Naja Nato DeLotus's Story

"Forgive me."

Nine letters with a space in between, two simple words, one sentence. To forgive was to end anger and resentment, 'me' was Daimion - her Daimion - and with that she felt a part of her shatter, evaporate and vanish. It was the string that tied her to each member of the Nobility, and now one was gone. Zarya's blue eyes widened for a fraction of a moment, her lips parting ever so imperceptibly. Daimion had betrayed Lord Manacia, choosing the Mystics over his Lord or rather, who was once his lord. Zarya knew a creature such as Daimion could not be tamed, never had been, but this was not merely a shock. It felt as if the ground on which Zarya stood had turned into clouds and at any moment, she would hear a deafening crack as she met the very bottom of the world. Or maybe there was no end to the world, maybe it was merely a never-ending fall.

"Sister?" Ivann whispered by Zarya's ear, his hand curling around her own as he watched her closely. She was more still than stone, if that were even possible. It seemed as if even her heart had forgotten to beat.

What was there for Zarya to forgive? She only wished he would forgive her for being so much more cowardly than he, for aiding Naja, the Mystics and the humans in secret rather than in full. But no, it was not fear than held her back, but logic. She would be more effective using pretence - oh how good she was at pretence - to fool others into thinking she was weak and submissive, than to come in blazing with all of her magic. Right? Had she been wrong? Should she have raised her head all this while, rather than bowed in submission? Should she have pushed them back with the force of power worthy of the Witch of the Nobility, rather than allowed them to toss her aside? Should she have been more like Daimion and less like herself? Had she denied their quest for war earlier on, would Daimion have had a chance at life? For surely, he was now all but doomed.

"He has broken his contract, I will collect what is mine. Do not interfere, any of you, his soul is now mine," Lord Manacia boomed before disappearing into a portal. Blaidd continued to speak in the background but Zarya might as well have been deaf for all she heard. A clawed hand gripped her heart and ripped it from its socket, breaking her ribs in the process.

"Sister," Ivann repeated, holding Zarya's arm. He was the only one keeping her from crumbling to the floor. Manacia would kill him and Angel would accomplish Daimion's death should Manacia fail. She knew of this. Incompetence was not tolerated amongst the cruel and heartless. Yet she felt far from heartless, as if her heart simply regrew each time her other jumped from her chest.

She didn't desire a war against the humans. Never did. Why, when she already saw so much tragedy? She would be bedridden with visions should the Mystics win the war. And her vision of her death - it was most likely a result of the war. Or what she was soon about to do.

Ripping her arm from her brother's grasp, Zarya held up an arm, her fingers spreading as an invisible wind lifted her long hair. "Ja skreil Daimion. Ja skreil Daimion. Ja skreil, pledeir." Her eyes glowed, a sapphire as bright as the stars of which her eyes had been forged. Logan cursed as he stretched his hand toward Zarya but it was too late, her form shattered into a million stars and reappeared between Daimion and Lord Manacia.

"No," she said, her voiced echoing in a loud orchestra as if a billion voices had been called forth from her lips. "You will not harm him," her voices warned. Her blazing sapphire eyes filled the whites of her stare as her glamour shattered. Wings that appeared to have been dipped in sunset appeared on her back, stretching high and wide without any of the scars and tears her lesser wings appeared to have. The power that she held so tightly within herself uncoiled - slightly - chasing away the weak seductress she was so often believed to be. Her blonde hair became what looked to be countless threads of pure gold and they curled in the air as her open palm clenched into a fist. Suddenly, a wall that seemed to have been made of auroras and impenetrable metal appeared behind Zarya, shielding Daimion from Manacia's view.

"Was yea ra chs mea yor en fwal was yea ra chs mea yor en fwal was yea ra chs mea yor en fwal," Zarya chanted and with a sweep of her leg over the surface of the ground before her, the floor ripped apart where Manacia stood, opening into the endless black depths below. The part Witch, part Fey hybrid lifted an arm, her hand a torch of sapphire flames. "Was yea ra!" she called in a deafening voice before slamming her burning fist down and throwing the sapphire flames at Manacia. The flames grew and formed into a phoenix made of silver and blue, a sharp cry sliced through the air as it darted towards Manacia before returning to its form of a shapeless inferno. The magic wasn't made to kill Manacia for Zarya loved her lord dearly, despite his lack of... Empathy. It would wound him, push him back, allow him a taste of how far Zarya would go to protect Daimion. It surprised her, really, how much she cared.

The blue inferno circled Manacia, creating a ring of fire around him.

"Leave," the voices demanded.

Naja

Naja had watched Daimion slice his arm off, and had looked away momentarily. He didn't want the warlock to injure himself, nor did he want the man to feel obligated or oath driven to join the Mystics. He felt that Daimion's mentality about the situation was one that had been brewing for quite some time now, and this was the warlock's breaking point. Naja stood there, motionless, as he watched Daimion take the immortal oat, but when the warlock knelt down and began to swear his allegiance to Naja, Naja quickly moved to raise the man to his feet.

"No Daimion, you do not have to kneel before me," Naja had begun to speak before he felt the power of Manacia billow through a portal. Almost instantaneously Naja had found himself standing between Manacia and Daimion. This was not good. The Lich King had come to claim the soul of Daimion.


Angel & Naja

A ripple of energy caught Angel's attention as a bloody arm came tumbling forth, landing with a thud in front of him. He glared as the snake tattoo on the arm rose up and became smoke.

"He has broken the pact, he must be judged Manacia," Angel said softly as he watched Manacia leave in a rage. This would be most interesting and he would certainly not miss the death of the betrayer. He turned his attention back to the Nobility and was about to speak when Zarya began to chant. The silly girl was getting herself into more trouble as time went by it seemed, but her actions this time proved even more treacherous than those she had made earlier. Angel grunted as he dismissed the Nobility Generals who remained.

"She too shall pay for her treachery. Finalize the plans Blaidd and Suyag and make sure everyone is aware. I shall go deal with the little witch," he said with a stern voice as his form shattered like glass, vanishing into nothing.

Naja watched as Zarya appeared between Daimion and Manacia, outstretching her arms and declaring that Manacia would not touch the warlock. This surprised Naja, for he was motionless as he watched the power display from Zarya.

"You shouldn't have come here Zarya. We must go quickly," Naja stated; however, it was then that he felt another unholy power that shifted the very atmosphere around them. This power made even Naja take a step back.

Angel soon appeared directly in front of Zarya, a smirk on his face as his eyes began to shimmer and glowed an unholy glow. He stomped his right foot and the fires around Manacia extinguished, as did the wall Zarya produced to protect Daimion. The ground beneath Manacia solidified and Angel simply stared at Zarya as if he had been waiting for her to mess up the entire time.

"I knew you could not be trusted," Angel stated, "....YOU MUST BE JUDGED!"

Angel extended his hand and grasped a beautiful sword that appeared. Naja stepped between Zarya and Angel, keeping his eyes on Manacia as well.

"You shall NOT harm them," Naja spoke, his voice thundering as his beautiful Guan Dao appeared, the jewels on the weapon shimmering as he held the weapon steady.

"This does not concern you Naja," Angel spoke his eyes narrowing on the Mystic Elder.

"As well it does Angel, these two are under MY protection and I shall see to it that they leave here unharmed....," Naja stated, though he was uncertain as to how he would fight off both Manacia and Angel. He hoped that the two would take this opportunity to flee. He even spoke into Zarya's mind.

"Flee, take Daimion and go to the Amazon. You will be protected there"

Idiot.

She'd destroyed everything she'd worked for, betrayed her people, herself, and for what? Whom? Daimion. Daimion who would surely never do the same for her and it was a mistake but Goddess, she could not bring herself to regret it. A smirk tugged at the corner of her crimson lips as she tilted her head to the side, curling her golden strands around her finger. She would smile, be the nonchalant seductress she pretended to be, and perhaps if she lied hard enough to the world, she'd be able to convince herself. She'd be able to pretend her death could be avoided, that her visions didn't always come true.

"Always so serious, loveliest Angel," she said with a musical chuckle. "Someone has to stir the pot when it's left bored for too long, don't you think?"

She raised an amused brow at Naja's declaration of his protection. Yes, amusement. Amusement healed everything. Her lower lip stuck out in a pout as her fires were extinguished. "And I worked so hard to lift a finger," she said with a playful sigh.

"What have you done lowest of the low? So beneath my contempt, you no longer have a name. You dare stand in the way of my prey, you dare try to take whats mine?!" Zarya looked at Manacia's forehead, refusing to meet his eyes. She could not bare to see the disappointment in them. Hate, anger, a knife to her throat - those were the things she could cope with. But disappointment did not fall into her category of ables. So long after her father, she still sought approval. Not that she would ever admit it, of course.

"I cast you from my order Witch! You are no longer worthy to even serve the lowest brothel of Hell!" Zarya flinched, the words tearing her apart in ways Witch shredders might never do. She wished to reach into her chest and clutch her heart to still it in its beating. There was a spell that could stop hearts from beating, she was sure. It required a hunter's knife. She was cast from the Nobility. Cast from the Nobility. Exiled. Exiled from the ranks she worked all of her life to achieve. All those men she'd slept with and for- No, she knew this was to come. Knew it would the day she sent that message to Naja, telling him of the Nobility's plans. Knew it from the minutes she'd been trapped in the vision of her death. Yet it did not make her Lord's words burn any less. No, he was no longer her lord.

Caught in her thoughts, she'd nearly not noticed the humongous, abnormally powerful blade that came down upon her. Zarya's eyes widened briefly, recognising the sword for what it was. Her mind worked slowly but her body was quicker. Light burst forth from the Zarya's centre, filling her entire being and the space about her until it was as if she were made of molten gold. She ripped her necklace from her neck, the gold chain snapping with a force. "Aozora," she called forth. The pendant around her necklace expanded in a billionth of a blink, becoming the staff she now held in her hands. There was a deafening screech and clash, as if the entire planet of Earth had clashed with another and it was now the end of the world. The world was lit in a kaleidoscope of colour as the power of Lord Manacia's blade was met with that of the legendary staff, Aozora, and its mistress.

She would lose. She knew it and what did it matter, she would die anyway. Eventually. Soon. Zarya took a step back, the strength and magic of the blade chasing away the blue light of Aozora. It didn't matter how powerful the ancient staff was, wielded by Zarya, it would only amplify what she had and what she had was not enough to defeat Lord Manacia. One of the other Nobilities, perhaps, a Mystic, even. But not the vicious, just as ancient if not more so, honed weapon that was Lord Manacia.

"Aiph yos delij zuieg, en nedle eterne falfa, aiph yos delij zuieg, en nedle eterne falfa," she began to chant, her eyes narrowing slightly as she poured her magic into the staff, pushing her arms forward as she forced herself to take a step in Lord Manacia's direction. There was an ominous, horrible crack as she felt the magic slip from the single crack on Aozora's body. Zarya groaned. "Please, Manny. Killing me and everyone I love is one thing but this is a really nice staff."

Zarya's magic faltered and her staff clattered to the ground with a flourish that made the Witch sad. "OW! Oh my god! Get. The door," she hissed, the sword biting into her shoulder as she attempted to pushed the large sword back with her magic. There was a sickening crack as it snapped into the bones of her shoulder and a whimper escaped her lips. She was going to die for certain.

"Okay, tell my father I hate him and his stupid Gancanagh-Wizard ass. Tell Edzard I'll miss his behind and tell Daimion to not mess up the carpeting when he takes over my mansions. Tell Ivann he's-"

"A prick. Got it, at least have the curtesy of saying it to my face, will you? Wait, nope. You say it all the time, I just choose not to listen. Stop being so pessimistic, sis," Ivann said. He threw his hand back and shoved. Nothing seemed to happen for several long minutes, but then the invisible wall he'd created jerked the blade away from himself and out of his sister's shoulder. He shook out his arm, rubbing his perfectly sculpted shoulders and giving Manacia his loveliest full-blooded Gancanagh smile. "I must give it to you, that is one nifty sword," he teased, hinting at its double meaning. He hated flirting but this seemed to be the perfect time to do so. 'When in doubt, wear no pants,' that was the Gancanagh code.

"I loosened it for you," Zarya said gruffly, pursing her lips and hanging the now pendant Aozora around her neck.

"Of course you did, my dearest Anzhela," Ivann said with a roll of his eyes.

Zarya ran her slim fingers through her ever silken, ever neat hair, gazing at Manacia through her thick lashes. "Think that put a strand out of place," she teased. "Just kidding. My hair's never out of place. Nice try, though. I always knew you were jealous of my golden locks, Manny."

"I am the right wing Faerie and messenger of Her Majesty, the Unseelie Queen," Ivann announced, cocking his head slightly to the side. That was as good as a show of respect went - towards those who were not their monarchs - in the Faerie Realms. He snapped his fingers twice and a scroll appeared in his hands. Clearing his throat for added drama - Zarya was proud - Ivann shook out the long piece of glowing Feyper. "Angel, Alisarrian, the Nobility, we ask that you not bring about damage to the Gancanagh, Zarya Anzhelovna Lizavetskii. She is the property of the Fey, having been born Fey and hence, a creation of the Fey. She is as well the curiosity and presently most fascinating sport and experiment of the Unseelie court. She is a rare specimen and it would be in our best interests to maintain her wholeness. Violent action taken against her will be an act of brutality against the Unseelie," Ivann said, lowering the paper at the end of the paragraph. "And that's the end of the important part. Therefor, as you can see, Zarya is ours and we would ask that you allow her to go freely." Ivann paused. "We care not for the Warlock-Demon. It should not be difficult for you to return my sister to us, she is, after all, a mere child."

"I'm over a hundred," Zarya said with annoyance.

"As I was saying: a mere child," Ivann said, raising a brow. He'd been forged by the Queens in the beginning of time, whilst Zarya had only existed for a blink.

Zarya rolled her eyes as Ivann winked out of Earth's plane with a flourish, he never did have any sense of danger or inappropriate timing. Walking backwards, she snatched Daimion's remaining hand and whispered loudly. "We should really freaking go. I surprisingly don't want to die in a place that smells of old people." Zarya rolled her eyes and briefly glanced at Daimion, smiling slightly. "I see you got a new look. Really adds to the whole creepy-loner-with-a-green-lizard-companion thing." Pressing her fingers to her lips, she blew a kiss at Naja. "We so don't owe you one," she said with a playful wink.

"Well, terrible seeing you and all that jazz. Have a wonderfully miserable day. Might wanna change your diet of human babies and I don't know, fix up on your non-existent love life. Maybe find a new hobby and try chocolate. My lord Manacia, you'll be in my heart," she sing-songed. "No matter what you say. From this day on, now and forever more."

"Or, you know... Now and a few extra minutes," she said as she crumbled to the floor. Her eyes widened as she clutched her middle, blood seeping through her fingers. How did that get there? "At least the colour matches the dress. Sort of," she mumbled, letting her gold hair fall over her shoulder and shield her pained features. Should've worn a red dress today. "Help," she whispered. "I'm falling." Zarya rested her head on the ground, letting her eyelids lower slightly. "Ooo, nice carpet."

The world began to unfold with unpredictable force. It began with Naja stating, "No Daimion, you do not have to kneel before me," who had paused as Manacia appeared behind him. The old king began to speak of such nonsense about him owing a debt to it, which caused the warlock to smirk. He had begun to open his mouth to speak his mind of such things, when Angel appeared. That was completely unexpected, especially when he had no knowledge of his coming, or when he had appeared upon this plane of existence. By now, his armies were making their way towards the small gathering of immortals. They had fanned out, each brandishing their own weapons, training them on the Lich and Angel. His arm shot up to halt the advance, just as Zarya appeared between himself and the old King.

"You will not harm him," she roared at them, and began to cast her magicks. Powerful, by her own standards, even he could tell they were feeble. He was proven right when Angel crossed over the the seal she had just begun to cast, and smashed it to pieces. "I knew you could not be trusted," Angel stated, "YOU MUST BE JUDGED!" The howl of such a beast made even himself weak in the knees, but he still stood tall, and met the oncoming Angel with a stiff back, and twitching claws.

Naja was commanding them to leave, but just as he turned, the Lich King lashed out with his sword, slashing down on his beloved Zarya. Such a blade was known to kill without touch, sundering one's soul from the body. Stunned, he watched the blade descend, just as she brought up her meager defenses. Something within Daimion snapped, as the blade bit into her shoulder. His mind was transported into the past, causing him to relive the moment that his precious Chenguang perished under an unknown power. Something within his being snapped then, just as it did once more. Tears of crimson fell when she gripped his remaining hand, and, even though her lips moved, only the roar of the dragon's power could be heard in his ears.

"<Let those who stand before us fall,>" came the echoing whisper of the warlock's soul, "<As time now stood, we shall stand tall.>" The bones within him cracked, broke, stretched, regrew, "<Gods we were, none at all,>" Shadows leaped towards his body, covering him completely, until only a soulless gaze fell upon all. "Yon tal riik siin. Shal nik kul; rii'an ne'en, sii'in rii'an."

Wings of shadow erupted from the shadow's back, blotting out the sun's gaze over the land. Massive claws of silvered darkness tore at the earth, causing it to scream in pain and terror at the beast that stood upon it. The clouds began to darken the sky, just as a massive shadowed head with sword-like teeth roared it's pain and fury at the heavens above. A chaos dragon stood before the immortals, which then began to nudge the limp form of the witch with it's massive snout. A small whine erupted from its throat like a canine would, and, as it did so, a massive green light erupted from its jaws, showering her form in life giving energy. Magickal symbols, sigils, and runes erupted around the pair, pulsating, and forcibly shoving all other magicks away from them. A single, flowing shield showered them, hiding them from the world that did not care.

This was the signal his army was waiting for. With a howl to rival their master, the colossi attacked, swinging their massive weapons, just as the imps let loose their magicks upon Manacia and Angel. This had cause the legion of automatons to charge, swarming over the feet of the colossi demanding the deaths of the pair before them. During all of this, and within the shield, a jewel was being crafted by the magick of a broken dragon. It hung suspended in the air, a thing of beauty, but also of sadness. 'I couldn't save her,' came the whisperings of a wounded heart, 'but I have you now, my beloved Zarya.' More light exploded from the dragon's jaws, changing from an emerald green, to a brilliant white. This had caused the dragon to shrink, reshaping itself to the glorious form that is Daimion, the Warlock. There was only one difference, now. His right hand had been replaced with a shadowed claw and silvered nails.

Taking the jewel in his claw, he pressed it into the wound on her shoulder. Smoke erupted below it, as a blue flame gushed out, sealing the wound, and destroying the curses that were instilled by the Lich King's blade. The warlock then placed it upon his lips, blessing it with his own immortal soul. He gave it to her, then, pressing it between her breasts, watching as it sank into her skin, and wrapping around her core. She would become a true immortal now, but even then, a true blow from a cursed blade would kill her indefinitely. "You are mine forevermore," he whispered softly into her ear, kissing her gently. Taking here head in one hand, he tapped the center of her forehead with his fore and middle claw, the center of his own, and began to repeat it as fast as he could. The claw became a blur between the pair, and, as this continued, a thin strand of silver energy began to form as a link between them. More magick began to pour into her body, amplifying her magick nearly ten times its original strength. "We are linked, now, and forever. I will share with you, my strength, no matter how far from me you are. Know that you have my heart, and that I love you."

Bending over, Daimion lifted Zarya to her feet, and steadied her while he brought down his shield. More sigils and symbols erupted about them, which now included the Mystic, Naja. Pentagrams formed around them, causing more automatons to erupt out of the ground, flowing over the battlefield, and repairing their downed comrades. These, then, began to stand, flowing forward to rejoin the unwinnable fight. "Let us leave this place, my Lord Naja," he said with disgust rimmed with boredom, "My army will distract them, and I so do wish to see my daughter again." Magick erupted about them, pulling them into the earth. "A word of caution to you both," he called above the chaos, "I do not forgive those who would harm those that I love."

Turning back to the Mystic, he said, "Conduct your portal, my Lord, and let us be gone from here."

Chen

As Chen held the crystal shard that she had used to slice open the warrior female’s throat, it began to shine and shimmer. Before her very eyes, the shard began to shift and change into something different, something unique in her eyes. A weapon, formed from what seemed to be the water itself replaced the crystal shard. She now held a Liu Ye Dao, a Chinese weapon whose blade was sapphire blue in color with crystal shard embezzlements on the hilt.

At that time, her surroundings would once again change. Now she would appear in a place where there was NO WATER. The earth beneath her feet was lifeless, no moisture in the atmosphere, no grass, no nothing. Across from her was another figure, this one was male. Coincidentally, he held the same weapon she held and his eyes were the same as hers. Raising the sword, the lone figure roared a mighty roar indicating that he was her last challenge.

“Defeat me, and you will have passed the Mystic Trials; however fail and you will die. This is simple. There is no magic here, no water manipulation; you will have to rely on your senses, speed and skills to win.”

Angel & Naja

Disgusted by the whole ordeal, Angel held his sword elegantly at his side and watched everything unfold. It was interesting to see Daimion display his power. It was so weak compared to Lord Manacia and even weaker compared to him. Still, Angel smirked and simply stood there amongst all of the summoning and power usage. It was draining them, and he could tell, no matter how upright they wanted to act.

Naja had watched as Manacia’s blade caused such destruction and was too late to save Zarya from the wound she had now. It warmed his heart to see Daimion tend to the girl, and to see Ivann come to his sisters rescue with a letter from the fae court. Did he not know that Angel and Manacia could wipe out much of the fae court single handedly? Not to mention those they worked for. The Dark Order had influence in high places to say the least. Still, Naja was determined to put an end to this dark reign once and for all, and before he could speak in reply to Manacia’s words, the lich king bellowed his anger. He was challenging them, challenging them to a fight, and Naja knew that Daimion stood not a chance against Manacia.

With a swiftness he hadn’t seen in a while, Manacia had managed to appear in front of Daimion and was in the process of bringing his sword down on the Warlock. The sound of metal hitting metal echoed throughout the land that Manacia had killed with a death aura. The poor warriors who followed Daimion hadn’t stood a chance, although Naja and Angel had been unaffected by the death blow. Now, Naja’s guan dao was the only thing stopping Manacia’s blade. The blade of Naja’s weapon shimmered, revealing the multicolor that made up the blade. Glaring at Manacia, Naja pushed back against the lich king sending his weapon away, thus preventing Daimion’s death.

“We shall finish this, but not here Manacia. You and I both know that you’ve expended too much energy, as has Daimion, and this would be a completely unfair battle. You speak of honor, but this battle would be dishonorable to the both of you. When the time is right, the battle will commence, but no sooner and no later.”

Naja’s guan dao levitated around the elder mystic and Angel simply smirked.

“He is right ya know,” Angel began speaking, “the difference in your power levels is staggering. To fight the betrayer now would be such a dishonorable event. You will get to reap his soul, that is a certainty, but only when the time is right.”