the Rift


[SWP] The beginning of the end :: the ending.

Kaos Posts: 37
Helovian Ancient
Stallion :: Hybrid :: :: Ageless
Admin
#1

The Helovian Gods had taken everything from him. Purged his lands of the lives that he had cultivated for centuries. They'd uprooted four of his carefully crafted lands and unceremoniously dumped them into their own terrain, with no thought to the consequences. They wrapped up their genocide and mass appropriation under the guise of altruism. They were helping all those poor Riftians, the lands were infected

What. Utter. Bullshit.

But now they would see the true power of the Rift. Of the magics that grew and bloomed wild and untamed there. He was nothing if not proof of the hardiness and resilience of his world and his peoples.

And he would have them back. All of them. And more.

Already Kaos' shadows had been choking out the outer Helovian realms, guiding and pulling all those far away from him towards the Spectral Marsh where his power had been constantly growing and swelling. Now was the time. He was ready.

The black altar which previously only spurted blue flowers and pleasant smelling teal liquids begean to dissolve into a semi-solid sphere. It pulsed and writhed with a brackish and sickly-sweet light. It emitted a hum that could only be felt in ones bones rather than heard. It called to all of Helovian, pulling them closer. The thick black fog which had covered almost half of Helovia now doubled in size, forcing any who would try and evade Kaos' calls to comply or die.

“DO NOT FIGHT ME.” Kaos roared, his voice supernaturally propelled across the Marshes and far beyound, ringing in the ears of every living being. “Everyone will go into the portal." His voice boomed, followed by an ominous whisper: “One way or another."

[Insert some of you coming]

They disobeyed. Of course they did - Kaos was expecting this. He was not above making examples out of them. Hadn't their Gods done the same to him? But unlike the Helovian Gods, he was not here flaunting any sort of altruism. He was here to reclaim what was his.

An ivy-adorned stallion and a winged were were babbling something about having their child spared. Were they really pleading with him? Did they think their offerings were going to change his mind? Ilios, Parelia, and their darling little Areli (where was the crown he had given her all those months ago..?) were unceremoniously yanked off the ground in a fist of teal light. Their bodies exploded as black smoke poured from their eyes and ears. Their were shouts of outrage, but Kaos' was numb to their cries. “FOR EVERY REFUSAL, MORE SHALL DIE." Run, a water-colour looking mare tried to tell her child as she watched her former mate die, but the words did not manage to leave her lips, and Xolani too was taken by the light and shadows.


And, like he knew they would, more still refused.

Fine.

This time the teal light fell upon another trio. Two paints and a young girl. Seeing what Kaos was about to do, both Aaron and Brendan stepped forward to shield Farah from the light racing towards them, but of course their material bodies could not stop his magic, and Farah too was dissolved in black and teal light.

Screaming some nonsense about their brother, two winged mares charged ruthlessly towards him. Without so much as a thought both Grusha and Tae found themselves pulled apart into smokey nothingness.

“HOW LONG SHALL THIS CONTINUE?" Kaos roared, his voice on a knife's edge between mirth and annoyance.

Apparently longer, as more disobeyed his orders to step through the portal.

Kaos set his sights upon young girl with lighting racing up and down her neck. As his teal light raced towards her, a pale pegasus mare stepped in the way, wings flared. But of course this was no use. Aleta and Sohalia were gone. Watching his sisters die proved too much for Matheo, who charged towards Kaos. He didn't even make it more than a few steps before his sunlit body exploded with shadowy vapours.

“HOW MANY MORE NEED DIE BEFORE YOU LISTEN?" An ugly mutated boy was the next to be gripped by the light, following the soldier he had once tried to help. Kaos tisked under his breath - she had had potential. But now neither Ru'in nor Ru would make it through. A pale red-horned mare  and blue-horned stallion were next to try their luck, but of course neither Phantom nor Vadim could best Kaos' forces. Shadows claimed both the ashen mare and stallion.  

A fallen angel tried his luck at martyrdom, trying to position himself before Kaos so that others could flee, but his sacrifice was short lived. Mikyael's body bled shadowy vapours as light wrapped around and enveloped him.

Together the two immortals of the group made their stand. Cast down by the deadly shadows, both Tarik and Ode got to their feet (albiet shakily) moments after. A smile passed over Kaos' lips, though it never reached his eyes. “TAKE WATCH. ALL OF YOU." The black smoke coalesced into a blade. With deadly accuracy it swung towards Ode, cleaning slicing off his head and allowing black smoke to pour from a wound which was overtaken by teal light before it could even bleed. For Tarik, the light seemed to move towards him and then stop, disappearing beneath his hooves. “Dead men tell no tales." Kaos whispered as smoke poured upwards annihilating him.

“WHERE ARE YOU GODS? THEY HAVE ABANDONED YOU. YOU HAVE ONLY ME. Choose life and go through the portal. You will not be harmed." But already the smoke had covered most of the marshes. The Helovian's ability to make this choice for themselves was quickly disappearing.

"What will happen to the companions if we go through?" Cried a blue lightning-marked mare. If Kaos thought she had any intention of actually going through his portal, he might have answered. But the defiance in her eyes sealed her fate. Ampere was overcome by teal light and black smoke.

Next came the charge from a line of warriors. A rather motley crew who stood no chance of succeeding, but they came all the same. Arion, Adaeze and Sialia. Hadn't they just watched how poorly such a tactic had worked for the others? This was beginning to get a bit annoying. This time as the group was covered in teal light, a flash of lightning lit the sky overhead. The remainder of the group had tried to flank him, but Argen and Boetius found themselves out-done by the shadows, while Einarr and Cirrus' aerial attacks earned them only a flash of teal lightning followed by their utter non-existence.


Out of the corner of his gaze, Kaos saw a darkish unicorn murmur something to a golden mare, before he and his two foxes tried to skirt around behind him. Fool, Kaos thought as Sacre was captured by a fist of shadows and destroyed.


For those who appeared indecisive, as if standing and waiting to see if their loved ones would arrive soon or were considering their own attacks, Kaos had no sympathy or patience. Kirottu and Grimalkin found themselves in the clutches of teal light, and then black smoke. “TIMES' A WASTIN' Kaos sneered, glaring at all those lurking nearby.

A rag-tag group led by Ophelia, tried to attack Kaos from all four directions. His shadows hadn't been dispersed into four before, so they reasoned at least one of them must be able to get through. But as Ghost, Eden, Ophelia, and Banjo charged like arrows shot from a quiver, smoke and light enveloped them all simultaneously.

“Nice try." Kaos mused, though his expression was annoyed and impatient. “ANYONE ELSE? Or can we all agree that your options are extremely limited."

Choosing to die in their own right rather than be forced into Kaos' portal, Zunden and Glasgow defiantly raised their heads and their voices against Kaos. But of course this did no good, and sickly green light and smoke took them just as easily as it had the others.



NOTE: If you have 'died' in this post, you may post your character elaborating on the circumstances of their death, or you may not. Up to you. If I missed anyone, let me know!

beauty in darkness
kaos in light
image

Random Event Posts: 1,286
Helovian Ancient
Stallion :: Equine :: ::
#2
THE GODS
The black smoke that encircled Helovia had not just pushed the Helovian's towards the Spectral Marsh and Kaos, it had kept the Gods out. They could feel Kaos' power rising and growing, but were helpless to intercede. Instead they watched as a bubble only their eyes could perceive wound its way around the continent, creating some sort of funnel that began in the marshes and was seemingly without end.

"Some sort of wormhole." The God of time grunted, his voice unnaturally calm and disjointed. "Call it whatever you like, but find us a way through!" Hissed the Goddess, her body covered in a surprising layer of sweat.

The God of the Sun, having pondered this very question for days now as Kaos' forces grew, bowed his elegant head. "I can break it, but only for a moment. You three will have to be swift.' Glancing up sharply, the God of the Earth had only time to mutter, "Brother!" Before the palomino burst from the skies like a raging comet. His divine body began to peel away and the pure energy of his soul was released. In a blast that would otherwise have destroyed all of Helovia he plummeted, his fiery sacrifice opening a small whole in the shield Kaos' had created to keep them out. Wasting no time the remaining three Gods hurled themselves through the opening, but they were almost too late. Even the God of the Sun's sacrifice did not prove strong enough to overcome Kaos, and as the three Gods entered the blackened skies of Helovia, they could already feel their powers waning.

Even so, they came. They had created this world and despite many misunderstandings of their methods and motives, they loved every single creature within it. They would not allow it to be destroyed.

"ENOUGH OF THIS." The God of the Earth cried, appearing much more weary and mortal than he had ever looked before. Kaos didn't even flinch. Looking over towards the large earthen God, Kaos only smirked. "Oh no, I am just getting started."

Together, the remaining three Gods concentrated their wills and directed a powerful team of power and energy towards Kaos. A bright white light coalesced around him until it became too bright to see. The Gods grunted, their muscles shaking and their eyes tightly closed with their combined efforts. But as the light began to fade, a noise was heard.

It started low, like the very bottom octaves of a cello, before rising up, higher and higher and louder and louder. A malicious and bone-chilling crescendo of laughter.

As the light faded entirely, Kaos was revealed to be preciously where he had been, completely unphased by the combined attacks of the Gods. His laughter rocked the earth, and the sky seemed to quake with the sound. "YOU SEE?" He chuckled, his voice a raucous peel of laughter. "You have lost. YOU. HAVE. LOST."

And for the first time, the God of the Moon, the Earth, and the Spark knew this to be true.

They had been beaten.

They had failed.

Even so, they were not without options. As if sharing one mind, they began to act. The God of the Spark cast bolt after bolt of lightning towards Kaos. He couldn't prevail over him, but he could damn well distract him. The Earth and the Moon focused on the portal, pouring their combined energy into it. As had happened with the Sun, their bodies began to break away with their efforts, revealing their pure divine energy below their physical bodies. The Goddess screamed and the Earth roared, but without the Spark and the Sun, they didn't have enough strength. "It isn't enough ... we cannot - " But then they were joined by another two. Isopia and Aithniel, while not Gods themselves, had enough divine blood in them for this. After all, this was precisely why they had been created, wasn't it? Focusing, both The Mountain that Knows and The Inquisitor began to lose their earthly bodies just as the Moon and Earth and Sun had. White light in equine form bled from their bones, and the black-teal mass of the rift began to glitter beautifully for a few moments.

"GO." Commanded the God of the Earth, his voice weak and wavery. "SAFE-- CAN'T - HOLD - FOR... LON-" He voice broke in and out as every last ounce of his strength was poured into the portal. He couldn't guarantee that they would make it through precisely as they were now, but they would be alive. And there would be something else as well: the strength they poured into the Rift would guarantee at least one small piece of Helovia would remain with them forever. One magic would be fixed to their souls, and that was something Kaos could never take away.

credits

Kaos Posts: 37
Helovian Ancient
Stallion :: Hybrid :: :: Ageless
Admin
#3

“STOP IT.” Kaos screamed as he became privy to just what it was the Gods were trying to do. Suddenly the air grew still and cold, and Kaos appeared to double in size. “NO MORE GAMES." He roared, eyeing the God of the Spark who stood defiantly, gazing straight up into the god's eyes. “See you later alligator." The massive Kaos sniffed, and in a wink of electricity, the God of the Spark was gone. “In a while crocodile." He answered himself in a sing-song voice, as Isopia and Aithniel's bodies of light disappeared in a teal flash. “Don't forget to write." Kaos concluded with a growl. As the God of the Earth and the Goddess of the Moon's body exploded in a fit of rubble and starlight, the shimmery magic cast onto the portal by the Gods began to waver. Teal light flooded the area as the shadows closed in. The portal began to suck all those remaining towards it.

There was nothing left to do but to allow yourself to be pulled into the light, or destroyed by the shadows.

Helovia had fallen.

beauty in darkness
kaos in light
image

Weaver Posts: 149
Aurora Basin Corporal atk: 8.0 | def: 10.0 | dam: 3.0
Mare :: Hybrid :: 15.1 :: 3 years HP: 61 | Buff: Novice
Raven :: Australian Raven :: Terrorize Kyra
#4

i don't rise from the ashes, i make them.

They all knew they would end up here. It’d only been a matter of time, a matter of wasted preparation. There would be no fighting Kaos, not this time. There would be no stopping whatever he had planned. She’d gone with Mortuus to the herb garden and collected everything she could, meeting the rest of the herd that they’d managed to collect at the entrance. She had all her possessions with her already. Raven curled in her cape now, turning it to a nest on her back, finally settling down, too afraid to leave her side now. She wanted him with her. Her mark is protected by a piece of metal that also bears the mark of death, and the glimmering spike hangs, deadly, from her neck.

She tries to stay with the Basin, tries to stay with Mortuus really, as they travel. She has no idea if they can though. Panic create chaos, no pun intended, and she expects they will split. Still, she tries to serve as their Corporal to the very end, there to protect them if she can, to encourage them to do whatever Kaos asks. Even Weaver knows when not to fight.

Soon, they find him, Kaos and his obelisk. Though now it shifts and changes, becoming what…a portal? He invites them through it, to some other land. The Rift, she assumes, though it’s not like she knows for sure. It’s a chance, that’s all she knows, and that seems like more than they have now. She’s possibly not the first through the portal, though she’s tempted to be, to simply waltz right on through and hope that the rest will be brave enough to follow. She isn’t afraid of what lies on the other side, she is only afraid that no one will come with her. Not that she feels much, but she cares for her herd mates, and she wants to shove every single one of them through.

It doesn’t take long for some to defy Kaos though, and the battle is one sided at best. He ends their lives quickly, one after another. Finally, after what seems like hundreds of needless deaths (though really, it isn’t nearly so many) the Gods arrive. Three of them, the Sun already gone and it doesn’t take long for the rest to fall. What do they fall for? She’s not sure what their magic accomplishes other than what Earthie can sputter out, something about making it safe. Maybe he just means safer, because nothing is safe – not even Helovia.

“I’ll let you know if it kills me!” she yells, hoping some of the Basin can hear her. Not that she really thinks she’ll be able to yell back from wherever this will lead her. The Rift. Was that now home? It’s nothing new for Weaver, the girl who has lived everywhere, in this world and in others. She can make another home. With that, she slips through the carnage (for it is simply carnage, not a battle) and makes her way to the portal. Her amber eyes search for Mortuus, trying to catch his eye, imploring him to join her, to start this new life together. Something she had never thought she might ask of another horse, even if she has no idea if he'll ever see or know. Weaver aims a winning smile in Kaos' direction, though she has no idea if he’ll notice or care. “Time for a field trip,” she mutters, and plunges through.

I'm the whole fucking fire.

- weaver -

image credit | quote by erin van vuren

Please tag in all posts
Magic use/power playing is okay, but check before serious injury/death
Image by AmoretteRose

Beloved Posts: 121
Aurora Basin Soldier atk: 8.5 | def: 10 | dam: 3
Mare :: Unicorn :: 14.3 :: Appears 6 HP: 62 | Buff: NOVICE
Orphan :: Ragdoll Cat :: None Bunnie
#5

Ever a presence here, especially since there were few other places to be, Beloved watches the rising of her God with her own laughter gaining in volume and rapidity, her new found kitten a new attachment upon the ridge of her shoulders, seemingly eternally playing with her pale hair, or sleeping. Dancing towards and away with excited leaps and dashes, she circles the orb, gnashes her teeth at those who dare leap forth to defile it, and cackles with black delight as they burst like fruits beneath the pressure of her master’s power.

She does not need such beckoning to go where He wills; rather, she remains for the sight of it, for the arrival of his victory, which she had promised those who would listen. When the cheating Gods of Helovia pour from a hole in the sky to combat her Lord, the witch bellows her disgust of them, the malevolent sound becoming shrill, and frightened when they seem to overcome her master.

"No!" she curses, a sharp call to fate, that she is unprepared for her kingdom to burn; not yet, not yet…

It is but a momentary loss of Kaos’ black grip upon the world, though, and with a defiant rear as she watches her God rise from the restraints pressed upon him, she cheerfully squeals and giggles with joy. Now, now she moves to the portal, through the shimmering slip, hearing the Spark rupture into a thousand blinding lights, chased by the stardust and sand made of the others.

Beloved was going home, home with her master…


Beloved
strength in numbers?
I’m counting you like sheep.

images by littlewillow-art@DA - code by me
Tag Beloved, please!

Feel free to attack her with physical or magical violence at your own risk. ;D

Mesec the Nightwind Posts: 476
World's Edge Glazier atk: 5.5 | def: 9 | dam: 5
Stallion :: Tribrid :: 16.3hh :: 7 years old HP: 76 | Buff: NOVICE
Lucius :: Royal Zephyr :: Roc & Lyra :: Common Kitsune :: Dreams Sarah
#6

At least once a season, it felt like Helovia was summoned to one spot or another by a god or a creature. He was with Ki’irha and Vesper when the pull came, encouraging them towards the Flats - one of the few places in Helovia not covered by thick smoke keeping them out. As they journeyed, Lucius circled overhead, keeping an eye on Tandavi and their newborn twins. With his heart still in turmoil about his growing family, his steps felt heavy.

If only he knew what he was marching towards.

Kaos the betrayer created a portal, demanding everyone pass through to what. No one seemed eager to be the first to pass through and Mesec felt the hesitation grow within him as well, shifting uncomfortably where he stood.

He did not expect what came next. The Gods of Helovia were powerful, sometimes cruel, but nothing like this. Some begged Kaos for mercy and Mesec watched in stunned horror as they were torn off the ground and then exploded. His voice joined in the wordless shouts of sadness and anger from the crowd of Helovians and he stepped forward slightly, ready to defend Ki’irha and Vesper. Quickly Lyra left their side, scouting through the crowd to find the others Mesec loved, the others he wanted to protect. There were so many. “Vesper, don’t watch.” He whispered softly to his daughter, wishing he could save her from witnessing this - but knowing in his heart that it may already be too late.

He roared in heartache and frustration when Grusha and Tae were pulled apart, followed by Sohalia and Matheo.

Ru. The names of everyone he knew that surged forward scorched his mind as the thought them, his body tense and trembling with the horror of it all. What could he do?

He recognized one of the voices that called out - of course it was about companions - and his head snapped in the direction of Ampere in time to see her swallowed up by the deadly teal light and black smoke. “Not Ampere.” Her name was a whisper, unbelieving that there could possibly be a world where the blue lightning mare didn’t exist. The need to protect his family rooted him where he was, but the shadows of his magic began to swirl around his hooves in anger and despair. Lyra reported back that she found Tandavi and Sacre in time for Mesec to turn his gaze to them and see his brother fall as well. “SACRE!” The name of his brother was ripped from Mesec’s mouth as a scream - his silver eyes wide and horrified as he stared at the spot where his brother once stood. The deaths that followed were a blur - he didn’t even notice Ophelia’s attempt to lead an attack and fail - and he could feel what was left of himself further crumble into pieces.

“This is a nightmare.” His gaze looked back to the two mares with him, though their figures were blurred by the tears in his eyes. Unspoken but obvious was his question - what should they do? Risk whatever was through their portal and have a chance to live? Or die like the others here in Helovia?

When the gods came - darkness falling, and noticeably without the God of the Sun - Mesec actually believed everything would be okay. They could survive this.

Even when their attacks did not defeat Kaos, he still had hope. He began to move forward, called by the blood of the goddess in his veins, knowing he could help the way Aithniel and Isopia were.

But he moved too slowly. He didn’t reach them in time and had an unobstructed view of Kaos taking out the God of the Spark, then Isopia and Aithniel, and then the God of the Earth and… the Moon. “MOTHER NO!!” Mesec didn’t care that he sounded like a petulant child, his voice cracking with the words that he screamed as she exploded before his eyes - nothing but stardust in the end.

Gone.

There wasn’t even time to mourn - barely even time to register what had just happened. That the gods were gone. His mother, the goddess who shone with starlight, no longer existed.  Mesec felt hollow as he felt the effect of the portal - straining against the pull of it to turn to his family. “Stay with me!! We'll be okay, just stay together!” Mesec called out to them, his wild eyes searching for them all - willing Lucius and Lyra to help keep them all together with him as he slid towards the portal, unable to fight the pull. He could barely see through the tears in his eyes, couldn’t tell where they were going, if it was safe but they had no choice now.

mesec

I'll fight to survive through this thunderous life
without you by my side

art by xdjurax

Mortuus Nox Posts: 187
Aurora Basin Time Mender atk: 3.5 | def: 10 | dam: 7
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 15.2 :: Immortal HP: 66.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Dressy
#7
Mortuus Nox
Your fears have just become all too real, for the Devil at the cross road wants to make a Deal

He might have been surprised this was going to happen, but he wasn't. The morbid beast followed the humming deep within his bones. He watched as others started arriving. He had traveled with the paint mare, they were able to collect herbs and other things that might be needed. Bodies flew past the beast and Kaos released his anger on the others. Shaking his demonic crown he walks a death march. This death, destruction and carnage might scar others, but Nox ignored it all. This was normal, this is his every day life. The beast wanted to say congratulations you made it to hell to the dead bodies, but he quietly moved along. There was no reason to fight, no reason to lash out.

He tightened his wold pelt down as he watched others disappear. They were gone, never to be seen again. The beast wanted to stop and help, but no. It was not worth it. He was immortal he might be able to help, but there was no point. The gods were gone, the land was black. He was leaving. For a moment he lost Weaver. Cold eyes looked around trying to find her figure. Finally he spotted the woman and his heavy muscles moved into a canter. Cracked hooves moved through the other bodies and beasts. Agile legs carried his form closer and closer to Weaver. Finally he stood next to her. His heavy head looked around and a sigh fell from his maw. " Well if it is going to kill you, it will kill me too. " His heavy accented voice filled the air around them. Cold dead eyes watched the portal. Nodding his head to Weaver he jumped with her.
"I always enjoyed field trips"" He chuckled after hearing her speak. Then he was gone from Helovia. Not once turning back and looking at the others.

"Talking here""
Image Credits!

@Weaver for mentions

Please tag Mortuus Nox in all posts
magic & permanent injury is permitted excluding death.

Erthë Posts: 440
Outcast atk: 5.5 | def: 8.5 | dam: 5.5
Filly :: Hybrid :: 14,2 hh :: 3 years HP: 64.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Chan
#8

With the cold came darkness, deathly dark and hungry for the power of life. It left only destruction in its wake, and Erthë found herself herded south, away from her homeland and everything she had ever known or loved. Others joined in as the bottleneck tightened around them, their white-rimmed eyes and sweat-laced bodies mirroring her own fear. On they went, faster and faster. The young mare struggled to keep up, weighed down by her pregnancy and the constant attempts to find familiar faces in the milling throng.

And she found them. Many, many lives had crossed paths with hers in these scant three years she had spent upon this fair earth. Erthë recognized so many of them, knew their names and faces, knew their dreams and hopes and fears. With some she had shared a lifetime, others were only faces in the crowd, but all were they her kin, her friends, her beloved family.

And Kaos was taking it all away before her eyes.

Erthë wanted to fight back. She would have too, if she had been free to follow her nature. Others depended on her now however. Precious new life rested beneath her heart and it was not her place to risk it by being reckless. The little mare had done her last act of thoughtlessness the day she bedded Volterra, and her life was no longer just her own.

But it was hard, so very hard to stay back and watch others do battle in her place.

If it could even be called a battle. Massacre. Slaughter. Those were better words for what Kaos wrought upon her beloved. Numb with horror, she watched as he snuffed out the lives of the brave with no apparent effort. One by one they dissolved into darkness, claimed by the tainted magic the Deceiver. There was no mercy, no compassion. Women and children, old and young, brave warriors all fell before her eyes, and helpless to do anything Erthë cried, her pale cheeks lined with tears.

"FATHER! NOOO!"  

When Vadim's pale form vanished, the girl screamed out her pain and grief and found her voice drowned by the wails of the masses, their collective wails extending to the uncaring sky above. She threw herself forward, heedless of the danger in the all consuming desire to avenge her father - so kind, so gentle, so utterly unsuited to this field of carnage - but before she managed another step someone else shoved themselves past, and she was knocked aside, interrupted before she could draw the deadly attention of Kisamoa, the Deceiver, slayer of innocents.  

Gasping, Erthë struggled for breath and felt the life within her stir and thrash in protest. A sharp kick to the inside of her belly focused her thoughts again. An anguished moan of despair tore past her tightly closed lips and her will wavered, flickered, began to cave to what seemed so inevitable...

And then the Gods arrived.

Hope flared like a bonfire within her as her eyes fell upon their majestic figures. The sturdy, unshakable form of Earth, the no-nonsense weaver of Time, her own beloved Moon - so fair, so strong, so weary that her mind boggled at the thought of the powers that were set in motion here - but... Just as soon as it kindled, the hope faltered again. There were only three of them. Where was the Sun? The bright, blindingly handsome god of light and flame, whose arrogance had robbed her of her mother but whom Erthë still could not bring herself to hate?

He was not there, and without him it seemed the battle could not be won.

Unable to comprehend the vast scale of what was taking place before her eyes, the young hybrid girl witnessed the last battle of the gods that created her world. Hope and worry, fear and horror tore at her sanity as the fight surged back and forth, but as time wore on, only despair rose to prominence within her heart.

Again she screamed out in grief when the Goddess of the Moon was slain - if that even was the right word for what happened - and in a way, this loss was even more profound than the death of Vadim. Parents were supposed to pass away eventually. It was sad, horrible, too tragic to think of, but it was in the nature of mortals to perish. A God though, was immortal. Infinite beings, powerful beyond measure - they should not be so easily slain. All at once, her whole understanding of gods and mortals was thrown on its head. Nothing made sense anymore, no one was safe, nothing would ever be certain and true again.

And all choice had been stolen from her, leaving her with no options but to bow and bend to this primal force that had been unleashed upon them all.

Weeping inconsolably, the young daughter of light and shadow, born from winter's last breath, threw one long, wistful glance back at her home as she was herded into the portal. Once green lands, bountiful with magic and life, fertile and fair beyond measure... It was how she wished to remember it. Not this wasteland of shadow and death, this battlefield ruled by madness and grief... Up until the very last moment she struggled to see it, craning her neck and straining to look over the fearful horses that surrounded her.

Then it was gone. The portal consumed her, and all she perceived as the world fell away behind her.... was darkness.

Big girls cry when their hearts are breaking
image credit to Neaqmir on deviantart.com

~| Use of magic and violence is always permitted |~
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Ascended Helovian

Ophelia the Amaranthine Posts: 701
Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7
Mare :: Hybrid :: 16.0 hh :: 6 Years HP: 77 | Buff: BULK
Tinek :: Royal Silver Dragon :: Frost Breath & Shock Breath Tamme
#9


My name is Ophelia.

And today, I died.

I didn't plan for this to happen. I didn't mean for it to end this way. I was born in Isilme and escaped the wraiths when I was very young, mainly due to the sacrifices of those greater than myself. Helovia was my home, and though my heart belongs to many in my life, it rests in this broken land. This land has face adversity before, and we have overcome. I've watched empires rise and fall. I've met with wolves, known warring pegasi, taken charge of herdlands, pitted factions against each other, and I've spied.

The sun god blessed me. Tinek blessed me. And, I was blessed to carry Roskuld, Eleanor and Rhun to healthy lives despite my half-breed blood. I've face monsters of magic. I've faced the darkness. I've survived the plague of Helovia. I've survived the wraiths. I even killed one of the Rift gods, and I stood against Kisamoa with faith that my gods and my strength would not fail me.

I was wrong.

I knew one day I would die for this land, but I hadn't intended for it to be now. When the threat deepened and the gods called to save Helovia, I stood by their side. Tinek and I took up arms with the gods, and we fought. I watched my sun... my precious sungod.... struggle. I've never seen him look so powerless, and it broke my heart.

My one saving grace was that I didn't see Torleik or my children among the fray. I was grateful that they would survive and escape.

One moment I was fighting and the next, my hooves were swept from under me. I fell upon my side and realized that I couldn't feel them anymore. Panic was never something I felt, but I sensed it creeping in. I coughed, and blood spattered the ground. When I sat up I realized that they were gone. My legs... they were gone.

Life was draining from me, and I could feel the afterlife extending its hand to me, whispering that I had done well in this life.

Had I thought?

Tinek cried by my side, unwilling to leave me and unable. Maybe now I understood Ampere's fight against the companion bond. I've failed him completely by failing to take care of myself.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered.

Torleik.... would he be okay? Ellie? Rhun? Ros?

"I love you."

My body no longer felt pain. My soul was cleansed. No longer was I plagued by memories I couldn't shed and feelings I'd never been able to let go. I saw light. I saw the end.

Please know that I didn't mean for things to end this way. I intended to follow all of you to the very, bitter end of time. But, fate had other ideas.

So, I pray my death gave you time. I pray that I was able to do what my ancestors did before me - pave the way for better things. May my bones serve as a testament to my sacrifice. Honor me in the coming days.

Know that I am with you, always.

Love,
Ophelia.




OPHELIA
Faith shattered and decays as frosted blood flows in my veins

sdrcow @ DA




Undertow has come to take me. Guided by the blazing sun. Look at everything around us. Look at everything we've done.
Please. Anyone. I don't think I can save myself. I'm drowning.


Please tag me in every response!

Rikyn the Puppeteer Posts: 549
Aurora Basin Lord atk: 7.5 | def: 11.5 | dam: 4.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 4 HP: 70 | Buff: SWIFT
Duir :: Royal Cerndyr :: Earth Spirit Bunnie
#10

Rikyn


It was time.

The darkness roared at our heels, Duir and I running, occasionally looking back at that ominous, endless dark. Others throng alongside us, thrown, too, from the receding realms, one by one, until we were like a tide arriving on the scene of the Altar. It’s only now that there is really time to gather together, though I had certainly tried to track those I knew in the mayhem of the run here; with wild eyes and a lifted crown, I scan, and call out for those I cannot see with a growing desperation I do my best to be nonchalant about.

"Gwyn! Glacia!" I call, pivoting about, one ear tuned on the shouting Kaos, and the shouts of others, already rushing to meet him in battle, or pleading with him to spare the realm, but the other endlessly flicks and moves, searching for familiar voices in the turmoil, "Arleigh! Mordecai! Erebos!"

I curse my wanderer’s nature, having not already drawn them close to me, rather having pushed them out, as far as I could get them, my inner turmoil the sort that revolves like a hurricane, its wild arms tossing away anything it can. There isn’t much time for cursing or shouting, either, however, when the first few figures are lifted by the Black God’s will, and burst into vile plumes of shadow and ash, one after the other.

I know some of them, a distant whimper at the back of my thoughts sounding as each is struck from existence, but it’s not until the Gods arrive that my entire being clenches fast, and freezes.

"Don’t fight him, stay back!" I was shouting, suddenly cut short by the Divine’s sudden appearance, watching them bolt towards the threat to their people with valor.

The Spark, the last center stone of my life aside from Erebos, arrives alongside only two; the Earth, and the Moon. In an impressive feat of magic, I almost believe that they will subdue the foul God, that he is contained…

But then he breaks free. Magic flies through the air like ash cast off of a wildfire, and the sound of it all, the mourning, the dying, the blasts and crackles, it fades out, until I’m filled with the dull hum of nothingness. Aithniel arrives alongside them, and the Mountain, and my stomach does the same odd, terrible lurch it does anytime I see her, but with a devastating coldness that I won’t feel, not now, not ever. Everything slows down…

Everything grows slower, as they all become light; as they fall to ashes, to dust, into memories…

Everything…

The sound of the Earth’s plea meets my ears, a steady pulse that drives one after the other picking up behind it, urging me on. I realize, belatedly, that it is Duir, bumping into me roughly with his shoulder, looking down at him numbly, following his wild gestures to my herd mates, to everyone else, strewn about like lost children. Hell, dozens of them are children…

Calling out over the end of the world, I try my best to be a leader. I try my best…

"You heard him… Go!" I begin, softly at first, but my voice picks up as I hear others urging people through the Rift, as well, "go on! Hurry up! You too, slow ass!"

Bumping and shoving, I push people who stand dumbly there towards the way out, my family first, if I’ve found them, and then both herd mates, and general civilians alike. Of course, I'm not willing to sacrifice myself, either, and Duir is pretty well kicked through before I take the final step towards the magical portal.

"I'll be right behind you, buddy," I tremulously promise as I push him, more afraid of what will happen than I can let on at this time. The sound of his offended bleat is almost comforting, as I watch him vanish into the unknown.

Before I pass through, however, I do take a last look back.

And I try to leave as many parts of me behind, as I do.

[ OOC: Feel free to have Rikyn very rudely force your character into the Rift. ;D ]
I’d love to be the one to disappoint you
when I don’t fall down

Wishlist - Plots

Force/violence is allowed to be used on Rikyn permitted it does not permanently maim or kill him (PM me!).

Aithniel the Inquisitor Posts: 169
Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 9.0 | dam: 4.0
Mare :: Tribrid :: 15.0hh :: 4 Years HP: 75 | Buff: NOVICE
Zerachiel :: Royal Griffin :: Molten Dagger tamme
#11


Okay, let it be known that Aithniel didn't trust this Kisamoa character from the beginning, so all you assholes who helped him? Well you can fuck off, go to hell, et cetera.

She flew in with Zera hot on her wings, the pair jumping into the fight from the beginning. There wasn't even an option to run, not for Aithniel. She belonged to this land just as it belonged to her, and live or die, she'd stay right here. The Sun God was her father. Helovia was her home. She'd serve it until the end, and she did.

Aithniel watched through silver eyes as her father's body turned into a sacrifice to save them all, and she stepped up to stand by her family. With tear filled eyes, she offered herself as a sacrifice to help save the others.

Eyes closed, Zera circling overhead, the warring siblings and two of their children made their final stand so that all the others might live.

They'd better be fucking grateful.



A i t h n i e l

Hope not ever to see Heaven. I have come to lead you to the
other shore; into eternal darkness; into fire and into ice.
credits

But burn down our home
I won't leave alive


Please tag me in everything!

Glacia Posts: 111
Aurora Basin Medic atk: 4.0 | def: 8.0 | dam: 6.5
Mare :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 4 Years HP: 62.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Name :: Snowy Owl :: None Nessie
#12
Glacia

Confusion. It is all I feel.

The darkness is rushing us towards somewhere else. I don't know the people I run next to, all I know is I must keep Gwyn safe. No matter what. Everyone else is just a blur.

What the darkness pulls us to, well it was the most terrifying sight I had eve beheld. Chaos, Or well Kaos reigned everywhere, screams and groans, sobs. I heard it all. Yelling, the booming voices of gods. It was a warzone. In front of me I watched helovians become dust, causing a hurried halt and loud terrified snorting. As I slid to a halt my legs gave way under me, and I land painfully on my side, bruising my shoulder.

I could have been bleeding, I wasn't sure. I stood, my head swaying in the chaotic tumble of bodies, some disappearing in front of me as they were smote by Kaos's rage. I hear my name, and Gwyn's and I find him. Rikyn. "Rikyn!!" I try to lift my voice above all the noise, and I shove my way towards him. I see so much death as I make my way to my childs father. Ophelia, reigning as lady in the basin after Illynx, I watch as she dies. Tears stream down my face, as I call out to her. Not her. Why her?

My mother stands there, tall and proud, a warrior as always. She meets her death with grim determination. I suppose it was fitting for her to go this way. Fighting.

Sacre is there too, the fellow nurse in the Worlds Edge. I had spent some time, and genuinely liked him, so my heart broke as I saw him killed. After this, I can no longer watch. I reach Rikyn, but roughly I am shoved into the portal. He is the one to do it, and as he pushes my burning shoulder I have no other choice. I am among those sent to the Rift. I only hope I can find my family once I am there. I just hope if my son was present that he was able to make it out of the fray.

"Talk."

@Gwyn

image | bckg

Valdís Posts: 24
Dragon's Throat Filly
Filly :: Pegasus :: 16hh :: 1 year
dark
#13
tie a rope around your neck,
and let me kick you off a bungee
And my world is crumbling, crashing, burning - I am a thundering presence, a raspy cry in the dead of day as the physical world around me crumbles. I can't tell if I'm truly there to witness it, to watch it all fall apart before my eyes because I'd already lost all of it, everything. I loved her, I loved momma and the world did not take pity on me, did not sympathize with the way I clung to the earth at the lip of the Heart, the way I screamed and howled and wept, how even as the darkening mists swallowed the world, I didn't want to budge.

She fell so gracefully, plummeted into bubbling bright red and was swallowed wholly, she was gone before I could even register, before I could recognize that I was a bastard child, I was alone. I had held Sameira close to me, cooing pitiful, hopeful sentences in case somehow it would stitch together the deep, wide gash that spread through me - she went stiff and cold in my embrace, and I had never felt more alone. I was thrown, dropped, crushed, life threw me through hoop after hoop, and I put up with it's bullshit, but watching momma so willingly take herself out of this world - I was gagging, gasping, yelling, because you cannot expect me to so easily let her go. There was still so much more of her I had to experience, so much more I wanted to do with her, I wanted to really be her child, not her mistake, not her burden - I wanted to be her daughter, to be loved by her and all the sides she may have, every angle, every missing memory and every flaw.

I think it was tragic, to realize only after her death that I really did miss her, that I loved her, that despite all the anxiety, stress and fear that slipped beneath my skin when I was near her, the memory of my eyes, "golden, like the sun, like the sky right before the set and rise of the sun." She had told me that once, had trembled as she said it, pressed against my side with her voice low and sweet, she had told me I was beautiful. It was one of the few times there wasn't tension in the air between us, not haunting reality, the thought of all the shit she did to me in a fit of panic, or the fact that she could never stand up to acknowledging she had done it, that she had taken everything from me before I was even standing on four shaky legs.

My forehead burns, my chest gapes, I fell so entirely incomplete, feel that everything had been torn away from my fingertips for a second time. I am a disaster, crushed beneath my despair, broken and frantic, I was hovering over the edge of the Heart, considering plunging in after her, screaming out to her as though she could hear me, buried under layers of magma that rose and bubbled, brewed and cooked her empty shell in impossible temperatures. I don't know how long I had stood there just, screaming, how long it took me to collapse from exhaustion, from ruin - I panted, heaved, trembled before the big red mess that consumed my vision. I'd wanted to do something, to curse the gods or fate, to spit on the dirt and walk away because maybe for a second, I thought she deserved it. I wanted to stomp my feet, to throw myself over the ground and have a sick, childish tantrum until the looming black mists engulfed me the same way it had most of Helovia.

I ran, I ran and ran until my lungs were on fire and the phantom tears staining my cheeks burned through the skin, until they became burning hot, acid on my tongue, slipping down my face and leaving a blazing trail behind me. I was numb, I was dulled and senseless and I wanted to feel, but I was feeling, I was feeling too much and it fucking hurt. I was panic, despair, I was anguish and hate, hopelessness, untamed anxieties and vicious uncertainty that burned against my skin and promised nothing but more suffering, more tragedy and awful emotions. I was choking, a plume of smoke and stench, of diminished fires and overwhelming fatigue. I ran to the Marsh, to the place momma had lived out her life, had made the decision to end it, where I had left her, disowned her, because I thought she was insufferable, that she was pitiful. She was embedded into the roots of the Marsh, into the murky waters and the creeping shadows that lingered, the whispers, the kísértet with their silent wails and promise of freedom, of endless drifting, of nothing.

I found something I could not comprehend, that my fractured, broken mind could not handle as I look at disaster, as my shrill cries become louder, more prominent as I choke, gagging on the scattered mists of what was once lively individuals, individuals with families, with flaws, with interests and hopes, dreams for the future - they were being massacred, wiped clean as though they never mattered at all, as if they never even existed. I am heaving, panting, breaking, and I realize that perhaps momma felt this way too, felt the faint thundering of her heart in moments of panic, felt the dizziness, the stillness while her body closed in, while her mind shut down - I breathe in sharply, searing pain in my lungs and dryness in my throat, and let out a panicked yell that startles even I.

It does not come out as firm and aggressive, it is desperation, it is fleeting panic, it's the reality of it all coming to an end. "Bassza meg, csonttáska! Nem látja, hogy elég tettél?!" My voice is cracking, begging as I look up to the figure of the monster before us, the one who is tearing everything apart, who is overpowering even the gods that have ruled over this land, who have always seemed like the epitome of power. But here they are, being overwhelmed by this manifestation of absolute destruction, of catastrophe and disaster blanketed over a place I've suddenly soured towards. "Mi többet tehetsz? Nincs semmi maradt." I plead, quieter this time, to no one in particular, not the screaming lovers, the screaming sons and daughters, the mothers, fathers, the friends and even the acquaintances, all screaming because they are helpless, they are losing so much in a heartbeat at the hands of the merciless.

I am crumpling up, turning in, a broken record stuck on repeat as I just whisper, as I pray and beg, as I cower. "Kérlek, állj meg! Kérem! Kérem!"

Bassza meg, csonttáska - fuck you, bonebag
Nem látja, hogy elég tettél - don't you see you've done enough
Mi többet tehetsz? Nincs semmi maradt. - what more can you do? there's nothing left

Oizys Posts: 134
Aurora Basin Soldier atk: 7.0 | def: 8.5 | dam: 6.5
Mare :: Hybrid :: 17hh :: 2 HP: 73.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Ker :: Philippine Eagle :: Curse Snow
#14
NO WEALTH, NO LAND, NO SILVER, NO GOLD
NOTHING SATISFIES ME BUT YOUR SOUL

The world falls apart around her; everywhere there is Death, and Oizys watches with a sense of horror as people she knows, people she likes, are devoured by Kaos' influence.

Deep down, there's a sense of pride in the fact that she was never fooled by him. Even when he healed her, even when he vowed to help rather than hinder, Oizys never fell for it. As everybody dies around her and a portal opens up to a new world, the gargoyle feels a sense of rightness at the idea of being turned to dust alongside them. She was born here, this is where she should die. Ker croons a disagreement, and Oizys feels a frisson of fear both from herself and from her eagle. "I don't want to die, Ker, but we're going to. We go down with Helovia, just like Mother would have wanted." It's easy to sound brave, even when she doesn't feel it. It's easy to vow to do the right thing, despite knowing that it involves the end of everything.

The mare grits her teeth, and charges towards Kaos. She wonders if it will hurt to be condemned to dust, or whether it will be like sleeping. With three horns lowered and sparks brewing at her sides, she lunges forwards; Ker screams overhead, ready to die with her bonded. "This is for my mother, you....OOF!" She's stopped in midair by the large golden-marked rump of her king; he stops her in her tracks and knocks her directly into the suction field of the portal. Scrabbling for purchase, the mare fights against the pull, but she can't. Ker twists in the air, follows Oizys in her inexorable path towards the Rift.

"DAMMIT RIKYYYYYYYYN," is the refrain she bellows as she's sucked through the portal, deprived of her valiant death.

__________

TL;DR: Ozzy vows to stay behind and die fighting but is accidentally bootied into the Rift by Rikyn xD

image credits

[ the gargoyle queen ]
OIZYS IS ALWAYS RATED M FOR STRONG LANGAUGE IN HER POSTS




Zèklè Posts: 166
Outcast atk: 8.0 | def: 10 | dam: 3.5
Colt :: Pegasus :: 14.1 :: Three HP: 67 | Buff: NOVICE
charks
#15
Zèklè
Just like that, everything goes to shit. Turns out this Kisamoa character was kind of a dick.

Like everyone else, you heed the call (but what if you hadn't?), marching with your precious family toward the epicenter, the chaos, the fall (but what if you's gone the other way?). You keep a hawk-like eye on the boy, Sparky and the Little Mountain constantly in your sight, but your attention is halved as you mill through the assembled mass. Where are your sisters? Your friends? Isopia? Your Ma? You look for them frantically, and relief escapes you as your sunbeam eyes catch a glimpse of your best friend, your Mountain, your anchor. You open your mouth to call to her.

Then, as stated, everything goes to shit.

The first bolt of light startles you. You jump, your wings spreading, your attention flashing back to Iskra and Mauna. "Stay with me!" you snap, confused, alarmed, talifeathers raised and body on edge. The next flash and the screams that accompany it leave you perplexed, dizzy, confused (is this a dream?). The third one brings a lump to your throat, as the reality of this situation settles in.

The fourth one makes you scream.

You recognize their bodies as they tear apart, and the rage and pain that rises in your is visceral, terrible, worse than anything you've felt before. "GRUSHA! TAE!" you scream into the carnage, and you want to run toward them, you want to cradle their fallen forms, but you have Mauna and Iskra and you cannot leave them, you cannot move. "Don't look!"  you instruct the boys sharply, your voice panicked and shaky. A sob rises in your chest as the massacre continues around you. Five more flashes, five more fall - you know some of them, recognize them -

- and then your world falls apart.

You hear her. Her voice is a familiar, piercing scream, and in an instant you know, you know, and the horror that consumes you is overwhelming. You want to vomit. You want to scream. You want to run toward her, to stop her, to plead with her to stay, but your body is rooted to its place and all you can do is watch, devastated, destroyed, as your heart is torn from your chest.

You don't scream this time. You don't look away. The world is a pinprick, a moment, a still instant in which your youth flashes before your eyes. You remember everything - the warmth of her skin, the joy in her tales, the harshness of her voice, the comfort of her embrace. You remember the bad times, too- the loss of her, the pain, the yelling, the fight. You remember the last time you saw her, that horrible altercation, her flying off in rage. You were unable to reach her, unable to follow, grounded and broken. You were never able to be the things she needed, because she always needed so much - but you would relive every horrible moment, every cutting remark, every pang of guilt, if only you could keep this moment from happening.

"MA!" you wail in desperation, your voice breaking, a child abandoned, a son seeking absolution, every moment you've ever shared tied up in this single word - but Ampere is already gone.

There's more death, but you don't see it. It's a blur, it's pointless, it's nothing. There is a war going on inside of you, a battle to maintain some semblance of functionality, even though your stomach is boiling and your knees are shaking and you can feel yourself falling apart at the seams, the stitches tearing and the sheer weight of your grief clawing its way through your skin. The world revolves around you, but you don't move, don't breathe, don't feel.

Then the Gods appear, and you feel the faintest hope.

You turn back to Iskra and Mauna, praying they're still there, trying and trying to keep the sucker-punch of agony from your voice, your face. They are destroyed, too- you know this, because who wouldn't be? and you must be strong. Now, more than ever, you must be strong.

"We're going to go through the portal," you tell them bluntly, your voice surprisingly steady, your face surprisingly calm. The emotions are tamed, boxed away and kept for later - the need of your family trumps the weight of your grief, for now. "It's the only way. Sparky, you'll go first, then Mauna, and I'll come through last." The instructions are clear, a single sensible thing in an increasingly maddening world, and you nudge them on with wings and nose and, if necessary, teeth. The world is spinning around you, a toxic waste, and there is only one point of relief. You can only pray Isopia made it through already - and as you rush toward the portal you look for her, but you cannot see her, can't find her among the chaos, until...

No.

If your heart was broken by the loss of your mother, it is now to be thrown on the floor, trampled, steamrolled, and eaten. Isopia raises to the sky - beautiful, brave, focused Isopia - critical, calculated, curious Isopia - your first friend, your best friend, the mother of your child - and you stare, unable to comprehend, unwilling, denying, refusing, as she joins the Gods in their defense. "No," you whisper hoarsely, your sunbeam eyes pleading, your soul aching. "No, Iso, please, no-" but there is no one to hear your pleading, no God to pity you, no miracle to be had. You can only watch as the person who rests closest to your heart is devoured, her body bleeding into the portal, the light you've always seen in her finally finding its way out, in her death.

She did it for us, you think hollowly. You don't feel anything. Numbness has overtaken you - the pain is so great you fear it will snap your mind, and so you've closed it up, denied it, for the sake of your son and for the sake of his mother. This is her sacrifice, her gift so you will live - and you owe it to her to keep yourself together, to survive so you can raise her child, to carry her forever immortalized in your heart.

"I love you, Iso," you whisper to demigod's evaporating form-

-and then you step through a portal to another world, never to see this one again.

And in the sea that's painted black,
Creatures lurk below the deck
But you're a queen and I'm a lionheart

image | coding

Ki'irha Posts: 176
Outcast atk: 4.5 | def: 9.0 | dam: 6
Mare :: Unicorn :: 15hh :: 5 years old HP: 64.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Noella
#16
Ki'irha
And if we should die tonight, we should all die together || Raise your glass of wine for the last time
____________________________________________________________________
They were finally together, finally reunited, finally pieced together, as if the cosmos had finally decided that their sins had been repaid, and they could resume their life as a family. Finally, fatefully, perfectly, Ki’irha was home.

It had taken her so many years to learn that home was more than where you slept and where you lived. Home was where family was. Home was safety, and warmth, and love. She had known two homes. The first had been the Aurora Basin. Her great northern home had left her breathless with it’s beauty. She was a wolf, her herd was her back, and she had been built for the ruthless chilling nature that kept the herd thriving. She had known love with Ashamin, she had known loyalty serving beneath Deimos, beneath Thranduil and Hotaru, she had found family and comraderie in Mortuus Nox, in Rikyn, in Sialia, in Erebos, in so many faces and names. The ice ran through her veins, the sloping valley matched her curves, the mountainous rock lived within her hooves, and the starlit sky painted her frame. She was the Aurora Basin, and the Aurora Basin was she. And her second home, the only thing strong enough, powerful enough, to drag her away from that first home, stood beside her. Her beautiful daughter, kissed by the galaxies and carved from night, had accepted her back. There was a long way to go, but this was half of the battle. And Mesec, pieced together by moonlight and starless night, her prince, the one threatening to push her dangerously close to love, walked beside her. It was perfect. It was home. She had no where else she’d rather be. Helovia was her home, every corner, every inch, every unclimbed mountain and every untouched valley called to her, promised her adventure, promised her life. She could never imagine leaving. She could never imagine finding anything anywhere else.

Fate had a funny way of dealing a winning hand, no matter where you hid your aces.

They felt themselves pulled, ushered towards the slaughterhouse like lambs, and as they approached the pinnacle of devastation like ants to their hill, she knew with every approaching step that something was happening. Something terrible. Her midnight coat quivers, her nerves went alight, her steps were high and she danced with nerves, nostrils flared. And then, it happened.

Mares, stallions, children were being yanked from their places on the earth, twisted by blinding light, destroyed in a violent shadowed end. Her ears pinned, silver eyes wide, and her breath was ripped from her, but not before she exhaled a name. ”Virga. Her son was gone, missing, separated. What would they do? She needed to find him, push him. But as more were destroyed, (her heart ached as Sohalia, the beautiful woman who crafted her sparkling comb, disappeared into bloodied smoke), she knew she would never find him in time. There was nothing she could do for him, but everything she could do for Mesec, for Vesper. She sidestepped, brushing her nose against Mesec, and sidled towards her daughter, brushing her shoulder against Vesper’s. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, eyes closing, but not before she cast her gaze once one more time upon her first born.  

She would not stand. She would not wait, would not cower, would not flee. Upon graceful legs she stepped forward, her chest out, crown held high. She would be unsuccessful. She would fall. But she would not fail. She would join Sialia, who she had served so gracefully beside during her time as a corporal, and they would go into final battle together. She would help distract Kaos just long enough for Mesec and Vesper to flee. But before she could brazenly, stupidly, charge towards them, she watched her battle sister slain. “No!” she screamed, and she knew, then, that it was over. There was no distracting him. He was everything and nothing, he was consuming, he was devastating.

Her screams were matched by Mesec as he screamed out for Sacre. She fell back, eyes frantic, body quivering. “Mesec, Mesec, what do we do? We need to go, we need to leave.” She tried to pull herself away, felt as though she were wading through chest deep water, and she gently tried to shove Vesper, and clamped teeth against strands of Mesec’s mane and pulled. “We need to move,” she cried, desperate, helpless, and the world continued to crash down around them.

The gods came, but the starlit girl had no hope. It was over. So undoubtedly over. But still they fought valiantly, and as the portal began to twist and churn, each god made their sacrifice. But it wasn’t over. It would never be over. Mesec screamed for his mother, and though she didn’t know, though she couldn’t possibly know, his moonlit edges, his crown and his wings, his very being should have betrayed his lineage. She knew demigods walked among them, but Mesec? The father of her children? It suddenly made sense, hearing Vesper cry to Grandmother Moon, and her heart shattered for her family.

But she was a wolf. She was fearless and dauntless and strong and sharp. They did not need a doting careful gentle thing. They needed a wolf. Mesec tried to speak, to stay supportive, but there was no time. She pinned her ears, turned her teeth against him. “Just go!” she growled, landing a light bite against him, pushing against him. A voice rang out, and there was Rikyn, shoving others into the portal, and for once she knew he was right. She looked to catch his eye, fire burning wildly within her like their last meeting, and she followed his suit. Before she could give him more encouragement, Mesec was gone, vanishing, and tears burned her eyes, and her heart broke into smaller pieces than she could ever imagine. She turned to Vesper, knew she was broken, knew she had seen her grandmother ripped from the sky. How would she ever try to piece her broken daughter back together? None of that mattered if they didn’t get the fuck out of here, so she reached. “Vesper, go! We need you. Things cannot be changed. We need to move.” She pushed, yelled, encouraged, would go so far as to drag her child into the portal should that be necessary. Everything was a blur, and she could barely tell what she was doing as everything came collapsing in.

Soon, she herself was being pulled by the steep gravitational shift, a star being dragged into a black hole, and as she cast one last look at the devastation, at the bodies, at the bloodshed, she sobbed, she cried, she screamed. Her hooves fought to find purchase upon the ground, and she cast her eyes to the north, searched for one last glimpse of the mountains she had always loved. She screamed for Virga, knowing it would be fruitless. She watched some flee through the portal, and as she fell back, felt the edges of her consciousness fall apart, her silver eyes closed.

It was over. Her fight here was finished.

Helovia was gone.

Image Credit
[Image: 5581b91112f69]
Colored by Kels ♡
Lines by Bronzehalo

Please Tag Me ○ Permission for magic and injury is granted. Just no death or permanent harm.
Ascended Helovian

Mauja the Frozen Light Posts: 1,392
Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17.2 :: 14 HP: 79.5 | Buff: HUNTER
Irma :: Snowy Owl :: Terrorize & Diego :: Eurasian Eagle-Owl :: Rage Neo
#17

i am the vanguard of your destruction
It's how a world dies.

It's how it breaks; it wasn't just an end. It was destruction.

Annihilation.

The point wasn't to tear the lands asunder, and leave them a desolate wasteland; the point was to drive it deep, deep into their heads and souls. Brand them. Leave scars so deep they could never heal, only fill up. He didn't want them to die.

He wanted them to suffer.

But enough of that.

Mauja was just one of many sheep in the flock, marched along by a force that would not be denied. His bones groaned, his joints ached, his flimsy muscles shrieked every step of the way—the owls rode on his spine, attention turned inwards.

They quivered. They felt things, deep in the earth, smelled it in the wind. They were afraid.

He tried to soothe them, but how could he? How could he wrap them in his love and tell them everything would be alright, when the strongest presence he had ever felt herded all of them to the place sacred to it? How could he possibly lie to those he loved the most? We'll get through this together he told them. He had stopped counting how many times he'd promised it, feeble and broken, during their death march. It had been well over fifty when he gave up.

Step by aching step he made it to the Marsh, a speckled, sweat-soaked body at the back of the pack. With him, he wore what little he had; the moon's scythe, and d'Artagnan's bags, packed with odds and ends.

He didn't want to leave what he loved behind.

He swallowed.

d'Artagnan...

And when his flock came to where they had been brought, where they were not hounded on by the wall of shadows, he knew what it was.

Slaughter.

Sweat and screams and fear and stress. The air reeked of panic and burnt fur, the bitter, metallic aftertaste of blood and magic; voices rose together in screams of loss and fury, grief and hatred. It pushed at his senses, crowded in with the bodies, made him stumble.

There was a pattern to it. They were gripped by terror and denial, frozen, but those who were to die, they moved. Raised a head. Charged. Flared their wings. And a black void swallowed them. A flash of teal burnt their graves onto his retina.

And then they were just gone.

Some, he vaguely recognized. Some, he placed by the shouts that came after. He heard Erthë's voice. Knew the blue-marked unicorn who had died to be Vadim, her father, son of Paladin, brother of Ophelia and Varath. He watched, as if from afar. Swung his head, his searching blue eyes.

He saw so many. And he saw death pass across their eyes. Sweep across their souls. Touch their heads, and consider.

His heart was slow. (It was racing, but time had slowed. Seemed to stop.) The amalgam of dead gods killed and killed and killed and told them all to stop.

But they wouldn't stop.

They were Helovia, and they would break before they bent; Ampere died, followed by Mesec's shrill voice. Sialia died, went down fighting. Glacia. He couldn't see her in the throng.

And then—

And then—

—his world ended. Mercilessly. Suddenly. Time ground to a halt. Voices grew distant. In a flash of darkness, Sacre—Sacre, fuck's sake, the only thing he had left of d'Artagnan, the one thing he had tried to keep safe, and failed, so utterly, so completely. Sacre disappeared, his foxes too—there one moment, gone the next. A flash of teal, a crack of darkness, and they were gone, just memories. Just fucking memories. Mauja threw his head up, stared the other way. Stared into the oncoming darkness.

Looked for the shape of the red bay, looked for the mad doctor, the nightshade.

He saw only shadows, broken dreams, lost hopes.

There's no fighting this.

He looked back to the God of Death. He looked back just in time to see Ophelia—the one he had loved, the one he had lost, the one he had let down and watched turn to another man's embrace for comfort—charge. She was pearly white, pristine, a spear of goodness and light arcing through the miasma of teal-and-black death. She was fierce. Her dragon glittered silver. She was Ophelia, and something complicated in his heart surged, fierce and free and flying. It ached, as if it might burst, and in those slow, agonized moments, he actually believed she could do it. That she could somehow get close enough, sink her long horn into the sick creature and bleed the power from it like blood. She was Ophelia—she was strong and beautiful and intelligent and lovable and so, so dead.

She disappeared, just like the others. There, then gone. Alive, then dead.

He didn't have words for it. He didn't have time, or resource, to process it. He just stared at the spot where she had been, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Unwilling, maybe; everything drained from his soul.

All he felt was fear.

It trembled somewhere deep within, echoed by the owl hearts riding his back and mind—bleak with hopelessness and a dead dream, he saw the world grow dark as the Sun died for them.

He saw the gods arrive. He saw the lightning flashes from Spark. He looked for Roskuld, but couldn't find her.

They all turned to bright light, but he barely saw them.

Stop, he wanted to say. Leave us and save yourselves. Build a better world for what is to come. But they didn't. Wouldn't. He willed himself to hope, to believe, as if their faith could somehow turn the tide, and push back the blackness—but it couldn't, could it?

And maybe that was why they died.

They crumbled. He felt something sear across his heart, a presence that lingered only a moment—like soothing balm, a cool touch to a feverish head. It was her, saying goodbye, and he didn't have time for hatred and bitterness anymore.

Goodbye Moon, he thought. His ears were ringing. The darkness crowded in. He thought it was quiet, then he realized it wasn't—he was just too stunned to comprehend what he was hearing.

Helovia had taken the last few pieces of his smashed heart, and died.

He turned to watch the Portal. Some went willingly. Some were pulled in. Some, were pushed. He blinked, eyes burning. He wasn't sure he wanted to go. He wasn't sure he wanted to try again.

He wasn't sure life was worth it.

He considered calling out to the Deceiver, but did not; if the Moon's gift was still with him, there was nothing he could do anyway. There had been no way out. There had been no one way to make him unable to rise again.

Rise again. His gaze flamed as he raised his head. The scythe's blade whispered back and forth. He didn't feel like drinking tea with Kisamoa and laying out his problems and understanding his reasons—he didn't want to stand broken over a dead body, screaming why, not understanding.

He wanted some good old-fashioned hunting. Killing. A crusade. He wanted to lose himself in the bliss of mindless stupidity, of not thinking, of only caring about the next trial—the next throat to lay open with the scythe's blade. Never question. Never absolve. No mercy.

But how do you kill a God?

Like this, he thought as he stared at the wasteland.

The pull of the Portal was too strong now. He buckled his knees, but before he hit the ground, it pulled him in.

He looked at the shadowy Marsh a last time—a desperate glimpse of the last place to know Sacre and Ophelia.

Then it was gone.
angels, they fell first, but I'm still here

Wessex Posts: 149
Aurora Basin Haruspex atk: 5.0 | def: 8.5 | dam: 7.5
Mare :: Unicorn :: 16.3 hh :: 3 HP: 68 | Buff: NOVICE
Astor
#18
for there are many ways to kill a man they say
After dragging Tiamat back from the smoke, Wessex tries to stay at the rear of the Basin group, plodding along with the stragglers, offering small, short words of encouragement to those with tears in their eyes. She has nothing but the leather armor on her back, her ivory horn ring, a dagger, and a piece of the Haruspex’s mirror. She has no companion or child to worry about, which makes her an ideal rear guard - hustling them along before the great waves of smoke that come steadily behind them. Always at Tiamat’s side, she gives the great white mountains a final look, and curses it all to hell.

It’s no surprise as they’re herded towards the Marsh.
It’s no surprise that Kaos rains hell down upon the Gods
The deaths? Those are a surprise. She watches it all with an unaccustomed numbness, doing her best to stay by the blue maiden in the melee, and that’s really all she can think about - that purpose - it saves her.

She’s never been real religious, but fuck if Wessex’s stone of a heart didn’t constrict in her chest when Sparky exploded in the sky. Just like that, the big guy who seemed to believe there was something in her is just… gone, and for once, she’s left thankful that her sense of caution prevailed after the first few went poof. No, there’s no way to fight him - this is a lost cause, and she grimly turns to those surrounding her, following up on Rikyn’s instructions. “You heard him - into the Portal.” Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Weaver leap, and a part of her is glad the tiny Corporal is one of the first through. Bravery sets an example, but Wessex will not follow yet.

Using her bulky body, she begins to press forward, using her spiked tail to gently prod those on either side of her. “Go! No more deaths. Go, follow the others!” To be honest, she could care less about others outside of the Basin, it’s a distraught Tiamat she’s focused on. The woman is clearly shell-shocked, uncapable of doing anything. “Stay close to me, we’ll get others through and then go together,” she yells into the maiden’s ear. It’s classic misdirection, as the warrior woman flirts with the edge of the sucking force, until she positions herself just so, and heaves her bulk against the slighter woman, hopefully shoving her forward enough so that she (and Nimue) are pulled along.

When she is finally satisfied that enough of the Basiners are through - there goes Rikyn, Nox, Oizys, Weaver, Glacia - she tries to wait for Erebos, but he, too, is lost in the fray. Finally, there is no delaying it, and when faced with the Portal, Wessex summons a roar and charges through, meeting whatever may be on the other side the only way the daughter of a Lagertha, the Viking Warrior Queen can - with all guns blazing, and no fear of Valhalla.  

I am Iron and I Forge Myself


Feel free to say Wessex poked/prodded/forced your character in too!
@Tiamat
-- please tag in all posts! --
-- magic and force allowed, no death or permanent damage --

Ilios Posts: 200
Dragon's Throat Informant atk: 5 | def: 9 | dam: 6
Stallion :: Hybrid :: 15 :: 4 (Frostfall) HP: 66.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Isabella :: Common Rougarou :: Flame Parelia
#19
Ilios
Scars heal, glory fades
Pain hurts, but only for a minute
'Cause the chicks dig it
The smoke had been forcing everyone ever closer to the Spectral marsh,and in the mad rush to beat the wall he had found his mother. Tears streamed from her honey brown eyes as she gazed at her son and grandson. Pain erupted through the four of them as they all leaned in and pressed wet eyes against hot necks. Even Isabella in her wold body and Penna cry along with their bonds. Something was wrong, so very wrong.

The world was ending.

Parelia and Ilios spotted Areli and cried out for her begging her to join them. They all embraced even Kyros pressing against his sires side as he watched with wide ebony eyes. Fear pulsed through everyone and Ilios shoved Kyros behind him trying to save him from Kaos. He gazed at his family his heart breaking because he knows this might be the very last time he ever seems them. A lump forms in his throat as he turns his gaze look around for his other children. "Patrick! Kolr! Maui!" He can't see them anywhere and panic races through his mind. Parelia presses firmly against her children trying her best to reassure them. She turns to gaze fondly at her grandchild, the only one she will ever meet. She wonders where her other two children are, but they have been missing very a very long time and she assumes they are far away from this broken world. "I love you Kyros, it was amazing to meet you."

He turns his attention to his son eyes bright and he opens his wing and rips three feathers from his wing. Carefully he tucks the into his son's mane pressing his muzzle against his body before handing over the rest of his treasures. "Take these Kyros. Know that I love you and I will always be with you my son." He keeps his tears at bay while he nuzzles his golden marked child one last time. The second he turns away to face Kaos tears burst form his face in silent sobs.

Parelia gazes at her children and nuzzles them each in turn. Her voice is thick and cracked with her emotions, "Ilios, Areli, I love you both very much and I am so proud of the adults you have become." She swallows at the lump in her throat while tears trail down her dainty features. Silver eyes meet honey and their heads dip in silent understanding. "Kyros, Areli stay here." Side by side Ilios and Parelia step forward to address Kaos. To Ilios's dismay he hears Areli behind them and a sob rips from him as he turns to look back at his beloved little sister.

They plead on behalf of their remaining family begging the dark god to leave them be. A gasp of surprise bursts from their lips as they are ripped into the air. Teal light surrounds them as he glances one more time at his child. A scream tears from his throat, "I love you my children! Stay strong!" With those last words the darkness takes over. Three lights lite from the same flame are extinguished at once.


------------------
Talk
Words;; 522 @Areli @Patrick @Kolr

image | coding
You must be true to your heart..
[Image: silver_dreamer_mist_by_cantatus_promise-d8flci6.gif] [Image: mwaCGuX.gif]
Tag me

Volterra the Indomitable Posts: 785
Dragon's Throat Sultan atk: 8.5 | def: 11.5 | dam: 8.5
Stallion :: Equine :: 17'2hh :: 3 HP: 80 | Buff: SENSE
Vérzés :: Common Red Dragon :: Frost Breath & Toxic Breath & Vadir :: Royal Gold Dragon :: Fire Breath & Shock Breath Snow
#20


It's just a normal day, until it isn't. There is nothing to differentiate this from any others, nor any sort of clue that this will be the day Volterra's world ends. It is not remarkable in any way, and the titan is caught unawares by the events that transpire.

It happens all at once; Kaos erupts, and he brings death. The warlord watches, numb and dumbstruck, as allies and friends and strangers alike are turned to dust. Tae. Parelia. Areli. Ode. Shit, Argen! Ampere, too, and this is when the warlord finally shifts into action, his senses awoken by the death of his Sultana. What kind of beast can kill so easily, with the mere twist of the earth? There is no way for any of them to fight back; no notion of a fair battle, with both combatants equally suited. "You coward," snarls the stallion, and his entire massive frame shifts to face the false God. The rest of the Gods arrive, and Volterra's heart soars at the notion that they haven't abandoned their subjects after all. His dragons whirl around him like a tornado of red and gold, picking up his intentions from his mind; they are in full agreement that they will take Kaos down or die trying, because it is just not fair that the foul beast should be allowed to win this easily. He thinks of his children; their mothers can surely tend to them if their father dies in battle, and they will know that he died bravely, fighting for their home, fighting for their freedom, fighting for their future.

But then the Gods are slaughtered. Then, Aithniel falls. And then....

"ISOPIA!"

It is a roar of passion, of raw, unadulterated feeling; in that one bellowed word is a thousand unsaid things, a thousand whispered nothings, a thousand futures that he can never have with the love of his life. In the back of his mind he's aware of somebody else shouting something similar, some other man daring to think that he has the right to care about the Mountain - normally jealousy would ignite like a forest fire inside his bones, but there's no space for anything else next to the gaping chasm that used to be his heart.

"No, no." It's the stages of grief all jumbled together; this is the denial, because Isopia cannot be dead. Volterra's best friend, his lover, the mother of his strong twins, his past, present and future, cannot be dead. It is not possible. She is power personified, she is of the Earth's seed, she has her strong dragons and her magic and her glorious warmth, her knowledge, her love, her life, his heart. That can't all be gone. It just can't. His companions' howls mingle with his own; Vadir screams for Babel, because even though she'd temporarily left Helovia to dally with a wild gold, he was never far from her thoughts. Vérzés's bellow is for Hubris, his friend, his comrade; and for Isopia too, because she made Volterra better.

No matter how hard he tries to believe that this is all a horrendous dream that he will wake up from, it is impossible to hide from the truth. She is dead, and he is going to die too. He, the warlord, the Indomitable, is going to crumble Kaos to dust; he is going to be the one to end the heathen monster, and he's going to do it with Isopia's name on his lips like a benediction, a war cry.

Because for Volterra, the stage after denial isn't grief - it's rage. The longer he can focus on his desire for a swift revenge, the longer he can put off the inevitable realisation that Isopia is dead. His best friend, his lover, his Mountain, is gone forever. Maybe he's the coward here, because he's not ready to face all that, not yet. It's far easier to shroud himself in armour made of fury, and march into battle with a sword made from his broken heart.

He lunges forwards. He can see Isopia's body fading away, illuminated like the northern lights; she is beautiful even in death, but the weak, feeling part of him laments that he will not have a body to mourn. The rest of him cares only about Kaos's destruction, until....

Until he sees Valdis. The filly looks lost among the crowd, blind and maimed; easy prey for Kaos. Like a bucket of cold water poured onto his blazing fire, Volterra sees sense. He cannot abandon his children. Their mothers are capable, yes, but they are not him. They are not Indomitable. They do not have the means to protect their offspring at all costs, at any cost. For them, he must survive. For them, he must go to the Rift, leave Helovia behind. Leave Isopia behind.

He'll avenge her, though. If it's the last thing he ever does, he will avenge her.

His stride halts, and with a final snarl he turns away from the heathen God and towards @Valdis . "Come, szerelem." His voice is strong, despite everything that rages inside. He pushes his muzzle towards the blind filly, guiding her towards the gaping portal that he does not want to go into, and he tries to scoop up his other children as well, and their mothers. He will live, for them. He will survive his grief, for them. He will usher in a new era of greatness for them, and for her.

As he moves reluctantly towards the portal, he looks towards what remains of Isopia. There's not much left now; her consciousness will be gone, swallowed by the inevitability of death. Nothing he can say will change things, and she no longer has the means to hear his proclamations of love - it would be shallow and meaningless to say them now, knowing her ears no longer exist to absorb them. She knows, though - he reassures himself that she died knowing how much he loved her, and that thought gives him enough strength to try and face a life without her in it. "Kis hollo...." he murmurs, and for the first time in longer than he can remember, a tear slides down his cheek. Gone. "Yours. Always." That is all he says as he attempts to touch his nose to where she stood last, as though he can still feel her skin warm against his whiskers.

Volterra the Indomitable stands tall, then. He casts a glance back at Kaos, at the destruction he leaves behind, at his first and only home; there is no room for nervousness, only feral anger at the false God and a hellbent desire to bring him down. Once he is sure all his children are safely through, the beast bellows a command to his dragons and he is gone, too. Red and gold and black dive into the portal, allowing it to twist them through the dimensions to somewhere else.

There's a piece of him that will always remain in Helovia, though. That piece belongs to Isopia, and it always will do.

________

TL;DR: Is crushed about Iso and goes to enact immediate revenge on Kaos. Seeing Valdis changes his mind, and he tries to usher her and the rest of his children/their mothers towards the Rift whilst vowing death upon Kaos. Feel free to PP him pushing you towards the Rift!

In other news, my poor feels D:

szerelem = love

DEAD I AM THE DOG, HOUND OF HELL YOU CRY
DEVIL ON YOUR BACK, I CAN NEVER DIE
image credits: one | two | three

[ you can't stray from what you are, you're the closest thing to hell i've seen so far  ]
[ use of force/magic on him is permitted aside from death/maiming ]





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