Solo Through the Trees past the Leaves

[Evalin]

76th of Fall, 513 AV
Time: Early morning

Cursed morning, cursed light, cursed day. Pathetic, wasteful, useless. Evalin raised her eyes to watch the streaks of sun rays break through the beautiful barrier that was Leth's domain. With a swift motion Evalin pulled the hood over her head, pulling her legs up and hiding her face from the bright world. Once more she was beyond her realm, outside her domain. This world of light and warmth, it was not for her. It could never be for her. Never again.

"The morning comes, and with it all must rise." Tsenrika bobbed next to Evalin's shoulder, his words clear to encourage her movement. Pulling her legs in closer Evalin shook her head, "No... I think I shall remain here today. There is nothing for me beyond this point, and I have no purpose in venturing further."

The Irylid floated to Evalin's other side, [/color]"So said the stone before it no longer could move and was trapped forever in his resting place."

"Shut up Tsenrika..."

Lifting her head Evalin surveyed the surroundings. Green rested upon green, tree after tree after tree stretched endlessly in every direction. The lightening sky could only barely be seen through the canopy above. Sighing Evalin shifted her body to look down at the ground below, a strange feeling of melancholy falling upon her when thoughts of further travel entered her mind. Closing her eyes Evalin rested her head on her knees once more, "I do not wish to travel any further... It is my will, and as I will it shall be done."

Tsenrika's voice was cold, "As my master wishes."

Chimes drifted by and the sky lightened in full, filling the world with the blue of new beginnings. Evalin watched this as she had watched it countless times before. The brightening day bringing with it hope and possibilities, reaching its peak when the sun was at its highest, only to begin its decent once more, falling from the sky to be consumed by night, by peace. That was what Evalin wished for, peace now. The light brought with it too much change, too many chances and possibilities. Night was peaceful, night was consuming. Night needed no thought, no reasoning. Night could hide you, could comfort you, could trick you or love you. Day could only bring reminders of what was lost.

Raising her hand Evalin traced the lines of her palm with a finger. Shifting slightly in her position she pulled on her inner power, her djed, and called it to the surface. It pressed against the underside of her skin, spilling forth from her pours as gaseous res that shimmer and shifted like heat waves. She called more forth, halting when she had enough to easily fit between her two hands.

"Magic has, from the beginning, been that which has given my life purpose. It drove my actions, lead my goals... but for what end? What purpose did I seek to accomplish? I fear I have forgotten."

Frowning in concentration Evalin imagined the heat of flames upon her skin, the whistle of wind through her hair. Pulling on these memories, these images, she fed the fuel of imagination to the swirling ball of res, calling from it to form something that was not quite fire, yet neither was it air. A crackle, a sizzle of electricity that sent shivers racing up Evalin's spine and the hairs on her head to stand on end, summoned the result. In her hand Evalin held the smallest of thunder clouds, bits of lightning smaller than the smallest thread arching from the center made of gaseous res that fueled the storm from the inside. The tiny streaks of electricity sent tiny shocks wherever they touched, but nothing so great as to make it any more than uncomfortable, "Look upon this Tsenrika. Gaze at that which has given drive to my life, given me purpose through the decades. How small and insignificant it seems now."

With a flick of her wrist Evalin willed the spell forward, the inner core transforming completely so that a bolt of lightning streaked forward to strike the ground several feet away, leaving a blacked mark and several shattered plants where it struck. The Immortal sighed and looked at her hands once more, "Such things I am capable of... but why does that bring no joy to me Tsenrika? Where has it gone, that purpose that magic once summoend?"

"Perhaps it is hidden where you cannot see it... To dwell upon questions that can never be answered breeds nothing but discontent, and ill thoughts."

"Be it ever so, yet still I cannot banish them so quickly. This is what I face now my dear Tsenrika. A Witch without the will to cast is simply a carcass waiting to rot..." Evalin looked at the results of her spell, though she was not truly seeing it, "I must find the magic that drove me once more, lest I be lost forever."

[Evalin]

Bracing her hand against the trunk Evalin swung her legs over the edge of the branch, slipping off it to drop to the ground a short distance away. Dusting off her breeches Evalin looked up to Tsenrika, "Come my dear Tsenrika. Be at my side for this."

Evalin extended her hand up to the Familiar, and without hesitation the Irylid floated down to rest just over her palm. Evalin brought the familiar close to her face, her eyes searching her reflection in his smooth surface, "Be my eyes Tsenrika, walk beside me as you promised. Stand as my sole companion through eternity."

"I shall honor the contract, and stand as your companion through eternity my master. Your will, is my command."

Evalin smiled, "Good. Drral Dak Na."

The Familiar flew into the air above Evalin's head just as the girl clapped her hands together. The djed within her spun and swirled, pressing up and out to fill the air around her with heat waves, her res summoned to the world once more. Pulling upon her will the magic brought a fire to Evalin's eyes, filling her with that thrill that casting always did. Throwing her arms out at her side the summoned swirl of res began to circle, to spin with Tsenrika and Evalin as its center. Closing her eyes Evalin curled her fingers, twisting her body as she hissed, "Hakin!"

Flames erupted throughout the spinning vortex, though only in layers. The very outermost layer was fulled by the inner, while the rest between the three tears of the column lead and directed the fire to spin in uniform circles. Three rings of fire, three levels of control. Pulling her arms in Evalin summoned the res between the levels of rings to surround her body, then to spin in the opposite direction.

The pull of magic upon her mind was a subtle one, though increasing in strength the longer she held the spell in place. Thus she filled her lungs with hair, and with a thrust of her arms the spinning res around her was shoved outward as she whispered, "Deyno". The res became a spinning gust of air that, when it met the rings of fire, thrust them outward in a wide burst, though with the remaining res that Evalin used to fuel the flames she was able to direct the flow ever so slightly that it expanded evenly in all directions, not not in random bubbles.

Then Evalin drew in her right hand to her chest, palm up and called soft whispers to the flames, pulling the res at their center to come back, to fill her. The small fires she had created in the spell spun upwards, summoned by the moving res that approached Evalin, and with a sudden breath Evalin scattered the res, pulling the flames to smaller pieces before extinguishing them all.

If Evalin still held breath she would be gasping, but as she did not she slowly straighten, looking at the blacked roots and singed trunks around her. A strange feeling of elation blossomed even as the tolls of magic called sweet temptations to her mind.

"Magic... That which can inspire, and destroy. Maybe my purpose is hidden here, somewhere."

[Evalin]

Evalin flexed her fingers, curling and uncurling them several times as she thought more of her greater purpose, her path in this endless eternity. She could not have known what the flashes of light, and floods of noises would attract. How could she? The Immortal held no knowledge of this area, no inclining of what might lie in wait just around the next bend. Lost in thought was she that she did not notice the subtle rustle of leaves, or the faint growl somewhere behind her. There was one who did, however, and as was his nature his observational skills proved their worth once more.

Danger, behind. He said simply, sailing down to rest close to Evalin's shoulder. The nuit froze, not a muscle twitched as she glanced sideways at her Familiar, What be it, man or beast?

Tsenrika floated slowly up, disappearing in the canopy of leaves as he moved to investigate further. The answer was quick in coming, Beast. Large, four limbs, orange and black stripes. A hunter. I would suggest avoiding conflict...

Evalin closed her eyes, cursing softly to herself. She could almost feel the creatures eyes on her back, burrowing into her, searching, waiting for the moment when it could leap and claim its prize... However, it held no inclining of what it stalked this day.

Pulling her djed from within she called forth a small amount of res to pool beneath her clothing. Then, with slow motions Evalin untied her cloak at the neck, holding it in place with one hand as she willed the gathered res to flow beneath the cloth. Evalin's mind reached out to her familiar, her link to the world, that which held her sane, Follow close, and keep watch of the beast. For now we must retreat.

Her answer came in the form of agreeing silence, which was all Evalin required. She knew that Tsenrika would do as she commanded. Her life was his life. They were connected, forever and through all eternity until their contract was fulfilled. That brought a small smile to Evalin's lips as she released her hold on the cloak, swirling the res beneath the material as she did so.

Be I without purpose, and without a goal, but forever shall I have one to share this path. That, at least, is some comfort.

Her eyes snapped open as she hissed through her teeth. The whirling res burst into a gust of wind that sent the cloak billowing backwards, blocking her body from the beasts view for a fraction of a second. The wind pressing into the nuits back for a slight launch forward, just enough to push her into motion. Then she was off, feet pounding the dirt and biting through fallen leaves as she raced toward the underbrush, dust kicking up in her wake. From behind her she heard the growl of the beast, the sounds of its pounding paws on the ground as it gave chase. She dared not glance back, least she lose what little advantage she had gain from the previous distraction. The beast had lept first at the billowing cloak, catching it and clawing clean through before its eyes found its real prey and made chase. Precious ticks, ones that Evalin would not let go to waste.

This immortals eyes that burned with hate, red as the blood she so craved, told more of a story than many realized. They were a marker, a stigma that declared her a follower of Uldr, he who inspires hate in the world, the god of the Undead. He had visited her early on, and granted her power in payment for her service. She was bound to him now, trapped in a cycle of hate, but where it held many draw backs also did it hold many rewards. With her pledge to spread hate through the world Evalin had gained a gift, a boon she had found of great use over the centuries. Her body was no longer weak and fragile. Her strength and reflexes were the same as they would have been in life, but in addition she gained a power. Speed greater than a normal person, supernatural in nature. This was her greatest advantage, her greatest weapon.

She sped through the jungle, ducking and dodging around trunks, eyes locked forward to view each and every obstacle that entered her vision. It was difficult. She could not run to her full speed, for the jungle was different than anywhere else she had traveled. Dense underbrush blocked every path, clogged every avenue. Trees pressed in on all sides, vines threatened to decapitate and strangle for any careless placement of motion. The beast had already gained ground. She could hear it, could almost feel its lust for flesh, for blood. It would be disappointed with what it actually got, Evalin was sure.

Left, alongside your path. Tsenrika's words filled her mind, giving her a picture of what was to play out. This creature was greater than her, stronger, faster... but she held one advantage.

She called upon her djed once more, pooling gaseous res into her right hand, enough to cover up to her forearm. Planting her foot Evalin spun on her heel, whipping out her right arm to send a curtain of res between her and her assailant, hissing, "Hakin!" before streaking off in the direction she had come. She did not glance back to see what took place, but the feeling of heat fleeing from her back told her that the spell had ignited into a thin wall of fire, a puff really, something that would vanish soon after being cast. It was not meant to kill, merely to distract for just a moment.

Five paces, behind on left."

Evalin cursed, though again she did not look back. She had hoped to gain more ground than this, but it appeared her opponent knew not to fear the flames of her hatred. A foolish mistake, Evalin would see to that...

Her foot caught a loose root that seemed to spring from the ground itself, intent on sacrificing the Immortal to the jaws of the beast. Eyes widening in shock Evalin tucked her arms in, curing in on herself to roll upon impact with the ground, scrambling to her feet just as she felt the whistle of wind and a large body pass close to her back. She glanced back for a fraction of a tick, seeing a large impression where her head had been moments before.

A grow, a swipe that caught clothing, and then running once more, now leading a path that was perpendicular to her original way. This time, however, the beast was on her heals, its breath upon her calves as she lifted each leg to press her body forward. She dipped sideways suddenly, rolling through a dense patch of leaves as she cursed over and over again, her stolen body protesting the strain placed upon it. On hands and knees now Evalin rolled behind the trunk of a large tree, pressing her back against it just as the large body, painted orange and white, crashed through where she had been just moments before.

Evalin called further res to her aid, filling both hands as she rolled back out from behind the tree, putting her back to the beast as she traced through the opening it had created itself. It growled, the thump of its paws on the ground now familiar to the nuit. She kept her path straight for only a moment, turning to run jagged lines through the collected trees, turning around trunks, ducking under branches, doing any and everything she could to put any distance between her and the creature. Her body protested loudly, the limbs threatening to buckle beneath the strain of her run. The girl felt, for the first time in quite a while, thankful that she held no need to take breath, for surely she would have long succumbed to the tolls of oxygen deprivation.

She had to end this, had to escape, but how? Time was not on her side. For once Evalin was forced to comprehend the existence of time, to accept it as something that mattered. For each and every tick that past, the beast gained, and her chances dwindled.

Lead me back to the clearing, where we stayed the night.

Tsenrika's blue form floated to Evalin's right shoulder. He was never too far, always within reach. Silently Evalin was grateful for this. The Irylid then shot forward, growing slightly in size to aid Evalin as she followed through the winding paths. Mere ticks passed before the familiar scarred landscape greeted Evalin's lightened soul, and bounding forward with the fullest extent of her speed Evalin lept for the lowest branch, grasping ahold of it with two hands and pulling her legs up as the orange streak flew beneath. Twisting and wriggling with far more desperation Evalin threw her leg over the branch, then another before quickly pulling herself all the way up and standing in the crook. The beast was already swinging around, bounding forward and extending its claws, maw wide as it sought to claim it's helpless prize. Jumping straight up Evalin once more grabbed another lower hanging branch, pulling her legs up once more just narrowly avoiding the claws that would end her immortality. Scrambling up onto this branch as well, Evalin looked down at the creature as it circled below, hungry eyes gazing up at her.

The nuit allowed herself a moment of relief, a moment that was not to last as the creature lept to the lowest branch, standing on its hind legs to snap at her feet just as Evalin pulled them up. Standing quick, Evalin pressed her back against the park, "Be damned you beast, tis your place upon the ground not the trees!" Gathering the res she had summoned before into her right hand, the will of iron called forth the elements of wind and fire to mix as never before. Sparks leapt from her fingers as she thrust her palm forward, striking at the orange and black creature with all the fury her lightning could muster. A yelp, a whine and the beast fell back to the ground, its muscles spasming for a few ticks before it shook its head, standing once more to its feet to look up at Evalin.

"Be damned you abomination! Fear me, for I am Evalin, the Sorceress of Flame and Shadow, she who shall rip asunder this world to enact the greatest change of all! Pathetic creature, bow down to those who are superior!"

A growl fell from her lips as she reared back with both arms, res pouring from her body in a great mass which she colected between her hands. Then she thrust her palms forward, sending the stream of res at the beast, igniting it to fire as it neared. The great stream of fire, a river of heat and light fell upon the beast which retreated back from the flow. The spells toll grew too much, thus after several ticks she extinguished the flame, slumping back against the trunk and looked down at the creature.

A large, elegant body. Muscles that rippled with power beneath fur painted wondrous patterns of black and orange. Eyes both carnal and majestic, which she met with a steady gaze. In a way Evalin felt some respect for the creature, whatever it was, even as it glared at her in accusation, as if it were her fault that it could not claim its breakfast this morning. It paced back and forth, eyes never leaving Evalin's where she sat in the tree. It would be a waiting game, a game to see who would be the first to claim defeat. Evalin smiled, as she spoke to the creature, "I feel that we are two of a kind, both beast with lusts we would capture at whatever the cost. I pity you, for your power will dwindle soon... For you see you are trapped in the flow of time, and you will never be able to escape."

The creature made a couple steps toward the tree, but Evalin's tired mind summoned her djed to her palm, collecting a thimble sized drop of res that she tossed at the tigers feet with a flick of her wrist. Where it landed a small burst of fire ignited, and with a snarl the creature retreated once more, resuming its pacing.

Evalin chuckled, a feeling of euphoria filling her mind as she watched the creature. She shook her head, pressing a hand against her forehead as she banished the whispers from her mind, though the were persistent now, "I fear you are at a disadvantage. While you must live by the rules dictated by time, I am free of such burdens. You are destined to lose this struggle. You shall go hungry this day. I pity you."

The beast merely paced, eyes watching, waiting. Sadly it could not know that it played a losing game. This immortal would never sleep, never lose focus, never relax. Thus it was her curse, and her greatest weapon. The immortal life was neither as great, or as terrible, as any rumors might uphold. Thus Evalin settled herself to wait, eyes watching even as the creature watched her. A stalemate that nuit was certain she was destined to win.

[Evalin]

It had become a game of sorts. Evalin and the beast stared at one another, eyes unblinking but both thinking the same thing. Just a moment, a tick, a fraction of a tick would be all it would take for it to end. It paced at times, while others it sat on its haunches. Licking its lips and peering up at the nuit who relaxed against the bark of the tree. For her credit Evailn did not offer the creature a shred of hope. For every time it made a step toward her she would halt its progress with a quick flare, looking back into those hungry eyes with her own red orbs which showed quick disinterest.

Evalin sighed and pulled a knee up to her chest, wresting her arm on it and then resting her head against her palm. One eye gazed passed her hand to the creature that sat patiently waiting for its chance. Blinking slowly Evalin spoke softly, "Persistent isn't he? Why will he not leave us in peace..." It was a rhetorical question, but she was not replaced when she heard the reply, "It waits for you to climb down so that it make crush your skull."

Evalin closed her eyes, "Thank you Tsenrika for your words. As always they hold the greatest of wisdom." She opened her eyes and glanced at the beast. It had stood and taken a single step forward, but with Evalin's red glare staring once more it sat upon its haunches, now beginning to lick its paw to clean itself.

Leaning her head back Evalin looked up through the canopy, just barely able to see the blue light of the sky through the blanket of green. The sun was beginning to near its climax, the top of its arch over the world. The beast had simply sat and watched the entire time. Watched with those ever so annoying eyes that sent waves of irritation down her spine, "When will he leave... To sit upon this branch is of the greatest of nuisances. Would that I could sent it fleeing with a well placed crackle of spark and heat of flame..." but she knew she couldn't. It was beyond her now, even the simplest of spells. Simply creating the mini flares was more taxing upon Evalin's mind than she could handle. The whispers were whispers no longer, they were fierce calls that echoed in her mind, begging, urging her to cast just once more. Just one more spell, one last go. Kill the beast, it would be so simple. So very... very simple.

With a shake of her head Evalin banished such thoughts and whispering, letting them become a dull roar in the back of her mind once more, though a simple shake of the head could not cast aside the deep weariness she felt. Her body did not respond as it should, her hands did not move when she commanded. She was weary, tired... so very very tired. Tired of it all, of this unlife she had chosen, of her traveling, of her endless search. What was it all for? Why did she do it? For revenge? Revenge for what? What DROVE her to do as she did, what purpose did she have other than to defy her FATE. What was fate? People told her it was nothing you could change, because it did not truly exist... but if that was the case, what was she fighting for?

A hand passed over her face and Evalin looked back down at her constant watcher. It now lay in the sun, its tail whipping back and forth, one eye still intently looking up at where she sat. "Do you remember when we first met Tsenrika? Back in Zeltiva so many years ago?"

The blue orb floated into view, covering over her knee, "It was the day our contract was made. I can never forget it." His voice was as neutral as always, but that didn't bother Evalin. She looked into his reflective surface, at her own eyes. With a finger she gently stroked the smooth surface of her familiar. It was cold, like ice to the touch, but that was how it always was. He was the cold and calm to her heat and passion. They were nearly exact opposites... it was strange how it had happened.

Evalin looked away from her own eyes, unable to bear what she saw reflected there, "I remember it as well. It was the day that I gained something I had never had. Someone that would walk beside me forever. Someone I could trust, and even if it is only so because of a contract, still that is more than I have ever had." She fell silent, and neither spoke for a chime. That was how it always was. Tsenrika did not speak that often, and over time Evalin had grown tired of the trifling banter of words. It was pointless in a way. She saw it in every city she went. Men and women talked and talked, but rarely when one talked did anything truly get done.

"Do you love me Tsenrika...?" Evalin asked suddenly, not looking at the Familiar. The Irylid remained silent for a time, and when Evalin looked she only saw her own eyes, eyes that held a look in the she did not recognize.

"I do not understand your question. We are bound as one in life. We share an existence. Is that what you call love?"

Evalin's brow furrowed and she looked down at the ground, "I don't know... No, I don't think so. A long time ago, back when i was still alive, I think I had a different idea of love." She raised her hand before her eyes, looking at fingers that were not her own, "Love... Was something warm. It made you feel comfortable, close to someone. You trusted that person completely, and they trusted you. Love was..." Her fingers curled slowly one at a time, "I don't have the words for it any longer."

Tsenrika bobbled slowly up and down, thoughtfully he said, "What is love to you now? Love is something for mortals, for the weaker creatures that roam the world. Love cannot exist within the heart of one who will change the world."

The girl shrugged, letting her hand fall to her side, hanging limp there as she looked forward into the dense jungle, "Yeah... maybe your right..." Another chime of silence passed between them, Evalin staring into the distance, her mind working slowly, sluggishly against the effects of over casting.

"I was in love once." Evalin said off offhandedly. She did not really expect anything from her companion, thus she looked down in surprise when he asked, "When you were yet living?"

The nuit chuckled, and rested her head back against the bark of the tree, "Yes... It was so long ago now that I do not even remember his face. He's lost to me, adrift in the tides of life. He's probably dead now too, in fact I know he is." Gently Evalin touched a spot on her right cheek, "I sort of remember it though. Like the feeling you get when you look up at the sky and realize how very vast the distance is. Like your standing on the edge of a cliff, both frightened and exhilarated, and the voice within your chest whispers 'jump'." She smiled slowly, eyes growing distant, "He was my first kiss... and my last as well." The last words filled with bitterness even as the smile withered to nothing.

Tsenrika floated to rest over Evalin's right shoulder, silent as the day they had first met, but somehow the silence was different. She could almost sense a bit of empathy from the little Irylid, thus she felt prompted to continue, "I once thought I loved Rayage. What a foolish child I was, to think that such blackness would know love. I thought that my loyalty to him, my passion to serve him, to be everything he expected meant I loved him, and I thought his harsh lessons were signs that he loved me as well."

With a sigh Evalin shifted her body, or rather the vessel she wore, on the branch, adjusting the weight to make it more comfortable. It was a pointless gesture, but somehow Evalin was comforted by the humanness of the act. Her eyes fell on the creature. It's eyes no longer stared at Evalin, but rather were looking off to the left. It's ears perked, twitched a moment before it suddenly stood and walked out of sight, enveloped by the jungle it inhabited. For a tick Evalin toyed with the idea of climbing down, but after one effort where her legs did not respond as they should have she quickly gave up the thought, intending to remain as she was for some time yet.

"Tsenrika... Why are you loyal to me?"

The orb floated to Evalin's other shoulder before answering simply, "Because our contract demands it." Evalin knew that would be his answer. It as always his answer, but still she could not help a faint twitch in her cold, dead heart by the truth of it all.

"Would it please you to hear me say I love you?" The cold monotone of his voice almost made Evalin miss the question, and she turned her head to raise an eyebrow at her familiar, "Why do you believe I wish to hear such things from you?"

"If I say I love you, then it means to you that I will be loyal to you always. Is that not what you wish to hear?"

Evalin could not help it, she smiled and laughed, pressing her hand over her face and closing her eyes, shoulders shaking with the unexpected amusement. After a chime she shook her head, looking sideways at Tsenrika, "I believe you are like me. Neither one of us knows what love really is."

The creatures return was not whole unexpected, yet still it brought a rise of irritation to Evalin's mind as she glared at it as it settled once more where it was, licking its jowls clean of whatever morsel it had found and laying down to once more quietly observe its cornered prey.

Resting her head against the bark once more, the Nuit watched the clouds in the noon sky drift lazily overhead, "Love means very little when trapped as we are..." A double meaning, both equally true.

[Soliloquy]

Experience Rewards

Evalin

Skill	Experience
Reimancy	+3
Running	+2
Familiarity	+3
Climbing	+1

Lores:

•	Lores Earned
•	Immortality: Constantly having to find new purpose
•	Finding comfort in a familiar
•	Playing the waiting game with a tiger is tiresome
•	Love: Constantly having a new definition

Notes: It was hard to read due to the length of each post so recommend breaking them up. Enjoyed reading it regardless and was nice to see a reimancer actually describing over giving well :3

If you have any queries with the grading, please don't hesitate to PM me