Quite often, the lush, green canopy of one of the forests of Jundar would rumble with the ground-shaking presence of an Elderscale Wurm. Such beasts, magical and mystical in nature, were common in this particular wood, but were unique compared to other planes. Typically, these creatures were a crimson coil that rested in the largest clearings of the trees, but on Jundar, they were blue, and their eyes were a bright green color. They appeared exactly the same in every other aspect. Why were their colors so different, one might ask? The answer is clear and plain;
Mana.
The mana of Jundar was as unique as Zendikar, as ancient as Mirrodin, and as dark as Innistrad. Such mana called out to dark and strange individuals, but it also crafted gifted heroes that many planes saw in the most famous of Planeswalkers. Jundar was a silent plane, though; previously unheard of by any of the other Walkers. Not even Nicol Bolas in all his ancient exploits discovered this world. Perhaps it was because its road in the Aether was deep within its complex system of infinite paths, or perhaps no being simply had the eternity to spend searching for it.
The biggest reason, however, was that it had no Planeswalkers of its own. None hailed from their plane to make it famous, and therefore as a result, its mana remained uncultivated. Its resources were an untapped potential, and its inhabitants didn't know that there were other places and beings beyond their own native Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, Merfolk, and Kor. There were even humans and satyrs that resided there whom never experienced a spark of any kind…
But then someone appeared…
Nissa Revane, the Animist herself.
It wasn't entirely by chance that she arrived at this strange world, but she hadn't expected it either. No one had written anything on it, nor had Jace ever mentioned such a place. But Nissa walked through the Aether and found a road that no one had ever shown her, nor had she ever seen anyone walk from it. She even questioned whether a road to this world had ever previously existed until she happened upon it.
None-the-less, the Elvish lady was there now, and she could sense the rich and unique mana emulating from the planet itself. She took a deep breath, savoring the smells of the fresh forests and plains before opening her eyes and looking up at the bright, blue sky. It wasn't too different from her home plane, and yet it was completely different. The creatures, though they resembled what she would find anywhere else, had certain characteristics that couldn't be found anywhere else except here. Even the trees were massive and had more of a greyish-blue hue to it versus the normal brown-colored bark of average trees.
Looking ahead to see how far the road she was on stretched, only to see it vanish into a deep thicket. She took her first steps, the sound of the rocky soil beneath her feet crumpling even under her light weight. She kept her staff ready for whatever she might find on her travels and reached out with her consciousness, trying to establish a connection between herself and this plane. Her heart beat with excitement at the discovery of a new land, and she could feel pride swelling in her chest knowing that she was the first one to chance upon it. On the other side, she felt the weight of responsibility that there was a possibility of Emrakul, the Titan of Corruption, had managed to enter the plane.
Her ears picked up all sorts of sounds; animals which she was familiar with and knew creatures she couldn't recognize, the winds blowing through the valley which the forest rested at the bottom of, and even the streams of running rivers around the road she was on and in the wood itself.
"Such a strange world," she said to herself as her dark-brown hair whipped past her face with the sudden gust of wind that blew from behind her. It was in that gust that she heard it; the voice of the planet.
"Jundar," said a voice within the wind. It was unlike any previous interaction she had, and it carried a very alien presence with it. She was reminded of the Eldrazi, and yet, this feel was still different… Along with the voice of the world and its presence, she could sense… warped darkness. Something strange threatened the planet and the creatures that lived there. But not just there; something threatened destruction to every known world it could gain access to. Suddenly, she understood why a path was open to her at that moment. It was as if Jundar knew her even before she knew it existed.
"Jundar, huh? Such a unique name," she said to herself as she looked at the looming mountains in the distance. "Perhaps you could tell me if there are any others close by?" She added. Initially, there was silence, and she supposed that there was no answer to be given. She hadn't connected with the world, after all, so there was no reason for it to respond to any question she would have.
In her heart, she found the way this world communicated to her odd and unlike when the soul of Zendikar spoke. She wondered if it was a fell omen concerning the state of the plane, or if it was capable of a voice unlike any other; the direct ability to speak to its inhabitants or strangers from other places in the multiverse. She speculated with a child-like wonder, not even realizing that she was already at the start of the deep wood she now faced.
There was a slight tug at her heart, nudging her forward in the slightest, but not forcing her to move at all. She took a deep breath and then exhaled, then took her first step, anticipating the unexpected.
It only took a few steps, however, before she could sense it; an unrivaled darkness she hadn't sensed since the Eldrazi. But it wasn't the Eldrazi. It was something… Else. Her vision suddenly darkened, and she couldn't feel the ground beneath her feet. The world around her was silent, and she couldn't even hear her own screams.
Then the world reappeared, but it looked different. No, it felt different. She could hear agonized screams from every direction, and she felt heat from the ground beneath. The trees, drained of color like everything else, were dead and withering. There was no grass, no rolling hills, and no animals that roamed the forests. She saw demonic beings swarming the sky like demented and deformed angels, searching for something to sick their disgusting teeth into. The horizon was lit with what looked like a blazing fire, as if the world were floating in an infinite sea of fire, and black clouds filled the skies above.
Her heart pounded with fear, and that fear gripped her limbs. She couldn't move, nor did she dare to. Her instinct was to remain still in hopes that nothing would see her because she felt her power be sapped from within her. She had no mana to draw from, nothing to give her power, and no one to come to her aid. She was alone in a Hellish playground.
Then, suddenly, a grotesque creature emerged from the ground in front of her, slinging dry dirt everywhere as its massive claws crumpled the earth beneath when it slammed it down. Its flesh was black and red, and resembled an animated liquid that dripped and re-absorbed to its feet. It had no face on its head; only a mouth lined with jagged teeth. Her instinct in that moment changed; run like Hell!
But as she turned to run, her feet remained glued to the road. She looked down to discover that same black flesh slopped over them midway up to her knees. She couldn't get them to budge at all. Dread filled her being as she looked back into its blank face, and then she heard another voice in her head, sick and venomous.
"…Ugrazdra…" The voice uttered. Her heart pounded harder and harder as the creature took a step towards her, the sound of its liquid-like flesh sloshing with each movement.
"Ugrazdra," it repeated louder as it inched closer. Terror filled her mind and tears began to swell in her eyes as she anticipated her doom. Regret filled her heart, wishing she had never entered the plane to begin with.
"WE ARE UGRAZDRA!" The voice shrieked with an unnatural sound, as if multiple demonic voices sounded off at once. She screamed at the top of her lungs as tears streamed down her face. The creature was directly in front of her. As it reached out to her, its arms changed into long, slimy tendrils that wrapped around her and bound her so that she definitely had no way of escape. Her screams echoed louder, and thousands of voices from everywhere erupted with laughter as she creature's maw opened. Its jaw dropped further and further until it matched her at eye level, given it was several feet taller than her. She struggled and struggled to escape, but it was too late; the mouth descended on her.
And then the vision ended.
Her eyes fluttered open and squinted as the sunlight gleamed through a foreign-designed window. She took a deep breath, and let out a delighted moan as the smell of sweet pastries cooking in an oven somewhere nearby filled her nose. She pushed herself to sitting upright on a bed in a small, cozy cottage somewhere deep in some sort of forest, judging by the trees she noticed outside.
She was in a small bedroom that had a dresser on the far wall, and a shelf beside the door opposite to her with books lined on it. Then she noticed a reading chair beside it with her clothes folded neatly on it. Flustered, she looked down quickly to see herself dressed in a pretty green sleeping gown that reached down to her knees. She held her breath, nervously curious at whose house she was in, and why they felt the need to undress her in the first place.
As grunted, however, as she tried to move out of the bed, and her hand jerked to the source of the stabbing pain in her abdomen. It was then when she felt the thick bandaging around her core. Dread and wonder filled her heart, remembering suddenly what she saw in her vision. She began to wonder; was that even a vision? What if it was real? Then how did she survive being eaten, if it was?
As if her thoughts were heard by some all-knowing deity, the cracked door casually opened, and a young, blonde-haired human entered wearing a hooded, dark blue-and-green coat that reached to the backs of his knees. He had a white tunic on, green pants and black boots, and a long, forest-green scarf was tied around his waist. On his lower arms were brown gauntlets with a strange, yet familiarly elvish design embroidered into them, while his hands were adorned with similarly-colored fingerless gloves. His golden locks were tied into a pony tail that reached down past his shoulders and flowed into bouncy curls, and nappy bangs fell across his face, brushed to the side. What captivated her the most and made her heart flutter with a flurry of emotion that no man had ever done to her before were his eyes; they were a deep, natural green, but they hid a deep mystery which she could only ponder at. She flushed as she stared into his eyes.
"I see you're awake, Miss Nissa," he said, catching her off guard with knowing her name. Her blush increased as she looked away.
"How do you know my name?" She asked inquisitively and defensively as he set a plate beside her bed. Her growling stomach had no issue reminding her that she needed to eat as the sweet aroma filled her nostrils.
"Well, to put it plainly, I'm a telepath," he admitted without hesitation as he smiled. She felt warmth from him that few individuals carried. "I'm Aiden," he added.
"Well, you already know my name. But it's nice to meet you, I guess," she replied in a hushed tone. Her blush returned, however, when she realized he was the one who most likely changed her clothes and bandaged her up.
"You're correct on that one," he said as he made his way over to her clothes on the chair; "I am the one who changed you and bandaged you."
"What happened to me?" She asked, quickly changing the subject. He was quick with discerning her thoughts, almost like Jace.
"I'm assuming you encountered an Ugrazdra, since the marks on your stomach and around your waist resemble what happens when once has you in its grasp. You can thank Jundar, though, for rescuing you and leading me to you," Aiden revealed.
"Jundar… The planet, I assume?"
"You assume correctly. But don't worry; you'll meet him soon enough. For now, we need to focus on your recovery," he commanded.
"You must not know too much about Planeswalkers," Nissa commented.
"Planeswalkers? Hmm… Not too much," he admitted. She knew then that he wasn't on the same magnitude as Jace with his mind magic. Perhaps he only recently began his practices? She couldn't tell. "What's this about Jace?" He asked, voicing her thoughts.
"Can't you read my mind?" Nissa asked.
"Well, I can, but you aren't like other people I've met. I can hear your immediate thoughts, but I can't enter deep into your mind. Believe me, from what I sense, I'd get lost within from all the knowledge."
"I understand. Perhaps explaining Planeswalkers and who Jace is will help you understand," Nissa began. "A Planeswalker is someone who can travel-
"To different worlds? So that's what Jundar meant by this world not being the only one… Forgive me, I don't mean to interrupt; Jundar speaks cryptically sometimes and waits for whatever he's talking about to happen, because that's when it makes sense for me. Anyways, Jace?"
"Yes, Jace is a master of mind magic. He's the most gifted telepath and one of the most powerful Planeswalkers I've met. He's highly intelligent," she revealed.
"I see… You have a lot of respect for him… So you being a Planeswalker is the reason I can't read you like I can read others, huh? I can tell why; the power I sense in you is unlike anything I've seen before," Aiden commented.
"It's not just me; I can sense a lot of power in you too," she admitted, opening up her senses to the energies within the house and around it. "One would take you for being a Planeswalker as well."
"You're probably sensing Jundar, actually," Aiden admitted.
"No, what I sense is within you… But I do feel the same thing from everywhere around us as well. It's stronger than you. Much stronger. But it's not harmful," Nissa clarified.
"Okay, that's Jundar," Aiden added. Then it clicked; he was also an animist! He was gifted in mind magic and elemental magic like hers.
"You speak with this world?" She asked in awe.
"Why yes, yes I do," Aiden responded with a bright smile, as if no one had ever understood that in him before. "You and I are similar in that respect."
"Well, you're right to a degree; I don't-
"Speak to Jundar or see his mana leylines- I know. I mean with your home world. You and I are similar in that we speak to our home worlds," Aiden clarified. Nissa nodded, grasping onto what he was telling her. "You know, I can teach you to shield all your thoughts from telepaths like me," he added.
"I don't think that's necessary," she replied with a slight smile.
"On the contrary, I think it is. I can hear your thoughts loud and clear, Nissa. I can only imagine what this Jace character can do if he's as powerful as you say."
"Anyways; are you the only one who lives on this world, or are there other places here booming with civilization?" Nissa asked, quickly changing the subject. She simply didn't want to be reminded of the fact that her mind laid so bare before someone so alien to her, and it scared her to think of how powerful he truly was considering he wasn't a Planeswalker- or at least, not yet. Aiden seemed to understand, though, and she saw in his mysterious eyes a god-like wisdom she'd never found in anyone before.
"Yes. There are great cities here. Judging from what you've seen in your life, I think this world might be the largest one you've seen," he bragged.
"What makes you say that? You can't see into my memories," she said with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, when I mentioned the cities, your mind drifted to some world that appeared to be nothing but a city, as well as a few other places that were pretty big… But I'm telling you this world is the biggest you've seen so far. It could take years to cross one continent here, and there's at least fifteen or sixteen… Which makes me wonder, why did you decide to go exploring other worlds?" He asked, genuinely curious. She could sense that he actually wasn't reading her mind this time.
"Well, I originally decided against it. I traveled to two planes- err, I mean, worlds, and had a very… Bad experience. So I decided not to. But on my world, a war was waged against beings called the Eldrazi. Two of their original three were killed by my Guild and I; the Gatewatch. But one is still on the loose, and I traveled from my plane to find her… In my travels, I noticed the door to this world, and I traveled through in search of some sort of clue," Nissa admitted.
"That's so beautiful…" Aiden said, his eyes filled with wonder as he saw what she saw in her mind. It wasn't enough that she saw it on his face; she could feel him in her mind. She knew he was watching everything she was thinking.
She was surprised, however, at his amount of self-control. It made her doubt whether he was capable of having a spark or not; such a sight would have surely ignited it by this point. Yet here he sat, witnessing where she had been and remaining just as he was. Then again, perhaps his spark would come from something more.
"There's so much knowledge," he commented. "It makes sense. All the planes are connected. These doors you see; that's how it happens. Each world draws mana from each other, and gives it back to each other in return. And it makes sense that a door would open to here and it would happen when you were traveling… It must have been Jundar."
"What do you mean?" Nissa asked, adjusting herself on the bed so that her feet were on the ground. She hadn't even touched the pastry that Aiden delicately prepared for her
"My world… It's dying," Aiden said, a solemn look contorting his features with sadness. Suddenly, her heart ached for him; she knew his pain. She knew what it felt like to fall so in love with her world, and to watch it have the life drained from it before her very eyes. But she also knew what it looked like when the world fought back.
"No," Aiden barked, interrupting her thoughts. Suddenly, his face was dark and fierce. "The Eldrazi on your world… They're nothing like the Ugrazdra. The Eldrazi were alien altogether. The Ugrazdra were formed on this world. It was made from the darkness in the hearts of its inhabitants… We made them."
"You… 'Made' them?" She asked. Her mind immediately went to the last titan… The one who vanished, and who wasn't seen. She began to wonder how long the door to Jundar had actually been open.
"Correct… But your thoughts suggest… Something else encouraged this?" Aiden asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm not so sure… I'll need to investigate. I'll need to find a way to connect to Jundar like you have."
"Well… It looks like we'll have to go to the cities after all," Aiden said with a hint of dread in his voice.
"You sound as if there's something evil about the civilizations here," Nissa probed.
"Well, you'll understand when you see… Before we go, though… What could have encouraged the hearts of all of our peoples to birth something as destructive as the Ugrazdra?" Aiden asked. Nissa took a deep breath, and the memories… The painful memories of what the titans did to her home flooded into her mind. Their triumph on Zendikar was won with so much bloodshed, the sorrow of loss almost equaled the joy of victory.
When she looked at Aiden, his eyes were glassy from tears, and his nose was flushed red as he sniffled. He saw all the death and destruction she saw, and felt the pain she held inside. She could only imagine how much more intensified it was for him with the thought that it could happen to his world and people just the same.
"The third titan is called Emrakul," Nissa growled as she looked out the window, imagining what she would do to the monster once she found it. At the mention of its name, though, she noticed an intensity that thickened the air they were breathing, and the light from the sun seemed to grow dimmer ever so slightly.
"Aright," Aiden said as he stood up and grabbed her clothes. He walked over to her and handed them to her. "I'm coming with you. Get dressed, and I'll pack whatever supplies we need."
"We don't need to pack much," Nissa said as she slowly tried to stand. As quickly as she rose to her feet, she fell right back on the bed, grunting and clenching her abdomen in pain. "We can hunt for provisions too," she added in a pained voice.
"Perhaps we should get you healed before anything," Aiden commented with a worried look in his eyes.
"You're an animist, right? You could use nature magic and heal me… I'm too weak right now. I haven't drawn enough mana yet," she said. Aiden gave her a nervous look. She raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you know how to heal with nature magic?"
"Well, not entirely. I suppose that's where we're different; I'm a wurm-catcher," he admitted. She blinked in surprise, unsure of how to respond. "What? You've met wurm-catchers before, right?"
"Groups of them, but that's what they were; groups! An individual that works as an individual? Using druidic powers to do so? I expected you to call forth elementals from the world itself, not catch wurms! How do you survive alone?" She asked, shocked at the sudden revelation. She sensed the power within him and agreed that he was stronger than most people she had met, but single-handedly catching beasts like wurms, especially if they were anything like the monsters that crawled through the earth on Zendikar or Ravnica, was nearly unheard of.
"It's not as hard as you think… For me, at least… You'll see; wurm's the fastest way of travel for outlanders. Now about your healing spell- ah! Your mind works so quickly. That must be one of the beautiful features of elves on your plane," Aiden commented as he stretched out his hand towards her. She blushed at his statement.
A glowing mist of green light began to materialize out of the air around him and met at his palm, making an orb of light that illuminated the room brighter than the sunlight through the windows. Slowly, the light in his palm slithered into tendrils that extended from his hand to her wound as his hand hovered over her stomach. She sighed as the tension and pain relieved and vanished, but she could still feel something like a knot where it was as he finished, as if not all of it was gone. True to her instincts, his response confirmed it; "it's not completely gone… We'll have to go see Jundar when we're near the first city."
"Why? We should enter the city first. My well-being can come later," Nissa responded sternly as she turned around and waited for him to take the hint to leave so she could get dressed. He didn't take it, though, as he gently grabbed her shoulder and turned her around. She could see the seriousness in his eyes.
"No. We'll see Jundar first. You can't enter a city with that still there. It will pull an evil out of you that you never expected to be there," he commanded.
"I'll be fine," she said as she turned around and grabbed her blouse and corset.
"No, you won't, Nissa," he said stubbornly. Her temper began to flare a bit.
"Let me get dressed, Aiden," she barked. He was silent, but understood her resolve.
"Very well," he said as he turned to leave, "I'll take you to the end of the Uth'Warri Wood. From there, it's a clear path directly to the gate of the city of Evrebrill, the closest city to us. When we separate in the wood, I'll go my own way to find Jundar-
"How are you going to 'find' Jundar? Isn't he-
"You'll see. Just stay in the city until I arrive. Please. You don't know this world like I do… You don't know the people," Aiden said as he left the room and calmly shut the door behind him. The long-eared elf harrumphed as she removed the sleeping gown and bandages and started to put her normal clothes on.
Their journey took several days. They became fast friends; sharing stories that each had gone through within their adventures on their home worlds. Nissa learned that Aiden had no memories of his childhood or his parents, and that Jundar took care of him and raised him. He had been to the city and the people knew who he was, but he stayed away from them because they didn't like him so much. His telepathic powers were there for as long as he could remember, and it helped him get out of a lot of trouble, but it also scared people from him. He never met any other animists or elemental mages, which explained why his magical strength was focused more on connecting with animals, hunting, and taming and training wurms. He revealed that he considered wurms to be his friend and formed strong bonds with them.
"Alright, Nissa," Aiden said as they neared the end of the forest. She looked over the open plains, tracing the road all the way until she could no longer distinguish it from the rolling hills that stretched between them and the massive wall of the city. It was a sight to behold; the city radiated with technological marvels. There were towers that stretched high above the ground with cables and chords that stretched to other buildings which floated above them by themselves. Mechanical marvels Aiden called swoopcraft buzzed around the skies above the cities, looking more like gnats that actual ships or shuttles, carrying their pilots and passengers to their various destinations. Behind the city was a giant mountain with floating islands attached through vegetation, resembling slightly her home plane of Zendikar.
"Alright, Aiden… Until we meet again," she said as she looked into his eyes and then back at the city. Massive airships hovered above the buildings, docked at some of the high-flying towers. She assumed they were docks like one would find at a seaport. The ships looked armed with cannons, and resembled large, floating, metal war-boats with massive engines behind them.
"Be safe until I arrive," Aiden said as she looked back into his eyes. She denied it in her mind, but for a moment, she thought she saw a lover's twinkle in his eyes as he looked at her. He must have heard her thoughts as well as he smiled and gave a short chuckle. She blushed and looked away.
"Before I go; what's your full name?" She asked.
"My full name? Hmm… I suppose you could call me Aiden Outlander, considering I have no recollection of my parents. That sounds good to me," Aiden answered honestly. Nissa smiled; she liked the sound of that.
"Alright, Outlander," she said as she began her trek across the open pastures and hills, not waiting for his response. She walked for a good ten or fifteen minutes before turning to find him, only to see that he already went on his way.
As she neared the city, she could see the silver and gold gate large enough to fit a giant through. She wondered what sort of people she would meet inside passing through the streets. Then a posing question entered her mind as the massive doors slid open and revealed the bustling roads and crowds of mixed races making their way through the tech-heavy haven; who was she looking for to find the answers about the Ugrazdra? A cool breeze brushed across her face as she entered, and the thousands of voices from the busy individuals walking about filled her ears with noise. Her quest to find answers about the Ugrazdra and Emrakul's possible presence began…
The room was large and round. Half of the walls were windows overlooking the entire capital city of Gruun'Ijil, while the other half were golden panels with artwork etched into it that told the story of an ancient myth many had long forgotten. In the center of that side of the wall was the door, the only way in or out. In the center of the room was a round table with chairs all around which the council of the great empire of Jak'Raduul, the King of the known lands, met and convened new laws to implement. Jak'Raduul, a tall and handsome elf with long, red hair and silver colored eyes, stood beside the windows and looked at his successful kingdom, eager for his next plan to be set in motion. His goal was clear and driven; change the face of Jundar into a world where nature and technology existed in harmony.
At Jak'Raduul's hip was a sword with a white hilt. Etched at the tip of the hilt was an eleven-pointed star with a trident at the center. He wore a long, white, hooded coat and black pants. His tunic was blue, and his boots were black. His crimson locks were tied into a pony-tail that stretched to the small of his back. His face, angled and sharp, was gentle and yet firm. He looked as though he carried the wisdom of an eternity of life behind his silver irises.
His long elf ears, the left one pierced with three blue earrings at the tip, twitched as the door behind him slid open and the sound of hurried, loyal boots clacked on the ground until a young, blonde-haired she-elf stood at his side, holding a journal in her arms. She was dressed similarly to him, except she wore a red blouse instead of a blue tunic. He took a deep breath and shifted his gaze over to her, his face calm and yet assertive.
"Any news on the Ugrazdra?" Jak'Raduul asked.
"No, Your Majesty. And the condition of the people worsens; crime rates are picking up, murders are more frequent, practitioners of ancient magic run rampant… We're doing as much research as we can, but we can only get so far before we need to extend out studies to outside the cities," she replied obediently.
"I do not want us to disturb the wildlife of Jundar unless we need to, Kiri… You're a skilled Pyromancer; I want you to see if perhaps we can find out anything about the heartflame in Mount Orkiad. Perhaps there is a cure in store for us within its blazing fires," the Emperor responded as he looked back out of the windows.
"Sir, if I may, perhaps we could ask for the aid of the Outlander?" Kiri suggested as she bit her pink lip nervously.
"The city still doesn't welcome him yet, and we don't know where he's hidden himself… He tends to stay away from civilization. Besides, he prefers the wurms over people, and if someone angered him in a public square and he called one of those beasts… He could destroy city blocks," Jak'Raduul stated plainly.
"Yes, but he's connected to Jundar… He can speak to the planet. He's one of the only animists this world has seen-
"I wouldn't call him an animist. He uses his elemental magic more for beast-taming rather than crafting elementals and shaping the world."
"Perhaps, but he still tends to nature and heals the land like an animist. Just because his preferences are different doesn't nullify what he is, you Majesty," Kiri clarified. "And he is very strong with mental magic. He is a skilled illusion practitioner, and he's a master of telepathy. He's also very good with spell-countering. Just one flick with his hand and it's like he brushes aside some of the most powerful spells the gangs and crime lords throw at him. Surely you remember the uprising of the Orthos Gang… Who was it that hexed their forces single-handedly, countering every attack from the leader with brilliant strategy, and then spell-binding his hands so that he couldn't cast spells anymore? Aiden did. What did the civilians do in response? Cast him out. We should strongly consider acquiring his help. You know nature and mental magic make a powerful combination on any battlefield."
"If war was even an option… I plan to halt the Ugrazdra before any fighting and loss of life begins," Jak'Raduul declared.
"And how do you plan to do that? With a force like them, we are going to have to go to war," Kiri retorted.
"You forget that I am a master of mental magic as well. My enchantments are unrivaled on this world."
"As long as you stand in their way, you Majesty, war will always be the only option," Kiri clarified. "Their plans to consume life from this world… And with your discovery of the multiverse when you vanished… You know their plans are to journey to every world they can find. War is inevitable." He was silent as he contemplated her words, speculating in all of his intellect how he could argue his point forward, but he knew she was right. He cursed his morals for wanting to find a way that didn't involve hundreds of thousands dying, but he knew that it couldn't be avoided. He at least tried.
"We will only wait until we have no other choice but to bring it the Outlander. We don't need to traumatize him anymore than we already have, embarrassingly enough," Jak'Raduul ruled. Kiri nodded in confirmation.
"There's another matter that might interest you," Kiri added before finishing her business with the Emperor.
"What is it?"
"An elvish maiden has entered the city on the border of Vrish'i. She dresses in green garbs foreign to any of the known nations, and she has very peculiar tattoos. On top of all that; her eyes glow green," Kiri explained. Jak'Raduul's eyes widened. He recognized that description, and he had heard of the recent events involving the Eldrazi menace. He knew who was responsible for the downfall of two of the titans as well; the Gatewatch. His heart beat with a flurry of mixed emotions, unsure of what these signs meant.
"I know who she is and where she hails from," Jak'Raduul declared. Kiri raised an eyebrow. "Her name is Nissa Revane, an animist from a world named Zendikar… She's one of my kind; a Planeswalker… And she's one of the most powerful ones the multiverse has known."
Nissa sighed as she rested her elbows on the table at the restaurant deep within the heart of the city. Evrebrill was exciting, filled with vendors and stores, armories and clothing shops, as wells as stores for magic and other magical relics. There were residential districts safely guarded from the rest of the dangers of the city, and hotels for the visitors who dared to stay overnight, risking an encounter with the nocturnally active criminal organizations and gangs. There were also restaurants, like the one she stayed in, and government buildings amidst the steel jungles. Military structures remained close to the walls of the city as well as the center, where the Governor resided.
She encountered elves, kor, humans, dwarves, and satyrs of every kind. There were others, creating a diverse environment for her to explore, but not too many people were able to give her much about the Ugrazdra, which made her task a bit more difficult. She sat there, waiting for her meal to deliver to her table and contemplated where she would explore and search next. She wondered if even the sewers of the city would have answers for her.
After moments of evesdropping on the casual conversation going on around her and listening to the sounds of utensils scratching against chinaware and bowls, a stranger wearing a black hood and cloak sat at her table directly across from her. She raised an eyebrow and prepared to awaken an elemental from the ground beneath him as he rested his gauntleted arms on the table. She couldn't clearly see his face, but she assumed from his tanned, rugged arms and his improper posture that he was a human involved with the criminal underground. Her long ears perked as she listened for what he had to say.
"I know what you're looking for, she-elf," he said in a rugged, deep and raspy voice. Her nose easily detected the poor hygine and alcohol on his breath.
"Speak quickly," she said, doing what she could to take short breaths and avoid the horrid stench.
"You seek the cause of the Ugrazdra… Whether it's alien or terrestrial," he confirmed. She silently nodded her head as her food was delivered. The man waved his hand, signaling that he wasn't ordering any food. "Your answer; no one here knows… But there's speculation of certain individuals who don't come from this world. You're one of those individuals."
"Choose your words carefully, human. I'm usually gentle, but I can silence you quicker than your thoughts can travel," Nissa hissed.
"Please, she-elf. You don't frighten me. My kind and I have seen far worse than you here. You have no idea what the Ugrazdra are truly capable of… You haven't seen the evils they breed. Listen; I came to warn you about that bit of Ugrazdra venom you carry in your gut," he said. She blinked in surprise, confused at how he knew about her wound. "Surprised, right? It's our leader. He can see the mana they give off as if it were a glowing lantern. He wants you, either as an ally or a slave to do with as he pleases. And he can manipulate that wound to make it happen. Now… About the information you seek; these individuals opened a door to our world, that's certain. But the Ugrazdra have been here since before then. They were born when the people of this world fell from their innocence."
"Innocence?"
"It's an ancient myth that most people think was made up to explain the Ugrazdra. But in reality, most of us believe that they were here since the planet was formed as its defense against us… Kind of like an immune system."
"You suggest that the inhabitants of this world have alien origins?" Nissa asked with a raised eyebrow.
"So the belief goes. As we mostly agree, they were born to exterminate us. This world see us as a plague it wants to rid itself of," he explained further. Nissa looked away as her mind buzzed with disbelief. She remembered what she had heard from Aiden, how he told her they were crafted from the hearts of the population as a whole, and sought to consume everything on their world and other worlds that they might be able to travel to. Suddenly, though, she began to wonder if he was telling the truth or not… She was starting to wonder if she could trust anyone on Jundar.
"So why are you telling me all this?" Nissa asked.
"Simple; we're giving you what you want, so now you have to give us what we want… You," he clarified. Nissa started to laugh and then stood to her feet, not even bothering to eat the food she ordered. She grabbed the roll so that she wouldn't starve, left a few coins on the table from the money purse Aiden had left her, and walked out of the restaurant.
She was stopped as the man, who was following her hot on her heels, grabbed her shoulder and jerked her back. She lost her balance and fell to the ground, grunting as she slammed on the road. She let out a short yelp as the brigand got over top of her and pulled out a dagger, holding it at her throat. Her impulse was to hit him with a blast of elemental magic, but her stomach suddenly knotted up with a searing pain, leaving her incapable of defending herself. She groaned as the intense pulsating echoed through the rest of her body.
"You feel that, she-elf? That's what we do; interact with the Ugrazdra venom," he said as he pulled the hood back. His eyes were completely red and his teeth were razor sharp. His head was deformed with jagged spikes protruding from everywhere. "WE ARE UGRAZDRA!" He declared with a sinister laugh as his mouth began to stretch until the top of his head hung behind his neck. A black ooze bubbled from his opened throat and expanded until it made what resembled another top half of his head to replace the other. People all around screamed, and Nissa shrieked in terror. She didn't know what terrified her more; the fact that this wasn't a vision this time, or that she was powerless to defend herself.
"GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF OF HER, YOU WRETCHED, UNWANTED GROWTH!" A familiar voice barked, distracting the Ugrazdra and stealing his gaze upwards toward the source.
She didn't have to wonder too long if it was Aiden or not as he leapt over her and drove his knee into the creature's face. It grunted and stumbled backwards, and then growled at Aiden, who stood between it and her. His palms were glowing with a bright green light.
"The Outlander… SSSSSuch a pleasant suprissssse," the Ugrazdra hissed.
"You have no place in this world, creature," Aiden spat as he opened his palm towards the ground. The light formed into a mist, and then dissipated into the road. The Ugrazdra laughed hysterically.
"You think your magic will save you?" It sneered. Aiden snickered. Slowly, the ground began to rumble and shake. People screamed and frantically ran everywhere, looking for a safe place to hide. Nissa clenched her stomach and dragged herself off to the side, careful not to make any sudden movements or lose her balance from the surprise earthquake. Aiden positioned himself so that he was close to her and still in between the two of them.
"Don't be scared," he told her as he crouched down. She assumed it was to keep his balance.
Then, suddenly, buildings and rubble in one of the distant city blocks erupted into the air as a giant, blue-scaled Elderscale Wurm emerged from the earth. With a loud and terrifying roar, it fell to the ground and drove through the city, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Nissa watched in awe and fear, unsure of how to react or if they would even make it out of the way in time. Aiden laughed as it drew closer. Her thoughts turned toward the people who were no-doubt trapped in the towers that were struck to the ground.
"Don't worry; I convinced the Governor to evacuate those city-district. Something along the lines of the blood of innocent civilians being on his hands even if it were just the Ugrazdra infestation that killed them," Aiden reassured. Her thoughts pondered on his mention of an infestation; there was more in the city than just the creature that they faced right there? So much that he had to summon a wurm to defeat? "Where there's one, there's more," he added, confirming her thoughts.
Then, the beast rose and towered over the buildings beside the block they were at, its gaze fixed on the Ugrazdra. The creature looked at the serpent and let out an ear-blistering shriek, and then more of the black ooze seeped through the cracks in the road from all around them and even from some of the people nearby, and slung itself towards the inhuman monster. Aiden shielded them with a blue orb of magic so that none of the fluid would touch them.
Slowly, the monster grew bigger and bigger until it was nearly the same size as the wurm, and began to shift and contort into something that resembled a deformed hydra. On each of the heads were red spots that glowed faintly. The Ugrazdra Hydra shrieked out of each head, causing all the people to scream and run away frantically. Aiden laughed and picked Nissa up in his arms as she clung tightly to him. Then, unexpectedly, the wurm replied with a grumbling growl and then a roar so loud, some of the buildings it didn't hit fell over from the power behind the sound waves. The hydra cowered away, unsure of how to respond.
Then, the wurm positioned itself so that it towered over the hydra and then descended on it, with several of its heads in its mouth as its jaw clenched on the black, hairless body. Before the Ugrazdra could liquefy, the slithering serpent lifted it in the air and made sure his mouth aimed upwards.
Its body began to glow between the scales with a green light, and then a beam of the same color erupted from its mouth through the hydra. Within seconds, the monster was sucked into the beam that disintegrated it into non-existence, and the beam faded into the sky. The wurm let out a satisfied growl and slowly returned to his hole in the city. Nissa was awestruck at what she witnessed; nothing like that had ever happened in front of her before. She had never seen such a creature emit such heavy ethereal power like that, against such an unknown enemy like the Ugrazdra.
"No," Nissa grunted as Aiden shifted her in his arms, before he had the chance to lay her on the ground, "I don't want to be set down… Please… I can't walk. It hurts too much."
"Okay. I won't let go. We need to leave the city, though," Aiden said. Nissa nodded as she rested her head on his chest. Silently, not answering any of the shocked and frightened people's questions, he turned and left the beginnings of a war between Jundar and the Ugrazdra with the beautiful maiden in his arms whose arrival sparked its flame in the first place.