Aetheria.

A light breeze , birds chirping , high noon sun and the calming sound of of waves splashing against the dock. For Tillian it was a perfect little day and with his fishing rod stuck in to his sandle he was already well in to his third nap between catchs. His little town , a nameless little road side farming community was....less high hoped then tillian. Not only were the armies of the dark beast slowly gaining grown in the plainsland but all the fleeing people gave little buissiness to the shops and inn of the town. With every capable gaurd taken in to the armies to fight the beast the town had also become a popular spot for thieves to pick what they could from fleeing travelers and the rare noble man.

But still , that mattered little to Tillian. Thieves and ruffians were already warned to stay away from his fishing dock , the knocked out thieves that tried to take his catchs last time made a rather telling 'do not aproach' sign. With a yawn and a yank coming from his foot Tillian woke up , kicking his foot up and pulling a large tuna out of the water and maknig it land on a pile of others in a basket before smiling and lazily getting up , slinging his rod over his shoulder and cracking his neck from side to side with a grin. "That should do it for awhile. Can probably take a couple days off with this." Giving another yawn Tillian shook it off and picked up his basket with his free hand , stomping off his dock and back towards his little paradise farming village "Good thing too , all this works killin' my mood."

It would be a short walk before he reached the town and at his pace it would only take longer. Luckily he never really was in any kind of hurry.

The light clicking of heels echoed across the corridor of a dimly-lighten, medieval castle. It was the last one standing with the slightest sensation of proper human life; the last one radiating even a speck of rebellion. All the soldiers that had once shouted words of a new promised land lay dead before the feet of a young, alluring female. Their dark red blood laid splattered on the walls, the floor, and even the ceiling whilst the bodies rested in twisted ways. Nothing looked pretty in the battle field that had deemed itself upon that castle; nothing looked like a place for a woman to be at. Everything was twisted, and horrendous, and repulsive.

In complete contrast to the filthy, men-infest castle, she emanated softness and grace. If it hadn't been for her blood-splattered dress and weapon, anyone that saw her would of thought she was lost. But no, she was the victor of the battle; she was the murderer, the one responsible for the death of the entire place. It had been her who had massacred countless men, but who also was not done yet. There were a few left, and they hid behind the door that she stood in front of.

Cecile extended her palm and rested it on the large wooden door before giving it a gentle push. She wasn't surprised when it didn't open, nor was she surprised when she heard the grunts of the men behind it as they summoned their strength to further barricade the entrance to the only room her bloody hands had yet to touch. Their efforts brought a smile to the lovely creature and also made her giggle, which undoubtedly sent a horrified shiver to the men.

"Shall I sing you a song?," Cecile murmured as she picked up her heavy staff with both hands and slammed one of the ends onto the stone floor. A wave of blue-violet light rippled the ground soon thereafter, introducing the beginning of her spell. It traveled underneath the door and continued its journey inside, which produced horrified screams of the unknown from all inside. Following suit was her seraphic voice that sung in latin words the phrases of agony. "I promise it'll make your dreams come true. It'll make you suffer, it'll make you beg, it'll make you bleed, and you'll do unspeakable things to yourself with your own hands. But that's the price you pay when you challenge me; that's the price you pay for not letting me in."

Beyond the door, everything Cecile had spoken of became reality. The nightmares the men had dreamed throughout their entire lives took a form and made their last minutes on Earth miserable. Their screams and their begs resonated the walls within the room, amplifying the torture. And blood escaped through the bottom of the door before everything was all over. "I wouldn't of been so cruel, had you let me in," she smiled.

The sound of the clanking of game pieces used were of the only, other than the soft, hollow music of the many stringed gu-zheng instrument, as the light scent of a sweet, flowery fruit-like incense filled the room, surrounded in silky textures and extravagant color. There were gentle movements though, of course, as it came when traveling in carriages across dusty roads. The musical instrument was being played by the young girl accompanying her on the journey, who seemed to have trouble concentrating on her instrument. Qiyue had placed a white stone piece on a point, before taking up a black piece as well, as she played her mind against herself, finding much bothersome boredom. The game of weiqi, although her favorite, was becoming bland as of lately. She leaned against a fur covered seat, having great comfort, but it did not help ease her ever growing dull mood.

A high pitched note that was off-key caught her attention.

The orient dressed woman distastefully glanced towards the ever stumbling girl, whose fingers kept missing a note, and Yue could tell that the girl was well aware of her displeasure. Her fan was put shut, irritation, although not shown on the woman's face but instead a calm smiling charade, was beginning to be poking at her nerves. "Yiko," she called the girl's name, and the music stopped, as the younger's head was turned towards the older. The girl, Yiko, laid in a corner, her instrument in tow, and her plain clothing contrasted to her surroundings, making her seem out of place. The girl twiddled with a strand of long brown hair, before had she nervously reply back. "Y-yes?"
Yue didn't seem to be as affected with fear as Yiko was though. "Your playing seems to be getting out of practice, hasn't it?" She tilted her head in a way of innocence and free spirit, which only further added anxiety to the smaller girl. "S-so it seems. I must be getting older, since my vision has become a bit blurry."

She sat back up in a straighter position slowly, "is that so?" Yue opened the fan again, and waved it towards her face once. "I see. It has been quite a journey for us both, hasn't it, Yiko?" The girl looked in frightened eyes, like the prey in the den of the predator. "Y-yes. Uhm, where are you going with this, Lady Qiyue?"
The girl sat still in almost shock, as she watched the elegant woman before her close the fan once more, and have a dark, cold glare headed her way. A smile crept up on the woman's graceful features, as her hands reached for her sword that was never too far away. She stood, and approached closer. Yiko had sunk back, instrument left, her back against a wooden wall, the bumps of the road steadily getting louder.

"You know.. I, and the rest of the world, don't have much use for ugly things that cannot play a simple melody."

The girl couldn't even scream, as Yue's eyes widened when she slashed the girl's throat, before it mended itself in painfully slow manner. "I think that this journey had gotten me hungry. Aren't you, Yiko?" A truly sadistic smile crossed her features, blood splatters had already splattered onto her cheek, as she took a finger to swipe it off and glancing at the beloved color of red that she truly yearned for. The blood on the wall decorated the pretty cloth occupying it. She watched the tears of the girl, as a pale red tattoo-like mark appeared on Yue's forehead; she continued watching as Yiko shriveled away to dust. Within the slow, agonizing seconds of her final moments, the girl finally let out a shriek, before becoming gone from this world.

Minutes passed, before the mark disappeared, and the sadistic smile made way for a laugh of entertained pleasure. "Ahh~ I suppose that I'm going to have to find another piece of entertainment to indulge into." At least she had a meal. Such a lovely carriage service this was, indeed.

Her eyes turned to the pile of dust that stood out from the beautiful fabrics in the carriage, Yiko's clothes left in a slump. The smile turned into a disgusted scowl, and she pulled out her fan once more, as if to hide her nose from an awful smell. Yue could feel the carriage come to a stop. The driver peeked through the cloth that served as a door. "We are here, miss."

She looked towards the young man, and let a deceivingly warm eyed look let through as she spoke. "Have we? I was getting restless," she walked her way out, bare feet hitting soft grass. Yue breathed in some air, as she looked over the view of some forest. There was supposedly a village ahead. As she walked, she stopped mid-step, and turned slightly. ".. Oh. Be sure to dispose of the mess inside. It's disgusting to look at." The man looked on in confusion.

As she walked away, slowly disappearing into the forest, sword and dagger tied to her waist. Yue smiled when she heard a terrified scream from the driver as she could imagine that he must've found the remains of her boredom. The enjoyable feeling of knowing how she loved to see the suffering of others coursed through her veins. Her skin tingled in excitement of what fun she could have with the humans up ahead.

She couldn't help but laugh in eager excitement.