RISING FROM THE DEAD LIKE A MOTHERFUCKING PHOENIX.

It's not often a fic abandoned for 10 years gets finished, but I am nothing if not determined to go against the curve. I started this 12 years ago-I am not the same person I was then, and this story, revised and rewritten, likely reflects that, but I believe it ultimately is something my past self would be happy with. And even if she wouldn't be, IDGAF; she had way to much an obsession with ellipses anyway.

This is complete, revised and rewritten, and will be updated until completed every few days. I have no idea if anyone here remembers me or this story, but if any of you do, or if you're new and here for the first time, I hope you enjoy this story.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Where Sunflowers Die…then Bloom

Ivan stared at the batch of sunflowers in front of him and catalogued their ailments.

They remained much the same as the last time he examined them.

First, they were not getting enough sunlight. However, placing the sunflowers outside was out of the question. The cold air and wind would kill them within a night. Second, their petals were not the golden yellow expected of sunflowers – lack of nutrients in the soil, he suspected. Third, the stalks were still too thin and barely strong enough to hold up the large flowers. And fourth and most importantly, they were still not pollinating.

Ivan expected most of these problems as he was trying to grow the plants in Ruthenia soil, which was ravaged by rogue magic from when Ruthenia had warred during its Empire.

That was the point though, trying to make something grow in a land where nothing did anymore. Though he could not produce sunlight, as Ruthenia was nearly always covered by hazy, clouds that filtered little sunlight in, he could infuse the earth with energy to mimic what sunlight would give. Though he could not give the plant water to make the pigment naturally, as Ruthenia's waters were sulfuric at best and toxic at worst, he could use the Talent he'd taken to keep the plant's inner process working as normal. Though he could not ensure the stalk received the proper nutrients to grow tall, he could have Oksana whisper to the stalk until it swelled large enough to mimic a regular stalk's growth.

Yes, he had ways to keep the plant alive even in Ruthenia's soil, there was no denying that.

But, if he could not make the plants reproduce, pollinate and send out seeds that had been genetically infused with the Talents and energy he pumped into their growth, it was all pointless. Using Talents would keep the plants alive, yes, for a time. Never permanent though. The damage done via magic to Ruthenia was too entrenched for any simple solution like that—he needed something stronger, something lasting. But no matter how carefully he tended to his sunflowers, they never produced any seedlings that were strong enough to grow in Ruthenia soil. It was disappointing.

Disappointing, but not his only option, though perhaps his easiest. He frowned and sucked the energy coursing through the sunflowers back into his body and turned as they each shriveled up into brown, withered husks.

The energy was like a drug; it made his head explode in colors and sounds—he could never keep it inside for very long, so after a few glorious moments of peace and happiness, he gripped a hold of a clear, perfect quartz stone and transferred the energy into the stone. When he opened his eyes next, the color was gone and all that remained was the drab gray of the mountain and the quartz was sparking in brilliant gold and orange inside. He watched the colors for a moment before he got up and transferred out the plant Talent he'd taken into a rose quartz mined from the mountain, leaving only the more practical of Talents he'd acquired within him.

Contrary to popular belief, Ivan was not a selfish or needlessly cruel man. Oh, he knew the whispers that spread through Avrupa and the Byzantium about him. Knew how he was cursed and demonized, knew about the horror stories parents made up about him to scare their children into behaving and sticking close lest he come for their youth if they ever stray wayward—as if he had time or inclination to go after every wayward child. People knew so little.

Yes, he took Talents, but it was for a purpose, for a design that would enrich everyone's lives—he did not keep every Talent he'd taken within him at every waking moment. That would bring about the madness just as surely as housing life energy would. No, he only kept what was always useful. Everything else was stored away for when they were needed.

Of course, he kept the Grecian fisherman's ability to grow extra limbs. The warrior woman's speed as well, along with the Germanian's hearing, an Arabaan merchant's ability to vacuum in air, and his little Raivis' portals were always kept within him. And Alfred Jones' Talent—though it wasn't fully his. Only those Talents, in addition to his, did he keep; everything else was only brought to bear if needed them, if a task was made easier with them. No, he was not the cruel or selfish man they all thought him to be—and they'd see, soon enough, just how wrong they all were.

He frowned and turned away from the stone to write some notes in his journal; he needed to mark down his most recent failure.

"You are a very special boy, Ivan Braginski, do you know that? There are not many people who the Balance has blessed as strongly as it has you."

Ivan did not know the man who was saying such nice things about him, but he knew he did not belong in Ruthenia. He was shorter than most of the grown men, and healthier looking, with golden skin and long, shiny black hair pulled into a ponytail. His eyes looked like almonds and he was the prettiest person Ivan could ever remember seeing. Prettier even than his mama had been, before the plague had taken her, his papa and older brother. Ivan frowned—he didn't like thinking about his mama.

The man seemed to sense his sudden change in mood and crouched down into the snow, placing a hand on Ivan's shoulder comfortingly, lovingly. Ivan blinked at the man and tried to think of something to say in return to the man's nice words, but he could not think of anything.

"You are unhappy here, aren't you? Your family is gone and you are all alone, hungry, and cold. It is a terrible thing, what has happened to your country. Most only remember how terrible Ruthenia was as an Empire, they do not think about how its people continue to suffer hundreds of years after its fall."

Ivan nodded, but he did not know what the man was talking about. He was alone, hungry, and cold though. The guards who patrolled the streets had laughed at him when he had begged for a piece of bread the day before—they had told him he was nothing but a gutter flea and that he'd be dead soon from the cold. He did not want to die, but if that meant he did not have to be so cold and starving all the time, maybe it would be better.

The man smiled kindly down at him and held out his hand for Ivan to take. He laughed a little, not mean like the guards, when Ivan hesitated, and gripped his shoulder a little, as if to say it was okay and to be brave.

"I promise, I won't bite. I just want to show you something, something amazing. Show you how you're amazing, Ivan. Will you trust me?"

Ivan did not know what trust meant but he nodded and took the man's hand—his eyes went wide at how the hand was so very warm and how it tingled his frozen hand back to life. "That feels better, doesn't it? Do you know what this is? It's magic, Ivan."

"It is warm."

The man smiled and nodded. "Yes it is. Do you want to be warm too, Ivan?"

He nodded, eyes still fixed on their hands and the pretty lights he could see playing on the man's hand.

"Then I want you to call for it, call for the magic I'm holding in my hand to go to you so you can be warm. Can you try to do that?"

Ivan nodded and closed his eyes, wishing for the wonderful magic just like the man told him too. And, before he really knew what was happening, the warmth was spreading up from his hand through his entire body; when he opened his eyes, he saw the pretty lights were on his skin now, not the man's.

The man looked delighted. "Excellent, Ivan, you did it! Do you see now how special you are?"

Ivan shook his head, feeling a little dizzy with all the warmth in him. He smiled wide at the man and tilted his head, waiting for the man to tell him why he was so special. "You took the magic from me and made it yours, that's what the Balance has blessed you with, dear boy! You are a vessel for magic and can call it to you."

"I took your magic? The man smiled and smoothed back his hair.

"Some, that which I offered to you." His smile flickered like a candle and then the man was holding both of his shoulders, leaning in close as if he wanted to hug him.

"Ivan, I know this is your home, but Ruthenia is no place for such a special boy like you. If you like, you can come with me and I can teach you how to use your Talent for the Balance, maybe even to help your homeland. I have other students who would be your new family, your brothers and sisters, and you could become so much more than you already are. Would you like that?"

"Come with you?"

"Yes, Ivan. Come with me."

Ivan smiled and nodded his head. He did not know this man, but he had already given him so much and now, now he wanted more. The man smiled and straightened up, holding out his hand again. This time, Ivan took it without hesitation.

"I promise, Ivan, you will not regret it. You will learn so many great things with me."

Ivan nodded and followed the man as he began to lead them out of the alley and down the snow-filled streets. "What is your name?"

The man smiled and his eyes looked like candied honey. "You may call me Yao, young Ivan."

There was a knock at his door and Ivan put down his quill as he saw Natalia march inside. He stood and placed a hand to his heart to her in greeting, smiling kindly at his most loyal and faithful of followers. Natalia was truly a believer, more so than anyone else, and he was lucky to have her with him; he only wished she would give up her more foolish pursuits and focus her attention to more important things. "Sister Natalia, I trust you have good news for me."

"Yes, Brother; our family is read for your departure and we have packed everything you will need."

"And our guest?"

Natalia's expression pulled into a frown. Ivan wished she did not treat Matthew with such open hostility, but there was no hope for it. He doubted any kinder treatment from Natalia would endear Matthew towards their cause anyway if their last conversation was any indication.

"He will be under Sister Oksana's watch while you are away and will be kept away from Toris."

"Brother Toris, Sister."

"Yes. Brother Toris."

Ivan frowned at her, chastising her lack of respect for her fellow comrade, and she ducked her head apologetically. He could not know if it was earnest or not, but he accepted it and nodded approvingly at her. It was important to offer encouragement and approval when his comrades acted in the manner they needed to in order to function at their best.

"That is good, you have done well, Sister. Wait for me by the northern archway, I'll be along soon." He smiled once more at her and focused back on his journal; she took the dismissal with a short, deferent bow and strode out of his chambers.

Ivan was searching. Always, always searching, but this time was different.

This meant more.

It had been years since he'd left Master Yao, and even longer still since the sorcerer had found him, and he was closer than he'd ever been before in finding a way to heal the damage to Ruthenia. Yao had started him on the path but had not been prepared for the ugly side of their plan.

Ivan was.

He had already started gathering energy, from the earth and from children, and now he was ready to begin building his new family. He had already been denied by some, and that had been unfortunate, but Ivan held hope for his next target. She was from a border town in Ruthenia—she, more than any of the others he had spoken to in the west, could understand the greatness of what he was trying to achieve. She could understand that great change required great sacrifice and the burden of that sacrifice fell to the shoulders of those Balance-blessed.

He found her selling vibrant, yellow flowers in the middle of a crowded street, dirty and desperate, begging all the uncaring men and women to stop for even just a moment. None did—he studied her from afar and thought how beautiful she was, how beautiful and broken and how he could be the one to fix her.

If she let him.

She was jostled by a passing cart and he watched her big eyes fill with tears as her flowers went spilling out of her basket and into the dirt. She needed purpose, just like he had when he had been a child. He smiled and crossed the road to meet her.

"Oksana." She wiped the tears off her cheeks and looked up at him, her blonde hair short around her face.

"You do not know me, but I promise, I mean you no harm—my name is Ivan and I wish to discuss something with you, something important. Something I think you could help me with."

She blinked at him and curled into herself in fear; he expected that and pressed on. "There is something wrong with this world, Oksana, wrong and ugly when someone with such Talent and beauty as you possess is reduced to begging in the streets. I am looking to change that, to change this land so that it may be great once again, like it was during the Empire. I think you could help me with that."

She blinked again but relaxed her stance just a little. "H-help you? How could I help you?"

He smiled. "With your Talent. Your ability to make things large and bountiful with a whisper and touch."

Her posture was still drawn up and protective, but she was listening; they glanced around and took in how miserable everyone looked, how even someone who could help as she could was ignored. It would take more time and more convincing, but Ivan felt something warm inside him for the first time since he had started his mission.

She would say yes, he knew it in his bones.

Natalia found him.

Beautiful, destructive, and unique Natalia with her diamond skin.

She was his warrior and believed in him fiercely, believed in it enough to do what was necessary to change Ruthenia. Oksana took one look at her and folded her in to an embrace, welcomed her home and promised her that under Brother Ivan, she would be a part of something great.

There were so many others who said no and that never ended cleanly.

So many over the years that he treasured it when Eduard said yes and went with him willingly.

Ivan did not believe he had deliberately lied to Eduard, but he had not disclosed all of the hardship they must endure to make his Vision a reality. He had wanted Eduard to say yes so desperately, with his far-seeing gaze and sharp intelligence that he could admit he had clouded the less pleasant aspects of what their Vision entailed.

It still hurt him to this day. Remembering how those eyes, once filled with trust and wonder, had turned cold to him. But, if he remained and did what needed to be done, Ivan could live with the guilt.

For every ten Talentborns that said no, one would say yes, and before he knew it, he had a following. Those with Talents mixed with his soldiers, Talent-less men and women who believed in his cause and in fixing Ruthenia. Some with Talentborns had not come willingly, but they were young yet and would learn that he had saved them. Raivis would have died, abandoned and lost in that orphanage and Asmin had nothing—he had seen so much of himself in them, and they were so very blessed, he knew they needed to be part of his Vision.

Oksana took them under her wing just like she had so many followers before. Natalia thought they got in the way and Eduard had already started to hate him when they had arrived.

He had seriously attempted to take one of the elemental Talentborns only once, though he did try and take energy from the Nords as often as he could slip by the elementals. He had wanted Earth to be part of his followers, but the rest had converged on him and driven him out. He regretted harming Ice the way he had, but it had been necessary at the time.

In taking the energy from the Nords, he confirmed that the Balance was not as kind and fair as he had believed in his youth. How could the energy and magic that flowed through the Nords exist so cleanly right next to the polluted wastelands of the Barrens, lands that had once been the jewel of the Empire? That, if nothing else, was enough confirmation that Ivan was doing what was necessary, what had to be done to free the world from the rigid confines of the Balance and whatever gods were composed from it.

Why else had he been born, if not to right the wrongs the Balance allowed to remain?

Matthew Jones had been a mistake.

He had travelled to Columbiana for Alfred Jones, a boy of tremendous Talent that manifested itself into strength and stamina. Matthew had been more useful than anyone could have possibly imagined though. His empathy was more powerful a Talent than Ivan had initially thought; more useful as well. And he had gotten what he had been after anyway.

In a way. Alfred Jones was more than Ivan had thought him to be as well.

Toris was the first person he had ever taken after the fact, the first person whose own Talent had been stronger than Ivan's, which he hadn't been able to sense right away. Apart from Alfred—but that was different.

He was the first person who actively fought against him and was brought into his following against his will. The others had not known what to feel about him; some hated him for how he'd tried to fight against Ivan and his Vision and others were terrified of him because his Talent was stronger than Ivan's. His healing ability turned out to be more useful than they had ever thought, and soon, all but a few accepted him into the fold. It bothered Ivan that Eduard was so close to him, and that Toris would likely never accept Ivan's Vision as the great path it was, but he allowed their friendship to grow.

A unit was only as good as the tethers holding it together.

By the time Ivan found Arthur Kirkland and the tremendous power he had, he was still trying to work out the puzzle of what the man represented.

He was still working on it.

Ivan finished documenting his most recent failures with the sunflowers and stowed his journal in one of his canvas bags. He had three of them: one for copper and limestone holding energy, one for quartz stones holding Talents, and another for his personal use. He gathered up all three and headed out of his chambers to make his way down towards the northern entrance near the top of his mountain keep. Natalia would be waiting there with Eduard and Dragos*, and he didn't want to keep them waiting too long.

He shifted his bags and headed down one of the steep corridors that led past the work-yard—he nodded to Oksana briefly and caught sight of Matthew Jones for a moment as he passed. He trusted Oksana to hold everything in order while he was gone, and for what she could not control, there was always Natalia. Matthew would be watched over and his movements restricted to only what was necessary; the poor boy thought Ivan did not see how he tried to memorize passages and rock formations, but he did. Not that escape was a reasonable possibility, but Ivan was nothing if not prepared.

He made his way up through the sloped and slanted passageways until he came to the large, curved archway that had been carved into the stone years ago, long before Ivan had been born. He did not know where the arch came from, or who could have possibly built it apart from the Fey, but it was a magnificent sight to see. It led to a balcony of sorts outside, and he smiled at each of his followers as they came into view, only Natalia was dressed in her usual style; the other two wore layers to protect from the biting cold. He nodded at her before turning his attention towards Eduard and Dragos.

"We will be gone for no more than a week, and then you two will return here with our findings. I will travel to the East from there and return within the fortnight. Natalia, I trust you to assist Oksana with anything she may need you to do."

"Of course, Brother Ivan."

"Good."

He nodded to the other two and focused to bring the portal Talent to the forefront of his mind. It came without much effort and when he opened his eyes again, a dark, swirling portal had been formed, showing a barren landscape through the other side. He tilted his head, letting Eduard and Dragos go through first, and then followed quickly after, letting the portal snap close behind him.

Ivan had sent Natalia first, but Ivan had never been far from her—Britannia was a new place for them both and Ivan was well aware even they would be vulnerable in a land so hostile towards Talent and magic. She was strong and formidable, but even a lion could be trampled to death by a stampede of cattle. Their caution had paid off though and she had been able to confirm that the bookshop owner did indeed have a Talent. A strong one too—the one he had hoped for and found after the Gaul man's Sight had suggested.

He still found it a little funny that out of all countries that could have produced this such a strong Talentborn, it was Britannia that had done it. A land that produced either minor Talents of little interest to Ivan or stamped them out completely before they had a chance to blossom, had actually been the birthplace and home of someone who had a Talent that could do anything. And what was even more humorous to Ivan was that the man with this Talent didn't even use it beyond cleaning up his shop or surreptitiously writing down notes when he thought no one was looking.

Most were not looking, but Ivan was.

Arthur Kirkland was both an interesting and baffling man—but, in the end, Ivan did not fear him. He had thought, after the vision, that this would be his most difficult acquisition yet. There was not much Ivan could do if the man's very voice could command or conjure almost anything he desired. But after watching him with Natalia, and then with his various customers and what Ivan supposed was his raucous family members, he knew that he would not use his Talent, not quick enough before Ivan would strike. When pressed, cornered, and trapped, would not immediately think to use it to save himself.

Ivan was doing him a favor, really—yes, he would likely be mute for the rest of his life, but he would no longer need to fear for his life in his country and could be 'normal,' just like the rest of his sheep-like neighbors.

And oh, the things Ivan could do with a Talent like that. He would not even need to use all the other Talents he'd gathered and stretched to their very limits—with this man's Talent, Ivan could undo the very Balance itself and finally restore Ruthenia and all her people to its former glory. Free his home and his family out from under the Balance's tyrannical governance. He could reform it completely. All with a word—Ivan smiled and watched as Arthur Kirkland pulled in his carts and wares for the evening, watched as the man closed and locked his door behind him.

And, with a warmth in his heart and hope singing in his blood, Ivan pushed off from the pub wall and headed towards the bookshop—everything was about to change for the better.

Ivan blinked and shook off the disorientation that always followed portal travel. When his head cleared and ears stopped ringing, he glanced around and frowned in distaste at the wasteland surrounding him.

The Barrens—once, they had been the jeweled fields of the Empire, the home for hundreds of Ruthenian aristocracy and the strongest of Talentborns. The ground had been fertile and bountiful enough to feed the entire Empire and there had been the greatest cities in the world here—the capital of the Empire rightly placed on the top of the world. Now it was nothing but flatlands of gray and shale for miles, curved jagged rocks jutting up every now and then, and noxious fumes drifting up from the cracks in the ground where wild magic festered like disease in a wound.

He glanced back to make sure Eduard and Dragos were both adjusted and handed the bags containing the gems and precious stones to the pair of them. He closed his eyes and took off his own satchel, focusing himself inward, preparing for his next test. Eduard cleared his throat and Ivan turned to smile at him, clapping his shoulder approvingly at the precious stones filled with energy arranged on the ground. "Well done, Brothers."

Eduard looked down, his face fixed behind his glasses, but Dragos struck a fist to his chest at Ivan's praise. Ivan spared him a small smile before he motioned them both to step back. He stepped into the center of the pentagram they had formed with the stones, lining up perfectly with the pile of quartz containing the Talents, magic itself, and that had been placed in the middle. He opened his mind and felt the energy sing in the air as he began to both it and the magic out; he waited until he felt his mind touch each and every stone before he started to call on the Talents as well. When he was done, his ears were roaring and his skin itched unbearably—and then, he called them into him.

Like the rush he had felt before working on his sunflowers, colors started bursting in front of his eyes—but unlike before, there were so many of them and it was impossible to keep track of anything besides his heartbeat, which felt as if it could burst right alongside all the colors. His entire body shook with the effort it took to hold everything inside—and this was not even all he had, just a fraction really. There were more energy and more Talents he had, all of which would be needed; this was why he needed Alfred Jones. For all his strength, it would not be enough to do what needed to be done—he would need help.

Tears started streaming down his face and everything faded into the roar and thrum of the power mingling within him, waiting to be expelled, waiting to burn his body from the inside out if he held them all too long. With an anguished cry, he pushed everything down, down, down into the earth until he felt like his very bones were going to follow, and then with a snap, he wrenched the connection apart and fell to the ground.

He could barely breathe, and his blood felt like it was boiling under his skin, rushing through his heart, and he was vaguely aware that there were hands trying to hoist him back up to his feet. He followed, boneless, and blinked until the white faded from his eyes and the gray sky came back into view. He couldn't hear what Eduard and Dragos were trying to say to him, but he didn't care what words they used—he just wanted to see. He forced his eyes open further and curled his hands into fists to try and quell their shaking, just long enough for him to look, to get a glimpse if it had worked this time. He used more energy and more Talent than before, more than he had ever dared prior—he prayed that it worked.

After a few more moments, with his breathing less painful than before, Ivan hung his head low and stared down at the ground under his feet. Then, he followed his eyes up and out towards the horizon, taking in the green that had not been there before, that had never quite showed itself with any of his other experiments. The air was still singing, but the tune had changed—the air was different and for miles, all Ivan could see was grass and wildflowers colored in various shades of teal, violet and crimson, despite the frigid weather the Barrens were cursed with.

Ivan could not help it—he sobbed with joy.

*Dragos - Moldova

This will be updated every few days until completed. Please follow on AO3 for more user friendly story with art embedded.

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