Flashback [Ialari's Dominion] Reborn in My Dominion Part 1

[Ialari Pythone]

Summer 511 AV

Summer had arrived along the eastern coast of Syliras. In the secluded stand of trees, several yards from the beach at the small set of ruins that made up Ialari's Retreat, Ialari was not to be found. Instead, as the sun shown down on the small campsite she had set up, it's light filtering down through the modest canopy of trees, Ialari was in another realm. Through the worn wooden door of the tiny, ancient stone structure that served as the center of The Retreat, Ialari sat in the center of her Dominion. Although the landscape that surrounded and made up the Dominion shifted from time to time, the frequency of the change had grown quite slow over the past few seasons. Ialari's growing empathy with her Dominion had caused not only the drastic slowing of the landscape changes but also graced her with unique abilities. As she learned to mold and shape the Dominion, it had also molded and shaped her. Her bond with the place had granted her the ability to alter small things such as the temperature, taste and smell of the air and the general mood and feel of the place. Also, while she couldn't change the actual landscape itself, her growing connection with the Dominion acted more like an anchor; the focus that helped stabilize to some degree the shifting environment.

As she sat in the center of her Dominion, her surroundings remained, as they had more frequently in recent days, as a vast subterranean cavern with fissures in the ceiling that allowed filtered shafts of light from whatever realm lie above to dimly illuminate the cavern itself. As for the Dominion itself, it was no larger than a small cottage in the center of the cavern. Invisible walls confined Ialari to that small space. Just outside the unseen barrier, beyond Ialari's reach, stood the tall, gnarled, ancient tree that had been there ever since Ialari's introduction to Dominion by Dira, Goddess of Death. Numerous bodies hung from the tree's limbs, their necks twisted and broken. Though rotted with heavy decay, the near fifty bodies all looked very much like Ialari herself.

Those bodies on the lower branches were nearly identical in general appearance to Ialari as she was then, sitting before it looking up. As she had done countless times before, Ialari's eyes traced their way up the tree where the appearance of the bodies gradually changed. The bodies higher up the tree appeared to be older when they were alive than she was presently. Though an isur's appearance became more refined with age, they never truly looked old. That said, these bodies bore the effects of aging poorly, the varied and obvious causes of death aside. Then there was the figure perched on top of the tree. While the bodies hanging below it all appeared to have died horrifically and in many cases in unfathomable pain, the figure at the top of the tree was a perfect mirror image of Ialari though looking to be carved from the same divine material as her arm. Black stone veined in silver, that Ialari stared back at her with unmoving silver eyes. Ialari was never sure if it were a statue or had once been or may still be alive. It bore none of the wounds and disfigurements of the those below it. While Ialari had never directly seen it move, she couldn't help but feel as though, every now and then, that figure was perched in a slightly different position.

As she had so many times before, Ialari spoke aloud to the tree; her eyes unable to look away from the gruesome sight. "Always there, always looking down on me from a distance. Why? Still testing me? Trying to see if I'll give up on all of this? Showing me what will happen if I repeat the failures of the ancient humans? What is it?" She hefted a deep sigh. There was never an answer. Did she even expect one?

Finally, Ialari turned her attention away from the Tree of Death and closed them in preparation for a bit of meditation and communion with the Dominion. With her eyes closed, she began the process of breath counting and focus to get her into the appropriate state of mind and body.

"So many questions...Maybe you are looking in the wrong place." Said a voice from behind Ialari causing her eyes to open in an instant as she spun around to face the source with her dagger immediately pulled from her belt and in hand.

Standing before her was an all too familiar face. It was the face of a human male of advancing age. He had short gray hair and sharply angled features with a refined look. Dressed in elegant red robes, Amir Berliotz, looked down at Ialari. For her part, Ialari was face was twisted with complete dread. She couldn't stop shaking and unconsciously she scooted backward until her back was against the invisible wall of her Dominion.

[Ialari Pythone]

When she was able to cut through her fear enough to speak, Ialari could only manage to stammer, "You...it's not possible. I saw you die. Dira...you're dead!" She held her dagger in front of her yet knew deep down that it would do her no good. The last time she encountered Amir Berliotz, the dead mage had been completely consumed by insanity, desire and rage. After having used Ialari to reforge his shattered soul, Berliotz passed on to her the knowledge of Dominion though never intended for her to live long after. In the end, Ialari delivered the maddened wizard to Dira, Goddess of Death. When Ialari last saw Berliotz, he was being torn apart by Dira's pets before being turned into a coin and secreted away into the inifinite folds of Death's robes to later pay for his countless lifetimes of foulness. Now, the source of nightmares she barely remembered slivers of was standing before her.

In a soft, almost grandfatherly voice, Berliotz said, "Be calm, Ialari. I'm not here to do you harm. In fact, I'm not even here...at least, not as you think."

Ialari used the invisible barrier at her back for leverage as she got her feet stable beneath her and stood. Despite Berliotz words, Ialari couldn't find the ability to believe him. What he had done to her had been too much. In return for Dominion, Ialari had to reforge Berliotz's shattered soul. Ten ghosts, all pieces of a greater whole, violated Ialari's mind, body and soul. They merge with her, she saw what they had seen, she was what they had been and because of that she would never feel clean. When the ten had finally reformed inside her, her body could barely contain that greater whole. Her flesh had split, her bones had twisted and broken and her muscles ripped and tore as she fought to contain the power of reformed Master of the Seven Robes. Upon exiting her body, Berliotz had left behind some of his shattered memories. Ialari recalled those memories in nightmares where she and Berliotz were one and the same. She recalled horrific things that Berliotz had done during his search for and study of Dominion as if she herself were doing them. While she only remembered tiny bits of it upon waking, the maddening effects were still there in the background.

Ialari tried to regain focus and composure. It was a near impossible task helped only by the fact that she was still alive. Berliotz could have killed her at any time. Why hadn't he? As she started to hold on tighter to the that realization, she decided that if he were to kill her, or worse, she wouldn't go down in fear or without a fight. Reaching for the strength to speak, Ialari coughed once and swallowed before saying, "What do you mean? You're here now, right in front of me. Here to toy with me? Get revenge? Why the mundane appearance? A bloated, unliving mass of rage-filled torment and hatred too boring for you?"

Berliotz gave no obvious reaction to Ialari's taunt. His face remained calm and at ease and his posture was anything but threatening. "Ialari, if I were the Amir Berliotz you remember, would you still be standing there? Besides, you are right, I am dead. Dira indeed wrapped me in her heartless embrace and left nothing behind. Well, almost nothing." He took a step backward before beginning to casually pace the short distance between the walls of the Dominion.

"You see, when the Berliotz you knew used you to reforge his soul, he did not exit completely. He left some of himself behind. While some of it was rather unpleasant, an equal amount remained in the form of memories that even Berliotz had forgotten; memories of a time long before his eventual downfall into madness and death. The Berliotz you see now is a representation of all of those memories left behind tempered by your own soul and given form through your bond with this place." Berliotz motioned to the realm that surrounded them.

Knowing what she was thinking and what she would say, Berliotz quickly followed up by adding, "You're thinking that this is all a trick, that perhaps I'm some foul creature of the Ukalas bent on driving you over the edge. That what I say couldn't be possible. You doubt everything I say. Here is something that will eliminate doubt. As we speak, you should be experiencing a familiar feeling; the same feeling you have when you sense something you have imparted upon using your Mark."

Indeed just as Berliotz mentioned the feeling, Ialari started to feel a tickle at the base of her spine. It was slight at first but grew quickly to the point that Ialari could physically feel the Berliotz's presence much like she could the items she used Izentor on. The feeling was that of a slight yet comfortable pressure on her head as if putting on a hat. The closer she was to an imparted item, the stronger the feeling. Berliotz was giving off that same kind of feeling although not quite as pronounced. Only something that shared a piece of her soul would give her such a sensation.

In disbelief, Ialari said, "How...is this possible? What do you want?"

"It's not what I want, Ialari. It's what you want. I'm here to help you answer the greatest question of your life. The question you ask yourself before falling asleep at night. The question you ask yourself when you wake up each morning. The question that has haunted you since the day Izurdin first appeared to you in Nyka." Berliotz stopped pacing and turned to face Ialari once more.

Ialari lowered her eyes for a moment. She knew the question he was speaking of. It was a simple question yet finding the answer had seemed impossible. Ialari looked up to Berliotz. He was right. This wasn't the same Amir Berliotz who had raped her very soul 10 times over. This wasn't the same Amir Berliotz who had nearly broke every aspect of her existence. In the old man before her, Ialari saw...no, felt the possibility of that answer she sought longed for. The answer to the question..."Why me?"

Berliotz simply nodded and said, "That, Ialari, is why I am here."

[Ialari Pythone]

Ialari lowered her guard a bit yet still held on tightly to her dagger.

Berliotz held his distance from her in an attempt to diminish Ialari's perception of a threat. As he was really more a part of her than a separate entity, he knew everything she knew and could tell that she was still not yet fully convinced of his intentions. "As I said, perhaps you are looking in the wrong place for the answer to your question. You've been asking the gods for the answer yet despite all that you've been through, they haven't answered." Berliotz knew what Ialari was going to say next yet allowed her to speak her mind.

You're telling me that even after gracing me with their presence, speaking to me directly and even sharing their realm with me, they don't know the answer to why?" Ialari's doubt and confusion was growing. Of course they had to know. Why else would they have set her on the path that she was on? Besides, who was this shadow, this echo of a monster to know any of it.

Berliotz shook his head slowly and said, "I didn't say they didn't have the answer. It's just that if they were going to give you that answer, If they were, don't you think they would've done so already? No, the answer you seek can't be found anywhere but within you. Yes, the gods set you on a path but it was your choice to follow it. Choice. Choice is what has brought you to where you are now. At any point, you could have made a different choice and not followed the path that was laid before you. It is the power of choice that is key to everything. That is what I am here to help you understand. The answer you seek lies in the choices you have made. Only when you understand the choices that have brought you here will you get the answer to why." Berliotz paused for a moment and added, "As for who I am to know any of this, I am the direct result of some of the choices you've made. You chose to reforge Berliotz's soul. You chose to accept the deal that brought you Dominion. You chose to connect yourself with this place and expand your perception. Because of those choices you made, I am able to appear to you now. In the end, I am nothing more than product of your own creation. You could choose to turn me away at any point and continue on as you were just as you could choose to hear me out and accept my help."

Ialari slowly lowered her dagger. As much as she wanted to believe that this was all some strange anomaly, a consequence of spending too much time in a realm not her own, she couldn't deny the chance to find the answer to her most pressing question. Even if it was all a product of her own insanity, could it hurt to follow it through? She rolled it all around in her head in an effort to make some sense of it but couldn't.

"Alright. Let's say I go along with this. Say I choose to believe you and accept your help. What would I have to do?" Ialari was used to making deals but this was quite different. If this Berliotz was right, she was essentially talking to and making deals with herself. Maybe that was part of the point...

Answering her verbal and mental questions, Berliotz replied, "Indeed that is the first step, accepting the fact that only you can help yourself. As for what you need to do, that is rather complexed. You see, the answer to your question lies in understanding the question itself. First, tell me your question again.

Ialari frowned slightly, annoyed at having to repeat herself to herself. "Why me? Why have I been chosen to be the first to return Dominion to the world? Why did the gods put me on this path?"

Berliotz nodded. "Indeed there is more to that basic question of why. The answer of course is multifaceted. Let's back up a bit; let's go back to the beginning of all this. Back to moment in time when you decided to leave home. That is where this all began, correct?"

Ialari raised an eyebrow. She didn't understand why that made any difference yet she resigned herself to humoring Berliotz. "I guess it was the day I decided to leave the Kingdom."

"Yes. Now think back on that day, remember it and share it with your Dominion. Concentrate on every detail you can remember." Berliotz noted Ialari's look of complete confusion at his request and added, "Understand that your introduction to the Ukalas, your first Dominion, was initially presented to you by Dira. Without that, I would not be here. Everything that is happening is tied together and each piece works together to answer your question. Humor this old man a bit more." Berliotz smiled a bit at implying that he was actually a separate person. Since Ialari still retained some inkling that he was, the joke of it all might spur her into action.

With a heavy sigh that didn't hide Ialari's reluctance and remaining doubt, she closed her eyes and tried to remember everything she could of the day in question. At the same time she spoke aloud as she had before when sharing her thoughts, feelings and memories with her Dominion.

"I was in the Silver Tower in Pitrius City. It wasn't a day of any real significance at the time. It was shortly after waking up that I knelt before the small shrine to the Father that I had built. The room itself was pretty small. The walls were silver and black with the only decor being a could small globes of dim light set into the wall. There was a simple bed, a small wardrobe and a chest at the foot of the bed." As Ialari spoke with her eyes closed, she couldn't see that the great cavern that surrounded her Dominion had grown dark and impossible to see. The confines of her Dominion shifted and morphed, taking on the imagery that she described. The invisible walls turned silver and black as did the floor. The sparse furnishings of her quarters at the Tower appeared. Of course none of it was real, it was all in her own mind reflected into the space around her by her link with her Dominion.

When Ialari opened her eyes, she had trouble believing what she was seeing. She was looking at herself kneeling before the shrine from the perspective of her Dominion. While she couldn't see Berliotz, she felt his presence next to her. "How...?

Berliotz's voice answered, "It is you're Dominion mirroring your memory. Of course you've never read of this in the Scrolls as it isn't exactly an action taken by the Dominion as much as it is your own changed perception being influenced by the Ukalas. Always remember what the Scrolls said, Just as the Domineer affects the world around, the opposite also holds true." Berliotz knew this because Ialari knew this. What was happening was not a result of her shaping or controlling her Dominion. It was the effects the Dominion was having on her. Just like Berliotz, what she was seeing in regards to the room was result of the Dominion and the Ukalas as whole opening up her mind to new possiblities.

[Ialari Pythone]

Ialari focused her attention on the memory that was playing out in her mind's-eye. While she viewed the past in a very clear, lucid way, Berliotz's voice could be heard. "There you are, praying to Izurdin. Do you remember what was said that day?"

The Ialari in the memory could be heard speaking quietly to the shrine in front of her. The shrine itself was little more than a small statue shaped roughly in the form of a forearm and a closed fist. For Ialari it was more than enough. Divine Father, I can't shake the loneliness. No matter what I do, no matter my successes and victories, I still feel so hollow. It's as if none of it really matters. I mean, here I am, having passed the tests of the Tower. I have all I could ever want in knowledge and resources just waiting for me to make that next step to claim them. But it's not enough. It's as if what I need isn't here. Maybe it never was. I think I need to leave. I'm going to leave. Maybe I can find something to fix me. Ialari watched and listened to her memory self finish praying to Izurdin before leaving her quarters.

"What happened then?" Berliotz asked. Of course he knew the answer but Ialari needed to remember and realize herself.

Ialari lost focus on the memory. The imagery quivered and faded leaving Ialari and Berliotz standing in empty space confined within the Dominion. "I went to my father and told him that I wished to leave the Tower on a quest for knowledge and experience so that when I returned, I could prove myself to him by passing the Argent Vigil and become a full Sentinel. He agreed to speak with the other instructors and succeeded in convincing them to let me leave on such a quest."

"You lied to him. If you told him the truth, he wouldn't have understood." Berliotz said in a matter-of-fact way.

Ialari nodded. "Yes, I lied. I had to get out there. I knew the moment I left my quarters to go speak with him that even know I didn't know what I was looking for, I knew it wasn't there." Ialari was getting tired of standing and knelt down on one knee. She noted how the landscape was darkened and empty. Berliotz followed her gaze. The darkness mirrored the emptiness she felt inside; it was uncomfortable. Lifting her head and tilting it back slightly, Ialari took a deep, slow, timed breath and closed her eyes. She imagined a cool summer rain in the mountains surrounding Pitrius Citadel. She remembered how it felt to stand in the courtyard and let the rain completely soak her. She recalled how refreshing it felt after spending lengthy periods underground. As she pictured it all in her mind, she projected the imagery into upward into her Dominion. A few minutes later, a soft, cool rain began to fall in the tiny space, soaking Ialari while having no affect on Berliotz.

"You were lonely." Berliotz said unquestioningly.

"It was the memory of home. It makes me feel better." Ialari said plainly.

Berliotz looked up then back down to Ialari and said, "This is a symptom. A symptom of that empty, hollow feeling. You're trying to fill that hole with something, even if it's just a pleasant memory. It never works, not for very long. It's just like when you tried to fill it with the idea that what you needed to fix whatever was wrong with you could be found away from home. That wasn't the last thing you tried to fill the emptiness with, is it. What happened after you left home? What happened next that changed everything?"

Ialari muttered to herself something about Berliotz speaking her own thoughts aloud. The rain then slowed and finally stopped. The memory of what Berliotz was talking about started to form in her mind and with it came an echo of a feeling she thought she had purged herself of...hate. Not just a strong dislike. No it was pure, unfiltered, uncompromising hate. A hate focused on one thing and one thing alone, humans. Even though the feeling was but an echo of what it once was, it forced the breath out of Ialari causing her to cough and struggle a moment before being able to breath normally again.

"The human raid on the trading post." Ialari whispered when she was able to find the words to speak. She knew what Berliotz would ask next. Not wanting to hear it, she acted on her own first. This time it took a bit longer for her to relax her breathing and let her body follow suit. She counted each breath and tried to clear her mind. After a couple false starts, she finally was able to focus her attention on the memory she had fought hard to forget. Projecting the memory outward, though in reality it was focused inward; up and down are the same, the memory began to take form all around her. The temperature in the Dominion did however physically drop substantially as it reacted to Ialari's subconscious.

[Ialari Pythone]

As Ialari recalled the raid at the isurian tradiing post years back, she tried to focus on remembering the details of the moment Berliotz would be looking for. It was a painful memory which made focus quite difficult. The emotions that Ialari had buried were quick to return, disturbingly so. Unable to maintain concentration, she tried to think of something solid and grounded to focus on first. She thought of the first time she entered her Dominion and what she saw; the endless grasslands that stretched out in all directions, the impossibly perfect sky and the feeling of awe that she felt from it all.

The feeling was enough to clear her mind of the chaos allowing her to focus on the memory of the trading post. The imagery began to take form as stone walls scorched by fire appeared followed by a ceiling and a stone floor covered with burnt debris. Ialari saw herself sitting in front of a small campfire started in the center of the ruined room. The building she was in used to be a small infirmary. It had been emptied and gutted by fire during the human raid on the post. Ialari had gathered bits of broken furniture from other parts of the post and used them to feed her campfire. After having tended to the bodies of those who had died during the raid, Ialari tried to rest and get warm.

She watched herself staring into the fire and remembered exactly what she said that day. "Brutish filth. You don't deserve life." Tears began to fall from both the Ialari of memory and of the present. "It's not enough that you bring the wrath of the gods down upon us all in your greed and selfishness but now this...I will kill you. I will kill you all. Every man, woman and child will suffer..."

Berliotz had been silent for several moments. Once the imagery of the memory began to fade, he finally spoke. "You sought to find out what was wrong with you but actually started to convince yourself that searching for forbidden and lost knowledge may fill the void you felt inside. Your hold on that crumbled at the trading post. What you witnessed, the dead bodies, the human stragglers raping and killing the priestess in the temple, the fire, the devastation. The void then felt so much bigger. What was the point of all of it? If that is what the world had in store for you a relatively short distance from home, what other horrors awaited? How could you survive? Was it even worth it? These were all questions you asked yourself that day. All to easily you wrapped yourself in hatred in order to find the strength to go on. You let it consume every fabric of your being. While hatred was no stranger to you, it was now a close companion." His tone was neutral and non-judgemental. He simply stated what Ialari already knew.

Ialari didn't dispute Berliotz's words, she knew it was all true. "So what does all this matter? Ialari asked while trying to wipe her tears away. "I feel empty, alone and never complete, never satisfied or full. I've tried to fill my life with a purpose, with faith and probably most of all with hate. Still none of it's enough. How does remembering all of this make any difference? How is it going to find me the answer?

Berliotz slowly stepped closer to Ialari and carefully crouched next to her. Ialari didn't move or react, her fear of Berliotz actually being there and wanting to harm her had since vanished. He said to her softly, "The reason you are who you are today is because of the choices you made. Even though those choices have never made you feel any different than you felt the day you chose to leave home, they are still profoundly significant. I am trying to help prepare you for what will come next."

Ialari lifted her head to look to Berliotz and asked, "What comes next?"

Berliotz looked past Ialari and nodded to something behind her. Ialari followed his gaze to the ancient oak, the Tree of Death.

[Ialari Pythone]

Ialari stood and ran her fingers through her hair. Berliotz stood with her. Ialari walked to the other side of her Dominion and looked into the darkness beyond. "I need a break. This is a little much right now." Berliotz remained silent in acknowledgement.

"First, this darkness needs to go." Ialari put her metallic hand palm open and out against the invisible wall in front of her. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on what she wanted from her Dominion. Though her control over the small space was still quite limited, she was able to change small things. As she concentrated on removing the darkness, the walls of the Dominion began to clear as if there were made of smoke that was being blown away. In fact, a small breeze did pick up, carrying away the darkness. Alterations to lighting, temperature, weather and mood, while small in scope, were getting easier with each passing day.

When the darkness surrounding the Dominion walls was gone, Ialari could once more see the cavern with its fissures of light reaching down to the floor. The air was still quite cold though. This changed when Ialari concentrated on the feeling of warmth. As she projected this outward, the air slowly warmed to a more comfortable level. Ialari had read in the Scrolls that with enough time, skill and a strong enough bond, the Dominion would eventually respond to her without the need of conscious effort to direct.

For many, "taking a break" meant resting and relaxing or at the very least simply pausing to do nothing for a time. For Ialari it meant redirecting her mind toward pursuits that were more enjoyable even if they weren't exactly restful. In an effort to re-energize herself, Ialari turned from the invisible wall and looked to the center of her Dominion and decided to try something different. Looking down at the wet stone floor, she focused her intent on the water left over from the small shower she caused earlier. Slowly, she raised her metallic arm while projecting her will into the Dominion itself. As her arm lifted from her side and slowly on in front of her, a wispy mist began to rise from the floor. It wasn't something Ialari had done before with her Dominion so the process took a bit more focus and time than some of the other alterations she had done. As the mist continued to rise, it thickened into a denser fog. Ialari stopped raising her hand when the fog clung to the ground at about waist level. The effort caused her to slump a bit while she took several heavy breaths. Though draining, the whole process made her feel better and had heightened her mood overall.

With the fog still present, Ialari looked back over to Berliotz who had stood silent the entire time. "Ok, so far my choice to leave home, to seek out knowledge and forbidden lore in hopes of finding an answer to my question, to embrace my hatred for humanity and let it drive me to Sahova in search of a means to eliminate ultimately brought me to Nyka." Ialari did not choose to focus on imagery at this point. Finally embracing what Berliotz was looking for from her, she no longer needed to concentrate on finding the memories and giving them form; they were coming quite easily now.

"Dominion. At first I wasn't sure what it was but I knew that it was a secret withheld from mortals which meant it was more than worth discovering. When Izurdin appeared to me and spoke, I thought for a moment that I had my answer. I thought the gods had provided me with a grand quest and I didn't want to fail. However, finding...well, finding Berliotz didn't go quite like I'd expected." Ialari recalled her descent into the Aperature and meeting the ghosts of Amir Berliotz. Then came her rather traumatic initiation into Dominion.

"You thought that by succeeding in the eyes of Izurdin that you would find the answer to your question. It didn't go quite like you thought. You nearly died after the first encounter. Then, you were visited by Death." Berliotz expanded on what Ialari had been saying but left her to finish.

Ialari nodded, "I had been granted Dominion by Izurdin, I had succeeded in returning the knowledge back to the mortal realm. But it still wasn't enough. My answer seemed further away than ever. Then there was the idea that Dira had challenged my being chosen for Dominion."

Berliotz asked, "What possessed you to make a deal with Death though? You could have simply left that part alone and continued on. You could have faced me just as you did and all would have fallen into place."

Ialari considered the question. It was one she had asked herself many times since. "I hated being doubted. I hated the idea that while at least one god and presumably more supported the idea of giving me Dominion, one was adamantly opposed to it. Sure she could have been opposed to returning Dominion in general but I saw it as an insult to me personally."

Berliotz replied, "There's that word again, hate. You have hated quite a bit in your life. You hated some of your fellow students at the Tower. You've hated some of the kids you grew up with. You hated certain humans you encountered at one of the Border Posts before eventually hating the entire race."

Ialari was quiet for a moment before continuing, "Yes. It's always been so easy to hate and in a way it kind of makes me feel less empty at times. In fact, even though in my final battle with you I offered up my hate as a sacrifice to the gods, I wouldn't have succeeded without that hate."

"So you feel that your hate has driven you further toward success, toward the answer to your question than any thing else, even more than your faith?" Berliotz asked.

"Maybe it has. My faith helped keep me going in the right direction but it was my hate that drove me onward."

Berliotz smiled softly and said, "You've spoke of the sacrifice of your hate. When faced with certain death, for a moment, you fully embraced your hate. You let it empower you and fill every part of you. You could have held on to that hate and maybe you could have still succeeded."

Ialari shook her head, "Something about it didn't feel right. I poured my hate into that last punch. Time seemed to halt and everything ceased to move. In that moment, I knew that my hate alone was enough and that I was going to defeat you. I was so close to the answer to my question yet at the same time, it just didn't feel right. so I let it go."

"You then felt Izurdin's hand on your shoulder. Your hate was taken from you and you were empowered by your faith, faith not only in the gods but in yourself as well. I was defeated, Dira took my soul and left the shadow you see now. You received Dira's approval and possessed a divine secret. That brings us to the hear and now. As you see, you made specific choices of great significance that all worked together to bring you to this place, right now." Berliotz waited for Ialari to speak before continuing.

"Yes, I see that now. But what does a tree with a bunch of Ialari Pythones hanging from it have to do with my choices in life? Ialari asked eagerly.

Berliotz continued, "That tree, Ialari, has everything to do with your choices. You see, each and every body hanging from that tree is you, or at least part of you. The reason you feel so incomplete, so hollow and alone, so empty and insatiable is because you exist now with only a small piece of your soul intact. The other pieces...they are hanging from that tree."

[Ialari Pythone]

Thread Grade

Arcanology: 5
Dominion: 5
Rhetoric: 5
Meditation: 2

Lore: Accidental creation of a manifestation of one’s mind through the link with one’s Dominion
Lore: Using one’s Dominion to project thoughts into imagery via altered perception
Lore: Communing with a projection of one’s own damaged mind in order to problem solve