The Last Realm

[Sperrit]

East of Miniopia City, where dwell the greatest warriors on Terra, there is a place where no one goes. It is a sacred and ancient place. The Clans revear it as the birthplace of all Life. It is a place full of mystery and deep magic. Those who do not belong there will feel it's will pushing them away. Those who belong are embraced into it's heart. In the center of the grove there grows the Summer Tree, it's roots reaching down into the center of the earth. There are only eight beings that have ever trod upon this most sacred soil, and even they have only ever met there a handful of times in all of eternity. Now is one of those times.
In the grove of the Summer Tree there is a peaceful silence, the quiet of deep sleep, the stillness of eternity. There, in the heart of the grove, is a ring of grass. In the center of the ring is a small tree, no taller than the height of two men, no wider than a boulder. It's leaves are like bronze fire, it's bark white as ivory, marbled with black. At the foot of this tree is a strange man. His skin is as brown as soil, his eyes are as green as new shoots. He is large, both tall and muscular, yet his movements suggest a gentleness that belies his form. He sits with his back to the tree, his eyes closed, drinking in the deep sacred nature of this, the most ancient of places.
Suddenly the man opens his eyes. He sits up and smiles. He speaks, though it appears that no one is there.
"So, Alexander, you too have been freed. Does this mean that we are all returned to our normal states?"
There then steps out from behind the tree a slender youth with shining silver hair and eyes of bright gold. He nods to the sitting man.
"Yes, Eidon, we are all freed. I was the last, and glad to be out of that dreadful place. Those catacombs are just horrid, I don't know why Wyv-"
For a moment the light in both the men's eyes becomes dim. The dark man, Eidon, bows his head for a moment and then stands to face Alexander.
"So, the time has come."
Alexander nodded. "Yes, though it's not we who need to worry."
Eidon smiled. "Indeed, Our Children have done well, haven't they Alex?"
Alexander grinned. "After the training my boy got I'm surprised he didn't get us out quicker."
Eidon chuckled. "You have to give them some credit, brother. There are a lot of distractions these days. Now, it's time we had our reunion."
Eidon closed his eyes, Alexander leaning against the tree, waiting. For a moment there was silence, then it was as if the earth itself was rocked to it's very foundation. A pulse ran through the ground, spreading over all of Terra. There was not a thing it did not touch, not a being that did not notice it. And six pairs of eyes all turned to the same spot at the same moment and were suddenly gone from where they once had been.

Sperrit's eyes shot open. He looked around the darkened room where he had been sitting and reached over to light a candle. The flickering flame cast light upon a small stone room, sparsely furnished, deep in the Earth Temple in the Sea of Trees. He stood up slowly, streching his whole body. It had been a long time that he had sat there. He looked towards the door.
"It is time."

Eidon and Alexander were both standing near the tree when they felt a presence come into their midst. They both turned.
There, standing near the edge of the clearing, was a man. He was a head shorter than Eidon, but easily just as muscular. His mane of hair was a flaming red and his eyes constantly flickered between yellow and orange. He gave a huge grin and walked right up to Eidon, pulling him into a fierce embrace.
"Brother. It is good to see you after so long."
Eidon smiled. "I am also glad to see you, Tyrin."
The three then turned once again towards a new voice.
"There were times when I thought this would never happen...."
Out from the trees stepped a tall slender woman, wrapped in blue, her short silver-blue hair rustling on her head, though there was no breeze in the grove. She turned her deep green eyes upon them and smiled. She went up to Alexander and gave him a kiss on the cheek, clasping hands with Eidon and giving Tyrin a short hug.
"You should always remain faithful, sister. You must trust your comrades."
There stepped into their midst a woman of gentle beauty, her long green hair done up in with curls, her dark blue eyes shining gently.
Eidon smiled and drew her into a hug. She then grasped hands with Tyrin and also gave Alexander a kiss on the cheek. Tyrin grinned all the most.
"Sophia, Helena! What joy there is in our reunion. Yet we are short two of our number."
"Just one."
Into the light stepped a tall man with no hair, skin of ebony, eyes of pure white. Eidon bowed to him and Tyrin shook his hand. Alexander bowed as well and smiled.
"Ah, Rislem. I did miss your penchant for dramatics. Of course, that's something that both you and Sekundes share, isn't it, sister?"
A rich chuckle was heard from behind the tree and out stepped a woman with a mane of pure black hair, her skin like ivory, her eyes purest black. She smiled as she looked at Rislem. She went over to him and took his hand in her own.
"Hello, love. It's been a while."
Rislem smiled down at her and squeezed her hand.
Alexander stepped forward. "I am overjoyed to see you all again, brothers and sisters, but we have more pressing matters. I don't think I really need to tell you that we're running out of time."
Sophia nodded. "It's pressing in on us as we speak."
Tyrin crossed his arms. "It's clear what we have to do, and I'm all for it, but...."
Eidon turned to him. "What is it, brother?"
Tyrin shook his head. "You all know what I'm going to say, even if you don't want to hear it, but I'll say it anyway. The Elementals have gone soft. Without our guiding influence they haven't even had the courage to leave their strongholds. Their culture is stagnating. There aren't any Children left to take up the mantle of the Chosen."
The others all bowed their heads. Sophia nodded. "It's true. I've searched all of my Children and have found none who would be worthy."
Eidon turned to her. "What about Alerea? Her courage and will is great."
Sophia shook her head. "Yes, but not her power."
Alexander looked at each of them in turn. "Is this true for you all? Can you find no Child worthy?"
He received no answer.
Alexander sighed. "Then we must look farther afield. The Non-Elementals must be searched."
Sekundes stepped forward. "No offense, brother, but I will not place my Gift in the hands of one who does not know it's significance."
Alexander shook his head. "I don't like it any more than you do, but we have no choice."
Tyrin laughed meanly. "Don't be so stupid, Alex. You and Eidon have no right to complain. You both have Children as your Chosen."
Eidon bowed his head. "At the cost of all the rest of them, yes."
Rislem's eyes widened. "Is this true? I had heard rumors...."
Eidon nodded. "All lost. All but one."
Helena placed her hand on Eidon's shoulder. "I am sorry, brother."
Sophia shook her head. "There will be time for sadness later. Now we must decide on a course of action! I say that we continue to search our Children for any worthy. They must be out there."
As soon as she said this Sophia turned and vanished from the clearing in a whisper of Wind. Eidon sighed.
"So impatient, sister."
"Yet she has a point." Sekundes shook her mane of ebony hair. "I, too, will search for those who are worthy. You know where to find me."
She then kissed Rislem on the cheek and faded back into the shadows.
Tyrin looked at Eidon. "It is a great sadness what has befallen you, brother, but I must be off. There must be one of them who has the backbone for the job." Tyrin grasped Eidon's hand and then was gone in a flash of fire.
Helena looked at each in turn and nodded to Alexander.
"You know what to do."
And in an instant she was also gone.
Eidon and Rislem looked at each other. Eidon nodded. "Am I right in assuming you know already?"
Rislem nodded. "The wandering harp gives light to us all." There was a flash of light and he was gone.
Eidon turned to Alexander.
"Well?"
Yet Alexander's eyes were closed. After a moment, they opened, their gold replaced with a glowing silver.

"The cursed warrior with a spirit of Fire
She who has known the loneliness of the Waves
The one who's power is not yet known
The one who's power is known too well
The Two who hold the key to new Life"

Eidon nodded. "It shall be done."

Sperrit was running through the woods when the spirit of Eidon appeared before him. He immediately stopped and bowed.
"My Master, I heard the summons to your brethren. I was going to the Shrine to try and find you."
Eidon smiled. "I was sure you would. However, there is another task you must complete first."
Sperrit bowed his head. "Whatever you wish, Master."
Eidon smiled. "You must find the Chosen."

[Ultrawolf]

*Ultrawolf awakens in shock yet again. Even after death it continues to haunt him. A shadow from the past murdering his family again and again*
"It's over, He's dead...it's over..."
*Ultrawolf sits up on his bed in his home within the Twilight Forest*

[Sperrit]

Sperrit gaped.
"You want me to... what?"
Eidon smiled.
"You must find the Chosen, Sperrit. It's all up to you now."
Sperrit scratched his head. "But I don't even know who the Chosen are!"
Eidon kneeled down next to him.
"You do now."

[Aindriahhn]

*Aindriahhn grumbled, staring at the keg smashed on the ground. This waste was expensive, in time as much as coin, and he would again need to cross the desert, bribing some border guards, and smuggling past others, eyes open for thiefs, and those gguards who would take a bribe, and then turn in the traveller, both for smuggling the alcohol, and bribing a border guard*
*Ten kegs was an exceptional haul, and this journey was easier than any yet, having, through time, set up agreements at the outposts. Now, only the desert was an obstical, one time, and experience, had made easy to surmount. He had also se many of the Nomads, but almost none had tried to rob him, and those that did were either esily defeated, or quickly avoided*
*Ten kegs, dragged past guards, the zealous and the greed, through the desert on a old, weather-worn cart, and finally through the Miniopian border, who's guards numbered amoungst his best customers*
*All of this, in the past, nothing but a small path, with relatively light kegs, and plenty of help. Something mindlessly simple. Yet, a distraction, a strange distraction, but one that should have easily been pushed aside, cost him his last keg, and uncountable profit*
"Bloody hell" *He swore, turning to the three who accompanied him, throwing them heavy pouches of gold*
"I'll take the cart inside"
*He couldn't expect to get away with cutting their pay for his lost, an agreement was an agreement, and loss was expected, even loss as foolish as this*
"I'll get you when we need another order, it might be a while"
*Dragging his cart, he unlocked the back door of his bar, entering*

[Lygato]

Lygato smiled as he watched the small, blonde boy finish playing his piece on the harp. He nodded.
"Yes, Rubato, that was very good."
The boy smiled as Lygato stood and ruffled his hair, but his smile was quickly replaced by a frown of confussion.
"Master?"
"Yes Rubato?"
"Why don't you call me by my real name any more?"
Lygato kneeled down next to the boy. "Because now that you've learned so much of the Bard's lore, having people know your real name places you in danger. 'Knowledge is the key to power.'"
"But didn't your master go by his real name?"
Lygato's eyes dimmed. "Yes, yes he did, but he was much more powerful than you or I. And even then, it cost him his life." Lygato put his hand on his pupil's shoulder. "And I don't want to lose another Bard."
The boy nodded.
Lygato smiled down at him. "Now, go wash up for supper."
The boy smiled and ran outside, heading towards the stream that ran through the woods.
Lygato watched him from the doorway, marveling at where fate had brought him.
The house that he was standing in had once been in rubble. He had rediscovered it when he and Sperrit had climbed the mountain in search of the gate to the Sky Realm. It had been his home when he had been a child, the place where his parents had raised him. The place where Edward had found him, taken him away from so that he might become a Bard. Now it was a home once again, the house repaired, the gardens tended with care and music.
Lygato smiled. For the first time in a long while he felt content. It had taken him a long time to find a suitable pupil, but his efforts had paid off. Rubato was a great student with a lot of potential.
Lygato was watching the sun set when Rubato returned. He was happy. Maybe now he could settle down and enjoy a peaceful life.

[Katana]

Katana sat on the pure sand of the beach, watching the tide ebb and flow. Eden slept beside her as the sun set. She sighed as the waves washed over her feet, soaking the lace-decked hem of her white nightgown. Curling her legs into her chest, she closed her eyes and rested her head on her knees.
"These have been long days, Eden. They suit well with my restless nights." This was proven true by the dull fatigue that plagued her ill-matched eyes. Her joints ached from the lack of energy, her heart pained for something, too. Something she couldn't find and feared she never would;Something that she didn't know of yet.
She stood, waking Eden. Katana walked into the water, feeling the cool liquid brush her ankles as it kissed the shore. She kept walking out, her steps slow and determined. She stopped when she was about to her waist. The moon had risen now, casting silverish beams down, illuminating the water and playing in Katana's hair. She closed her eyes and turned towards the beach as a large wave crested. It broke on her, and she held her breath and let the current throw her, tumbling her over and over. She didn't know what was up and what was down. This was her intention; In a world where the simple things are complex, you have no time to worry about what the future holds. She laughed, almost wickedly, when the waves spat her out onto the shore. Katana continued to lay there, hair and clothes soaked with water, as the vicious waves came up around her. For a second, she was even afraid that they would leave her completely eclipsed.
After several hours, the tide went out, leaving Katana to dry under the moon. She chuckled to herself, and Eden picked up her head to look at her master. Katana dug her hands into the sugar-white sand, letting it slip from her fingertips. She traced out the constellations in the sky, and for a moment, she was content. It was only after she lost sight of the stars to dawn breaking. With this, she stood, gathering up Eden in her arms, and began to walk down the beach.

[Sperrit]

Sperrit nodded as Eidon recited the words that Alexander had spoken. He frowned.
"But Master, I am not familiar with this prophesy, nor do I understand what it means."
Eidon smiled. "It is not an ancient prophesy, my son, it is the Word of Truth, spoken by Alexander, a talent that only he pocesses. However, even he may not reveal the truth nakedly, nor may he share it as such with others. His Truth usually speaks through other people, the ancient prophets. But in times of emergency even we may bend the rules a little."
Sperrit's eyes widened. "It makes perfect sense! Tempusonor! The Time of Truth!"
Eidon's smile broadened. "Your joy at such a simple revelation is cheering, my son, but now is not the time. These lines have been spoken for you and given to you because you were the one closest to most of the others. Alexander's child still crosses the plains so you must find the Chosen. Remember. Think. Know. Act. Listen to your heart. It knows the way."
And with that Eidon had vanished.
Sperrit sat upon the ground for a moment and thought. He went over the lines again and again, trying to unravel their mysteries. After an hour his eyes opened.
"He who's power is not yet known...."
Sperrit stood up and started to run quickly to the East. Time was being spent.

[Tobias]

He couldnt get the vision of the blue eyed person at of his head. It was, strangely enough, the first thing that had ever startled Tobias since he destroyed the northern mountains back on his world.

But now, he really had time to think about it. As he sat in the huge crater, he contemplated. Ever since he visited this crater for the first time, it has been the place where he could feel himself again...not the wanderer...not a legendary warrior...but as Tobias Reaver. He peered up into the stars, which now littered the sky, and he spoke softly:

"Joanna...i dont know whats about to happen, but something is looming on the horizon. First, Sperrit's manuscripts. Then, the blue eyed woman. It just doesnt make any sense..."

Tobias took off his hat, the moon reflecting off of his deep brown eyes, and radiating off of his brown hair. His gaze almost was of flame, tearing through the sky and radiating through the stars and galaxies, back to his home. It had been about 6 years now since he arrived...6 years...and so many things have happened to him. Silver light poured over him, and as he sat there in the crater, he drew his sword, and placed it on the ground, at the deepest point. There, he lay, and rested for the time being.

[Musashi]

"Fulgor Ermi Iyt..." Musashi muttered to himself.

The very name sent chills down Musashi's spine. Once one of the greatest cities in all of Miniopia, the vast citadel of the long since dead elementals of lightning. Now a mere shell of its former self, decaying and broken, haunted by the souls of those who had perished there so long ago, during the Great War. The War in which brother turned on brother, elemental destroyed elemental. The War that resulted in the tragic genocide of the entire thunder race, down to the last child, along with their god.

The aura of death surrounding that place had stayed off all but the most hardy of visitors. And even those who ventured within its walls would leave changed, some cowering in fear, others fleeing in panic, and still others too moved to even issue utterance. Death, the greatest bane to the Children of the Sands of Time.

A fitting prison for one as powerful as Alexander, the Esper of Time. The waining power of lightning in that region would not have been enough to imprison one of his calibur. However, the aura of death, in a sense, an opposite to the inherent "immortality" (for lack of a better term) of the Time Elementals, helped to keep him sealed long beyond his will. Age and subsequently death is not a commonality among them, it is the direct antithesis to all they cherish and hold dear. Much of their power is used in staying off its effects long past their time, until, by fate or by choice, they are claimed. But in the face of cataclysmic death, the surrounding aura may overcome even the greatest warriors of Alexander.

And so it came to happened that Musashi completed his journey. Having freed the previous six, he came at last to the one place in this realm that would pose the greatest danger for him. Just as an elemental of the Earthen people would find flight a near death experience, so would the power of death play on Musashi's inherent strenghts. It was for this reason that Alexander was the last to find freedom. With the blessing of the six, Musashi was able to hold his own, the other elements dampening the effects of the demised souls that would surround and try to take him, though not eliminating it entirely. Deep within the darkest, most corrupted cavern, the very chamber in which the thunder dragon Wyv had been slain by his own kin. There, the last battle within the catacombs of Fulgor Ermi Iyt at long last came to pass. Thereby, Musashi did free his master and mentor, awakening the last of his powers.

He made haste, leaving that realm as quickly as he came, never wishing to be drawn there once more. Storms broiled over head and the occasional lightning sparked with an ancient vitality. But as he trode steadily onward, dark skies slowly began to give way to the midday sun. He approached the plains of Light, finally feeling his strength beginning to return.

[Shandriz]

In an icy cave far away on a mountain of the Peaks of Fire, near the edge where the volcanism has long since been dead and the altitude has made the mountain terribly trecherous and icy-- uninhabited for ages, a small woman sat. Her skin was dark as midnight with hair as pale as her skin was dark, a silvery glint in it making it quite beatiful. With her elven features, she could be quite beautiful too, if it weren't for the hardened, stature, the frightened look in her violet eyes, and the scars decorating her face and body.

She'd seen too much battle, though mostly with those of the animal variety. There was nothing to suggest that anyone other than herself and the small winged cat curled up at her feet had been near the cave for centuries. Not that this was entirely true. Not too long ago she'd had what was probably the strangest encounter of her long life-- and that was saying quite a bit, considering her escape from the Drow city deep underground and her life here in the nearly uninhabitable terrains of the mountain.

She looked at Suki, sleeping peacefully at her feet, and remembered how well the cat had taken to Musashi. She'd found him one day lying in the snow half-dead. Knowing that in such a condition no human could truly pose a threat to her, she'd taken him in and nursed him back to health. It had turned out that he was really a kind man, and offered her no threat, much to her relief, even when he was well again. He hadn't stayed with her very long, having other duties to attend to, but that brief glimpse of humanity other than Matthias who had rescued her from the insanity of the Underdark outside of Menzoberranzen's relative calm was enough to pique her curiosity about humans.

Not that she had dared venture out to find one. Perhaps, she considered, some day she would encounter another human lost out in the snow. That would be best. This way she would be able to dispose of them should they pose a threat to her or Suki.