Closed Bond of Blood [Elsa]

[Annalisa Marin]

6th of Winter, 513 AV

"Sutla Gug. Gug Sutla."

"Sutla Gug. Gug Sutla."

"Sutla Gug. Gug Sutla."

The Nader-Canoch phrase slid off of Anna's tongue as she cycled her breathing, focusing within herself in preparation to bridge This Side to The Other Side. Her room within the Quarters of Sahova was small and hardly spacious, though it was quiet and afforded her the needed place for concentration and meditation. The first step to creating a Portal between Mizahar and the Void was to focus upon the concept of infinite nothingness, that idea which made up the Void and dwelled with all minds. Once this was accomplished Anna focused on separating the concept from her mind, from her sense of self.

From here she then had that concept, the idea of the place that continued on forever, placed outside her mind upon a single point above her hand. Energy, her Djed which was the basis of her very identity, was gathered underneath her outstretched hand. It was forced up to that single solitary point, the Sorceress willing it to empty of all matter and become the necessary bridge between two dimensions.

It took a while to get it to manifest, about thirty ticks but Anna held her concentration all through out. After those thirty ticks a small inky black spot opened above her hand, a tiny swirling black vortex. Of course she felt it more than saw it, as her Djed rushed from her to feed the ravenous thing her vital life energy. The tall woman wasted no time in stabilizing the Portal, and from there feeding it a steady influx of Djed to keep it alive.

The trick with Voiding and its main separator from reimancy was that it required constant maintenance in its use, otherwise the Portals would eventually fizzle out of existence. Anna being unused to the discipline naturally had to veritably pour her Djed into the little Portal just to keep it stable, which sent waves of exhaustion though her but didn't detract from her goal today.

The tall dark haired woman willed the influx of Djed to increase, willing the bridge between This Side and The Other Side to grow slowly. This action served to tire her, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it had once been. The shifting black dot grew and grew, eventually becoming a ball and then from there growing to the size of a fist. She didn't just stop there though, willing it to expand much further outside her comfort zone.

It felt tiring, but gloriously good like she could be unto a goddess if she harnessed the power of the Void. Unstoppable, a force of pure destruction and carnage towards her enemies and anything that displeased her. It was merely the urge of course, trying to push her to greater heights, so she pushed it aside and maintained focus. She pushed until the Portal was the size of her hand when it was opened wide, a large orb of pure darkness hovering above her hand.

The amount of Djed needed to maintain this large a Portal was tremendous for her, but she did indeed manage to hold it for a full chime. She didn't dare hold it any longer though, least the madness that so afflicted her take root again and make her do something possibly fatal. So it was that she willed the core of the Portal to fill with matter and collapse. As it fizzled out of existence the air it had once occupied rippled slightly before returning to normal.

Anna's breath was heavier than usual and she clutched her head to stave off the slight headache growing in her skull. It wasn't so bad all things considered, at least she wasn't reduced that the gasping mess she had been when she had first started with Voiding. She was growing stronger and more comfortable with the art slowly but surely.

The tall woman slowly got to her feet and stretched, strapping on her sandals and fastening her tattered cloak around her neck. It was time to head out and see what new trials Sahova had in store for her today. Perhaps she'd take a trip down to the Dungeon for a bit of fun at the expense of the prisoners there. They were such fun toys, better than that slave down in the Forge had been. Petching Council and their rules.

The tall woman strode confidently through the halls of the Quarters, looking far better fed than most of the Pulser's here. Her mistress was certainly generous, even if Anna didn't trust the Embalmer as far as she could throw her. Which was actually quite a distance if she was using reimancy to do the deed. What a splat the Nuit would make from such a thing, that would be rather funny if the half mad woman did say so herself.

[Elsa Marin]

The labyrinthine corridors of the Quarters echoed with the rhythmic tinkle-tink of bells as Elsa sauntered along, wrapped in her cloak and lost in her thoughts. From what she had gathered, this was where people lived. Or didn't, depending. She hadn't expected Sahova to be so empty. The quiet bustling of the University was practically riotous in comparison. Was everyone hiding? She wasn't exactly hard to hear coming, after all. She wasn't sure she wanted to come near any of them, either. Sahova stank. It was a cloying, overwhelming stink that made her feel filthier just for breathing it. She sneezed.

Elsa wasn't stupid. She'd done as much research as she could before coming to Sahova. What little research she could, at least. What few aspirant apprentices made it back to Zeltiva were less than eager to share the details of their failure, or talk of Sahova at all. When they did, it was only to curse the place and its people. She was optimistic, though. Her sister had been there for weeks! Anna would show her the ropes.

It was just so empty. And complicated. What if she never found Anna? She'd have nobody to talk to!

The silence was getting to her. She'd slowed, then stopped, weighed down by her worries. Silence was bad, she decided, and started walking again, putting even more sway to her hips than usual, taking comfort in the sound of her bells. She rounded a corner, and spotted a familiar figure at the end of the corridor. "Anna?" It had to be her. She'd recognize her sister anywhere, even dressed in rags. She ran towards her, arms outstretched. "Anna!"

Elsa leapt into her sister's arms, wrapping her in a tight hug. "Anna Anna Anna Anna!"

[Annalisa Marin]

The Quarters were always so very vacant, most of those who did walk the halls like her were content to keep to themselves and Anna was the same. The incident yesterday had reminded her somewhat that she needed to watch her steps, lest she end up breaking another law and getting killed. Death was starting to look like quite the inconvenience, Dira's inevitable embrace was looming far too closely for her liking. It was spoiling her potential fun. So what if she'd been about to murder a slave in the Forge? That's what they were there for, toys for her to use and abuse as she saw fit. The Citadel could always get a new one after she'd broken him.

The tall sorceress was content to simply wander the Quarters for now, confident in her own superiority. At least that was what she had been before her grey eyes fell upon a hauntingly familiar sight, and that voice that brought her back to Zeltiva and home. As realization set in with the sound of those bells Anna's eyes widened, not in surprise but rather horror that she of all people was here. There certainly wasn't anyone else that called her by Anna on this petching island, expect for possibly Celeste.

The tall woman caught her, but only just and grunted slightly at the tight embrace. Elsa, here of all places, oh she must have indeed caught the disfavor of fate that this occurred. In hindsight perhaps it was obvious that her sister should follow her even here, having taken up her path despite the issues their parents had with it. That didn't make this any easier, a moment one would think might bring happiness was certainly not a happy occasion in her mind.

So rather than deal with that she opted to awkwardly wrap her arms around Elsa, her grey eyes glaring daggers at a man who had the misfortune to look out and see what the ruckus was all about. Translucent purple gas seeped unbidden from her stormy eyes, a warning that he should get right back the petch inside his room lest he obtain a few new holes. It was also a sign of her emotions messing with the flow of her Djed and her control over her casting, sending her most dominant magic into a dangerous flux.

The res retreated back into her, her breaths taken were deep and somewhat shaky. She couldn't afford to lose control so soon after her first blunder, not here and not now when everything was so delicately poised. Anna recognized that her mistakes could very well cost her dearly, that were she not careful she might end up on the receiving end of death's hand dealt by one more powerful than she.

With some effort she detached herself from Elsa and held her out at arms length, her expression an odd mix of frustration and pain in some ways. Just when she though Sahova couldn't screw her over any more than it already had, shattering her mind, nearly killing her multiple times, and messing with her very memories it did this to her. In that moment a shot of pure black hate shot from within her heart, hatred for the Island itself and those who lorded over her.

"Elsa, what the petch are you doing here? Why did you follow me here of all places?" The tall woman veritably demanded, reigning herself in from yelling at the poor girl by sheer force of will.

This was different that someone she knew from the University being here, this was one of her few blood relatives left in the world. The Marin line was thin as it was due to the plague that had accosted Zeltiva seasons back, now two of its last remaining members were on Sahova. Elsa wasn't like Velia, certainly Velia had been her closest friend and almost a sister but she had lacked the blood between them. Elsa WAS her blood, born of the same womb. This... complicated matters very seriously.

"Come." The sorceress said, releasing her hold on Elsa and beckoning for her sister to follow.

Anna was intending on making a beeline straight back to her tiny room, at least there they could get some privacy rather than being out here in the halls for everyone to see. Who knew where ears lay that could speak her doom? Oh gods, what if Amaryllis discovered this or even worse Daren? Petching petch petch, this was going to be a nightmare if she didn't handle this little problem with skill and finesse.

[Elsa Marin]

Elsa's hands flicked through the air as she followed Anna, accenting her words with Grassland Sign. Her fingers curled into the shape of confusion at Anna's evident frustration. Long-suppressed anxiety threatened to surface. She told herself she was being silly. She wouldn't be getting in Anna's way. Elsa was a competent wizard in her own right.

"I'm here to be a wizard." Pride. Confidence. The ever-present sound of bells. "Like you." Honesty. Anxiety. Hands frozen mid-uncertain, and returned to her sides.

Perhaps not exactly like Anna, Elsa reflected, trying very hard not to scrunch up her nose as she shadowed her sister. When was the last time Anna had bathed? Wasn't she taking care of herself? She looked like she'd been wearing the same clothes since Elsa had last seen her, and had fallen off a cliff in the interim. "So, how's Sahova treating you?" Curious. Concerned. She smiled. "They put you in charge yet?"

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna had to repress a harsh bark of laughter from bubbling up from her chest, reminding herself that her sister had not experienced the dark horrors of Sahova and the mind rending terror that came with them. To be a Wizard, gods how Anna dreamed of holding the title that she might bring devastation to her enemies who so rightly deserved to suffer. No, instead she still remained an Apprentice Wizard, Apprentice Wizard Marin. Before her Judgement she had pined and suffered for it, but now the bronze ring wrapped around her ring finger was a symbol of everything she hated about Sahova.

The tall woman held that hate within her for a moment, allowing it's fire to warm her and clear her mind of distractions. She was nothing like the sister Elsa had last seen, no she was a monster of magic. Her nearly unmatched powers in reimancy had certainly done her mind no favors. Unless Elsa's studies into the Void had suddenly allowed her to create Portals the size of a ship, it was unlikely she could ever match her. Anna knew how to defeat Voiders, being one herself.

Was that what her sister was to become if she remained here? An opponent to overcome? An obstacle in her path that led ever upwards towards power and prestige in the Citadel? Was she merely the vestige of the past that needed to be severed in order to prevent the possibility of weakness? No. Not Elsa, she couldn't afford to think like that. She was her blood, that was worth some kind of loyalty from the Chaon.

Anna didn't answer the questions until they reached her tiny broom closet of a room, which she ushered Elsa inside. Once done she closed the door carefully and gestured for her sister to seat herself across from her. A sigh escaped Anna's lips as she sat down herself, her expressed rather bitter looking.

"A wizard... ha! You are certainly skilled sister, but last I remember your Portals were paltry things. Not exactly something that would impress the Judges." Anna commented.

"For how Sahova is treating me, oh its just lovely. I have tea with the Archwizard at high noon, he'd like a lesson on reimancy. No doubt I'll have old Nuit eating out of my hand." Anna said, her sarcasm rather obvious and a little more biting than she had actually intended it to be.

The tall woman took a deep breath, trying to remind herself that her sister didn't really know what this place did to one. She'd probably heard the stories, but they hardly did the island justice in that they didn't outline how very much it changed one. Anna herself was half mad, jumping between the border frequently. She was also incredibly spiteful to an almost mindboggling degree, Osd was only one example of many that her rage and hate was blown out of proportions. She needed to get her sister to leave, Anna knew, petching knew that the island would ill suit her. The tall woman did have some vestiges of humanity some place in her.

"Elsa, I'm flattered that you wish to become more like me and follow in my footsteps but you really shouldn't be hear. Sahova is not the University, the pulser's, living, are worth less than dirt here sister. You have no master to protect you from the worst of this land. No rank, the fact you are another wizard means zero here. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you? This place kills people, Elsa, or does far worse things." Anna said, her tone hushed and urgent.

[Elsa Marin]

OOCSometimes I think I mention Elsa's bells too much. Then I remember how much I love those bells.

Elsa got the feeling Anna didn't want to answer her. Not yet, at least. It made sense - a cramped hallway wasn't the best place for a family reunion, after all. So she followed patiently, silent save the sound of her bells. Anna's room was... straightforward. Yes. Straightforward was a good word. No frills, no distractions. She decided not to comment on it, sliding into an easy cross-legged seating position across from her sister. Even seated, Elsa swayed and shifted in place.

And jumped to her feet in a rattle of bells. "I am a wizard!" She shouted, hands balled into fists. "I'll show you." Furious, Elsa focused on a point in space between herself and her sister. Despite herself, her anger receded. The act of Voiding was to dissociate one's self from all meaning. 'Nothing' and 'Empty' were too descriptive words for the Void. To name it was to deny it. Elsa had meditated on her mother's name when she started exploring the Void. It was just noise to her, now. The world was skin stretched taut over the Void, and Elsa's Djed slipped through it like a needle. An inky black marble hung suspended in the air between the Marin sisters. Elsa retreated until her back hit the wall, and the little portal moved with her, staying at a point equidistant from Elsa and Anna. Then it started growing.

Elsa stabilized the portal when it was as big as she dared make it in such a small room. The space between her and Anna was pitch black, as if part of the world has simply been precisely excised with a sharp knife. When she felt she'd made her point, Elsa allowed the portal to close, but slowly. She reappeared in Anna's view leaning back against the wall, arms crossed, face drawn into a determined pout. She was the first to break the silence. "You seem to be doing pretty well for yourself. Having tea with the archwizard and everything." She didn't remain still for long, pushing off the wall and pacing the room. At least, she took a step forward. Pacing more than one pace would put her in Anna's lap. Her hands were talking again. Frustration. Sarcasm.

She sank back into a cross-legged seat, eyes downcast. "I'm sorry, " she said. Sincere. Regretful. "You're right. I'm not you. All I can do is make holes. I just- I miss you." She looked up, into Anna's eyes. "There's nothing left for me back home. Mother and father are dead, and you're here. I can't just Void garbage all day, Anna." I can't look my Professors in the eye and not see how much they wish I was you.

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna's eyes widened a fraction of an inch as Elsa summoned a rather respectably sized Portal to the Void, it was far better than her own had been thus far. The Sorceress didn't feel overly threatened, Voiding took much longer to get right than her reimancy did. In the time it took for most Voider's she'd met to summon a bridge between This Side and The Other Side she could fill their lungs with fire. Anna knew her own abilities far outstripped her sister, but she said nothing and simply watched impassively. Elsa had improved, but would that improvement actually be enough to impress the judges? That remained to be seen.

The tall woman felt a slight pang of sympathy for the girl, she didn't know what her sister had become or the sheer mind bending terror she had experienced. There weren't many things she felt strongly now days, perverse pleasure at causing hardship to others, burning hatred for her enemies, possessiveness regarding those close to her. Sahova had taken much from her and no doubt it would continue to do so, each and every day. The sad part was that she was really beyond past caring, her mind warped by madness.

Anna cared about Elsa to some degree, blood meant something to her still regardless of how weak that made her. She didn't want her to experience the torment she had, the slow slipping of her sanity as everything she was became warped beyond recognition. Her ghostly mother had warned her of walking this path, had told her the price she would pay would be higher than could be counted. Like so many things in life, the woman had been right.

"I missed you as well, Elsa. I missed mother and father as well, but you need to know that this place changes you. I barely sleep anymore, when I do and dream of the things I've seen I wake up screaming. I've nearly lost my life more times than I care to count, though compared to the threats I've faced that would be a mercy. Don't make me watch you break like that, I'm telling you this place is not for you." The sorceress said, her tone approaching pleading and her eyes possessed a slight flicker of fear behind them.

Sahova had done many positive things for Anna, it had made her stronger in terms of magic use. She was near the heights of the power of reimancy, nearly a master of the four elements and a very powerful Glypher besides. It could be that her sister could achieve the same, that she could surpass the greatest masters of the Void given enough time. The price she would pay though and the suffering she would need to endure would break her though, there was no question about it.

So if she wanted to stay that left Anna with two options, to assist her sister and help her pass her Judgment, or deliberately sabotage her efforts in the hopes they sent her from the island. It was a hard choice, if she went with the latter then Elsa would hate her no doubt but at least she'd be spared the inhumanity of the Citadel and looking upon the monster her sister had become. The former though, oh gods it was too terrible for her to imagine especially if her enemies discovered their relations. So it stood to reason then that she had one choice here, she was going to do everything in her power to ensure that Elsa did not succeed. It was a traitorous thing to do, but Anna was a Chaon after all.

"Do you even know what your going to do for your Judgment? The Citadel likely doesn't need garbage disposal services, sister." Anna inquired, raising an eyebrow inquisitively.

[Elsa Marin]

Elsa could only listen with growing horror and concern as Anna talked about the consequences of her stay on Sahova. It explained a lot, really. The Anna who had left Zeltiva would never let herself come to such a sorry state. "I don't know," Elsa admitted. "I was thinking I'd just kind of figure it out once I got here. I've got half the winter to figure something out."

Reaching a decision, Elsa threw herself towards her sister, wrapping her in a tight hug. She kissed her sister on the cheek before nuzzling up against her. "It's gonna be okay. I'm here now. I brought some Iskyny tea we can share." That warranted some explanation, she realized. "I have trouble sleeping too. Sometimes. We can help each other, Anna. You don't have to do this alone. We Marins have to stick together, after all."

[Annalisa Marin]

So she didn't know what she was going to do for her presentation, well that certainly favored her not passing her Judgment and being shipped off of the Island. As much as it pained her to think it, that was probably the best case scenario in this instance as opposed to the ending that she would gain otherwise. The thought of Darren touching her like he'd touch Anna, of him violating her mind was certainly not something she wanted to imagine. Her mind flashed back to that meeting the Caverns, her magic useless and she herself immobile while he prepared to make her a mindless husk. That feeling, those petching red eyes that seemed to glint gleefully as they unraveled her, it would have broken lesser people. It had probably broken her honestly.

She couldn't tell Elsa that, should couldn't tell her of that nightmare she had been forced through and still lived. Who couldn't emerge from such events half mad like she was? Who wouldn't be scarred and warped in the worst possible ways? Who wouldn't devote their life to making certain that the one who inflicted that pain upon them suffered, dying only after they begged for death?

Anna allowed a small, nearly imperceptible smile to flicker across her face as Elsa made her offer. Selfishly she allowed herself this tiny indulgence, squeezing the girl close to her though knowing that to save her from this she needed to push her away. Of course a treasonous part of her brain didn't want that, the madness within her wanted to break Elsa until Anna was the only thing that mattered to her. She pushed it aside, the monster not wishing to lose this small comfort just yet.

Honestly sleep sounded divine, the nightmares and those red eyes woke her up too many times during the night. Of course the paranoia refused to take such a thing, to place herself in a vulnerable state for someone like Darren to take advantage of. There were many times where she envied the undead and their ability to never need sleep, or feel hunger, or to need water. She hated being so fettered.

"Very well, I won't protest you staying here. However you must listen to me. As far as the Citadel must be concerned you and I are not related, do not tell them you are a Marin. Here, in private, you can be but I have enemies who would love nothing more than to hurt you to hurt me. Do you understand?" The Sorceress said.

"Also, be aware that you are restricted because you are not an apprentice. You are not permitted to go beyond the Quarters, the first five floors of the Gug Adjak, the Vestibule, and the Courtyard. At least not without and escort from someone like me, who is ranked. Also, in public I'm not a Wizard, I am Apprentice Wizard Marin and my Mistress is Chief Embalmer Amaryllis." Anna said, pushing back for her sister to give her a bit of space.

The tall woman stretched out as much as she could without hitting her sister. She also allowed herself to think, carefully considering the situation from a less emotional standpoint and from a logical one instead. If everything went right Anna would soon be a Wizard in her own right, able to take on apprentices. It could be that she might be able to groom Elsa as a fair enough Glypher and a decent Reimancer, enough so that she would have an excuse to take her on. It was another option provided her work was approved.

That was also provided she survived the mysterious Heartland, and whatever tests this Kierra Doma had waiting for her. There was no petching way she was telling Elsa about that trip, Anna was a powerful reimancer but Elsa's Voiding while impressive would likely not prepare her for the challenges there. It was Anna's task, to gain the favor of the Warden of the Heartlands and thus become Qiao's new favorite. Her sister needed to have no part in that kind of up hill battle.

[Elsa Marin]

Elsa had to struggle to keep herself from showering her sister with hugs and kisses as Anna explained the conditions of Elsa's stay in Sahova. She settled for letting her hands do the talking, signing her emphatic gratitude and joy along with a broad, beaming smile. Played right, the next thirty days could be just like when they were kids! She managed to get herself under control enough to nod seriously when Anna asked if she understood. Her presence was supposed to make things better, not worse.

"We better spend a lot of time in private, then," Elsa said, serious. "I want to be with you, and from what you've said you're probably the only one on this island who will give me the time of day. I'll take a room next to yours, if one's available. And," Elsa raised a finger, then pointed it at Anna. "I'm going to need a tour. I have no idea what any of those words you just said mean. I'm not even sure I know how to get out of here."

Even if she didn't pass the Judgement - a remote enough possibility that it didn't even bear thinking about - she had half the winter all to herself. She could spend time with her sister, and finally explore the more subtle aspects of the Void. Working as a Voider in Zeltiva had certainly helped her get the hang of making and maintaining portals, but that was all she'd done. Make a hole, put things in the hole, close the hole. The bone hanging between her breasts proved that there was so much more to the Void than that.