An Angel's Boredom
In the physical plane the high elves made ready for war, gathering a host such as had not been seen in ages. Gray elves, humans and half-elves faded out of sight, or simply disappeared, as the tension mounted. They could not openly face the power rising now, and they knew the source of elven military resurgance. An elf lord walked the world again, and, though his power was not yet great, the high elves flocked to this symbol of a resurgance of old glories.
Beyond them Sailoon watched and Zelgadis arraigned the forces of his late wife's country to prepare for the coming battle. The elves had made a declaration to put the mortals "in their place" and not stop until this world rested in the hands of its rightful masters, the house of Feanor. As such even Zelgadis had ridden from the palace to the borders, moving with as little visibility as he could. So the Prince Regent added his power and presence to the borders of men and elves.
Between both lay several small countries and unaffilitated villages, and most importantly, a large forest. Cut off from the outside world by her own choice, Lina never the less had some hint of things happening. Men and elves were moving through HER forest, and not bandits or in large groups. And she had other methods of collecting information. Foxes spoke of battle in the elf lands, though what they considered battle was probably only a murder or minor raid or two. Still, with what Lina knew of elven history, she was not comforted. And so Kitsune Forest was also preparing for war.
In the middle of this mess seven travelers were wandering almost unaware. Six of them were, together, about to discover just how much the realm of the elves had changed in the past year. The seventh wandered alone seeking to gain the favor of the man who's sister she had tried to kill by following what amounted to a fool's quest.
In the shadows a man armed with silver blades stalked the group of six, waiting to be lead to the were-child's lycanthrope parent. The fledging elf lord sought abominations of varied forms, half-mazoku, upstart human peasants, chimera and a dragon. By the reports of his ally the five held a elf noblegirl in captivity. That ally watched and waited for a chance to tear a pair of half-breeds apart and recover a staff for his mistress. That mistress stood on the astrally dead and physically ravaged Wolf Pack Island and made other preparations. She needed no pure flow this time, not with the walls between the worlds so devestated in this place, she merely needed the staff. Meanwhile, the remnant of a dead man's spell was slowly and silently killing a girl that was human but shouldn't be.
In the north a storm was brewing. Dynast had lost track of his general, and in so doing his hand in the world. Frozen by the power of the water dragon king, he could only cast about seeking the answers to her severance from him. She was his eyes and ears, without her he was vulnerable. Granted Deep Sea Dolphin wasn't likely to do much against him at the moment, but still, it was a possibility. And he was producing a remedy for the situation, though it would be a while yet before it was ready.
In the gray world of restless dead, two spirits hovered over their children and watched. In this realm between, they were no longer so different, merely two dead souls holding off from the Source and reincarnation in order to watch over family. They merely wondered what the powers that be had in store for there blood. By connection they also wondered where their insistant host had vanished too since daming Roquen to the Waste.
"I have had enough of this," The Lord of Nightmares growled. "Since you have arrived my champion has been divested of the power that is her birthright, a mazoku that gets no power from me or mine is walking the world, the walls between the worlds have been nearly shattered." That had HURT, this world was made from her after all, and when it was damaged she felt it. If the world was to be destroyed it would be under her terms, not anybody else's. "And those vagabond elves are beginning to get above themselves again. How much of this is your doing."
The darkness that was her "guest" smiled. If smile it could be called. In their pure forms, neither being could truly be viewed in human terms. They were not even really male or female, it was only the dominant impression one received from dealing with them.
"I have done nothing," The current Angel of Death splayed out his hands innocently. She had always been impatient, though he had thought that she wouldn't last past fifteen years. Now here it was she had lasted almost until it was over before demanding explanation.
"As you did 'nothing' when Osano-Wo toppled the Morningstar," she sneered back, she was one of the few that had seen the whole battle. She knew that the prowess of Osano-Wo had not been the cause of the victory. The Morningstar's defeat had been ordained in Gabriel Lycanus Kord's mind since the destruction of his people millenia before. "You toss about mention of the Old Ones casually, and yet I have seen nothing of there presence. I don't know where this Martina received her transformation, but it was not those abominations that gave it to her."
"Of course not, even one of us would have been destroyed by trying that bargain," he mused. "They are coming though, and they are coming soon. Someone has grown bored and broken my seals, the barriers are down and only doors remain to be opened."
"I would trust Arien's word above yours," the Lord of Nightmares growled. Her guest did not smile. Wolves and ravens across countless worlds ceased what they were doing for a moment while the Angel of Death considered the statement.
He merely quietly gestured and opened a window on the Waste scanning through the warped and debased spirits it settled on one body, perfect and peaceful and dead. The Lord of Nightmares saw the dead child of Sif, and long-time mate of her guest. She really had been isolated from her former colleagues to have not heard of this.
"The opening of the seals required sibling blood," the Angel of Death indicated. "Among other things of course. She's been dead since before this world of yours experienced the Kouma War. Every so often I can catch sight of her spirit flitting about the Waste. But sight is all it is."
"Sibling blood? Osano-Wo? Why?" She was angry, she hated not knowing what was going on, though it had never been a problem while the other powers kept out of her realms.
"Before you joined the ranks of the Creators, you were a War Goddess," Lycanus noted. "We have had peace since the Morningstar was trapped in his lake of ice. The Angel of War seeks a new glory, and has taken up where his former opponent left off. He does not have a world to play with to keep him occupied, Morrigan." The Lord of Nightmares glared, she no longer used the name long ago given to her upon the day of her creation.
"He never did like his sister taking up with a creature of darkness such as you," The Lord of Nightmares noted. "Have all the Powers of Change been destroyed?"
"Aside from Nightmare and Death?" he asked salaciously. "Yes, which brings us to the children of your champion." A window opened on a pouting Xina and exasperated looking Xalan. The Lord of Nightmares looked closely and realized something.
"Selene's essence, she channels the primal force of all Moons," the Power noted. "You think that by replacing Imagination's place with this snip of a mortal that you can stop the Archangel? Osano-Wo would not even notice her to swat."
"We were all 'snips of a mortal' at one time," Lycanus noted wryly.
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