Flashback Freedom’s Price (Evalin)

[Rayage]

45 Fall, 313 AV

Today was the day. Today was the day that the girl will become a real nuit, and his real disciple. Today was the final test and if the girl will pass, if she had the nerve to do what he was going to offer her, if she was really ready for the life before her and would appreciate the gift that he gave her… Enough! The elder nuit could be found pacing around the lab thinking. It had been only yesterday that he had informed her about the task that she had to preform to continue any further with him. It was only yesterday that he had dropped the news right on top of her and then left her to ponder her decision. He hadn’t seen her since then. A small smile crept on his face, had she run away?

None sense! He dismissed the thought. She had been strong enough to accept the gift of immortality. She had to be strong enough to accomplish the task at hand. Though, his mind weighed the options and the many variables, she still was just a child. No, not in human standards. Though she was still learning the ways of the world, the many ways of the world, and just delving into the fields of magic. So much she had yet to learn and experience, and so much she could only do when she had nothing to hold her back, especially the ties she formed here and now. It was a total and utter rebirth that Rayage was offering the young Evalin. Something, which he hoped, would grant him even more control over the youth. Something which he hoped to use and hang over her head for all that she lived. He would mold her. He would create a new being from the piece of scrap that he picked up. He would transform her. That is what he did after all. He was an alchemist! And nothing would be wasted too.

Back and forth he walked in a line, but for a moment he stopped and considered something that hadn’t really dawned on him until just then. What if she did run away? Well, then she was a fool and she would die soon enough. She was new to the nuit ways and new to her unlife. It was the young that would run from the nest too soon that were eaten, in this case, by the unforgiving world. Though he could not discount her skills in manipulating the element of fire, one skill which he was truly impressed by and wondered how she came about possessing it. It was a magic that he did not possess. Though that is a story for another time, a conversation for another time, and another place entirely…

He ended his musing there and took a seat at his desk, going through the disheveled papers. He hadn’t been keeping written notes on the girl. Everything he had observed about her, her actions, her mind, was completely mental. Sifting through them, he found a mostly blank one and again picked up the quill and summoned a vial of ink. There was much to write while he waited the verdict of the girl.

[Evalin]

Turbulent thoughts and raging, windswept half wonderings filled a shattered mind filled with the cruelest contemplations. A woman, no... A child stricken and confused wandered through the streets of Ravok, mind not caring where her feet might take her. What matter it? What care she? There were far more important matters to be confronted by the mind than the wanderings of the striding limbs.

Evalin... Yes that was her name, but it was growing lost in the darkness of her soul as images and harsh contemplations plagued her with each passing tick. What was there in this life but pain? Could there never be an escape from the harsh cycle of loss and regret?

A pause in the swirling darkness allowed Evalin's mind to form once more, collecting itself like shattered pieces of glass. So delicate as if but a breath would wipe it to dust to be lost for eternity. Breathing deeply, more habit than anything else, Evalin closed her eyes, "What be th-this that I must... Surely that c-cannot be what he holds for me now? Is this truly..." A hand came to cover her lips, a sick feeling swelling within her though she knew she could no longer express it. A chime past and the girl collected herself, straightening from her stooped position, though she did not realize she had bent over. In truth it might have been the weight of what she carried upon her heart that stooped her shoulders and curved her back, for to Evalin it felt as if the weight of the world and more now threatened to crush her to nonexistence.

A shake of the head and the girl turned, her eyes seaching out over the waters to... Her eyes closed, "I can away from here, be gone from this place and spare mineself the torture of it all. So simple it would be... To simply walk... and walk... and walk..." Past the entrance and over long roads to another land, another place where I would not have to make such a decision.

Cold hands came to wrap about a pale head, tangling in raven black hair and pulling as agony streaked across a bitter expression to expel the truest sorrow toward the sky as Evalin opened her eyes to look up at the half covered stars, "But to do s-so would be to cast aside the possibilities, the many many chances that I have l-longed for. The life I never had, the mortality I gave up would all be for nothing!" With a groan she doubled over, wrapping her arms around her waist and hanging her head. A pain, welling agony threatened to split her chest apart as her very soul rejected the act that she now destined to do.

Her eyes opened, a cold fury building fast as she straighted, angling her eyes up at the stars once more as she raised a hand to point over the horizon, "Be it you... You who have done this to me, as you have done so many countless times before!" Her body shook, white hot anger bubbling to the surface as she glared to the open air and shouted, "Be damned you Fate which has brought me naught but curses and sorrow! Be damned to eternity of flames and suffering, for I shall find you. I will find you and cleave from you the hands which doll out such crazed destines which would deny a child life and force a new torment upon her when she took that life denied!"

Silence answered a call of anger, once more Evalin was ignored by the Fate she so despised. Lowering her arm the immoral looked once more to the entrance of Ravok, and now that shattered mind picked itself up. There was no option. There was no choice, for Evalin could truly only accept one path. The one path that would lead her to the justice she so desired, to the goal of her life's endeavors... And so she turned to walk to the tiny lab where she knew the Man would be waiting.

---

The door to the lab would slowly open, Evalin's form slowly appearing from beyond the portal to slip within the darkness. Her eyes were filled with a swirl of confused and conflicted thoughts and emotions, her body sluggish beyond a nuits normal impairments. The look in her eyes, not long ago full of passion and revenger, now fell heavy with grief and uncertainty as she spoke in a slow tone, "I-I... I am ready..."

[Rayage]

The nuits scribbling stopped as he heard the voice behind him. Setting the quill down, he got up and turned to her, ”You do not sound ready.” he said, ”Say it again.” he ordered, ”This time with more conviction.” he told her, looking upon the girls form, ”You are ready.” he punctuated his words for her.

”My dear,” he told her, ”I only ask this of you because I want to be free and unburdened of distractions that come with familiar ties. Your new life demands your full concentration. They are better off being dead than being chains holding you back.” he said, ”I thought freedom is why you chose this life.” he dropped his sentence after that letting it hang in the air, adding that to her numerous thoughts, not magically of course, but rhetorically. There are more ways than one to influence someone, magic has its place, but so does good old words. There is simplicity about them; maybe they are an age old kind of magic within themselves? For with them one can put anyone on their knees, break them down, and subjugate them. Words were indeed powerful things, things to be respected.

”I know you may be confused right now. The torrent of emotions surging through your all too human mind is so much to take in. There are thoughts like: wouldn’t it be easier to run away? I can escape this fate if I keep on walking…” he said her thoughts in a higher voice than he usually speaks, ”What have I done to deserve this? There has to be another way.” his voice got serious, ”There is not.” he said looking her in the eyes and shaking his head, slightly bowing it out of the mournful sorrow she might be feeling. ”For my girl, one of the hardest lessons in life is that freedom is never really free. You have to earn it. You would be a fool going around saying you are free with past ties holding you back.” he walked around her and put his hands on her shoulders, ”Soon,” his voice was but a whisper, ”those ties will be tighter than you remember them being, and those ties will be in a different place than you remember them being…” he moved his hands slowly to her neck, and started squeezing knowing it wouldn’t kill her, but it was rather for emotional effect, ”Those ties will weigh you down and choke the life and confidence out of you.” he said his voice growing darker as his grip increased for effect, and then in a moment he retreated taking many steps away from the girl, ”That is why you have me.” he pointed to himself, ”I will give you the power to break those chocking and life threatening ties. For those restrictions won’t hesitate to end you. That is the way of the world.”

He paused letting all of what he said sink in, though in reality he was mentally forming a spell to cast upon her distracted and rather upset mind. Planning it out, he wanted to give her confidence, and forming up how he will cast it exactly he placed both hands together, clasping them, a simple gesture, but one that would help him maintain focus as he summoned false confidence within himself to project onto the world with the djed. The feeling of confidence was something he was used to having. It was that feeling which made you feel like you can do anything and everything you put your mind to. It was that feeling of profound pride boiling over in your very soul, a simple knowing that you can do whatever it is you want to. Confidence was something created by the mind and thus it can be altered by the mind. It can also be infused and altered magically, which is what he aimed to do.

Taking in everything confidence was, and summoning the false emotion and letting it build and boil in his mind he smiled at Evalin, ”You can do it. Do you know how I know?” he asked preparing to cast the spell. He hated how much time and preparation it took him to do the simplest of things. Something that will change with practice, he was sure, ”Because I know you are stronger than the ties that bind you to your past life.” he told her, projecting the emotion onto the world, saturating each and every word and dropping his hands, breaking the gesture. The djed intertwined with the nuits very presence, his words had an almost physical power to them thanks to the power of hypnotism, which he was slowly getting the hang of.

”So, are you ready to be free?” he asked her.

[Evalin]

OOCThis all takes place after Rayage chokes her

Evalin swayed, pulled by the guilt and regret of an act not yet commited. Seeking support her back found the cold stones behind her, and she slowly sunk to the floor and pulled her knees up to her chest. Wrapping her arms about her shins she leaned her head back against the stones, listening but not speaking as the Man cloaked in Centuries spoke and spoke, adding words upon words to her already dizzied mind.

"Freedom..." she muttered softly. Yes, it was freedom she had sought, a freedom from the burden of unlife she had experienced before, but instead of some new and fantastic existence she had simply been thrown into a new form of unlife, one where her heart did not beat and her body slowly withered. Was this freedom? Was it truly? Yet now, despite what regrets I might have I may never... never go back...

A choked sob escaped her lips, but was quickly masked by a hand. No. No she could not allow him to see her like this. She could not... Could not...

A single black tear streaked down a cheek, but was wiped away in an instant. Pressing her palm against her forehead, Evalin's mind reeled with the implications of what was before her. Yes it was freedom she wanted, but freedom at such a cost was it truly freedom at all? What was the point if all had to be lost to obtain anything at all!?

It was all... It was all...

Confusion, raging emotions and devastating passions welled within her heart and soul, striking out to fight free of the darkness which bound them to bubble up, moving up and up over her heart, to her throat to suddenly burst free of her lips as she shouted, "STOP!"

In the silence Evalin would claw at her hair, pulling and pressing her head against her knees as she fought off this mixture of terrible distraught and haughty defiance. Within her two sides raged in a war that threatened to pull her soul apart. It was a war of self and of love, where both sides were fueled by deep and meaningful bits of Evalin's very existence. Each side was strong, defiant and refused to fall so easily. Each was evenly matched... but one side held allies outside of the child's mind...

Suddenly one feeling eclipsed all others, surging forth like volcanic ash to cover all other inconsequential thoughts and emotions. This feeling... Defiance.

"I wont..." A whisper nearly lost as the child's body stilled its turbulent siezings, "I wont... do it..."

She looked up at the Man, this man who stood at the very pique of her turmoil. Nay this man was the cause of her very confusion. Streaks of black marked her face as her eyes searched upward, just above his head.

"I wont..." Her brows furrowed as something within her became set, confident and strong. A piece of her, something deep within her mind was coming forth, while something else was beginning to fade to nothing.

"I will not... I will not cease to exist without... without meaning." She shook her head, closing her eyes, "I w-wanted... Freedom. I wanted what I c-could never have..." Slowly she stood, using the wall to brace herself, "I knew that there was a price... I knew that for what I willed I would need to give up something dear to me. I knew... I knew that these chains," She grasped at her neck, eyes opening to stare at Rayage, "Would bind me. I knew... I knew that greatness came at a price."

Her back straighten the rest of the way as she wiped away the last of the tears. Setting her jaw a firm look came upon her face as she turned to the door, "I am ready. Let us be off."

[Rayage]

The nuit simply watched the younger one, his eyes seeming to eat up the pure emotion she was emitting from herself. He bathed in it, reveled in the pain of an act that can yet be undone. Fate, oh yes Fate was truly cruel, was it not? For this was yet another gift given to the young witch by the god Fate, for that the domain he commands. It was he who wrote this tragedy and it was he who wrote it many times before, and will, unavoidably, write it again. Does he show no mercy or compassion to those once living? Or perhaps the script of the undead writes itself upon times stone. No, everything has to be planned, accounted for, everything had to be maliciously documented, everything that can and will be, even the things untouched by life such as them. It was Fate who guided them all to their eventual destruction.

Rayage simply watched the emotion and turmoil boil inside the girl. It thrashed and a battle of wills, of logic and emotion, of good and evil, of life and death, or possibility and eventual outcomes… All of it wrapped up in a bundle of conflicting emotion threatening to tear her apart. The nuit knew that she had to overcome her own self if she was going to master the disciplines of magic, and this was the first step. She had to sever everything, everything but her teacher. He will become her guiding light in this darkness, his knowledge her fountain to drink from, his wisdom her castle of which she will tread, his very kindness her new lifeblood, and his lessons will soon become her life. All that was holding her back is herself. Though, would she realize this lesson?

The question made the nuit pounder; think about many things, of his own life, of his unlife, of his alchemy and work, of the many secrets that he had kept from her, and knowledge that he has yet to gain. The world was a mysterious place and he sought to understand it all. Life, the research of life, is just the beginning of it all. There was always more to understand, and perhaps it was with this mindset that he had misjudged the girl in front of him? Was being too open to the possibilities a fool thing too?

He watched her fight an uphill battle. She seemed to be losing, but to who? Her voice shook him from his musing as she told him that she would not. Won’t what? She repeated herself, but all Rayage did was look at her, meeting her gaze, staring her in the eyes with unwavering confidence in her own power to undo and then redefine herself. It made him smile, lips curling at the ends, but no teeth showing. He could do nothing now. It was up to her to find her own way, and even with the light that he gave her she would see only what she chooses to and then stay ignorant to the rest.

She announced she was ready and wanted to be off, but the nuit shook his head, ”You are wrong Evalin.” he told her, ”It is not greatness that we seek, and therefore it is not the price which we shall pay. We have not come across that road quite yet, my dear.”

He began to lead the way out, holding the doors open for her, ”The price you pay is better paid tonight, least it accumulates over time and comes to bite you later. The price you pay tonight is simply insurance of your continued afterlife.” he told her, not quite letting onto the fact that there was also a lesson to be learned here. No, he wanted her to realize that on her own, and with that realization he wanted her to trust him even more.

”There is no place quite like home.” he told her, looking at the house which she had grew up in. The walk there had been a tense one, emotion filled one, one of deep and profound reflection, one where each step measured the weight of stone, where shadows crept and darkness loomed…

[Evalin]

Through the entire walk Evalin was silent. Silent in voice, silent in spirit and silent in mind. No, silence was not the right word. Blank perhaps... A clear slate, an absence of anything, thought or emotion filled her soul with a resounding emptiness that that rung loud in her ears as she made the oh too familiar path to her home... How long had it been? Days? Weeks? In truth Evalin could not say how long it had been since she last saw her father, that man who she loved, cared for... who loved more more than anyone. Though perhaps not more than the man cloaked in shadows...

She glanced over her shoulders at Rayage who walked not far behind, Does he care for me...? Might I really trust this man who stinks of death and decay? She paused in her thinking, eyes facing forward once more, Yet how can I accuse him when I now stink of similar filth... I have become something... deplorable. An abomination, a... a monster... A hand moved to touch just beneath her left eye where a black tear fell slowly, What place have I in this world but by his side now. Even if I wished to return to normal it it far too late. No... No I have no choice, my mind was made and I must stand firm. Though she thought this, doubt and worry still weighed heavily upon her shoulders.

Evalin looked up at her home, what once was her home as they drew near. Stopping at the door Evalin's hand would move to caress the old and slightly worn wood. Tingling half thoughts and budding memories assaulted Evalin as she spoke, "No my dear immortal... This is my home no longer..."

Pushing the door open Evalin would reveal the contents of the small home which consisted of only a single room. In it resided a table against the far left wall where several unlit candles could be found. Directly in front of the door was the makeshift dresser and draws with a water basin and small mirror that sat on top of it. Against the right wall was a single bed which Evalin and her father had shared when he had not slept on the floor for her sake. The rest of the room was mostly bare, a chest rested against the far wall as well and sparse few other furniture could be found. Evalin's father worked hard to provide, but even so he had only made just enough to keep them alive.

Stepping over to the bed Evalin ran her hand over the sheets, her mind falling backwards in time to the many days spent trapped within them, unable to move due to the pain and sickness. Mixed emotions, sadness, grief, anger, resentment, and love was trapped within these four walls, and as Evalin slowly turned her eyes showed the confused and emotional turmoil inside. her aura would no doubt be a mess, frazzled and wavering with colors mixing as she fought to figure out WHAT to feel. The room though was empty.

"F-Father..." Her voice cracked as she raised a hand to her lips, closing her eyes as she continued, "M-must be out. Should... should we leave for another time?" Evalin looked at Rayage with uncertain eyes, eyes that showed signs of relief that her trial might be postponed.

[Rayage]

Rayage stood there just admiring the structure which was young Evalins home. It wasn’t too impressive looking, in fact it was despicably ordinary. Almost sickingly so. How could one who sees beyond this world have grown up in a place like this? It baffled the nuit to no end. Of all the mysteries of life the curious case of Evalin the Sorceress, summoner of things beyond, was going to be quite the curious one. He wondered also who exactly her father was. She never did tell him much about herself, or her father. He would have to change that, yes…

He nodded as Evalin spoke, ”Indeed.” he agreed, ”It won’t be anyone else’s home either.” he said, smiling to himself as his plan, the plot, thickened. It would not be good enough to just erase her father; no… she needed nothing, absolutely nothing, to come back to. The house would have to go as well. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t thought of it before, but now, just the way Evalin reacted to just seeing it he could tell this was going to be delicious.

It was the girl which made the first move, the first advance into the house. He watched her every movement, she seemed distracted, distraught still. The way she walked was off, usually she had a more proper step to her, but now it was hunched a little as if she was weighed down by the thoughts which were crossing her mind. The turmoil inside her is building, and he wondered, even though she said she was ready, if she could really go through with what he had planned. It was something that only time would tell, but Rayage was an impatient man when it came to some things.

Stepping inside after the younger nuit, the darkness clung to the place, the shadows of the night had long invaded this place. It was strange that no one was home it seemed, and soon was confirmed by Evalin. Her voice sounded shaky, it was not of the confidence of which she possessed just chimes ago when they had left the lab. She was definitely good at faking her own resolve, but again this reminded him of how easily she was broken. It was a sign of weakness; one that the nuit could exploit for his own benefit.

Growing tired of the darkness, he looked towards the door. It was closed, he had closed it behind him, ”Evalin, my dear, please light the candles.” It was the only response that he gave to her, and he was surprised to find that, when he asked nicely, there was light in the room once more. The shadows flickered away from the burning flame as the lite candle-light was strung throughout the room filling the place with a soft glow. Though given the circumstances the soft glow would give not a warm feeling, but more so a foreboding and foreshadowing feel to the atmosphere. This was not a warm light, no, it was one filled with the very darkness of immortality. Even the immortals light, the immortals fire, it was not bright and happy, but rather full of shadow, a sort of gloom.

”Thank you.” he said, the room now getting clearer as he could see well with the light. It was a small place, barely noticeable, barely livable, it was pathetic, but this is what common life is all about. He silently promised that he would allow Evalin to see the full spender of immortality and all the things a common life couldn’t give her. She would not regret her choice. ”With this, we wait.” he told her, finding a rather questionable wooden chair. He pulled it to the middle of the room and promptly sat down facing the door, ”We will give daddy a little visit.” he said, ”It is what we came here to do after all. Besides, a chance like this may never come again, and we always finish what we start.” he told her with a small smile, but the light played with the shadows on his face distorting it and making him look all the more menacing. Was this what his soul really looked like?

With that they waited, and waited, and waited… and waited some more. It must have been bells of waiting before the door finally moved, opening, and a figure walked through. This mans features were masked by the darkness, but he was a bigger man, tall in height and looked very strong. The man stopped as he saw Rayage there on the chair, the perfume of alcohol slowly filled the room. He must have been drinking, and Ray probably knew why: his daughter, his only daughter had disappeared. What more did a parent have to live for but his own child? Nothing… and Ray was here to make sure he wouldn’t burden anyone, anymore.

The shock of seeing Ray there allowed the nuit to get in the first words, as he clapped his hands, ”Welcome home, Aysen.” he called Evalins father by his name, ”I have come here to share my condolences. It seems that you have lost your only daughter.” he said shaking his head, ”I cannot imagine such a tragedy.” and those words the nuit spoke run with a certain truth, a certain pain in them. Rayage really could not imagine such a horror, and he did not judge the man for turning to drinks as his comfort.

”I…” he started, but cut himself off, ”We, have come to end your sorrow.” he announced, cutting the man off before he could get in a word, the immortal did not want to hear the drunken slurred words of Evalins past, ”I have come to reunite you with your daughter, and together you will share a commonality.” you both will be dead. He ended his sentence in his mind.

[Evalin]

Without a word Evalin obeyed the command issued by the man, and she proceeded to the dresser where two candles sat. Reaching into the top drawer Evalin would pull out a tender box, and with practiced ease a spark would be placed upon the wick of both candles. One might wonder why this girl, this mage who controlled the elements of flame would choose to be do so in such a mundane way, yet to Evalin it was a clear and simple choice. This place, these four walls and floor of wood, was her home of many years. It was her domain where she was held captive, imprisoned within a body that did not function yet gifted with a mind that wished for so much more. For so long she had been trapped here, trapped and forced to believe that all was lost to her. Once one past the threshold magic no longer existed, that world of endless possibilities faded to wishful fantasies. Even now after she had cast off the shackles of her old life Evalin still found the chains threatened to bind her tight once more within this room.

Leaving one candle upon the dresser Evalin would walk to set the other on the table, dispersing the light so that the room was lit with wavering and flickering light that cast more shadows than they banished. Then, once the deed was finished, Evalin would move to the bed once more, laying upon it and pulling her legs up to her chest. Closing her eyes Evalin would imagine the world she had known, the life she had lead. So close was she now... So close to being free, truly and utterly free... yet why did she feel a deepening pit open within her soul?

The sound of the door slowly opening caused Evalin to stir, opening her eyes to look upon the man who entered... Her...

Evalin shut her eyes once more, blocking out the sounds of Rayage's voice as she shuddered, her soul fighting fiercly with what her mind told her she must do. She was frozen, still, unmoving, but inside of her a battle raged on, filling her and buffeting her with an endless barrage of misery and despair.

I must do it... but I can't! There is no other way, but no there must be... surely we could-- No it can't. I have to... I have to.. I... Eavlin opened her eyes, looking at the man who wobbled slightly, staring at Rayage wide eyed and disbelieving.

He is thinner... Evalin thought to herself.

Aysen, a man Evalin heralded as her Father, her greatest friend and the rock that had held her hope when she was at her darkest hour. Once he had stood tall and strong, muscles knotted and rippled beneath tanned skin. Hair brown as chestnuts, and a burly beard that tickled Evalin's face when he kissed her. And his eyes... Eyes green as her own. Now though those eyes looked fogged, confused and despairing. Those hardened muscles had begun to sag with age and grief, yet his build was still that of a man who worked long hours in the sun. Bits of grey were beginning to be seen in both his hair and beard, yet Evalin never considered him old. He was her father... Simply her father, no matter what he looked like.

For the moment Evalin saw that her Father had not noticed her, for his eyes, drunken and dark rimmed, were locked wholly on Rayage. A large man, quite menacing looking as he stepped forward closer to Rayage, spoke in a slurred voice as he gripped the bottle in his hand, "You offer your condolences? You bastard who the petch are you, and what the shyte are you doing in my home!?" He growled, voice deep and angry as he tried to focus through his drunken stupor, "How do you know about my Evangeline?" Evalin's soul fluttered at the use of her given name, one she had cast off, "You took her didn't you? It was you!? Petching ass how dare you come into my home and talk like she is dead to me!" he stumbled, but caught himself, coming closer to Rayage and raising the bottle in his hand, readying to strike.

Evalin did not move, but she did whisper quietly, softly a stream of chants that were just low enough that Rayage might notice, but her Father so filled with liquor would miss. Within her she pulled forth the power that dwelled within her, drawing it and calling it to pour out of her skin as res until a small cloud cloaked her. Narrowing her eyes Evalin pushed her will upon the res, moving it forward to form a not so even wall between Rayage and her father. With a hiss Evalin fueled the flame of her soul into the res, igniting it so that a burst of flame resolved itself between the two. The sudden appearance of the flaming barrier would cause Aysen to halt, falling backwards in surprise as he cursed, landing hard on his backside as the bottle spun away. With asigh Evalin closed her eyes, releasing her hold in the spell as her head spun both with the magic and the situation at hand. The flames extinguished and the res dissipated.

Aysen looked up from where he sat, eyes wide and the fog lifting, "Magic? Who the petch are you?"

[Rayage]

The mans words did nothing to effect Rayage for they were the words of a lesser being, a drunk no less. He smirked, watching the man stumbling closer to him. There wasn’t much to him. He seemed to have had one too many, but that was common among those who had lost something truly dear to them. The raised bottle got his attention though, the man intended to strike him, yet little did he know that his own daughter was going to, hopefully, strike first. Oh this situation was just so delicious. It made him feel alive with energy once more. He felt excitement build in his very soul as he heard the words whispered by the witch.

Taking a cautious step backwards eyes still on the bottle, but he could feel the creep of magic from across the room. The manipulations of djed could often be felt by other wizards, and so he had a bit of an early warning as the res made its way towards the man. Though to a disappointing effect. Rayage frowned as a wall of fire erupted between the two of them. He had expected her to just get it over with and not have to suffer though this anymore. Yet she was such a child.

The man fell backwards and looked at Rayage. The Alchemist only smiled, laughing a little to himself as he looked down at the man, ”I am Rayage, the immortal who took your daughters life.” he introduced himself, ”It was a slow death.” he informed him, ”Filled with a chaos of emotion and sensation… the loss of light.. something so pure.” he almost mocked him, ”Don’t worry papa, I just gave Evangeline,” he used her name in mockery of what he just said, ”just what she wanted. In the end she begged for release.” he smiled at him. ”Does it bother you that there is nothing you can do? That you couldn’t save her? It sure bothered her.” he said in reference to her dying body, and how the illness she possessed he couldn’t possibly cure, but his words to the uninformed would have a much darker tone to them as his played his little game.

It was evident that he was really enjoying himself, but there was also a disappointed look shot at Evalin saying something like –why didn’t you do it?-.

[Evalin]

The look went unnoticed by Evalin as her eyes were upon her father who struggled to stand, slowly raising himself and shaking his head. Evalin smiled slowly, Father never was one to fall to his knees...

Rubbing his eyes Aysen spit upon the floor at Rayage's feet, cracking his knuckles as he growled, "I don't give a shyke who you are," he said, not realizing he was contradicting himself, "I don't care if your mortal or immortal, I am still going to rip your head from your shoulders for talking about my daughter like that!" he boasted big, yet his unsteady steps showed it all. He was drunk, raging and only barely keeping Rayage in focus, yet when he spoke his voice was strong, confident. Perhaps Evalin took a bit of her own stubbornness from this very man, "You can talk all ya want, but I know my Evangeline. She loved life, even though she was always so sick..." His voice cracked as tears began to flow, angry tears that brought a black drop from Evalin's own eye, "She... She would never just give it up to a petching bastard like you!" He swung a large first at Rayage, but in his drunken state he swung wide, lost his balance and stumbled to the floor, cracking his head against the wall. With a grown he began to raise himself back up, using the wall for support.

It was then that Evalin reached her limit, and she slowly raised herself from the bed, standing to walk forward. Her face was clearly visible, and when she spoke Aysen looked blearily up, eyes shocked and disbelieving, "Father... I-I... Have come home."

Evalin's entire body felt cold, and her mind was in shattered pieces which she did not attempt to piece together. A stillness, an emptiness had fallen upon her now, as if that shattering of mind had also brought with it an extinguishing of all possible emotions. She was... simply there, observing, watching the happenings from a distance as she spoke again, "I have returned one final time."

Grunting with the effort Aysen stood fully, pressing a hand against his head where a steady flow of blood now began to fall, yet he paid it no heed. Instead he gazed upon his daughter, all but forgetting Rayage was present, "Evangeline, where have you been?" He smiled a goofy, lopsided smile that Evalin remembered so well, yet when he uttered her true name she hissed, brows furrowing as she stepped back as he advanced.

"Do not call me by that name!" Aysen paused, stilled by the harshness of Evalin's voice, "I cast that name aside. It is the title of a sickly child, a foolish mortal in a world of idiocy and injustice!" She spat out the last word, pulling back further to stand closer to Rayage.

Aysen blinked, perhaps unable to grasp his daughters meaning due to his drunken state, or perhaps the blow to the head had addled his brain. Still though he frowned in concentration, stepping forward and extending a hand, "M-My daughter, what has happened to you? Why are you talking like this?"

A twinge was felt within Evalin's still heart as she struggled with the rising emotions once more. She felt it, that strong and urgent will that pleaded that she run to him, let him take her in his arms and never let go, and for the briefest moment she almost succumbed to this urge. yet she knew... She knew that if she were to allow herself this one, single moment of weakness she would lose all nerve, lose all steel and confidence in what she had to do, thus instead she growled, "Do not touch me!"

He stopped, a look of shock and hurt crossing his face, yet Evalin did not allow herself to see it. Instead she found it, that spark, that fire of cold hatred that burned in her. Hatred for her life, hatred for the cost of this power, and hatred for the Fate that forced her into this in the first place!

"Fate be damned!" She exclaimed, tossingher head back in frustration and casting her hands out wide. From every pore on her body that power flowed forth, surrounding her in waves of heat wave-like res that swirled and expand, "Be damned this destiny that was cursed upon me at birth! How I hate, how I loath, how I despise all in this world that lives when I must suffer! Curse it all, curse it all and let it all burn!" With that fire burst around her, licking the flore, catching upon the sheets and wood as her res lashed wildly about the room. Crackly sounds and sparks began to fill the tiny space as Evalin's power spun out of control and whispers so sweet assaulted her ears, yet Evalin as she was now did not think to ignore them. Instead her eyes sought her father's, and there she saw something that made her heart grow colder than the ice of Avanthal... She saw fear.

The man who raised her, the man who loved her, the man who cared for her, now he looked upon his daughter with eyes that held fear, fear of what she could do. In the end even Father could not understand me...

But then something beyond miraculous happened, and Aysen smiled. Stepping forward, pushing through the fire as his flesh burned and his clothes turned to ash, the man came as close to Evalin as he could and leaned down to whisper so that only she could hear, "You are so like your mother... I love you, and I hope you find what you are looking for."

Evalin's heart seemed to beat within her, though she knew this wasn't true. Her Father... He was so... so... Yet now it was too late! She could not turn back, not now when she was so close. So close, and now the fire began to consume the rest of the house, filling all with flickering shadows and scorching heat. Reaching forward Evalin would place her hand upon Aysen's head, and from her eyes would fall bitter tears of black as she said, "Father... What I do I do to save the world. I... I love you too."

From her palm fell more res which coated her father's head, shoulders and back, yet even so he smiled, though the fear was obvious as well. Silently he whispered something, but the full words were lost as Evalin hissed, "Hakin!" and the rest was ignighted, consuming the man's shape and causing him to stumble back into the growing inferno. Without a moments hesitation Evalin turned to flee from the building, yet she paused at the door when she noticed her Father's prized walking stick leaning against the wooden frame. Without a though she grasped it in her hand, fleeing to the streets and turning back to look at the fire as it took ahold of the building itself.

Fatigue then struck, and Evalin's body trembled. If not for the staff Evalin would have fallen, yet despite it all inside the girl felt... nothing. Yet a single word echoed in her mind, the last thing ever said to her by her father. Just one word...

Proud