they watched the brother lean over their young friend's unconscious body!

"Poor Elle. You try so hard to win but you always lose." The brother remarked cruelly as he reached down to wipe a stray tear from his sister's eye.

And then just like that a sickening light shot out from the teenager's body while everyone watching was rendered into a speechless silence.

Even the sage who had seen the repressed memory in the teenager's mind had was stunned by the sheer level of the man's cruelty.

All the while as Elle backed up until the back of her head hit the bottom of her princess's armored breasts.

While the Fire Princess stared on with bubbling fury in her amber golden eyes.

All the while as she smashed her fists at her hips with her subordinates staring on in endless disgust.

And that was all it took for the team to gaze on in horror when the young man began to withdraw a bright light from the girl's chest.

And then Felix took a step back with the orb of light humming beneath his power-hungry hands.

And then not even a second later he slammed it into his chest while the group stood in shock as they watched Felix force it inside him!

And with that Felix tipped his head back as he began to release disturbing cackles with his glasses shaking over the bridge of his nose!

While the doctor seemed to be almost riddled with remorse as he turned away to gaze off into the distance of the room.

All the while as the team of medical staff stared on with fear in their eyes when the young man's body began to emit a frightening glow.

"So, this is the inheritance of the Turner family! It feels so sublime! And it belongs to me now!" Felix shouted with his gloved hands held out before his delightfully grinning face while the team stared into the flames in horror.

"W-what did I do to…deserve this?" Elle stuttered with heavy emotion in her angered voice while Azula trembled in rage over her.

And then the mystic vision in the flames finally faded away while a lone tear slid down Elle's cheek.

While the calamitous sound of Felix's lingering laughter as it sent a chill down the spines of all present.

Until that too soon vanished leaving only the sense of indescribable dread of what this will mean for the conflict to come.

Although one thing remained clear to Elle.

And that was that she had to stop her brother and take back what he stole from her.

The lives of everyone that she cherished were depending on it.

For the sake of all of her friends in both worlds.

For the sake of her Princess Azula.

And for the sake of the legacy of her mother.

There was no way that she could let Felix win!

He had to be stopped!

No matter what it takes!

[numinous-shaman]

Secret Space Program Timeline Wars

Not even organic time travelers know what's going to manifest exactly, but I do know this is a timeline war and the forces of chaos and corptocracy are what will lead us into a horrible A.I., future of soullessness and military industrial servitude, if we don't shift the tide in consciousness back to human values soon.

There ARE definately forces ready to resist tyranny all over the country and there are also militarized groups invested in destroying the stamina of defensive forces too, war on our soil is NOT desirable. There used to be only a timeline with five free states in the future, having Constitutional protection, back in 2011, I was aware when that was secured. Then we got an 11 state timeline some years later and I'm pretty sure the last I felt we had a pretty solid 27 state structure for manifesting continued protection of Inalienable human rights, should succession become necessary.

I hope it's more now, it would be wonderful to have the whole country turn back from the Great Reset completely, before the Great Divide manifests. But, consciousness just isn't aware enough to expect that at this point, it's painfully obvious watching the majority of people demand to be experimentation survivors and freely give over their genetic code to hybridization with other species, and new technology, that the level of awareness of the masses has been greatly reduced, along with understanding of their own value, rights and responsibilities. Of course, we KNOW in the future that it was "the fears" that caused them to sell their liberty, not actual harm, just the idea of it and their lack of awareness regarding the methods to manipulate them made it all possible. Watching this play out in real time, is just gut wrenching.

MAYBE, if enough false flags happened to jolt then awake they would help fight their captors instead of beg them in, but the iron curtain of information has become increasingly difficult to penetrate. I don't think Trump is the Messiah, but I think if he's prohuman then he'll use this opportunity he has to rally some people who care about freedom behind him and hit them where it hurts, AT THE INFORMATION LEVEL. We need to get past the frequency fence of distorted information being used to hold humanity hostage and unable to discern the danger.

Of course, the controllers want it that way, they want us dumb and happy when they cut out lives short and all the blame for the genocide resting squarely on our own, failure to rightfully apply free will. I've had more than my fair share of exposure to eugenist, reptilian timelording types of beings and I will tell you what they never will, because I'm not like them although I perceive them. They believe in survival of the fittest, or most cunning, really.

They figure if they are smart enough to fool humans and conquer us, then our benevolence is a weakness and they deserve to rule with an iron rod and treat us like domesticated cattle and resources for their whims. They think of this world as part of a larger ocean and the bigger fish wins, unless the smaller fish gets smart enough to survive. The idea of a loving Creator force is foreign to them, nature is cruel, only children have foolish dreams of things which are obviously not true, that's what they would say to a child who believes good will win out, simply because it's moral.

Now, if the alien Corptocracy gets their way and are able to slice through the federal government and manifest authoritianism quickly, this is probably where the Orwellian vision of two sort of parallel societies might spring up in the same land, some flocking to federally managed economic development, while others reclaim land and resources for sustainability, environmental protection and multicultural preservation, in states leaving the union. Those were basically the legal umbrellas we used to get support from the corptocracy in some timelines in the future and not called fundamentalists, revolutionaries or radicals for simply wanting to remain natural humans and to keep our Bill of Rights.

They didn't care about our rights or our liberty or right to make our own health decisions, because they thought it was important, NO. We had to show that the degradation of our environment was no good for them and the degradation of our genetics was akin to killing a protected animal, because it was an endangered' species. Human interest was protected only under the banner of what today might be equated to Leftist Liberalism or Environmental Activism. So many humans are already under the influence of such heavy programming and so degraded genetically, they already serve the AntiChrist system, the Corptocracy who is attempting to rewrite our souls for capture and control, and just don't know it. Wanting to be human completely and to access nature and make individual choices, was called tragically fundamentalism and seen as radical or mad. Covertly, the secret societies weilding heavy handed influence within the Corptocracy knew the truth and knew the human ascension potential was intentionally being cut off from the masses and tightly controlled. They had their own plans of breeding into the genetics of ascendant humans while enslaving the rest.

The Multidimensional capacity of the human soul was lost by most after being genetically degraded with medicine, environmental toxins and food. Humans literally lost their ability to fully embody and connect with their soul and multidimensional nature, the process happened over a few generations and most didn't notice it occurring or miss it when it was lost, everyone was tuned into their pain and pleasure body only, five senses they couldn't see through with higher ones. In many probable futures a company called Aegis was ultimately responsible for raising awareness and support from the rich to help achieve their goal of protecting, studying and tracking the human potential for Multidimensional communication and influence on the environment. Many human domains for natural living were organized and protected legally and with force by Aegis Corp. and Aegis Shield Corp. Organic and inorganic time travel was experimented with by many factions, warring for control over the timelines and various aspects of our future. Time travel operations were in place before Sept. 11th and that event itself has already been altered by divine intelligence and human operatives, so we are experiencing already, an altered version of the past. The 911 timeline, 911 numerological sequences are an energetic reality that crosses the threshold of the unconscious mind for many of us.

It's so important to understand though, the leaders didn't care about our souls or the afterlife, the government is controlled by soulless corpore entities, not human ideals. They only helped us, in the end at all, because they wanted to replicate what it's REALLY like to be human and receive your Divine nature in artificial systems and experience a replicate reality using technology for virtual extended life spans in artificial worlds of clones or digitized and uploaded into what is akin to a virtual reality cloud. The small percentage of true humans lived parallel lives, but they fought to not be dependent on the Corptocracy, so that separation would remain and the rest of the world saw and treated then like an oddity, some kind of stage show freak for them to project their own fears and insecurity onto. They had no idea they were just dangling participles, evolutionarily speaking, slated for nothing but further degeneration, experimentation and enslavement. I can already feel this separation becoming palpable, the emergency vaccine powers are definately a trigger event

The real humans, eventually were able to live protected, to stay in touch with natural order and live like a natural human, but only in exchange for information and for power the secret societies used for themselves. We still managed to create hubs of Divine Creator energies, cruelty free animal zones and real human existence to assist with keeping balance in the world by helping the Corptocracy understand the importance of universal law and the real purpose of morality at the level of the template of reality manifestation. This helped the populations (we weren't all human) to survive and avert pole shift, we literally have to keep the balance.

The effect of that knowledge on the majority was not natural though, it was tyranical and the populations who destroyed the old America demanding liberation were the ones who ended up with the least liberty in the end. All of these impressions are collected from possible futures and parallel realities, I pray everyday the options improve and more real humans remember who they are and what is really important. They had to shut the inorganic (technologically) induced time travel missions down, the effects were bizarre and became a greater concern than originally imagined. There are rogue groups still experimenting covertly, it is well known in the future and these groups are hunted religiously by the scientific order.

Organic time travel is more mystical in nature, it's the ability of your higher self to project itself back in time to your physical self and effect change which shifts the future. This is just one example of the types of abilities the Multidimensional human is able to do, if their genetics and consciousness aren't interfered with and free will used to serve Love, like Christ taught. The elite know that REAL humanity doesn't need their faulty technology to externalize their powers for interconnectivity and don't need controllers at all. That's why they aim to suppress us, dumb us down and keep the secret about who and what we are far from our awareness.

They need us to control, to feed off, to feel powerful by dominating and to justify their own limited, dimensionalized existence. They are like an interdimensional invader, a parasitic intelligence we are playing host to and giving more power over our entire universal time matrix. The ONLY people who won't be TOTALLY owned and controlled by these corporate boards and warlords in the future, are going to be the ones who dedicate themselves to consciousness expansion and Spiritual Ascension, because they'll need those enhanced abilities and awareness to stay a step ahead of the parasite and their legion of zombie enforcers, demanding submission to intelligence beneath the true Human. They expect us to out smart them if we really deserve our free will, I'm not condoning the belief system, just making it conscious in hopes more people can see through the vaneer of humanity they aim to project.

[taiblogcomics]

Wonder Where This Is Going...

Hey there, house rules for video games. Well, my backlog's done. Back to the longbox to review some stuff from eight years ago! Does anyone even remember that we were reviewing the New 52's Teen Titans? Let's get back into that~

Here's the cover:

Behold the true Wonder Girl! God, could there be a more representative cover for the New 52 than this? "Behold how we've taken a popular character and made them unnecessarily edgy--literally!" Like, just look at this. This is almost as bad as Speedball becoming Penance from the whole Civil War fiasco, just shinier. Plus look at the stupid expression on Tim Drake's face. First, I don't think his mask is on straight. Secondly, that expression is way too "I'm into this" for me to be comfortable with it~

So, what do we remember from last time? The stupid-ass Culling crossover just ended, Skitter's been written out of the book, Danny the Street's just died, and the Titans have found themselves on Jurassic Park or something. You know, standard stuff.

So we open on a pretty horrible image for our first-page splash. Yeah, you see those spikes on Cassie's armour on the cover? Now picture those growing out of her skin, while she's hunched over and crying in a dark room. Because that's a lovely image, and really sets the tone, doesn't it? And while she's busy with that, the other Titans are fighting a blue Hulk in the next room. His name's Loose Cannon, and I was surprised to find out this character existed in the previous continuity too. You know what's not surprising? He was a good guy in the original continuity, and the New 52 made him a villain. I wish I was even joking~

So while they're fighting Loose Cannon, he ends up throwing a TV into Cassie's room, disturbing her. The other Titans are disturbed too--in fact, they seem downright terrified that their teammate was home. Such comraderie amongs these teens, lemme tell you. Cassie clears up her spikes problem in an instant, flying out and punching Loose Cannon loose from their penthouse. He attempts to use some sort of energy drain power on her, but she just turns up her powers and the feedback knocks him out. Powering down, she notes that she's been blacking out while using her powers lately. I can relate, I kind of black out whenever I read these comics~

So when Cassie returns, Bunker reveals that it's his fault Loose Cannon was here. He was worried Red Robin might be leaving the team, so he put an ad on Craigslist for new members. Loose Cannon answered, and Bunker brought him home blindfolded. Apparently he wasn't ever actually intending to join. His teammates are understandably annoyed, but they do thank Cassie for her help, so they're not total dicks. They just settle in to the wreckage to watch TV, with Kid Flash promising to use his super speed to put it right before Tim gets back. That's when the power suddenly goes out, putting a nice cap on how their night's going.

While they react to that, we cut over to the Manhattan Museum of History, where a mysterious guy covered in scars and nothing else has killed a guard and is using some sort of mystical energy to track Cassie's armour. Meanwhile, Superboy abandons the date he was on to check out the sudden blackout. The Titans also investigate, with Kid Flash running off to the basement to check the fuses. He's punched in the face, but his super speed lets him get back up to the penthouse before he passes out. Bunker blocks the door with his bricks, but their attacker punches right through it and knocks him out as well. This night's just going great for them, isn't it?

This leaves only Solstice to fight off the attacker, who is revealed to be Cassie. Only dialogue tells us this, though, because for some reason, they leave Cassie off-screen for all of this, so instead you have POV shots of the fight with Solstice. Because that's what the readers want, the experience of beating up one of the most likeable members of the team. I don't get why they're doing this. You'd keep the character hidden like this for a big reveal, but they call her by name and, like... they put her on the cover. Like, her armour's not a secret to the readers. Either way, it's revealed on the last page to both readers and Tim and Superboy, who find Cassie all armoured up and begging them to help her.

Surprisingly, the comic's not over yet, as there's a brief five-page backup story in this one. A mysterious door opens downtown, and out come three half-dinosaur-looking teens. They start tearing up the place, as dinosaurs in metropolitan areas are wont to do, and shouting in a foreign language about how they're superior and mammals were a mistake and whatnot. They're gone by the time Kid Flash shows up, which is ironic in some way, and he muses that something must've followed them home from Mystery Island. He looks over at the door they came from, which is down a little side street labelled... Danny the Alley.

Well, first of all, I am glad they didn’t kill Danny off, though they should’ve made it more clear what was happening in the previous issue. Secondly, while Loose Cannon was probably never anybody’s favourite character, this series is probably running a record for most former heroes turned villains in one continuity. Thirdly and probably last, everything about this whole Wonder Girl thing. Like, do I even need to go into detail why this sucks? Just go back and look at the cover, and you can probably find a thousand reasons why this sucks. This issue is, like, the epitome of everything that sucks about the New 52~

[project-ohagi]

Hayato Yamagata x Reader - Soulmate AU {Haikyuu!!}

[Soulmate AU: Wherein you have the first words your soulmate ever speak to you, written on your wrist].

Trigger Warning: Self-Harm.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Although the day was long, the evening seemed longer - significantly so.

Volleyball practice had ended a while earlier, yet here he was, remaining in the building to run some errands. The dormitories weren't far, so it wasn't as if actually minded. Glancing down at his wrist, a solemn sigh passed his lips. Gentle fingers traced the inscription: the first words his soulmate would ever orate to him, the words fated to spark an inevitable romance, which would blossom and blossom. Despite currently being unfamiliar with his predestined partner, his heart soared at the very thought of them. He knew, instinctively, that no matter their appearance, to him, they would present the most beautiful divinity.

Their aura would be unmatched in compassion towards himself and others - this was Hayato's sole expectation. Besides that, he couldn't care less. His heart thundered with the determination to shower them the utmost love and affection. He would treat them as a god, a goddess, a mixture of the two, or some genderless celestial. Whatever their manifestation, he would love them, both passionately and unconditionally.

However, the phrase engraved into his wrist was quite unsettling.

'No, please don't touch that!'

Without context, it sent insuppressible shivers all the way down his spine. Obviously, worry consumed him - it always did. He couldn't comprehend the truth of the message. Yet...an ache tugged so violently at his heartstrings. Those words bled pain, desperation. If they, his future, needed help in any way, then with his fiercest conviction, he wished to bestow it upon them. He wanted to find them, to cradle their frame tightly, close to his chest, so that his raging heartbeat could echo in their ears, acting as the proof of his love. He desired nothing more than this, and to witness the majesty of their smile. It made him giddy, like a young child arresting its parents' attention.

...Until his mind played back the phrase, droning on in miserable notes, as an amalgamation of all the world's depressing songs.

His yearning for the information of what agonised you so greatly was causing slight mishaps in his daily life. You had yet to physically enter the scrapbook of his life, but he could almost feel your energy...fragments of your pain. It was suffocating, sometimes. But still, he didn't completely understand. Meeting you, at this point, was absolutely imperative; he figured that it could potentially be the difference between life and death. Another abysmal thought began to plague his already-throbbing mind - what could you be referring to? What would cause such wretched words to tumble from your lips, and would they be in retaliation to a forceful act on his end? He really hoped that wasn't so. If he traumatised you to the extent at which your very vocals trembled, then, soulmate or no, surely your heart wouldn't ever allow itself to love him.

That imagining was a cursed reel, and he vowed never to replay it. Besides, there couldn't have been any point to worrying so tirelessly, when you were still yet-to-be-discovered. Hayato could hazard a guess that, at the least, you weren't in his class, and, perhaps some mystical connection might have compelled you towards each other, if you ever passed in the halls. Therefore, he decided that either you simply didn't occupy a space in the third year, or you didn't attend Shiratorizawa, period.

Although his brain favoured the latter, his heart pounded for the former, since it would obviously make finding you so much easier. Hayato had been raised to place faith in his gut instinct, and right now, his gut seemed to produce two words: foreign and danger. He was unsure whether this meant that you were of a different lineage, or that you attended another school, and consequently would be alien to him.

But, danger...

...There was no doubt - you were in a precarious situation, or on the losing side of a violent, bloody battle. He prayed for your eternal safety, day in and day out. You would forever arrest his unconditional support, no matter the circumstance.

Shaking off these depressing pictures was difficult, but necessary, because torturing himself over them during your omission from his life, would only affect his health and grades on a greater scale. Hayato trudged around the building, finding the papers and other things he needed, and prepared to head back to his dormitory. So much of his mental energy had been wiped out already, and he was exhausted. Lying down on his lovely, soft bed sounded blissful.

Instead, mere moments after falling, he registered that what he was kneeling atop wasn't a bed, but in fact...a girl?

Embarrassment permeated his very core. He never achieved much with women, mainly due to his sharp glares (yes, the unintentional ones - perhaps he had the masculine equivalent of resting bitch face), but this was just...oh my lord, why? He refrained from punching himself, only since terror had gripped your features, and he didn't wish to disturb you any further. He scrambled to his feet, apologising profusely, and reaching out a hand, to help you up. Those almost-feral, chocolate eyes ghosted over you, and in an instant, he was transfixed. You adorned the regular, Shiratorizawa uniform, but it appeared to be slightly larger than you needed. Your sleeves were very long, he noted, and he couldn't see your wrists at all. Luscious, (h/c) locks swept across your face, partially shielding your (e/c) orbs from view.

"Eh...are you alright? Can you stand?" His genuine concern captivated you, but you were panicked, tears welling up amongst the glittering constellations.

When you failed to respond, he started rubbing his neck, in an effort to soothe his nerves. This was a situation unlike any other (he was often a lot more careful of his surroundings), but his aid seemed to offend you, for some reason, so what could he actually do? The waterfall, which dripped from your eyes, was something he desired to wipe away. He detested this - watching you suffer in relative silence. Why weren't you letting him help? Couldn't you speak? Was something about his actions, his words, so wrong? After a minute or two of deliberation, he decided to perch himself on the floor, in front of you.

"Do you need somebody to talk to? Should I go and find a teacher?"

The words remained lodged in your throat, slowly suffocating you.

You squirmed uncomfortably, every movement revealing slightly more skin, although you didn't appear to notice. Hayato's eyes travelled to your wrists, now exposed, and his blood ran cold. His compassionate nature kicked into overdrive, and he immediately locked on to your arm. Meek sounds of discomfort rolled off your tongue, as the knife-inflicted wounds seared with pain. He was speechless, left gawking at your arms, specifically the one he had grabbed. Despite his concern, he proceeded to squeeze your wrist (albeit, absentmindedly - he was far too focused on the actual cuts). His fingers moved closer to them, as his mind scrambled desperately for any trace of logic.

Fear widened your eyes, causing you to whisper-yell, "No, please don't touch that!"

Hayato's mind ceased its constant rotations.

His eyes graced your own, partly in astonishment, partly in worry. He remembered all his previous musings with great sobriety - he was right to be concerned for your safety. Although, it hadn't ever truly crossed his thoughts, that you could have been your own arch-nemesis. That was just...it was awful, the fact that you felt such hopelessness, to rely upon a knife to release the agony. The deadly war in which you were engaged...it was against yourself, and that knowledge hurt immensely. He wished to place gentle kisses along all those beautiful, yet disheartening battle scars.

They were beautiful, he affirmed, because they were a part of you. They had been carved on to your flesh, and in spite of their secrecy, you owned them. With enough time and care, they could be removed, but they were a testament to your survival. You had lived, through everything which tried to kill you, and that made you strong - stronger than him, by far.

With determination, he maintained the eye-contact.

"You can talk to me, about anything. I'm not going to judge you. Everyone feels pain - people just cope differently."

"You - You're not disgusted? Scared?" Your voice quivered, emotions spilling to the surface.

"No, of course not. Those scars are yours, and you're beautiful. I'm not scared of them - I love them, like I love you."

This boy, he was honestly too sweet. Someone of your position, your weak constitution, didn't deserve he who behaved so admirably. He possessed a strength with which you could never compete. He was everything you had ever wished for in life. But...you couldn't keep him, and he couldn't keep you.

Not in this lifetime.

Before the illusion vanished, before it was too late and regret began to fester, you smiled, as brightly as possible. You wanted to leave him with something positive, if only for a mere second. Hayato mirrored your expression, ears burning crimson with the inclusion of your little "I love you too.". A question danced on the tip of his tongue, but he was never allowed to pose it.

"Hey, Hayato! What're you doing over here?" Said male turned, meeting the perplexed gaze of a certain, infamous red-head.

"Tendou?" He muttered, equally as confused. "I'm helping someone I bumped into."

A strange look came upon the boy's face.

"Well, did she run away before I got here? I didn't see anyone!"

The chocolate-orbed one paused, asking, "No...she's right her-"

Although, when he tried to glimpse your divinity once more, he found nothing but an empty spot. There was no indication that you had ever been in the general area, but he hadn't noticed you leave. Tendou surely would have seen you...?

Was madness consuming him?

[aelaer]

Whumptober 27: Alt #15 - Field Medicine

Finally filling my Wong space for the @stephenstrangebingo​ (oh hey third bingo). I've not really written from Wong's POV before, either, so this'll be fun. Card at the end.

I sort of have 2000 words of build-up before I actually get to the Whumptober prompt itself, but it is present! I just uh, well, I guess it wanted story first. So that comes first.

Warnings: Uh, by the time we get to the prompt, lots of blood and a mix of magical and mundane healing/emergency field medicine. I don't think it's graphic, but… tell me if it seems on the more graphic side? I'm a horrible judge at such things when it comes to my writing. Oh, also, big alien scarab bugs. Lots of bugs.

27. Alt #15: Field Medicine / Wong

Ever since The Situation With Thanos, Stephen Strange was on retainer with the Avengers to consult on more mystical artifacts and, on rare occasion, to help out with threats. When these threats came, the Master of the New York Sanctum was called in as last-minute backup, wherever they were in the world. His ability to be anywhere in an instant made him perfect for the job.

Wong warned him about getting too embroiled in these mundane affairs. Unfortunately, Stephen had a very stubborn streak of "if I do nothing and people die, that's my fault" embedded within him that the head librarian wasn't able to quash.

When the agreement was first made, not long after the Decimated came back into being, Wong was honestly worried that they would use him as an easy solution for every terrorist group, every new so-called supervillain, and cleanup projects that would eat up all of Stephen's time. And Stephen, guilt-ridden for every life he wasn't able to save, would have done every single one without complaint.

Thankfully the Avengers weren't being complete idiots and calling him in for every so-called emergency. Since the agreement was made, he was called for two scheduled, non-emergency consultations and only one nasty invasion of something that was alien in nature and going to quickly eat everything, living or not, in the city of Houston without immediate intervention. That was fine, and Wong began to relax at the new norm of occasionally crossing paths with these so-called superheroes.

The second time Stephen was called in for an emergency, Wong was with him. They were in the library at Kamar-Taj when, in the quiet of the room, even he could hear the buzzing from a pocket on Stephen's robes.

Stephen shot him an apologetic look and left the library to take the call. When he returned, his expression was grim. "I have to cut this short, Wong. Remember Houston?"

"How could I forget?" He wasn't there, but he saw the footage. Those alien things were… unpleasant. Seemed more inter-dimensional than alien, but they were definitely from their dimension, just very, very foreign to Earth.

"Yeah, they're back, but this time in Mérida, Mexico."

Wong raised his brows. "The Avengers want you to go to Mexico?"

"The Mexican government has already called the Avengers to Mexico, but by the time they get there from New York, Mérida will be half-gone." Stephen was carefully pecking out the name 'Mérida' on Google Image Search on his phone for a reference. "Apparently they've evacuated the area of all civilians. Also, I don't know if Mexico has any enhanced people in that area, so it might just be local law enforcement and whatever people in the army they've managed to get there. Those things are vicious, so I'm going in."

"I'll go with you." Stephen looked at him in surprise, and Wong continued, "As you said, they are vicious. And someone needs to watch your back."

"The Cloak does that," Stephen retorted, but he didn't argue otherwise and, a moment later, created a portal into the heart of Mérida.

Wong had a particular fondness for movies that explored the occult and supernatural in completely inaccurate ways. One of those films was 1999's The Mummy. While its interpretation of ancient Egyptian powers was laughably wrong (oh, if only Hollywood knew), the movie was genuinely funny and enjoyable.

He realized that, as he and Stephen stepped through the portal and he saw the two-foot-long, insectoid alien creatures for the first time in person, that they reminded him very much of the fictional variety of scarabs that featured heavily within the movie. Only instead of just flesh, these things were eating concrete, trees, and… yes, that was definitely a bicycle wheel in that one's mouth. It looked like the area had been evacuated, at least.

At the smell of their fresh blood, however, a good two dozen several yards away abandoned their lifeless meals to charge right at them.

Wong immediately threw a Flames of the Faltine at the first wave of the beasts coming at them. "Please tell me your oath doesn't cover these things," he told Stephen.

"It definitely doesn't cover these things," Stephen affirmed, bringing down the Bolts of Balthakk upon another wave of them. "They lack any sort of ability to reason, and transporting them to another dimension would simply doom that dimension."

That's what he thought. He swiveled about and quickly blew away several with the Winds of Watoomb that were getting entirely too close for comfort.

A loud scream came from a building just down the street, and Wong sighed. "I thought you said they evacuated everyone."

"Clearly not!" Stephen said, his own frustration leaking through his tone. "Can you handle this for a minute?"

Wong only replied, "Yes," and there Stephen went. A minute would definitely be doable.

Two minutes later, Stephen's astral form appeared out of the ether. Wong raised his brows at him.

"So, bad news," said Stephen. "By 'evacuated everyone', it appears they meant 'evacuated everyone that wasn't within half a mile of the hatching spot because we couldn't reach those that didn't immediately run'. They just weren't able to get to some people, and it appears most left behind have barricaded themselves indoors— though who knows how long that will last."

"Not long enough," Wong said.

Stephen nodded. "Cloak's keeping my body up in the air and I'm going to scout through the buildings and get everyone remaining out."

"What about this so-called hatching spot?" he asked as he fried another wave with the Bolts of Balthakk.

"It's like a nest of some sort," he answered. "At least, there was one in Houston. They don't know the exact location here, but it'll be in this general area. Try to see where the bugs are coming from."

"All directions, currently," he retorted, and blasted another row away with the Winds, just to give himself some breathing room (and watch a handful of them splatter against corners, which was useful). "How did you kill the nest?"

Stephen grimaced. "I didn't. There was an enhanced human in Houston who could kill things with touch. I cleared the immediate area and she just touched the inside and rotted everything within it. Useful, if not completely terrifying." He looked over his shoulder. "Gotta go, Wong. Good luck."

"Mmm," he replied in turn, and Stephen disappeared.

Right. Time to find the nest. Flying, while possible, would simply expend too much energy with using magic alone, so walking it was. He called upon the Flames of Faltine again to clear his immediate radius of about ten feet, then set a Shield of the Seraphim about himself and began to walk northward, where quite a few of the alien insectoids seemed to be coming from.

Thankfully, these aliens' ability to eat through anything physical did not extend into the mystical and the shield remained intact as he pushed the aliens bugs off his path. They began to crawl around and then over the shield, attempting to dig through with little success; when they fell off, they'd just get right in the back of the very large crowd of alien bugs following him. Whenever they crowded his view too much, he'd spin in a quick circle to shake them off, then continue walking once more.

By the time Wong found the nest about ten minutes later, he had an impressive collection of ravenous aliens all about his shield. He shook them off again, then approached the nest to get a better look.

It reminded him of a termite mound, the large, bumpy stick of rock and dirt that had burst through the ground and ripped a hole through the street. It probably went rather deep, too; a quick check for life below him confirmed that.

Right. If this was going to work, he was going to have to be creative. He walked around the perimeter of the alien nest, again felt the general distance the amount of life underground went in its depth and width, and considered what spells he might use.

Wong pressed his lips together at a thought. Yes, that might work. It would take everything out of him, but he was certain he could manage it. He looked up at the alien mound and hoisted himself up on one of its lumps; better to be on top of the source for this next feat.

Ignoring the large bugs still scrambling all about his shield and gnawing unsuccessfully at it, he started beginning the movement and internal chanting needed to invoke the Seven Suns of Cinnibus, which would blast his immediate area and "all dark places" connected to the mound's entrance with burning light, ensuring that it would go through every tunnel dug through the city. Midway, he brought in the incantations necessary for the Flames of the Faltine, weaving it within the primary spell to turn the bright light into a searing heat specifically targeting these alien bugs. A bit like blasting the area with a selective microwave, if he had to explain how he cleared out the nest to some Avenger (though honestly, he was more than happy to leave all that to Stephen).

The two spells were woven together and in one swift movement, Wong dropped the shield and slammed his palm into the ground. The searing light combined with the fire-strength heat incinerated the bugs all around him and blast through the tunnels within the earth, moving at a speed faster than rushing water.

Wong held it for about five seconds before he fell to his knees, breathing heavily.

Well, he was completely out of magic. But that should have gotten everything within a mile radius around the nest, alongside every dark crevice within the tunnel system below.

He lowered himself off the mound and grimaced. Now he needed to find Stephen, because there was no way he was going to be drawing any dimensional gateways for a good twenty-four hours. Wong rubbed at the light headache starting to form at his temples, then started walking in the direction he had come from.

About ten minutes later, somewhere near where they had portalled in and near the border of the mile radius his spell managed, Wong discovered, much to his chagrin, that two of the bugs had wandered away a little bit farther than a mile from the nest. And now they were very much interested in having him as food, and he couldn't weave so much as a shield at the moment.

Wong looked around his immediate area and saw an abandoned broom outside of a half-open shop door. He grabbed it, twisted off the broom end and chucked it at one of the approaching alien bugs, then immediately used it to fend them back, giving them sharp hits across their hard shells and swinging the stick to whack them away. He could possibly eventually kill them this way, but in all honesty, he was just biding his time until Stephen came from wherever the hell he was and took care of them in a more efficient manner so they could get back to Kamar-Taj.

Rather annoying, though. There was a reason he rarely used such spells; having nothing left in reserve was hardly an ideal situation. And if Wong was going to be completely honest with himself, the spell had drained him physically as well and he could not keep this up forever.

Unfortunately, it turned out he may have overestimated his remaining physical strength and underestimated how much the spell had drained him. Wong was able to keep them away for about two minutes before misstepping on a piece of uneven, cracked roadway. He quickly corrected himself and moved to block one of the bugs jumping at him, but he just missed and it latched onto his left arm and bit through the sleeve.

Shouting in anger and pain, Wong rushed to the nearest wall and slammed the alien bug into the concrete wall even as he used the stick to keep the other one away from him. The one on his arm finally detached after five hits as its shell cracked and its head was smashed in. Wong went to reposition himself defensively against the remaining bug, but a sudden wave of dizziness hit him and he had to lean against the wall. After whacking away the insectoid again, he spared his arm a glance.

That was a lot of blood. That was too much blood.

He hit the bug again, then grimaced and tried to use the wall behind him to apply pressure. He wasn't sure how long he could keep standing, but he knew it wasn't going to be for long, not with how his head was feeling.

Another hit, and he lowered himself to one knee. Wong could not help but be a bit annoyed; out of all the things to die from, an alien bug bite was really unexpected and unfortunate.

This was very, very unfortunate.

As the alien bug charged at him again and he prepared to whack it back once more, it suddenly burst into flames. Wong fell to his other knee even as Stephen landed just behind the burnt thing.

"Wong, where are you hurt?" Stephen asked as he knelt beside him.

"Arm," he grunted, leaning back against the wall and closing his eyes. "No energy."

Stephen didn't ask any questions as he positioned himself beside his arm. The Cloak was suddenly against him, applying pressure to the bite and he felt his friend place a hand on his head and the feeling of energy course through his body. He knew this spell; he was trying to encourage the heart to slow down a little, to pump flood a little less quickly, and while he did that he was sure Stephen was looking at the damage.

"Brachial artery. No time," he said lowly, though Wong wasn't entirely sure what he meant. He then heard something plop onto the sidewalk and when he opened his eyes, he saw a medical bag, of all things.

Stephen wrenched it open and grabbed a tourniquet. "You've lost too much blood already," he said even as he wrapped it over his left arm to secure it, before he began twisting. "Mundane will work better, now."

Wong had no idea. Wong wasn't a doctor, so he was more than happy to allow the other sorcerer to take over here. But… "Where'd the bag…?" he asked, and found himself vaguely annoyed as the rest of his words slurred away. This was incredibly annoying.

"Personal pocket dimension," Stephen answered. "Less magic than a portal, which still confounds me."

"Space," he said.

"No, I know the theory and the theory makes sense, but at the same time it still doesn't make sense." He finished applying the tourniquet and pressed his lips together. "The Cloak's completely wrapped around your arm and I don't want to remove it. I'm going to levitate you into the healing wing and see you situated, then take care of anything remaining here."

Wong usually would rather not be levitated, but at the moment he was too tired to be bothered about the circumstances. He closed his eyes and felt himself being carefully lifted off the ground and positioned to recline more, and then the atmosphere completely changed to the smells and sounds that he well knew around Kamar-Taj.

Knowing he didn't need to keep his guard up any further, Wong let himself drift off.

((See, I am actually capable of beating up characters that aren’t Stephen.))

[diarrheaworldstarhiphop]

(This article is from 2016 and a great deal of the forest has since been logged)

Poland’s new far right government says logging is needed because more than 10% of spruce trees in the Unesco world heritage site of Białowieża are suffering from a bark beetle outbreak. But nearly half the logging will be of other species, according to its only published inventory.

Oak trees as high as 150 feet that have grown for 450 years could be reduced to stumps under the planned threefold increase in tree fells. Białowieża hosts Europe’s largest bison population and wolves and lynx still roam freely across its sun-mottled interior. Its foliage stretches for nearly 1,000 square miles across the border between Poland and Belarus.

Beneath its green canopy, sunlight filters down on to a panorama of skyscraper trees soaring as much as 180 feet into the air, swampy water pools dammed by beavers, and psychedelic fungi that sprout from tree trunks.

But a recently-passed logging law to allow work to begin on the old-growth forest has divided families, and led to death threats against campaigners and allegations of an “environmental coup” by state interests linked to the timber trade. The logging in Białowieża is expected to raise about 700m złotys (£124m), and pave the way for extensive and more lucrative tree clearances.

Sources say that internal government discussions have already begun on extending the new timber regime to the national park, which covers 17% of the forest and has been untouched by humans since the ice age.

Mirosław Stepaniuk says he was sacked as director of Białowieża’s national park shortly after Polish elections six months ago because of his support for turning the whole forest into a protected conservation area.

He told the Guardian: “An environmental coup is being staged here not just by the government, but by the national forestry authority. If they are successful, it could trigger a cascade, an avalanche of similar cases in other places.”

Last week, another 32 members were dismissed from the state council for nature conservation, an advisory body which had opposed the logging plan and has been accused of “inefficiency”.

“We were sacked because the new government needs scientists who will applaud increased logging, to convince public opinion that this insane idea is okay,” said Przemysław Chylarecki, one of the dismissed scientists.

Most of the new council member are foresters, or colleagues of the environment minister, he added.

but it may not be minded to challenge the logging plan. Its president, Prof Janusz Sowa, said in February: “There is [only] one method for managing forests: an axe.”

The Polish environment ministry declined requests for comment.

The new Law and Justice party government is already in conflict with the EU over issues ranging from climate change policy to constitutional interference in the country’s courts and media, which is widely seen as undemocratic.

Now, Brussels is weighing a separate court case over the law allowing 188,000 cubic metres of trees to be felled by 2021. The axe could fall on trees dotted around at least a quarter of the Białowieża forest area, excluding the national park, and possibly as much as two-thirds of it.

Katarzyna Jagiełło, a spokeswoman for Greenpeace, told the Guardian: “The struggle to protect Białowieża and make it a national park is our Alamo. This place should be like our Serengeti or Great Barrier Reef. What happens to the forest here will define the future direction of nature conservation in our country.”

Significantly, Greenpeace refuses to rule out direct action if the foresters move in. “Right now we are present in the forest,” Jagiełło said, “and whatever needs to be done to protect it, will be done.”

With the logging law now passed, the battle for its future could begin at any time.

The forest occupies a symbolic and almost mystical place in Poland’s national consciousness, and its fate stokes dangerous emotions, according to Joanna Łapińska, a 37-year-old librarian in a Białowieża group opposing the clearances.

“Friends and families have fallen out over this,” she said. “When we were out petitioning recently, a sympathetic woman said ‘I can’t let you in because I don’t want a fight with my husband’.”

“People connected with the foresters are very aggressive. They told us that we are eco-terrorists, paid by the Germans – it’s usually the Germans, Jews or Russians – and they even said that somebody should have killed some eco-activists.”

At a conference organised by the national forestry authority in December, a former forester and beekeeper close to Jan Szyszko, the environment minister, received loud applause when he said that environmental experts “should be beheaded or put in jail for 25 years. They should be deported for what they did against the forest”.

At the same meeting, Mikołaj Janowski, a councillor from Podlaskie, told environmentalists: “You are parasites. You get money for your incomprehensible, hostile scientific papers … You should be sent to Putin’s gulag for 10 years or more.”

Revulsion against environmentalists has reached the highest levels of government. Earlier this year, the foreign minister, Witold Waszczykowski, told Bild newspaper: “We only want to cure our country of a few illnesses ... a new mixture of cultures and races, a world made up of cyclists and vegetarians, who only use renewable energy and who battle all signs of religion.”

Sections of the Catholic and Orthodox churches have played a partisan role in the debate, with a passage from Genesis - “be fruitful, and multiply, replenish the earth and subdue it” - often used to justify increased logging.

One orthodox priest from Hajnówka, Leonid Szeszko, recently called for scientific, environmental and NGOs which opposed the logging plans to be banned.

Szyszko, who has championed the logging law, is a regular guest on the ultra-conservative Radio Maria, a Catholic radio station, and appears at conferences with a priest garbed in a forester’s green uniform.

Foresters are revered in Poland as patriarchs, protectors and fire-providers and retain public support in surveys second only to police and fire officers.

Critics say though, that the national forestry authority is a state-run monopoly which suffers a conflict of interests between its twin mandates to protect trees while maximising profits from logging.

“It is a schizophrenic situation,” Stepaniuk said. “They are a regular profit-making company that deals in wood. They log and sell and make incredible money. If there was any pressure to increase their profits, they would not hesitate to sacrifice environmental protection, which they perceive as their least important duty.”

More than 90% of the national forest authority’s annual 7bn złotys (£1.2bn) earnings come from the firewood, furniture and pulp trades. Little of it is seen by the communities from which the timber was logged, which draw greater revenues from eco-tourism.

The forest’s 20,000 animal and plant species and Hansel and Gretel-style interior draw hordes of visitors every year, dazzled by its heterogeneous beauty and its clean reviving air.

Tourism has helped to make Białowieża wealthier than many nearby villages but as its young people leave in search of better prospects, backing for the foresters among the elderly who remain is iron-clad, stoked by an anticipated bonanza of cheap fuel.

Elżbieta Laprus, the president of Białowieża’s village council, said: “People who live here need firewood to heat their homes and [have] a good quality of life. They want to buy trees from here.”

A five-year long bark beetle outbreak has infected up to 1 million of the forest’s spruce trees, and forestry officials are adamant that “active” forest management is now needed to save the rest. This includes the logging of trees that are more than 100 years old.

Andrzej Antczak, the associate head forester in Hajnówka forest district, is a climate change agnostic, whose buildings are decorated with stuffed mink, deer and wild boar – a sign of the influence wielded by Poland’s hunting lobby which bridges the local community with politicians.

Sitting in his forest office, he said: “The best method to control bark beetle outbreaks is to cut down affected trees and take them out of the forest. But we are prohibited from cutting trees which are older than 100 years, or in nature reserves, wet woodlands or peat bogs. More than 35% of our territory is protected and it is a very big problem.”

Bark beetles outbreaks usually affect trees of more than 80 years old, and are associated with dry conditions and a drop in lowland water tables. Because spruce trees have flat root systems, they cannot soak up enough water to produce the quantities of resin they need to protect themselves. As the infestation spreads, the trees’ bark breaks off, further preventing water being circulated to its leaves. These turn brown and fall, before the tree finally dies.

The beetle eruption is a cyclical phenomenon that began earlier this decade and may now be nearing its end, according to park scientists. But it is the second worst outbreak in the last century and experts fear it may be a sign of worse and more frequent diseases to come as climate change takes hold.

Rafał Kowalczyk, the director of the Mammal Research Institute at the Polish Academy of Sciences, argues that as temperatures warm and precipitation falls, boreal trees such as pine and spruce will naturally retreat northwards. Nature should be allowed to take its course in the forest as it has always done, he says.

Walking through a section of the woods hit hard by the outbreak, he snaps off a shard of decaying bark and exclaims: “Look at this dead spruce tree! It is probably more alive now than it ever was because so many creatures are now living on it. There are nearly 100 invertebrate species that it gives life to. Woodpeckers are searching the bark for larvae, and there is space for spiders and fungi. The tree is dead, but the forest is still alive and it will regenerate.”

Kowalczyk points to a tree trunk several metres away, lying like a toppled sentry. It has three new tree saps growing from its decaying husk. Dead spruce create light in which seedlings best suited to the conditions can grow, he says. They also carve out space for predators such as lynx and wolves to hide, house themselves, and hunt.

One is the predatory beetle, which feeds on bark beetles, according to Luc Bas, the director of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s European office, who argued that removing the dead wood would also remove the bark beetles’ nemesis.

Chopping down infected trees would be ineffective because “to stop the beetle attack in a managed way, at least 80% of the spruce trees would have to be removed,” he wrote in April. “This simply is not possible because the wider region of Białowieża is divided in several interconnected zones, including large reserves and park areas that may not be touched.”

The IUCN and Unesco, and many of the world’s environmental scientists, have thrown themselves into the debate with gusto. Last week, a letter sent to the Polish government by academics, including professors at Harvard and Oxford, said that the plan would destroy the forest’s ability to recover from the outbreak and mark a “drastic” break with international conservation rules.

[international conservation] rules. It will radically change the forest and will also impact the economic returns from tourism to the forest.” Any move to implement it would be “a very alarming and worrying sign for the international community.”

Poland’s government and forestry authority counter that Białowieża is not a predominantly natural forest. Logging by Germans in the first world war, the Soviet Union in world war two and, particularly, the British Century European Timber Corporation, led to significant replanting in the forest, Antczak says. The very word “spruce” in English comes from the polish “s” (from) and “Prus” (Prussia).

Białowieża’s “naturalness” has been interrupted by Polish kings and Lithuanian dukes who fed their armies on its animals, Russian tsars who turned the park into a hunting ground, and Nazi soldiers who executed and buried Jews and resistance fighters there.

But mass tree felling and replanting in Białowieża did not begin until 1920 and trees of 100 years or older – 41% of Białowieża’s total forest outside the national park – have been naturally regenerating for millennia, even if their surrounding habitat is now mixed.

Chylarecki said: “The animals need all of these valuable trees to survive. Lynx or bisons or three-toed woodpeckers will not survive long in national park and nature reserves alone. They need large forest tracts to roam in.”

A compromise agreement with the previous government in 2012 allowed an increase in local logging 50% above estimated local needs. Local people say this was not enough. But spruce wood is resinous and does not burn well, so the firewood they need would have to come from other trees.

“Everything the activists do they do against the local community,” Laprus said. “People who don’t live here want to change our lives without consulting us. If the European commission really wanted to help, they would help give us grants to change our heating from wood to gas.”

For Kowalczyk though, logging would threaten the tourist trade which employs far more people than Białowieża’s 100 local foresters. “Tourists come here to see primeval forest which is wet and wild and dark,” he said. “They are afraid of the forest but it is magical. Managed forests, you can see everywhere.”

As the sun goes down on Białowieża, a night chorus of frogs, nightingales and warblers pipes up under its clear and constellated skies. The forest is still thriving, despite the shadow of the axe.

[dangomilkies]

Lixue Tropes These are just the tropes I personally think apply to Lixue. They may alter canon but these are just my imagination and how I portray my OCS.

Ambiguously Human: Lixue is this, while she takes human in appearance, her circuits are absolute top tier, almost surpassing a mage; then it turns out she has Divine Patterns (magic circuits for fairies but superior), can withstand anything save for questionable morals and guilt-trip brainwash by higher magi. Dr Roman even is disappointed in her for not showing up in her medical check-up like Hinako's.

Animal Motifs: butterflies, one of her magecraft is her conjuring butterflies, one technique she uses is to cover an enemy and explode rendering them unable to move. Hiroshi describes her as a deer.

Ascended Fangirl: magical girl genres and the Four Beauties of Ancient China, heck, she was even ecstatic when she had summoned Yang Guifei.

Beware the Quiet Ones: she essentially is quiet and even aloof towards strangers and only shows her true self from people she cares about or is so close to her, if someone made her extremely angry, may heaven help them.

Black Mage: she utilizes black magical energy made from imaginary numbers. She also makes butterflies using that.

Black Magic: uses this at times, though she tends to utilize this to anyone who dare to cross her.

Blood from the Mouth: When blood pours from her mouth and nose, it is a clear indication that she uses too much of her magecraft.

Brilliant but Lazy: extremely gifted and blessed with such great mystery to the point she doesn't even have to train or study to master it (albeit useless in the modern age), however, she just lunges around being "busy" with stuff and acts like a languid cat. She is serious when she does her job though. It's also justified if she uses it way too much it can affect her well-being.

Brutal Honesty: she is not afraid to say what's inside her head, and sometimes this leads people to dislike her or get her in trouble. This actually contributes to her friendless background due to her being ingrained with reality and little to no child-like imaginations

Bullying the Dragon: she made fun of Wu Zetian's height and child form despite knowing her infamous and brutal history alongside Yang Guifei, she unfortunately learned the hard way as she was assaulted and "disciplined" by the child empress.

But not Too Foreign: Lixue's mother is from China whilst her father is English. Lixue and Jian's mother descended from shaman users (Wu) in Hong Kong.

Casting A Shadow: one of her magecraft utilizing black butterflies, black tentacle-like shadows made of magical energy to bind or even tear apart victims. She sometimes hurls this to anyone if they piss her enough.

Cast From Lifespan: her fae magecraft at its full potential requires this and gets into extreme fatigue and even bleeds from both the mouth and nose. If she conjures powerful magic, it can result to her organs malfunctioning.

Consummate Professional: Downplayed, when it comes to managing their family business, she takes it seriously compared to her other employees, she is also a fairly bit of a control freak as she made sure they

Crazy-Prepared: Overlaps with Properly Paranoid, in Lostbelt 6, she foresees (or believes) that another copy of Tristan would be summoned so she hid his Saint Graph and went along with the Tristan they met in Cornwall and they have a rather cordial and formal relationship unlike the one in Chaldea who is closer and more intimate and summoned Consort Yu as a replacement at first but the two bonded together.

Clingy Jealous Girl: she is this to Tristan. She grows even more clingy but stays silent about the issue while she is gritting her teeth from afar.

Deadly Nosebleed: overlaps with bleeding from the mouth when she pushes herself to the limit with magic.

Defrosting Ice Queen: she has an icy exterior, prefers to be alone, is not good with people unlike the social butterfly, Jian.

De-Power: the mystic code she wears forcefully limits the amount of mystery she conjures to keep her lifespan a little bit longer depending how long she wears, it also weakens it and would take time to regain unless she has to undergo training once more

Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?: After the duel with Fae Knight Tristan, she calls her a straight-up crazy bitch and proceeds to flip her off.

Elective Mute: she does talk, she just chose not to or unless she is forced to begrudgingly.

Expy: To Bazett, both families swear loyalty to deities and the fairy folk and both families don't mingle with other mage families, most importantly, their magecraft is passed down automatically albeit theirs is more of a genetic lottery than just automatic genetics. She is also one to Miyu Edelfelt but more on the personality, both are stoic and aloof around strangers but is shown to be caring to people they are familiar with and is an ace when it comes to magecraft and duties of a magical girl.

The Fair Folk: her heritage based on this.

Family Business: her family owns a funeral parlor.

Fire-Forged Friends: she is this to Hiroshi, both being interns in Chaldea and they continue saving humanity up until her genuine care for him and Jian. She is also this to Consort Yu while being understandably rigid with her, she then stays by her side and even is willing to fight alongside her.

Flash Step: just like Jian. She is also capable of doing this.

Foil: to Consort Yu, both women are ambiguously human and both originated from China (Lixue's mother), Yu being a True Ancestor type while Lixue is a half-fae. Consort Yu cursed and hated humanity for being different towards her while Lixue just wanted to stop feeling emotions and has no say about humanity as some sort of coping mechanism. Consort Yu is frigid to Chaldea while Lixue just doesn't mind as long as she gets left alone. Both often spent their time alone that even the two of them teamed up in Lostbelt 6, they still couldn't make it work even if they tried, though Consort Yu slowly began to take her and Jian seriously albeit she doesn't admit it.

Half-Human Hybrid: zig-zagged. The family is blessed by the fairies, which have their children born with fae blood, making them half. Both Lixue and Jian are these. Albeit Lixue is closer to an actual fairy despite her humanoid figure.

Healing Factor: she gets healed instantly as a half-human/half-fae. The only way to do absolute harm or death to her is to sever her head or be fatally wounded with any weapon wielded by a Divine being such as Pollux from Olympus or Zeus lightning.

Hidden in Plain Sight: Her mystic code, Arcane Faux can conceal her fae bloodline from other mages. Though this can be impenetrable by higher mages or mythological beings such as fairies, Elementals, or even Demi-Gods. The main exceptions are Heroic Spirits or fairies which is why Tristan couldn't suspect her of it. Except for Holmes, Pepe, Wodime, and Consort Yu. It takes the form of a ring on her right middle finger.

Ill Girl: Despite looking fit, Lixue has the tendency to collapse or have fatigue whenever she uses her magecraft without the mystic code. The Mystic Code also suppresses side effects and sometimes leaks out causing her to have a hard time if it's removed.

Instant Expert: her being born with fae blood and having Divine Patterns (albeit weaker in the modern age) than magic circuits, however, she was recommended to downplay it by her father as it could bring her extreme exhaustion and even death.

Lady and Knight: with Sir Tristan.

Lady of Black Magic: her magecraft utilizes Hollow magecraft that rips out monsters even Saint Graphs if she pushes herself to the limit. She utilizes butterflies and shadowy tentacles to grab or bind or even stab through as well as summoning crystals erupting down the ground courtesy of Medea, all of it if she were to practice and take the magecraft seriously instead of slacking. Though, she downplays it as she finds it incredibly fatal if she goes past her limit.

Lady Swears-a-Lot: even more so in Chinese but doesn't limit to English

Long Hair is Feminine: ends past her waist coupled with a Hime cut

Meaningful Name: Lixue in Chinese meant pretty snow. And her birthday falls in December. Which is the winter season. Her hair color is also a resemblance to snow.

Mundane Wish: Da Vinci asks what's her wish for saving humanity, while Jian wanted monetary gain, Lixue just wanted to live peacefully in the mountains with waterfalls. If given a chance, with her servant.

Mystical White Hair: mysterious and lovely, it goes well with her name.

Near-Death Experience: She almost got killed against the Dioscuri against Olympus as Pollux's sword almost hit her neck, severing her head. She almost got injured by Fairy Knight Gawain in Lostbelt 6 it wasn't for Consort Yu's reflexes countering the attacks.

Not a Morning Person: she hates it and I mean hates it when someone wakes her up early in the morning or greets her obnoxiously loud and prefers sleeping over it, she tends to wake up in the afternoon.

No-Sell: her resistance to magic is high, considering her mixed blood. The only time she is vulnerable is Aphrodite's mind guilt-tripping song or brainwashing skills done by more powerful beings.

Obliviously Beautiful: Hiroshi noted how beautiful she is, yet she seems unaware of this and often goes out in a total mess.

Our Mages Are Different: played with, for those with divine patterns are subjected to the lifestyle of a mage, but Lixue couldn't or refuse to comprehend about it and hence doesn't follow the lifestyle as much.

Pretty Butterflies: her magecraft is one of these, has many uses, for stalling an enemy, teleportation, or ambush.

Slapstick Knows No Gender: Played for Laughs, she often gets this treatment, she often gets her face stepped on by Fou, gets screamed at, or whacked in the head by Consort Yu, get thrown by a sandal by her mother, or have water or even paints douse on her whenever it gets the chance, nothing is safe for her apparently

Sleepyhead: she often sleeps a lot considering she is a night owl and stays up even before coming to Chaldea.

Smoking Is Cool: she sometimes have a cigarette on her mouth and often stays in the cigarette room in Chaldea when she takes a break. She started smoking when she graduated from high school.

Stringy-Haired Ghost Girl: except she isn't a ghost, but her hair is often this way when she is mourning or is in a sour state.

Squishy Wizard: She may be powerful but a single attack from a divine being or higher mage can fatally injure or kill her outright. Iron can injure her.

Sugar-and-Ice Personality: she is this at first, she is quite aloof and distant to anyone even snarky to strangers but is overall goofy, shows her kinder and complex side to people she actually cares about.

Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: In Lostbelt 6, Avalon Le Fae; Lixue summoned Consort Yu in place of Tristan since another Tristan has been automatically summoned and she is simply hiding his Saint Graph to stop the confusion and to keep him safe. Because of this, the two women tried to work things out but failed much to Da Vinci's dismay, they slowly made it through after confronting Fairy Knight Gawain and Lixue finding comfort in Consort Yu after leaving Tristan.

Teleportation: She uses a command spell to teleport a servant and her magecraft is also this albeit she disintegrates in small butterflies

Tough Love: Her father is extremely strict and demanding especially to her not because he wanted her daughter to suffer but because he wanted her to be equipped with things just in case something happened to them. However his toughness borders on Abusive Parent slide and Lixue tends to be sore about it.

Your Days Are Numbered: Using her magecraft without any restraint can cut her lifespan significantly. So if she kept using it at its full potential often, there is a high chance, she couldn't live past 18, the reason why she lives now is because of the mystic code she wears, yet there are signs such as collapsing, fatigue and internal bleeding are frequent.

[watermonkey0]

Moonlight

4th Point of Contact -- “Moonlight” -- Do Kyungsoo x Harper Hasagawa

The dress was brave. Much more so than I ever felt, in uniform or otherwise. The chiffon skirt draped down over my toes like a mystic black waterfall, and only attached to a front piece at my waist. My back was completely exposed, something I had been insistent on, but was now scared of. The silky black fabric continued on my sleeves that cuffed at the wrists, giving a sort of 'I Dream of Jeannie' look. And then of course, the gaudy yet magnificent shoulder epaulets decorated with silver studs to match the boys' extravagant military attire for the night. This was seriously the last time I ever listened to Cat or Moon Jae. 

"This dress is probably a gagillion dollars. I don't know why I'm even wearing it." I hissed through my teeth as Cat slipped one of my feet into a glossy yet sensible wedge heel. "Uh, it's a gagillion won. Get it right." She snarked up at me, ignoring any and all discomfort I was feeling. It wasn't exactly her style to be reassuring. "Why can't I--" I began to complain for the hundredth time as to why she elected herself for covert duty and I was stuck with prance patrol, but she cut me off with an icy glare. "Because you got yourself shot...like an idiot." She snapped. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from firing back, not wanting to retaliate while on coms with the rest of the security team. They were beginning to be used to our bickering, but I didn't think even they would condone a full blown sass bash during duty. Cat slipped the other heel on my foot and then stood back to survey her work. It wasn't really like she'd done anything but the shoes, everything else was Moon Jae's artistry, but that wasn't going to stop Cat from taking all the credit. "You look alright." She nodded to herself. She had a talent for mood swings; one moment she would be stabbing you, the next she'd be telling you that red really was your color. Sometimes it felt like playing Russian Roulette, never knowing which pull of the trigger was going to make her snap. Her outfit for the night was a slick and tight fitting tactical suit. I pointed out to her that she was not, in fact, the Black Widow, and that there was no need for such a get up, but she ignored me. Like always. But between the two of us, we both knew which I would rather be wearing. The door to the dressing room swung open without a knock and Moon Jae came swirling in like a sparkly tornado. I swear she'd never frowned a day in her life. "Ohmo! Dangsin-eun neomu yeppeuda!!" She exclaimed and skipped around us, swishing fabric here, tucking a hair there, making sure the makeup that I hated wearing was blended properly. Even though she was only a Stylist intern, I had a feeling she was stuck at the bottom of the totem pole because no one knew how to manage her insane energy. "I'm gonna go ahead and guess she thinks you look okay, too." Cat dodged as much hairspray as she could, making her way to the door to get out of Moon Jae's path. "She said I look pretty." I translated for her. Even though I was nowhere near fluent in Korean, I was picking up more and more every day. Cat, on the other hand, was perfectly content to remain on the other end of an interpreter. "At least someone does." I added with a mumble. "Oh yes, let's go ahead and pretend that none of those testosterone sacks is going to want to jump you the instant they see you." She snorted, leaning against the door, arms crossed. Trigger, slide, bang. "Can you please not refer to them as hormone sacks? They are good guys, you said so yourself." I lectured, half ignoring Moon Jae's instructions, and half listening to the scrambled voices that suddenly sparked in my ear. "Sounds like its starting." Cat smoothly avoided my reprimand and pushed off the wall, holding one finger to her ear. "Are you 'bout done?" "Kkeutmachin?" I asked Moon Jae, who I had lost sight of somewhere around the back of my skirt. She crawled back in front of me and held up her fingers in an 'OK', grinning from ear to ear. I probably botched the pronunciation and she didn't want to be rude by correcting me, but I brushed it off, putting my finger to my own ear in order to hear the voices from my com better. "It'd be great if they spoke English." Cat commented as she opened the door for me and we made our way into the hallway. "It'd be great if you learned their language first." I returned absently. "It's not like any of them would talk to me if I did." "That's because you stabbed Hoo Min on your first day!" I exclaimed, to which she turned up her nose, like she would neither confirm nor deny that the poor first year guard had to get five stitches thanks to her. We padded down the corridor, her super comfy Vibrams soundless next to the click and slap of my heels. Near the end, we would part ways; Cat would make her way into the concert hall via the service entrance, and then slowly progress up to the catwalks, watching the show from above. We called this 'covert duty' because it was unofficial, and only one of the two of us ever took up the position. Some 85% of shootings in venues such as concert halls take place in the rafters above the stage. With Cat in the nest, wearing all black in the darkness of the scaffolding, she'd be undetectable, and therefore able to put down any attempts before anyone ever noticed something was off. It was my preferable position, but at the moment, like Cat had so delicately put it...I wasn't really able to scale the rafters like the Black Widow tonight. Not with the two holes in my back still aching like there were ice picks sticking out of my ribs. No, my job for the night was 'Prance Patrol': Walking with the boys on the red carpet, or just behind them to avoid the cameras. We usually assigned one of the new guys to walk with them since it wasn't a high stakes position. To my knowledge, no celebrity had ever been shot on the red carpet, but tonight was special. Chief Soo wanted me to make an appearance and put any rumors that I was out of commission to rest. Even though, technically, I was still nowhere near field ready. Two shots to the back had severely limited my range of motion. I couldn't lift anything or roll at all. As a Marine, I told myself to buck the fuck up and keep going, but that was just not how Koreans did things. I was seriously so tired of being told to 'get some rest', and of no one understanding that my Drill Sergeant would have put me through four PT tests by now. And then I would have to explain what a PT test was, and at that point I would give up. But there would be no giving up tonight. Even though my back hurt like hell and I didn't know how exactly I was supposed to run in these wedges should I need to, I was going to strut my stuff for all of Korea. When Cat and I finally reached the end of the hall, she turned to me one more time and gave me a last once over. "Still okay?" I asked, fingering the fabric of my skirt. "Acceptable." She shrugged, but from her, 'acceptable' meant stunning. Surrendering to her mysterious ways, I turned towards the double doors that led to the street with a smirk, while she turned the opposite direction towards the back alley. "Oh, and Hasa?" She shouted when I was at the end. "Hmm?" "Don't let any of those hormone buckets touch you." She ordered snobbishly. "They've graduated to buckets now, have they?" I laughed and waved her off. I mean, if she could ignore my advice, I could ignore hers. Kyung Hee University's Hall of Peace is the massive red and wood paneled masterpiece that has had the honor of hosting the Golden Disk Awards twice now. The building itself looked like it was styled after the Notre Dame de Paris, with its white marble and stain glass windows. To me it looked like an LDS temple, but I kept that to myself. A mile long red carpet had been rolled up to the double door entrance, lined with the entirety of Korea's paparazzi population. The photo backdrop was a mixture of sponsor logos, like: The Star-Asia, Lotte, JTBC2, Sheraton Hotels, and Union Pay. There was already a line of vans and limos stretching down the lane, waiting to drop off their idols. The faculty offices across the street had been turned into auxiliary space, to be used by people like me and Moon Jae, who came to stand behind me. I stared at the crosswalk between the two buildings for a minute, like it was a rickety bridge I didn't want to cross. "Ginjang doeni?" Moon Jae asked happily. Was I nervous? Absolutely. But I smiled at her reassuringly and then forced my feet down the steps.

Byun Baekhyun followed after Xiumin obediently as EXO marched up the red carpet as a group. They paused in front of the sponsor wall and smiled for the million bright flashes that caused him temporary blindness. Nothing he hadn't done a hundred times before. In all honesty, he hated award ceremonies. He liked to perform sure, but standing around for hours at a time, or sitting and smiling for the camera had never been his strong suits. But where SM said to go, he went. A little further down the walk was a chevron shaped platform and a standing camera for interviews. Junmyeon steered them towards it and gracefully accepted the microphone offered to him by the MC. It was his job as leader and hyung to be the speaker, and for the first time, Baekhyun was thankful. They lined up as practiced and bowed in unison. After that he sort of drowned out the interviewer and Junmyeon's responses. If this had been any other night, he would have dove for the mic, talking everyone's ears off. He didn't have enough time or breath to thank all of his fans for everything they'd done for them...but tonight, he just couldn't bring himself to be happy. Honestly, what was there to be happy about? They had just gotten to the album questions when he heard the shouting. It was one of those things that he could pick out of any crowd of noises: the syllables of her foreign name that rolled around on his tongue. "It's Harper Hasagawa!" "Look here!" "She's out of the hospital!" Baekhyun spun around instantly, searching for her usual messy bun and too big flak jacket. But to his astonishment, a bombshell came sauntering up the red carpet steps, wearing Harper's face. Her dress was high collared and misty black, making her look eerily beautiful. Her hair was pulled up tight into dozens of braids that swirled into a bun at the nape of her neck, and she carried a clutch studded with a thousand sparkling diamonds that twinkled under her black fingernails. She was as regal as she was terrifying, and she matched their own style concept to a T. He knew he was seeing Moon Jae's work, but somehow he just couldn't believe it. That wasn't the Harper that they knew, the Harper who beat him in a burping contest or punched Chief Soo in the gut. The goddess walking towards them was some sort of miracle, one he was absolutely not prepared for. The MC stopped his line of questions midway through to turn the camera towards her approach. Up until now, she had seemed confident in her walk, although he sensed a familiar fearful tension in the way she was clutching her purse. But with the camera on her, she faltered. "Mrs. Hasagawa!" The reporters shouted. They looked like a sea of gaping fish, writhing behind the photographer line in waves. They were ravenous for her, and Baekhyun's stomach twisted at the sight. Nervously, she bit her black stained lip, making eye contact with each EXO member before finally falling on him. Her green eyes lingered on him for a moment longer, before she slowly started to turn in the recognizable model circle. And then he saw them. The dress had no back, and when she turned, everyone could clearly see the two discolored dents in her flesh. They looked smaller than the ones he saw in his nightmares, but somehow, these seemed worse. It was like they were on display, outrageously obvious and undisguised. One just below her right shoulder blade, and the other at her left waist line. How could she wear a dress like this? How could she show them off for everyone to see? For a daunting moment, he thought he might be sick. Her blood had sprayed all over his face, and now she was revealing the aftermath to anyone who wanted to look. And everyone wanted to look. His knees suddenly buckled and he wasn't able to stop himself from crumpling onto the step. Immediately, Junmyeon and the rest of his brothers started to him, alarmed. But she came too, and all he could do was ball his hands into fists and brace them against his knees. They circled him, cutting him off from the squirming cameras and the loudmouthed MC, who was shouting for a paramedic. This was no good. Looking this weak was only going to start rumors for the company. EXO-L's were going to bleed from the woodwork, accusing SM of abusing another member into exhaustion, when in reality, they had been getting better. Better because she had stood up for them when no one else would. Harper slowly, painstakingly, bent down to his level, hugging her knees and looking up at him through her eyelashes. She seemed to know that he was more furious than anything else. She seemed to know it more than he did. Why was he so mad, anyway? She had always done whatever she wanted, how was this any different? His knuckles were going white and his arms were shaking, but his eyes could only burn into hers. She met his intensity with calm, and like she dumped a giant bucket of water on his fire, he eased. "You need to let it go." She said quietly in English. "This anger and guilt. Throw it away, because it doesn't belong to you." She reached out and took his fist, weaseling her fingers in between his. "Understand this, Byun Baekhyun: I would do it all over again, I would do it a hundred times. Although at that point, I would probably look like Swiss cheese." There was a snort from above their heads, and Baekhyun glanced up at Kai, who was quickly trying to hide his smirk. "I would rather have these than you have them, do you know why?" She asked him, but didn't wait for his answer. "Because bullet wounds are damn sexy." That garnered a few more chuckles and some shuffling feet from the others. He knew they should wrap this up quickly, they were on the red carpet for heaven's sake...but he just kept staring at her. "What is it?" She asked, cocking her head to the side. "What's so wrong with people seeing them?" He wanted to scream at her, demand to know how she was so proud of them. They were wounds! They were scars! They were his nightmares! Her, vaulting towards him as the shots propelled her into his arms. Her blood covering the front of his shirt, Baek screaming her name at the top of his lungs. Those memories were not things to be proud of! "They're a part of me now, that's just how it is, and I'm okay with that. You need to be okay with that too. These...they're not your fault." She tapped out the words on his knee to emphasize her point. "It's my job to protect you, and that's exactly what I did. How can you be so furious that I did my job well?" He hated her logic, hated the fact that it was true and understandable. Harper was a body guard, and by definition, wasn't a body guard someone who guards with their body? She had thrown herself in front of fire for him, and if she didn't regret it...than how could he? Shakily, he hissed out a sigh in defeat. Taking the surrender, Harper reached for a hand to help her up, and Baekhyun felt the familiar arms of his brothers lift him to his feet. The onlookers began to clap, like he was a sports player down on the field, and a paramedic arrived outside the circle of members, but was waved away. He didn't have the type of tools necessary to repair a shattered ego. "Moon Jae." Harper called, and the hyper stylist came bounding up, hip purse swinging. "Come with me, Bacon!" She beamed and grabbed his arm, not waiting for him to consent. The girl dragged him out of the protection of his friends, and he was immediately blinded by the flashes again. "Baekhyun will be alright," He heard Junmyeon tell the MC, "we've just been so busy with tour that he forgot to eat a healthy breakfast. He'll be ready to perform after some food." The reporters seemed to accept the excuse before he lost sight of them completely.

Kyungsoo watched silently as Baekhyun was dragged into the hall, and Harper squeezed his hand extra tight. He'd gone for her arm before she even asked for help, not caring who saw. But now, as the excitement died down and EXO continued to walk the carpet, he knew he had to let go of her. As blandly as he could, he released her hand. But, unable to stop touching her completely, he replaced it on the small of her back, as if to escort her forward. It seemed like a platonic enough thing to do, a small gesture between coworkers. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye but didn't comment as they finally made it inside. The first person to approach them was Chief Soo, who went straight for Harper with vengeance. "What the hell, Hasagawa? What did you do to him?" The manager barked in Korean. DO was about to intervene, but she quickly apologized, even though everyone knew she'd done nothing wrong. Without any further explanation, Chief Soo whisked Harper away to the security office, most likely to continue yelling at her. As he watched her leave, DO rubbed his hands together nervously, only to find them oddly sticky. Glancing down, he noticed a brownish cream covering his palms. He flagged down a nearby stylist and asked for a hand wipe. When she saw him cleaning off his hands, she immediately went digging in her bag. "Here," she handed him a small disposable pouch of liquid foundation. "If you got it on your hands that means you'll need to apply more. Try not to touch it until it dries." He thanked her hesitantly and stared down at the sample. He knew for sure that he hadn't touched his face, and he never wore that much anyway. The only other person he touched had been Harper. Harper's back. Kyungsoo internally groaned as he tossed the sample. He'd have to deal with it later though. Right then, he had more pressing matters than her pride. The performance they gave that night turned out to be one of their best...somehow. Between Trot Record of the Year and the Artist Popularity Awards, EXO had performed 'For Life', and their era signature, 'Monster', both of which were heavily dependent on Baekhyun's voice. The other members had been hesitant to let him go through with it (this was the entire reason they had understudy parts after all), but he declined. He said he would do it, and he did. It was like whatever fire Harper had managed to put out on the carpet, had reignited on stage. His singing was stronger, his dancing was bolder. Everything about him exuded a gallant desperation that only those on stage with him could see. When the last note of 'For Life' strummed, DO couldn't tear his eyes away from Baek's face, or the tears sliding invisibly down his cheeks. But it was also something he couldn't let anyone else see; So he hooked his arm around Baek's head and pretended to joke with him as they ran off stage, setting up for the next act. Baek didn't protest and allowed himself to be escorted to the dressing rooms, surrounded by the other members. That night, EXO won three awards: the Ceci Asia Icon Award, Disk Bonsang, and Disk Daesang. And each time they went on stage, a different member would hang back with Baekhyun...just to be sure. Sehun, Xiumin, and Kai somehow managed to carry him through the night, forcing him to give aegyo and hearts to the fans, while also shielding him from any unnecessary attention. DO had to admit that this was probably why they were so successful as a group. It wasn't SM, or their musical ability--it was because they were a group of genuinely decent guys who had become brothers. They would do anything for each other, and it was a sign of trust that Baek let them lead him through a hard time. And unfortunately, it helped that Harper didn't return.

“I’ve repositioned. You’re off the clock.” Cat’s voice crackled in my ear. The connection was weakening the farther I traveled from the university, and in the back of a company sedan, I let myself deflate. My back was hurting, my feet were aching, and my heart was sore.

Poor puppy.

With a wince, I closed my eyes and let out a hiss that was supposed to be a sigh. I’m sure the driver shot me a nervous glance in the mirror, but I didn’t see.

“Where to, miss?” He had asked me when I slid into the backseat. It was unusual for someone to leave before the show started, but I had no business working a carpet I could barely walk on.

“To the dorms please.” I’d mumbled, but before we were able to drive off, Chief Soo rapped his knuckles against the driver side window.

“Sir?” The driver responded.

“Take her to the hospital.” Soo said insipidly. I could see him glaring at me from where I sat in the backseat, but I purposefully turned my head so he couldn’t see my grimace. “See to it that she accepts her treatment.” In hind sight, it was probably the better course of action…but that wasn’t going to stop me from being salty about his constant need to boss people around.

After fighting with award show traffic for an hour, we finally managed to make our way into the city, and to the local hospital that I’d called home for the past who knows how long. The driver parked in the garage, and then came around to help me out. He was even kind enough to lead me up to the VIP floor, not even commenting on how heavily I leaned on his arm. But that was where I drew the line. I waved him off at the elevators, despite his protest.

Yes, yes, I’d listen to the damn doctors, I assured him. But Chief Soo could kiss my ass if he thought he would assign me a babysitter. He’d just pursed his lips at me when I pulled rank, but I didn’t care. I was in too much pain to bother with what he thought of the bossy American. And I was far too grateful when he left as ordered. It was my only consolation that no one was there to see me as I limped towards my room.

I lost my clutch as I trudged past the nurses’ station, but didn’t stop to try and find it on the floor. It must have clattered awfully loud in the quiet hallway, because the girl behind the desk stood as I passed…knowing better than to help me. Somehow, through long complicated hand gestures and broken Korean-English conversations, the staff had gotten the gist of me. They knew better than to try and assist at this point, I only ever snapped when they did. But she stilled bowed her head at me as I hobbled, like my defiance had somehow won points with her.

My room was at the end of the hall, one that had never felt so long before. With a row of identical fake wood doors filled with sick people on my right, and top to bottom panes of glass on my left, I felt like some sort of ant on display as I scurried into my hole. Only my hole was a million miles away, no matter how many steps I managed to take.

Finally, my knees gave. My tendons protested, my nerves shriveled, my muscles dissented, and in the culmination of their chorus, I went down. I hardly cared though. The world was already a blurry mess, what did it matter that I passed out in the hallway or in my bed? At least out here, I could see the lights of the city from the floor.

But before I could sprawl myself on the expensive tile, a strong hand hooked under my arms and pulled me into an awkward hold. My head lulled to the side, distracted but still somehow annoyed that I’d been caught.

“Let goooo…” I slurred, trying my best to swing my head in the direction of my bothersome rescuer. It was just a large black splotch in the midst of the dim hallway.

“Cállate.” A female voice from the other side of me snapped, and I let my head fall towards her instead. “Come on.” She ordered, and whoever was carrying me started forward at a dizzying pace. I mean, they were probably just walking, but to me it felt like they were sprinting and my legs were flapping behind us like racing stripes.

The woman, who was only a splash of pale pink and dark hair, slid my door open and allowed my carrier and I to enter. The room was shadowy, and I was suddenly struck by the absence of the twinkling night lights. I didn’t want to hide in this dark hole by myself. But even my futile attempts to lift my arms and grab my pack mule were met with muscle protests. I was a rag doll, yet they sat me down on the bed like I was made of porcelain. I was rolled to my side, facing away from the door and the only light.

“Thank you. That will be all.” The woman said, and I heard a grunt in response. It bothered me that the pink woman was there for no reason, and she’d sent the oxen away. Who else was going to drag me out of this den? I wanted to go back out and see the lights. It wasn’t healthy to lock sick people up in the dark, didn’t they know?

“If you hadn’t been ordered to appear, I would slap you in your sutures.” The woman in pink rounded the bed, floating around like she was a ghost. She entered the bathroom for a moment, and then came back holding a green splotch, not even bothering to turn on the light.

Her voice was familiar, but it wasn’t Cat, so I didn’t care. “Let’s get you out of that dress before you ruin it.” Her hands were on me then, surprisingly strong for someone who used others to lift bodies for them. She unfastened the clasp at the back of my neck, and at both wrists, then slid the top half of the dress off like it was nothing. My back was on fire from the pain, but my front that had been contently warm and covered all night was suddenly exposed to the cold air.

I shivered, and it hurt.

She unzipped the skirt and maneuvered me until it was pulled out from under my legs. I was naked, but I wasn’t phased. My legs probably still looked nice in the heels, notwithstanding the countless scars I already had. But she pulled those off too, and then I really was stripped. It occurred to me that I should probably say something to this stranger who was taking my clothes off, but I just didn’t have the energy to put up any fight.

After a moment of nipple-hardening cold, something warm was draped over my front, and I managed to look down at the hospital gown she was looping my arms through.

“What? No foreplay?” I rasped, and then chuckled at myself. The woman scoffed, and I caught the whites of her eyes rolling.

“Verdaderamente eres asqueroso.” She hissed, and I paused my laughing. It only just occurred to me but…everything she’d said to me was in Spanish. Had I answered in English? Or was it the opposite and I just couldn’t tell anymore? There were too many verbs, nouns, and tenses floating around in my head that I could barely keep them straight when I was sober.

But now, drunk on pain? There was no telling what combination of languages were going to drool out of my mouth. But the information was a welcome one, and it took a jab at my fuzzy brain. If it was Spanish, but it wasn’t Cat, then it was the other one…the doctor.

“Afton?” I whispered, and the pink smear stilled.

“At least you won’t be asking for any lap dances.” I heard her mutter to herself and then move to sit behind me. A moment later, something cold and soft smoothed over my back, and I let out an appreciative moan.

“What are you doing here?” I croaked.

“I’m cleaning up your mess. What else?” She responded like it was obvious, and I didn’t have the strength to answer. Cleaning up messes was what Afton did best. Whether it was for me, or any paying country, there was nothing she couldn’t fix. So I finally followed her earlier demand and shut up, letting her run the towel up and down my burning muscles.

Honestly, Kyungsoo thought there would be more resistance when he said he was heading out early. EXO had won all they were going to win, and what was the point of a red carpet exit anyway? So no one really bothered when he climbed into a company car and told them to head to the hospital. And then, still no one stopped him as he rode the elevator to the VIP floor and passed the nurses’ station. The woman behind the desk had seen him many times, and her eyes roamed over him disinterestedly.

The only thing that faltered his approach was the studded clutch laying in the middle of the floor, abandoned. He grabbed it off the tile and turned it over in his hands. It was definitely Harper’s, and he would be lying if he said he was surprised she’d discarded it so easily. Her whole outfit tonight was so out of her world that Kyungsoo had done a double take. From her black lips, to her black nails, she looked like some sort of tremendously sexy nun, and for a split second, he was all for it. Take him to church, let him confess, he’d pray to her and only her until the world ended.

And then he realized that it was Harper, and he was astonished at his blasphemy.

But after his moment of sacrilege passed, he realized that her dress, her hair, and her shoes, had not been for him. She sauntered onto that red carpet for two very specific reasons: One, probably because Chief Soo told her she had to; and two, to bring Baek back to life. Even the fans had noticed his change. He was scared, probably not even for his own life, but for hers. He hovered around Harper’s hospital room like an apparition wanting to interact, but not knowing how to do it without scaring someone. He didn’t know what to say or what to do to show his gratitude for her saving his life, and in the end…it had chipped away at his heart.

DO loosened his tie and shed his jacket. She was probably in a foul mood, and it wasn’t like he was there to commend her. Resolutely, he was there to yell at her, like always. She was just such a hot mess, what else was he supposed to do?

So, with her clutch under his arm, he slid open the door to her room silently, but it was a different scene than he expected to find. Catalina’s sister sat at Harper’s bedside, wiping Harper’s back with a damp towel. She slowly turned on her stool to see him out of the corner of her eye, although he didn’t know how she could make him out in the light of the doorway. It was pitch black in the room, and he felt weird seeing his outline pass over the bed next to his bodyguard.

Afton’s hand paused as she regarded him questioningly, and it only took moments for him to understand her expression and respond. Without a word, he tossed his tie, jacket, and Harper’s clutch onto the couch by the door, and made his way to the bed. Afton stood and passed him the rag without a hint of interest. Kyungsoo figured she should have at least raised an eyebrow at his willingness, but she ignored him.

The exchange only took a moment, and after he’d seated himself on the stool, he looked back to see her leaving. He wasn’t sure if he should call out to her or not, but then Harper stirred on the bed, and his attention was focused on her, and not the click of the door as the doctor left.

He sat with the rag hanging in his hands for a moment, feeling the darkness creep around him comfortably. But he had something to confirm, and it couldn’t be done in the dark. So, he illuminated the flashlight on his phone but quickly dimmed it when it nearly blinded him. And just as he suspected, the towel and the water in the big green bowl on the table were tinted beige. Now was the time to yell at her, right? He’d established his theory: Harper had covered her back in BB cream, but as to the reason…

Gently, Kyungsoo wiped the towel across her back, ignoring the curve of her spine and the dip of her waist, trying not to pay any attention to how her skin responded with a trail of goose bumps, or how she took in a sharp shaky breath at his touch. Those were not things he needed to focus on. Instead, he centered all of his attention on the deep purple, green, and yellow bruises that were exposed with each wipe. He didn’t bother to hide his grimace as he streaked away the makeup to discover more of her pain, more of her damage. And then there were the other things: other scars, other burns. Her whole body was a testament to her service, and he couldn’t decide what was worse: how injured she’d been, or how proud he suddenly found himself.

What right did he have to be proud of her for things she did before she met him? How was it any of his business what her body looked like under her stupid flannels and skinny jeans? She was Harper, she was an American. She was lazy and informal. She was his opposite in pretty much every way…

So why did this bother him? Why did he have the overwhelming urge to shake her awake and hug her tight? He wanted to promise her that she’d never get hurt again, but then the thought of not being able to keep that promise paralyzed him. His thoughts and feelings were running wild, but all the while, his hand softly slid up and down her back, never stopping to confer with his thoughts. His heart at least knew that she needed this. Her wounds needed to be cleaned, and despite literally everything his head was screaming at him right then…he owed her that much.

He let out a single huff of a laugh at the thought. What did their scorecard even look like now? Who was up, who was down? Why were they keeping score at all?

“Lo siento…” He felt the words vibrate into his hand, and he froze. Had she heard him? Did she know that he was the one who was touching her now? That he could see every curve of her and he secretly wished he could see more?  

No…her words were in Spanish. She still thought that Afton was the one taking care of her. But then—

“Lo siento…Gomen'nasai…Mianhaeyo…”

Kyungsoo dropped the towel in the bowl with a splash and gulped.

“I’m sorry.”

He watched helplessly as his hand reached out and grazed over her hair. His fingers smoothed over her head in a reassuring stroke. He shouldn’t be doing this, he panicked. This kind of thing was reserved for family or lovers. And he was neither! But still he caressed her, muttering to himself that he should leave, but also that she had nothing to be sorry for.

Not bothering to stop it, but also acknowledging he wasn’t in charge of it, his other hand drifted to her marbled back, tracing over every blemish and scar that made her. She was a patchwork of stories that he’d never heard, and he found himself truly wanting to know everything there was to know about her.

“You know,” Afton’s voice made him jump straight out of his skin, “she won’t remember anything that’s said or done tonight. She went to that show like a fool, but of course she had to one up herself by not taking her medication beforehand.” Her English was lilted by her maiden tongue, but DO had no trouble understanding what she meant: an opportunity was an opportunity.

Was it safe for him to pretend? Safe to let his mind drift to that forbidden inkling he’d locked away? He couldn’t destroy it no matter how hard he tried, so he’d banished it to the farthest reaches of his mind, burying it beneath the necessity to work out, or eat, or dance, or sing. There was always something more important than letting himself think about it. Was it really safe to let it out now? Where no one would hear, or remember?

With a swallow, he glanced at Afton out of the corner of his eye and watched as she hooked Harper up to an IV and set the drip. In the shallow light of his phone, he could see a small smirk on her face, like she knew what was going on in his head. She seemed a lot like Cat in that regard. Apparently both sisters had a knack for seeing the things people were trying to hide. It was kind of infuriating, but refreshing somehow.

When she was satisfied that Harper was settled, she walked back to the door to leave, the click of her heels on the tile like the tick of the clock he felt pounding in his brain. He either left with her, or he didn’t leave. That was the ultimatum he felt himself drifting towards. He heard the door slide open and she said,

“I don’t know if you know or not…but there are things you could give her now that she would never be able to receive again.” And then she was gone.

The silence hummed in his ears like the crash of the ocean. He did know. In fact, he was the only one who knew.

Slowly, DO rose from the stool and carried it around the bed to sit in front of Harper. Then he went and threw open the blinds that had been pulled tight over the window. The lights from the buildings around the hospital twinkled under the dark sky, making him wish for a moment that they were stars. Even on clear nights, he hardly ever saw them anymore. How was he supposed to ask them for guidance when they were constantly drowned out by the fake stars of the city?

He tore his eyes away from the beams when he heard a sharp intake of breath from the bed behind him. He turned around reluctantly, fighting the feeling of suddenly wanting to throw himself out the window. Harper’s eyes were open and wide, illuminated by the glow of the city. And she was staring at him.

Brightened by the world outside her hospital room, she looked hollowed out and pale, but he could never describe her gaze as anything but ethereal. Her stare was just so deep and enticing that he could barely breathe as she gaped at him.

“Kosei?” The prayer tumbled from her lips, and despite herself, her eye lids drooped. Her eyebrows furrowed, like she was mad that her muscles were betraying her at such a crucial moment.

She won’t remember anything that’s said or done tonight, and there are things you could give her now that she would never be able to receive again…

Afton had said. The real question now: was he going to spend this night on himself, or was he going to spend it on her? Could he play this role? Should he…

False hope was one of the cruelest gifts anyone could give, but if she wasn’t going to remember it anyway…what was the harm in making her happy for one night? Whether or not it was a lie, he was still the one doing it, right?

She whispered the name again and moved like she would try and sit up. DO immediately rushed forward and gently pushed her back into the bed, falling into that person without another thought.

“Don’t try and get up. You overdid it tonight.” It occurred to him that their tones might not be the same. His voice was usually much lower than everyone else’s, he might have ruined the illusion before it even began. And then the fact that he was speaking English. Had she taught him? Was she able to speak Japanese because they’d taught each other their languages? It seemed like such a lesson in life, to be able to hear the person you love say they love you in your tongue.

Even for him, hearing ‘salanghae’ was always more impressionable that hearing someone say ‘I love you’. Because he was Korean, and what bigger commitment could someone pay him than learn how to speak his language?

“I’m sorry.” Harper obediently laid back down, catching his hand in her own and tucking it close to her chest. He could feel her heartbeat, a slow melodic rhythm under the hammering of his own. “I didn’t mean to make you worry again.”

“I wouldn’t worry if you didn’t do such reckless things.” He scoffed and then reeled at his senselessness.

“Maybe…” She lulled while Kyungsoo nearly beat himself to death with his free hand, “but you’d be so boring otherwise.” A smile danced on her lips that made him still.

“Rude.” He snickered at her, earning a bigger grin.

This was dangerous. He felt it in his bones. He shouldn’t be doing this. But he just couldn’t stop. He wanted to be this person, the one she called out to in the darkness, the one who made her laugh even when she was hurting. Every inhibition he had crumpled in the light of the city stars behind him.

He would be Kosei.

He would be whoever she wanted.

Just for tonight. Just for this one night, because…

He would go back to being Kyungsoo when morning came, and she would never smile at him like this again.

[planar-echoes]

Circumnavigation (Alara) By Doug Beyer (3/25/09)

It's a strange time for the mages of Alara. As the war between the shards proceeds on all fronts, the study of magic deepens rapidly. New revelations have bred new magical specialties. Mages' new insight into their enemies has honed their spellcraft into tailor-made, shard-hating weaponry.

The elvish druids of the Knotvine Altar on Naya puzzle over the strange strains of mana twined around the three colors they're used to. Sighted-caste mages on Bant reread the old prophecies of the archangel Asha, looking for some magical defense against the rising tide of chaos and death. The archwizards of Esper devote their brilliance to researching the wild sorceries that continuously thrash their etherium armies, trying to stem the onslaught on their grid-lined home realm while simultaneously searching for the components for fresh etherium. Even the putrescent lethemancers and fleshwarpers of Grixis have found cause to broaden their scholarly horizons as they encounter new forms of mind and body to twist to their own self-serving ends.

Knight's Departure

 He never chose to leave Jund—he was forced.

He was a proud member of one of the human warrior clans, possibly the clan Tol Antaga led by the warrior champion Kresh the Bloodbraided—but he never charged with that clan into a hellkite's lair, where many of their number died. He may have met Rakka Mar, the elementalist shaman—but he never heard her fireside urgings to spread the warriors' Life Hunts into the foreign shards, the secret propaganda of the dragon Nicol Bolas. He may have scaled to the lava pool known as the Sweltering Cauldron or explored the cavernous depths of the Bloodhall—but he never drew a drop of mana from those places' rich stock.

He was reasonable with a polearm. He was passable at riding lizardback. He enjoyed a spar now and again with his clanmates, two warriors of good skill and excellent friendship. He never thought he would see beyond the borders of his own world, let alone see the contours of four others from that viewpoint up in his worn, scale-leather saddle.

When the Conflux came, it brought thunder with it. As a denizen of Jund, the knight had felt rumblings in the crust before, but this was different. Countrysides broke with splashes of lava. Ugly black towers burst up through the land, flooding the land with shambling creatures that looked more dead than alive. Shaggy behemoths lumbered along the mountain trenches, crunching Jund's teeming predator-web without regard. The lands of Jund sloughed off at the edges, sliding into new adjacent worlds, and great plates of those other worlds hunched their way into Jund.

(It's hard being a 2/2 when worlds are colliding.)

The knight was hunting tar crocodiles when the shard-quake found its way to his part of Jund, the bejungled lowlands. He had heard of the phenomenon striking the lands farther out, so he knew exactly what to do when he felt the ground lurch. He steered his iguanar steed toward his two trusted clanmates, bounding through the razor-toothed foliage as fast as the lizard would go, ready to carry his two comrades-in-arms to safety.

He found them floating in the air, their mortal souls seeping out of their bodies.

Another force had moved into Jund even faster than the Conflux—the army of Zarratha, a lich lord from the necropolis of Unx, shard of Grixis. The souls of the knight's clanmates became fuel for the lich's undead forces, their vis harvested like mere wheat. As the bodies of his clanmates fell to the ground, two conflicting impulses struck him—to lower his polearm at the misshapen form of the lich and charge, or to run. The choice he made saved his life.

Escape Across Worlds

Mages in the time of the Conflux have some insight into what's going on. As their worlds' landforms change, they can sense the new mystical tang in the air, the psychic aroma of (to them) new types of mana. The knight had never had any shamanic training, and had no such mystical perception to help him make sense of what he saw as he fled.

Wherever he rode, he saw the forces of Grixis. Vampires stalked and circled like greedy dragons. Necromancer barons and their whip-stitched monstrosities pummeled the local viashino thrashes, harvesting their sturdy hides for further necromancy. The diseased, black-feathered kathari, silhouetted against Jund's volcanic sky in great swarms, out-scavenged the scavenger drakes, picking off the weakest goblins from the mountain heights.

Grixis was everywhere. So the knight fled in the other direction.

(I mean seriously. If you were given a choice between Grixis or Naya, which way would you run? I think I'd rather be squashed by a rampaging thoctar than be drooled on by the undead forms of my former friends. That's just me.)

The knight felt something strange as he crossed over into the lands he would come to know as Naya. Even as a non-mage, he could see evidence of changes in the mana landscape, an experience even more bizarre than seeing the alien flora and fauna of Naya's overgrown jungles. Jund had never been privy to the power of white mana, but he could see it with his own eyes.

He saw it in the fighting styles of the Nacatl lion-folk and witnessed its power to protect the sunsail tents up in the elves' canopies. He had never seen spells that could create life energy itself or bind a pride of lion warriors into a single, efficient hunting weapon.

(It's like if you crossed into the next country over, and it turned out they run their civilization not just on electricity and geothermal energy, but also on the perfume of daisies. "You don't have daisy perfume? How do you power your flying cars?" "We... don't." And they'd never heard of fossil fuels at all.)

It was off-putting at first, but also strangely thrilling. Something within him stirred, the same feeling he had when he saw flights of dragons taking off and arcing across the heavens, their breaths carving ragged black scars in the ashen tumult. He mistook the feeling for wistfulness.

Farthest Shores

 The knight headed on, propelled by the death and wildness behind him. He probably thought he was heading in a linear direction, getting farther and farther away from his native Jund as he crossed borders—but really he was on a long, slow round-trip. As he left the behemoths, Cylian elves, and noble cat-folk behind, he found knights riding cat-steeds, and huge rhoxes, and a race of bird-men. The influence of white mana was even more powerful here. And he found blue mana.

The feeling stirred again. He remembered a couple of years ago, when his clan met a man named Sarkhan Vol, a strangely-dressed shaman who seemed to know the minds of dragons. Vol was only with their clan briefly, but the knight had been taken with this man, who moved alone across the savage lands of Jund and shared the rage of hellkites. The knight felt now, in the presence of such diverse mana, that he had new perspective into the man.

He began to have strange dreams. They were night-terrors in which his body tore apart, revealing a fledgling dragon inside, a whelp that stretched its wings and flew away into the sky, trailing the knight's own blood. He always awoke screaming—awoke to the weird smells of Bant's meadows and the sea.

The knight headed on, into Esper, where the call of blue mana was strongest, and where he saw wonders he could never explain. He had never felt so far from home here, and unfamiliar passions warred in his chest. He had the dreams nightly now. All he knew to do was to drive on. What would the next world hold? How could it be stranger than the last? He could scarcely imagine.

The Eyes of the Enemy

 Perhaps the plume breath of the beacon behemoth in Naya should have been a clue. Perhaps the locals' whispers of the Maelstrom should have made him realize what he would see next, or the surprisingly understanding glance from a wandering knight of Bant, whose shield was emblazoned with a prismatic pattern that felt oddly familiar.

But he was still surprised when he rode into Grixis. His lizard steed reared up, upset for the first time at the stench of a foreign land. He recognized the home-world that spawned Zarratha, the lich who harvested the souls of his clanmates.

The fires within him were stoked.

He rode boldly through Grixis, his polearm finding its way through many shambling corpses, the claws of his steed becoming sticky with ichor torn from the damned. When he slept, he only slumped in his saddle. The dreams were as horrible as ever, his fantasies of gory dragon-birthing mingling with the reality of the dead world around him. His iguanar knew not to pause. The two of them cut a swath, aiming for the familiar volcanic plumes on the horizon.

Then he saw them.

His clanmates. Here in Grixis? Alive again?

No. Dead. Forming the front lines for the lich Zarratha.

And that's the story of how Dragonsoul Knight, an unremarkable warrior of Jund, touched the five corners of Alara and used mana he never understood to unleash a raging power within him. It's the story of how the lich Zarratha perished under a siege of dragonfire, and the story of how a knight finally cremated his fallen friends, and returned home to begin a new warrior-clan, and a new life.