Bright golden irises scanned her surroundings as the fog of sleep cleared from her mind, a rather large yawn escaping her lips while she stretched her stiffened limbs out. There was nothing particularly dangerous that caught her eye, but the once familiar setting now bore a hostile aura. She shouldn’t have been surprised, after all, whatever it was would have most likely been drawn in by the stone that shielded her. Glancing down at the shard around her neck, the young woman assessed her current situation.

“[color=8882be]It seems we have been asleep for quite some time, my friend.[/color]” The stone around Aryanna’s neck, much like her, had remained untouched by the passage of time. It still felt as lively as ever, which was a good sign, seeming to have only refreshed itself over the years. Unsurprisingly, a minuscule tug of energy linked the pendant to the towering obelisk, a now very permanent mark upon the landscape. Though it served little purpose now, the magic used in both its creation and maintenance were far too great for it to simply vanish. The pair had spent plenty of time recuperating, so the impact would be almost nothing, but they would forever be linked to this particular clearing.

The air about her churned, magic shifting visibly throughout the clearing as it opened the way for her summoned guests. Withdrawing to the very edge of the treeline, the mage melded into the shadows to observe the incoming personalities. While her consciousness had been present for a good portion of their lives, there was only so much she could determine from their circumstances. This would be the first time they were ever introduced to magic so she couldn’t help but be a tad curious as to how they would react.

At first there was just the one, Alec if she remembered his name correctly. His arrival was fairly controlled which was a good sign in her books. He had a strong aura and an even stronger survival sense, but that would not prevent his way home from being sealed behind him. A path between realms was no easy feat after all. Aryanna watched as he gathered his bearings, much as she had when she first awoke… But, alas, his efforts were unsurprisingly in vain.

Eyes shifted to another arrival, a girl this time, whom she remembered distinctly to be called Lucy. Everything about her was bright; her hair, her smile, even her aura shone brightly. She was impossible for the woman of darkness not to notice, though she was quite sure yet if that was a good or bad thing.

It didn’t take long for the other three guests to arrive, seeming to fall through the veil much quicker now that it had been pierced multiple times. The young woman didn’t care too much for the words spoken between them as one by one they realized that they were far, far from home. Of the arrivals, the warrior Isabella had to have been her favorite. It was blunt, and it was honest, but it was without apparent fear. She held herself high and approached the strangers with confidence. A small snicker escaped the dark haired woman, and she almost felt bad for the other two, as Morgan and Damien’s arrivals were a tad on the more jarring side. She considered apologizing to them for such a sudden summons, but she didn’t particularly see the point either. Exhaling slowly, Aryanna decided that she had seen enough and would make herself known before the group ended up wandering off.

“[color=8882be]Indeed, you were.[/color]” Her voice rang clearly as she stepped forward, closing some of the distance between her previous position and where the group had gathered. The clothing she wore had seen better days, the hem of her skirt still torn from battle and a mixture of blood and dirt stained the white blouse. Long since had she forgotten where her shoes had been left, though she highly doubted they would have still been there should she ever have returned. 

“[color=8882be]Clearly you are no longer. You’ll find your previous locations a bit out of reach at this point, so allow me to welcome you all to Astoria.[/color]” Aryanna bowed into a curtsy before righting her posture and looking at each one in turn.

“[color=8882be]It pleases me that you all have arrived safely, we have much to discuss.[/color]”