Sooooo…
I'm back.
Yay?
Howdy folks, how's it going?
Yes, I know, it's been five, nearly six, months since the last update of my stories.
I have been busy, that's all I can say.
But I am back now, at least to bring you this.
Most of you would've probably preferred to see a new update to "Beneath a Broken Moon", right?
Well, rejoice people, because it is next on the list.
And I swear it is not going to take nearly as long to be published.
Now, I've kept you long enough.
The usual shout out to my bro Chaos Productions for his help.
And a quick reminder that I own neither RWBY nor Magic:The Gathering.
And without further ado, enjoy.
/
The Dragon Storm raged above the frozen crevasse, the broodlings it spawned twisting and turning through the air currents, completely indifferent to the two figures far below that trudged through the well-hidden, treacherous path through howling winds and large rocky outcrops.
At a bend that opened into a gaping abyss, the first figure paused, looking at the enormous, spiralling structure that was barely visible over yonder.
Eyes that almost seemed to glow with inner fire narrowed slightly as Sarkhan Vol considered the distance.
They'd be at their destination soon.
"What troubles you, Sarkhan?" His companion asked.
He turned to her, the woman he knew and yet didn't, the long black air, the calm brown eyes, the white and golden robes, and the blue cloak embroidered in gold lines so similar and yet so different from what he remembered.
When he had first asked to accompany Narset on her journey to unearth the secrets of this Tarkir's ancient history, things had been tense. He had been aware, even then, that this was not his Narset. That Narset had perished twice over, once at the hand of a formerly fearsome enemy, and once when his actions prevented that course of events. To this Narset, he had been a little more than a myth, a stranger whose familiarity she did not reciprocate and was unnerved by. And although on an intellectual level he had known this, the truth had taken time to sink in.
When it did though, the man lost in time was not discouraged. He'd known her before, and he could again. And despite her misgivings, to his great joy his fellow Planeswalker had given him the chance he so humbly requested.
That had been months ago, and through a series of travels and trials, of challenges and tribulations faced together, Sarkhan and Narset were friends once more.
"I wonder about the reason we've been called." The Dragon Shaman answered in a pondering tone.
Barely a day before, they had been deep in the dark swamplands of Silumgar's brood, walking through the ruins of an ancient, abandoned temple of the decadent, long gone Sultai Clan. There they had been found by a draconic specter, one of the creations of Ugin, the spirit dragon.
Through it, the dragon spoke, with an urgency in his voice that Sarkhan might have considered panic had it come from an inferior being, requesting their presence in his Sanctum immediately.
The summons sounded dire, and the two Planeswalkers rushed to answer the call, fearful thoughts plaguing their minds.
The Spirit Dragon was Ancient. One of the mightiest of the old, Godlike Walkers, that moulded worlds and reality to their whims. On this plane of his Domain, he was a law of Nature unto himself.
What could have worried one such as he so? And what could the two of them possibly do about it that the Elder Dragon could not accomplish himself?
"I do not know, same as you." The woman who could've been a Khan replied. "And that is why we answered the call. Wondering will serve for little until we arrive."
"Hhhm, right as always." Sarkhan said, smiling warmly, which Narset answered in kind, before looking into the distance herself.
"We're close." She said. "We'll be there by nightfall if we keep up the pace."
"Well." The Shaman smirked. "What say you we shorten the trip?"
"Are you up for it?"
Sarkhan reply was a careless shrug.
And a running leap into the abyss.
For a few moments, the man let himself fall, feeling the cold winds batter against him.
Then cold gave way to fire.
His form shifted and grew. Rough scales spread across his skin, his fingers turned into claws. His faced elongated into a tooth-filled reptilian maw, and might wings burst from his back.
Immediately the dragon halted his descent, and propelled himself upwards.
Narset leaped into his back as he passed the path, and the duo took off into the skies, a sight that was ironically nearly unthinkable in this world of theirs.
Barely an hour later, they found themselves at their destination, the entrance to the Sanctum of the Spirit Dragon.
The shapeshifter alighted softly, allowing his passenger to get off before assuming the form of a man once more.
Immediately, one of the phantom sentries came to them.
The two humans couldn't help but share a confused glance.
Were they imagining things, or did it actually look relieved to see them?
And as their ghostly guide led them (rather hurriedly) into the lair, their confusion only increased as they heard the Ugin's voice, followed by a sound that resoundingly did not belong in this place.
Childish giggles.
"Hold still, you little thing!"
"Nahnahnah, can't catch me!"
"You will cease this foolishness immediately!"
"No!"
"Stop making things difficult, little one! It's been three days, you will take a bath!"
"Don't wanna!"
As they finally reached the one who called them, Sarkhan and Narset could only gawk at the sight.
Standing on all fours, the dragon was frantically twisting and turning around, seeking to catch a speeding red blur that weaved and danced around his bulk with ease. Before they could even process what was going on, the blur leapt at the dragon's face, Ugin letting out a yelp of pain as it grabbed on to the braided strand of beard jutting from his chin.
Only then did the Spirit Dragon notice the new arrivals.
He immediately stood up, trying to look as dignified and composed as he always did.
The effect was ruined by the fact that mighty Ugin, normally so majestic and otherworldly, looked positively haggard.
And the Red giggling thing still dangling from his chin.
"Ah, Vol, Narset, I see you have arrived." He said in his calm, wise tone.
The speechless Planeswalkers could only watch as the figure climbed the beard, crossed the dragon's face, and perched itself on his horn…Revealing herself to be a little girl, feet kicking at the air and dainty silver eyes looking down at them with innocent curiosity.
"Hi, I'm Planaklr Ruby! Who are you?!" She asked cheerily.
…
…
"As you can see." Ugin continued, perfectly straight-faced before Sarkhan's shocked incomprehension and Narset's wide-eyed disbelief. "I am in dire need of your assistance."
/
As girl was being kept occupied by a hapless spectral construct, the three older Planeswalkers convened, Ugin explaining the situation.
"And you haven't been able to find her home?" Narset asked, looking at the smiling girl trying to catch the beleaguered warden sympathetically.
"I am afraid Planeswalking is far from an exact science." The Dragon replied. "I was unable to find a trail, and what little she remembers doesn't fit in with any Plane I know of."
"Why not leave her somewhere where she can be taken care of?" Sarkhan brought up. "Any of the Dragon Broods would take her in, or barring that, Ravnica or Alara would be relatively safe havens for her."
"Can you not feel it?" Asked the dragon. "There is something to the girl. She carries much potential. I fear that leaving her to her own devices, she will inevitably draw the attention of dangerous beings."
He levelled a serious look at the man.
"You know as well as I do that Bolas is always looking for pawns."
Sarkhan flinched, a grimace on his face at memories best left behind, as he conceded the point. For a moment, the blood in his veins felt heavier.
"And so, you have chosen to take her on as an apprentice." Narset concluded, quickly drawing the parallels with the practices of the Ojutai she had once been a part of.
"Yes, that did seem like the most reasonable route."
Sarkhan glanced at the child, feeling somewhat dubious. The little slip of a girl looked fragile in nearly every sense of the word… Could she truly carry such potential?
"That is all well and good." He said. "But if that is the case, why call us?"
At that, Ugin looked into the distance, and let out a long-suffering sigh as his shoulders slumped. A tiredness seemed to radiate from him, that for once made him look more old than ageless. Now looking more closely, the Shaman could see what looked suspiciously like bags under the dragon's eyes.
"I know many things." Ugin answered. "It is an inevitable consequence of living as long as I have lived. Some of the biggest and most ancient mysteries about the history and the workings of the Multiverse are known to me."
The Dragon turned his gaze back to the two, utterly serious and just the slightest bit desperate.
"… How to take care of a human youngling is not among them."
Sarkhan and Narset looked at each other, perplexed by the admission.
"And you called us because…?"
"I thought you'd be more knowledgeable about such matters."
"Why would we?"
"Are you two not mates?"
…
…
They did not see the question coming.
Sarkhan sputtered, his mind freezing momentarily at the implications, while a mortified Narset recoiled. Once again, the two Planeswalkers looked at each other, and immediately averted their gaze in an attempt to hide the treacherous blush that spread on their faces.
"What?! No, we…"
"M-Mighty Ugin, that isn't…"
"My apologies if I've presumed too much, I never quite understood the intricacies of Human courtship."
The duo immediately came to the silent agreement that pretending the exchange never happened and a drastic change in subject were required.
"Even so." Ugin did it for them. "The fact remains that she is human and I am not. Interaction with others of her kind would likely be beneficial in her development."
The dragon heaved a sigh, and mumbled something that faintly sounded like "If only to stop her from trying to fly…"
"And I cannot always be with her, there will be periods when I'll be forced to travel, to check on events and projects that were left unattended during my long slumber. One such period will be soon, and other allies I could have asked assistance from are either long gone or entirely unsuited for the task. Sarkhan Vol, Narset… I have no one else that I can turn to. Will you assist me in this?"
The logic of the statement dispelled the finals shreds of Narset's embarrassment. The contents dispelled Sarkhan's.
"You'd ask us to stay, bound to this plane, to act as glorified "Babysitters"?" He demanded, for the first time using the term he'd heard during his planar travels.
"A crass summation." The senior Planeswalker conceded. "But not an entirely inaccurate one."
"With all due respect, Elder One, the answer is n-"
"I'll do it."
"Narset?!" Sarkhan turned, staring at his companion in shock.
"Sarkhan." The woman answered, admonishment in her tone. "I cannot in good conscience abandon a child in need of aid. And I do have some experience in dealing with the young ones."
The Dragon Speaker made to interject, but she was faster.
"Didn't the me from the Unwritten times do the same for you? When you were lost and directionless, trapped in whispers and madness?"
…The question hit the man with all the force of a dragon's fiery breath, burning away his protests and the indignation that caused them.
Damn the way her words always made sense…
"…Very well." He relented grudgingly. "If you will stay… so will I. But I say right now that the brat had better be wort-Where is she?"
Suddenly noticing the lack of exuberant childish noises, the three beings turned.
The girl and the construct were nowhere to be found.
"Oh, not again…" Ugin groaned. "Must I use a tracking spell to keep her in check?"
"This happens often?"
"Every time I let my guard down. She's inquisitive to a fault… Please, spread out to find her, she can't have gone far."
They split up. Ugin took to the skies, Narset began searching through the Sanctum, and Sarkhan checked the wastes closest to it.
It was the later who first found her.
And came across an impossible sight.
He dared not approach.
Unleashing a small pulse of Mana, the agreed upon signal, he led the other two Walkers to the scene.
They were as shocked as he was, Ugin even more so due to recognition.
They witnessed a Kirin, radiant and ethereal, standing on solid ground.
The alabaster creature was nuzzling the girl playfully, making her giggle in delight, while the spectral dragon hovered overhead, powerless to do anything.
It took a few minutes for child and legend to notice their dumbstruck audience.
"Look what I found!" Ruby cheered, hugging the Kirin's muzzle.
…
…
Sarkhan found that his previous misgivings rang rather hollow.
/
Weeks had passed since that meeting.
Ruby settled into this new life with surprising ease.
As sad as it was, there were advantages to her lack of memories.
And Ugin… acclimated himself to this new presence in his immeasurably long life. This easily excitable, overly exuberant, unable-to-keep-still presence…
The aid of Narset and Vol had been even more of a boon than the Spirit Dragon had predicted, aiding him in reigning in the wilful child, while at the same time showing him that some of his measures were not appropriate for dealing with beings of her age.
There was, however, one unforeseen consequence.
The girl, for some unknowable, incomprehensible reason, came to see the Spirit Dragon as a Father.
And nothing he, Sarkhan or Narset could say would convince her otherwise.
Much to his chagrin and consternation, the girl was more stubborn than all of them, and the two humans stopped trying. They even seemed amused at the inane title.
And Ugin was eventually forced to as well, believing that this nonsense would stop when she grew up.
Pretty soon, teaching and training had begun.
And an unusual, curious trait of the child quickly made itself apparent.
Ruby was, for the lack of a better word, born to use White Mana.
The girl shared a bond with the magic of Order and Unity, an attunement that ran down to her very soul.
And this was something that Ugin could work with. The Spirit Dragon may have long ago transcended the use of the Colours, but he still remembered the ancient lessons.
Narset was also more than happy to share the Ojutai teachings she had grown with.
Surprisingly, Ruby proved to be a better pupil than her young age and excitable behaviour suggested. The inquisitiveness that led her to wander off and explore also earned her tutors her undivided attention when explaining the basic concepts of magic… provided they could break it up into simple instructions and avoid the complicated words.
All in all, good prowess was being made.
Which was perhaps why Sarkhan was finding the current situation so odd.
Ugin had left Tarkir a couple of days before, in order to investigate the whereabouts of the Eldrazi Titan Emrakul (and hadn't it been a weight off his shoulders to find out that the mess he had been partly responsible for had been fixed), and as usual, the quickly bored Ruby had wondered off.
By now resigned and used to this, the man was quick to find her.
He just didn't expect to find the girl in the middle of the weird exercise of taking in big gulps of air and violently exhaling them towards the walls of the chasm, pouting in frustration as it clearly wasn't having the intended effect.
"…What are you doing?"
"I'm trying to breathe fire."
"Oh…? And why do you want that?" The man inquired, eyebrow raised.
"Because dragons do it. And I wanna be one!"
"…What?"
"When Dad and Auntie Narset teach me more magic, Imma use it to become a dragon, fly around and spit fire at the monsters and bad guys!"
"…Why?"
"Because dragons are cool!"
…
…What a foolish, inaccurate sentence.
What did body temperature have to do with anything anyway?
Sarkhan couldn't help himself, he began to laugh at the ridiculous, naïve statement.
"What's so funny?" The girl asked, her attempt at an angry frown working only to make him laugh more.
"Well, you certainly have the right temperament." The amused man replied. "But that will never happen."
"Why not?!"
"Because you are too soft." Sarkhan stated seriously. "You are making progress, yes, but your magic is a light one. Powerful, unyielding… And completely lacking in free will or desire. And that is not what being a Dragon means."
A wave of heat began to radiate from the Shaman, a fiery glow springing from his eyes.
"The dragon has no pretense of compassion, no false mask of civilization—just hunger, heat, and need. It is the perfect marriage of power and the will to use it. They fly as they please, burn as they please, do as they please, and they answer to no one."
"…Dad isn't like that."
"Ugin, is a wise and ancient dragon, however he is but one in a species that stands at the top in all the planes where they exist. And has long as you fail to grasp this truth I am telling you, you will never breathe fire, much less be a dragon."
Ruby could only stare at the man with distressed confusion. Some of the words she did not understand, but she did understand what he meant.
She didn't like it one bit.
"You're wrong."
The certainty of the reply, the steel in the voice and stance of one so young, caught Sarkhan off-guard.
"If dragons only do what they want, then I can be one, because what I want to do is to fight the baddies. You'll see, I will be a dragon, someday. I'll fly and I'll breathe fire, and then you'll be sorry for being such a meanie head!"
…
…
Such conviction… Such will…
Once again, Sarkhan laughed. Only this time, there was no condescension in his tone.
"Alright, little brat." The man conceded. "Perhaps there is some fire in you after all. We'll see if it gr-"
The Dragon Speaker was interrupted when the collar he was currently wearing, given to him by Ugin, flared with the ghostly glow of the dragon's magic.
It told him that the sentries had been destroyed, the surrounding wards had activated… And shattered immediately after.
The sanctum had been breached.
"Ruby, we need to return. Now."
Quickly catching on to his tenseness, the girl did not protest as he lifted her up and rushed back to the dragon's lair, through the winding path that had been carved into the cliff's face.
Soon, he was about to reach the Sanctum's main entrance. There were no signs of fighting, but Narset could be heard talking to someone, someone noticeably angry.
He put Ruby down, then knelt.
"Do not move." He said. "Whatever happens, stay hidden. Understood?"
The girl nodded hesitantly.
Satisfied, the man rose and walked towards the voices, just around the bend.
There was Narset, standing before the newcomer.
A female, clad in simple, leather clothes, completely unremarkable.
Only the white of her skin and hair, not decayed or sickly due to age or lack of light, but vibrant, pure white, marked her as something other than human.
Recognition dawned on the man as he observed her.
"What is one of the Kor doing here?" He asked as he approached, drawing their attention.
"Sarkhan." Narset replied, eyes never leaving the new arrival. "She seeks Ugin, but refuses to explain why."
"I do not need to explain myself to you." The Kor replied, her voice full of anger and vitriol, and her stance increasingly more aggressive. "And I have little patience for this. Where is he? Where is Ugin?!"
The two humans tensed, recognizing the threat.
"As I said." Narset replied diplomatically. "The Elder One isn't here at the moment, he left a few days ago. We know not where. If you seek him, you'll either have to wait, or look elsewhere."
The Kor woman smirked. It wasn't a pretty smirk.
"So not only is he liar, now that I come for him he hides behind underlings? How the mighty have fallen." She said, chuckling mockingly. "I wonder how badly I'll have to hurt you for him to show himself?"
It became obvious to the two that words would not get them anywhere. Narset took a stance, while heat began radiating from Sarkhan's form, as he glared at the woman.
"Leave. Now."
The woman smiled tauntingly. Holding her arm out to the side, hand open, a small patch of the ground began to sizzle and glow as it melted into magma. A sword of stone rose, flying slowly into her grip, as the red glow of the blade faded in obsidian black.
The Kor took a stance of her own.
"I'm not going anywhere."
Sarkhan's hands shot forward, shifting and growing as they went.
Twin gouts of flame surged towards the intruder from the draconic maws they'd become.
Unfazed, the Kor made a rising motion with her free hand.
And the ground obeyed.
A large boulder rose in front of her, shielding her from the heat and flames.
And when the onslaught stopped, a flick of the wrist sent the rock flying towards her aggressor.
Sarkhan did not move.
Narset knew what to do.
The scholarly monk intercepted the boulder and slammed her palm into it.
With the simple, precise blow, the large projectile shattered into myriad pieces, the shrapnel flying back at the Kor.
Other than a slightly reduced visibility, she was largely unfazed.
Then the she felt the ground beneath her shifting.
She moved out of the way as a geyser of flames burst out from where she had just stood.
Immediately Narset was upon her, with a swift kick that the intruder barely managed to block.
Just as she barely managed to duck under the swing of Sarkhan's blade staff.
"Interesting." The Kor stated casually, as she dodged another palm strike and retaliated with a swing of her blade that Sarkhan backed away from. "What did Ugin offer you that you'd fight for him like this? What empty promises has he made?"
"Nothing." Sarkhan replied with a growl. "We're here because he requested it."
"The more fool you. He'll just lie and leave you when you've outlived your usefulness. That's all they ever do."
Sarkhan answered the inane statement, not with words, but with a torrent of flames from his gullet.
This did catch the woman off-guard, making her frantically move to avoid the fire… And leaving her completely open to Narset.
The once Khan struck hard at her midsection, sending the Kor flying.
She turned the fall into a landing roll, standing up as she stopped.
"Alright." All traces of casual mirth were gone from her voice. There was only bitter anger. "I am done playing around."
Narset approached to press her assault.
The intruder neatly sidestepped the blow, and then grabbed her by the shoulder.
Suddenly, the ground under the monk lost cohesion, making her sink. Surprised by the development, the woman lost balance, and fell backwards. The earth solidified once again, leaving her trapped, only her head and upper torso free from the rock embrace.
"NARSET!" Sarkhan cried out in concern.
Concern that quickly turned to rage.
His body expanded, shifting and contorting.
Mere moments later, the Kor had to look up to gaze at the wrathful dragon that was now charging towards her.
"How interesting. The perfect opportunity to test these out."
With another rising motion, five rocks shot off from the ground, surrounding the transformed Dragon Speaker in circling patterns.
In each stone, a rune flared to life.
And excruciating pain put a halt to Sarkhan's assault, his draconic form crying out as waves of magic washed over it, binding it, restricting it.
"As you can see, I came prepared to face dragons." The woman said, calmly approaching the figure that was slowly forced back into the shape of a man.
"I will ask again." She said, sword raised to his throat. "Where is Ugin?"
"To blazes…with you…" The trapped human ground out defiantly through the magic that now bound him.
"Hhhm, perhaps you're not the person to ask." She replied offhandedly.
She turned to the trapped Narset.
"Shall I ask her?"
"NO!"
The word made the three combatants freeze, for it hadn't been spoken by any of them.
Turning in the direction of the voice, the intruder found a young girl staring at her through teary eyes.
"Oh? What have we here?"
"Stop hurting them!" The girl cried out. "Leave us alone!"
"Ruby, no…" Narset said in undisguised concern.
"You foolish brat…" Sarkhan said through gritted teeth. "Get out… Of here…"
"Ruby, is it? Well, girl, if your friends did not stand in my way, I wouldn't have had to hurt them." The Kor stared at the girl appraisingly. "Maybe if you told me, I would leave them alone."
"We don't know where Dad is! So go away, or I'll stop you from being a meanie!"
For a brief moment, the Kor faltered, looking confused, and just the slightest bit regretful.
Then she began laughing. A long, hard laugh, with a few traces of madness in it.
"Dad? Ahahahahahahahahahahah… Oohh, that's just precious… And how exactly will you do that, girl?"
"By calling my friend!" Ruby replied fiercely her eyes momentarily glowing white.
The intruder only had the time to blink in confusion.
And then she was once more sent flying as a glowing figure slammed into her.
As she staggered to her feet, she found a strange white creature standing between her and the girl, head lowered and cloven-hooved leg scrapping at the ground.
"Get her!" The girl shouted, and the Kirin charged, horns aimed at the intruded.
Growling in frustration, she channelled her magic into the sword, making it glow with red hot flames.
When the beast was upon her, she dodged at the very last moment and swung.
The noble creature let loose a pained, ghastly thrill as the blade bit into its side.
Under the strain of the injury, it collapsed.
"No!"
The girl rushed towards her summon, vanishing in a burst of rose petals to appear directly in front of it.
"No…"
The Kirin whined, sensing her distress. It was alive, but injured.
"It was a good effort, I will give you that." The woman commented. "But you're too green and unexperienced, and you're summon is too weak. You are millennia too early to be able to stand up to me."
"Leave… the girl… Alone…"
"She has nothing to do with this, leave her be."
"I don't think I will, no" The Kor replied. "I just dawned on me that you were telling the truth about not knowing where that overgrown lizard went. Still, you were fighting to protect her, weren't you? That means that Ugin has some interest in her, and that means he'll come to me if I have her."
She turned to the sobbing girl, a smile that was not reassuring in the slightest on her face.
"You're coming with me, little girl." She said as she approached.
Ruby did not listen.
In her young mind, this was all wrong.
Sarkhan and Auntie Narset were hurt. Her friend was hurt.
All because of the Mean Lady.
She had tried to talk things out, she had tried to fight.
But the Mean Lady just kept on being mean.
As Ruby looked up, she saw the woman reaching out to grab her.
The sight caused her to freeze in fear, a strange sense of dreadful familiarity surrounding her as despair set in.
But in that despair, a new feeling settled in.
This was wrong, and Ruby didn't like it.
She did not want to feel like this again. She was angry that she had to feel like this again.
She called upon the magic as she had been taught.
Only, in her growing anger, what answered was not White.
But Red.
The red-cloaked girl took in a big gulp of air.
The mean lady raised an eyebrow…
…Then the other quickly followed as the girl spat a burst of white-hot flames at her.
The woman staggered back, crying out in genuine pain as the fire washed over her. Sarkhan and Narset could only watch wide-eyed as, for the briefest of moments, their small charge managed to push the intruder back.
For the briefest of moments.
Then the Kor's surprise passed. With a struggling wave of her hand, a glyph-covered pillar rose from the ground, the glowing symbols siphoning off the flames.
She stood, singed, but mostly unarmed, and all the more enraged.
"You. Little. BRAT!" She bellowed. "You'll pay for that!"
"No." Another voice stated, low and collected. "She will not."
A wave of pure force washed over the woman, carrying her upwards and slamming her into the far wall of the Sanctum, where she crashed with significant force. And before gravity took old, ethereal chains forged of arcane symbols burst into existence around her form, binding her into place.
Under the new presence that made itself known, the ground released Narset, the glyphic rocks keeping Sarkhan trapped crumbled to dust, and the wound of the Kirin slowly but steadily began to heal.
"Daddy!" The little girl cheered happily.
Shaking off her disorientation, the intruder made to glare at the new arrival… And found her rage briefly crumbling.
Millennia had passed since she had last seen him, but she had remembered vividly the image of her one-time ally.
Ethereal. Wise. Ancient. Powerful. Serene.
But in all the time she had met him, never before had she seen Ugin look all of these things…
…And at the same time so utterly furious.
"What is the meaning of this, Nahiri?" The Spirit Dragon demanded, his voice like that of a stern elder who had found a child misbehaving.
"So… you've finally shown yourself." Nahiri hissed, glancing briefly at the girl that was now hiding herself behind the dragon's leg. "Since when have you started to pick up strays, Ugin? Taking a page out of Sorin's book? That will most likely not end well."
The girl flinched under the Kor's gaze, and Ugin was not amused.
"That is none of your concern, lithomancer. I sent Sorin to find you. Where is he?"
"Oh, I would love to know that myself." She sneered. "We have a lot of catching up to do when I find him…"
"Speak sense, you vague thing. Much has happened. The seal failed. The Eldrazi were released."
"Oh, So you were keeping track of things. You do know what happened. Where were you then, Oh Mighty Spirit Dragon? Where were you while MY world crumbled to dust?" The Kor all but hissed.
"Such petulant bitterness is quite unlike you, Nahiri." The dragon retorted, uncaring for the provocations. "You were as absent as I in these matters."
The Lithomancer looked as if she was physically struck by the words.
"Y-y-you…" She sputtered, her whole body trembling in barely restrained rage.
"HOW DARE YOU?! How DARE you accuse ME of inaction?! ME?! I spent MILLENNIA as the jailer of those monsters! I was forced to watch as the horrors they wrought faded from memory and MY people start to see them as Gods! As they started to see ME as their Herald! I ALONE stood vigil, watching for threats inside and out, while you and Sorin walked across the planes as you damn well pleased! And when the Eldrazi first threatened to break free, the ONE time I NEEDED YOUR aid, I called… And you did not answer. You. Were. Not. THERE!"
The alabaster woman deflated, her burning rage giving way to a weary sorrow.
"…Why weren't you there, Ugin?" She all but whispered. "Why didn't you answer…?"
"I could not." Ugin answered. "Shortly after we parted ways millennia ago, I was attacked and bested in combat by Nicol Bolas."
"…Bolas? What did he want with you?"
"At the time, I thought he found me a threat. Only recently did I realize he wanted my knowledge of the Eldrazi and their prison. The battle took a terrible toll out of me. Only by his actions…" The dragon gestured towards the recovering Sarkhan "…Did I survive. But the recovery took a long time, Nahiri. For a thousand years I slumbered, and only recently did I awake."
"How convenient…" Nahiri chuckled mirthlessly. "If true, at least it's a better excuse than Sorin's. I went to him after dealing with the problem myself, to ask the him the same thing. He rebuked my concerns, brushed me aside, and when I tried to make him abide by his oaths… He imprisoned me, acting like I was nothing but a disappointing child."
Hearing those words, the Spirit Dragon muttered. "That Vampire's damnable pride…"
"You ask why I did nothing? Well, I did do something Ugin, and it earned me a thousand years trapped in utter darkness, without the mercy of sleep that you had. And when that prison was broken, when I finally managed to return Home… The Eldrazi were free, ravaging the land I worked so hard to protect."
Nahiri stared at Ugin with jaded, scornful eyes, her rage reigniting under the weight of the crushing sorrow and betrayal she had felt.
"I trusted you." She said. "I put the fate of my home in the hands of you and Sorin, and all I got to show for it is ashes and dust."
"And so, you've decided to storm into my sanctum, destroying my sentries, breaking my wards, and threatening those under my care?"
"Oh, NOW you care about others?" She spat. "Where was this concern when you were observing hundreds of devoured worlds to study the devourers? Where was this concern for those that died so you could learn? Simple, there wasn't any. You claim to be a guardian, Ugin, but you do NOT care about the lives that suffer for your actions. You did not care when the Eldrazi were trapped, you did not care when they were released, and you did NOT care when Zendikar, MY WORLD-"
"Has been saved."
…
…
…
"…What?" The Lithomancer all but whispered.
"Perhaps the biggest mistake you or I have made, was to assume we'd be the only ones who'd step forward to handle this threat." The dragon elaborated. "A group of Planeswalkers came together to save Zendikar from the Eldrazi. I gave them the means to rebind the Titans. The attempt failed, due to the tampering of another, Demonic Planeswalker…"
Nahiri growled, as she recognized who that could have been.
"…And against all my expectations, the others adapted, changing the Hedron network and trapping the Titans completely in the physical plane. Where they managed to destroy them. Ulamog and Kozilek are no more. And Emrakul has vanished without a trace. Zendikar has survived."
The Kor Planeswalker fell silent, staring at her once-ally blankly, as if her mind could not catch up to the information that had been revealed.
"…You said it could not be done."
"I truly believed it at the time. And then I realized that it was only impossible after the Mending occurred and without the proper knowledge." Ugin replied, sounding vaguely annoyed. "The Gatewatch, as they call themselves, proved me wrong."
"…No. Lies. you lie! I saw Zendikar as nothing but fields of white chalky wasteland. I saw Ulamog tearing through the plane unopposed! There's no stopping the devastation of the Eldrazi!"
In response, Ugin waved his hand towards another rocky wall, and myriad pictures showed themselves.
A white field, whereupon lain the corpses of Titans.
A large encampment stood, housing beings of several species.
A human female, an angel's halo around her neck, discussing rebuilding efforts with a Merfolk sorcerer, a Vampire Lord and a Kor representative.
Outriders patrolling the wastes looking for other survivors.
And life, pure and true, springing from the lifeless soil, slowly but surely.
No… It could not be…
Frantically, Nahiri reached out into the Aether, seeking the bonds she had forged with her Home, bonds she had expected not to find anymore. But find them she did, faint and weak, but they were there. Zendikar was wounded, but it still lived, and it would recover.
…How had she not noticed this?
…Was she truly so consumed by her hatred, so caught up in her thirst for Revenge… That she had abandoned her home while it could still be saved, leaving others to fend for themselves and fight what should have been her battles?
The ethereal chains faded, and the near catatonic Nahiri slumped to the ground, falling on her knees. Slowly, she raised her trembling hands, and for a moment did nothing but stare at them.
…What had she been doing?
Nahiri cried then, cried as the dam broke and her boundless sadness was let loose. She bawled and wailed as tears of sorrow, relief, shame, happiness and regret streamed down her pale face. Ugin let her, knowing that this was required. Narset and Sarkhan did not intervene, now feeling nothing but pity for her. Then a small figure approached the broken Kor.
"Hey…"
Through blurry eyes, Nahiri saw Ruby standing before her, her small, silver eyes shining with undisguised concern.
"It's alright… Don't cry…"
The Lithomancer's shame knew no bounds. She had been willing to hurt this child. She had been willing to hurt an innocent. What hypocrisy…
Rubbing away the tears, Nahiri managed a tentative smile as she rose.
"You're right. Thank you."
The girl beamed at her in response. Then the Lithomancer turned to the Spirit Dragon.
"I…I owe you an apology."
"While I do not approve of your behaviour." Ugin replied. "I cannot fault you for it."
A self-deprecating chuckle escaped the Kor's lips.
"I need to go back." She said resolutely. "I need to go help my world. But after that… I have questions."
"Go then." The Spirit Dragon assented. "We have much to discuss, hopefully soon."
Nahiri nodded at that, then turned to the warily watching monk and shaman present.
"I…I did you much wrong. I am sorry."
A nod from each was her answer. Then she turned to the child.
"I'm sorry I hurt your friend."
"It was mean of you, but it's alright." The youth replied, as the Kirin approached to stand behind her protectively. "He's tough!"
Despite herself, Nahiri smiled at that. Then she turned to Ugin, and the two allies nodded at each other.
"See you soon."
And with that she vanished, gone into the Blind Eternities. A brief silence followed, which was swiftly broken when an ecstatic Ruby turned to Sarkhan.
"See? I told you I could breathe fire!"
/
Okkkkaaaaayyyy.
Who here figured out the first massive deviation from canon?
Here's a hint.
It is the not-happening of a MASSIVE clusterfuck.
And with that said, I'll be seeing you guys on the next update of BBM.
Toodleloo.