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01-24-2015, 04:18 PM
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Although all of Helovia was tasked by the Earth God to unravel the identity of the murderer responsible for the deaths of so many within Helovia, only one group proved successful. A team of assembled strangers would ultimately prevail in identifying the one responsible for such heinous crimes. Through their reasoning and intellect rather than any past associations with one another, the Strangers have triumphed. There was no time to call down the Gods - the Strangers could not let him murder again. They had had their suspicions for a while now, but the means by which Circe died solidified their convictions. Gaucho was the murderer. They had seen him on the island after the murder of Pysche but he had been in a group then. At the time, they had thought that perhaps Mauja, Torleik, and Ophelia had similar reservations of the Wildfire, and yet they had all walked away peacefully. Had they been wrong? Deciding to follow Gaucho, they did their best to remain unseen as the Sultan of the Throat went about his business on the Island. They only lost track of him once - but it was in those moments that the body of Circe had been discovered. How he had gotten away from them they didn't know. In one moment he was before them, and in another he was simply gone, as if the very shadows around him had congregated together to hide his massive shape. Certain of his culpability after discovering the fang marks of a snake and the clear signs of poisoning from Circe's corpse, they continued their search. "GAUCHO." They called spying the pegasus, banding together against the mass murderer, silently calling for the God of the Earth to descend and dispense judgement upon the culprit. Turning, Gaucho appeared not as he normally did. The flames that normally lined his wings were replaced by tendrils of shadow that distorted his appearance. His eyes, normally a stern blue-gray were completely black, and the markings on his antlers that glowed with the warm light of the Sun had grown dark and faded. His dark lips opened, but the sound that was released seemed surreal and impossible - it was like the predatory scream of some draconian monster. His body turned towards them, spreading his wings and causing a wave of darkness to flow towards his would-be accusers. "No!" A voice like the low rumble of waves crashing against a shoreline emerged, and suddenly a flash of blue-green appeared midst the darkness. It was Hototo, the EarthSinger. With a wicked sneer, Gaucho's wings beat once again - sending a howling wind that seemed to have both the appearance of teeth and viscous claws - to accompany the slow wave of blackness that he had already sent towards the group. Placing himself directly in the path of the magic, Hototo's body absorbed all of it: the tendrils of shadow and biting teeth seemed to disappear inside of the demi-God. The vibrancy of his youthful body pulsed for a moment, before desaturating and distorting. A moan of pain ebbed from his lips, as the Earthsingers knees trembled with the destructive power cast into him. Feathered wings fluttered at his sides, as his body collapsed - knees coming into contact with the ground. The grasses at his sides seemed to stir, as if offering their life to save his, but it was far too late. "Father..." He whispered as the bright light of his gaze succumbed to the darkness he had taken into his very soul. His body writhed in pain as the enormity of the magic cast into him tore him apart from the inside out. The Strangers would have been obliterated instantly, but Hototo's godly blood allowed him both the ability and misfortune of surviving the blast. With a sound like the birth of an avalanche the God of the Earth appeared - his body thrusting itself from the Earth. A storm brewed overhead, one that the Island had never before bore witness to. Clouds darkened and circulated, as water poured from the Heavens. The air did not grow cold however, and the drops that fell caused no pain where they struck. In fact, they seemed to rejuvenate and enliven all that they touched: falling upon Gaucho, they caused the air to sputter, like cold water striking a hot surface. Faster and thicker did the rain fall, coating Gaucho. Slowly the wisps of darkness and shadow that lingered on his wings gave way to the ever-burning fire that normally covered them. His large body sunk to its knees, as what appeared to be some ethereal shadow rose from his back, dispersing into the rain. His gaze - no longer blackened - opened once to reveal its normal stoic blue, before closing as the dun passed out. Pain racked the God of the Earth's rustic features as he moved to his son's side. His bearded muzzle lowered to gently touch the Earthsinger's brow, immediately quieting the compulsions of his body. "You have done well Hototo." He whispered, voice thick with pain and sorrow. He had expected no less from his son, and yet his sacrifice was no more bearable because of it. "Rest now. Be with Israfel." Hototo's body bloomed with light - and his soul rose from his body in a swirl of blue-green mist. Like the shimmer of a waterfall in the sunlight it rose high above - parting the storm clouds. Where the clouds dispersed, a warm ray of light shone downwards, illuminating the area. "Leave this place." The God instructed, and all who were present found themselves on clouds that slowly lowered them to the Veins. From their positions lower down, they could see that the waterfalls that extended over the edge of the Island had grown bloated by the sudden influx of rain that the God had caused. Water poured over the edge, and yet none of it fell upon them. Instead, the entire Island glistened and shimmered as the water tension finally burst. The Island crumbled high above - an explosion of earth and water. As the destruction fell to the veins, it solidified it would seem, into nine small orbs of water and earth, each humming with life. Three fell to the veins. Where they touched the hardened ground, trees appeared composed entirely of lava. Roots of heat and magma extended from their bases into the very rocks of the island itself, as branches grew high and majestically into the sky. Every leaf shimmered with blue, the very bark churning like the ground on which it grew. One for Vesta, Psyche, and Circe. One orb fell into the deep woods. By the endlessly deep pool of water it took root: a great and mighty tree whose branches twisted and covered the reddish pool, and whose roots wrapped around the circumference of the waters. Pink fruit grew upon its brows, sweet and tart in flavor. Its strength and grace reminisce of Ailith. One orb descended into the Heavenly Fields. A large white tree blossomed immediately, with branches that stretched towards the heavens as if constantly hungering for more: a tribute to Myrddin. Even its leaves were alabaster in color, a gentle blue hue taking over in the fall. In the frozen arch a large orb fell. Two trees sprouted, and yet their branches became impossibly tangled together as the tree grew, making it appear as if it were one large form the higher one looked. The bark glistened with starsheen beneath a thick layer of ice over the place where Tolio and Phaedra's bodies have been discovered. In the secret grove a slender and magical tree grew where the orb touched down, its branches circling outwards and creating a secluded and private area for any who might venture to it, in memory of Esther. The serene brows and feminine greens inviting to any lover. In the endless blue, from the seemingly inhospitable sands roots took hold as a vibrantly youthful tree grew. Its limbs stretched outwards the sea, as if ensuring protection for all who would swim beneath its boughs, growing in the place Skysong had died. Deep within the caves a blackened structure grew, lined with pulsing veins of redlight. Twisted and gnarled limbs grew upwards and outwards - lining the walls and ceiling of the caves. Crystal fragments dusted the ground and the base of the tree, where Ode had died. The God of the Earth, now returned to the Thistle Meadow, looked to the sky at the empty space of his creation. His heart ached with his loss, tears like waterfalls humming down his masculine cheeks at the memories of Hototo, his own son. Yet in this mourning grew strength, and he knew the culprit behind it all. Prior to the island collapsing, he had tenderly raised the body of Gaucho to rest on the grass before him, unwilling to let this possessed mortal die so easily. Despite all he had done, he did not deserve to die. Summoned by the cataclysmic ringing of events through time, the god who controlled the very fabric of reality snapped into being, war written on his features. Crisp, blue eyes snapped to those of his earthen brother, having seen the loss of his son and watching the shadows fade to reveal Gaucho beneath the fold. "Brother..." he rumbled, frowning. "The darkness... did you see it? Do you know that it means?" he asked, voice stern and posture stiff despite his smaller stature. The God of the Earth nodded once, feeling the rage inside grow like a redwood, thick and firm, resilient against all winds and persevering through the darkest night. "Indeed," he said, frowning. The God of the Sun appeared but moments later, flames blooming from his body as he watched the heartbreak he knew all too well. No words were needed between the two to understand that they were there for one another, despite prior feelings. "I told you this before, the Sun God hissed, flashing his creamy tail around his hocks in agitation. "She is conniving, a master manipulator, and she has played you all for fools. It's time she was brought down. You cast me out for much less. I demand justice." He stopped a sparking hoof to the ground, crackling of flames announcing his righteous anger. And for once, the God of the Earth agreed without sigh. Green eyes turned hard as emerald, and he did not wait for the testimony of their sister, such was his pain. "She cost me... everything..." he murmured. The God of Time needed to only nod. Together, they shoved the moon from heaven, sending her ethereal form tumbling to the ground. With a heavy thud and a cloud of black smoke, her lavender form crunched the grass beneath her body, and she gathered her legs beneath her soon after. A snarl twisted her features, staring at her brethren angrily. "So quick to blame now, aren't you," she purred, a shadow falling over her body despite the sun rising on the horizon. "I proved what you all failed to see. The mortals are so easily manipulated by power, so easily claimed by desire and they are weak . Especially your crowned king, brother Sun." "Cast me away then. I will not be captured on these grounds long. You need me. We are balance. But you will not slight me again, and you will not ignore my words. Consider this your lesson." All of them were fools. Maybe now the God of the Earth would return to reality and the rest of them would actually pay attention. The Goddess turned her back on the united brothers, not giving them a second glance as she walked west to the World's Edge, her home. |
