[hider=Ryria's Log- Date 1992] [color=A5F2F3][b][center][h1][i]D[/i][sub][u]arkness[/u][/sub] [i]I[/i][sub][u]nto[/u][/sub][i] L[/i][sub][u]ight[/u][/sub][/h1][/center][/b][/color] [indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent] Video Log Date: 1992 CE Location: Ignis Colony, Trategos[/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent] Darkness swirled then recoiled from Ryria’s consciousness. Artificial light filtered through the hazy shadows of her returning vision. The single color sharpened into shapes, then disjointed images and finally it became a familiar place. The house unit’s kitchen. She tried to remember why she was on the floor but something made her stomach churn. The memories refused to surface causing an urgency to pick herself up. It was a mistake that she shortly regretted. Pain flooded the back of her skull. She dropped abruptly, her lithe form curled into a tight ball and a whimper came. Slowly the cold chill of the floor began to numb it away. Time passed into minutes before she again attempted to move. This time very slowly to avoid the sudden pain. Slowly her hand gripped the counter’s edge then finished pulling herself onto her feet. Her head itched as something dry and flaky clung to her crest. Ryria frowned. Timidly her right hand reached to the back and touched it. An unfamiliar edge drew fear into her heart. Her lungs seemed to deflate in her chest while her heart raced rapidly against her ribs. Each time it rammed full force into her sternum and threatening to break her bones. Dizziness swept into her head as she leaned heavily on the counter’s edge, fighting gravity’s pull on her stunned body. Through the corner of her eyes, Ryria could easily see the light violet blood flakes on her fingers. Vertigo hammered her fragile balance all the way to the bathroom. Her arms reached out for any solid masses, from walls to doorways, to steady herself. A sourness engulfed her taste and churned at the back of her throat, threatening to spew across the floor. Ryria swallowed it back down. Getting sick now wouldn’t solve anything. Finally, she faced the mirror. Cartilage was difficult to fracture, let along the break, as her fingers ran down the length of what remained. The tips on her left side were broken clean off leaving it disfigured close to the scalp. No words could easily describe her pain at seeing the destruction wrought upon her. The right side had suffered only the edge tip fractured, leaving nothing but the pain in its wake. Discoloration crept along her cheeks then rounded about her eye sides. Perfect impressions of where her father had gripped her face then slammed her into the floor. Memories flooded back at the realization. Yes… his talons had a vice-like grip along her face sides and forehead then repeatedly driven her into the floor. Her hands struggled against their grip while she pleaded for mercy. Her blue eyes streamed with tears, but he was too drunk to see them. Over and over, each sickening shove back caused her skull new pain until she pleaded for it to end. At last, she fell into blissful peace called unconsciousness. Ryria’s arms rose across her chest, silently hugging herself. Fresh salty tears stung at her eyes making her vision blur slightly, but she didn’t care now. Next came the strangled sobs from her throat fueled by the reality she hated. It felt like an endless torrent of betrayal and pain stirred in her core. Forever tainting her until the last bitter moment. She couldn’t hold it back any longer. Her stomach promptly emptied into the basin, staining the metal surface with vomit. As the last of her meal spilled out, the asari child rose upright once more. What she saw in the mirror disgusted her enough she twisted about then lowered herself onto the ground. Her knees curled into her chest as she let her emotions overwhelm her control once again. Nothing would ever be the same again… [/hider]