"Where brilliance is good and madness is better..."
Helovia Info
Helovia opened in February 2012! We are an active fantasy equine RPG
Where once the world narrowed into naught but gray dust and desolation, the gods called for life. Wielding the elements of fire and light, dark and wind, earth and water, spark and time, they have created Helovia. The realm is set within the mythical globe of Loorien, a planet rich with all variety of creatures and blessed with all manner of magic. Originally populated by nomadic, tribal characters, they've since grown into massive empires saturated with culture and history. Separated into four distinct segments of Helovia, called "The Regions," each band of horse strong enough and capable enough, took up the power and responsibility of leadership. Unicorns, old, wise and mysterious, took to the north, hidden in forests of mists and shadows and rarely making themselves known beyond their cliffs of the World's Edge. Equines, vast, organized and militaristic, split into two, one group went north to the Windtossed Foothills and the other group went south to the Dragon's Throat. Pegasus remained nomadic, making their homes in various parts of The Wilds in a migratory manner. For many generations, the land was peaceful and calm, but peace was never the way of the gods. With a clash of argument, war and bloodshed massacred Helovia, and in the aftermath, the realm was eerily quiet. Now, as newcomers sweep into this land, they are met with the lingering bitterness of the gods and the struggle to reclaim what was lost. Nothing remains safe or certain while sorcerers and soldiers alike brood and bide their time for revenge, honor and glory.
Site Wide Plots
Kaos :: The Beginning of the End ☼ - 6/2017 - Kaos placed Helovia in a time-bubble for a short period of time, but the Helovian gods are fighting back. But Kaos is powerful- far more powerful than anyone thought. This may be the beginning of the end of Helovia as we know it.
Kisamoa :: A New Kind of Kaos ☼ - 3/2017 - Kisamoa asks Helovians to help him restore the Spectral Marsh. Which side will you choose?
Invasions :: All Out War ☼ - 5/2/16 - New layout and the brand new invasion rules are up! Thank you for your patience and we look forward to getting started with this new adventure.
The Rift :: Gods Do Die ☼ - 8/2015 - Helovia Gods are saving the Rift from corrupt gods! Can Helovians band together against these foreign deities?
The Literal Ship ☼ - 2/8/15 - Oh no! You have to pair up for Valentine's day!
Sky Island :: Murder ☼ - 10/25/14 - Vesta has been found dead on the island, and the gods have called to you to solve the murder!
Sky Island :: Peace ☼ - 7/7/14 - An island has appeared in the sky! Clouds carry Helovians from the Veins to the sky.
Restoration :: We Welcome the Dawn ☼ - 9/21/13 - The sun has finally risen on this day, giving the land new light, but the Time God and the Sun God have yet to be seen.
Endless Night :: Broken Magic Plot ☼ - 8/30/13 - The earth god has returned and is walking across Helovia to heal the land. Every area can now be considered lush and prosperous, but the sun has still not risen.
☼ - 7/19/13 - The moon has risen in the sky, heralding the return of the Goddess of the moon. Lamp trees which light the paths have grown brighter, moon flowers which grow in dark places have begun to grow and prosper and the world is brighter, filled with a new hope.
Endless Night :: Dead Magic Plot ☼ - 6/22/13 - The gods of Helovia, in order to protect the world, have disappeared into the rift, leaving the world sunless, moonless and magic-less in their absence. Only the herdlands have a source of light, but lamp-trees with glowing leaves and branches sporadically line the popular roads and paths from place to place.
Doppleganger Plot ☼ - 6/20/13 - The God of Time is still struggling to close the rift though which the dopplegangers have come. He has requested that his brothers and sister assist in closing this hole, but without knowing why it opened, the task is proving difficult. Magic still remains faulty and hard to control, but the herdlands continue to be places of refuge for those who are fortunate enough to call these lands home.
ORANGEMOON cools off the lands with a a viscious force. Colder than normal, a sign of things to come during Frostfall, Helovia is bathed in a rich tropical lushness - albiet a cold one. The coastlines of the Dragon's Throat are pelted constantly by tidal waves, and the desert climate is humid but chilly. Ice begins to form early in the Aurora Basin leaving the winding trails slick and dangerous. The mists of the World's Edge coat everything in a glistening crystalline shine which encourages mould to grow everywhere. The Spectral Marsh is the only area which remains fertile, blissfully temperature and lush.
Cotm
Character of the Month for
June, 2017
WEAVER, Corporal of the Aurora Basin, is a relatively recent addition to Helovia and has taken it by storm. Branded with the seal of Death on her chest, intrigue and interest follow both her past and present. Though she is assuredly beautiful, her sometimes sharp personality reveals that there is more to this uni-peg hybrid than meets the eye. Proving herself able on the battlefield in the Basin’s warrior ranks, we can’t wait to see her test her mettle against the looming Kaos happenings! Congratulations!
Helovia RPG was created by Tamme and Blu and coded by Tamme also known as Schwartze. All coding, palettes and imagery are copyrighted to the website and are not for use outside of Helovia. Thank you to our ServerMaster for hosting Helovia. A special thanks goes to Neo for all of her coding help and fixing Tamme's errors, Boom, for her loyal service and creation of the Time God, and to Ali for her consistent contributions and dedication.
Murtagh wasn’t supposed to wander, he knew that but the bigger he got the more he felt the desire to get out and explore. The Falls was wonderful, the Falls was his home but there was a great wide world out there and he hadn’t even seen half of it yet! So although he wasn’t supposed to wander he never left the Falls without letting someone know first. He wanted to explore but he didn’t want his mothers to worry - the young colt was far too considerate for that, loved them far too much to forget to let them know where he was going.
More often than not, that usually meant he earned himself a bear as an escort - but, again, Murtagh didn’t mind. How could he begrudge the methods of those who loved him? They only wanted to see him safe, after all. There was nothing suffocating about his family life - his desire to wander and explore was born out of a need to learn instead of a need to escape.
This afternoon it was a quick promise to return as soon as possible before heading out in the golden autumn light, bucking with delight and eager to see what they would find today. Would they find monsters like his Papa had fought? The idea was just as exciting as it was terrifying, and he was glad to have the company of the grizzly companion of one of his parents.
With Eytan at his side, the pair wandered south and east a little ways - not that Murtagh knew those were the directions he was going on, but they were going away from the mountains to the north. He followed the pathways through the Forest he had visited with Papa and Kaj and the vegetation started to change.
Trees were replaced by strange plants that were almost like trees - only much skinner. And there was a whooolle whack of them all over the place. As the day grew late, mist started to roll in through the plants. It was the perfect setting for a game of hide-and-seek - Murtagh inviting the play by nudging the bear before running off. It didn’t occur to him, just yet, that this wasn’t a good place to play games. The thick bamboo and the mist quickly the boy from the bear and it took a couple minutes, trampling through a chilly puddle, for the colt to realize he had run off too far. “Uh oh, Mama.” Everywhere he looked, all he saw was grey fog and the green shoots of the plants. “Mama?” He called out, tentatively, lavender eyes casting about as a sudden flare of panic rose in him - an emotion he wasn’t used to.
Upon Sameira's request I'd bathed, cleansing myself of all the caked on dirt, blood, sweat and anything else that helplessly clinged to me like a newborn to its dam, but unbeneficial and with a lot less love. To make her statement, Sameira had taken an exaggerated whiff of me before falling over to play dead, wrinkling her nose at the scents I emitted from every crevice of my being. Sameira had even taken the time to swipe her tail over me as if saying, you still stink so let me help. I accepted the rather rough scrubbing from her tail, feeling better as I rose from the water fresh but still scarred and fatigued, my sleepless nights not going unnoticed. They were apparent in the way my lids drooped, in the way my metallic amber eyes dulled every passing minute. Even the way I walked showed tell tale signs of sleep deprivation, slow and ungraceful movements carried me into a territory I'd never before explored.
Shoots of bamboo rose high, producing a thick canopy that loomed over head yet still allowed for rays of light to shine through the collection of leaves, greenery rising all around me. It was a sight most spectacular, a change of scenery considering I'd been spending all my time in the darkest, most secluded places possible. "Sameira wants to go ahead, do not lose Amara." Is all you say before leaping away, probably to go gnaw on some innocent squirrel's head. I walk at a casual pace, head on a swivel and ears constantly perked as I listen in for signs of a pursuer, or of shadow monsters coming out to play despite the vibrance of the sun above, providing protection from what lurked in the night. It was uncommon for me to be awake so early, when the sun was still up and the rest of the world was still awake, I was something of the night, keeping wide awake while the shadows ruled because I could not submit to my most vulnerable state while monsters preyed.
This state of silence, of utter loneliness, it made my thoughts seem so much louder. All these hushed whispers building up into one rather violent chant, restless and unrelenting as my mind throbs from all the frantic cries. I look beyond the tree lines, thinking that in my quiet pondering I'd found Sameira, my body picking up the pace despite the cries of protest my wounds produce, still oozing and giving off a rather nauseating aroma. When I enter the point where I'd seen her, there is nothing to be found but more bamboo and grasses, mocking me for so foolishly falling into their clutches, stumbling into their web like a fly to a spider. I was lost, a subtle panic flowering over my body, paralyzing my limbs as I succumb to the idea that I will never find a way out, that this will be how I die. It will be a painful demise, eaten by the shadows that lurk because I was too cowardly to move from my position now, too weak to push myself into gear. "Amara! Come quickly! Sameira found something!"
But where are you talking about? I'm lost, stuck in this god damn greenery looking like a storm cloud on a sunny day. "Follow Sameira, she knows where to go!" As if on cue you burst forth, pink tongue lolled out and movement frantic. Together we rush forward, my heart pounding with exhilaration on what you've found. The possibilities were endless, but my most favoured was Sikeax. I hadn't seen her in so long, and we'd departed abruptly, our separation a blur as I fail to remember what occurred. I recall the faintest need to sleep, feeling like lying down to nap while my mind was a blur of panic and calm, but beyond that I can't grasp anything.
We stumble upon a babe, young and alone, just as he calls out for his mother. The panic is easy to pick up, my gaze softening and throat clearing as I step a little closer. I don't know how to approach children, I've never actually interacted with many of them one on one, they've always been an attachment to someone else I've talked to, but never have I made direct contact. You pad up beside me, ears alert as your dual-tone gaze settles on the lamb, both of us moving together as a single motherly unit (who knew I could even look approachable?) towards the lost boy.
"Hey there, is everything alright?" I ask, voice soft and pleasant, nothing compared to the usual quiet hoarseness I got when I spoke. I'd somehow smoothed out my syllables, making myself sound of comfort and sugar, honey and dew with tinged of motherhood and home. I wanted to make sure the little boy felt comfortable, that the colt wouldn't spook and run off to get himself more lost, forcing a subtle look of concern to rise to my features while I looked down at him.
Every passing moment felt a rise in emotions Murtagh wasn’t used to - panic and fear thoroughly taking over from the joy and excitement he had been ruled with for most of his life. He thought he heard a growl from Eytan in response to his calling out but no figure came into the small clearing with the stream that he was standing in. He couldn’t think of another solution out of this problem aside from finding the grizzly bear, didn’t know what he would do if he and the bear couldn’t find each other. Would his parents be able to find him?
When a brownish figure finally emerged from the stalks of bamboo, it was significantly taller than the one that Murtagh had been hoped for.
He drooped for a moment, that rising panic growing in him even more so. If he didn’t find Eytan soon, his Papa was going to find out and she was going to be so worried. Not only was he lost but he was sure that the bear was as well and they were just going to wander there forever.
The idea of how his mothers were going to react only caused him to panic even further - tears starting to leave a shine in his eyes - but there was nothing for it at the moment, this winged mare was talking to him and he had no idea which direction to go in so he was stuck. “I lost my Mama.” But he faltered there, remembering when calling Eytan ‘Mama’ to others before had caused confusion. “Uh… my Papa’s companion.” He correct, sniffing as he did so - he didn’t want to cry, he wanted to be brave. Brave like his Papa. “A brown bear, have you seen him? I’m not supposed to be wandering on my own.” He admitted that last part sheepishly, lavender eyes looking away from the mare and toward the… well he had been seeing them a lot lately but the only word he knew to describe them was ‘not bear’.
“Hello.” He greeted it cheerfully, forgetting his panic and the fact that he was supposed to be guilty because he was doing everything that he wasn’t supposed to be. In that moment, the small blue roan colt couldn’t remember if his parents had ever taught him stranger-danger (surely) but the winged mare and her not-bear seemed nice so he decided it was probably okay.
01-21-2016, 09:34 PM (This post was last modified: 01-21-2016, 09:35 PM by Amara.
Edit Reason: tag is being a butt
)
Amara
It's all an overwhelming push, a desperate hand reaching out to touch a foreign yet familiar face. I could feel the pull towards the boy, the invisible force stretching beyond me to reach the blue roan colt (my son, oh my son I love you so, why have you gone) as if wishing to caress the young face with a tenderness only a mother could muster. I had not part to take in such desperate contact, lacking the fundamentals of a good, caring mother with my forced concern for the youth. Perhaps I was actually concerned, looking down at him like I was looking in a mirror— for there I saw a reflection of myself— lost and afraid in an unknown place. It was how I'd found Seele, how I wandered unknowingly onto the path of a life I'd never imagined.
It hurts to remember, like plucking at the exposed flesh of a healing wound, stabbing it with a harsh finger. It would never heal, not with the way I would always reflect on my previous family, with their acceptance of my condition and love only misfits could give. I'd been embraced immediately, and had accepted the quiet affection by clinging to Seele in desperation. I'd begun to replace the image of my mother with her, seeing her face on my mother's body and hearing her voice rather than my biological dam's. As long as it had been, I still clung desperately to Seele's memory in hopes of finding another connection to her, for all I had was a small tether. A shard of horn and braid of red, all so much smaller than the real thing had been. I had looked for Midas, for Reizend, but found only emptiness and a loss of hope.
I took in a deep breath, looking at the babe while letting my mind reel. What do we do? I ask you, perhaps you will have an answer for me. "We bring the boy to his mother, of course." Of course, an obvious solution. "Introduce Amara— and Sameira." I listen to the boy correct himself, saying his "mama" was in fact his father's companion. I nod my head in understanding, finding light amusement in the fact that he called a brown bear mama (I'm your mother, mothers do these things). I shift my weight, furrowing my brow and shaking my head at the boy's question (I-I lost him, I lost another one. Why? Why do they leave me?). "Unfortunately, we haven't." Sameira shakes her head as well, as if to accentuate the fact that neither of us had run across any brown bears recently. "But we can certainly help you look!" I switch my expression to a hopeful one, trying to show that I (and Sameira) were willing to help the roan search for the misplaced companion.
He seems to take notice of Sameira however, as if her presence had washed away any worries and shed light on the situation (but is he okay? Will my son be okay? Please, answer me). Her tail wags as he says hello, ears flickering forward and tongue out in a relaxed, welcoming fashion. She was trying her best to look friendly. "Hello, small boy."I glance at the duo, offering a soft smile to play along my scarred lips. You handle children better than I do, and you could still be considered a child yourself. "We both could, Amara you are not much older." I can't argue with that. "She says hello." I look over the child while Sameira distracts him, wagging her unnaturally long tail in a playful manner and trying to excite the boy more to avoid letting the panic swoop in to resettle. Distraction was the best option, but I needed to get the boy's name. In the same honey dew voice I'd used on him earlier, I try to be rather subtle in tone with soft syllables and fluid movements. I continued to act like this child was a deer in headlights, that he might spook if I spoke all too loud (They always leave, why do they always leave?). "That's Sameira, and I'm Amara. What's your name?"
Although crestfallen over the fact that this winged mare hadn’t seen Eytan - Murtagh physically drooped a little bit - in the next moment he was smiling again. The offer of help was immediately welcomed. He was supposed to be helping others for his quest but it was okay to accept it too, right? He certainly wasn’t going to find his bear cub if he stayed lost in this weird forest forever.
“That’d be great if you could! Which way do you think we should go first?” He couldn’t remember where he had come from before coming across this little clearing so any direction would be just as good as any other. Chances were that Eytan was wandering around looking for him too and even though logically Murtagh should probably stay in one spot he wasn’t thinking logically. Didn’t usually until someone told him too. All he could think about was finding Eytan and getting out of here - and how happy he was to have Amara and Sameira along to help him! He felt instantly safe with the mare and her companion - not even considering that they weren’t to be trusted. Anyone with a bear companion was family but not-bears were pretty cool too, they had the same sharp teeth and kinda looked the same and everything. His upbringing probably put him in a position where he was a little too comfortable around predators - but the combination of a mare and a carnivore was a winning one for the colt.
He felt better already but only so long as he didn’t think about how he was still lost. “I’m Murtagh, from the Falls! Oh, and the bear we’re looking for is Eytan. But sometimes he answers to mama.” And then before moving off so that he and his new friends could start looking for the bear, he hesitated and added sheepishly. “But… uh, if he ratted on me then we might find an angry mare named Ktulu instead.” Papa was going to be very angry if she found out he had run off and gotten lost but the whole point was to find Eytan before he tattled. Which might already be a lost cause - it was hard to tell what the bear was thinking and since he hadn’t found his own bear cub yet, he wasn’t sure how the whole ‘companion’ thing worked anyway.
For now, though, he wasn’t about to worry about his Papa and the consequences of his actions. “BUT DON’T WORRY I bet it’s fine! Come on!” Instead of springing off in a hurry (which was what had gotten him into this trouble in the first place) he waited for Amara to lead the way. She was taller, maybe she had a better view of this place and would be the first to spot the brown bear they were looking for.
I look around us, dense bamboo towering high above our heads and letting only glimpses of the sun shine through the leaves (Lost, oh so lost. Where, where am we? I don't know). My face scrunches up in thought, lip slipping between my teeth while I work away at an idea. There was so much ground to cover, and so few to go out and search. I would not leave the boy's side, but Sameira could go off— or vice versa, as the boy seemed fond of the hellhound rather than frightened (Cower before me!). Blood seeps from my gnawed lip, but my tongue takes away all evidence of anxiety without hesitance, brows knitting while my eyes dart around. "Where did you last see him?" I look down at the boy, then at Sameira in hopes she knows something that may work better than simply asking the child pointless questions.
Sameira careens forward on her heels, nose pointed at the boy to draw in his scent. "Sameira think that maybe she can find boy's 'mama' by smelling it out."I nod, understanding your reasoning behind the attempt to draw in the scent and pursue its trail. The dismayed face drawn across your features tells me not too hope too much, the concern in your face ever so present as you take a step back. "Sameira can only smell boy, he from the old home where—" You look down, sorrow filling your face and I need not but a moment to know what you mean. Seele. I suppress the urge to scrunch up my face and bawl, to revert back to my childish instincts and cry for the mother I had lost (Where are you? Mommy please come back, please don't go).
I bring a smile to my lips, knowing the boy's name now, as well as the name of who we were searching for. "Well Murtagh of the Hidden Falls, we better go find Eytan before there's an angry Ktulu on our hands." Ktulu had not been in the Falls when I had, my mind failing to bring up a face to match the name as I recall who resided there in the Falls way back when. I glance at Sameira, sending her off to look for any more clues on where the brown bear had gone off to. "Sameira's going to go look for Eytan, and if she sees anything she'll tell me." I give a reassuring smile, trying not to panic myself. Kids don't come naturally to me, having to look over them stressed me out because I was responsible for a life that wasn't my own (or Sameira's), and I could barely maintain myself. Perhaps that is why it is crucial that I help the child, that I grow comfortable in their presence and begin to trust myself with them more.
When asked where he had last seen Eytan, Murtagh frowned and look around. Everything looked the same how was he supposed to know? The bear had been vaguely behind him when he had taken off into the bamboo but then he had run about in all sorts of directions realizing too late that this wasn’t the same as the fields and forests he was used to playing in. “Uh, that way… I think.” He gestured behind him, feeling pretty confident that that was the direction he had come from. But now he can’t remember if he had turned around at all when Amara and Sameira showed him. This was confusing. He felt pretty confident that they would find each other, though, he thought he could hear Mama roaring but wasn’t sure if he was just imagining things or if that really was the sound of a bear calling, muffled by the bamboo and distance.
He was going to be in so much trouble.
But Amara seemed to have a good plan - he was a little disappointed that she didn’t seem to know who his papa was with the name drop (or she might understand just how angry of a Ktulu they were going to get) but he supposed not everyone knew who his parents were. Sameira came forward to get his scent and he giggled at the proximity, fascinated as he was with this not-bear companion. “Great! Thanks for helping me.” He wasn’t going to be running off again, that was for sure. Eytan would probably see Amara first since she was so much taller.
Well, why they were waiting he might as well get to know Amara better! Besides, he wanted to keep talking. It helped keep him distracted from the trouble that he had gotten himself into. Playing hide-and-seek was okay when it was in a regular forest, where it wasn’t so easy to disappear. “Where do you live if you don’t live in the Falls?” For a long time, Murtagh had just assumed everyone lived there (why wouldn’t they?!) but he was quickly learning that assumption was false.
I glanced in the direction Murtagh had gestured, watching the expression on his face change to a frown of concentration, furrowing his horned brow in thought. I glanced behind us, looking at the way the trees seemed to lean into each other, to block the path from which the roan had come. I turn to where I had come from— where had I come from? The undertones of panic settle, (where am I? Hello? Mommy? Anyone? Please..) the fear of getting lost consumes me while I look down at Murtagh. Was he scared too? Being alone among such suffocating trees, ones that loom over you and impose their threatening shadows upon you. I have to swallow back the overwhelming desire to crack and cry, looking past Murtagh to the forest that stretches on behind him. Sameira will head out, she can maneuver these woods better than any equine could.
Sameira wiggles her tail at the giggle that spills from the boy's mouth, tongue lolling and a playful bounce around the boy is enough to show she's excited. "Like small boy, he cute." I chuckle, nodding my head in agreement. This all reminded me of the task at hand, of the greater purpose behind my aid to this boy. Sure, I would have helped him no matter what, but standing here beside the babe was enough for me to recall the Earth's quest for Sia and I, and that was the last necessary push for me to swear this boy would be returned safely.
"Sameira go look now." She was off in leaps and bounds, ducking her head and disappearing into the vibrant green that encased us. I felt her presence still lingering in the back of my head, but not her physical presence was no longer felt as she got farther and farther away. "Sameira will say if she spots anything." I nod and look at Murtagh who questions where I live if not in the falls.
I chuckle, his obvious curiosity littering his words. "Well, nowhere really. I don't belong to any of the herds— although I did live in the Falls for a while, back when—" My sentence gets cut short as I swallow thickly, trying to prevent my voice from wavering as I speak her name. "Seele and Midas were the leads.But you're too young and that was a while ago, you probably weren't even born then." I look over at Murtagh, wondering what his response would be. Did he know of his herd's past? That it once harboured the remnants of a broken group, all of which held flaws and mental damage and were outcasts of society. I wonder if there were still members of the Asylum there, or if we had all scattered. Perhaps I was all that was left now— what a terrible thought.
The thought that I hadn't been in the Falls in so long made me feel old, it only now hits me that I am probably far older in Murtagh's eyes, in everyone's eyes. I wasn't a baby, wasn't some lost teen who was still emotional over the abandonment of her family, but I wasn't quiet a totally mature adult yet. I was in a limbo, caught between childhood and adulthood, where I was respected but still looked down on by those older than me. How fun.
Murtagh was a little sad to see Sameira go, he liked her! But Amara was pretty cool too. Now that the pair of them had found him, he didn’t feel so afraid anymore. With this pair, he was bound to find Eytan soon and then they could go back home. He was certainly never planning on running off ever again and he feared the anger from his mothers when they found out what he had been up to. So long as he ended up home in one piece that should be enough, right? Adults could be so unreasonable. But more than the anger he hated the idea that for even a little bit of time, his parents wouldn’t know where he was - wouldn’t know he was safe. He tried so hard to be good!
He blamed it on the bamboo, of course. Why did it have to grow so thickly?
Although he was itching to chase after the not-bear he kept his hooves firmly rooted where he was and allowed himself to be distracted by Amara. She mentioned a couple funny names, neither of which he knew though he frowned in concentration as he checked his memory. “Nope I don’t know them. Where they nice? Our kings are Kaj and Archibald now. I think they’re supposed to be tough but no one’s tough like my papa.” Not even the warlords of the Falls!
But he didn’t like the fact that Amara didn’t have a home - it made him sad. “You could come back to live there if you want! My Papa tells me it’s safer in a herd and the Falls is the safest.” Everyone should have a home and Murtagh firmly believed everyone should have his home because it was the best. “I could show you and Sameira my favourite swimming spots!”
Murtagh
SO SO SO sorry about the wait @Amara! Feel free to have Sameira find the bear in your next post and reunite them ^^
I stayed quiet for a moment, watching closely the trembling bamboo that regrouped in Sameira's wake. The question repeats, a constant loop that for some reason sputters and coughs through my head, squealing with melancholic cries. Were they nice?
It was probably so silly for me to get caught on that question, to feel the trembling of my limbs as I remember one particular day. It goes over and over, watching the blood and the tissue, plucked and pulled from Seele's body like she was some meal. And I, paralyzed in fright, unable to get myself to move— to help. She was protecting me, and I did nothing to save her.
A muffled mix of laughter spills from it at my right, whispering grueling things and hissing in their delight at my guilt. My mind was blurring, the lines between me and the— others— letting them grapple at my head to see who would get a turn next. I knew they were there, I could feel them, feel their presence and how eager they were to spring into my head. Memories started crumbling, eaten by the gaping maw of the abyss, my relationships faltering— my opinions and feelings falling to ruins.
"Hold fast, 'Mara. Sameira knows what will happen if 'Mara does not. 'Mara will scare boy, boy will not like it."
"Well— I.. I didn't speak much with Midas, but he seemed to be nice." I hadn't many memories of the black and white pegasus, failing to recall any further interaction that the day Seele ceased— remembering that he set her broken body ablaze while I cowered in a corner, creeping paranoia engulfing my unstable mind. "Seele— she was very nice. She may have been the nicest mare I've ever met." Certainly she was, this was no lie— she had taken me under her watch when I stumbled upon her during the eternal dark, when Sameira had just come to exist. "She was my adopted mother, and created a safe place for many horses." I wanted to say mentally unstable— afflicted— something. But I chose to leave that detail out, like it would be admitting that I was some kind of monstrous nightmare that had to be kept safe or I'd wreak havoc on society. Really, that isn't wrong.
He drops two names— Kaj and Archibald. My ears swivel, eyes settling on the ground as I find no recollection of these two new Czars. My sadness deepens, my realization that perhaps I am the last— the one legacy raised from the Asylum. Where have the others gone? How— in all this time— have they all vanished? Blödmann, Ghost, Agrona, Eris, Circuta, Histe, Geier, the list goes on. My family, meine sippe.
I smile solemnly at the boy, shaking my head gently. "I'm afraid I've moved on from the Falls, my family no longer lives there— and there are too many bad memories associated with it." It was true, for it was there that my true descent into madness began— and Seele's unfortunate end. "I'm sure they're lovely swimming spots, perhaps you could tell me about them?" I was only trying to keep the conversation going, trying to get all these cramped up thoughts pushed farther into the recesses of my head. "And tell me about the Falls now, I'd like to hear about it." I smile softly, giving a deep inhale while I reminisced on my days of isolation, when the Asylum was mixed and mingled with neurotypicals— when we no longer were the Asylum.
.svg/2000px-Google_Chrome_icon_(2011).svg.png){kind=icon}
![[Image: 5626f07281a02]](http://images.helovia.net/index.php/view/5626f07281a02)
⇒
[O] through the mist, through the woods
