forum Elementals Chapter 4: Celestial Tides (OPEN)

Started July 16, 2020 by Deleted user

tune

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Kali watched what was going on, she heard arcanis start speaking and she started to move towards ignis in uncertainty before he completely disappeared.
"No no no no- ignis! Ignis where are you! IGNIS!" She screamed for him, looking around in desperation for where he could be. All she could see is mostly darkness, she couldn't see anyone else either.
Not arcanis or his monsters.
Not Evan and the two siblings.
"IGNIS!" She yelled out again, before pausing. "Evan! Alister! ANYONE!" she looked around, moving to try and run around and find them, but she couldn't find a single soul. She ran into something, she thought maybe it was tree. Maybe she stumbled over a rock and then fall into something. When she felt it out, all she felt was…a box? Where was there a box in the middle of the forest? It didn't make any sense.
Unless..
They weren't in the forest any more.
no, you can't let him trick you. This is fake. This whole thing is fake.
Despite what her rational thoughts were telling her. It felt so real..
Her heartbeat had sped up In her chest, she was starting to panic.
"IGNIS WHERE ARE YOU!"
She shouted as loud as she could. She shouted for him over and over again, running into more and more crate before bumping into a night stand, or a dusty wardrobe. She felt as if a sharp edge had pierced her skin, and she looked over. She let out a scream, it was a bed side table. With some dried blood on it.
"No no no no- no! No! He's dead! He's long gone! He- h-he can't hurt me! Ignis and I made sure of it! This isn't real! STOP IT!"
She screamed, falling on her butt and holding her head. She started crying as she held her head.
"Ignis please- please come back i need you." She spoke softly. Holding herself.

"Ignis isn't here." Arcanis's words echoed around Kali, "Neither is your friends. You are left alone. Your cries for help suggest more than friendship. Why must you fall for one who doesn't even care about you?"

Ignis let go of the seal, his magic fading from it. The air seemed quiet, lifeless. "Snap out of it Ignis! He is fooling you!" Ignatius's words muffled yet audible. Ignis wandered around, seemingly lost in a void of loneliness and depression. A feeling of being alone for eternity, "Kali…Noel…Alister…Evan…." his eyes grew bright with magic, powerful and immense, "…I will never leave you!"
His words echoed throughout the forest, yet he felt his words weightless, useless. Lost in hatred and fear, a series of cuts appear on his body. Ignis didn't realize at first. His arms began to drip blood as each cut became more deep. Arcanis's lackeys. They're playing with us.

She tried to block out his words, she knew it wasn't her own thoughts speaking to her. It was arcanis.
Still the words managed to snake there way into her brain.
ignis dosent love me..?
She shook her head
"SHUT UP! STOP LYING TO ME!" She tried throw a blast of darkness with her eyes closed, but she didn't feel anything happen and so she figured nothing had happened. She couldn't even get her powers to work.
How useless could she be.
"The others might have left, but- ignis wouldn't leave me! I won't leave him!" She yelled at arcanis. Though what she tried to conceal under rage was blaring insecurities eating away at her insides.
am I alone..? He couldn't be right, could he..?
"Ignis cares for me, and I care for him. More then you could know."

Arcanis laughs histerically, as if to mock Kali's emotion, "Really? Wouldn't you like to know what Ignis is hiding? What he keeps from you? Of course you must've felt it. The world getting colder, the heat that soon will fade. Of course he didn't tell you his element is dying. But how? Why? Wouldn't you like to know why Ignis didn't bother telling anyone?"

Noel was afraid to look back. She had seen Ignis return to the ground. She had seen him lift his head. But after that… he wasn’t there?
She wanted to look back, to see how the others were doing, but she was afraid. A cold feeling clutched at her heart. She realized that she couldn’t feel her brother’s presence nearby. She couldn’t hear or sense their breathing, the air filtering into their respiratory system and collecting in their lungs. Noel’s own breath became shaky. For a moment, she couldn’t speak.
“A… Ali?”
There was no answer. Noel’s eyes stayed on the seal, her expression contorting into something quite difficult to describe. “Ali, Ali, please, please, Ali…” she murmured over and over again, her voice eventually devolving into quiet, incoherent sobs. Then eventually her voice became coherent again. “Just focus on the seal, just focus on the seal, just focus on the seal…”
The gas was still there, forming a shield around it. Was she truly alone? She couldn’t let go of her control, someone she knew might die, or Arcanis would take advantage of the situation.
Arcanis. Of course.
“Please be okay, Ali, please be okay…”

“El, me and Evan can protect you while—“
Alister’s voice died. There was nothing. He saw nothing, he heard nothing. For a moment, he felt himself breaking down as he realized that he was alone. His sister, whom he had tried to protect for so long, was gone. There was a ringing in his ears as tears filled his eyes. Why was she not there? Why did she leave? This was all his fault. He brought her into danger. He brought her into this mess and now she was gone.
“El…” his voice was barely audible. His gaze had drifted down to the grass beneath him. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry… please come back…”
Something nagged at him. Was he truly alone? He thought felt something at the edge of his senses. A tingling in his hand.
Evan. Evan was gone too but— The tingling, a sort of pressure was still there. “Evan…” Alister mumbled. “Are you here?” He tried squeezing his hand where he felt the pressure.

Arcanis laughs histerically, as if to mock Kali's emotion, "Really? Wouldn't you like to know what Ignis is hiding? What he keeps from you? Of course you must've felt it. The world getting colder, the heat that soon will fade. Of course he didn't tell you his element is dying. But how? Why? Wouldn't you like to know why Ignis didn't bother telling anyone?"

She clenched her fist as she heard him laugh histerically, she moved to try and punch him but he was nowhere she could see. She let out a yell of frustration.
stay mad, don't think about what he's saying.
She was very much wanting to know what ignis was hiding, but she wanted to hear it from him.
"ignis will tell me when the time is right. Besides, Ignatius already told me his element was failing, I just haven't gotten the chance to discuss it with him yet. That's kinda old news."

Ignis's eyes widened, "We…are not gone…." He lifted his arms, a blue flame emerging from his palm, "Feel the heat…know that we are not lost…use your element. A force of nature Arcanis himself cannot hide." He closed his eyes and focused on the flame, all while he felt himself weaken from the blood that had escaped his body. I can't heal. I can't use darkness enough yet. My flame is…

Noel was afraid to look back. She had seen Ignis return to the ground. She had seen him lift his head. But after that… he wasn’t there?
She wanted to look back, to see how the others were doing, but she was afraid. A cold feeling clutched at her heart. She realized that she couldn’t feel her brother’s presence nearby. She couldn’t hear or sense their breathing, the air filtering into their respiratory system and collecting in their lungs. Noel’s own breath became shaky. For a moment, she couldn’t speak.
“A… Ali?”
There was no answer. Noel’s eyes stayed on the seal, her expression contorting into something quite difficult to describe. “Ali, Ali, please, please, Ali…” she murmured over and over again, her voice eventually devolving into quiet, incoherent sobs. Then eventually her voice became coherent again. “Just focus on the seal, just focus on the seal, just focus on the seal…”
The gas was still there, forming a shield around it. Was she truly alone? She couldn’t let go of her control, someone she knew might die, or Arcanis would take advantage of the situation.
Arcanis. Of course.
“Please be okay, Ali, please be okay…”

“El, me and Evan can protect you while—“
Alister’s voice died. There was nothing. He saw nothing, he heard nothing. For a moment, he felt himself breaking down as he realized that he was alone. His sister, whom he had tried to protect for so long, was gone. There was a ringing in his ears as tears filled his eyes. Why was she not there? Why did she leave? This was all his fault. He brought her into danger. He brought her into this mess and now she was gone.
“El…” his voice was barely audible. His gaze had drifted down to the grass beneath him. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry… please come back…”
Something nagged at him. Was he truly alone? He thought felt something at the edge of his senses. A tingling in his hand.
Evan. Evan was gone too but— The tingling, a sort of pressure was still there. “Evan…” Alister mumbled. “Are you here?” He tried squeezing his hand where he felt the pressure.

Evan watched as everything went down, how arcanis was lifted with ignis, and then ignis fell to the ground. He looked between the two of them, and noticed arcanis speaking.
that can't be good…
He was right about one thing.
He moves to say something to alister ans Noel only…they were gone?
Where did they go?
He could they just disapear..?
Why did they leave..? Was he not good enough? Did they decide to leave him because he was too weak? They wouldn't have left him because of that..right?..
"A-ali…? N-noel..?' He almost whimpered when he spoke, his lip trembled as he spoke.
"G-guys…? H-hello…? P-p-please..?" He sniffed, feeling the tears pool around his eyes. He could feel it all crashing down on him, he was alone and on his own. Just like he had always been, nothing had changed.
No one wanted to stick around him.
He was just the disabled kid.
No one cared.
He felt a slight, numbness in his hand. He looked down at his hand, feeling the slightest bit of pressure.
That's right, he had been holding hands with alister….
He decided to squeeze it, even if weakly.

He felt something. At least, he thought he did. Had he imagined it?
Alister blinked, then wiped the tears from his eyes and sniffled. Even if it had been imagined, he wanted to cling to the possibility, the hope of it not being so. He squeezed again, to make sure he wasn’t imagining things. He could somewhat feel the air around him, and he noticed it felt cooler now than it had earlier. Alister tried to get in control of himself. He couldn’t panic now. He had been given a job to protect the seal, and of course, his loved ones. Hie squeezed the pressure once again, both out of his wavering worry and resolve to keep himself calm.

Arcanis's words echoed around Noel as well, "Lost…alone…forgotten…."

Ignis's flame flickered as he continued to suffer from unknown attacks, "Come on, come on!"

Noel froze at the sound of the voice, and her normal sass suddenly kicked in. "I think the fact that you're talking to me negates all of those half-formed arguments," she said.
"Oh, for the love of all that is sacred," a different muffled voice cut through the stillness. Noel blinked. "This is ridiculous."
Noel finally looked back, but managing to keep the gas in place. She let out a whimper upon seeing the empty meadow, but her eyes soon came to the forest. It seemed that Astra was successful. The fire was gone, but a good portion of the forest was now burned and blackened. Thick, dark smoke rose from behind the trees.
You can have the smoke if you want, child. Their voice spoke into her mind. Could be useful.
Noel blinked again. The smoke seemed to gravitate towards her, like how the mist from inside the temple liked to curl around her wrists and ankles. At first, she was confused, but then she got it. Noel inhaled deeply, and the smoke entered her body. Soon she started coughing, but she seemed to be handling it better than last time.

Almost losing consciousness, Ignis let loose the flame. Too tired to move or think, his options were limited…until the smoke moved. It could just be Arcanis, manipulating the vision to further worry his panicked mind. However, the movement of the smoke seemed different, "You aren't…gone. So…I will…continue…to fight!" With a vast quickness, a rising heat surrounded himself. As hot as fire, as complex as wind. Channeling the aura around him, he managed to burn his attacker.

Arcanis mocked everyone in their minds, saying things that ultimately made one message clear: Ignis is a murderer, a liar, and dying coward. He spoke to each within their own hallucination, attempting to lower their guards. All the while his followers closed in on each, preparing to fight. However, the screams of the lackey near Ignis prevented any further attack. As they tried to save their comrade, Ignis made something clear, "I don't know where you are…But if you hurt them…especially her, I'll kill you…" Smiling, Arcanis manipulated the message so that everyone heard his final words, "…I'll kill you…"

She felt the warmth, she just barely felt it…but it was there. She clung to the warmth she felt,
"ARCANIS!" She yelled at again ",show yourself so I can smack you back into where you belong!"
She knew that warmth was from ignis, his flame. If he really was loosing his flame then he couldn't afford to use it here. She had to get to him. She had to protect him, just the thought of him getting hurt while she was stuck here made her panic.
She searched around desperately but didn't see anything.
She clenched her fist, I need to get out of here…I can't stay here.
She didn't admit it but arcanis was slowly edging his way in, despite her protests he wasn't doing anything.
If she could just see him…
Hear him maybe..
Well her wish had been granted.
"…what?"
She hadn't expected to hear his voice, but what he said caught her off guard.
"No..no that can't be right- he's not going to kill any of us! It's just your lies arcanis!"
She recognized ignis's voice, but she was sure it had been manipulated… there's no way ignis would have said that to any of them.
"He wouldnt."
She felt her heart ache slightly.

Evan felt pressure again on his hand, he squeezed back harder this time, he had too. He couldn't give up hope despite what he was hearing, he couldn't.
He had to believe something was worth it.
He felt the heat, he felt a strong heat and he winced slightly.
no no no- not again-
He felt as if he was next to a scolding fire and he tried to move away from it.
Thats when he heard ignis's voice.
He never felt more fear in that moment.
The flame and the voice,
"Ali! Noel! I'm sorry- I don't know how to get you back…" He gave a tight squeeze to where he felt earlier.

Ignis attempted to heal himself once again, thankfully the process was faster. He couldn't allow Arcanis to keep his illusion any longer, but he didn't know how. He knew a little about illusion magic, but not enough to override Arcanis. His friends were still here, but how could he save them? Anger filled his entire body, more like frustration. He couldn't just sit there, but he couldn't do much either.

Arcanis taunted everyone with glee. He approached Ignis, "Pitiful. The one elemental who had any chance at seeing through my power, is now reduced to embers. How much fire can you use? You could swing a solar flare, now you can only snap a spark."

So he hadn’t been imagining it. Alister squeezed back, holding on to the pressure as tightly as he could. Though he didn’t want to, he started crying. “Evan… oh, I’m sorry,” his voice warbled.
Then several things began happening very quickly. As he tried to wipe his tears away, he noticed the smoke rising from the forest, and then… descending into the meadow? Which must mean that someone was controlling it, right? Then there was Astra’s sudden voice, too… Then an intense heat rose somewhere near him, as if he was suddenly right next to a bonfire. He leaned away from it as he heard a voice, which despite his initial hope he soon realized was Arcanis. He frowned, deciding to focus on the tingling against his hand and his grip around it. The heat seamed to increase, and he felt the tingling in his hand tugging away from it. He backed away as well. Then, Ignis’s voice came to his ears. What? It was one thing to hear Arcanis ramble on and on about it, but how could Ignis speak himself? He had disappeared along with the others, and if this was Arcanis’ doing… ah. Arcanis. He was the one in control.
Suddenly everything made just a little bit more sense. Taking deep breaths, he tried to calm himself again and think rationally. Taking the tingling sensation, he brought his other hand to feel the area around it, trying to see if he could detect Evan’s arm.

Noel was on the ground, coughing and hacking. It was strange, and painful, but at least it wasn’t three poisonous gases that made you feel nauseous and like your throat was on fire.
Breathe, child. Just breathe, the voice said. Though muffled, it managed to overpower Arcanis’ voice. Gradually, Noel’s coughing slowed. She blinked. I didn’t pass out! I consider that a win.
Plumes of smoke still rose in the forest, but she had absorbed a good amount for herself. Suddenly, she felt a fiery heat ignite somewhere near her. She moved away a little, but out of worry, she glanced at the sulfur dioxide surrounding the seal. It was beginning to diffuse, the perfect dome becoming fuzzy and encroaching. Noel quickly reformed it again as she heard… Ignis?
“Wow, that was quick,” she said aloud, trying to smother her anxiety with her humor and indifference. “You had plenty of chances to kill me before then, you know.”
The more she thought about it, the more she realized the voice might not be real in some way. A seed of anxiety and fear had still taken root in her though. There was a feeling that something was coming, something bad.

Ignis smiled, If I can somehow find him, I could create a tear in his illusion. Ignis, with his heat aura still in place, sat down and chanted, "Astra, prime element of air and the wind, I release you from your prison. Now free as the wind, now free from illusion…"

Arcanis backhanded Ignis, with enough force to render him unconscious. He was too late, Astra was freed…