I originally wrote this in 2011 for NaNoWriMo, and while it's been slightly edited over the years it's just been sitting so...it's time to share it, I think~

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This was no dream, that much the young woman was aware of as she looked back down at her body. It was strange to see herself unconscious in her bed, floating near the ceiling watching the events going on around her. Of course this wasn't the first time such a thing had happened, and she felt a sense of freedom from being in such a state. She stared for only a moment longer before allowing herself to float up, through the thatched roof and towards the stars above. From such a height she could see much of the world of Eralon laid out like a map; Jaderose in to the south with its vine covered towers piercing the skies and further south still the city of Khelgard with its flags flapping with the gentle breeze that came from the ocean.

Many nights when this happened she stayed above her home of Lagina Village, simply observing the world as a silent onlooker. She could move, of course, but she never had the courage to go too far. There was an instinctive fear in her, a fear that when the sun began to rise if she was not close to her body she might never return to the world of the waking. That night, something had changed. In the light of the two full moons overhead she felt drawn towards another place to the west, the City of Light. The young woman walked with purpose as if there was ground beneath her feet, stopping directly above the castle where the Goddess of Light was said to reside.

For as much as she'd heard from the Celestians and Light Demons that chose to come through on the trade ships or had chosen to make the village their home none of it lived up to seeing the place in person. Then again she had to wonder if she was truly seeing the magnificent city or if it was just a construct of her imagination that her unconscious mind had put together from all the stories. There was little time to dwell on such thoughts as the same force that had brought her to the city was now pulling her though the white marble walls of the castle before bringing her to rest beside a rather tall Celestian. He was dressed in heavy armor bearing fancy decorations and patterns, the giant white-feathered wings that the creatures were known for folded neatly against that armor as he stood with a straight backed posture that gave him use of every inch of his height. A sharp-tipped spear was gripped tightly in his right hand and his eyes were forward, keeping a vigilant watch over what of the hall before him he could see and an open ear for any danger that might be lurking in the unseen.

Everything was quiet, and the young woman had to breathe as deeply and silently as she could to calm down. She thought for sure the Celestian would hear her heart beating, the sound was certainly loud enough to her as she stood and it echoed in her ears. However he kept his gaze forward, eyes narrowed at a grey-skinned elf that stood at the bottom of a set of marble steps. Those steps went up, leading to a woman sitting in a throne of pure crystal. She had on a large dress in varying shades of white and off-white with small similarly colored gemstones scattered throughout the outfit. She wore a sulking expression, however, that was not befitting of the natural beauty in her icy blue eyes, pale skin and high cheekbones.

"Speak, Taika. I need to know if this future without us that we hear whispers about is falsehood or reality. If it is reality, how likely is it to come to pass if we take no action and what action can we take." She sounded very childish, more like a young one who had a toy taken away from her instead of an adult woman speaking seriously.

"First, I need my staff." The elf, Taika, replied. She held out a hand in the direction of the young woman and the Celestian she stood beside, turning her head at the same time as if to stare.

Only then did the girl realize that the elf was blind, for her eyes were as white as fresh fallen snow. That didn't seem to stop her from having some manner of vision, however, and it seemed she was aware of the extra presence in the room that no one else could sense. Turning her head, the girl saw that leaning against a pillar next to the Celestian was a staff made of flawless white crystal topped with a deep blue sapphire in the shape of a blooming rose. From below the rose came vines of a lighter blue that twined around the staff and curled at the bottom. There was power in that staff, everyone in the room could feel that much and it was obvious that this was the object from which the Seer drew all of her own power as well. Without the staff she could not do as asked, and the woman in the dress knew that as well, nodding to the Celestian to hand the staff over.

The elf woman held out her hand, waiting silently for the return of her power. As soon as it was within reach she wrapped her fingers around the crystal shaft in one particular area that was a little more worn than the rest, almost as if it had never left her grasp to begin with. Then she began to move in a way that made the girl wonder if she truly was blind or if she didn't have some kind of otherworldly vision that guided her. Every step, every swing was swift and easy and designed to use as little energy as possible while at the same time allowing for the maximum momentum she could wring from it. The sharpened tip of the staff scraped into the marble floors without a sound, leaving no expected screeching to interrupt the beauty of the moment.

Then the uncomfortable silence settled in, just the slight ruffling of Taika’s clothing and the gripping of hands on leather as some of the Celestians reached for their weapons. As the protectors to the Goddess they were ready for whatever the elf would do now that the floor had been marred by her staff. Still the need for weapons was soon eliminated as Taika finished and took a step back, holding up the staff with both hands and closing her eyes. The glyph she had etched into the otherwise smooth marble began to glow with a soft green light that bounced off the walls and gave the entire room a tint of similar color.

The girl stood on her tip-toes to see what exactly the symbol was, though she didn't know what any of it meant. Some parts seemed familiar, reminiscent of the writings along the walls in the old ruins just north of her home village. One time she'd asked her mother if she knew what the symbols were, but the older woman had simply laughed and shook her head.

"No one knows." She replied, shrugging as she continued to wash the dishes. "Some say it is a language that the Gods invented when they first came to this world, and that is why no one can decipher it."

At the time she'd thought her mother was just reciting old tales because there was no real answer to the posed question, but once she considered where she was it hit her who the woman on the throne was as well. The Goddess of Light, who seemed to be the only one not looking utterly confused at the various shapes now glowing in the floor before her. Now it made much more sense that perhaps this was a language of the Gods, though how Taika had known it and written a message in it was a mystery.

"I cannot give you a timeline, for that is obscured to my Sight. I can, however, give you the truth." Taika started. Her voice was calm, but there was a malice dripping from it that could have almost literally have been venom dropping from her lips if one could not see her as she spoke. "In the future the twelve will come together. Their races and ages will differ greatly, but one thing will unite them all; birthmarks branding them for what they are. Each will carry part of a demons soul within them, though only one will be born of demon blood. This will be no mistake, because it will take the six completed demon souls to bring you down. That is exactly what they will do, the Gods will all die at their hands and the age of man will begin. One of your own will harbor them, but you will be unable to fight them because the others will not see the threat and will refuse to band together, and without all seven of you together you cannot overtake the one. You cannot stop it, you can only brace yourself for the inevitable."

"Please, Taika. There has to be something we can do to prevent this turn of events from becoming reality. You said yourself once that the future is not set in stone, and what you See is only the future that is most likely to come to pass if nothing is done to change it. So, what can we do to change things?" The Goddess asked this question in a polite tone, standing and descending the steps so that only the glyph on the floor separated her from Taika.

"Nothing, my dearest Rinnarl." Taika let her lips curl into a smile, though it like her earlier words was filled with malice. "I saw nothing within this vision that would lead to a change in the outcome. You could try to kill the twelve or the catalyst, but I assure you that would change nothing; their spirits would simply be reborn again and again until they were united as one, their deaths only delay the inevitable. You will all die, and in doing so all of your creations will as well. Without your magic filling the world your demons will not be reborn, and all creatures that were created as a result of the Great War will simply cease to be. The Gods and these creatures will become the myths and legends that humans tell their children about in thousands of years when it is long forgotten that they were once real." Taika said nothing further and simply turned to walk away, leaving utter silence in her wake.

Finally one Celestian turned to Rinnarl and spoke, though her voice seemed to be oddly unfriendly given who she was addressing. "Are you sure it is wise to let her leave?" Just a simple question and yet there was a hidden statement somewhere within it as well. The girl tilted her head, realizing that the tone indicated a relationship more than just a ruler and her advisor.

"It is fine, Lisa. However I ask that you call a meeting of the Gods immediately. We must decide what to do about this threat and how to handle the one that will eventually harbor them. If they truly hold half a demon soul but are not demons then they are abominations and must be stopped at all costs, this whole business with them uniting to bring us down aside." Rinnarl looked extremely displeased, but it was very clear that without talking to the other Gods there was little she could do about it.

"As you command, my lady. I shall send the word now." Lisa took a slight bow and excused herself through some back door. She moved with a natural grace and straight posture, her long blonde hair the last thing to disappear around the corner.

Though the Seer was gone the room still had some very heavy tension going on. The glyph continued to glow, and the redheaded girl who had observed the entire thing from the shadows suddenly felt that it was hard to breathe. Her hands were shaking and all she wanted was to go back to her island, to her house, and pretend this never happened. She felt that other people would brand her a lunatic if they knew what she was dreaming about, and so she closed her eyes and attempted to simply lift into the skies as she had floated down from them. However the world had other plans, for she stayed grounded and let out a frustrated groan when she looked only to find herself right where she had been. Her first thought was that perhaps she needed to be under an open sky in order to go home, not even thinking that she had been in her bed with a roof overhead when she initially started this odd adventure. There was nothing left to do but find her way outside, her mind now set in the fact that if she could just get there then perhaps she wouldn't be stuck anymore, so she began to walk.

Her fingers skimmed the cool marble of the hallways and in places where it was quiet she could hear her own footsteps echoing off the walls. Yet other people seemed unable to hear this noise, and as she curiously reached out a hand to touch them they didn't appear to notice at all save a small shiver as if they had suddenly felt a draft. None of them gave this a second thought and continued on, confusing the girl since she seemed to go right through living beings but could not pass through the walls and had to turn around when she hit closed doors since she could neither open them nor go through them.

As she rounded a corner her eyes caught the old Seer up ahead, walking with perfect purpose as if she knew exactly where she was going. Either she was getting out of the castle as well or she was up to something that would add to the strange tale, and either way the redhead figured it was best to follow after her. Something inside of her began to scream that it was a bad idea to follow the elf but she ignored it, pressing on and trying to keep up as best she could through the narrow, winding passages at the back end of the castle. On one hand it seemed like the Seer didn't recognize she was being followed, she didn't look over her shoulders or show any signs that she thought someone was behind her. On the other hand she left doors open and slowed down once she went around corners as if she was waiting to make sure someone could keep up. This became more and more important as the hallways began to narrow and have more twists and turns in them, the sounds of people doing various things in the rooms on the other sides of the walls readily apparent.

Another story came to mind, and she tried to think of what she remembered from the traders that visited her island home as she walked in silence behind the dark elf. One had said once that all the great castles had these confusing passages carved into their walls for the human servants so that they could pass from one place to another while remaining unseen which was just the way the Gods liked it. She couldn't imagine a life of servitude, but apparently there was some big war a long time ago that was initiated by the humans and ever since then most of the Gods treated them like dirt and controlled their numbers to prevent another uprising. It made sense, really, but on the island where she lived all living things regardless of race were treated as equals and no one had ever talked down to her or her family despite there being several demons and even several species of elf living in the village.

All the walls were made of the same marble as the giant hallway that she had started in, as well as the ceiling and floors. That was, what little of the floors could be seen through worn out rugs and strips of carpet that had been put down and probably never cleaned since. She assumed they were there to muffle the sounds of the servants walking through the place and give it some warmth since there were no windows for the sunlight to shine through. What little illumination there was came from odd lamps set into the ceiling, square in shape and just as wide as the hallway so just as long. They were spaced evenly along the corridors, and each one had a different set of symbols decorating the visible sides. She didn't dare stop to stare too long for fear of getting separated from her unknowing guide, but she did notice that the light was soft and did not hurt her eyes as she stared at them. The more she walked the more she began to see the patterns in them, letters and numbers and arrows that were hard to read because they were made to look more like symbols. One in particular read 'garden' in letters that were decorated with blooming flowers and snaking vines that made it nearly impossible to decipher, but Taika took the turn and so the girl followed into an even smaller hallway that led outside. The opening was right behind a hedge, the leafy structure so tall that it completely obscured anyone walking behind it which meant it was easy for people to slip in and out unseen.

Looking around the girl realized she was standing in a rose garden. A large trellis with various tall rose bushes in various colors stood at one end with some tables and chairs littered about, wooden and painted white to match the Goddesses' color scheme. There was a large fountain at the center with a statue in the middle featuring a Celestian carved from clear crystal holding a pitcher over its shoulder. She could see the water rising up from its feet and traveling through the body before pouring out the pitcher, cascading down until it merged with the pool below. It was still night, the sky was black and though the stars could not be seen due to the light of the city just beyond the walls both moons were still as bright as ever hanging in the sky above. The larger one was full, its smaller counterpart being just half for now. As she stared up at the moons she thought for sure now she would float away to home, but when that did not happen the girl sighed and resigned herself to sitting on the edge of the fountain. Taika had vanished while she stared at the moons, but since the point in following the old Seer had been to get outside it didn't matter where she'd gone. Now all she could do was sit and think, hoping to find a solution to her current problem.

For some reason the sound of the water was soothing, and after a moment out of curiosity she dipped her hand into the little pond to play with a gold and white fish that swam around in it. There was no reflection of herself in the water even though she could see the moons drifting easily across its surface, and even her fingers seemed to cause no ripples as she moved them through the water. The fish too seemed generally unaware of her presence other than moving away when she touched one, though she thought that it was probably because it felt cold when she did sort of like the cold spots she seemed to induce in people when she tried to touch them. Then came the confusion; she was solid enough to sit down, to walk, to feel the walls under her fingers and clearly affect other living creatures. Yet she had no reflection, no one seemed to hear when she called out to them or be aware of her presence at all. She felt like she was trapped between the living and the dead, aware of her surroundings yet not able to do anything but wander and observe. Before she knew it she had begun to cry, the tears that dripped into the water seeming to create ripples as if they were real even if she knew better than to think that they were.

"My my, crying already? For all the nights you've left your body I thought you would be more used to this." A voice echoed through the quiet space and the girl looked up, seeing Taika smiling down at her. The woman took a seat next to the crying redhead and reached out a hand, her slender and aged fingers feeling very real as they brushed the tears from her eyes.

"This....This is the first time I've ever actually done anything more than stand above my village. I was always too scared to go any further." She stammered, not bothering to ask how Taika could touch her or how she knew of all the nights when the girl had similar experiences to this one.

"I see. Well little Ayla, you have much to learn it seems. Much more than I will have time to teach you tonight, for once we part ways our paths will not cross again. Let me start by saying that what you are experiencing is both a dream and reality at the same time. You are Seeing into the past, projecting your spirit into a different time than your own. Have you ever seen anyone on your little island that looked as if they weren't completely there, like perhaps they were simply just a shadow lingering in the shade that seemed as if they really didn't belong?" Taika spoke quickly, her voice now filled with kindness and love instead of the malice it had held earlier. It reminded Ayla of the way her mother had spoken to her on stormy nights when she was afraid of the howling winds outside.

Still, Ayla thought about the question and eventually nodded. She had seen people like that, almost always adults that simply lingered in the darkness under the trees and observed. They acted like they knew no one could see them, and seemed a bit surprised when Ayla had tried to point them out to her parents when she was a child despite them constantly denying she was seeing anything at all. Taking a deep breath to regulate her breathing Ayla looked up at Taika, wondering what would come next.

"Good. Those were other Seers, experiencing either the future or the past or maybe even the present from somewhere far away. I assumed your powers had been explained to you, being a Seer is always passed through the bloodlines and you would have inherited them from one of your parents, likely your mother since it is most often passed to the child of the same gender. However, that is irrelevant now. What matters is that you listen carefully, for you are no ordinary Seer. Inside of you is the completed soul of a demon, and that makes you much more powerful than even the Gods themselves. That is the true reason they split the souls of all the demons in half, to prevent such a being from coming into existence. You are the catalyst, the one who will unite the Chosen Ones to bring down the Gods. Some have already been born and others will come into the world in the years between this night and your own time. I didn't want to say it in front of Rinnarl, but it will be the Spirit of Neutrality Lunnoar who takes them in. They will know to gather there, for the prophecy will spread throughout the lands and any branded with the birth marks will know that going to Khelgard is their only safe harbor. But without you they won't know what to do. Which is why you'll need this." Taika held out her hand to give her something, and Ayla accepted without really thinking about it.

"I don't understand. Why me? And....what if I don't want to do this?" The idea just seemed insane to her, and Ayla wasn't sure she wanted to leave her island and undertake such a journey.

"Those are answers I cannot give you. Even I cannot tell why it was you who was chosen, but perhaps it is exactly because you don't want to do it and that makes you the best person for the job. What I do know is that if you refuse your destiny then you will live out a life of whatever it is you do at home, and when you die the completed soul within you will reincarnate into someone else and the cycle will start all over again." Taika seemed undisturbed, and waited in silence as Ayla finally unfolded her fingers to look down at the small thing she'd been handed.

The little crystal was about the size of an eyeball and seemed completely clear and flawless, giving no distortion of the world as she picked it up and looked through it like a spyglass. She wanted to know what it was and why it was so important, but before the questions could be asked Taika reached out and curled Ayla's fingers around it while at the same time encasing the girl's hands in her own.

"That is what you will need to find the keys. You don't need to understand everything now, just know that you are the catalyst and you will need the keys in order to gain more power. Once you have all the power from the others you will have everything you need to destroy the Gods and bring about the age of man. No matter what you do, however, keep the crystal safe. If you do decide to go to Khelgard bring it with you and present it to Lunnoar. My next stop is to see her, to tell her of the prophecy and everything else and of course to expect the one bearing that crystal once all the others have gathered. I have faith that you will make the right choice for yourself, because only you can decide your fate." Taika stood and offered Ayla a hand, one the redhead took without really thinking about it as she got to her feet.

There were so many questions and so few answers. Ayla wanted to ask, but some part of her thought that this was just a dream, that her mind was making up a rational explanation and a linear pattern in some attempt to make sense out of what she was experiencing within her subconscious while she dreamt. Still she opened her mouth to ask a question anyway, only to find a slender finger pressed to her lips to silence her. Taika's head lifted up and Ayla's followed, her eyes widening as she realized she could see the first rays of the sun starting to glimmer over the street lights of the city. She'd never been away when the sun began to rise so she didn't know what would happen and a pang of fear rushed through her body. Fear that she would never get to go home, that she was now trapped because she wasn't close enough to her body at the moment to make it back. Then the sky seemed to be getting closer and Ayla looked down, realizing that she was floating again. Up and up she went until she was far above the city, then finally everything was so bright she had to reach up a hand to shield her eyes.

When at last the light died down Ayla blinked, sitting up in her bed and sighing to herself. It had all been a dream after all, her raised arm just a reaction to what she thought was really happening to herself. The sun had not yet begun to rise in the village for there was just darkness on the far horizon outside her window and her mother had not yet come to wake her to start the daily chores.

"Ayla! Ayla come on, get up or you'll be late for breakfast!" A voice rang through her door followed by a light knocking, her mother's voice calling her to wake up so that she could enjoy some food before a hard day of work.

Just in time, like always, Ayla thought to herself. On nights when she dreamed she was not in her body she almost always woke up just before her mother came. Ayla sat up, shaking her head and running one hand through her messy red hair before she realized that her other was balled into a fist around something. Uncurling her fingers she gasped, stifling the noise so her mother would not hear. The little crystal that Taika had given her was there, held safely between her fingers and that was enough for her to believe that what she had seen in her dreams was real.

Shaking as she tried to take it all in Ayla reached for her bedside table and pulled open a drawer. Inside was a small journal with a pen sitting on top, and she opened quickly to the next blank page and began to jot down everything she could remember before it all slipped away from her. Half the things she had written in there she did not remember until she read them again, and the words seemed to bring the memories flooding back to her brain like someone had flicked a switch. Once everything was properly documented she stashed the journal away again and got up, plucking a small herb bag that was currently empty off a rack by her door and putting the crystal inside before setting it beside the journal and closing the drawer.

The house she occupied was small, just enough space for her bed and table beside one wall opposite the door, a chest at the end of the bed and a dresser for her clothing along with a small kitchen mostly consisting of a fire pit with a pot hung over it, some dried herbs along the back wall and various shelves for storing things. There was also a basin for her to wash her face in every morning, she collected fresh water from the spring in a pitcher every night before bed so that there would be some come the morning and a mirror hung just behind the basin so she could see herself.

With a sigh Ayla made her bed and undressed, folding her night clothes on the end so that she could wear them again that evening. Wash day was once a week but Ayla had no problems wearing the same night clothes for a few days at a time so long as her day clothes were clean. It was a simple life on the island, the whole place was fairly closed off and self-sustaining. They grew their own crops and raised their own animals for food and pelts, as well as making various things from the bones and other unusable parts to sell. A ship stopped by once a month to trade, but no one was ever allowed to stay on the island except those that had been born there. As the legends went at the heart of the forest there was a spring, and from it flowed waters that had magical healing properties. In the old days when the first settlers came to the island they saw how the flora and fauna were flourishing around the land and tried to drink the water but instead it was toxic and they died, for its healing powers were not meant to be used by greedy humans. A single human priest heard of this and decided he would cleanse the waters, and so he traveled to the island to perform the ritual. When it was complete he turned back to the people and told them that there would be a price to being able to drink these waters; a human sacrifice would be required once every ten years in order to keep the magic strong and the water safe. People began to come from all over the world to taste the healing waters, for it was said that they could cure any disease and even revive those who were on the brink of death. That was why Lagina had become so closed off; the people who came did not know of the blood sacrifices necessary to keep the water pure and those in charge began to fear that if someone did find out the truth they would try to destroy the spring.

Ayla wasn't sure any of the stories were true, but the sacrifices were real enough. It had almost been her on the sacrificial altar two years ago but instead the young man she had fallen in love with offered himself in her place. They'd been having an affair for some time but never made it public, mainly because he was an elf and while Ayla's parents didn't care the race or gender of the person she loved so long as they treated her right his parents were much more strict. To them humans were no better than slaves, and the only reason they acted civil towards those on the island was because they had to in order to stay but they would never let their son marry a human.

As if all that wasn't bad enough, word had seeped back over the years about the fate of those who left the island. Supposedly when they stopped having regular access to the spring their illnesses returned worse than ever, or those who were not ill suddenly became so to the point of being deadly. Ayla wondered as she splashed water on her face and straightened her hair if that's what would happen to her if she left to follow this mad quest from her dreams. The thought had her terrified, she did not want to take ship only to fall ill on the way and not even make it to Khelgard. Then again maybe nothing would happen, maybe because she was the catalyst she was special and everything would be alright. Ayla doubted that very much, but there was no further time to think on it as she straightened her tunic and pulled her hair into a tight bun to keep it out of the way.

Had she the means to keep herself up Ayla might have been very beautiful. Her hair was a deep but vibrant crimson red, reminding her of the fresh blood she often saw when it was time to slaughter an animal. From all the days spent outside working the fields and with the animals her skin had a slight tan to it, though it was not dark like the rest of her family. Indeed her mother always said that when she was little her skin had been as white as fresh fallen snow and it was because of this natural light coloring that she did not get as dark as everyone else when exposed to sunlight. Staring back at her from the mirror were sunken eyes, almost seeming too wide or her face and too far apart even if that was just the illusion that was given off by their color. An odd thing, like fresh herbs from the garden tied into a bundle. So green, and so contrasting with her hair. Little scars marked her face, almost invisible unless one knew to look for them, and she wore no makeup because there was none to be found on the island. No piercings, no tattoos, no nothing. Her body was only adorned by the clothes she wore, the scars that were simply a product of her way of life, and the odd stain that was a little hard to get out every now and again.

"Ayla! You're going to miss breakfast!" A young voice called through her door, and Ayla tore herself away from the mirror.

"I'm coming sweetie." She called back, wiping her hands on a towel before pushing the stray strands back into place as best she could and walking to the door.

Standing outside was her little sister, Lyria. The girl had their father's dark brown hair but the same bright green eyes that they shared with their mother, and she always looked excited. Such was youth, however, not knowing the way of things and so trying to understand but not having the capacity or knowledge to do so. Still Ayla put on a smile and scooped the four year old up into her arms, placing the girl upon her shoulders.

"Good morning big sister!" Lyria chirped in her little girl's voice.

"Good morning to you too, little sister." Ayla laughed as she walked towards the center of town, holding her sister's hands to help keep her steady.

When they reached the area Ayla took a deep breath before setting Lyria down and watching the girl run towards their mother. In her age the woman's vibrant red hair had started to dull and there was little grey showing in at the roots but she was still beautiful, even more so when she smiled and picked Lyria up to swing her around happily. Ayla yawned as she approached, taking her seat at one of the many tables that ran the length of town square. Breakfast was a community affair, everyone gathered to eat together and share stories and ask questions, and already some of the food had been laid out and people were beginning to trickle in.

"Mom, can I ask you a question?" Ayla looked over at her mother, reaching a hand to wipe her eyes in attempt to get rid of some of the tired that was hanging around.

"Anything my darling." The woman responded, turning from the pot of thick stew she was stirring and tilting her head curiously.

"Can....Can I work the trade ship today?" That was a job usually reserved for whoever had rotated into it, but Ayla knew if she asked her mother she could be told who was working it and ask for a switch.

"You'll have to ask your older brother, Chota. That's his duty today." Her mother spoke softly, not at all seeming surprised that Ayla had asked to switch jobs.

With a nod of thanks Ayla scurried off to find her brother, thankfully ambushing him before he reached the town square and she had to make the request in front of people who might question why she was asking. The boy was only two years her elder but already he looked like a man, built strong like their father and bearing most of his features. The exception was that he had their mother's thick hair, and it was always funny to see him when it hadn't been cut in a while because it made him look like a woman.

"Chota!" Ayla shouted to catch his attention, waving her arms as he turned to stare at her with deep brown eyes full of early morning exhaustion.

"What do you want, Ayla?" He asked, stopping to wait for her to catch up before moving at a slow pace towards the square.

"I want to trade jobs today, mom said you were working the trade ship. I've got orchard duty." Picking fruits from the trees and making sure there was enough to go around, a boring job but one that usually meant the ability to snack through the day and laze around if it got done soon enough. Much more up his alley than hauling heavy crates off the ship and talking to the sailors when it was all done before helping them find lodging for the night so they could rest up and leave come the morning.

"Fine, I'll take your orchard duty. But be careful on that ship, you hear me? I see the way those sailors look at you sometimes." Chota teased, laughing as Ayla gave him a hug and he wrapped his arms around her so he could pick her up.

"I promise nothing will happen. Besides, if you're supposed to be there that means father is too, he won't let anything happen to me." Ayla did her best to wrap her arms around her brother, holding tight as he hoisted her up before setting her down again.

The two chattered as they walked to breakfast together, having always been on relatively good terms anyway. Most people in Lagina got along just fine, and what few grudges and fights did happen were almost always kept secret to give the illusion of getting along for the sake of others. So no one was really surprised when the pair showed up together acting more like best friends than siblings and sitting together while breakfast was served.

Most of the meal was as normal, everyone in her family talked about how their day before had gone and the usual stuff. Boring stuff, Ayla realized. Nothing had happened on the island in so long, outside of the ship and her crew that came in to tell them of the outside world it was the same thing day after day. The crops were planted or harvested or prepared for the winter months, the animals gave birth or a baby died or they were to be killed for food. There was no gossip allowed about the actual people to help keep the peace, so outside of knowing who they worked with or who switched shifts or was too sick to work she really didn't hear a lot about the others in the village ever. Life happened one day at a time, and it was a boring existence that Ayla knew she didn't want to live forever. She had seen the City of Light with her own eyes in a way and it was beautiful. Far more so than the descriptions she'd heard from the ship's crew when they tried to describe it. Ayla wondered if Jaderose or Silvermoore or even Ironhold were far more than what she could imagine them being, if they too were so stunning that it would take her breath away to see them for the first time.

When breakfast was over Ayla said her goodbyes and went with her father down to the only dock on the island. It was on the south side, so close to the mainland that she could see the lights of Jaderose most nights and even now a little sliver of land on the far horizon beckoning her to leave Lagina behind and embrace her destiny. The large man she knew as her father said nothing as he stood next to her with about a dozen other people, all waiting for the ship to come in so they could begin unloading the supplies it brought and loading in what they were trading for it. All standard, and all easy.

So it was that the day passed quickly, Ayla finding that her muscles ached after the first few hours but ignoring it in favor of working and keeping her mind on what she really wanted; to talk to the sailors. When the work was done they would build a fire and those who wished would sit around and listen to their tales of the outside world. Her father never had any interest in such things, he would leave right away, and her body seemed to move by itself as she thought of how best to ask for what she sought. It wouldn't be smart to outright ask about the Chosen Ones, they were supposed to be hidden away, and she had no reason to ask about Khelgard in particular. The sailors were the same ones as always, the same crew and the same captain, said to be the only one brave enough to traverse to Lagina since many believed it to be cursed nowadays. These men would know that she wouldn't have a reason to ask about Khelgard or any other specific city. Ayla had to come up with a plan, but as the day wore on nothing came to mind and she gave it up, thinking instead that she would just have to be quick on her feet during the conversation and look for a way to subtly ask about what she wanted.

By a little after lunch they were finished, and as the sailors started to set up their camps for the evening everyone else ran off. Ayla knew her father would look for others that weren't done with their daily tasks and see if he could help them instead, and the children all ran off to play now that they had the time. Ayla was the only one who stayed, none of the other adults seemed at all interested in listening to the sailors talk about the outside world. Why hear of places you'll never go? That was the reason her mother always gave her when Ayla had asked why so few were interested in hearing these men.

"Oi Ayla, I have something you might be interested in." A man with a large scruffy beard, Nodo, called the redhead over and patted a space on the log where he was sitting.

"And just what might that be?" Ayla asked, laughing as she seated herself next to him and smoothed out her tunic with her hands.

"Get this one, there's some kind of rebel group gathering in Khelgard. Says they have some kind of big secret weapons and they're gonna kill the Gods. Lunnoar knows and she's not doing anything to stop them, and Ticaros is threatening war against her and backing Rinnarl's efforts to invade. Looks like when their lives are at stake the Gods aren't best buddies anymore, hey?" He laughed at the notion but Ayla stopped dead in her tracks the moment he had started speaking.

That was it, the secret weapon had to be the Chosen Ones. If Rinnarl was getting the backing of the Fire God to invade the Neutral Nation and wipe them out then Ayla had to move, she had to make it to the mainland and get to Khelgard now, no matter what.

"What's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost or something." Another one of the sailors teased her, but Ayla just shook her head and gave a small smile in apology.

"Ah, sorry. I guess I just let my mind wander a little. I mean if the Gods are starting to turn on one another how long before any of us are involved in the war that would follow?" It was a decent question and the men all nodded their heads in agreement. War was bad for everyone, and the last war had resulted in humans being treated like scum. If another one happened they could not stand against the magical creatures that now inhabited the world and in all likelihood humans would be wiped out. If not by the war itself then by those who remained afterwards who would likely blame humans as the cause of the second war.

For the rest of the afternoon Ayla acted like nothing was wrong, something she was particularly good at since she had spent years telling her parents everything was alright once her dreams started. Her eyes were on the sky, looking for any sign of inclement weather that would impede her ability to leave that night. The ship would not take her aboard, and trying to hide would do no good because if they were not going straight back to the mainland then she could be stuck there for weeks or months and it would be impossible to avoid discovery for that long. Instead she would take one of their fishing boats and aim for the lights of Jaderose, hoping not to crash along the way. The skies remained clear, however, and as Ayla returned to her home to make dinner for herself her mind was full of doubts. Was this really a wise idea, to risk her life chasing down a dream? Yet the crystal was real enough, and now she had confirmation that as the prophecy predicted there was a group gathering in Khelgard that the Goddess there was harboring. It was time to go, if she waited any longer there could be war and Ayla knew that if anything happened she would always blame herself for missing her shot to leave.

Of course she couldn't sleep, and instead busied herself with preparing for the journey ahead. She packed some clothing and extra food and water in case something went wrong and she was stranded in the ocean on the small fishing boat. Flares joined the supplies, as well as rope and a tinderbox. It wasn't just about the trip across the ocean, Ayla knew once she made landfall she'd have to head south across the Earth Nation's main continent until she made it to a port down that way where she could take ship to Khelgard. With that in mind she also packed the only weapon she was trained in; a set of daggers that could either be thrown with great ease and accuracy or held on to as knives. They would also be of help if she needed to kill an animal for food, and several empty vials were soon carefully packed away as well. They would be airtight with the caps screwed on and she could use them for gathering herbs just in case.

Ayla made a mental list and checked it several times, listening carefully for the sounds that the village was asleep to make sure no one would catch her. She even scrawled a little note and held on to it tightly for a moment before setting it on her nightstand. When Ayla would fail to show up for breakfast the next morning she knew someone would come looking for her and find the note, her mother's name scribbled across it. It told where she was going and why, to some extent, and asked them not to come looking for her because she was sure that this was what she wanted. There was no point to trying to get her to change her mind, it was set on going to Khelgard to join the rebel group and help put an end to the reign of the Gods.

The night was clear, both moons shining at full brightness as Ayla slipped out of her house and went down to the shore. Though a fire was still smoldering on its embers the sailors were all fast asleep, and with an almost practiced ease Ayla made her way to the fishing boats and untied one from the little dock before grabbing for the oars so she could start rowing. In the far distance she could see lights, which she knew were coming from Jaderose. So Ayla began to go, moving swiftly but silently through the otherwise still waters of the ocean. It was rough at first, and soon the pain began to set in her shoulders and down her back from the constant rowing but she endured and kept going, trying to focus on anything but the ache in her muscles and the cold winds blowing across the surface of the water since there were no trees or shrubs to break it up. Ayla was thankful then that she'd worn warm clothing, having learned firsthand from various trips out to the reefs for fishing that being on the water could be cold. Within a few hours she finally made landfall on the main continent of the Earth Nation and set the boat adrift once she was safely on shore. It would either find its way back to the village or be destroyed since there was no one to guide it, but either way Ayla knew that was better than leaving it on some seldom traveled shore to rot. That was also her point of no return; without that boat she wasn't going back to Lagina, and there was no point to thinking that she could.

Still Ayla stopped for a moment and stared, squinting until she could see the little black mass on the far horizon. Her home, now gone forever. Much like the mirror that very same morning it was hard to pull away but finally Ayla closed her eyes and took one deep breath before turning around and starting to walk. Now it was time to find passage across the mainland and to a southern port town where she would find a way down to Khelgard. That proved easy enough as she approached Jaderose a few hours later, the terrain a bit rocky but cushioned with thick plants that made traversing it easy enough. She didn't dare go inside, however, and waited instead just went to the stables outside the city walls. Maybe getting a horse would be in order, but then again she wouldn't be able to bring it with her and there was no point in wasting what little money she had. Then her eyes drifted over to a caravan that looked like it was heading out in the predawn hours, probably for an early start to somewhere. Most of them were elves or demons but there was a dwarf calling the shots, a stocky man with the traditional and almost stereotypical dark beard and a war axe across his back. A pair of centaurs were being hooked to the cart so they could pull it, and Ayla figured this might be her chance so she approached carefully before addressing the dwarf when he finally turned around and noticed her.

"Um...Excuse me, good sir, but might I ask where you are heading?" She asked, her voice meek. Ayla cursed her inability to speak to strangers, remembering that she had been very shy around the sailors at first too when she was young and even now was always wary if someone new came over with them.

"What's it to a pretty girl like you?" He asked in return, staring back at Ayla with stone gray eyes and a serious expression.

"I'm looking to get to one of the southern dock towns, I need passage to Khelgard as quickly as possible. A friend of mine lives there and I'm going to visit her." Ayla decided it was better to just be upfront with the dwarf and hoped he'd believe her lie.

"Aye, we can get you there. We're heading to Rock Pointe, it's about a week's ride south of here. From there it should be easy to find passage to Khelgard, Rock Pointe is the biggest trading hub in the Earth Nation. Two silvers and you're welcome to join us, but you'll have to barter on your own with the ship captains when we reach our destination." He seemed sensible enough, so Ayla dug two silver coins out of one of her pouches and handed them to him with a warm smile.

"Thank you. My name is Ayla." She didn't bother with her last name, and the dwarf simply nodded as he put the coins somewhere in one of his own pockets.

"Pleasure to meet you Ayla, I'm Turew and if you want anyone else's name you'll have to ask. They can all speak for themselves." He laughed, and it was that sort of hearty dwarven laugh that only added to the stereotypes Ayla had heard about the stout folk so she laughed with him, a light giggle that seemed so in contrast and yet somehow in an odd harmony with Turew's sound.

Within a few minutes the caravan was moving, and Ayla was quick to move and keep up. She felt safer traveling in a group anyway, if anything happened it was more defenses and they knew which way they were going which meant getting there quicker. The cart was full of weapons, no doubt some kind of shipment from Ironhold that had come in through the northern ports and now needed to get south across the land. Considering that Ayla had heard passage across the open sea that connected all the nations was a rough ordeal that most sailors didn't want to face it really didn't surprise her that if weapons were headed out they would pass through Jaderose first.

Ayla kept to herself, mostly because she didn't know what to say. One of the elves tried prodding her for questions but got mostly ignored until Turew told him to stop. He respected her solitude and her caution, something which Ayla really appreciated. Some of the others clearly saw her as unfriendly, but besides not knowing what she would tell them and being afraid that they would not believe her lies Ayla knew the less she told the harder it would be for anyone to track her down if they came looking. No doubt her father would, probably after he was done yelling at the sailors and asking them if they knew what was going on then tearing up their ship looking for her. The thought made Ayla feel sick to her stomach but she tried to hide it, not daring to think on home anymore. All it did was make her want to go back, something she knew she couldn't do no matter how much it hurt.

"Lass, you look like you're about to die of exhaustion. Get in the cart and get some sleep, Zao will watch you." Turew looked back at Ayla and gave her a face that said this was not a suggestion, so as the caravan stopped for a few minutes to arrange themselves and grab some water Ayla did as she was told and climbed into the back of the cart.

"Here." An elf, thankfully not the same one that had been all but harassing her earlier, handed Ayla some blankets and helped her get settled in. He had a slim face with high cheekbones and bright yellow eyes that contrasted his dark skin and moss colored hair. Elves were odd like that, but Ayla tried not to think on it as she laid down and folded one of the blankets up to make a pillow before passing out just as the cart started moving again, not realizing how little energy she had left after staying up all night, crossing the ocean and then walking on foot with the caravan for a few hours.

The entire journey was long and tiring, but Ayla managed. By night the caravan set up a camp and made dinner before going to their respective tents to sleep. Ayla didn't have one so Zao let her sleep in his, and though she was wary at first of the elf he did nothing to her on the first evening so she saw no reason to distrust him. Still after that she chose to walk rather than let the cart haul her along, for though the demons thought her asleep or perhaps their voices too low to hear Ayla had indeed been listening in on the first night. They were whispering amongst themselves as to why a human was being brought along, even though it was clear none of them wished to say anything to Turew. She had to prove herself capable, if for nothing else than her own pride, so she walked.

Ayla had forgotten that outside of her home she might be treated differently. For as long as she could remember there were stories about how humans were not as fortunate in most lands as they were on the island. The Neutral Nation sought to treat all with equality but even there demons and elves and anything else magical thought themselves above humans and made sure they suffered at every angle when the Goddess wasn't looking. There were rumors that those born into slavery were given a brand so they could be identified if they ran away, and Ayla knew that being born outside of the slave caste only meant she could go more places with more freedom not that it didn't mean she was to be treated better if others didn't want to. Turew and Zao certainly liked her well enough, judging more on character than on race, but it was clear that not everyone felt that way about the redheaded human girl tagging along for the ride.

Within a week's time Rock Pointe came into view, and Ayla was glad to see it. Like much of Earth Nation the bustling port city was built from natural materials and into the landscape. In this case it appeared to be inside of a natural chasm that ran through a cliff overlooking the sea, the majority of the town being built into the walls of the cliffs along either side with the bottom serving as a road and supply line. A mile or so ahead of it was the ocean, mellowed out into a natural harbor formed by the sea cliffs that sheltered ships from storms and provided the perfect place to form a warehouse and market district where most of the activity seemed to be happening.

"I guess this is where we part ways then. Thank you, Turew. For everything." Ayla gave the dwarf a gentle smile before turning back to find Zao and waving a goodbye to him as well.

The cart split off one way and Ayla went another, joining a throng of people that was streaming down towards the harbor. Soon enough she was where she needed to be, but the huge crowd of people and all the noise had her a bit overwhelmed. Never in her life had Ayla seen so many in one place and yet felt so lonely, every person walked with a purpose and assumed that everyone else was there for a reason. It didn't help much that the place reminded her of home and yet seemed so alien; the smells were familiar and yet the sounds and sights were not. Boat wood, rotting ribs and waterlogged planks mixed with ocean spray and fish were all things that she remembered from home. Stronger here perhaps, but still just the same. Yet there were hundreds of stomping feet, voices shouting from the market with people selling fish or exotic gems or weapons or anything else while for coin or anything else that might be worth trading for. Ayla felt dizzy and moved away for a moment, finding a small alley between two ware houses where she could stop and catch her breath.

More than that, though, she needed a plan. The best bet would be to find a ship bearing the flag of the Neutral Nation, the overly childish looking drawing of the main castle with a rainbow overhead splashed against an orange background. If they were returning she could probably board with them, so Ayla took a deep breath to calm herself and walked back out into the ordered chaos of the ports. Much to her dismay there were no ships with that flag, and upon asking around a little it seemed that her first observation was correct. There were plenty from other nations represented in the harbor though. Earth Nation ships getting ready to take supplies out to other lands with their gold and green fabric, Water Nation vessels bringing in regional sea creatures that she identified by their blue tones. Even the Fire Nation had boats there, offloading weapons from dark wood and bright red flags bearing a black flame. Nothing from the Neutral Nation, however, so Ayla had to rethink her plan.

Earth Nation ships went everywhere to deliver food, so maybe she could find passage on one of those that was headed to Khelgard. It was worth a shot, so Ayla began to ask around once more to see if she could find anything. After another hour of searching one such vessel was finally identified, but as she stood and stared at it that seemed like a terrible idea. The ship was large and her wood well-worn as if she had seen many years on the sea. Some damage was visible but it was nothing that would concern such a large structure, so Ayla took a deep breath and strengthened her resolve. With a few steps she stopped a crew member that was hauling some crates aboard and asked where she could find the ship's captain. The man, human like her, pointed Ayla to an elf who stood at the helm and was already eyeing her up. She returned the favor, taking in his general appearance before noticing that he openly wore a badge from the Tempest Combat Academy. It was a great honor to graduate from there, and Ayla had heard more than her fair share of stories that those who did were among the most respected fighters in the world. That made him dangerous, but again Ayla suppressed her inner fears and raised an arm to make it obvious she was trying to catch his attention.

"Ahoy Captain, permission to come aboard? I wish to speak with you." She shouted so as to be heard over the noise of the docks then smiled as the elf nodded and beckoned her to make her way up to him.

The ship was more beautiful up close, there were carvings all along the rails of the deck that told some kind of history Ayla couldn't understand. Pictures of fights against terrible sea creatures and great battles with other ships. She was well kept up too, new planks sitting every so often where the old ones had rotted out and needed to be replaced. The mast was huge, so much so that Ayla doubted she could wrap her arms all the way around it and the sails were so large that the elves trying to pull the ropes and get them set up seemed dwarfed in comparison. Finally Ayla reached the helm where the captain stood awaiting her, and it was then that she realized he was blind. His eyes were glassy and had a blank expression, though his ears were twitching constantly to take in all the sounds. Forming a mental picture inside his head that he could use to make up for his lost vision.

As he turned to Ayla she suddenly felt very small. Elves were naturally tall and he was easily two or three feet taller than she was but it wasn't just that. The way he regarded her, looking but not being able to tell anything about her appearance aside from perhaps her general height and gender while at the same time seeming to understand everything without a word spoken. It made Ayla nervous but she stood her ground, waiting to be addressed as was customary.

"So tell me, little human, what is it that you could possibly want on my ship?" He asked, turning away from her since he could hear her just as well from any angle and saw no need to make it appear he was not paying attention to other things.

"I hear that you are traveling to Khelgard, and I seek passage with you." Ayla's voice wavered but she tried to pretend he didn't hear it, not wanting to seem so weak.

"I see. And what exactly is it that you are hoping to find when you reach Khelgard?" Another question, though a reasonable one all things considered.

Ayla stopped for a moment. It appeared true enough that most did not understand bringing down the Gods would mean the end of magical creatures, elves included. Yet while most held disdain for the various deities others found that they prospered under their rule and saw no trouble with them remaining in power. It was impossible to tell which one this elf was or even if he was perhaps neutral on the subject, but Ayla found that it was better to make up a lie and hope he believed her.

"I have family there, and I'm going to visit them. I hail from Lagina Village and this is my first time outside of its boundaries. My hope was to catch a ship from the Neutral Nation returning to its shores but seeing as how there are none here today I thought that any ship heading in there would be my next best bet." Her voice didn't waver that time, but Ayla could tell from the way the elf looked over his shoulder that he didn't believe a word she said.

"Very well then. I will allow you to voyage with us so long as you can help he crew with work. It's a three month trip, we will also be stopping in Wastecastle for a few days to drop off more supplies for them and pick up the some things. Since I can tell you know nothing of working on a ship I'll make this easy for you; do as you're told and we won't have a problem. Clear?" His voice was stern but calm, and not at all the answer Ayla expected to get after she had lied to him.

"For allowing me passage on your ship I will do anything that is required of me." Ayla had a hard time saying those words, but the agreement was struck and all she could do was breathe a temporary sigh of relief as the captain waved another elf over once she was done speaking.

"This is the new girl, she's your charge now. See to it she's put to work and stays safe." He said again with that same tone of voice.

Ayla realized there was anger there, but the fact that he was able to stay calm while still being so angry almost made her more frightened of him. It would be better if he had just called her out on her lies or even yelled at her, at least then she wouldn't feel like the man was some ticking bomb so full of pressure it could burst at any second and make causalities out of anyone unfortunate enough to be close enough. Still she said nothing and instead looked to the new elf that had been assigned as her mentor of sorts. Like most of his kind he was handsome, a face full of sharp angles and high cheek bones with large eyes and pointed ears. Had he not been an elf one could almost mistaken him for Ayla's brother for they shared the same lava colored hair and forest eyes. He seemed to notice this as well and chuckled to himself before motioning for Ayla to follow him.

"Name's Vinesword, don't think I caught yours." He moved quickly and Ayla had to struggle to keep up, but she did her best anyway.

"Ayla." A one word answer, mostly because she didn't feel like trying to focus on following behind Vinesword and talking all at the same time.

Still that seemed good enough as he led her through the ship and down a hatch into the lower areas where the crew slept. Hammocks were strung everywhere, their nets deep so as to keep the sleeping sailors from falling out every time the ship moved. Vinesword pointed her to an empty one in the corner and Ayla nodded with appreciation as she set her things inside of the twined rope to officially claim the thing as her own before looking back to her new elven guide.

"I'm going to make this simple for you; can you cook?" He asked, a serious tone to his voice.

"Yes, and quite well." She responded, again keeping her answers short and concise.

"Great. You'll be heading for the galley then, to help the cook. Come on." Vinesword took off and Ayla followed, picking her way through the various pitfalls of the ship until he stopped outside a door on the other side of the ship. The long table that took up most of the room in front of it pegged the space as the galley, so Ayla nodded and took off to do her work.

"Hello?" She asked gently, pushing open the door to the actual cooking area of the galley with a little bit of hesitation.

"It's not meal time yet, if you want something there's leftovers by the door." A rather cranky voice answered her, a male voice at that.

"I-I'm not here for food, I'm here to help." Rather than being scared Ayla again found herself with an odd amount of courage, standing her ground and not letting her fears get the best of her.

"Help eh? And who said you should be helping me?" The door swung open fully, revealing an older looking human man missing one eye and hobbling along on a peg leg; the stereotype of a pirate from the stories Ayla had been told as a child.

"Vinesword did. The captain put him in charge of me, and he thinks the best place I can help out is here in the galley." Ayla had been a bit startled by the door suddenly swinging open and she took a step back, but she was slightly firm with her tone so as to tell the man she wasn't messing around.

"Well then what are you waiting for? I'm Hank, and it's about damn time they sent someone down here to help out." The man laughed, a loud and boisterous laugh that filled the space with joy.

"I'm Ayla, it's a pleasure to meet you Hank." Hearing him made her feel calmer, and now Ayla smiled as she followed him into the kitchen.

"Ayla, what a pretty name. Well then Ayla, you've got your work cut out for you so let's see what you can do." Hank smiled, looking back at the young girl with the gaze an adoring father gives his beloved daughter.

Things had started out well enough for Ayla but that would not last. The ship set sail just a few hours after she boarded, and by nightfall she was seasick. Thankfully Hank didn't mind one bit and let her sit down before offering her a bucket. Ayla dry heaved for a bit before actually becoming ill, and while a few passing sailors had a good laugh at her for being sick she understood where their amusement was coming from. They weren't laughing because she was human, and in fact outside of the captain himself no one seemed to pass any judgment on her because of her race. That made Ayla feel even more comfortable. First Turew and Zao, now Vinesword and the others aboard the ship. She began to wonder if the tales she'd been told were simply exaggerated or if there was some truth to them but it was reserved for harsher nations. After all she'd heard in the Fire Nation humans were forced to work the forges making weapons until they died from exhaustion, and while it had seemed like fiction to her as a child Ayla was now thinking maybe it was more truth than she'd previously considered. Good thing she was headed for Khelgard, or at least that's what she told herself.

All in all the trip was uneventful. After the first night she found her sea legs and wasn't sick anymore, and her cooking skills seemed to impress even Hank. So much so that he allowed her to take on the roll of cooking most of the meals and directing him on what needed to be done. Ayla could tell that the crew really appreciated the change of meals, even if it meant she didn't get too much sleep. The crew slept in two shifts, day and night, and even though Ayla was on the day shift technically she was expected to feed everyone. That meant being up before the day people to cook them breakfast which doubled as a dinner for the night people once they'd been relieved, cleaning dishes and the galley as a whole until she had to start preparing lunch for the day shift then more cleaning before dinner, which was technically breakfast for the night shift before they relieved the day shift who then came in for dinner. Since she and Hank couldn't be expected to cook around the clock the night shift people often ate leftovers when it was time for their lunches but even those were better than a lot of the meals Hank had apparently served. He was only allowed to be the cook because no one else even knew how, but Ayla took it upon herself to teach the old man a few new recipes to make once she was gone and her happiness and good attitude seemed to spread through the ship like wildfire. Where once the crew had basically shown indifference to her she was now being included, asked to join them in their drinking when the day was done and other revelry. Of course Ayla refused, and though she avoided any conversations about herself by quickly changing the subject it did feel nice to be included and now that she was a welcome thing to the crew.

Six weeks later Ayla was far more used to life on the ship, which was why it surprised her a little to hear someone calling down from the crow's nest that they could see a harbor. It had completely slipped her mind that they were to dock in Wastecastle, and some part of her was so curious to go up and see the city even though she thought it was a bad idea. It was mid morning and the dishes were clean so she had been peeling potatoes for a stew that would simmer until dinner time but now her eyes turned to Hank, a question glimmering there that she dared not ask.

"Aye, I suppose there's no harm in going up top to see what the city's like. Just be warned, this is the Toxic Nation we're talking about here girly. The air is foul with the stench of decay and if it's raining you'd best get back down here right away, their rain is so toxic it'll burn right through your flesh. The elves are immune and the ship is protected by the captain's magic, but you won't be so lucky." Hank's warning was stern, so Ayla nodded before finishing the potato she was peeling and heading carefully up to the top deck so she could see what was going on.

The sky wasn't exactly clear but no rain fell from the heavy clouds that hung in the sky so she figured it was safe enough and started to climb up to the now empty crow's nest to see if she could see anything. Also to get away from the smell, which Hank had not been exaggerating about. Unfortunately the winds were blowing from the land instead of the sea and that's what brought the rot with them, so strong that Ayla had to pull her shirt up to cover her nose to keep from vomiting every time she breathed in. As soon as she was settled in the little basket she began to look around, eyes wide at what she was able to see.

There was no definition to the land, no hills or mountains anywhere. Just flat lands and what she could only assume were dead trees scattered about. Just to the east of the docks she could see the actual castle of the main city, its jagged spires raising into the sky and being the only thing for miles that was above the placid lands. Squinting Ayla could see some pools of water that were lying around, though she quickly realized that either they weren't water or it was so polluted it actually turned a sickly shade of green. In the port district below she could see that everything was thrown together in an almost haphazard and dangerous way. All the buildings were made of stone bricks and seemed to ooze some kind of green sludge from in between the cracks. The people seemed ill, none of them walking fully upright and many having dark or red circles around their eyes. Even the very air seemed to be terrible, for the more Ayla breathed the more she realized her lungs were tightening and it was getting harder to get air. Time to get down, so she kept her shirt up but quickly made her way back to the main deck before vanishing below and returning to Hank.

"Here, drink this." The old man didn't even blink as Ayla came back into the kitchen, instead handing her a cup with some kind of strange smelling liquid inside.

Ayla didn't even think twice and downed it before coughing. Something welled up in her throat and a moment later she had spit out a giant wad of dark ooze. Thankfully she'd managed to get to a bucket in time so instead of dripping on the floor it was contained, but Ayla felt sick to her stomach and flinched slightly when she felt Hank's hand on her back.

"Don't fight it, just let it out. Even in the few minutes you were topside you were breathing in and absorbing all kinds of toxins. If they sit in your system long enough they could be dangerous, best to just get it out now." He barely batted an eye as Ayla spat up another bit of the thick liquid. "This whole land is a giant cloud of everything deadly. The dead are buried north of the main city in mass graves that rot the earth and form into sinkholes as the bodies decay, releasing more and more into the air. It's not a pleasant place to be." Hank held her hair back and waited as Ayla finished expelling everything from her system, wishing to himself that she had not gone up there. But the young were often foolish in the face of things they didn't know any better about and they had to learn their own lessons. If Ayla were to ever get on a ship again and pass by the Toxic Nation she would think twice about going up to take a look, remembering this particular experience and saving herself a lot of grief in the meantime.

Once Ayla was done Hank dismissed her for the rest of the day so she could get some much-needed rest, though that didn't stop her from looking out the port hole near her hammock so she could see a little of what was going on outside. No wonder the land needed food deliveries, it would be impossible to grow anything there. It seemed to her that no living thing should be able to thrive in such lands, but apparently some made a go of it and while there were no toxic demons because the lord of the land had no authority to create them unlike the other deities there were still plenty of people around. Ayla noticed however that they were indeed mostly elves, probably because as Hank had said they were immune to the poison. Maybe not immune, she thought to herself, but at least able to survive longer without getting sick.

Eventually Ayla fell asleep, only to be awoken the following morning by Hank getting her up for breakfast. Looking out her little window to the world once more Ayla realized the ship had set sail at some point, though she could still see the rotted coast of the Toxic Nation nearby. Sailing across the open sea was dangerous, it was much safer to stick near the shores to help guide them and after crossing the next gap they would be near the Wind Nation. Ayla tried to picture the map in her head, knowing that the city of Tempest was on the east side and they wouldn't be passing it at all. After skirting the shores of the Wind Nation they'd see the thick forests that took up most of the eastern end of the Neutral Nation before reaching the city of Khelgard at long last.

"Land ho!" Someone shouted, and Ayla perked up as she heard the words echo around the ship.

"Go on girly, have a look. We should be docking in Khelgard within half an hour now." Hank gave Ayla a smile and watched her scurry off, eager to see land for the first time in months.

The Rainbow City had been aptly named, for Ayla saw right away that the rumors were true. It had been built from what seemed to be every kind of stone known to exist, and though they should have clashed with one another it all seemed to blend in a perfect sort of odd harmony. Ayla was in love already, she wanted to go exploring in the city even though she knew she had to go straight to the castle. After having her fill of looking Ayla returned below the decks to gather her things. Once it was all gathered together she ran back to the galley, pushing the kitchen door open and giving Hank a hug. She smiled as she pressed her face against his back, holding him tightly.

"Thank you, for everything. I'm going to miss you." She whispered, not wanting to let go for a moment.

"Aye, I'll miss you too Ayla." Hank said aloud, turning around in the grip to give Ayla a hug in return.

The two stood in that embrace for a moment before the ship rocked gently, a sign that it had stopped near the docks and was starting to tie off so they could start unloading their cargo. Ayla let go first, then took a step back as Hank let her go and both looked at one another with sadness. She didn't want to go and he didn't want her to go but she had to, much bigger things were at stake than her own feelings and wants. Maybe someday she could live such a life, if she wasn't too changed by the events that would take place it might be possible.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye Hank." Ayla smiled, though it was a sad smile.

"Yes. Goodbye, Ayla." Hank broke the stare first, and as soon as he looked away Ayla left.

The door seemed louder than it ever had before as she shut it behind her, her footsteps were heavy as she walked up the stairs for the final time and took her last trip across the deck. Down the plank and never looking back. Ayla felt if she took one last gaze at the ship she might not ever want to leave it, even though part of her heart was breaking gently as she walked away. Now more than ever Ayla just wanted to find that rebel group. She wanted to be with them, because they were people she could get close to without having to say goodbye. People she could call a real family since she supposed many of them would have left their own to be part of the cause.

All of the streets running through the area were winding and broad, and though Ayla could see the castle she had no idea how to get up there. All of the paths she could see eventually vanished, which meant they could go anywhere before winding up at the castle if they even went there at all. It was a bad situation to be in but Ayla found the courage to pull herself aside and stop to think for a moment. She needed someone who knew the city's layout, someone who could guide her.

Looking around her eyes finally fell upon a creature she thought for sure would do the trick. The proper Gods and Goddesses could make demons, humanoid creatures with large wings and long, thin tails that did their bidding. Rinnarl and Sinarais were not deities, instead each had been a demon in their day but were given extra power and the titles of Spirits so that they could rule over the two new lands that had cropped up since the Gods had returned to Eralon. Thus they had no power to create demons, but that didn't mean they couldn't create beings of their own to do their biddings. Lesser spirits, boasting the same appearance as demons but always being set apart by their coloring.

This particular spirit had feathered wings much like the Celestians of the Light Nation that Ayla had seen in her vision, but rather than being white they were a sort of cream color and her skin was darker, almost too tan, which meant that she was indeed what Ayla suspected and probably her best bet for getting to the castle. So she approached with a strong posture, keeping her back straight and her general demeanor serious.

"Excuse me, but I am trying to get to the castle. I seek and audience with Lunnoar." Ayla was direct, stating what she wanted and hoping for the best just like she always did.

"And what exactly would a human like you wish to see the great Spirit about?" She asked, looking down at Ayla with narrowed eyes that told much about her general attitude in combination with her stance and the sword hanging at her hip.

"This." Ayla pulled the small crystal Taika had given her out of her pocket and held it carefully, not knowing if it would have any significance.

All at once the woman's eyes went wide and she reached forward, closing Ayla's hand around the crystal so as to hide it from any prying eyes. She said nothing and simply started off in a particular direction which Ayla had little choice but to follow after stuffing the crystal back where it had come from. The redhead stuck close as the other led her though the winding streets with an expert grace until they went from wide roads to narrow back alleys between the houses.

"You must be the one Taika spoke of, and so you must be careful. There are spies everywhere, always looking for any sign that the catalyst has come or that the Chosen Ones are doing anything more than lazing about the city and trying to carry on with their everyday lives. Stay close, I will take you into one of the back entrances to the castle so we can avoid being seen." Her eyes darted around, suspicious of every shadow and movement as they walked.

Ayla said nothing and let an odd silence settle in. She was glad to have a guide of course, the twists and turns of the streets would have been too much for her to navigate on her own and of that she was pretty certain. As they moved she was sure to stay close but at the same time marveled at everything around her; every building seemed to be made of a different material, most a splattering of whatever could be found and thrown together. Anything from stone to wood to bricks was used, and but just like from the boat rather than seeming messy it all seemed to blend in well together. The only indication Ayla had that any progress was being made was that the castle itself seemed to be getting bigger with every corner they rounded, so she stayed close until they reached the outer wall that surrounded the castle. At first she thought it made of sand or sandstone, but running her fingers along the surface revealed it to be smooth. It was some kind of stone that looked like sand with random colors streaking through it that didn't appear to have any particular pattern.

They went along the wall, still not speaking to one another, until at long last Ayla's newfound guide stopped beside what seemed like nothing more than another bit of wall. After glancing around to make sure no one was watching she reached up and pushed in one particular area and the cracks of a door appeared before sliding open without a single sound. There must have been a hundred secret ways in and out of the castle, and Ayla found herself excited by the prospect that she was basically sneaking in. As she crouched to make it into the short tunnel the door closed behind her and there was complete darkness. Ayla squeaked and reached forward, thankfully finding the hem of the other woman's shirt and following along through the cramped stone tunnel before they emerged into a courtyard, the tunnel opening up behind some hedges.

With a sigh of relief Ayla let go and continued to follow her guide into the space beyond. All sorts of other creatures were milling about, everything from elves to dwarves to centaurs. A bird call caught her attention and Ayla turned her head to see a phoenix sitting in a nearby tree with a boy who looked like some sort of odd humanoid unicorn standing under it trying to coax the creature down. Such an odd assortment would only be found here, Ayla supposed to herself, for the Neutral Nation was home to all of those who could not find one elsewhere. The rules were easy to obey and as long as they weren't broken no matter what a person's background was they were welcome to stay. Or so the stories she'd been told went, but now Ayla was seeing the truth of them more than ever.

Through the courtyard they went, up a flight of stairs and across a small walkway before entering the castle through a wooden side door. There were symbols etched into the steel bars that ran across it, Ayla felt them with her fingers as she brushed the metal. Probably intended to make it spell resistant in case mages or demons were in on any fight that needed to happen nearby. Those untrained in magic would have a hard time breaking the reinforcing steel bars but a mage could blow right through wood and metal with no problem, so Ayla presumed that was the reason for the magical precaution.

More hallways that reminded her of the streets, corners into new halls filled with lavish rugs and elaborate tapestries and so many doors it made her head spin. After what seemed like hours they finally entered the throne room, and Ayla seemed to visibly relax. It was built much like the room she remembered Rinnarl sitting in, long with high ceilings and support pillars built along the sides. In the shadow of these pillars stood the royal guards, their hands close to their weapons in case they were needed and their armor glinting slightly in what little light was cast upon them. If nothing else they would make an intruder think twice about causing trouble, though Ayla was not sure if her arrival would do just that or prove to be the help they needed.

One long pink carpet ran up the middle of the room before ascending a set of steps and stopping before a throne made of some kind of subtly pink stone. Lunnoar sat there, looking as regal as Ayla remembered Rinnarl had in her dream. She was a little on the short side, dressed in a large pink ball gown that was decorated with lots of draped fabrics and tiny gems scattered about it. They looked mostly as if their function was to hold the fabric in certain ways or ease the joining of different shades of pink where they collided. The Spirit also had pink hair, a sort of soft and muted tone that lent itself well to her dress and the slight yellow tint in her eyes. She also had pale skin that went well with the entire ensemble, and as they approached from the shadows Ayla tried not to stare while her mostly silent guide introduced her.

"My lady, there is a young woman here to see you. I believe she may be the catalyst." As soon as the last word left her mouth a murmur spread through the room, though it was silenced as soon as Lunnoar held up a hand.

"I see. You may return to your post then, I will deal with her personally." The Spirit stood and descended the stairs, and Ayla found herself alone before the woman reached the bottom and the two stood on even ground.

Suddenly the redhead was very self-conscious. She felt that there was a sort of intensity coming from the deity, and aura of almost pure magic that just radiated outwards as Lunnoar looked her over. Ayla felt that she couldn't have been all that impressive to behold; she was short for her age and thin to the point where her clothes didn't fit her properly anymore, held to her body by ropes used as a makeshift belt and ties to keep it as tight as possible. Her hair was a mess after spending so long on a ship and not being able to properly bathe, her skin was crusted with sea salt and she reeked of the ocean and fish. Everything about her was messy from the stains on her clothes to the knots in her barely confined hair and Ayla fully expected to be looked upon with disgust. Instead she found only kindness as Lunnoar smiled to her and extended a delicate hand.

"May I see the crystal?" She asked, her voice soft.

Ayla nodded slowly, producing the crystal from her pocket before depositing it in Lunnoar's hand. Despite all the grime she had accumulated during travel the crystal somehow remained intact, not even one speck of dirt muddling its surface. Ayla watched as the deity held the little orb in the palm of her hand before closing her fingers around it and shutting her eyes. There was a moment of silence, of concentration, before she handed the crystal back and breathed a sigh as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"So you are here, just as Taika said you would be. She came here the same night she delivered the original prophecy to Rinnarl some seventy years ago, and told me I would be the one to harbor the group that would change the fate of the world. You are human, so I doubt you have lived as long as that and retained such a youthful appearance since I sense no magic from you. More than ever now I believe that it was your destiny upon birth to come here, and I am thankful for it. What is your name, young lady?" Lunnoar offered another hand, one that Ayla reached out to shake after some initial hesitation.

"Ayla Evanthe. I hail from Lagina Village in the Earth Nation and....I just want to do whatever I can to help." Ayla felt nervous, but that seemed to fade as the Spirit gave her a reassuring smile before turning to one of the demon-like creatures beside her.

"Reschedule everything I had left today for another time, and tell people I am not taking visitors. This is important." Her words were firm but still kind, and the being nodded before scurrying off to do as he was told.

Then Lunnoar turned her attention back to Ayla before moving off and motioning for the girl to follow. Ayla took a deep breath before doing so, trying not to seem like she was about to throw up from being so uneasy with everything that was happening. She walked behind the Spirit in silence, waiting to be spoken to because she didn't know what to say at all to any of it.

"You are here, and that is a start. There are several guest rooms in the castle, so you can clean yourself up and change. I will send someone up with a proper meal and then you will be taken to the meeting room. Now that you are here we can finally gather the Chosen Ones and plot our next move. I wish we had more time to allow you to settle in here but I fear that Rinnarl is starting to move against me. No one else is backing her yet, but if word gets out that everyone has gathered and we are ready to begin then I do not know how many minds that might change." Lunnoar seemed nervous, and Ayla understood why.

"On that subject, my lady, I feel I must ask you a question." Ayla finally said, trying not to clamp her mouth shut and keep it that way. "If you know that allowing myself as the Chosen Ones to carry out the prophecy will put an end to the Gods, you included, then why are you allowing us to do it?" It was basically suicide to let this go through, and Ayla had seen death enough times to know that almost nothing with enough sentience to know it was going to die wanted to simply lay down and be killed. The exceptions seemed to be if the creature was in pain or so sick that it knew death was coming and being killed by something else other than the slow, often unfathomably painful end was a welcome relief.

"Please, Lunnoar will do just fine my dear. Such formalities are...tiring, to say the least." She chuckled under her breath before stopping outside a seemingly random door and digging out a small key on a chain. Ayla hadn't been paying attention to where it had come from, she was too busy wondering if she had crossed a line by asking even such a simple question. "Here, this room isn't being used at the moment. The rebels will likely wish to harbor you with them at their base, and while their facilities are nice enough it would do you well to be clean and presentable before going to see them. So take a bath, get all the grime off, and I will have a maid bring you fresh clothes and some food. There's no rush, it'll take at least an hour or two to get everything set up. You're lucky Pearl's in town too, that snarky little griffon is usually off having a high seas adventure somewhere." Lunnoar laughed out loud this time, putting the key into the lock and twisting it with a gentle click.

As the wooden door creaked open Ayla noticed that the room was probably one of the nicest she'd seen in a long time. Everything seemed to hold fall colors, browns and reds and yellows and oranges scattered throughout the decor and the paint on the walls and ceiling. The carpet was lush, thick, and speckled with colors to look like one was walking on dead leaves and dirt. It reminded Ayla of the forest in autumn, the leaves crunching under her boots as she walked. It was interesting and she was so busy staring that she had forgotten about the fact that Lunnoar had ignored her question for the moment until the Spirit started talking again.

"To answer your question, Ayla, let me say that I once believed in what we were doing. Like all the other Gods I lost much in the war, the creatures I created with my own magic were slaughtered and I was angry at the humans for being the cause. I did believe that they needed to be monitored to keep their population low, and that how we were all ruling this world was a manner that was just and fair. But recent events have brought light to things that have changed my mind. This world was not meant for us, not once we left it behind. While we were gone humans evolved on their own, developed their own cultures and societies apart from us. We never should have come back, but we did and that was a mistake. It is time for us to leave, but this time for good, and while I have accepted this fact the people I once called my friends cannot seem to reach that same conclusion. If they must be forced then so be it." Where Lunnoar's voice had always seemed so light and friendly even when it took on a serious tone, this time around it was actually completely serious. There was no playful jesting, no tone that said she was still trying to be kind about it. This was a subject that Lunnoar took very seriously, and it was completely obvious to Ayla just from the way she sounded about the whole thing.

There were no words to be spoken at that point, Ayla didn't even know what she'd say about it. Instead she kept quiet as Lunnoar left, shutting the door behind her. So the redhead resigned herself to getting ready, noticing now more than ever that she smelled of fish and salt and dirt. Her bag was placed in a corner and she retreated to the bathroom that was attached to the bedroom. Once that door was shut and locked to keep anyone from meandering in Ayla stripped down to her undergarments before staring at herself in the full mirror that was hanging on the back of the bathroom door. She frowned, various thoughts entering her head as she looked at herself.

What was she doing? She was no warrior, for goodness sake she'd never even lifted a weapon in her life! Her body was too skinny, her arms and legs nothing but bone and a torso that was all ribs and hips sticking out from under her skin. She had bruises and scars but they were mostly from the months spent aboard the ship on her way to Khelgard and not from spending time in combat situations. If she couldn't even fight how was she expected to lead the Chosen Ones to victory against the Gods? Ayla felt nothing but self-doubt as she watched her reflection, and finally she tore herself away before she began to over think everything. Ayla couldn't change anything at that moment and instead focused on moving forward with the plan and the eventual completion of the prophecy.

Now that she had turned away from the mirror Ayla could see the rest of the bathroom. It was small but still comfortable, most of the space taken up by a large tub in the far corner with copper pipes that led to the water valves and a few fresh towels hanging on a rack nearby. There was a sink with the same kind of piping and a hand towel over one side and something that could only have been a toilet, though it was just a guess because Ayla had never seen an indoor one. It was all outhouses and the like where she lived but she figured it couldn't be too different.

All around the tub were bath salts, soaps and other things in various scents so Ayla removed her undergarments before wrapping one of the towels around herself. She reached over the tub and twisted the hot knob, letting the water flow as she sorted through the scented things and found her favorite; cherry blossoms. They reminded her of the beauty of spring time, her favorite season when life began anew after either dying or sleeping through the cold, dark winters. She eagerly poured a little bit into the swirling waters and inhaled, a little surprised that the smell already filled the room. Once the bath was full she dropped the towel and stepped in, sinking into the heated waters with a heavy sigh. There was a small hand towel nearby that she grabbed eagerly, starting to scrub at her skin and trying not to be disgusted as the grime flaked off and revealed pale skin turning red from the heat and the scrubbing.

After a little while Ayla was finally clean, or at least clean enough that she felt safe getting out. Her hair didn't seem tangled anymore and while her skin was raw from the bath that was fine with her. The same towel she discarded before was now picked up and wrapped back around her body as she reached into the tub to pull the stopper and let the water drain out. As if Ayla hadn't thought herself disgusting enough before the clean water that had filled it was now a messy grey color and she could see the flecks of dirt and other grime swirling about as the water vanished down another pipe. Ayla just gave a disgusted frown before grabbing one more towel to wrap her hair up in and venturing back into the main room.

She'd been in the bath for so long and her brain was running in so many different directions that Ayla had forgotten Lunnoar said someone would bring her fresh clothes and a meal. So it was a bit of a surprise for the redhead to find new clothes folded on the bed and a tray with some steaming soup, a bit of bread and a tall glass of some kind of tea sitting on the bedside stand. Her clothes were the only thing that kept her tethered to home, and now that she had new ones to wear Ayla realized it set her free to take the last leap forward into her destiny. With a heavy sigh she laid out the clothes to get a good look at them. A pair of black pants with a swirling silver design down the outside of each leg and a deep green top with a low neckline and short sleeves, having the air of being slightly fancy while still remaining mostly on the casual side of things. There was also a deep blue jacket, thin enough so that she wouldn't overheat with the present weather but providing cover for her arms should she wish it. Ayla was glad too, because she really didn't feel like showing off that much skin. She was in a strange new land and was not sure what the customs were so it was better to cover up and be told otherwise later than be stared at if she went with too much skin showing.

To tie the whole thing together the top had gold swirls throughout, enough to show off but not so much it overwhelmed the green, and the jacket had a combination of silver and gold to help it blend in. There were also a variety of hair accessories inside some folded cloth, and Ayla wondered if she should put her hair up for the meeting. Still she had time to decide so instead of dwelling on it she dressed and sat down on the bed to eat. Good food was always on the menu at home because the Earth Nation was especially fertile thanks to being associated with nature because of the ruling Goddess. Ayla was a little wary of the tea but she gladly ate the soup and the bread, finding them to be just as good as anything she had consumed in her home village. It was a nice change of pace to find something familiar in this strange land, and once she had finished Ayla grabbed the cloth with the hair accessories and went into the bathroom again.

There was a brush by the sink so she used it to start pulling what few tangles were left out of her hair before tying it back into a ponytail. Her red strands were not that long but a short ponytail kept everything in line and made it perfect for Ayla to put a few sticks in her hair. One silver and one gold, holding swirls of black through them that matched her outfit and looked like they belonged with what she was wearing. Taking a step back Ayla found herself staring in the mirror that hung over the sink. Bright green eyes stared back at her, and suddenly she felt like she was not herself. Ayla felt dizzy, having trouble taking all of this in, and just as she thought maybe she might black out from the feeling a knock came at the door.

"I'm decent, come in." She said out of habit, tearing herself away from her reflection and moving back to the main room.

The door opened and revealed another one of the creatures that reminded Ayla of the Celestians. Pale skin, light hair, cream colored wings and pastel eyes all forming this humanoid thing that she did not know what to call. Still they mostly seemed friendly enough so she smiled at the thing and tried not to feel like she was being stared at because of her strange appearance.

"The Spirit has sent me to gather you for the meeting. Please follow me." There was a strange accent to this one's voice, and Ayla tilted her head curiously before rushing to grab her pack and following the humanoid into the hallway.

The walk was silent, Ayla too busy staring around the area and at the creature guiding her to speak unless she was spoken too first. The castle was still amazing to her, and Ayla was trying to take it all in. She was so lost in her thoughts that she almost ran smack into her guide when the woman stopped suddenly outside of a rather large door. It was made of wood and carved with various flowers and vines snaking throughout, even going outside the actual door and into the frame. It was beautiful, but before Ayla had the chance to study it further she heard the strangely accented voice addressing her again.

"Here we are, my lady. Everyone is already gathered and waiting for you." She stepped aside, opening the door as Ayla swallowed hard before taking her first steps into whatever was to come next.

Ayla couldn't help but stare as she entered the new room. It was a dining hall of some sort, built much like the throne room. It bore the same high vaulted ceiling and support pillars, the floor decorated with long tables and chairs that were meant for feasts and the like. Only one of the tables was occupied, right in the center of the room situated under a large sky light. At its head sat Lunnoar, and a total of twelve others sitting around drinking and talking as if being in the castle was a normal occurrence for them.

It seemed like she was coming in through some kind of side door, so before any of them noticed her presence Ayla had time to look and assess. The more she looked, however, the more nervous she became. One of the couples appeared to be human, though she could tell that one of them was a demon by the color of his eyes. Next to them sat a male fairy and another man who looked human but his outfit looked as if he spent much time at sea and Ayla assumed this to be Pearl since she knew griffons could take completely human forms if they wanted to. Beside Pearl was another man that Ayla recognized as one of the merfolk in human form and an elf girl who looked strikingly like Taika right down to the blindfold over her eyes. On the other side of the table sat two more that she would have assumed were human on first glance but as the girl flashed a smile her fangs pegged her as a vampire and the man next to her huffed at her joke instead of laughing. A small bit of smoke escaped from his nostrils and Ayla realized he was a dragon. Beside them were a male who appeared to have some dog-like features including folded ears and a long tail and a centaur woman who stood beside him since there was no way for her to sit comfortably in a chair. Last was the one couple that seemed the most out of place, a Celestian and a woman that again Ayla assumed to be human at first. She had paint flecks in her hair and a massive scar over one eye, but for some reason Ayla found her to be strangely beautiful, as if she was being drawn to look at this woman last but for the longest time. A succubus, Ayla eventually concluded, because only a creature such as that could radiate an aura of attraction without even trying.

A mismatched dozen, not one of the same race. They all seemed more than comfortable enough with one another, though at varying levels of social interaction with anyone other than what was obviously their spouse. That made Ayla hesitate, standing in the shadows before she realized that she couldn't keep thinking of herself as the person who didn't belong. She had to step up, to be the uniting force they needed. If she didn't things might not go as planned, and the thought that her actions could potentially get one of them killed meant that Ayla simply sucked it up and tried her best to be strong for them. That didn't stop her from shaking as she walked into the light, but it helped her feel as if the others staring was not as terrible of a thing as she thought. Lunnoar stood and offered a seat beside her, and Ayla smiled gently as she approached before waiting for the Spirit to sit before she seated herself.

"Everyone, this is Ayla. She was the one chosen by Taika to carry the crystal that will lead to the keys we need in order to complete the prophecy. Ayla, these are the Chosen Ones. Amethyst, Diamond, Emerald, Pearl, Aquamarine, Sapphire, Onyx, Opal, Turquoise, Ruby, Topaz and Citrine. They are all named for gemstones, which is no mistake because it is the things associated with these stones that give each one strength and set them apart from others of their kind. Now come, we shall discuss our plan of action further." Lunnoar seemed cheery again, so different from when Ayla had talked to her last.

Now that she had names to put to the faces Ayla could see what was going on. Apart from what had been said that the gemstone names were no coincidence, it made them all match in a special way and set them apart. She remembered that each one carried part of a demon's soul within them, meaning the couples that were obvious had been determined since their birth and they felt a connection to one another that Ayla would never get to experience. She tried to think back to her conversations with the few demons that dwelled in her island home, in particular the time when one had died. Her Soul Mate had been so devastated that she killed herself just a few days later and Ayla had asked her mother why that had happened. The older woman said that demons are born with only half a soul and spend most of their lives searching for the other half that makes them complete. They could love and have feelings for other people but once they found their Soul Mate spending any time apart felt like torture. The emotional pain of missing their literal other half could drive them insane and knowing that it would never get better because the other was dead often drove them to suicide. Ayla wondered if any of that was true, but the more she looked at the faces of the twelve sitting before her the more she was starting to realize that it was probably very possible.

Still she turned her thoughts to the present and smiled at the others in order to disguise her uneasiness. Sapphire and Topaz were closest to her on either side and she found herself glad that the seating arrangements had worked out as such because one could not see her and the other seemed intent on ignoring her presence. She wondered why for a brief moment but shoved all that aside in favor of deciding she'd figure it all out later. Once she had sat down most of the conversation had ceased and the Chosen Ones were exchanging glances and whispered words then looking to Lunnoar as if they were silently asking her so many questions. Ayla left her hands in her lap and tried not to look down, keeping her gaze firm so that she could live up to whatever it was they were expecting of her.

"Well yes, in any case as I said this is the girl who had the dream of Taika. Something about finding the other keys, correct?" Lunnoar deferred to Ayla, and she found herself frozen as the words echoed through her mind.

"Sort of, I guess. She said that the crystal was the way to find the other keys and that they were scattered in the world. I didn't actually....She didn't say how or where to start looking though or....Or how to use it to find them or anything." Ayla felt completely insecure, as if she had let everyone down right off the bat by not knowing what to do.

"And that, I believe, is where I come in. Taika was my mother, and she taught me much about how to fulfill the prophecy she gave. May I see the crystal?" Sapphire turned to look at Ayla, and suddenly it felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

Much like Taika seemed to have some sort of sight despite her obvious blindness so too did Sapphire. Ayla could see the scars around her sockets where her eyes had clearly been gouged out some time ago, but that didn't stop her from seeming expressive and holding out her hand in the exact direction as Ayla was sitting as if she could physically see the redhead before her.

"Yes o-of course, here." Ayla reached into the little bag where she kept the crystal and pulled it out, handing it over with only a brief touch of skin between her and Sapphire before she pulled away.

Almost as soon as the crystal came to rest in the grey-skinned palm it began to glow and the light concentrated itself into a rectangular shape before starting to form the shape of the various continents of the world. Small lights shone in various places, leading the way to the keys. It was almost astonishing, but the bigger surprise came when Sapphire reached up almost as if she could actually see the map and began to place her fingers on one of the glowing places, talking as her fingers moved between the bright points.

"There are a dozen keys in all, one for each of us. Two will be found in each nation save for here and the Toxic nation. One in each capitol city and another in a place of great importance to the area. They can be recovered in any order. I believe that only Ayla and those who are the activators for the keys should go, if we keep the teams small we can move faster and avoid detection better." Sapphire set the crystal on the table and the map remained, letting everyone else study it.

"Then I have two questions for you, Lunnoar. How many of the Gods are actually against us and how many of them know our identities?" Topaz spoke next, and Ayla could tell by the way they spoke that they were a warrior, and probably the kind who made great strategies which meant their questions made much more sense.

"I truly do not know. Rinnarl is completely against this, and as far as I know for now the other deities do not believe in the prophecy. They think she's being paranoid, but once we start to move they will begin to back her. As for how many of your identities are known, that is tough to judge. I cannot say with any amount of certainty how many of you have been compromised to what Gods, though I think it is safe for now to assume that they are not sharing information amongst one another for the time being." Lunnoar furrowed her brow and seemed disappointed in herself for not knowing the answers, especially since they were such important questions.

"And let me guess, they're not going to want to talk to you or be inclined to share information because you're harboring us and even if they all think Rinnarl is being paranoid they'd rather be safe than sorry." Onyx chimed in, crossing his arms as he stared at Lunnoar while she gave a confirming nod.

"We don't have a lot to go on and there's even less we can do about it. Any ideas?" Pearl looked around at the others, the scowl on his face seeming almost permanent as he did so.

"I may, but I'm not sure it's the safest course of action. Then again safe has never really been any of us now has it?" Onyx chuckled, cracking his knuckles as he continued speaking. "I'm an assassin by trade, and that means I know other assassins. I think I can get a few of my contacts in other nations to see what's going on, be our eyes and ears out there. Once we have that we'll know who can safely travel where, but the downside is they'll be doing all kinds of dangerous work and the chances of them getting caught are high." He looked to Lunnoar as if asking her opinion all of this and it became obvious to Ayla that they all thought she was in charge of this.

"They are your contacts, Onyx, and your friends. As long as you think they won't say anything even if they decline to work for us and you're comfortable putting them at risk then it is our best plan for the moment unless anyone else has anything else. If you decide to do this and they agree, please ask them to look for information on the keys as well. We don't know if they are literal keys or metaphorical keys that could take any shape, but I assume they will radiate power and the other Gods will likely have picked up on it. They might be putting more guards in certain areas or taking similar action to play it safe." Lunnoar seemed generally concerned as she met the eyes of everyone at the table but none of them spoke up with a better plan.

"Thank you, Lunnoar. I will send out word tonight, see who I can get to help us. In the meantime I suggest everyone stay put and stay safe, if the other Gods catch wind that we have the catalyst and are starting to move they might start to listen to Rinnarl and rally against us. I wouldn't put it past them to try everything in their power to stop us, even risk a full out war if they start to think we're enough of a threat." Onyx seemed to have directed most of his statement to Pearl, even casting him a sideways glance as he rolled his eyes.

"I think that Onyx is right. I'm sorry Pearl, but for now I will have to ask that you remain in Khelgard. I'm asking out of respect for you because I know how much the sea means to you. However you know that if I need to I will force you to stay." Lunnoar looked straight at Pearl, giving him a scowl that said she didn't approve of the attitude that the pale haired sailor had taken.

"Fine, I hear you. I'll tell the boys we're on an extended stay. I'll be with Emerald if anyone needs me." Pearl all but slammed the goblet he'd been holding onto the table and got up to leave. No one made a move to stop him, least of all Emerald. He seemed more afraid of than anything else, something that Ayla found strange.

"I'm sorry, it's just hard for him to be told he can't do the one thing he loves almost as much as he loves me. Sailing is in his blood, and he's been bound to the sea for so long I'm sure it must hurt him to be told he can't go out anymore." Emerald made an apology for his love, then got up and followed after dismissing himself with a slight bow.

"Sadly he's right, but it is for everyone's safety that we all stay here for now. Pearl is headstrong, and I understand his love for the ocean which is why I have allowed him to leave with his ship and continue his lifestyle. I wish it wasn't so, but we can't afford to have him out and about and delay plans by weeks or even months while we wait for him to return. The same goes for everyone else, though none of you have such an inclination to leave so it shouldn't be a problem." Lunnoar looked at those who remained then waved her hand in dismissal.

Everyone started to get up and Ayla just followed suit, unsure of what to do. She reached across the table and grabbed the crystal, its mysterious glow fading as soon as she touched it. As she turned Ayla found herself faced with the centaur woman, Ruby, who extended a hand and gave a smile in greeting. Ayla shook back with some hesitation, still feeling overly nervous about the whole event.

"Oh don't look so glum honey. I know Pearl can be a pistol and Emerald is always apologizing for his behavior but you shouldn't let that get you down. I'm Ruby, and we've already made arrangements for you to stay with us. By us I of course mean Turquoise over there and I." She motioned to the dog looking individual from earlier and they gave a somewhat friendly wave before shuffling nervously.

"I take it they really don't like people?" Ayla asked, raising a curious eyebrow at the half animal creature.

"Not really, no. But they'll warm up to you in time, don't you worry. I run a flower shop and I figured we could use the help if you want it. It’d be a way to earn a little money for yourself while we wait for Onyx's contacts to bring things back." Ruby started walking and Ayla was quick to keep pace with her. Turquoise stayed a few steps behind and she felt bad but didn't know what else to do except thank the centaur for her kindness.

"That sounds fantastic, thank you so much. I guess I hadn't really thought about stuff like that when I came here, I just gathered what I could and left." Ayla fell silent, wishing she had said nothing as Ruby cast her a curious glance.

"What do you mean dear? Weren't you already in Khelgard?" With those words it became apparent that no one really knew the details and Ayla simply sighed before shaking her head and trying not to think too much of home.

"No, I hail from Lagina Village in the northern end of the Earth Nation. When I found out from the traders that the Chosen Ones had gathered I figured it was the sign I needed. I took a fishing boat and crossed the channel over to the mainland of the Earth Nation, then hoofed it to Jaderose. From there I found a caravan south to Rock Pointe and bartered passage to Khelgard. I just arrived earlier today." The months that had passed were hard indeed and Ayla already felt that they were a world away from the person she was when she left.

"Oh you poor thing! What about your family?" Ruby started acting like an overly concerned mother, and Ayla had to stop herself from being irritated by the questioning.

"They apparently did not share my gift, or if they did no one said anything about it. Until I had my vision of Taika the night she gave me the crystal I assumed I was just dreaming, so I never told anyone about it. I left a note on my bed stand that I'm sure someone will find, but it was sort of generic. I thought that if I said anything they would try to stop me, they wouldn't understand. Even if they understood they wouldn't believe me, I'd be branded a lunatic and locked up." Ayla shook her head, still pushing away thoughts of home and how much her parents were probably freaking out over finding her bed empty and a runaway note.

"I'm sorry dear, that's awful. If you talk to the others about it, though, I think you'll find they know exactly how you feel. Di's parents were hanged when the Wind God found out who she was. He was trying to lure her back so he could kill her, but that plan didn't work. Everyone here has lost something because of this. Family members, friends, homes. I was born here in Khelgard and my mother understood everything, but even through all that I lost friends in the resistance who were tortured and killed." Ruby reached out to take Ayla's hand in a comforting manner, giving a gentle squeeze. "We are all family now, or at least that's how we've all come to see one another. Brothers and sisters in this fight to do what is right and march onward towards our destinies. It may take some longer to warm up to you than others, but that's just because of their personalities. So if you ever need anything just let me or anyone else know, we're here for you."

The warmth of her hand seemed strange to Ayla. It reminded her of the way her mother used to hold on when she was a child, firm but not constricting, meant to be a sign of affection and how much the woman cared while not wishing to be separated as they walked. That same emotion was there, motherly and kind that told Ayla she was probably the teams emotional support, always up to helping with whatever. The two walked hand in hand down the hall in silence, Turquoise eventually coming up to the other side and taking Ruby's free hand in their own. Ruby smiled at him as she led the way out of the castle and down into the streets, through more windy back roads. The constant sound of her hooves on the stone was sort of calming, and Ayla was almost stunned when it was silent again. In front of them sat the flower shop, full of wide windows to let in all the light and wooden walls that absorbed the aroma of all the flowers that were packed inside.

"Here we are, home sweet home. I grew up with my mother living in the flower shop she owned, and since Turquoise grew up beside me before we knew we were Soul Mates it's pretty much their life too. Our room is in the back since I can't handle stairs very well, but the shop has an upstairs room where you are welcome to stay. It might be a little dusty but the bed works and the blankets will keep you warm." Ruby laughed a little, finally letting go of Ayla's hand and motioning to the stairs. "Go set up dear, it's a bit early yet so I'll make some dinner and Turquoise will come and get you when it's done."

Ayla nodded before walking up the stairs, finding that there was a door at the top. Beyond it was a hallway and some doors but only one was left open. It looked like the bedroom Ruby had described and she assumed the rest were storage or something else of that nature. Dust had settled heavily onto the floor and she knew that no one had been up there in a while, so Ayla opened the only window in the room and set her bag down before going about putting up a plan of action. She went back downstairs to look for Ruby, but instead found Turquoise near the front of the store putting together some arrangements.

"Hey Turquoise? Do you guys have a bucket and wash cloths I can use? Oh, and does that bathroom upstairs work?" Ayla tilted her head curiously, remembering that she had seen a small attached bathroom to the bedroom she was staying in.

"Cleaning supplies are in the side closet and yes, that bathroom works. The pipes might creak a little when you start them up for the first time, and I'd let the water run for a five or ten minutes before you use it just to clear out any pipe buildup." It was the first time Ayla had heard them speak and she realized that their voice had an accent, almost growling and slightly rolling certain letters.

"Thanks." Was all she said in return, giving him a friendly wave before going off to find the side closet and everything she needed.

The bucket was easy enough, it was big and metal and a bit hard to miss. Inside were several scrub brushes that Ayla left there since she'd need them too. There was also a duster for high places so Ayla put that in the bucket too before retreating up to her new room to start working. She set the bucket down in the bathroom and emptied it, turning the water on in the tub and trying not to flinch as it started making all kinds of noise. At first Ayla thought that it would explode, but as the water started to flow nicely she left it to clear out the pipes and returned to the room. After moving the bed and dresser to one side where they would be out of the way for a while she stripped the sheets and hung them out the window before beating them with her hands to help shake out all the dust. Then it was time to fold them, place them aside, and use the duster to get the high corners and the like. All the while the water was running, but that was fine because it was still clearing out. Once everything but the floors had been cleaned Ayla returned to the bathroom and filled the bucket before turning the water off. Dry dust would be nearly impossible to get without it going back into the air and settling down again so Ayla dumped the water across the floor and spread it around, watching the dust clump into wet balls that made them far easier to clean. Within an hour Ayla had most of the dust gathered up and sitting in the bucket in a damp ball that she then emptied into the tub. Once the water began to run it broke into smaller pieces and washed away easily. With the bucket and brushes washed she went to return them to the closet, just in time to see Turquoise halfway up the stairs as she started down them.

"Oh, there you are. Ruby says dinner's ready, come on." They finally seemed excited about something, the tail that stuck out of the back of their pants wagging happily as they turned and headed back down.

With a shrug Ayla followed, putting the cleaning supplies away in the closet she'd retrieved them from earlier. Then it was down the same hallway and into a back room that in some ways reminded Ayla of a bedroom. One half was a fully functioning kitchen with plenty of storage and a table to eat at while the other was little more than a large stack of hay with furs and blankets scattered throughout. She assumed this was where Ruby and Turquoise slept since a conventional bed would be difficult for the centaur to get into. There was a door off to one side that led into a first floor bathroom, and Ayla could see that the pair had a nice little setup for themselves in the back area of the shop.

Ruby was busy putting food on the table, a salad of some kind and a few strips of fried meat with a side of noodles. Plates and silverware had already been set out so Ayla took a seat next to Turquoise while Ruby simply stood across the table after putting down a few glasses of water. She gave a self-satisfied sigh and smiled widely, looking at Ayla.

"I hope you're hungry dear. I tried to get a little variety going since I didn't know what you liked so I hope it's okay." Ruby picked up the salad and started to dish herself out some, a little note of worry evident in her voice.

"I'm not really a picky eater, and I learned from the trade ships that it's always best to try something once." Pasta wasn't something that Ayla got often so she was eyeing it with eagerness, finally reaching to get herself some after a few minutes.

"Well that's good then. Come, eat before it all grows cold." Ruby laughed a little as Turquoise went for the meat, and from there things seemed to move very quickly.

Ayla ate a little of everything just to give it a try while Ruby and Turquoise stuck to the salad and meat respectively. It made sense to her, though, since they were part canine and probably craved meat while she was part horse so probably only made meat for Turquoise. It was an arrangement that worked for them, however, so Ayla chose to just try and relax instead of judging them. The conversation was light for the most part, Ruby changing the subject whenever she realized that a question she'd asked had hit a darker nerve. For that Ayla was glad, and she tried to be as friendly as possible about it all.

"Well, that was the most fun I've had in a little while. I'll get the dishes, will you get the cupcakes from the fridge Ayla? I always believe in a little something sweet after dinner." Ruby started to gather up the plates and silverware and Ayla nodded before going to do as asked.

Inside the fridge were some cupcakes that were about half the normal size, all chocolate, so Ayla grabbed three before returning to the table and handing one to Turquoise. She left one in Ruby's spot and sat down, unwrapping the miniature thing and taking a hesitant bite. Ayla didn't want to say anything but she actually hadn't had chocolate in a long time. The cocoa beans that were used to make it were hard to cultivate even in the fertile soil of the Earth Nation so it was a rare treat, usually reserved for special celebrations. She wanted to savor it, even as Ruby took hers last but seemed content with that.

"Ah, that was wonderful. Alright now, let's all get some sleep before the new day starts okay? We open early Ayla, so I'll have Turquoise come and get you before they leave. They work at the animal shelter across the street which opens about the same time." Ruby smiled at Ayla and reached over to give her a hug, one the girl gladly accepted.

"Thank you, Ruby. For everything. It means a lot." Ayla was smiling too as they parted from the embrace, feeling like she really didn't deserve all of this.

"Oh it's no trouble hun. The shop isn't usually busy so we can get down to who is where and all of that tomorrow. For today I say you've had enough to think about, so go sleep. I'll see you in the morning." Ruby was tall because she was a centaur but that didn't stop her from leaning down to give Ayla a kiss on the forehead before ending the conversation with a gentle push towards the stairs.

Ayla felt that she was on auto pilot, feeling fully exhausted from everything that had happened. She was so thankful that she had put what little furniture was in the room back in comfortable positions earlier, because at that moment Ayla doubted she'd have been able to do it now. There wasn't even enough energy left for her to unpack her bag, she just left it on the floor by her nightstand and fell over on the bed. The sheets felt so nice she just snuggled up with them and closed her eyes, falling asleep within minutes.

Once again she found herself floating up, away from her body and into the skies over Khelgard. It was the first time since her dream of Taika that it had happened, though Ayla had thought much about that night and knew now that she could move around without fear. So she decided to head back to her home village to see what time frame she was wandering in now, for if she saw herself then she knew it would be the past. It was as good of an indicator as any, and travel seemed to take much less time in her dream form than her physical body. The journey had taken her weeks in the real world was just seconds now, and the closer she got the more Ayla felt that something was tugging her towards home. She thought that perhaps there might be something particularly interesting to witness there, but nothing could prepare her for what she would see.

She passed herself on the shores of the mainland, and as she crossed the channel back to the island Ayla realized what she was about to see. It would be heartbreaking, but the pull was so strong she could not get away and before she knew it the redhead was standing in her bedroom, staring at the familiar and yet now so alien walls as she heard her mother knock on the door. When there was no answer the woman knocked harder, and as no response came again she turned the knob and made her way into the room. When she didn't see Ayla in her bed her eyes went wide and her first response seemed to be panic, putting the lantern down and pulling the sheets back. It was as if she expected to find Ayla simply curled up under them, and when that was not the case her attention turned to the note that had been left on the nightstand. The folded paper had fluttered to the floor with the rush of air coming from the swiftly moved sheets so she picked it up, eyes scanning the scrawled letters as tears streamed down her cheeks. Then she started to cry, falling to her knees beside Ayla's bed and sobbing loudly.

Ayla felt a pang of longing when she saw that, wishing that she had done something else besides leaving the note. But like this all she could do was stare, even as her father entered the room with a look of worry. It never took his wife this long to rouse Ayla unless something was the matter, and the moment she saw him the woman ran to him, throwing her arms around him and screaming as more tears fell down her cheeks. He stayed the steady rock Ayla had always known him to be, waiting for her mother to calm down and holding her until she felt okay to speak. She had to, the note that Ayla had left was now crumpled and ripped and soaked in tears to the point where it was unreadable.

"She...She's gone. Oh by the Gods Qin, she's gone. Ayla said she had another one of her dreams about being away from her body and...She's going to Khelgard, to join the rebels and the Chosen Ones." She cried more, still clinging to Qin as she tried to cope with what was going on.

Ayla felt taken aback, because her letter had not said anything about going to Khelgard or the rebel group or the Chosen Ones. She just said that she felt it was time to leave home and be her own person, things along those lines. Anything that would make her parents believe that she would be safe while she was gone, and would return as soon as she was able even if that was a lie. Ayla didn't know if she would come back from this particular journey, in fact she was completely prepared not to because bringing down the Gods would not be easy.

"Shhh, it's okay my dear. We knew this day was coming, didn't we? Ever since she was born, when Taika came here and told us of her destiny. Keeping her sheltered was what we agreed on, but we both knew there was a possibility she would find out and leave. She will make us proud." Qin comforted his wife and Ayla simply stared in a mix of awe and horror. "Come, we have much work to do this day. If she is gone that means we must move ahead with a ritual." He helped his love up and didn't dare let go of her hand as he led the way out of the little house Ayla had called her own.

That was a moment Ayla would never forget, mostly because it was such a revelation. Taika must have come either when she was very small or when her mother was still pregnant with her and told the pair of her destiny, of what she would do and for what reasons. Both her parents were human, and while Khelgard was the safest place to raise a family for humans it seemed her parents had chosen to stay in Lagina Village, or maybe even move there, because it was pretty much as far from the Neutral Nation as possible within friendly territory. Ayla shook her head, trying to follow her parents and see what this ritual was all about but she found herself stuck, starting to float up instead. The last thing she saw was the pair headed off into the thick forests armed with torches and a few other villagers following with them. Then she was back in her body, eyes fluttering open to sunlight streaming in through the window and the sound of someone coming up the stairs.

"Hey Ayla, it's morning. Ruby says you can get up now and have time to shower before breakfast if you want. Or you can sleep in and I'll be back to get you when breakfast is done." Turquoise called through the door and waited a moment before leaving, seeming to think he was heard well enough for now.

Ayla was stuck awake in her bed and staring at the ceiling, but a few moments later she decided to get up and take a shower. The rush of the warm water would be soothing and give her time to think. Once the water was started she disrobed and stepped in, curling up on the floor and starting to cry. She screamed quietly so as not to be heard, sobbed as she hugged her knees and tried to let out all of her sorrow and negative emotions out. Ruby didn't need to see her like that and she really did not need to be having an emotional breakdown on her first day of work. It wasn't that she didn't feel she could trust the centaur woman with her emotions, but rather it was an attempt to put the past behind her and keep moving forward to do just as her father said; make them proud.

Once the water began to run cold Ayla sighed and shut it off, dressing and drying out her hair as best she could before making her way down to the first floor. Out of curiosity she looked behind her so she could see out of the shop's windows, noting the people milling around despite the early hour. I appeared mostly to be shop owners heading to open their stores and the rest being a few random people doing some morning browsing. It was still more people than Ayla was used to seeing in one place, however, so she quickly turned away and went into the back room where she could smell breakfast brewing. Ruby was making pancakes with bacon and the table was mostly set so she stood in the doorway a moment, wondering if she could be of help before the centaur turned around and took notice of her.

"Ah, there you are hun. I was just about to send Turquoise up to get you, breakfast is almost ready." Ruby seemed overly cheery as she grabbed some eggs Ayla hadn't noticed and started dishing them out.

"Thank you, Ruby." Ayla sighed, taking her usual seat at the table before looking over at Turquoise as he did the same.

The meal was eaten mostly in silence, though Ayla couldn't help but wonder if it was a tradition or if she looked as bad as she felt after her vision and neither one wanted to say anything. Either way breakfast was done quickly and as soon as the plates were cleaned up and the leftovers put away Turquoise kissed Ruby goodbye and left for their own work. Ruby walked to the front of the store with Ayla in tow and flipped the sign in the window to 'Open' so that people passing would know it was alright to come inside.

"Now then, I need you to go into the back and start taking some inventory for me. The boxes are pretty clearly marked, and I just need you to write down what each one says and how many of each are in it. Throw out anything that looks dead and mark it down too. Sound okay?" Ruby handed over a clip board of sorts with a chart on it, already dated at the top and some other random information for shipping logs and the like.

"Sure, just point the way." Ayla forced a smile before turning to head in the direction that Ruby indicated, finding the store room fairly easily.

It wasn't very large but it was clear that Ruby had made the most of the space by cramming it so full of disorganized boxes it was almost driving Ayla crazy. With none but the instructions she'd been given she began to go about it as logically as she could. The chart had all the flowers listed so she started in one corner and made her way around, double checking anything that wasn't marked when she finished and then triple checking the last few. With a few boxes nowhere to be found Ayla shrugged and went out front to find Ruby and see what was happening. There was only one window in the small room so it had been impossible to tell the time, though from the rush of people she assumed it had to be sometime around lunch. Ruby was dealing with an older looking gentleman at the moment so Ayla hung back and waited until he was finished purchasing a bouquet before taking a few steps out of the shadows. The man noticed her and turned with a broad smile across his face.

"Oi Ruby, you didn't tell me you got a new assistant." He laughed, pushing a strand of his blonde hair behind pointed elf-like ears as he did so.

"Oh, I almost completely forgot. I'm so sorry hun, come here and say hello. This is Zak, one of my regulars. Zak this is Ayla, she's going to be staying with us and helping out for a little while." Ruby motioned for me to come closer and Ayla complied, walking standing next to her before giving the elf a smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." She managed, watching as he eyed her before giving an approving nod.

"Well the pleasure is all mine young lady. Ruby'll treat you well, no worries there. Keep up the good work!" With that said he was off, and Ayla was left a little baffled by what had just happened.

"Don't mind him, he's a few flowers short of a full bouquet if you get my meaning." Ruby laughed, then turned to Ayla with a raised eyebrow. "So, done already? My that was fast, it usually takes me a full night to finish the inventory."

"Yup, all done. Though if you don't mind me saying your storeroom is a mess. Perhaps I could spend the afternoon reorganizing it for you? I think it would be easier to manage if there was some kind of system going on." Ayla offered mostly because she couldn't stand the way it was set up, it seemed so haphazard and she doubted Ruby had any sort of organization going on in there.

"If you want to that would be an excellent idea. For now, though, take this and go get some lunch. There's a nice place right across the street." Ruby handed over a small bag of coins, chuckling when Ayla looked at her in sheer confusion. "It's just a little something, dear. So you aren't broken until pay day. I'm not used to having employees, it's always been just me, but mom always paid me every Tosday when I worked for her. I figure it'll be fair to give you the same but I know you spent everything just getting here, so this is my way of saying thank you."

Ayla gave a nod of appreciation before following the directions and heading across the street. There was a small restaurant there, a few tables and chairs right outside with patrons sipping drinks and eating small lunch-related foods. Ayla hurried inside and kept her head down so she could ignore the nervousness bubbling in her stomach. She wasn't used to dealing with strangers, the island was a close-knit community and even the trade ship that came in had more or less the same people every time. Being in a city full of strangers, not a single familiar face no matter where she looked was unsettling to say the least. Once she was inside Ayla spent a few minutes hanging back so she could stare at the menu in some vain attempt to find something that at least sounded familiar. In failure of that she sighed, finally stepping forward to order a chicken sandwich and a cup of fruity tea to go with it. With the meal paid for she went outside and took a seat, eating slowly so she could sort of people watch for a little bit. Nervousness aside the people were interesting to look at, everyone was different and it was at the very least something a little fun to do while she enjoyed her time off. When lunch was downed and the warm tea was coursing through her system she got up and went back to the flower shop. Ruby looked up as Ayla came in, still smiling as always.

"I take it you enjoyed your lunch?" Ruby asked, giving a worried frown when she realized that Ayla had only nodded in return.

"I'm fine, don't worry about it. I'm going to organize the stock room now." Ayla spoke up quickly to keep Ruby from asking more questions before shuffling off to do the task at hand.

Of course she couldn't blame Ruby for being worried, she'd been oddly quiet and acting strange all morning thanks to her vision the night before. She didn't want to talk about it and instead tried to focus on work, noting that another clip board had been left with blank paper to write things down on in case she needed it. She started by putting all the boxes in the hallway outside the storage room and sweeping the place out, it was so dusty that Ayla couldn't stand it. Some of the boxes were terrible too, but there were new ones that had been stuck in one corner with blank labels inside. Ayla knew she had to do everything first by type then by color within the type. It wasn't going to be easy but at least she had a starting point and began alphabetizing them around the base flower and then by color.

For the most part it was uneventful work. Ruby stopped by once to ask for some black orchids for a special order and Ayla quickly handed her the box before going back to work. When she was finished and looked through the far window it was already dark out, so she placed the last box of white zinnias in its place and moved out into the main room. She realized that she probably looked pretty bad at the moment, covered in sweat and dust and feeling exhausted just in time to see Ruby letting Turquoise in before closing the shop.

"Ah, you're just in time dear. We're closed for the day and I bet that stock room looks fantastic right?" Ruby smiled but Ayla did not return it, feeling so out of energy she could barely think straight.

"I'm tired. I'm just going to go to bed." She muttered.

Ayla couldn't remember going up the stairs or collapsing in her bed, she just remembered waking up the following morning just in time to hear Turquoise knocking on the door. After that things were mostly routine for her; Turquoise would wake her each morning and she would shower before work then spend the day doing random chores around the shop. Most of it was things that Ruby had been building up because she couldn't find the time to do it herself since her first priority was dealing with her customers and trying to keep the place running. Sweeping, cleaning, patching up a few things and taking care of the inventory while Ruby dealt with the people and kept the store front looking nice was basically the everyday. It was fine with Ayla since she had never been much of a people person and it kept her busy while they waited for Onyx to bring them back information.

"Good morning Ayla." Ruby greeted one morning as she came down, rubbing her eyes before noticing she was dressed in a manner a little more formal than usual.

"G'morning. What's going on?" Ayla mumbled, taking her usual seat at the table.

"Word came in last night, we have news from Onyx and we're to be at the castle after breakfast. Time to start forming a strategy I guess." Ruby finished putting the food on the table and Ayla grabbed some to pick at while Turquoise sat down next to her.

As always breakfast was quiet, and once they were finished eating she retreated to her room to change. If Ruby was looking a little nicer than usual Ayla wanted to as well, thankful that in the few free days she'd had since she started working she had bought some new clothes and a few other things for daily upkeep. So she pulled on a knee length black dress with little flecks of color sparkling throughout and a pair of tights that were of similar make. Ayla only had two pairs of shoes, one for work and one for occasions like this and they were pulled out from under her bed, the box lid lifted and the padding placed aside so she could put them back later. Black with a slight heel and a single strap around the ankles to help keep them in place, fitting nicely over her tights. Then she pulled her hair up, using some ribbon to keep it nicely out of the way. With her appearance mostly presentable Ayla returned to the first floor to rejoin Ruby and Turquoise as they walked out the door.

The road was winding and confusing as always, and Ayla didn't know how Ruby could navigate the place. It had taken her the past few months just to learn how to go a few blocks from the shop without getting lost, any further and she either had to ask for directions back or Ruby went out to do it while Ayla watched the shop for a little while. Then again Ruby had apparently been born and raised in Khelgard to it made sense she knew how to get around the place. Up the roads, through the main castle gates and into the familiar dining hall, though thankfully they were not the last to arrive as it seemed Pearl and Emerald were also missing. Everyone was sitting in the same places from last time so while Ruby and Turquoise took their usual places she took hers, trying not to be unnerved by the fact that there no conversations going on. Lunnoar looked almost disturbed as they waited, the missing pair showing up about fifteen minutes later. Pearl was grumbling angrily and Emerald was just trying to keep things calm as they walked in and took their seats.

"Well then, since we're all finally here." Lunnoar sighed, standing and looking down the table. "Onyx, if you would please." She motioned to the dragon, taking her seat as he stood up and looked around the table with a somber expression on his face.

"I'm afraid the news is not what we had hoped for. Between them the other Gods all have been able to identify everyone and they are indeed sharing information. Our pictures have been circulating so that the demons know us as well, and their orders are to kill on sight with no questions asked. The good news is that no one else is actively moving against us save Rinnarl, but they are prepared in case we try to enter their lands. Even better they don't know who Ayla is or her importance in all of this." Onyx nodded in the redhead's direction, and before she could say anything Sapphire interrupted.

"Actually, Onyx, I have been doing a little digging of my own. As it turns out, the key will only respond to both its catalyst and whomever it is meant for. This means we will need to be present when the key is found or else it won't budge from the altar. I did find out which key belongs to which person, however, so that should make things far easier." She twitched her ears, turning from Onyx to the Spirit.

"Is there any way to disguise them? Anything we can do to make them less recognizable?" Ayla asked, finally putting in her opinions and trying not to blush as everyone stared at her.

"Well, I do have glamour and I can disguise myself but I do not know how well it would work on others over any period of extended time or great distance. Any other ideas?" Emerald looked around, sighing when nothing else was forthcoming until Lunnoar stood and put her hands on the table.

"I have the power to change you all, physically. But it will be difficult on your bodies. My magic works differently from Emerald's. He's talking about giving you an illusion, I'm talking about actual physical change. It will likely be painful, but if you can endure the results may be worth it. They won't be looking for Ayla nor will they be searching for anyone who doesn't look like the pictures that have been going around which is what they assume you'll look like." There was a tone of uncertainty in her voice, and it showed in her eyes as well.

"And what if they are expecting us to try and disguise ourselves? Won't they be able to sense that we are hidden with magic if they are looking for it?" Opal finally said something, and it was the first time Ayla remembered hearing the apparent child speak.

"That is also true, but this magic....Well, because it changes you in such a physical manner it doesn't register as magic. It doesn't need magica to maintain itself, and only another Deity would be able to recognize it so as long as you steer clear of them you should be safe. However I will only do this if you are willing to go through with it. I will not force any of you to do anything, especially not when it's so dangerous." Lunnoar glanced at everyone, sighing as she saw in their eyes the same thing Ayla noticed instantly; determination.

"So, where do we start?" Ayla piped in, hoping that they could come up with some kind of plan quickly.

"I think our best bet would be to head to the Water Nation. It's the smallest, one of the closest, and the Water Goddess hangs out in Royal Azure instead of Silvermoor these days anyway. That means she'll be the easiest to avoid. Sapphire, mind telling us who the two keys in the Water Nation belong to and where they are?" Topaz was talking now, and Ayla had learned they were a graduate of the Tempest Combat Academy. Their specialty was in combat tactics, which meant they'd been put in charge of plotting their next moves for now.

"The one in Silvermoor belongs to Aquamarine, and there's one in the ruins of the city of Arlyn that belongs to Pearl." Sapphire turned towards the two, though from the looks on their faces Ayla guessed she was missing something. Probably some kind of history that spoke to the irony of their keys being held in these places.

"I see. Well then, we should begin preparation to leave immediately. Pearl, tell your men to expect to stay a little longer. We can't take the chance that the other Gods will know your ship and attack on sight, especially if you're in the harbor. I'll be arranging for you to travel on a merchant ship headed for the Water Nation. They might hate me for harboring you but they know better than to break our trade agreements. We should be ready to go by tomorrow morning, and then I will change you both. You'll have the trip over to adjust and you'll be settled in by the time you get there." Lunnoar said the entire thing in a very matter-of-fact tone that said there was no room for argument so no one did.

"Fine, you'll find me on my ship then. I want to stay with my men tonight. They see so little of me as it is, and there's no telling how they'll react to being told they have to stay put even longer." For a second time Pearl stood and left with an angry expression, and again Emerald stood to follow after him with a sigh.

With the way he was acting Ayla really did not want to travel with him but she figured there wasn't much choice in the matter. She'd just have to stay out of the griffin's way, though it seemed like Pearl would probably prefer that. Even if things turned into an argument Ayla was fine with it so long as he didn't storm off while they were on such an important mission. Still, for all his impatience Pearl was likely the kind to respect authority and Ayla was sure he would listen to Lunnoar no matter what, even if it was with a bit of a grudge for being ordered to do something he wasn't fond of.

Aquamarine, on the other hand, Ayla knew nothing about beside the fact that she was a merhuman and Sapphire's Soul Mate. Since the little shop they ran was on the other side of town Ayla had only been there once with Ruby and hadn't had much chance to talk to either of them. She made a mental note to try to spend time with Aquamarine to see what she was like. With Pearl and Emerald gone Lunnoar decided to dismiss everyone so Ayla approached Ruby quickly while keeping an eye on the teal haired merhuman.

"Hey Ruby, are you going to need me today?" She asked, tilting her head curiously.

"Not really. Why do you ask?" The centaur looked at Ayla with a raised eyebrow, following her line of sight until she saw what the redhead was staring at.

"I wanted to spend a little time with Aquamarine, get to know her before we head out. I think it'll be easier to work with her if I know what she's like." Ayla wasn't going to sugarcoat it, she'd learned that being blunt was the best way to get what she wanted quickly.

"That's fine honey, go do that then. You've been a great help to me these past few weeks, I think you've earned a day off." Ruby smiled, patting Ayla on the back before ushering her forward to catch up with Aquamarine and Sapphire as they started to walk off.

"Can I help you?" Sapphire asked as she fell in line, a small smile crossing her face even though it looked like it hurt the scars at the edges that remained from some long-passed torture.

"Actually I....Um, well since we're going to be traveling together I thought I might try to get to know you, Aquamarine." Ayla said with all the confidence she could muster, trying to seem far more outgoing than she really was.

"There's not much to know. I prefer to be by myself, my special skill is summoning creatures of all kinds and I am not looking forward to having to leave the safety of this nation or my Soul Mate. I know we have to, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. I hate Pearl, I think he's too uptight and has a blatant disrespect for people he should be listening to and I have a feeling that unless we keep our distance I will wind up punching him in the face. And trust me girl, if you are in between us you will not be safe." Aquamarine growled, then sped up his pace until he was a good ways ahead to leave Ayla behind with Sapphire.

"Don't take that personally, she doesn't really like anyone. Well except me, but that's only because we are Soul Mates. And even then she can be distant and cold. It's just how she is, and I don't blame her one bit after all she's been through." Sapphire sighed, shaking her head and slightly rattling the braided strands that led to the tight bun in back.

"Can I ask what happened to her?" Ayla questioned, not really sure if Sapphire would feel comfortable telling her but figuring it was worth asking.

"I suppose there's no harm in telling, she certainly won't. Besides, she'll be just as mad when she finds out I told you as he would be if you asked." Sapphire shrugged, keeping a slower pace so that they remained quite a bit behind Aquamarine. "Much of her early years are lost, she has scattered memories of living in a city full of merfolk but then some kind of disaster hit and it sent them running in fear. She woke up on the shores of the Water Nation half dead and was taken in by a kindly old man who took care of her. She was distrustful because she couldn't remember, but warmed up to the man because he seemed to be willing to wait it out until Aqua began to trust him. Then the man recognized the mark on Aqua's shoulder as being a mark of a Chosen One and told her of the prophecy. After that they tried to find a way to get Aqua over to Khelgard to join the rebel group, though it was just in its infancy at the time. As she told you herself Aqua is a summoner, but she didn't know it back then and accidentally summoned something a little too powerful for her skills and it escaped after causing a ton of chaos. She left her caretaker behind and followed the demon's trail until he found it up in the Fire Nation and killed it and the followers it had amassed during its time in our plane of existence. When she returned back to the Water Nation he found out that the man who had taken care of her had been killed because the Water Goddess found out he had information about a Chosen One. Information that he refused to give up because he wanted to protect Aqua. She came here afterwards, but between her initial distrust of everyone and the fact that the one person she had come to have a relationship with was killed for knowing who she was Aqua has never been able to properly open up again." Sapphire turned her attention ahead, her ears drooping a little when she realized that Aquamarine was out of sight and probably would not be coming back any time soon.

"I see. That's really a shame but I'm betting by looking at you that she's not the only one with such a past." Ayla had wanted to ask Sapphire about hers but it had never seemed appropriate to do so, especially since she knew that reliving past events could hurt just as much as physical wounds.

"And you'd be right about that. My mother gouged my eyes out when I was an infant then fled, and a pair of fire demons living in the same group home as I decided it would be fun to torture me. They cut my lips and broke my legs to make me scream. Diamond's parents were publically hanged when they refused to tell the Wind God where she was. Turquoise was literally raised by wolves for the first several years of their life until a group of centaurs out for a hunt found them and brought them to Ruby's mother so she could help raise them. These events have made us all stronger, however, and they have been instrumental in helping us survive to be who we are today. So while they are tragic we do not weep for them, we look into the future and carry on the duties we know we must fulfill." Sapphire put a hand on Ayla's shoulder for reassurance, then jogged ahead to catch up with Aquamarine as if she knew where the other was in the twists and turns of the castle hallways.

"I take it that didn't go as you'd planned?" A voice echoed behind her and Ayla turned to see that it was Diamond who had spoken, walking up with Amethyst as the pair gave her almost sympathetic smiles.

"No, not really. It seems like I'm going to have a long road ahead of me indeed." Ayla sighed, and she realized she must have looked really down because Diamond grabbed her by the arm and smiled as she all but clung to it.

"Well there's no point in you being so gloomy! Come on it's early yet, I'll take you for some coffee and stuff." She was so cheery, and Ayla smirked a little as she felt some of that positive energy seeping in.

"That does sound pretty good. If you don't mind that is, Amethyst." Ayla looked up at the purple haired demon, glad when he simply smiled.

"Not at all. I have to get to work before I'm late anyway, but if you come see me around lunch time I'll have a medical kit for you. Better safe than sorry, after all." He laughed and then was off, long white coat swaying behind him gently as he walked.

"See you Amy!" Diamond called, waving to him before grabbing Ayla by the hand and all but dragging her off through the castle and across the town to a coffee shop.

The rest of the day was the most fun Ayla had experienced in a long time, though she would always be at a loss for the words to properly describe it. She and Diamond grabbed coffee at the little place before hitting the market district for some shopping. Ayla had money worked up from working for Ruby and knew she'd need some things before she headed out on her journey to the Water Nation. New boots for one, something that could take a lot of walking and abuse, and thick pants since her research had indicated that the land would be cold from the constant winds buffeting it from the ocean. With that in her head Ayla also bought some long sleeved shirts and a jacket as a just in case along with heavy socks that would fit inside her new boots. With warm clothing on the agenda Diamond bought a hat decorated with music notes and put it on Ayla's head, laughing as she joked that it fit well. Shopping done the two stopped for lunch at a local place before going to find Amethyst at the clinic where he worked.

"Hey, glad you could come by." Amethyst said, looking almost as chipper as Diamond had been acting all morning.

"Wouldn't pass up the chance to see you for the world love. Besides, I brought you lunch." Diamond held up a bit of cloth that had been wrapped around a sandwich and an apple that they had picked up from the cafe.

"Thank you love." Amethyst leaned in and gave Diamond a gentle kiss, quick and sweet before parting. He leaned under the counter and pulled out a small case with a zipper on each side, sliding it across to Ayla while he stashed his lunch where it had been. "Here, take this with you. It's lightweight and has plenty of emergency supplies including a field stitching kit and gauze. It'll save you from just about anything save a severed limb or cut throat." He joked.

"Thank you, Amethyst. I'm sure it'll come in handy." Ayla leaned in to give him a hug, thankful that at least some of the Chosen Ones were willing to help out.

"No problem. We've all been together for so long that we're practically family and though you're the newest of the bunch most of us see you as part of this family now too. We are all in this together, and we all know that if even one of us dies now it's all for naught. I just want to do my part to make sure everyone is okay." Amethyst seemed sincere on that point, and Ayla just nodded in understanding.

"Well thank you again honey. We should be on our way and let you get back to work." Diamond laughed, giving Amethyst a hug and leaning up to kiss him again before grabbing Ayla's arm and dragging her out for more shopping.

The afternoon was spent much as the morning had been, though with more window shopping and less buying since Ayla already had everything she figured she'd need. Diamond took her to dinner and by the time they were walking back to the flower shop Ayla almost felt as if the morning's conversations hadn't happened. As they stopped outside the shop, however, it all came crashing down and Ayla sighed as she knew she couldn't run away forever; she'd need to deal with Aquamarine and Pearl come the following morning for an unknown period of time. The ride over, the time it would take to find the keys without any assistance other than general locations, and then the trip back. What a nightmare.

"Well, you're home." Diamond spoke up, snapping Ayla out of her thoughts as she stared up at the brightly colored flowers in the window.

"I guess I am...." She trailed off, trying not to look overly gloomy again.

"Now don't be like that. I'm sure it'll be okay." Diamond tried to cheer her up but it wasn't exactly working. When all other tactics had failed Diamond reached into her pocket and produced a small chain that she handed over to Ayla's open hand.

On the end of the chain was a little locket shaped like a musical note, and as Ayla shifted it in the light the whole thing seemed to shimmer with all the colors of the rainbow. Odd considering it looked to be made of a silverish metal when it was still. Diamond just gave a knowing smile as she put the chain around Ayla's neck and clasped it shut, putting her forehead on the redhead's and looking her straight in the eyes.

"Don't be so gloomy, okay? I bought this for you today because you're part of our family now just like Amethyst said. Some of the others might not think so, but that's just the way they are and they're going to be wary of you for a bit. To me you're like a sister and you deserve to be happy. So take this and when you're feeling down just hold it and think of me, okay? And remember to smile." Diamond took a step back before reaching out to ruffle Ayla's hair.

For some reason Ayla couldn't help herself. She was happy again, and suddenly the prospect of dealing with the next day didn't seem so bad. She found that as long as she could remember Diamond and her happiness everything would be okay in the end somehow.

"Thank you, Diamond. I look forward to traveling with you to find your key, because I think that will be the best adventure of all." Ayla leaned forward to hug her white haired friend, doing her best with all the shopping bags in her arms.

"I look forward to it as well. It'll be hard, but we can do it as long as we're careful and don't do anything stupid. Be safe, sister." Diamond hugged back before turning to leave, and as soon as she was gone Ayla went inside to start getting her stuff together.

Ruby and Turquoise were in the back so Ayla popped into say hello and that she'd already had dinner. Then it was upstairs to put her new acquisitions on her bed and start packing. It was strange to think that after leaving one home only to find another and finally get settled in she would have to up and leave it again. She knew no matter what the room would be there, waiting for her. Turquoise would probably keep it clean because Ruby would ask them to, and like Diamond said everything would be fine. Ayla kept that in mind as she wrapped her fingers around the pendant hanging from her neck.

After grabbing her backpack it was time to organize herself. Of course the medical kit had to come and all the clothing she'd bought, including the hat that Diamond had bought for her. There were side pockets to house various things including the little bag Ayla kept the crystal in. Once it was fully packed she hung it on the stand near the door and tried to get some sleep, her hand still around the necklace in hopes it would bring good dreams instead of the nightmares she was expecting.

When dawn broke Ayla was still awake, though she had been passing in and out of sleep all night long. It was hard to relax enough to sleep when she realized the sheer weight of what was resting on her shoulders. If either Aquamarine or Pearl died while they were away on the mission it would put everything they had worked so hard for in danger. It was her responsibility to keep them safe, and having their lives in her hands felt somewhere between odd and nearly impossible. So she hadn't slept well and realized as she got up that she probably looked like crap even after showering and changing into fresh clothes before grabbing her bag and heading down the stairs. She hit the bottom just in time to meet Turquoise as he was coming into the hallway to go wake her.

"Oh, you're already up." They almost seemed surprised, then reached out a hand and put it on Ayla's shoulder before looking into her eyes. "I can tell you didn't sleep well. What's on your mind?" They asked seriously.

"N-Nothing. I just....I think the weight of all this is finally starting to get to me." Ayla responded, not daring to look up and meet their gaze.

"Well don't let it. If you think too much on what could happen you'll just wind up driving yourself insane. Take things as they come, figure out problems as they happen and most importantly don't linger on the would haves, could haves and should haves of the past. You'll be fine, don't worry. Now come on, Ruby has breakfast waiting." They shot her a quick smile then turned to lead the way to the kitchen, Ayla still with her head down as she followed.

The meal was unusually quiet. Over the days and weeks she had spent with the pair eventually breakfast had gone from quiet contemplation and trying to fully rouse themselves from sleep to something they all enjoyed together. Ayla felt she was truly part of the family that Ruby and Turquoise had formed between themselves. Yet today, the day she was supposed to leave, it was silent. None of them wanted to talk or say goodbye, think that she might not return or if she did something would be drastically different. As they finished eating Ayla grabbed her backpack from its place slung over the back of her chair and ran to Ruby, throwing her arms around the centaur and holding on tightly.

"Ruby I....Thank you. For letting me say and work and....Everything." Ayla sniffled, taking a deep breath so that she wouldn't start crying.

"It was my pleasure dear. I'm going to miss you. Stay safe out there, okay?" Ruby was fighting back her own tears, finally letting go of Ayla and wiping her eyes.

"I will, I promise." Ayla whispered, letting go before turning to give Turquoise a hug as well.

There were no words exchanged between them, just embraces before they parted and Ayla left in silence. It was awkward, but there was nothing more to be said or done. Ayla made her way up to the castle, having finally figured out the best way to get there in general even if she didn't have an exact way. Once she reached the main gates there was an escort waiting to lead her into the throne room where Lunnoar and Turquoise were waiting. Pearl seemed to be running late as usual, though he did finally show up a few minutes later with a guard who was practically dragging him. The man was snarling and almost seemed like a feral animal as he walked into the room, pulling his arm away from the guard and hissing before narrowing his eyes. Then there was silence as no one really knew what to say or do in the aftermath of those actions.

"Well, now that we're all here." Lunnoar cleared her throat, almost seeming frightened of Pearl as she stood up. "I guess it's time for the transformations. As I said they may be somewhat painful, but at the very least it's permanent and will not be affected by time or distance. I will change you back when you return." She descended the steps with caution, eyes still in Pearl in case he decided to lash out.

"Let's just get it over with then. The sooner the better." Pearl's voice was practically dripping with hatred as he stared at Lunnoar, though it was obviously clear from his stance that the anger would not cause him to act out this time around.

Lunnoar took a deep breath and gave a gentle nod, reaching out gently to take one of Pearl's hands in her own before closing her eyes and trying to focus. A spark of energy started in the Spirit's chest and radiated down her shoulders, crossing her arms and then up into Pearl's body. Once it hit his center it seemed to radiate outwards again, changing his physical appearance as it did so. His skin went from sun darkened to pale, hair from creamy white to more of a slate gray color. Even his eyes changed, turning deep brown. It was enough of a change that even though the facial features remained mostly the same he would look nothing like the pictures and they would be safe. Pearl's attempt at hiding his expression showed how much the transformation had taken its toll on him, which made Ayla slightly worried.

Aquamarine was next, though her change was a little more drastic. Her hair had an awkward cut to it, short in the back with long bangs up front in a teal color, which became an allover shorter cut with a deeper shade of blue that reminded Ayla of Sapphire's hair in some ways. Eyes went from a color close to her namesake to a forest green, and her skin darkened from its neutral tone. Aquamarine did not take the pain so well, however, as she started cringing as soon as it started and once it was over she had to sit down on the steps. Lunnoar tried to help but was waved away, Aquamarine breathing heavily as if she were trying not to be sick.

"I'm sorry, I know that must have hurt. You are both very strong to have endured that." Lunnoar remained expressionless, perhaps not knowing what would be appropriate at the given moment, then turned to the guard that had brought Pearl in. "He will guide you to your ship. No one on board knows who you are, not even the captain. As far as he's concerned you are emissaries I'm sending over to the Water Nation to have a talk with the Goddess. While I can't force you to do anything on the ride over I do suggest you make use of your guard; he has a current map of Silvermoor including the old catacombs under the city as well as a copy of a map of Arlyn from when the city still stood. There might be some clues in those maps as to where the keys are so you can better pinpoint their locations and have to spend as little time in the Water Nation as possible. Now then, go forth and may all the luck in the world be with you." Lunnoar gave a bow and with that the four were dismissed to start their journey.

The guard led them down to the docks and a large ship that bore the flag of the Neutral Nation. It was just a merchant ship but it was also heavily armed just in case. The crew all looked as if they could hold their own in a fight too, which gave Ayla a sense of security as they boarded and started towards the lower deck. Pearl, however, went straight up to the captain and started to have a chat with him. The man didn't seem to mind in the least and Ayla figured that Pearl was just happy to be back on a ship. The scent of the sea waters and the gentle rocking and creaking of the ship as it was buffeted by the ocean was comforting, and it brought Ayla back to all the time she'd spent getting to Khelgard. A warm, welcome feeling that she imagined was intensified with Pearl because he practically lived aboard a ship normally.

Aquamarine, on the other hand, shrugged and headed off so Ayla followed until they reached the room where they'd be staying. It was a nice enough place, settled in the hull of the ship and separated from the main crew quarters while still being set up for them to do whatever they needed. Ayla noticed right off the bat that it wasn't meant to be a bedroom, however, but rather an extension of the cargo bay. Probably meant for storing more valuable things in the few instances that the ship had to carry them. Four hammocks had been strung up for them to sleep in settled against the walls with a few scattered tables and chairs about. A lantern hung from a post, the only source of light besides what little was coming in through the port hole windows on either side of the room, and Aquamarine huffed as she set her things down under one of the hammocks before climbing in to it and staring up at the ceiling. Ayla decided to take Lunnoar's advice since she had nothing else to do.

"Well then, I suppose I should see those maps and the like. Better get started now, the ship should be leaving at any moment and I want to get set up." She addressed the guard as she started to pull the tables and chairs into a more agreeable position for working with.

"Yes ma'am, here you go." He man handed over the bag he'd had slung over his shoulder the entire time before going to stand near the door in silence.

"Thank you." Ayla took the bag and noticed it was filled with tubes that had various maps inside so she began to unroll them. There were stones in the bottom of the bag just the right size for weighing down the corners so she did that as well to keep them from rolling on themselves.

Grabbing the lantern from its pole Ayla carefully lit it and hung it over the table from a hook in the ceiling so she could see. The maps were of the city of Silvermoor mostly, schematics of the castle interior and the underground tunnels that ran under most of the area. Two of them seemed to be layouts of the city of Arlyn, one from before the Great War and another of what had been found during investigations of the ruins. Ayla vaguely remembered that the city had once been the seat of power for humans before the Gods returned to Eralon, and when the humans began to rebel before the events leading to the war they had used the city as a stronghold. Anything was worth looking into so Ayla simply buried herself in the work. She took blank scrolls and made note of anything that was of interest, finding there were also books on both cities in the bag with the maps.

The trip as a whole was very uneventful. Pearl spent his time with the crew doing whatever he could do in order to help out while Aquamarine jumped overboard the first night and transformed into a merfolk so she could simply follow along in the water and help keep an eye out for dangers below the water. Ayla studied the maps and books, looking into anything with what limited information she had. They ate in separate areas with different crew members, slept at different schedules and in different places for the most part, and overall avoided one another as best they could.

In the month it took them to finally reach the Water Nation Ayla had narrowed her list down to two places that could be the possible locations for the keys. Old altars built during the days of the humans and covered over as unimportant areas when the Water Goddess began to build the city of Silvermoor. There was one in Arlyn too, which made sense to her because the city had once been a hub of activity for humans too.

"We'll be arriving within the hour!" Someone shouted from above the deck, and Ayla sighed as she began to pack up all everything.

Pearl and Aquamarine had never really unpacked to begin with, but at the same time they had not packed much either. Just clothes and some other basic supplies, not much to put back while Ayla had to fold up all the maps and books and put them back in their tubes for safe keeping while keeping the one book she'd been writing in on hand. The bag went back to the guard, and Ayla found herself glad that he'd been there. He had spent the entire time not being too far from her, standing in the doorway while she was awake, sitting just one table over while they ate, sleeping across the room when she slept. He said very little and only spoke when Ayla had asked him a direct question but it was nice to know she wasn't alone in all of this.

Ayla was on the top deck before they docked, wanting to see what she could of the city while they approached. The dock was in the eastern end of the city, leading up to a market district then to houses and finally to the castle itself at the far north eastern end. Everything was built from materials reflective of the nation itself; the bones of long-dead animals, sea shells crushed to form a strong cement to hold it all together and full shells sanded down so that they weren't sharp along the outer edges. Some were painted blue or green or even a few shades of purple and white so that it looked like the ocean itself had been built into a grand city. People milled about, most looking human but Ayla knew better than that. They were likely merfolk like Aquamarine, looking human when they walked on land because there was little else for them to look like.

As the ship tied off Ayla went to find her two companions, knowing them now as Rose and Zalara. The names were code in case someone knew that the Chosen Ones were all named for gemstones, and even their manner of dress was different now; Lunnoar's magic could not disguise their birth marks that told the whole world who they were. Aquamarine's was on her shoulder and was easy to hide but Pearl's was on the back of his hand. He had always flaunted it because he was not afraid to be who and what he was but now he was forced to wear gloves most of the journey. Pearl seemed to hate it almost as much as he hated Ayla and everything else that was going on, crossing his arms once they were on dry land and looking to Ayla.

"So you were stuck in your books the entire time. Where do we begin?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"If my information is correct we should be able to freely come and go from the castle and somewhere on the grounds will be an entrance to a set of underground tunnels. If we can find those I memorized the maps and we can make our way from there. We're looking for an altar left over from the days of the humans, and if I'm right it should draw whichever one of you it belongs to in. Like the tug you felt towards your Soul Mate, and we'll have to trust your guidance on that end because I have no idea what the altar looks like. We should start here in Silvermoor because Arlyn is less guarded and we'll have an easier time there plus if anything happens while we're in the city the time it takes us to get to the ruins, find the altar and get back should hopefully give it all time to blow over so we can make it back." Ayla began to make her way through the streets, not wanting to waste a moment's time. She was taking charge because neither of them would, though it would not be without its backlash.

"Great. So we're going somewhere underground through tunnels that may or may not be collapsed or could collapse on us at any time to look for an altar or shrine that may or may not be there anymore because it maybe houses the key we're looking for. Sounds like a fun adventure to me." Aquamarine said with some degree of sarcasm, and Ayla stopped dead in her tracks. Then she spun around and glared at her with hate that she didn't even know she had in her until that moment.

"You know what? If you've got a better idea then let's hear it. The two of you spent the entire trip here doing whatever you please while I poured over the maps and books and generally tried to make myself useful to this quest. I don't know where else the keys might be hidden, and if it turns out the altar has been destroyed and we need to look elsewhere then so be it, I do have a few other places in mind. However I firmly believe that this is the best course of action, and if you don't want to come along then you should have objected earlier. Because I swear if you're just going to be constantly negative about this when you did NOTHING to help me look for locations I will be forced to smack you violently upside the head." Ayla was growling as she tried to keep her voice down but still be firm and clear with her words.

As soon as the last words left her mouth, however, Ayla noticed a change in both of them. Relaxed stances, bright eyes, and even hints of a smile on both mouths as Aquamarine clapped a hand on her shoulder and laughed.

"Now that's more like it. You're in charge of the group, Ayla, and that attitude is far more becoming of you." She removed her hand before gesturing it to the side as an indication to lead the way.

Apparently being aggressive with them was what they wanted, so it was what Ayla decided to give them. They took off down the streets and towards the castle, sticking close together so as not to get separated. As Ayla had said it was easy enough to get into the castle, the grounds were open to all who wished to venture in and look around. There were demons everywhere keeping an eye on things but she had faith in Lunnoar's spell, and she was right when she noticed the guards didn't even give them a second thought. To the demons they were just three more tourists browsing the castle grounds for fun.

Eventually it was Pearl's eagle eyes that caught sight of an old trap door located in one of the back hallways, covered up mostly by a rug in hopes of hiding it from any prying eyes. It was inside the castle, which basically seemed as if the first and second floors were open for browsing and there were plenty of small back hallways for people to do whatever. Once the rug was moved aside pearl pulled the metal ring in at one end and wrenched the door open with a loud thud as it hit the ground. There was complete darkness down below and a ladder leading down but it was wooden and there was no telling how stable it was between the age and the apparent state of not being in use given the dust levels in the hallway.

"Well....Any ideas on how to get down?" Pearl looked to Ayla, but the redhead just shook her head before staring down into the pitch black.

"I guess we climb down and....Hope the ladder is alright." Ayla gulped, not really prepared to face this kind of unknown danger despite her bravado.

Still she had to keep proving herself to be that fearless leader they expected her to be so she began to climb down first. Each step was tested carefully, putting part of her weight on it before stepping down and hanging on to the rung above for dear life in case it gave out under her. Thankfully it seemed okay all the way down besides some rough spots and a little bit of shaking that had Ayla scared but really didn't mean much. When she reached the bottom it felt good to have her feet on solid ground, though she coughed as the simple action of putting her feet down stirred up a heavy layer of dust that had settled across the floor.

"The ladder's fine and it looks like the coast is clear down here, come on!" Ayla called up, waiting for the other two to start their descent while she looked around.

It was mostly dark since there were no lights but there was a torch on a nearby wall so Ayla grabbed it and dusted the thing off before reaching into her pack to find her tinderbox. With one quick spark she had the torch lit and the light exploded out into the space. From the thick dust that she could now see Ayla guessed no one had touched this place since the days of the humans. Cobwebs hung thick from the walls and the dust had only been disturbed by rodents that ran back and forth along the walls.

A thumping made Ayla turn her head, sighing when she realized it was just Pearl reaching the bottom and jumping down the last few steps. Aquamarine was right on his tail and once the trio was back together Ayla waved up to her silent guard. He shut the trap door behind them and slid the rug over it before walking away, so now they were on their own. The guard would head back to the Neutral Nation to let them know that they had made it safely, and getting back would be something they had to figure out once they found the keys.

"So, where to now?" Pearl looked to Ayla, raising an eyebrow in curiosity as the girl moved closer to one wall and brushed the dust off it gently.

"Well, if these glyphs are correct we should be going that way." She pointed off down one of the corridors. "See, the humans knew this place was a maze, they built it like this in purpose to confuse any potential enemies that tried to invade. They had their own language in symbols apart from the common tongue they all spoke, and they used it to mark their paths. These wall glyphs are as good as a map, and since I spent all the time getting here studying the symbols I know that this particular one means the altar is that way." Ayla motioned to a small symbol in the shape of a fish scale and an arrow next to it that indicated the hallway she was looking down. "The fish scale is the symbol for this particular altar, there's a feather for the one in Arlyn. The altars were incredibly important to the humans and they protected them to the last. So now we know and we should get moving." Ayla took the torch and lifted it a little so she could see, then began to walk down the hallway in the direction the glyph had told her to go.

Every time they hit a crossroads or turn Ayla had to dust off the wall and check, but other than that the trip was uneventful. A few rats scurried by as they walked, unhappy that their homes were being disturbed and that they had to move out of the way because of the intruders and a few spiders decided to drop in since fire was being brought so close to their homes but that was about the extent of the excitement while they moved through the forgotten tunnels. Thankfully none of them were collapsed, seeming to have held up pretty well over the years even if they did smell of dust and mold and rotting dead things in the walls that they couldn't see.

Finally they reached a large opening into a cavern that had been carved out of the rocks. The whole space was somewhere in the range of twenty feet across, almost perfectly circular. The walls and ceiling were painted with various scenes including humans going about daily life and what looked like meteors falling from the skies before the demons rose up in their place. At the very center sat a pillar that went straight up to the ceiling, made of a clear crystalline material that housed what Ayla assumed was the key they were looking for. Apparently it was metaphorical since it was in the shape of a fish scale, made out of pure aquamarine like the kind the her merfolk companion had been named for. A small stand was in front of the pillar and there was some kind of writing etched onto a stone tablet. Ayla approached carefully and dusted it off, running her fingers along the writings and trying to translate it as best she could.

"So, what's it say? How do we do this?" Pearl asked as he walked up beside the redhead, looking at the strange writing and narrowing his eyes as if he could read it if he looked long enough.

"It seems to be instructions on how to get the key. Aquamarine, I need you to stand over there." Ayla indicated a small circle on the floor ringed with the same stone as her namesake, and as she nodded before stepping over the rings began to glow.

The pillar began to light up as well, and Ayla moved to stand directly across from Aquamarine. Her image was not the least bit distorted despite everything, and Ayla side-eyed Pearl as he took a few steps back before hiding by the tunnel entrance. Everything Ayla had found on the subject did not tell her what was going to happen when this all started up, and since she hadn't told either of them they didn't have any idea of the events to follow either. Still, Ayla steeled her resolve and held up the crystal. It floated out of her hands before dropping to the floor and spiraling upwards around the pillar. Each rotation seemed to speed it up as the lights under Aquamarine's feet glowed brighter and brighter until it was almost unbearable to look at.

Ayla could only watch in awe as Lunnoar's magic was stripped away from her body, revealing her true form in the light. Her feet lifted off the ground and he began to float towards the pillar, so close that Ayla was almost worried the rapidly spinning crystal would hurt her. The clear crystal was large enough to put a person inside and Ayla's mind began to race with the possibilities before she realized that the scale she assumed was trapped inside the pillar was moving outwards towards them. As Aquamarine's body touched the cool stone and the scale touched her body the two seemed to meld into one and Aquamarine screamed. It was a loud, painful, almost inhuman screeching that finally ended when the crystal Taika had given Ayla stopped spinning and shot towards her before giving off a blinding flash.

As the lights faded Ayla lowered her arms and noticed that Aquamarine was gone and she was holding the crystal again. Then she felt a twinge of pain in her chest and doubled over, clutching at it as her heart beat faster and faster to the point she thought it might explode. She vomited, and then there was nothing, just the blackness of her own unconscious mind.

The next thing Ayla knew she was waking up near the entrance to the tunnels with Pearl sitting nearby staring at the altar. It was still glowing, though the scale was now gone and there was no sign of Aquamarine. Her head and chest hurt but it was just a slight throbbing pain now, nothing compared to the earlier sensations. As Ayla sat up she had to steady herself for a moment, realizing that a flood of memories were coming in and they were not hers. Rather they appeared to be Aquamarine's, or so she gathered from the many views of Sapphire and some other things she really did not need to see.

"Hey, you're awake." Pearl interrupted the flood, looking over with the frown that seemed so permanently set on his lips.

"Yeah I....What happened?" Ayla groaned, forcing herself to sit up all the way and reach for her bag to get the painkillers from her medical kit.

"I don't really know. There was that bright light and then Aqua was gone and you threw up and passed out. I was actually hoping you knew a little more about it." Pearl just watched as Ayla popped open the bottle and took some pills, chasing them with water from the canteens they had brought.

"Not really I....I think I may have absorbed her, somehow. I feel her memories and emotions inside me now and...There's pain in my chest." Ayla sighed, though apparently her words were the wrong choice since Pearl was now glaring at her from across the hall.

"What do you mean you absorbed her? What manner of magic is this that can take his body and her soul and put it inside of you? Did you know this would happen?" Pearl was snarling, angry and upset at the loss of his friend and Ayla couldn't blame him one bit for any of it.

"I didn't know this would happen, I promise. Taika told me the keys would be the catalysts to unlock your powers, and that together they would all unite to defeat the Gods. I didn't realize that..." Ayla choked back tears, trying not to think about what had happened and what would have to happen for this mission to go on. "I guess I am a catalyst too, in a way. I think the prophecy means that I will take your souls and your powers and bring them to full realization within myself to defeat the Gods. I'm so sorry, Pearl. Had I know I-" Ayla cut off as Pearl smacked her across the face while tears streamed down his own.

"It doesn't matter anymore, does it? I didn't sign up for this, I didn't come along on this adventure to forfeit my own life so that you can become stronger and neither did they! If that's truly how this is going to go then we'll all be dead by the end and won't even get the decency to move on to some kind of afterlife. You know why? Because you're taking our souls!" Pearl sat back and just started crying in a complete emotional breakdown. Ayla didn't know what to do so she just sat for a minute, trying to wrap her brain around it all and come up with a decent response.

"I...I think I understand. You don't want to go through that and I don't blame you, but we have to press on. We can't just abandon our duties, our destinies, just because things aren't going as planned. I promise, Pearl, that whatever happens I will make sure that their sacrifice, your sacrifice....The sacrifices everyone will have to make for this will not be in vain. I will defeat the Gods, and when it's all over I will make sure you are all remembered." It wasn't much but it was all Ayla could offer, and she just had to hope it was good enough.

Before Pearl could give a proper response, however, the noise of footsteps approaching caught their attention and they both stood in a hurry to start gathering their things. By the time they were ready to run off into another connecting tunnel they saw who was coming and the flight urge grew even stronger. Water demons, guards by the look of them, probably coming to investigate the light since Ayla was now assuming it had spread through cracks and other places that led to the surface. Pearl didn't look like a Chosen One plus he still had his gloves on so the mark was well hidden and Ayla knew the guards wouldn't know to look for him.

"You two, what are you doing down here?" One of them asked, eyes blue as the ocean glaring down while Pearl and Ayla tried to seem innocent.

"Nothing sir. We found an old door leading beneath the castle and we thought it'd be a little fun to investigate. Sadly we got lost, and we were just resting here before trying to find our way out." Ayla spoke up first, her brain inventing a story quickly as she tried to be as polite as possible.

"I remember seeing you earlier. Weren't there two others with you?" The same guard eyed the pair with some suspicion, and Ayla tried not to shift her weight nervously.

"Yes, but they decided to explore elsewhere. Dusty old tunnels aren't really their thing, you know? Anyway I...Well, we, were under the impression you guys didn't come down here what with the level of dust and all." Ayla was trying to get a response out of them as to why they'd come down looking, hoping that their cover wasn't blown.

"Some kind of light exploded out from under these tunnels. The Goddess is in Royal Azure as always but the demon she left in charge wished us to come and investigate it. So far we've found nothing, but since we're here we'll guide you out. And this time stay out, go find your friend and find something less dangerous than exploring old tunnels." The guard gave a huff that said he was generally displeased but that was it and he turned before starting to walk back the way they had come from.

Ayla looked to Pearl and the two nodded before following after the water demon. Rather than trekking all the way back to the place they had come in, however, they went up a set of stairs that emerged into a back hallway. The sunlight seemed almost blindingly bright after being underground with just the torch for what seemed like hours but it was nice to breathe fresh air again and have a feeling that they were both safe.

"You heard me, get out of here. I'd say out of the castle for a bit if I were you, until we find out what caused that light to go off we can't be sure it's safe." The guard pointed them off and they left with all the haste they could manage, heading back to the docks to find the ship and the guard who had come with them.

Once they were safely aboard and in some place where no one else could hear them Ayla told him everything. He seemed displeased but also understanding, both of Ayla's uneasiness with carrying on the mission and Pearl's almost unwillingness to head to Arlyn where the same fate would await him. After more conversation they agreed that they had to press on, and with that in mind Ayla quickly scribbled a letter for Lunnoar telling her everything so that the others could be prepared when Ayla returned alone. Pearl wrote one as well, Ayla presumed for Emerald as a way of saying his final goodbyes. After all when Pearl 'died' Emerald would feel it, and it would be better if he heard it from the one he loved instead of the one who murdered him.

With the letters written they were handed over to the guard, trusting that he would deliver them back to the safety of Khelgard and their intended recipients. That done Pearl and Ayla knew they had to move fast. There was a good chance their identities had been compromised, for while the guards might not have known what was going on as soon as the Water Goddess caught wind Ayla had no doubt she would come after them. Worse yet the Gods were sharing information, and while Pearl had little to worry about Ayla knew that it would be harder for her to get around in the future if they knew her identity. On top of that they would probably know they were in disguise after this so everyone else would be on high alert for the Chosen Ones trying not to look like themselves.

The more Ayla thought on it the more she realized, thankfully, that at least for now no one knew what their next move was. Clearly no one knew the importance of the altars or probably that they even existed. They could flee the city and no one would expect them to be within the country. So with one final goodbye to their silent guard Ayla and Pearl headed out, going east towards Arlyn. Within a few hours they were outside the city and on the borders of the large forest that took up the better part of the continent's land mass. Pearl seemed lost in thought and Ayla didn't bother to disrupt that, letting him do as he would while they walked until the griffon finally stopped dead in his tracks and seemed stuck in time.

"Pearl? Is everything okay?" Ayla asked, turning slowly but keeping a cautionary distance just in case Pearl snapped on her.

"I don't know. It's just strange to be home I guess." He muttered, looking up as Ayla arched an eyebrow. "I was born near the ruins of Arlyn, the place is full of griffon colonies. I was the runt of the litter and left as soon as I could, though, because I knew there was something better out there for me. Better than spending each day squabbling with the others for food and living cushy lives with no adventure or excitement. I haven't been back since then and now...Now it's just strange to look around me and see things that are familiar and yet changed because time has passed." Pearl sighed, looking Ayla square in the eyes for a minute.

"I can't say I know the feeling, but-" Ayla was trying to be nice but she found herself interrupted by a screeching call. It was loud, so much so that it almost shattered her eardrums and left her frightened enough to nearly jump out of her skin.

"My kin are calling. They don't like us being here, and probably don't recognize me like this." Pearl seemed unfrightened by the noise, instead regarding it with a fondness that Ayla was almost jealous of.

It was starting to grow dark and Ayla let the subject go as she began to look around for a place to set up a camp. Pearl, on the other hand, seemed up to something and as Ayla looked she realized that the man was shifting back into his griffon form. The transformation looked almost painful as his body grew larger, hands turning into eagle claws as his legs sprouted fur and started to resemble that of a lion. Everything about him changed, his shoulder blades giving a sickening crack as they erupted in a spew of blood from her body so that they could elongate into a pair of wings each longer than Ayla was tall, white and speckled with flecks of shimmering color tipped with salty blue feathers like the color of an ocean. Even his eyes transformed, turning a dark blue before regarding Ayla with the same intelligence she had come to expect from the pirate as he stretched out and took a few steps to grow used to getting that big again.

"Now they should recognize me and leave us be. Or at the very least if they do not then we will stand a fighting chance against them. You are not armed and though I have a feeling that you can use Aqua's summoning skills because you hold her memories and probably her powers it is an art you are not practiced in. Thus I do not know how much help it would be against several creatures the size I am if not bigger and with much more experience in combat." Pearl spoke, and though Ayla could hear the words his mouth did not move. She tried not to think too hard on it, though, and instead just shrugged it off. She'd seen stranger things, after all.

"Could you just warn me next time? That was kind of creepy to watch." Ayla laughed a little, glad when Pearl just nodded and looked at her before flopping over on the ground and making himself a makeshift nest of sorts to sleep in.

Ayla noted that where the griffons she'd heard of in stories had tails like a lion Pearl instead had a mass of large feathers that moved around like snakes with minds of their own. It was an interesting thing to notice as Ayla began to set up camp, finding some sticks and fallen logs before starting up a fire. A bed roll came out of her bag easily and it was laid out so that Ayla could sleep on something beside the hard ground. The skies looked pretty clear and she didn't think it would rain so she was fine camping in the woods. With Pearl the size of a large bear with lots of sharp claws and giant wings that could probably scare off predators Ayla also wasn't worried about anything happening overnight. Instead she pulled out a few books and began to read them, fact checking herself and making notes in the same journal from the ship, including what had happened recently. In the back of her mind she prayed their letters would reach Khelgard safely and that upon her return she would not be met with utter hatred from everyone else.

Worse yet, thinking on it Ayla realized she should have seen it coming. The words regarding the prophecy and the altars was pretty strange, and she felt it should have been a clear giveaway to some kind of hidden meaning that she was just too blind to see. An odd sort of depression began to fall over her, though as she reached for another book the necklace that Diamond had given her caught the light and Ayla just stared down at it before reaching up to curl her fingers around the pendant. There was no use dwelling on should haves, would haves or could haves. That's what Turquoise had told her, and repeating them combined with clutching the pendant reminded her that she was not alone in this. Ayla sighed and shrugged off the negative feelings to resume her studies.

At some point Pearl left for a little bit, and Ayla realized only when he returned that it was to hunt. The griffon had a deer draped over his back and a rabbit in his mouth, the smaller creature tossed in Ayla's general direction. The redhead was used to having to clean and cook small animals so she put her books away and reached for her skinning knife. In minutes the rabbit was gutted, skinned and skewered on a sharpened stick so it could cook over the fire. Once it was heated through Ayla started to pick at the meat while she poured over the books more. What she was looking for was anyone's guess, but Ayla kept thinking she was missing something and wanted more to go on. Nothing was forthcoming, however, and Ayla only broke her concentration when Pearl reached out a clawed foot to snatch away the current book which caused the redhead to look up at him with a pout.

"Put the books away and get some sleep. It is late, and we will need to move at first light just in case anyone saw us heading in this direction. Once Delaoc realizes we've reached the first key she will stop at nothing to track us down." Pearl's voice was stern and behind it was still some anger, but more than anything he sounded like a concerned parent.

"You're right, I'm sorry. I just...." No, there was no need to apologize further or try to explain herself. Ayla realized that quickly and left it be, packing up before setting down on her bed roll to sleep.

Sadly it would not be peaceful, as Ayla woke several times with chills while sweat poured from her skin. Aquamarine's last screams still haunted her, and the thoughts of having to do that to Pearl, to everyone else, were making her uneasy. Yet the griffon never left her side, having scooted up next to the human girl and sheltering her with a folded wing. Ayla eventually snuggled into the warm fur and began to cry until she passed out from the exhaustion, waking only when Pearl began to shift as if he was getting up.

"Is it time to go?" Ayla muttered, looking up with bleary eyes at Pearl.

"Shhh, something's out there." Pearl growled, and Ayla sat up quickly to try to shake off sleep and get a better sense of the world around her.

Pearl was right, of course, there was something stalking about in the nearby trees and once Ayla could hear it she realized it did not sound friendly. Actually there was more than one something, and if Ayla could trust her half-asleep judgment it sounded like they were not happy to have intruders in their space. There was a surge of energy in her veins as Ayla stood up in a hurry to stand beside Pearl, noting to herself that the energy seemed to flow into her hand before she held it up to investigate. A beam of something shot out, swirling around the trees before forming a thing made of fallen branches and leaves in the shape of a person. Something summoned, though weak because it was her first try and she hadn't intended to bring it forth. It was the panic, the thought that there was something dangerous nearby that had activated this power.

Pearl regarded the summon with a nod, allowing it to form but keeping it at bay with a glare. If the summoner was not strong enough to control the thing they had brought into the world it was prone to escaping, and even though the body that had twigs for a skeleton and skin made of dead leaves was temporary if it degraded the spirit could escape. Hollow eyes looked around, noting that something was moving through the trees and whatever it was it had been the reason for this creature to be brought over and given form.

"Elves." Pearl growled, spreading his wings to take a stance that dared them to challenge him.

He was trying to frighten them off, and at first it seemed to be working until the sound of an arrow being let out from a taut bow echoed out. Ayla turned just in time to catch it coming straight at Pearl. In a split second she knew she could either warn her and hope she'd move out of the way or she could step into the line of fire to save the griffon. Ayla chose the latter. The arrow dug into her shoulder and the pain seemed to radiate out from there as she fell to the ground, the summon falling apart in a heap of the things it had been made from now that she no longer had the focus to keep it bound. Pearl turned just in time to see Ayla take the arrow and that set him off. The griffon roared, lowering his stance before jumping up and flapping his wings with all the force he could muster. Gusts of wind tore through the trees, threatening to knock a few over in a statement that Pearl would come after them if they did not leave.

"How brave of you to take a shot for your companion, human." One finally spoke, jumping down from his tree as Pearl landed. He almost seemed mocking, staring down at Ayla with a deep scowl set on his angled face.

"He's more than a companion, elf." Ayla spat back, getting to her feet slowly and leaning on Pearl so he wouldn't collapse again from the pain of the shaft stuck in his shoulder. "You really shouldn't have shot at us, whatever it is you want I'm sure we can work this out like civil folk." The wound wasn't bleeding to badly, but Ayla figured it was probably the arrow keeping the wound shut, which was good enough for now.

"I do suppose that is true, though if you have a griffon with you what chance is there that you come in any manner of peace? Humans come through here all the time looking to poke at the ruins. They often find our camps and disrupt the local environment, then blame us when the land decides to fight back against their intrusion. Then we get attacked, and if we kill them we are monsters but if we do not defend ourselves we die. What makes you different from them?" He almost growled the words, and Ayla could see in his eyes that there was a very strong hatred for intruders to the land.

"So you would risk fighting me and my kin as opposed to speaking with us first? That is a very foolish thing to do." Pearl snarled in response, and Ayla just tightened her grip on the feathers as a warning to calm down.

"He has a point, but now that we are talking at least we can try to be civil about it. Yes, we have come to look through the ruins but we do not wish to be disruptive if we can help it. We know what we are looking for and where it is, for the most part, and all we ask is a chance to seek it out." Ayla didn't want to fight, the elves had arrows and legends said they were great marksmen. The pair were outnumbered, overpowered, and had no chance except to try to talk their way out of it.

"I suppose that depends on what you are searching for." The elf still had his hands on his bow which was still strung and ready to draw an arrow if need be, so Ayla took that as a sign that they were still very unwelcome for the time being.

"An altar, buried in the ruins. I am studying the humans of old, hoping to look into our past by way of ruins. I want to see if there is knowledge there we have long forgotten that perhaps we could put to good use today." Ayla was lying, but she was fairly good at it. While it wasn't a skill she practiced often the truth could get them killed at this point so it was better to lie and hopefully live at this point.

"I see. We know the altar you speak of, it is one of the few things that has remained mysteriously intact among the ruins, as if it were enchanted. Of course given that humans could not use magic back then and can only use it now with extensive training I doubt it actually is, but the point stands." He finally lowered his bow a little, though it wasn't much consolation given that Ayla knew there were a dozen or more hiding in the trees with arrows trained on her.

Of course he was correct with that statement, for before the Gods came to Eralon humans did not know how to use magic. There was very little of it in the air and no good source of it in the natural world. Being made mostly of magical energy themselves the Gods had created the demons, and during the Great War their slaughter had released all of their magic into the air. As it began to settle things like griffons and elves evolved. Some humans were born with a natural ability to tap into magic but they were few and far between and rarely received the training they needed to properly harness it. As such it made sense that the humans of old could not have actually enchanted the altar, but Ayla sensed somehow that they were magic in a sense. How else could they have remained mostly intact while everything around them crumbled to dust? Better yet, how else could the keys have been made? Still, she kept the thoughts to herself and nodded towards the elf with as much civility as she could manage given the circumstances.

"That is good, then. Since we're being civil my name is Ayla and this is Rose. Care if I ask your name?" Ayla looked at him, trying not to grimace as the pain in her shoulder seemed to worsen with each passing second.

"I am Owen, the leader of the elves here." Despite Pearl's obvious signs of protest he approached, putting a hand on Ayla's shoulder where the shaft was protruding. It was also sticking out of the back of her shoulder so in one swift move he broke the wood so he wouldn't have to pull the barbed tip back through her flesh. With the fletched end out it was easy for Owen to grab the tip and quickly remove it as well, almost as if he'd had to do this more than once. Then his fingers began to glow a deep blue color before the energy moved to her wound and began to heal it, the gaping hole closing before he took a step back with a slight nod. "There, that should make up for me shooting you." He smiled, almost seeming to ignore the fact that Pearl looked like he would rip the elf in half.

"Not really, but it's a start." Ayla returned the smile, just glad that he was willing to be a little nicer now.

"How about if I lead you straight to the altar?" He offered, making a hand gesture that told the others to stand down.

"That'll do. Lead on." Ayla let go of Pearl and gave a face that said to keep himself in control.

It was awkward, but there were no more words spoken between them. Instead Owen led on, making himself visible while the remainder of his clan stayed hidden so as not to give themselves away. They were in the shadows of the trees, following with weapons drawn just in case the griffon decided to do something foolish. Pearl growled at a few of them from time to time but otherwise was silent as he padded beside Ayla. The redhead kept her eyes and ears alert for any sign that the elves weren't going to hold up their end of the bargain, and when they finally stopped Ayla questioned it for a moment before her ears caught the distinctive screeching of the griffons, now closer than ever. As she looked ahead through the foliage she could see the ruins, but this particular part appeared to be home to a colony of the creatures. It would be useless to try and go past them, and as Ayla was trying to figure out what to do Pearl let out of a screech of his own. Ayla felt her ears ringing in the aftermath and nearly wanted to smack her companion for giving away their position. Even Owen had taken off as soon as the noise was done, having no wish to tangle with a colony of griffons, which left them alone and Ayla unarmed except for what few small summons she could bring up. Still such things would be no match for the large creatures that were now aware of their presence and starting to gather wondering why they heard the call of one of their own.

"Peace, Ayla. These griffons will not harm you, they are my family." Pearl gave another growl, but this one was more of a purr of sorts, before stepping forward towards the colony with an air of confidence about him.

Not wanting to be left behind Ayla scurried to catch up, thankful when she could stand beside the griffon again. She was not too enthused about approaching several dozen griffons who were all staring rather intently at them, even if Pearl held his head high and kept Ayla close as they walked right through the nesting grounds and into the ruins beyond with little resistance. A few of the bigger griffons hissed and flapped their wings in some attempt to intimidate them, and Ayla noted it was usually the ones guarding nests with eggs. Rather large ones too, some wiggling and cracking as if the babies were just about to hatch. No wonder they were being so territorial!

Finally they reached the ruins and an entrance that led them underground almost like a cave. Within minutes things were pitch black and Ayla had to stop, noting that there were no torches on the wall so she couldn't get any source of light.

"What's the matter?" Pearl asked, looking back to Ayla before tilting his head.

"I can't see anything down here." Ayla muttered, reaching out one hand and trying to focus her energy into her flattened palm.

Ayla had never known magic or how to use it because she was human, but with Aquamarine's memories at her fingertips as well as her powers she felt like she had simply...stopped using magic for a while, and now it was all coming back to her. The gears were rusty but with enough practice they would become start to turn and work again. A few scooted along as she imagined the small thing she wanted to summon in her mind; a fire spirit, something small that would light up the area but not have the power to go very far from her.

After what seemed like forever Ayla finally felt something was changing. Heat radiated out from her hands and she opened her eyes, looking down at the little glowing ball hovering just above her palm. It flitted around with a happy chirping sound before Ayla willed it to float in front of her to light her path. The creature obeyed, bobbing happily where she wished it to be while they walked down the halls. Most of the tunnels were collapsed around them, and Ayla wondered what it might have looked like before years of neglect threw it to ruin. Pearl seemed to know where they were going so Ayla stayed close, one hand on his fur so she could follow after without straying too far. There was a feather symbol on the walls pointing where Pearl was leading, and Ayla had every faith they were going in the right direction.

In time a familiar glow reached the corners of the redhead's eyes and she dismissed the little spirit she had summoned, barely blinking as it squeaked in protest before disappearing. The light from the altar would be enough for now, though she realized the light was white with soft undertones of other colors swirling just below it. Again she saw the pillar of crystal at the center of a large cavern, and a single crystal made of solid carved pearl at its center. The more she stared, however, the more Ayla felt overwhelmed and before she knew it tears were streaming down her face as she clung to Pearl.

"What's wrong, Ayla?" Pearl asked, nuzzling into her.

"I...I can't. After Aquamarine and..." She sobbed, not wanting to put Pearl through all the pain and then having to soldier on alone after it was all said and done.

"You must, Ayla. You won't be alone, Aqua and I will be with you. Come now, we may not have much time." Pearl stepped away and began to walk to his side of the altar, shifting gently into his human form as he walked.

Lunnoar's magic appeared to have been stripped away by his transformation, as had his clothes since he stood naked across the room but didn't seem to mind one bit as a sly smile crossed his face. Ayla had expected the griffon to be furious, to fight and refuse to go, but somehow he had come to terms with what was going to happen. Or at least that's how it appeared, because Ayla doubted anyone could really be okay with the notion that their life was about to end. She was not as fine with that concept, however, but it seemed there was no choice in the matter as the catalyst crystal began to shake in her pocket. It longed to be near the pillar and start the process of drawing in more power, so Ayla took a deep breath and tried to steel herself against the emotions she was feeling.

Pearl stood across from Ayla, eyes closed and lips moving as he mumbled something under his breath. Holding out his hands Ayla could see that he was holding two pieces of jewelry. One as an anklet with a silver chain and a feather charm made of pure emerald hanging from it while the other was a ring, also made of silver with a fish scale made of sapphire where there would usually be a gemstone. Ayla recognized them as the pieces worn by both Pearl and Aquamarine, respectively, and she wondered how Pearl had retrieved Aquamarine's ring when she was sure that all of the merfolk had been taken into herself.

"Take these, and wear them proudly. Wear them so that we are not forgotten, and to remind you of our sacrifices. They are the only things that won't be destroyed when you take us, so make sure you get all twelve. I...I don't want to die, but I know that this is how it must be. Good luck to you, Ayla, and remember that I will always be with you." Pearl smiled, dropping the anklet and ring to the floor as Ayla's catalyst crystal began to swirl around the pillar that stood between them.

This time Ayla could not bear to look. She put her hands on her ears and tried to drown out the noise as Pearl held back his screams. Blood ran down her neck as she bit down on her bottom lip. The feather moved towards Pearl, vanishing into his chest and absorbing him into itself before moving back towards Ayla. She hadn't noticed that before with Aquamarine, the light had been too bright, but now she knew where the pain had come from. The little feather token pushed its way into her own chest, and Ayla hissed so that she would not scream and attract attention. Her brain had shut down the first time around, and now she understood why; the pain was immense, unlike anything she'd ever felt before. It was almost as if she was on fire, the heat coming from within and radiating out through her body as if it was carried in her blood. This time, however, Ayla was prepared for pain and focused on something else. The necklace Diamond had given her, the memories of that day when they had gone out together just before Ayla left. The fun, the laughter, the good memories to help wipe out the pain.

Just as suddenly as the process began it ended, and Ayla collapsed on the floor breathing heavily in an attempt to bring as much air as possible to her burning lungs. Maybe that would soothe the heat in her veins. Except it didn't, and Ayla retched before the pain subsided but even then every movement hurt as she forced herself to her feet. Slowly she moved to where Pearl had been standing, collapsing there before reaching for the anklet and ring that had been left behind and curling her fingers around them. Out of nowhere the pain stopped, and Ayla felt as if there was warmth in her but it was not the fire from before. No, this was more soothing and it chased away the overpowering heat while restoring her energy. As she opened her hand Ayla noticed the stones on both tokens were glowing, giving off a slight warmth akin to that which was now flowing in her.

"Thank you. I will ensure your sacrifices are not in vain." Ayla whispered, slipping the ring onto her index finger as that was the only place it would fit. The anklet was clasped on her left, and she noted with some fascination how the clasp seemed to seal itself magically, probably some measure to ensure it would not fall off.

Now, however, Ayla found herself faced with an ugly reality. She was alone and had no idea what to do. True that Pearl and Aquamarine were within her now, their powers and personalities, memories and feelings, but they were no longer physically beside her. They could not help in the way she needed at the moment. Lost in that thought Ayla realized almost too late that she heard footsteps approaching, pulling herself to her feet now that the pain had subsided to a dull ache. Just as she was dusting herself off the elves appeared, Owen at their lead. He stopped, staring at the redhead as if she'd grown a third eye.

"Mind if I ask why you're staring?" She asked, raising one eyebrow as she straightened her clothes.

"Forgive me, but you look....Different." Owen blinked, almost as if he didn't trust his own eyes and could not believe that she was standing in front of him.

"Different? Different how?" Ayla began to look over what aspects of herself she could see, hoping to try and find what he was talking about.

Of course she didn't see everything, but she did notice that there were indeed a few changes, things she hadn't noticed before. Her clothes were a little tight as if she'd filled out more, her pants shorter as if she'd grown a few inches. A little extra muscle mass was present too, which would have explained the tight clothing in addition to the fact that her chest had grown to the point it was almost spilling out of her shirt.

"You are taller, bulkier. And your hair, if I remember correctly when we spoke a few hours ago was red, was it not?" Owen looked really confused, though that was probably because Ayla was reflecting his emotions as she pulled her hair out of its usual bun and guided the strands into view.

Indeed the elf was right, her hair was no longer the brilliant, flaming red she was so used to seeing. Instead it had turned an odd shade of bluish black, and looking at the fingers holding the strands she noted that her skin had changed too. It had been slightly tan due to days spent in the sun but now it was pale white, so much so that it reminded her of the few times that Ayla had seen snow in Lagina Village. Odd, to say the least, but Ayla figured if she was absorbing the powers of the Chosen Ones it made sense that her body would change to acclimate. It didn't explain the hair but it was good for just about everything else so Ayla left it be and sighed as she pulled her hair back up into a bun.

"You're right, I guess I have changed." She shrugged, trying not to over think the situation.

"More than you realize, I would wager. We know who you are, or at least who our legends say you are. You are the avididon, the destroyer. Your actions will bring about the fall of the Gods, setting free the humans from their enslavement and ending the era of magic that has reigned in Eralon for so long." Owen crossed his arms over his chest and bowed slightly, the others following him as if it was some honor that he was standing before her.

"Wait I...What do you mean about ending the era of magic? I know about the whole Gods thing but...What?" She was confused, and looked at Owen as the panic crept into her voice. Of course it hit her at that point, the words of Taika's prophecy. Given that she assumed she was dreaming at the time she had not paid much mind to the words when they were said and had not thought on them since.

"Come, we will lead you out of the ruins." Owen gave her a sly smile and no answers, then turned to leave.

Ayla was in no position to do anything but follow along, and as they exited the ruins she stared up at the sky. Something in her wanted to fly, to be in the air and beat her wings with all the power they had. She wanted to feel the wind rushing over her body. It was odd, but Ayla understood once she heard the screeching of the other griffons nearby. When she had taken Aquamarine into herself she'd gained his power of summoning, and from Pearl she must have gained a griffon form. It was the griffon inside of her that now wished to go soaring into the skies. She wasn't going to say no, the urge was too strong, but she wanted to speak to Owen before she left.

"I suppose I owe you thanks, Owen." She smiled, extending a hand and as he clasped hers she shook it firmly.

"You owe me nothing, avididon. Now go, your business here is done and the Goddess of these lands is looking for you. We left her men in the ruins to be lost in the maze of tunnels, but it's only a matter of time before they find their way out." Owen seemed concerned, and while Ayla had other questions she could hear the water demons not too far off shouting to one another as they tried to navigate to an exit.

There was no time, Ayla had to move now. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine the griffon she had seen Pearl become earlier. That strong, majestic creature was within her now and it wanted to fly. Her bones began to shift, skin ripping to expand as feathers and fur began to sprout, hands turning into talons with an almost scaly texture to them. Ayla was aware of a painful sensation but it wasn't too bad, it felt more like an allover dull ache as her body reorganized itself to become larger and stronger. She kept her eyes shut the entire time, opening them only after it had all stopped.

Almost instantly she noticed things were different. Her eyesight was sharper than it had been in her human form and her sense of hearing was picking up far more than she'd been able to previously. It was somewhat of a sensory overload as she could also feel her newly formed wings and her tail and other extensions of her body, though she wasn't sure how to move them at first. There was little time to learn, however, because her new senses were telling her that the soldiers were drawing ever closer and she wanted to be gone before they found her with the elves. Chances were they'd just mistake her for another griffon from the nearby pack but they might also know that she wasn't or even if they suspected she was different they might kill Owen and his band.

Ayla flapped her wings hard and tried to get airborne. It wasn't as easy as she thought it might be, her body was heavier now and it did not want to get up into the air. After several flaps she was barely off the ground and it took a lot of energy for her to stay that way, though thankfully her instincts kicked in and she was able to find a thermal draft to ride up into the skies. It lifted her with almost no effort, pushing her wings up as the rest of her body followed. Ayla looked back just in time to see the guards convening upon the elves but it looked like Owen and his followers had things handled so she pushed forward.

The griffon in her knew what to do and she felt as if Pearl was guiding her, whispering and giving tips from somewhere unseen. How to ride the currents and conserve her energy, rest her wings so she didn't have to work as hard or tire herself out before she made it all the way back to Khelgard. Of course Ayla didn't dare look at the ground; she'd always been afraid of heights and felt queasy looking down from high places. Instead she focused on what was in ahead of her, the spires of Khelgard castle as they came into view on the horizon after what seemed like endless hours with just the water on all sides. That's when the tiredness began to creep in, a sort of weariness that was not just in her body it was also within her soul and mind. She wanted to stop flying, to lay down and sleep for ages until she had forgotten the troubles of the world and all things related to it. Yet these thoughts were pushed aside in favor of continuing onward, and soon enough the tower was within her grasp. She wasn't even thinking, she just landed on the balcony of one of the spires and made her way inside. The room was mostly empty except for some storage boxes and a bunch of hay bales for some reason. It was dusty, like no one had been there for ages, and Ayla allowed herself to function on auto pilot as the griffon part of her tore the bales apart and made them into a nest. One Ayla was all too happy to curl up in as she covered herself with more of the hay before falling into a deep, emotionless sleep.

That was the last thing Ayla remembered, followed by waking up what she assumed was some time later in a bed in her human form. She groaned and rolled over, blinking before realizing that things were different. There was a moment of panic, wondering why things had changed and how she had wound up there, but then there was a firm hand on her shoulder. It was reassuring and warm, so Ayla stopped to get a good look at whoever was touching her. Of all people it had to be Onyx, staring down at her with his one good eye and an expression on his lips that read displeasure like a lit up sign. Thinking back on what had happened she did not blame him now, though she was terribly confused as to what he was doing until she looked out of the corner of one eye as movement caught her attention. Opal was there as well, getting up out of her chair and walking around so she could get a little closer to Ayla.

"She's fine, Onyx. Give the girl some modesty, step out." Opal's voice wasn't demanding but there was a tone that said it wasn't up for debate, which had Ayla a little worried.

The worry turned to relief, however, as her brain began to go into overdrive in attempt to figure out what was going on. Number one she was naked, though covered in the sheets of a soft bed so as not to be indecent. Two the room itself was rather large, though Ayla realized it was either the same room or very similar to the one she had stayed in when she first arrived at the castle. Still, that didn't ease her mind when Onyx left and she found herself alone with the child vampire. Her pale skin and eyes had given her away, along with the sharp canine teeth when she smiled, and Ayla did not want to be dealing with what appeared to be a very angry vampire right now.

"How are you feeling?" Opal asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed and reaching out to put a hand on Ayla's forehead.

"Like I was run over." Ayla replied in a non joking manner. Everything hurt, especially her shoulders, and she knew it was not going to get better any time soon.

"As you should, I suspect. Though you had us all worried, Ayla. What happened out there?" Opal was showing genuine concern, especially when the redhead gave her a face of utter confusion.

"Did...Did our letters never arrive? We sent word with the guard, he was supposed to come back here and keep everyone informed." Now Ayla was really worried, her thoughts turning to the probability that the guard and the people on that ship might have been killed or worse because of them.

"That ship never made it back. We sent a search party but there was nothing to be found, we have no idea what became of them after they left Silvermoor." Opal looked at her intently, and Ayla felt that she was being scrutinized because of the changes to her physical appearance.

Taking a deep breath Ayla found herself telling Opal everything. About what had happened to Aquamarine, how Pearl had given himself up willingly to the whole ordeal because he knew it was inevitable and he wanted to help. The anklet and the ring, the elves, becoming a griffon and flying back to Khelgard nonstop. The entire time Opal just listened, nodding as if she understood, and when Ayla was finished she seemed more thoughtful than anything else, staying silent for a few moments before sighing.

"Well, that would explain why we found you in the top of one of the old towers, sleeping in a bunch of messed up hay. There were many reports of a griffon landing in an abandoned part of the castle, and when the guards when to check it out they found you in your human form, curled up in a nest made of old bales that had been left up there. Quiet the sight according to the others. You were sick for some time, feverish and sweating, and for a little while we thought you would not make it." Opal gave a gentle smile, reaching out to put her hand on Ayla's shoulder in a reassuring manner.

"I don't really remember any of that. I mean I do but...I feel like it all happened in a dream. Everything after I turned into a griffon and flew from Arlyn is a big blur." Ayla took a deep breath, fighting back tears as the memories rushed in and threatened to overwhelm her.

"I can understand that. You were in shock, most likely." Opal stood, walking over to a dresser on the other side of the room and patting a pile of clothing. "Get dressed so you're at least mostly decent. We found you without clothes and didn't want to redress you in case something was wrong. Feel up to visitors or should I just have a maid bring you some food?" She raised her eyebrow at Ayla, waiting patiently for a reaction.

"I don't think I could face the others right now, and I'm so hungry I think I could eat a horse." She tried to joke, sitting up but keeping the sheets at her shoulders so she was covered.

"Very well. But remember that you'll have to face them eventually, and the sooner you do it the better. Trust me, I'm probably ten times your age and I know a lot more than you think." Opal cast one last sympathetic smile before walking off, closing the door quietly behind her as if she had never been there to begin with.

Now that she was alone Ayla took a few moments to breathe and hold in the tears before she threw her feet over the side of the bed and tried to stand. She felt that she shouldn't have been too surprised when it turned out to be rather difficult and she had to support herself on the nightstand so she wouldn't fall over. Everything in her body hurt as if it was on fire again, though this wasn't the same as before. It was more a dull heat, as if she were standing in front of a warm bonfire. This was a sensation she was used to; her muscles complaining of overuse, probably because they had to stretch and mutate to fit the griffon she became. It made sense, in a way, so she both ignored and acknowledged it as she made her way over to the dresser using anything she could as a means to support herself and crawling a little bit of the way when there was nothing to hang on to. She decided a bath would help so after grabbing the clothes she made her way to the bathroom and ran the hot water before propping herself up against the tub to look at what she'd been brought. A brocade top in a delicate purple color, swirling with bits of pink and silk pants to match along with a much needed bra and underwear set. Fancy but not overly so, and just what Ayla had come to expect from things provided to her by Lunnoar. By the time she'd finished folding the set and putting them aside the bath was full so Ayla turned off the water and managed to haul herself in. The heated water seemed to soothe her muscles and help her relax, though Ayla felt very grimy for some reason. Probably just the dust of travel but it needed to come off so she reached for a sponge and tried to relax as she washed herself.

At some point the door opened again, and since Ayla had left the door connecting the bathroom to the main room the maid was able to see where Ayla was and simply nodded before leaving the food on the nightstand. Ayla didn't care if it went cold, though, the bath was too nice and she was loathe to get out even after the water started to cool and her skin began to wrinkle. Yet she knew she had to, so with some hesitation Ayla hauled herself out of the water and into the seemingly freezing air beyond. It sucked, but the soak had left her less sore and she was able to grab a towel to dry off before putting on her bra and shirt then pulling her hair up into the towel so it wouldn't drip. Once she was fully dressed Ayla sighed, the soft fabric feeling fantastic against her skin and reminding her of home in a way that was so subtle she hadn't noticed at first. Decent and mostly dry Ayla made her way back into the bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed, looking down at her feet and noticing that somehow the anklet was still there. It didn't look as if it had stretched out any, as if it had magically grown bigger to fit over her griffon legs. The same went for the ring, and as Ayla reached to slide it off she noticed it was sticking. No matter how hard she pulled or twist the thing acted as if it was glued to her skin. She wasn't in the mood to struggle and so left it be while she reached for her food, glad to find a hearty stew and some thick bread on the menu along with a full glass of water and a full pitcher in case she needed more.

Ayla folded her legs and pulled the tray onto the bed, picking at her food until her body was more willing to accept it. She managed to finish half the stew and a few bites of bread, though the water was all gone as she put the tray back on the night stand and flopped over in the bed. There hadn't really been time to think or cope with the deaths of Aquamarine and Pearl or what was going on, but now that she felt safe all the emotions were rushing in. She cried, long and loud, pulling up a pillow and sobbing into it. She thought of Pearl sacrificing himself, and of how Sapphire and Emerald would react knowing that their Soul Mates, the only people in the world they placed above themselves, were dead. Not just a regular death, not a death where if they were to die the two soul halves would be rejoined in the Soul Stream. No, this death was one where she had taken their souls, meaning they could only be reunited when it was their turn to sacrifice themselves as well. Ayla did not want to be that person, she didn't want to have to be the reason they all died, the reason their lives were cut short and they had to lose the people they loved.

Eventually Ayla cried herself to sleep, though she quickly wished she had not. When her eyes opened finally she was not in the bedroom anymore, she was staring up at a night sky full of stars and a rainbow colored aurora floating in and out of the twinkling lights. The more she looked, however, the more Ayla realized it wasn't a rainbow, it was the colors of all the gemstones that the Chosen Ones had been named for lined up in a rainbow like order. The places where Aquamarine and Pearl would have been were faded, almost to the point where Ayla hadn't seen them at first. Then she turned away from the sky and looked forward, noticing that all around her it was simply a void and she was standing on a small rocky island floating in the darkness.

~So, I see you have finally made it here.~ A voice echoed from the opened space, and Ayla looked around for a source before finding herself confused when there was none to be found.

"But...Where is 'here'?" Ayla asked aloud, trying not to move for fear of somehow toppling the island and falling into the darkness beyond.

~Your soul. Or rather, the dimension inside of your soul. Everyone has one, souls create their own alternate realities inside themselves that reflect the person they belong to. Except for you, of course, since your soul has the ability to absorb other souls.~ The voice was childish and ended with a giggle, leaving Ayla perturbed as it echoed around her.

"So why am I here? What do you want from me?" She was frustrated now, so much had happened and she was not in the mood to be playing games with some random mysterious voice that was taunting her dream.

~You are here because you need to be. You are doubting yourself, being too hard on yourself, and overall judging actions that you could not wholly control. Your destiny, like it or not, is to continue on and take the other ten. You must master their powers and defeat the Gods. You must do this. You must!~ The voice was insistent, but Ayla decided not to listen.

Instead she sat down, realizing that the island was more stable than she thought at first. Then she curled up on her side and simply sat there, feeling the darkness all around her pushing in as if it would crush her. In that moment she honestly wished it would happen. Death would be a welcome comfort so that the weight of everything else would simply stop. It was too much to bear alone, and Ayla did not feel she could lean on the others for support. Opal knew the truth and would not keep it to herself, she'd tell Lunnoar for sure and from there things would be taken in stride by someone who was probably better equipped to handle this than Ayla was.

~What are you doing? Get up! You are stronger than this, you can handle this. Come on, let me show you.~ The voice returned, and Ayla looked up just in time to see a path beginning to form away from the island. It was wide enough that Ayla could walk on it without really having to fear, but at the same time something in her said she shouldn't follow it, as if getting up and walking down that road would be the worst thing she should do.

Yet she wanted to trust. She wanted to believe that whatever this voice wanted to show her it would help her feel at ease about what had happened. That it would lift her guilt and help her carry on because deep down she did know how important it was to carry on and short of killing herself there was no way to stop the destiny that she was to fulfill. The depression of the deaths upon her shoulders would overwhelm her she was sure, but something pulled her towards the end of that quest if only for one selfish reason; Ayla felt more complete now. There was a part of her that had always felt empty and now it was smaller, as if the hole was slowly being filled. Ayla thought perhaps this was the part of her that was the catalyst, that just as Soul Mates felt empty until they found their partner so too she would feel empty until all their souls were inside of her. Just one more bit to the puzzle she didn't have all the pieces to yet, but it was helping her see the bigger picture ever so slowly.

With that in mind Ayla got to her feet and began to follow the path, trying to keep her feet steady and her head held high. It only went so far but she noticed every time she thought she should have approached the edge new steps appeared and by the time she thought to look back the island she had started on was gone. Nothing to do but go forward, so she kept on walking until the path led her above a set of six islands, four of which were little more than hunks of gray rock. The other two, however, seemed to be brimming with life while half of the bottoms remained gray and the other half were the colors that were all too familiar. It was almost as if the aquamarine and pearl had been sucked from that rainbow in the sky and into the bottom of those islands.

The aquamarine island was filled with a forest, thick trees with full green foliage that hid most of the ground below. In its center was a pond with a fountain that was likely providing fresh water, though from where Ayla was unsure. Not that it mattered as the path led her there first, so she followed its gradual spiral downwards until she was level with the edge of the island and stepped forward onto it. The lush grass felt wonderful on her bare feet as she walked, through the forest and towards the pond she'd seen from above. Upon approaching she noticed how clear the waters were. So clear that she could see all the way to the bottom, lined with stones in various shades of blue that made it appear much deeper than it actually was. There were some fish and turtles swimming about, and Ayla could have sworn she saw a dolphin surface in one of the deeper parts towards the center before it vanished behind a school of some larger fish. Looking across she finally realized there was a house there, looking to be made from wood gathered from trees in the forest. One story and no door, just an opening that had a blanket of animal pelts draped over it. The few windows had curtains made of the same, though as she approached it became clear that the windows were not glass, but instead made of very thin slices of the same kind of stones that lined the pond. Thin enough to let light in, though it would probably give a blue tint to everything inside. Movement caught Ayla's attention as she turned her head, her heart sinking as she noticed it was Aquamarine. She was transparent, but otherwise just as Ayla remembered her and she simply stared back to let Ayla know that she was seen. She sighed, pressing on until she stood just a few feet from where the merfolk was sitting near the water.

"Um...Hello, Aquamarine." She managed, expecting to be yelled at or worse.

"Hello, Ayla." She smiled a little, throwing Ayla off guard.

"I um....Look, I'm sorry for what happened. I didn't know and-" Ayla tried to explain, fumbling over her words before Aquamarine reached out and put a single finger on her lips.

"I don't blame you. Actually, I'm glad you came here first. Pearl got to say his goodbyes, but I didn't. I know you can't give Sapphire my ring, but at least tell her I love her. Tell her she will meet me again, here, and I will be waiting for her. Now that I am here I have much more knowledge than before, and I know that once they arrive they will not carry hatred towards you. Convincing them to give up their lives for you will not be easy, but you will need to make them in order to defeat the Gods. You will also need to learn to use my powers, and properly this time. Come, I have much to teach and not a lot of time for it." She extended a hand to Ayla, and she took it.

Despite appearing like a ghost it appeared Aquamarine was solid, and Ayla could hear in her voice that she meant no ill will. If she had been angry with her at first the time he spent inside her soul had changed that. She'd never gotten to know Aquamarine as well as she'd liked, and talking to her was actually enjoyable. Studying, learning the subtle nuances of the summoning practice was a great joy as well. Including the very first lesson, which she started by facing Ayla and holding out her hands until a little ball of energy formed.

"Inside each and every one of us is a well of energy, sort of like a battery. We draw from this well to use magic, be it summoning or spellcasting or whatever else. For most people this well only provides so much power, and because they don't use it often enough it stays the same size. At this size it can't put out much power, but think of it like a muscle. The more you use it the bigger it'll get and the more power you can draw from it for longer. This is what you'll need to summon, to change into a griffon, to use all the powers that the others have. So you need to begin to use and expand this power because without it you will fail." The energy ball vanished, and Aquamarine smiled as Ayla nodded.

Over the next few days she poured everything she had into learning. The work was hard, and more often than not when the lights that acted as the unseen sun in the place began to fade and give way to a darkness akin to night she would pass out from sheer exhaustion. Time was different here, of that Ayla was sure, because by the fifth day she could feel that not so much time had passed with her body. More than that, she could finally feel what Aquamarine was talking about. Her summons were growing larger and using less energy with practice, and with each passing day she had more energy so she could summon more things for longer. It was a great feeling, and now she had a tangible goal to strive for as far as what she was doing with herself in that place. That gave her the direction and drive to keep on going, so she never gave up and never stopped. The days and nights began to blur together, but they were fun. When at long last Ayla was able to stop at nightfall and not be too exhausted to stay up Aquamarine would go hunting and make dinner so they could have conversations over the meal. She heard all about her past directly from her, for though she had seen it in the memories when they became one with hers it was better to hear them first hand. She understood now most of what she'd seen to an extent, and in return she shared her story as well.

In that world she forgot about what was going on outside. Her body slept as the time passed on an accelerated rate within her soul, which made Ayla glad because she knew she needed all the help she could get with this. Eventually, however, her time with Aquamarine had come to an end. She'd taught Ayla everything she had, and while her energy pool was still not as large as it should have been she assured Ayla that if she continued with daily practice it would only continue to grow. Yet now it was time for a final test, because Aquamarine wanted to make sure that Ayla was truly ready.

So as the sky began to darken they stood faced one another, bodies tense and ready for what was to come. As the light faded and the last rays vanished they both moved just as quickly, each hoping to outdo the other. Hands moved swiftly, words tumbled from their lips as the quiet incantations were spoken. A battle not of Ayla against Aquamarine, but rather of the creatures they could summon pitted against one another to see who was superior. While Aquamarine didn't expect Ayla to beat her after only a few short and fast weeks of crash teaching, she was looking for certain things within her that would indicate she was ready to take her skills solo.

Ayla ducked to the ground, scribbling symbols in the dirt to boost her own power and the power of what she would summon. With one final jerk she stood, clapping her hands together and holding them out as the gate to the other world opened and her chosen creature began to step through. Aquamarine was right on her tail, their gates opening almost simultaneously in intense flashes of light and deafening noises that emanated from the other creatures that called the other world their home. One roar echoed above all the others, and Ayla looked up just in time to see a very large, very angry dragon stepping through the portal that Aquamarine had opened. It was not at all pleased and at first tried to resist the hold that she had over it, but Aquamarine did not waver, holding her ground against the beast until it submitted to her power and calmed. It lowered its head so that Aquamarine could put a hand there, demonstrating her power over this summon. Ayla admired the creature for what it was; a beast of rage, covered in scales of a gleaming but dark bloody red, each one as sharp as the ivory claws and the teeth dripping with a black acid that burned the ground where it dripped. Smoke curled from its nostrils and it looked at Ayla with eyes that could only be described as orbs of pure flame, red and orange and yellow all mixed together to form a color that was both all of these things and yet none of them, reminding her of the translucency of fire. Large spikes ebbed down its back, ending in a spiked tail that was swinging around and narrowly avoiding knocking over several of the trees in the area.

Yet Ayla was not intimidated, mostly because she had her own summon at her side. It was not as large as the dragon but she knew it would serve her well. Though it had all happened in seconds Ayla had seen Aquamarine's intention to summon something of the fire element so she'd taken it upon herself to call forth something of water. It now stood beside her, barely taller than her short stature, and as Ayla looked it over she could see kindness in its eyes. Unlike the dragon that had to be basically beaten into submission by Aquamarine so he could control it this creature was willing to help her. It was a lesson she remembered the best, that the strongest summons were not those who were angry and large but rather those who respected their summoner and allowed themselves to be called forth of their own accord. So it was with the creature she laid her hand upon and admired with some amount of pride at her own skill and how willing the creature was to obey.

Small though this beast was she was still powerful. She had chosen to take the shape of a unicorn, her body made of changing waters while her mane and tail appeared to be made of sea foam. Her eyes glittered like deep water sapphires, and her horn was as solid as the coral that grew on the ocean floor. Coral made up her hooves too, something Ayla noticed as the creature snorted and pawed at the ground eagerly while she stared down the dragon. Ayla stared across the battlefield at Aquamarine, catching her eyes and noting the pride she was practically beaming but also the determination not to fail. Aquamarine was the teacher and Ayla the student, and she would do whatever it would take to make sure that Ayla did not surpass her. Ayla thought for a moment that maybe she wouldn't, but even if she lost the fight she would be fine because the point here was not to win it was to give the battle her best shot.

The determination stuck with her as the next moves were made. Aquamarine started it by pulling her hand off the dragon and it roared in fury, sending a cloud of smoke and ashes in Ayla's direction. She raised her hands, calling a protective ward to keep both herself and her summon safe. After all Ayla knew this was more than a summon, more than some beast that she had called forth for combat. Though a name was not known this unicorn was now her friend, her companion, her partner. Treating her as such was what would gain them victory, of that Ayla was sure. Indeed it seemed that right off the bat everything was going well as the summon used her own power to help the shield, keeping it steady until the dragon was done. Then the unicorn lashed out at full speed, her body flowing like the liquid water she appeared to be made of. It allowed her to move around the dragon's attacks until she was right in his face, slipping through his teeth as he chomped down on her.

So the battle raged on, the unicorn flowing and avoiding the attacks as the dragon snapped angrily at her, waving his tail and getting up on his hind legs to claw at her. He breathed fire and smoke and ash to try to get at her since she was too small for him to properly swipe at. Ayla was proud, and made it known as she stood and watched the battle, allowing her partner to use as much energy as she needed for whatever she needed. After all it was Ayla's energy that was keeping her grounded to this dimension, it was the energy she drew that allowed her to move and attack and exist and Ayla wanted to give her everything. Aquamarine had a deeper well to draw from but his summon was bigger and would take more energy to sustain. Even as she began to waver Ayla was as well, and she knew the battle had to end soon or else they'd both wind up on the ground passed out. More lessons that had stuck; if they didn't manually dismiss their summons and went unconscious from giving them too much energy one of a few things happened. Best case the summons would dismiss themselves and things would be as fine as they could be given that the summoner had passed out. Then there was the case that the summons lingered, either vanishing when the energy ran too low or draining their hosts to the point of death. In some cases it was known that the summon would turn on its summoner and kill them, finding another energy source and continuing on. Ayla couldn't let any of that happen, so she gritted her teeth and took a deep breath to steady herself.

"Finish it!" Ayla screamed over the roar of the dragon, gasping as the unicorn swung around one last time.

The dragon reared up once more, then the unicorn struck. Her horn dug deep into his chest from the front side, his claws ripping at her body as she screamed in pain. There was an explosion of light that whipped the trees and nearly blew Ayla out of her summoning circle, though she managed to hold on by digging her feet into the dirt. When the light faded she looked across to Aquamarine, finding her on her knees and heaving for breath. Her own heart was pounding, lungs burning for air as she tried to breathe. Both summons were gone, but that didn't surprise Ayla at all since her own energy was so low she likely hadn't been able to sustain the unicorn after the final attack. That was enough, however, just knowing that she'd been able to keep up with Aquamarine and that despite her summon being smaller in size it had been just as powerful, it had obeyed her out of respect for her talents and not because she forced it. That felt great, and she could tell by the look on Aquamarine's face that she admired her for advancing so quickly to such heights.

"That...Was quite a feat, Ayla." She laughed, dusting herself off as he looked at Ayla.

"You didn't make it easy for me in any regard." She commented back, laughing as well while making strides towards Aquamarine.

"True, but you did very well. You're smart, you've learned quickly, and I am proud of you. Now come, we shall have dinner and tomorrow morning you go to see Pearl. She has much to teach you, and her lessons will be just as hard learned." Aquamarine clapped Ayla on the shoulder and together the pair walked off to the small shelter they'd been sharing for what seemed like forever.

Dinner was spent mostly in silence, neither of them saw any reason to speak or do anything other than eat and enjoy each other's company. They fell asleep under the fake stars of the ceiling above, and Ayla woke when the morning light began to creep in over the horizon. She had never actually seen the source of the light but the dome above was able to mimic the clear skies and the movement of the stars, provide daylight without a sun and moonlight without a moon.

"Don't think too much about it." Aquamarine commented, sitting up and stretching before looking over to Ayla with a smile. "Time has little meaning here, there are days and nights but only so that we know when to sleep and when to eat. Now, come on." She reached a hand over to help Ayla up, and she took it before getting to her feet and dusting herself off.

"I guess. Thank you for everything, Aquamarine. I will be sure to tell Sapphire....Everything. How much you love her and how she will join you here, someday. Hopefully soon, I don't want this to drag on longer than it has to." Her actions and forgiveness had erased her doubts about going forward with the plan, but they were still in the back of her mind as always.

"Thank you, Ayla. Now go, find Pearl. He will help you and then you will return to yourself with all the strength and knowledge you have acquired here, for this is just as good as your physical body and it will reflect the changes that come to pass here when you return." Aquamarine motioned towards the edge of the island, and already Ayla could see the stone road slithering up from the island in the direction she had pointed.

"I won't forget any of this, I promise." Ayla gave her one last hug, squeezing a little tighter as she hugged back before letting go.

There were no more words, just the sound of Ayla's feet padding across the stone that made up the road ahead of her. Every step was confident, the path winding until it led her to the second island that appeared to be almost the polar opposite of the one she'd just been on. Most of it appeared to be made of water, boulders placed around the edge to break up what would have otherwise been a continuous waterfall into several smaller ones that cascaded off the island and into the endless dark space below. At its center sat a smaller island, just big enough to host a few trees and a nest of sorts that seemed to be made mostly of seaweed and other things from the ocean floor including some glittering sea shells. Ayla noticed as she approached that the waters were filled with sea life of all sorts from fish and eels to sharks and dolphins, all avoiding the very edges where the waterfall current would pull them over and instead opting to hide out in the deeper waters where it was safer. She could smell the salt before she even reached the island, a cool ocean breeze blowing from seemingly nowhere as Ayla touched down on one of the boulders and looked over her shoulder as the road retreated into nothingness once more. She absently wondered if she had to swim to the center, but then Ayla remembered that she could take the form of a griffon and simply fly over. This was Pearl's island, and she was sure that her training would be in how to harness the raw power she held as a griffon, to exercise her wings and work her body until she could fly long distances without everything hurting. It would take a lot of time and a lot of pain, just like her summoning training with Aquamarine. Ayla knew that she was prepared now, her body shifting as usual as she tried not to focus on the pain at the back of her mind. The same pain from before, her bones trying to stretch to fit and cracking when they couldn't, more bone forming to fill in the gaps. Her shoulders split open again to allow the wings out as her fingers fused while fur and feathers erupted from under her skin. Soon enough, however, the transformation was complete and Ayla once again saw the world through griffon eyes, enhanced senses almost overwhelming her as she looked around and tried to readjust.

"I see you finally made it." Pearl laughed, Ayla looking up just in time to see him approaching the edge of the nest she'd seen on the small island. He stretched out his wings and body like a cat would after waking up from a nap.

"Indeed I did. It's good to see you again, Pearl." Ayla spread her wings and pulled herself into the air, drifting over to the nest and laughing as Pearl pushed their bodies together almost like a hug when she landed.

"And I am glad to see you, Ayla. I know you've been training with Aquamarine, but there is little time for rest. The longer you stay here the harder it will be for you to return to your body, and more than half of your time is up. We need to hurry and get you trained." There was a certain sense of determination in his eyes, and Ayla liked that.

"Well then, let's get to it. I wasn't in the mood to take a break anyway." Ayla joked, watching as Pearl nodded before taking off into the skies.

Ayla followed after, and that was what begun several more days that she lost count of. Days spent flying so much that she thought the dull ache in her shoulders would never go away. Days spent learning how to focus her senses, hone them in on a single target and block out all the distractions. How to identify sounds and smells and what was and wasn't relevant to stalking prey. Since Aquamarine was technically of the merfolk and Pearl was a water based griffon Ayla could now breathe underwater in all her forms, which helped with catching fish in the depths of the island while her wings propelled her though the water like the fins of other marine creatures. Pearl never let Ayla forget that she was human, though, and both of them transformed back into their human selves at night so they could stare up at the stars together. They were the same as the ones in the real world, Pearl explained, an extra lesson given was now to navigate by them. Pearl talked about how the sun and moon rose in the east and set in the west, but it was never exact. Based on the season they could be in any number of places slightly to the right or left of due positions. In addition based on the time of year the stars could have different positions, various constellations would out. Ayla drank it all in, trying to remember it all so that she could use the information later. It was everything Ayla needed to know in order to get herself around if she had nothing else to navigate by except the skies. It was just as useful as the training she received during the daylight hours. In time, however, her final test was at hand and Ayla knew it would be when she woke up to find Pearl already in his griffon form with a pile of fish at the other end of the nest.

"I take it today will be my last day here?" Ayla asked groggily, reaching up to try and wipe the last bit of sleep from her eyes.

"Yes, if I have anything to say about it. Your final test is at hand. So come, change and prepare." Pearl nudged some of the fish in Ayla's general direction, watching the now black haired girl sigh before standing and stretching out.

She took Pearl's half barked orders to heart and swiftly turned into her griffon self. Each transformation back and forth had allowed her to do it faster and with less pain, and now she could change fully in under a minute without using all of her energy. Now she spent less time adjusting to the enhanced senses of her griffon form, and Ayla quickly grabbed the fish that were shoved her way before scarfing them down. The idea of eating raw fish had been appalling at first but she couldn't really taste too much and her body was able to handle the bones and scales so it was easier to just accept it and eat the fish.

"So, what's my test?" Ayla asked, looking up to Pearl with a curious glance.

"Your test is to travel into the abyss. It is not actually endless down there, for all things must have a bottom. However when you reach the bottom you will find the things you fear most. A monster, born of all your negative emotions. It will reflect the twisted regrets you carry, the real you that you are afraid to admit exists. I want you to see this monster first hand. It will not attack you unless you provoke it, for it knows that it cannot exist without you and you cannot exist without it. It should fear you, it should see the power you hold and tremble deep in those depths and stay there. Your test is not just to confront this monster, but to take a piece from it. A scale or a feather or a tuft of fur. I don't know what it looks like either, but you need to get a part of this thing and bring it back to me." Pearl seemed all too serious as he looked towards the void before turning to look back at Ayla.

"Will do. I'll be back as soon as I can, then." Ayla tried not to think too much as she flapped her wings hard to get airborne, then began to follow the air currents down into the darkness.

The trip was strange. An odd silence fell in around her with the darkness, even though Ayla stayed near the flowing water that was coming from Pearl's island. Down and down she went, deeper into the abyss by gliding and avoiding updrafts as she moved. Eventually there was so little light that even with her heightened senses she could barely see in front of her face, and Ayla had to wonder if she'd ever reach the bottom. Just as that thought crossed her mind, however, her feet touched what appeared to be some sort of ground. It didn't look like it, but Ayla couldn't see more than a few inches in front of her face. Ayla paid it no mind and tried to survey the area as best she could. Nothing but blackness like raven's feathers all around her, certainly no sign of the nightmare creature she was supposed to be facing down. The only nightmare she saw was when she looked up and saw darkness there too, as if a giant cloud had been placed over the upper areas and blocking the light from the fake sky above and her sight of the islands. Then her ears caught movement and the scent of something she felt she should have recognized but yet could not place. The sound was like something dragging itself across the floor, and within seconds it came into her line of sight.

The creature was indeed almost something directly from her nightmares. It had the upper body of a person and suffice to say that the lower body was almost missing entirely. Zombie was the best word Ayla could come up with for the thing, blood dripping from its lips as it dragged itself towards her on arms that could barely support the torso and leaving a trail of innards and blood behind it. A groan echoed out, and then the groan was joined by others. Many others from the sound of things, some shuffling while others dragged themselves like the first one had. What struck her as truly nightmarish, however, was the eyes. Or lack thereof, as the case was. Where there should have been eyes there was nothing except darkened, sunken holes that seemed almost as endless as the abyss in which she was currently standing. Creepy to be sure, but these were several monsters as opposed to a singular one and Ayla felt somehow that these were not what she was supposed to be looking for. Still, their approach was not a good thing and even from a distance she could feel they had an intense hunger for anything that was not one of their own.

She wondered absently how such things could exist inside her soul, thinking that perhaps each one was the metaphorical skeleton in her closet, a regret that was looming in the back of her mind. Harmless alone, but when they began to band together they formed memories that weighed her down. Ayla thought back on one of her little sisters, the day she was crying because one of her little brothers had taken a toy from her. She'd been too busy to go chasing the boy and get it back so she told the girl to suck it up and go get it back for herself. Ayla had never forgiven herself for saying that, because the following day her sister had fallen ill because she spent the better part of the day searching the woods for her lost toy after her brother had told her he'd hidden it there. She never got better, and died just a week later. Ayla knew that her apologies had fallen on deaf ears, the girl in too much pain from her raging fever and sick stomach. Her little sister's death was her fault, she'd always told herself, because if she had simply taken a few seconds to go deal with her brother and force him to give the toy back her sister would not have gotten ill. It was the little regrets and memories like that which made up these creatures, giving them physical form within the depths of her soul.

As they came closer Ayla knew she had to get away from them. She screeched loudly, rearing up to scare the creatures away while she pulled herself into the sky. Once in the air Ayla sighed to herself, setting off to find the creature she was supposed to be looking for. She stayed just high enough to be above the heads of the things below while still being able to see the ground. She was out of their reach and faster than them, though, and posed no real threat as long as they stayed airborne. Ayla was on a mission and needed to find something in specific, though wishing that she could locate the thing came to an end as soon as she actually set eyes upon it. Oddly she'd heard it first, a great noise like one of the few machines they had on the island revving to life. It was distinctive, and Ayla followed it until she found its source, landing nearby and hoping that the rapid beating of her heart would not wake it, for the creature appeared to be asleep and the sounds she heard apparently it snoring soundly. The zombies were not present here, probably too scared to approach it. Now there was the contrast between the comfort of having something solid under her and the knowledge that she might awaken the thing at any time.

The beast itself appeared to be an amalgam of all the things Ayla feared most. It was like a spider, but larger than even Ayla's griffon form. At the ends of its legs were hands, some worn from being walked upon like feet and others pushed together to form structures with spikes protruding or rocks in the center that were clearly meant to be swung around like weapons. There was a main face at what she presumed to be its front side, sunken eyes closed for the time being in its slumber. Fur covered its body, long and ungainly, and Ayla knew this was what she needed. She had no doubt that pulling out a clump of fur would wake the creature and enrage it, maybe even to the point where it would attack her, and that was what had her worried. Still, Ayla took a deep breath and gathered up her courage before going airborne once more and circling the giant thing for a few moments before swooping in.

Her approach was silent just as Pearl had taught her to be when hunting down prey. As soon as Ayla was in range she dug her claws into flesh and tore away with all the force she could muster. More than fur came out, of course, but she tried to ignore that as she started going up as fast as her wings would carry her. A scream echoed out, neither human nor animal and loud enough that it seemed ear splitting even though she was a fair distance above it. She dared a glance back, watching the monster thrash around as it looked for the source of its pain before grabbing a few of the zombies and flinging them off into the darkness in anger. Then it looked up, hollow eyes catching hers before it roared and began to follow her into the air. Ayla tried not to panic as she pushed herself higher and higher, having no time to ride the air currents up and being forced to use her wings to propel herself towards the light. Finally she broke through the veil of darkness, relieved to see the lighted sky above and looking back just in time to see the creature right on her heels. It came into the light only seconds later, screeching before retreating into the darkness almost as quickly as it had come out. Ayla heaved a heavy sigh of relief and spread her wings to ride the currents, circling around until she landed on Pearl's island and all but collapsed from exhaustion.

"You did it. I knew you could." Pearl was there in his human form, smiling as he reached forward to pick up the clump of fur and flesh that Ayla had brought back.

Now that she could see it properly Ayla was almost disgusted. The fur was pitch black, and she couldn't tell if the flesh was supposed to be the same color or if it was simply soaked in the tar colored blood that was now staining her claws. The smell was terrible too, like it was already rotting even though Ayla had pulled the flesh out only a few minutes prior.

"But...Why did it retreat?" Ayla asked, heaving for air. That creature had been huge, powerful, and had it wanted to it could have captured her or worse. What Pearl had said about it earlier ran through her head, and she wondered if the man had lied to her or just plain been wrong when he said it should have been afraid and stayed down in the darkness instead of chasing her.

"Because this is the light. Up here, where the inner goodness of your heart and soul provides the light needed to keep us safe, it cannot exist. With each one of us that you bring in this light will grow bigger, brighter. You will become more powerful, but so will it as its space begins to shrink. That monster is your fears, your doubts, your regrets and over the course of this journey you will have more of them, perhaps more than you ever have in your entire life up until now. The important part, however, is that you don't let them overwhelm you. Remember that the inner monster you just survived meeting fact to face is what we will be in here fighting. We are part of you now but our own souls are also independent within this space, and our own light and dark sides will feed into what happens here. Not nearly as much as yours, of course, but it's sort of like the old saying my mom used to tell me; a single grain of rice can tip the scales of war. One small thing, so insignificant you might not even notice it, can make all the difference between victory and defeat. Now, I have what I need to send you back in confidence that you've learned everything we have to teach. Go back to the world, awaken with your newfound powers and use them to go onward. Find the other altars and keys, and fulfill your destiny." Pearl smiled, and Ayla found herself smiling in return as she resumed her human form.

Once she was fully herself again Ayla gave Pearl a tight hug, noting when they parted that the stone road had already begun to form once more. She didn't want to leave, but Pearl was right. It was time for Ayla to return to her body and hope that she had not suffered any adverse affects from being inside of herself for so long. There was no telling how much time had passed on the outside, time was skewed inside her soul and probably had little to no bearing on how long she'd really been gone.

"Thank you, for everything. I promise I won't let my doubts get the better of me again. I will not allow the fears and thoughts of what would have been to rule me. The future is bright as long as I look towards it, and I will not forget that." Ayla bit her lip, trying not to cry as she took those last few steps away from Pearl and onto the road home.

The road went up and around, though what Ayla presumed was the ceiling of the odd place and towards a light that was brighter than the false sun. That was her way out, so she went towards it and closed her eyes when it became too bright, moving forward until something stopped her. With a deep breath she dared to open her eyes, staring out not at the islands or the darkness she had become so familiar with over time but instead now at the ceiling of the palace bedroom. It was still hard to tell how much time had passed even as she looked out the window on the far side of the room and realized it was night. That meant she'd lost at least a few hours, though given how weak and tired she felt it was likely that at least a few days had passed. She was alone, but there was a chair by her bedside that looked really worn and a tray on the bedside table with a half finished meal on it. Ayla pushed herself up and swung her feet over the side of the bed, trying to wrap her head around all of it and get a feel for being back in her physical body. It felt strange, like something had changed but she couldn't quite pinpoint what at first. When she finally realized what it was, however, Ayla was sure she was going insane; for some reason she felt like she had wings sprouting from her back. Yet she knew all too well that the wings of her griffon form did not carry over, Pearl had told her point blank that she was either human or griffon, there was no in between. Ayla shrugged, chalking it up to something residual as she made her way into the bathroom. Her skin was crawling and she felt like she needed a bath. It was only when she crossed the mirror that Ayla stopped, staring at herself for a minute as if she couldn't quite believe what she was seeing.

Her skin was deathly pale, her eyes turning a shade of blue instead of the green she had been used to seeing all her life. Whereas before a few strands of red had stuck through the black it was now completely pitch dark, as if her hair were made of raven feathers. Most of this was stuff she'd noticed before so they weren't as big of a shock and thus not what had caused her to stop. No, that was the pair of rather large feathered bird wings that extended from her shoulder blades that did that. White feathers like the wings of the Celestians with icy blue along the top that faded into more of a mostly white tinged with blue at the tips. Ayla was shocked to say the least, but her training had prepared her to treat them as extensions of herself so she gave them a tentative flap before realizing that they were, indeed, real. A dream might have been easier to accept, as Ayla realized she was stuck with the wings and really had no good way to explain them. Would anyone really believe that while she had been unconscious she had journeyed into her soul and met Aquamarine and Pearl now that they were dwelling there, trained with them to harness their abilities properly and come out with no concept of how long she'd been gone? That was one tall tale, and the others would have questions and it would take time to explain it all. Time that was already creeping up on her, granting exhaustion and a lot of time spent bleary eyed. That was not something she wanted to think on, however, so Ayla focused instead on the idea of a bath.

She ran the water and sank into the tub when it was full, feeling the heat start to soothe her aching muscles. That was the funny thing about heat, she supposed. In the right amounts it was soothing and could help with all kinds of ailments but too much and it would burn a person alive and kill them. Ayla realized she was thinking of strange things, but she supposed a mind always turned to the odd when faced with overwhelming thoughts. Not really a depression, just the thought in general of how she'd have to go about explaining everything and trying not to think about what everyone else's reactions would be. She had no doubt that Sapphire and Emerald would be angry, for she had heard before that when one's Soul Mate died the other could feel it. Ayla knew that even if that wasn't true at the very least there would be questions about where exactly Aquamarine and Pearl had gone. With that in mind Ayla lifted her hand and looked at the ring again, feeling the anklet resting against her foot under the heated waters. Mementos of those whose lives she had taken for this cause, and ten more to add to the morbid collection over time. Each would remind her of the sacrifice of its owner, and that thought was what washed a real depression over her. Ayla cried, sinking down into the water and wishing she had the ability to drown even though she knew that she could not right now. It was nice that she could submerge herself in hot water and just forget about the world outside the tub for the time being, though.

Still, Ayla knew she couldn't run from her problems forever. She would eventually have to turn around and face them head on, because they would not go away otherwise. That was a lesson she'd learned the hard way back home, so with that in mind she finally emerged from the tub and dried herself off. For whatever reason she was naked again despite the fact that she remembered dressing before passing out, and there were no clothes provided so she kept the towel wrapped around herself and returned to the main room, laying back down on the bed and trying to be careful of her wings as she stared up at the ceiling and began to dread having to face everyone, even if she knew it was inevitable.