WoS: Chapter 7

Reading the note, Malkuthe was astounded. He left the room quietly and went to his most favored place. As he gazed over the vast expanses of the Gasir Plains, he dwelt upon his mother once more. Grief once more welled up inside him, but he did not let it show. He went to the Highwind's ancestral home. He walked along the corridors of the vast hall that housed the high ranking Highwind.

He had preferred a humble cave beside his favorite spot over a room in the hall. Every so often though, he came down to the hall and to the tribe just to mingle. He visited old friends and had a hearty laugh here and there. He was trying what he can to get over losing his mother. He was surprised none of the Highwind had noticed his roars of grief and despair. Then again, he was on a secluded cliff.

He returned to the cliff before the sun set and observed the sun as it drifted lower and lower toward the horizon. He noticed Jade, Erithe and Saffyre had come to visit and turned to face them. He was thankful for their company.

All of a sudden, the shadow dragon that they had seen once before showed up once more before them. It said "It's only a matter of time Malkuthe, and you shall be mine." "What do you mean?!" said Malkuthe in outrage. "Just watch, you'll see" said the figure with a smirk.

The last rays of sunlight vanished below the horizon. As the darkness began to envelop them, the marks on Malkuthe's paws started to glow a sickly green. From the marks originated a glowing sludge. Malkuthe stared in shock as he saw it creep toward his shoulder where it detached and began to float in midair beside his shoulder.

When they were completely enveloped by darkness, Malkuthe's wings appeared out of nowhere and attached to his shoulders. He looked to the others questioningly, and with increasing worry.

The sludge dove toward his shoulder, a moment of extreme anxiety was followed by unimaginable pain. Malkuthe felt it going to his throat and tried to vomit it out, but nothing came. He was thinking that this could not be good, he began to think of the reasons behind this. Fur and feathers began to fall off as skin rotted upon his living body. The pain was intense. His wings took the form of a bat's. He saw his body turning a grayish-black. Through the pain, Malkuthe managed one last thought and uttered a single word.

How will I get out of this

He asked himself as the pain blinded him. He turned to Saffyre, looked into her eyes and whispered "Help..."

Then, everything was lost as he became one of The Master's servants. The shadow laughed at the horrified looks upon the other chieftain's faces. The council was watching as the horrendous events took place. They conferred on whether or not to elect a new chieftain, but decided not to, since Malkuthe still had hope of coming back.

The newborn servant unleashed a screech that made the skin of the other chieftains crawl. They cringed as he uttered it once more as he took flight and hovered beside his new master. Malkuthe was inside of him, unconscious. The newborn beast had no intention of ever letting him out. The shadow and the reborn Malkuthe vanished in a plume of mist.

The other chieftains looked on with horror and sorrow in their eyes.

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The young, blue-haired elf sat bolt upright as though electrocuted. He sensed that something was amiss

After Malkuthe removed the mark that was on Seraph's wing, he awoken to see another mark on Makuthe's paw. Realizing that the mark came from him, he left the cave and went back to his tribe. He decided to leave the chieftains for a while. He knew that his tribe needed him. As he reached the lake, he had mixed emotions. He did not know what to feel after he left his tribe without them knowing. As he entered the tribe, he saw the whole tribe welcoming him again. He suddenly became happy. The tribe knew he was coming back. They rejoiced that their leader was back. After the rejoicing, the chieftain and the council held another meeting on what to do. After hours of deliberating, they have decided to participate in the war. After the meeting, Seraph walked to his favorite spot, near the lakeside. That was the place where he first thought about the safety of Sylfe. He thought about his childood. He was always indecisive. He still was indecisive. But after pondering about it, he realized that being chieftain meant that everyone trusted him. So he told the chieftains that he will be leaving and helping the other chieftains again. They understood. They watched Seraph leave again to help everyone. But as Seraph left, he realized that Malkuthe is in danger...

Erithe decided to have some quality time with her tribe. She went to Forbidden Peaks. As she was entering Forbidden Peaks, she was suprised that they welcomed her just like the old times. She gathered her tribe and told them.

"Friends, forgive me
I know I have not been a good leader
I was too busy protecting all of you.
I forgot about caring for you.
Am sorry.
I promise to make it up too you."

Everybody was happy to hear what she said. They decided to celebrate and cherish this moment.

Malkuthe was floating in an empty void, imprisoned in his own, now corrupted body. He sought to find a way to escape this torment. He found none, he just believed that Saffyre and the others won't let him down. He sensed the consciousness of his corrupted body tugging at his own, trying to merge. He fought it, heaven knows only how long he can keep it up.

The new servant of the master was far more powerful than any of his other servants. He stood by the Master's Side vigilantly. The corrupted body, a perfect vessel for the black magic in him. The Master began to concoct a new plan to divert the chieftains from his grand plan.

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The young elf raced through the Gasir Plains, there, he bumped into Saffyre, the Swift Tail Mistress. Saffyre saw the young elf and asked him what he was doing outside the forest. The young elf replied by saying that he had sensed something. Saffyre asked his name, the elf promptly replied "Cael." Saffyre beckoned him to climb upon her back and she flew towards the Forbidden Peaks, seeking Erithe.

As Seraph reached where Malkuthe and the others where, he was shocked to find Malkuthe's corrupted body. He could sense the strong flow of negative energy in his body. He knew he could do nothing. Just then, he had an idea. He knew that the real Malkuthe was still inside that body. He used the power he had received and used it to enter Malkuthe's mind. He found Malkuthe unconscious. He tried to wake him up. He slowly regained consciousness. " Seraph, is that you?" " Yeah it's me. I used the power of light to enter your mind. We need to find a way to supress and defeat the dark power." " I've already tried, but I can't do it." " Sure you can. We just have to work together." So they tried everything to defeat the dark power within Malkuthe's body. But their effort was useless. The darkness was just too powerful. They started to lose hope. Just then, Seraph's armband glowed. He had an idea...

Malkuthe knew that Seraph was trying all that he can to restore him. His efforts were in vain, for Malkuthe had limited time. He smiled as he saw his friend thinking a lot about what to do. He himself was thinking whether or not he was going to accept this fate. At the moment that Seraph's armband glowed, he had already decided.

Malkuthe told Seraph that he had decided upon a course of action. A look of disbelief spread across the other dragon's face. "But... why?" asked Seraph, a hint of sorrow in his voice. "You'll find out soon enough" Malkuthe told him reassuringly.

Malkuthe also decided that while he might vanish forever, his soul could still remain pure and his body restored. Malkuthe spoke a few words in the ancient tongue, casting a spell that bound his soul to a corporeal form. Seraph looked in amazement as a pure deep blue crystal appeared in Malkuthe's paw. "Take it..." said Malkuthe. Seraph took the crystal which pulsated like a heart. Seraph opened his mouth to speak, but was not able to, for he was at loss for words. "Take care of my soul, give it to Saffyre." Malkuthe said.

Slowly, he let his consciousness combine with that of his corrupted body. He remembered everything he had been through, but his mind was now set upon destroying the world.

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The young elf's ears twitched, he knew that something was wrong. The three chieftains conferred in front of him, casting glances every so often at him. It took a few more hours for their discussions to ebb. When they did, they told him.

"Welcome to our race. Are you ready to take on the responsibility it entails? Will you help us defeat the Dark Lord and The Master?"

"Yes, I will, I vow to protect this world."

Came his curt response.

As Seraph used his armband to escape Malkuthe's body, he cried that one of his friends became one of the servants of the Dark Lord. But soon he got over it because this is what Malkuthe wanted. After he had escaped from the corrupted body, he went to seek Saffyre. As soon as he found her, he gave the crystal to Saffyre. "Here take this. It's the soul of Malkuthe. Take care of it." As soon as he gave the crystal to Saffyre, he returned immediately to the place where Malkuthe's body was. He was horrified on what he saw. His body was enveloped in pure darkness. He felt the strong prescence of dark power emanating from him. Seraph then asked for the power of light that he gave to the chieftains. He knew that it was the only way to defeat the darkness and bring Malkuthe back. Just then Seraph's body was enveloped in pure light. He knew that he can't control the power for long, so he has to finish him fast. The Dark Lord found him a nuisance, nothing more...

[[OOC(Out of Character): This means that I'll be working actively against you in the story already.]]

Malkuthe saw Seraph enveloped in pure light. He roared in defiance, he knew that his new power was far more than the petty light Kaldreiia gave the chieftains. His was a power born from the union of light and shadow. The darkness ripped apart to show him. Black flame shot from his mouth and enveloped Seraph. The light was unable to stop the flame's advance, Seraph flew away, injured.

[[OOC: Sorry for the short post, wedding is tomorrow, doing lotsa stuff.]]

Seraph didn't know what to do now. The power Kaldreiia gave wasn't powerful enough to defeat the darkness. He began to lose hope. Just then, he remembered an old story his grandfather used to tell him. The story was about a human that gave up all that he had to gain more power. When he finally got more power, he went mad with it. From the power came darkness that enveloped him. The story ended with him being sacrificed together with an entity of light to save everyone. He then remembered the saying he heard in his head. It started to make sense. He knew what to do. Seraph flew back ready for battle.

Malkuthe saw Seraph arrive once more at a distance, glowing with the power of the light. Malkuthe sighed, knowing it was another pathetic attempt to get the old him back. Little did Seraph know that this was what Malkuthe had always wanted, to forget the grief in his heart. He was not about to give it up for his friends.

Seraph charged at him, it was at that moment that Malkuthe took the chance to look around. He found himself in a strange environment. He told Seraph to stop. The other halted in his tracks, not knowing what to do. That was when he looked around, something he was unable to do while chasing Malkuthe. They were in an unknown part of Sylfe, unknown, that is, to the Ceree.

Malkuthe took the opportunity to slash at Seraph's shoulder, leaving a wound from the shoulder downward. Roaring in pain, Seraph rammed Malkuthe up against the rocky wall of the valley that they were in. Malkuthe's back struck a pointed rock which created a gash along the base of his neck to halfway across his back. Malkuthe bellowed in pain as he bit Seraph on the neck, warm blood spurted from the puncture. Seraph, however, was too powerful for Malkuthe. Malkuthe was at loss to find an explanation.

Whimpering, Malkuthe lay to the side, injured and in pain. He knew that Seraph's goal was to destroy this corrupted body in order to restore him through his still pure soul. He didn't want to rememer the pain he had suffered and he knew that Seraph and the others will do anything to restore him.

He thought back to his childhood, a particular memory struck him. He was once an almost white dragon, a very pale blue to be exact. When his mother was taken away from him, however, he used a spell to change him into a blue.

Seraph prepared to strike Malkuthe with the final killing blow. He raised his head and exposed his neck as a deep rumble filled his throat. Seraph's gaping maw was filled with a searing white flame. As Seraph prepared to unleash the flame on Malkuthe, the wind stirred. The flame in Seraph's maw wavered for a moment. A white flash appeared before him and the flame was extinguished as he collapsed on the ground.

"Don't you dare destroy Malkuthe..." said The Master, who had just revealed its true form. "You?!" Seraph cried out as he lost consciousness.

"Malkuthe, are you hurt?" asked The Master. Malkuthe who was blinded by pain answered only by nodding. The Master laid a single claw upon the gash that ran along Malkuthe's back and something miraculous happened.

The torn skin and muscle began to weave back together. The skin appeared as it was before Malkuthe was corrupted. The pain afflicting Malkuthe subsided and he was able to see clearly once more. Much to his surprise, his coat returned. His coat was, however, in a different color. His coat became as it was in his childhood, a very pale blue that was practically white.

As he turned to face The Master, his eyes widened in shock as it licked him on the cheek. That was when his view focused on The Master's features. A shocked exclamation left him.

Saffyre?

Sliding along the ground a the figure of a Ceree stood Before them. "I am Kali, of the Nysos River; Your darkness does not belong in the land of the light. The power of 'The Ancestors' shall be your downfall."

There was a shimmer around her as though her magic was not confined to her body and Malkuthe saw this. He knew that if there was any hope he was to be rescued it was through her. When he looked closer at her he saw a flicker of the light. It's pitch black, there should be no shadows now and yet there it was, and, now that he was concentrating at it, it was clear as day.

"Who are you that you dare interfere in my plans?" Cried the master. This was an unexpected turn of events. "No matter you shall be exterminated. Your power is nothing compared to my own."

"As I have said, I am Kali, of the Nysos, daughter of Hathor, of the Nysos, rightful High Priestess of the Highwinds tribe. I have been in Exile since I was 5 but returned to my homeland when the world withered. Kaldreiia sends her regards. Everything is going to her plan. You cannot win it is destiny I am to tell you this.

"Now while my friend here will not involve herself in the squabbles of mortals, I have no such reservation as I am one myself." she said this as she pointed towards the shadow Malkuthe had seen earlier and it came into the Physical realm, Its entire shapeless body morphed to the shape of a Sillithe More than 12 feet tall and as wide around as a Ceree.

The snake-like creature that appeared before them emanated an aura of ancient magic. Malkuthe indeed knew that if he was to be rescued it would be through Kali.

He had, however made his mind, before he knew that the Master was Saffyre, he had already embraced his fate. Now that he knew it was Saffyre, he didn't want to go back. If it meant spending an eternity with her, then so be it. His body had been restored, nothing can stop him from embracing his fate.

That was when Saffyre did something Malkuthe did not expect. She took her own soul and molded it into a corporal form. She gave it to Malkuthe after tying it with string that she conjured up.

Malkuthe wore it around his neck, ready to defend it with his life. Saffyre brought out a familiar crystal, Malkuthe's soul, and wore it around her neck. The bond between the two grew stronger with each passing moment. The magic brought about by their love more powerful than any other force.

"Malkuthe... Let us leave" said Saffyre. Malkuthe curtly nodded in the darkness, he could still see perfectly, and so could Saffyre. They wove their magic and the darkness seemed to flow around them. In moments, they had vanished.

They then reappeared amid the icy floes of the northern lands. Saffyre beckoned to Malkuthe to follow her.

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Cael had been staying with Erithe for a few days. Evidently, they were still worried about Saffyre who had gone missing. The elf went outside Erithe's cave and looked up. He regretted looking up, the sun was blazing in the Windblown Valley. The harsh winds offering little comfort and consolation from the sweltering heat.

He began to explore the valley, meeting other Agile Talon tribe members and talking to them. He soon found out that this place was paradise to them. He couldn't imagine how he could live there for most every day of his life. The environment was too different from a forest, he had begun to miss his home.

He saw a shadow move toward the direction of Erithe's cave. He gingerly looked up and squinted under the sun. He saw Jade, evidently in a hurry. He wondered what was happening, but decided against eavesdropping.

As the shadow was nearing Erithe's cave, Cael did not know what to do. He did not want to disturb Erithe. As the shadow reached Erithe's cave, he heard laughter. Cael was confused. He did not know what was happening inside her cave. He also noticed that Jade was gone. He decided to find Jade instead. Little did he know that it was Jade who was laughing with Erithe.

Jade was getting Erithe up to date on the events of the evening but when she got to the part about Saffyre, Erithe couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Saffyre, evil? *Laughter* I mean the most evil thing she's ever done was when we were but cubs... You're serious aren't you?" Jade just looked at her with sorrow in her eyes.

As much as the chieftans scrapped, they were Best firiends and the loss of two in one day was more then she could handle. Bursting out in tears, Jade rested her head on Erithe and the two friends cried together. Aside from her fallen comrades Erith had only one thought.

Solen; where are you?

Malkuthe and Saffyre walked along the uneven land of the frozen north. They walked for hours and hours, the vast expanse of white showing nothing of interest. Malkuthe couldn't resist to ask Saffyre "Where exactly are we?" "You'll see, you'll see." replied the female.

All of a sudden she stopped in her tracks and whispered something inaudible. A great golden gate appeared before them. As it appeared, it seemed as though light was hitting it for the first time, progressing from the top to the bottom. Each curve and fine detail, illuminated. In the northern sun, it cast a beautiful shade of gold upon the swirling snow.

Malkuthe stared in awe at the solid golden gate. He noticed that along a perfectly straight crack in the middle of the gate were three flowers, excellently carved into the solid gold. Each petal, perfectly rendered. They were so exquisitely carved that they seemed almost life-like. As he looked closer, he saw that they weren't simple carvings, they were recesses. It seemed that to open the gate, they must be put into the recesses.

Malkuthe observed the gate closer and saw a small inscription below each flower, the first said "The Rose of Sanctuary." The second, "The Blossom of Life." Malkuthe's eyes widened in shock as he saw the last inscription, "The Gelendrian Bloom."

"Wha... what is this, Saffyre?" asked Malkuthe. "This is the Gate of Worlds" Saffyre replied, "It allows us to step forth into any other world we wish to, but to do so, we must find the three sources of this world's magic. Without those three sources, the world will begin to fall apart. Sadly, one has been destroyed, only Kaldreiia and the singing of the entire Ceree race can restore it." she continued.

"Well, what do you want to do when you get to open the gate?" asked Malkuthe. "I want to see, our ancestral home, although we were born in Malleithen, we have our roots in another world. A plane of fable and myth, the plane of Aznala. You see, I have no evil intentions yet, I simply want to go home for now..." replied Saffyre.

Home...?

whispered Malkuthe.

As Seraph awoke, he didn't know where he was. He saw himself in an empty void. He saw nothing. Just then five figures appeared before him. He recognized these figures. They were the races of Sylfe. The dragons, elves, dwarves, syllithe and the aespectrill. He recognized the dragon before him. It was his father. Just then his father said " Seraph, my son, the master has disturbed the world of Sylfe for her own selfish desires. We need someone to restore peace to this world, and that one is you." The elf then exclaimed " The power we will give you is strong. You may not control the power that much. Do you still want to accept this power?" " Yes, I accept. I will do whatever it takes to restore Sylfe to its former glory." The syllithe then said " Very well then, accept this power. This power will be most useful in defeating the Master, for it is the power of Sylfe itself." Just then they enveloped Seraph. Beams of light came before them, and then they gave the beams of light to Seraph. Seraph felt the power building. The beams of light then disappeared. They soon started disappearing. " Good luck Seraph! We entrust everything to you!" They all said.

Seraph then awoke to find himself in a lake. " Was it just a dream?" Just then he saw a strange mark in his chest. He knew that it wasn't a dream, it was a vision. Just then he felt pain coming out from his chest. He then became berserk from the pain. He flew to Malleithen, not knowing what to do

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Meanwhile, an elf felt like Sylfe was about to fade. He then said " It is time."