They walked through the forest for nearly two days, and couldn't find elves. In fact, for the first day and a half, they couldn't find anything at all. Luckily, they found something around noon the second day.
Unfortunately, the thing they found was a giant walking fungus that decided to eat them. And pieces of it kept splitting into little walking plants that also hunted them down- so the rest of the day was spent running from the creatures.
That night, they camped in a cave. They settled down, and began to sleep… as a giant red-eyed monstrosity charged out at them.
"Sensibilis, I am fairly certain this entire world wants to eat us!" Kaeri exclaimed, slightly breathless.
The only thing the sliver could do while crawling was nod slightly. He was tired; he thought of using the red mana repeatedly, but didn't because he didn't know the exact effects. He had used blue a dozen times, and there seemed to be a massive number of possibilities that could happen. They also seemed to happen randomly; he had yet to manage another vision, despite trying.
At sunrise on the third day, they were completely exhausted. They continued to walk through the forest, too fearful to attempt to sleep, but barely able to walk in a straight line.
Near nightfall, three figures strode out of the mist. Their pointed ears indicated them as elves; their lack of horns proved they were not Kaeri's people. "Greetings, travelers. The elves of Naya welcome you, as does the Anima. Please, follow us to our village."
Too tired to argue, the two weary planeswalkers followed them through the woods into a massive clearing. On the outside seemed to be where the village itself was; in the center stood a massive stone shrine, covered in vines, seemingly running through the rock itself. Sensibilis chittered slightly at the sight of it.
"First, come this way. We have an extra house at the moment, which is where you'll be staying for now." The guards guided them there, and once inside, they immediately fell asleep.
When they woke up the next day, a guard was again waiting for them. "Follow me, strangers." He took them to the top floor of the shrine, where he stood at the door and told them to go in.
"Well, at least we'll be rested when we die…" Kaeri whispered nervously to Sensibilis as they entered the room. In the center was a large wall of flowers. Sensibilis poked the wall slightly, and a face pushed it way out at Kaeri's height. Both of the newcomers jumped back slightly, and the face began to speak.
"Hello. I am Mayael the Anima, seer of the elves. If I am correct, you are not from here, as in Alara, correct?" They both nodded. "You'll have to speak it aloud. I am, unfortunately, blind…"
Sensibilis wondered if that was the reasoning for the milky-white eyes. "Yea-ssss."
"Ah! The strange creature speaks! I did not know if it was a pet of yours or not; while uncommon for a pet to be so powerful, it is not unheard of here." She blinked. "So, what are your names? Also, where are you from?"
Kaeri was watching Mayael warily at the moment, so the sliver took initiative. "Sss-eniss-ib-ill-issse." He attempted to grimace at the bad pronunciation of the name, but the lack of a face made that impossible.
"Senceibleice? A bit of a mouthful, isn't it? Anyways, what are you? There is nothing on Naya, nay, all of Alara such as you."
Kaeri was glaring at him now, but he continued to speak. "Sss-live-air." He turned his head to the side slightly. "Yoo see ma-ana?"
"I see the greatest truths, Senceibleice. But, before that, what is your friend's name?"
Kaeri responded before the sliver butchered her name. "I'm Kaeri." She scowled at the elf. "And how did one such as yourself, with such a deformity, become a leader of elves? Rather thoughtless of them."
That explained the glaring, though Sensibilis hadn't know her personality could change without the hysteria that accompanied it. "Clalm, Kay-rie."
"Hmph. I see no reason too. These elves are not my kin, and obviously fail to realize tha-" her speech was cut off when Mayael reached out of the flowers and touched her on the arm. "…what on earth just happened?"
"You should learn to control the change, Kaeri of the Unknown. Your passing heralds enough of it as it is, without you unable to control yourself." She paused. "Senceibleice will have enough to worry about without you trying to kill him. On that note, I wish to help him a bit. I think I understand his power more than he himself does. Senceibleice, may I please hold your claw for a moment?" She extended her hand out of the wall of flowers.
Despite the oddity of the request, he extended his claw to meet her hand… and was suddenly elsewhere. A massive plain, with a mountain in the center and surrounded by forests, had sprung up around him. He realized Mayael was standing next to him.
"It's been a while since I brought anyone here. This is… my mind, in a way. And yet, for the moment, it is also yours."
"What do you mean…" Sensibilis trailed off as he noticed he wasn't making errors in his speech. "How?"
"This place is your mind. You imagined yourself speaking perfectly, and so you could as I would have. Just as I can see this place as you would have." She spread her arms, as if showing the scenery off. "Beautiful, isn't it?"
"Yes." He looked up at her. "Why did you bring me here?"
"To help you understand your power. You are very rare; the only other thing I've ever seen with access to five colors of mana is Progenitus. Your five colors wind around another piece of mana, unlike any other I've ever seen. Quite possibly a sixth color, but I do not believe so." The panorama faded from view into a black room, and floating lights appeared, five colored rings surrounding a miniscule spark. "You have the ability to pull on this mana, to use it, and it adapts you to its color; I also believe it adapts to what you need, and gives you the closest it can get. I do not understand blue or black in the slightest; nor am I the best teacher for white or red. So, I will leave it up to you to find better masters for those. What I will teach you of is green mana; the power of nature."
"First, understand that green mana is a mana that prefers raw power without sacrifice- and the creation of more mana. I find it likely many abilities this ring will give you will give you strength, size, or even the ability to make more mana. I, however, am unable to test that."
The panorama reappeared, just as a rumbling sounded through the forest.
"He can, though."
Sensibilis spun towards the forest, just as a massive beast burst from the trees. Four tusk jutted out of its lower jaw, each as thick and long as the trunk of a tree. It roared, and Sensibilis's very bones felt as if they would break.
"I personally recommend activating the green ring now. The Godsire will make quick work of you if you don't."
Sensibilis pulled as hard as he could perhaps too hard. Gems grew nearly instantly on his back, fueling the rapid growth that had begun. In seconds, he was triple his size- and the behemoth still towered over him. He wasn't growing fast enough, so he pulled more, doubling his size again.
The Godsire crashed it to him with the force of a hurricane. He flew across the plain, tearing giant furrows in the ground. He stopped himself with his claws, creating massive trenches. He charged the beast, and it followed suit- they clashed, a small shockwave blasting outwards. The Godsire gored him with its tusks, ripping pieces out of him. The scarlet of blood covered the both of them, flying and staining the grass a bright red. Sensibilis clawed at the creature's eyes, pulling bloody strips of flesh from its skull before being thrown back again. He pushed himself up again with his claws, plates of carapace hanging from strips in the air from him.
He charged again. If he backed down, this monstrosity would beat him into little more than a pile of gore. This time, right before the two giants clashed, the sliver ducked to the ground, and rammed up with his claws when the beast was over him. It gave out a bellow as its lifeblood sprayed out, and it rolled off him. They circled warily, before once again charging, roars and screeches echoing across the fields.
The Godsire once again used its horns to pick him off the ground, attempting to throw him, but he clung to the tusks with one claw. The other struck at the vulnerable eyes, unprotected by its formidable hide, and a rake caused an entire side of its face to slough off. It shook violently, finally forcing Sensibilis off, but the sliver pressed his advantage. He sped forward again, but the Godsire, rather than trying to throw him, lifted its head and smashed him into the ground with the force of a mountain coming down on his back. Plates of armor shattered, driving into his soft flesh, and crimson liquid once again turned the grass bright scarlet. Sensibilis slashed upward, tearing off a tusk. He rammed his claw up the monster's throat, and felt the arm crack and break as the monster tried to remove it. The claw ripped through its throat, spraying the sanguine liquid. The beast slowed, until it came to a rest, and finally stopped breathing.
Sensiblis lay there, barely able to breath. His form shrunk, gems disappearing back into his hide, returning to his original size. After a minute, used his claw to prop himself up, surveying the damage. Strips and masses of flesh littering the grass in all directions. Furrows wide enough to drive a cart through marred the gently rolling hills. And as the sun met the horizon, a blinding red light shone off the crimson grass.
Mayael walked up behind him. He attempted to attack her, but instead fell onto the grass, not strong enough to move much.
"Oh, don't do that. I was just helping you. You wouldn't have lived much longer if you couldn't use your powers." Her hands were on her hips, and she gazed at the scarlet plain. "Quite a mess you've made. I don't think I know anyone who could've come close to killing a Godsire. However, we should be getting back. We stay much longer, and your friend might notice. Time isn't quite stopped in here, you know." The world twisted, colors inverting and darkening, the scenery collapsing into a single point.
He jerked back, ripping his claw out of Mayael's hand as he realized he was back in his body. No damage had been sustained, apparently. His claw was back, his carapace unscathed.
Kaeri stared at Sensibilis, looking back and forth between him and Mayael. "What just happened?"
Mayeal giggled slightly, then turned to Kaeri instead of the sliver. "You need to figure out your power. If you don't, you may not like the result. I personally recommend doing it before you leave the same way you came." Her mouth curled into a small smile. "Planes you aren't used to can be dangerous, as I'm sure you've noticed. However, I don't think we'll be seeing each other again. Metaphorically, of course. Goodbye." Her face disappeared once again behind the wall of flowers, leaving the two friends staring where she had disappeared, wondering about her… 'Warning'.
At the house they were staying at, Kaeri had begun to attempt to use her magic. So far, the results were a fairly large squirrel and the revival of a wooden board.
Kaeri had been pacing since they had killed the violent zombified plant. She kicked a wall in her frustration, shouting. "Why won't my magic just work! The best I can work up is a spark, and all that does is make a squirrel grow a couple centimeters!"
Sensibilis wondered how he could help, so he thought back to the battle with the Godsire. He had produced an enormous amount of man rapidly in the fight, just by pulling on the green mana. Could he emulate that?
He continued to mull over whether or not he should, a curse rose from Kaeri again. "Blasted magic! Why won't you work!" Another spark flew lazily around the room, running into a pot, which shook violently.
That can't be good. He attempted to slither to it and destroy it, but it dissolved into a puddle of goo. He smashed it a couple times to make sure it wasn't alive, then crawled over to Kaeri.
"Yeah, Sensibilis? What?"
"Wyyt a seekand." He pulled on the green mana, wishing for the ability to help Kaeri, rather than for the gems specifically. He felt the gems form, and another… something. His carapace became slightly rougher, and gained a slightly yellow tinge.
He reached his claw out, she took it, and he saw fields of mana that had already been placed two, one affecting her mind, and the other the flow of mana. He just knew, instinctively. He looked over the two; he understood them, and how to remove them… but the one that wrapped around her mind was too complex. He couldn't break it down, but he could break the other one. Its threads of mana shattered, flowing on the wind, and the mana that Sensibilis was producing flowed into her.
Kaeri gasped, the mana of a dozen mages flowing into her, replenishing her twisted source. Green, white, and black strands of mana flowed out of her, twisting up and around, a thousand tiny ribbons of light.
The candles flickered off, bathing the room in the emerald light. Wooden boards twisted together, as if the house were made of a live tree. Furniture fused with the walls. They heard yelps of surprise outside, but were too entranced to care.
The green magic finished, leaving and twirling into the wood of the house. The white ribbons brightened, flaring to life. They formed into cluster, creating spectral elves, seemingly as confused as they were. As the white magic finished, the remainder again fled into the walls and floor.
Just as abruptly as the first time, the black ribbons grew to the brightness of the sun, turning the room purple. It braced the curving architecture in dark iron beams and pillars. Again, the mana flowed out. This time, the candles and lamps flared back to life, and the transformation ended.
The duo, now along with several spirits, stood wondering what had happened- before Kaeri exploded. "Sensibilis, what in the blazing flames did you just do!?" She yelled so loudly that the sliver could almost feel the force of it.
He backed away slightly, not wanting to get hit if she got angry. The gems popped slightly as they retracted into his carapace. He continued to back up, as he didn't know how to calm her down- only that he was able to.
Her horns were turning black, her skin covering itself in entangling tattoos. Vines began to grow from the wood, inching their way towards him, and the spirits were darkening, preparing to attack. Green was useless; he needed no mana, and growth would kill her. But if he could replicate the speed of red… perhaps. So he pulled. He didn't feel flames grow. But once again, time slowed.
He sped forward as if launched from a bow, first under, then around the grasping vines. The spirits got in his way, growing a wall of vines, but he slammed into them with the force of a dragon. Vines buckled and snapped, unable to stand the damage he caused, and the spirits dissipated. The floor rippled, launching Sensibilis into the air… and straight down on Kaeri. She brought her shortsword up, impaling him on it… and he pulled her into his embrace, hugging her to the best of his ability. She stood there shocked, then screamed. Her horn bled white, and he fell from her sword as she fell to her knees next to him. The darkness enveloped him as tears streamed down her face.
Sensibilis really wasn't expecting to wake up. However, a small amount of light woke him up as the sun rose. The stream of light through the curtains hurt his eyes, and every other part of him ached- particularly his midsection. Strips of white, now red cloth held the wound closed.
A female elf stepped in. "I see you're awake. How are you feeling? Probably not good, I suppose."
"Not raelly. Herts lyke fyer."
The elf sighed. "Sorry we weren't able to help with whatever happened. The door had fused to the wall… by the time we had opened it, she was barely sustaining you with her magic." She sat down on the bed next to him. "Do you mind telling us what happened? We've never seen anything like this happen. It seems like Grixis, given the spirits and revived tree, and we need to know if they're around."
He shook his head. "Not Girixas. Wyyl not tell." He refused to implicate Kaeri.
The elf sighed. "She refused to give any answers as well. The warriors want you to leave because of it, thinking you're in line with them. You may be safe because the Anima promised you safety, but I wouldn't count on it for much longer. You and your friend should leave soon." She exited, turning up the stairs outside his door.
He first slithered out of the bed that clearly not made for his kind. He quite liked the room; and think of how it came to be made him ponder Kaeri's magic. Reviving the spirits of the dead, molding and reviving dead wood, control of plants, and the enlargement of a squirrel. He had no clue what her magic was, just that it was absolutely terrifying. He began listening for any slight evidence of any creature that may be able to help her.
He crawled out of the house, savoring the sunlight. The air was cleaner here, full of mana, but not overwhelmingly so as it had been where Kaeri was from, but not twisted and corrupt as it had been on his home plane.
As he wandered into the forest, he watched the leaves fall lazily to the ground. It had only been four days since he had been one with the Legion; and in that time, he had become himself because of an accident, separating him from the hive mind. He had found one he believed was like him; with the ability to travel between worlds. He realized that he should listen to see if she had a spark, but put that thought to the side. He wondered why he had so quickly become attached to the strange elf.
He thought of the elves that Kaeri had lived with; they, too, had come to hate him and Kaeri. They could be kind, but just as easily be wrathful and full of hatred. They were like Kaeri; she was just taken to an extreme. Perhaps she was just an elf from the mana-filled plane, and her magic had twisted her somehow.
He heard the roars of beasts, and wondered if any of them were from the real Godsire. That was a fight he didn't look forward to, if it ever came around, but because of that fight, he didn't think anything of the other creatures hunting in the forests.
His ponderings stopped as he arrived back in the village. He headed into their house, and realized it was now built into a living, growing tree. He headed up the stairs, and found Kaeri curled in a ball, facing away from her door. He went up to her, laying a claw on her shoulder.
"Go away," came the muffled reply. He didn't move. "I can't control it. I used to pretend I could, but now I realize; I never had any control over it. If you stay near me, Sensibilis, I may kill you."
"No." She wouldn't if he had any choice in the matter. There had to be people that could destroy the enchantment in her mind. They simply had to find them. "You where not yoorselve. Enshantemnt. Find somneone to undoe it."
"What? An enchantment?" She turned, looking at him. "Someone messed with my mind?"
He nodded. Perhaps her, perhaps her race.
"So we need to find the enchanter?"
He shook his head. "Any guud enshantaer wile do."
Crashing sounds came from downstairs. The door wasn't unlocked… why kick it down? What a waste of energy.
"Now or nevear."
She grabbed hold of his claw. "Now would be a good time."
As the elves, fully armed and armored, broke her door down, they caught just a glimpse of the two disappearing.
Again, a new world faded into view. Massive mountains rose to the east, perhaps a mile away. Swamps surrounded them. But the most dragons. He could hear so many, their endless roars echoing in his ears. He could hear the one he was searching for… and it was bound to the plane itself.
His train of thought was broken as a dragon landed in front of the; shimmering black scales glistening in the noon sun. "Today, you die, and your lifeless corpse will be Silumgar's."
