Re-attunement – Larxenee
Eastern Plaguelands
Light's Hope Chapel Courtyard
Moments after Larxenee unleashed the Spatial Rift, annihilating the undead forces…
She rounded as the purple glow faded from her body, looking back across the field at the gaping crater with a smirk on her face. Currents of stray arcane bolts still twisted and erupted from the earth where the spell had struck.
To think that they just STOOD there and LET me do that Larxenee mused silently. Mindless horrors-
Her own thought was cut off as she felt a sudden weight upon her chest, followed by excruciating pain. She let out a cry and fell to her knees on the cobblestone pathway, palms pressed flat against the smooth rock.
All-consuming.
Endless.
Unimaginable agony.
She had never felt the recoil of a spell as intense as this. She expected the weakness after using so much energy, that much was a given, but this…this was not natural.
In her entire life as a mage Larxenee had taken great caution and care with her magic, focusing on the moment of release, when the energy left her own body as a destructive force capable of destroying just about anything in her way.
The Blue Dragonflight had taught ALL of its mages that control was the most important part of harnessing arcane magic.
And it was then that she realized she had taken no precaution in releasing the Spatial Rift spell.
She had been reckless.
And now, she would pay the price.
The arcane essence was a part of her own being, and she could still feel it coursing through her veins, speeding up and slowing down with her own heartbeat.
But now, a new sensation rose as the energy BLED out of her. She felt as though her very life was being sucked dry by some unseen force.
Ironic she thought as another wave of pain overtook her. Just a few moments ago I was saying how foolish the Scourge had been…now who's laughing…
As the last of her energy failed her, a bright bluish-purple light filled her vision and faded before a pair of arms caught Larxenee as she collapsed.
She would have felt relief, except for the fact that they were not the arms of a mortal. As her vision faded, Larxenee managed to glance up at her savior. The massive head of a familiar blue dragon looked down at her with a mix of pity, sorrow, and regret. A much smaller, flightless dragonkin held her in his arms.
"I thought I told you to be careful with the knowledge I granted you." Kalecgos' voice echoed in her head. "Apparently I was wrong…" he trailed off.
"No." Larxenee stated simply as her grip on consciousness slipped away. "I was the one who was wrong…to not take care…and…be careful…" Her head tilted to the side as she passed out.
"Your ordersss, Sssspellweaver?" The dragonkin questioned, still holding Larxenee's limp form.
Kalecgos paused briefly before answering "Take her through the portal" he sighed, gesturing with one talon as a rift opened nearby. "This is no place for decisions such as this to be made."
The dragonkin bowed his head and did as instructed, disappearing in a cloud of arcane particles.
The Aspect of Magic sighed once again and craned his neck, glancing out over the field. He winced when he saw the size of the crater Larxenee had created with her spell. It must have been at least half a mile in diameter.
She must have woven her own essence into the spell he thought. Nothing else could have caused such devastation.
A sudden voice brought the Aspect out of his trance. "K-Kalecgos…? The Spellweaver…"
He glanced down at the source of the voice, a pair of female, humanoid creatures.
Draenei he thought.
One was dressed in flowing robes, presumably a priest, and clutched her side as line of blue blood ran and soaked through the fabric. The other was clad in heavy plate armor and held the first one close.
"Where did you send Larxenee? What did you do to her!?" the paladin questioned helplessly.
Kalecgos fought the urge to laugh.
"It is more along the lines of what she has done to HERSELF." He stated simply before turning towards the portal. "Worry not, mortals, your friend is safe, but when she returns to you…" the Aspect trailed off, uncertain. "Let's just say she will not be the same as she once was."
And with that, the great dragon disappeared, and the rift closed silently behind him.
Eye of the Nexus
Blue Dragonflight Infirmary
Kalecgos' personal chambers…
I'm alive.
This was the only thought she bore.
But if that's true, then where is the pain? It felt so real…
"Trust me when I say that it WILL return, unless you are willing to make a choice." She recognized the voice.
"Kalecgos?" she questioned, attempting to open her eyes.
"Rest" the Aspect said, and a sudden wave of comfort passed over her. "Speak to me in your mind, and do NOT attempt to wake yourself until I say that you are ready."
"Alright" she relaxed, and let her mind clear.
His low chuckle filled her conscience. "I have a few questions for you. Think of them as a…test." He mused. "A test of your knowledge. I will present you with memories, and YOU will tell me what you learned from witnessing them."
If Larxenee could have rolled her eyes, she would have. "Fine."
"Are you ready?"
A pause before she answered. "Yes."
Darnassus, Teldrassil
Temple of the Moon
Druidic training courtyard…
"You're doing it wrong!" a teasing, almost unbearable sing-song voice echoed in her ear for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.
Larxenee sighed.
"Well, it MIGHT just help if you weren't breathing down my NECK every few seconds, Miranda…" she shot back, raising her head to glare at the young druid.
"And it MIGHT just help if you weren't such a sourpuss about not being as gifted as some of us." Miranda shot back, arrogant as ever.
She just can't take a hint…
"Look, just leave me alone to practice, please, that's all I'm asking." Larxenee lowered her gaze to the sapling in front of her, trying to coax the life energy within to help the young tree sprout even higher.
"Fine! If you want to fail on your own, that's fine by me. Just goes to show how hopeless you are!" Miranda tossed her dark green hair over her shoulder before turning towards the temple exit.
Larxenee clenched her fists and forced her eyes shut. Keep it cool, Larx she thought to herself. Miranda's just a stupid, stuck-up, arrogant, nut-brained…
"Oh, and by the way, I saw Theldrid earlier" Miranda glanced back at her.
Larxenee's head snapped up immediately and a tinge of dark pink painted her cheeks at the mention of her friends' name.
"So?" she murmured, trying to keep the hint of jealousy out of her voice. "He's a druid. It's the Temple of the MOON. I see him around here all the time"
"You didn't let me finish." Miranda scoffed. "He told me that he's been watching you recently."
Larxenee blushed even deeper. "Really…?" she said hesitantly. "And…did he say anything about me…?"
"Yep!" Miranda seemed to be enjoying this. "He said he can't believe how pathetic you are, that he was amazed that you haven't given up yet, AND that he regrets even being your friend." She finished with a smirk.
Something deep inside Larxenee snapped.
Deeper than her feelings for Theldrid.
Deeper than her anger at Miranda.
Deeper than…anything she had ever felt before.
She felt…power.
Energy.
And above this, she felt the will to control it, to harness it as she wished.
W-what? She thought to herself, suddenly surpried at the sensation.
Her focus returned to Miranda.
Th-that's not true! She wanted to scream, but her voice refused to work.
"Awwww, is little Larxy going to cry? Should I go get Theldrid to give you a kiss?" Miranda gave a cruel laugh, completely unaware of the feelings swirling within Larxenee.
The teasing…the constant reminders of how "insignificant" and "hopeless" she was…it had pushed her over the edge.
And now she dares to suggest that my closest friend has abandoned me?
Larxenee remained silent, glaring at Miranda.
Hate she thought. I HATE her…
The young druid ceased her giggling and took a look at Larxenee. She immediately gasped and took a step backwards, her hand still resting on the wooden doorframe, a terrified look on her face.
"L-Larx…you…your hands…WHAT is wrong with you?"
Larxenee returned to herself with a start. The hatred and swirling emotions drained out of her. She felt her grasp on the energy around her fade, and she looked down at her hands. They were shaking, and a faint blue-purple glow was fading away from them.
Was that…was that magic…? She let the thought trail off before looking up at Miranda again.
The girl still had a look of horror on her face.
Larxenee sighed and calmed herself, whispering several prayers to Elune under her breath.
"Larx…?" Miranda questioned her uncertainly.
"Leave me alone." Larxenee spat out, closing her eyes.
"I…I'm so-"
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Larxenee screamed and Miranda jumped, disappearing from the doorway in a flash.
For several minutes, she sat alone, relishing the fact that she was finally at peace.
And during this time, she meditated. She focused on the sensation she had felt, deep inside herself, and willed it to resurface.
The power came back to her almost instantly.
That was…easy she thought.
Eye of the Nexus
Blue Dragonflight Infirmary
Kalecgos' personal quarters…
"Do you remember that sensation? The rush of power as you called on your control of the arcane essence?" Kalecgos questioned as she returned from the memory.
"Of course…I feel it every time I cast a spell, every time I…well, do pretty much anything" she thought. "It's a part of me, something that I can control at will."
Kalecgos' presence in her mind seemed to radiate sadness. "Then you will not be pleased with what I have to say."
She waited patiently.
The Aspect sighed. "You will never feel that sensation again."
The words shot through her mind and her thoughts faltered in disbelief. "W-what?"
Kalecgos continued. "When I instructed you in the technique of Spatial Rift, I explained that it should only be used under the direst of circumstances, and that you must prepare yourself before using it."
He sighed once again.
"You failed to do this, and now, your connection to your Inner Arcane has been severed. You wove a part of yourself into the spell. By doing this, you created a blast so powerful that it would have destroyed anything it touched, but at the same time…" Kalecgos trailed off once again.
"…I sacrificed my ability to wield it." Larxenee finished. Despair gripped her heart, and tears welled under her closed eyelids.
"Without your Inner Arcane, you will descend into madness, and eventually suffer a fate similar to the Blood Elves. You will become..Broken." Kalecgos said sadly.
"How will I live then…if I can't control the Arcane…I can't do…" She heard herself sob, and gave into the hopelessness.
And Larxenee cried.
Larxenee cried harder than she ever had before, despite all the things she'd been through.
Harder than when she began her training with the Blue Dragonflight, feeling lost and confused.
Harder than when countless friends had fallen in battle at her side.
Even harder than when the love of her life had been torn away from her.
Her power, her very being, had been shattered.
And she had no one to blame but her own self.
It was to protect my friends she told herself. They're safe, and that means that it was worth it…
She wasn't sure if it had been minutes or years, but eventually, Kalecgos spoke again.
"While it is true that your connection to the Arcane has been severed, there is…another way to manipulate magic."
"And…what is that?" Larxenee hoped against hope that Kalecgos was telling the truth. She had witnessed other mages using fire and frost magic, but she had always believed that she could only use one kind of magic. Was I wrong…?
"Do you remember the hatred you felt for the young druid? Or the sudden rush of affection when she mentioned your friend, Theldrid?"
"Of course" Larxenee thought simply.
"What you felt was the Essence of Fire" Kalecgos explained.
Realization suddenly filled Larxenee.
"Passion. Emotion. Love. Hatred. Simple life…these are the sensations of your Inner Fire, and if you are willing to harness them…you will be able to live once again, not as a manipulator of Power, but as a wielder of Fire." Kalecgos let himself drift away from her mind. "Make your choice."
Passion.
Emotion.
Love.
Hatred.
Life she thought. "Yes." Larxenee stated firmly, opening her eyes and raising herself from the magical 'bed'.
Kalecgos sat across from her on a simple wooden stool, his eyes contemplating.
"I will wield fire…and I will control it. And I will NOT lose that control again." She murmured fiercely.
The Aspect shifted, his mortal appearance reforming into that of the great blue dragon.
"Very well." His voice thundered. "I believe you have learned your lesson in control, and now you must learn to wield your Inner Fire as a tool." The Aspect shuddered and raised a massive forearm.
A brilliant flame blazed to life in his claws.
"Focus" he rumbled.
She did so, harder than she ever had before.
Sudden warmth spread from the center of her chest, expanding through her limbs and filling her mind.
She raised her hand, and a flame flickered to life in her palm.
Fire…she thought. Proof of my accomplishment…proof of my mastery of control.
She glanced up.
Even the Aspect of Magic himself believes in me.
A rush of pride overtook her, and her flame blazed even brighter.
It was then that she noticed the color and shape of her hand, silhouetted behind the light of the flame in her palm. It was a darker shade of purple, almost blue, and much thinner than she remembered. What in the…
She let the flame dissipate and continued to examine her hand, turning it over, flexing into a fist and gently touching the skin with her other hand, which appeared just the same.
Larxenee blinked once before looking up to Kalecgos. When she spoke, her voice was as unsure as a frightened child. "Just how much of me did that spell change…?"