Gadenia City Rooftops
Bells chimed in the distance, and thunder rolled overhead as the rains blanketed Kael's form. It was finally over. The war would be finished soon now, and at his own hand nonetheless. Centuries of fighting and needless warring of the Planes would soon be coming to an end due to the weakened strength of his father. They would join the Plane of Water, or would be crushed by the Plane of Fire. The thought of the Water Daughter brought a smile to his face as he imagined her smiling at him from wherever she was now. He had done the impossible, and turned from being the loyal soldier to becoming the rebel, bringing down the centuries old war that had put fear into the hearts of all those Kael had known. Yet there was a somewhat empty feeling now that it was all over. What was there in store for him now? What was after life for a being such as himself? Would he be swallowed by the Darkness? Or simply cease to exist? There were too many questions without an answer as Kael listened to the thunder shatter the skies above once more. It was then he realized he could feel his hands, and feet, and the rest of his body too. His eyes slowly opened to glance at the illuminating lightning tearing across the skies as his hand reached up to touch his face. Kael was dead.
The voice he had heard once everything went black was as real as the unbearable pain he had felt when the Darkness had crushed in all around him, tearing at his very soul. At the time he had thought it was the Water Daughter speaking to him, or he had hoped. But at this sudden realization that he was not dead, at least not anymore, that likely wasn't the case. Something he had heard from that voice jumped into his thoughts and he raised his hand from his neck to stare at the crest inscribed on it. A castle tower stood black where the color of his skin should have shown. A Rook… He thought. A player in a game. A game set in the stage of this....city. He was lying down, his legs dangling over the edge of a tall building as he lifted his head and pushed himself into a sitting position to look out at the lights and sight of the city. Peering down, he noticed a few figures moving about on the streets below and wondered at another warning he had been given. There are others in this place. Kael knew some were with him, and others opposed to him as well. And everyone of them was somewhere in this city at this very moment, just like he was.
Kael reached for the tinted shades that sat on the rooftop close to him and shook the rain off before placing them over his eyes where they belonged. It was past time he got up and off this roof, the game itself had already started. As he came to his feet, he could feel the build up in the skies above as another bout of thunder was about to roll through the heavens. Standing atop the roof high above the city, Kael let out a long laugh. He was alive again.
Stepping to the edge of the tall building, Kael smiled at the distance from his current point down to the pavement below. That was where he needed to go, find his allies, and finish the enemy. With that thought, he stepped into the air. Gravity took its turn and plunged Kael quickly toward the earth below. The rush was exhilarating as the winds rushed in around him and tore at his form. Half the distance was covered in a little more than a blink of the eye and Kael pulled on that familiar sensation that had made him what he was through the years.
Weaving the air currents around him into a vortex below him, Kael began to slow slightly as the earth shot up to meet him. Just before the impact, he lashed out with the air to slow him the rest of the way and push him skyward a few feet. Letting the currents drop, Kael’s feet tapped the ground with an audible click. The people close to the area gripped at their belongings and clothes at the torrent of wind that suddenly whipped up with his appearance. Some looked dumbfounded at his entrance, looking to him, then back up to the roof where he had leapt.
Walking through them all, a man stepped directly into his path and drew a breath to say something. Kael's left hand shot up before he could finish the breath and grasped the man's throat, cutting off any attempt at talking. "Get out of my way..." Stepping into the man, Kael quickly lifted and pushed back as he stepped to slam the man headfirst into the ground. The man instantly loss consciousness after the sickening crack associated with his head smacking the ground. Kael's hand left the man's throat and he continued walking away from the astonished few that stuck around. Striding quickly through the streets, he continued on, daring anyone to step in his way again. One war was finally finished, yet another had just begun.
"Let the games begin..."