The four-winged angel was up and about again. After a good night of sleep she ran into the forest with berries in her arms. Every bird she encountered, she talked to while she gave them a few berries. Most of them talked fast and chipper. The boars talked slower and harder. Though when she pulled up a few vegetables, even they came inching closer. Though she left them in peace to eat. If they didn’t want to talk to her, she wouldn’t force them. But now even a wolf had come to approach her. He was the leader of the pack and had called the Luminant home for much longer than Soleira had. They had an honest exchange of words on both of their places in the world. The wolf’s view was simple but clear: survive and thrive. Hunt when you must eat and feed the pack. Meanwhile the angel had a tougher time explaining her place. She eventually settled on the idea that she was just a helper. For everyone. Even the wolves. It would seem that the pack leader was content with that answer and left.

For the rest of the day Soleira was hard at work to gather more berries and roots. Though she promised the bushes she would replant some of the berries far around. Just like nature would have done with them. After a long, exhausting but fulfilling day she decided she needed to get the dirt cleaned off of her. Flying made places feel closer. She arrived at the lake in just a few minutes. On foot it would’ve taken a few hours. With child-like glee she folded her wings and let her splash head first into the water. Deep underwater she came face to face with a fish she nearly hit. She opened her mouth, trying to apologize. Instead water flooded into her. Quickly she swam up again. When she caught her breath and the surface, she looked down and yelled: “Sorry Mr. Fish! I didn’t see you! I’ll pay more attention next time!” The fish just swam away. “I hope I didn’t make him mad.” Soleira said out loud for a moment. She would hate it if someone was actually mad at her.

After a good half an hour of floating in the refreshing waters, she made her way towards the shore and dry on the ground in the late afternoon sun. In the distance she saw some of the wingless ones. Not just the men this time. She saw long haired women with tiny babes in their arms and even a few children. Something inside of her wanted to rush over and say hello. Though sadly Oraelia she would only be able to talk to animals. Right now she felt a closer kinship with the creatures of the Luminant than with the wingless ones. It didn’t matter. From the distance she just waved and laid down. None of them approach her but at least they didn’t run away either. It was a start.

After about half an hour of relaxing in the bright sun, clouds began to cast their shadows upon the colorful land. Even they were colorful though! Nonetheless, she didn’t want to get wet again. And it was close to evening. Soleira retreated to her cave. Content to sit by a small fire to keep her warm while she watched, enthralled, as the heavy rain poured from the heavens.

The rain seemed determined never to let up, and even with the inherent glow of the landscape, the world seemed to gently dim and mute in the rainfall. The smattering of water striking leaves, dirt and water filled the world and the cave with an echoing melody. That rapturous orchestra went unbroken until she was certain Oraeliara’s light had set beyond the clouds, and looked set to continue all night. That is, until another sound broke through the veil of water - a voice. It was joined by another, barely audible over the patter of rain. Still, there was only one conclusion; someone was out there in the rainstorm. The cluster of voices grew closer with each passing moment. Someone shouted a short phrase, the rain drowning out any chance of making a reasoned guess.

That’s when the first silhouette appeared in the darkness, beaten down into a hunch by the rain - the shape of wings half-lifted to shield them from the rain as much as possible. The glow of nearby trees illuminated the shape enough; the flash of dark hair and mottled wings striding past the light source straight towards her cave as other shapes appeared behind the first silhouette. Their strides were quick - almost a sprint - and the first silhouette broke through the sheet of rain into the sanctuary of Soleira’s cave, allowing the first good look at the figure in firelight. A frowning youthful brother, winged and drenched, with no more than a simple sheet of cloth to cover his lower body. Strapped around his chest was a simple harness of animal hairs and furs, barely more than a sling to carry tools. A set of gently glowing basic tools - a knife, a club - hung from the straps, seeming to have been shaped out of light itself. His dark, almost black hair was the first true hint as to his heritage, and his wings were speckled with brown and beige in patterns Soleira had never seen in her Oraeliari brethren. Looking at him was enough to stand the hairs on her arms, just like that first chaos. Neiyari.

“Oh-“ She said when she realized what, no who, stood before her. Her heart sank in her chest. She couldn’t fight it. Instinct made her take a step back. Just a moment earlier she had been waving at the silhouette to come and take shelter here. Now her arms dropped to her side. She took another step back. Behind her there was only rock and stone though. The only escape she had was in front of her. Passed the Neiyari. Fleeing wasn’t an option. Fighting was always impossible.

To her own horror, she only now noticed the animal furs strapped around his chest. It made her whimper. Why would anyone want to kill an animal for its fur!? Then her eyes fell to the tools of light hanging from the harness. Blood drained from her face. 

“I-It’s alright.” She managed to say. Wishing she had swallowed every word she spoke. “W-We can share. The cave is big. T-There’s food.” She motioned at a corner in the cave filled with berries and roots.

The man stared at her with a frozen look of surprise, his wings unfurling to cease their shielding. Uncertainty flashed across his face, traded for a deep frown within moments. Whatever he intended next, the veil of rain broke behind him again as another rushed into the warmth and shelter of the cave. And a third. They shoved him aside and stepped aside themselves, as a final shape entered the cave. The last entrant was deathly pale, white like bone, with black hair and wings that seemed to suck what life there was left out of the cave. His features were like stone, carved to present a hostile and imposing visage of eternal contempt. Even his comrades seemed to shy away from his gaze and touch. None of the others were dressed any better than the first, though each had their own sets of the tools - nay, weapons. The situation repeated itself, as four sets of eyes fell on Soleira on the far side of the cave. “Oraeliari!” one of the new arrivals, a black-haired woman, called out, and drew her glowing cutter.

Her cave suddenly grew cold. Despite the warm summer and the fire. With the four shapes standing in it, there were more shadows than light. “We don’t have to fight!” Soleira said as she took a few steps back. Until she felt her wings touch the stone wall behind her. She even sank down as tears welled up in her eyes. “I don’t want to die. Please, I don’t want to die.” She held her arms in front of her face. All four wings wrapped around her. Then, as if summoned by her despair, a crystalline shield formed in front of her. Meanwhile memories flashed through her head. Memories of Oraelia. Of the animals. The first chaos. “Why are we even fighting?” She sobbed with her eyes hidden and closed.

The pale Neiyari held out his hand and the woman immediately backed down, almost tumbling back as though the thought of his touch sent her reeling. "My, my," he began with a soft tone that conveyed nothing but mocking malice. "It seems you managed to find quite the treasure out here, Aziri. I've never seen one like her." He laid a hand on the shoulder of the first Neiyari who entered, who stiffened in response. The pale one continued inwards, pacing around the fire. "You are right to worry, sister, but the night is long," he offered on approach, a hand stretching out gingerly to nearly touch the crystalline surface. "Perhaps we can start anew. Can all of you do this? It is marvelous."

She looked up, her upper wings relaxed a bit. The streaks of tears were visible on her cheeks. Her eyes looked beyond the one standing before her. They all looked afraid. Not of her. Of him. What a tortured existence that must be, to be scared of the one leading you. He terrified her as well. Yet she also pitied him. Just a little. He spoke every word with a cold malevolence that made her heart crack. She kept the barrier up, even though it drained of her strength even now.

“I don’t know.” She answered with not a hint of bitterness in her voice. Though there was a little bit of compassion. “Are you going to kill me if I drop my shield?” She asked without hiding the fear in her voice.

"Would you feel better if I lied?" he questioned back at her with implied intent, features creasing to suggest he found her directness funny. "But as I said. The night is long. As long as you stay useful, I'd be remiss in my duties if I killed you. So. Sister. How useful are you?" He leaned forwards towards the shield with a smirk. 

Behind him the three Neiyari spread out in the cave, looking through what means Soleira had assembled for herself. The first arrival among them, the one named Aziri, had made his way to the corner of food. 

She knew what useful to him meant. Weapons. In all her fear a single courageous thought boiled up. Soleira refused to be a weapon. The day she laid a hand on anyone, even the Neiyari in her cave, would be the day she’d beg any god to strike her down. The crystalline shield began to crumble, though she remained seated. “I’m not useful to you.” There was real sadness in her voice. He was going to kill her no doubt. Who was going to care for the animals and the people in the Luminant? Maybe she had planted enough berries. Maybe she had spread enough berry bushes. She hoped the grey wolf wouldn’t kill too many of the rabbits and that the wingless ones didn’t kill too many deer. She hadn’t been able to talk to them yet. Her wings unfurled themselves from around her and spread out. She didn’t want to die. No, if there was a choice, she would want to survive.

“Just…Just tell me one thing.” She sniffed and rubbed the last of her tears away. “Why do you do it? The killing and the hate and the pain? I want to understand before I…” The word hung heavy in her throat. She tried to accept it but she couldn’t.

A pale hand extended between unfurling wings, craning forwards to touch her chin and force her head up to face his. Dark eyes loomed over her with malice and spite. "Were you not touched by our War Mother? I assumed all had seen at least a glimmer of truth before your false idol twisted your minds." He responded with something akin to pity in his voice. "This land is sick. Decaying, chaotic, and full of lowly creatures blind to the Goddess' love. It is our divine mission to improve it. All shall feel her love. Love cannot exist when false idols and bonds persist," he offered with a smile. "But don't worry. All who live shall accept the Goddess in their hearts. With our help. The world will burn, but a better one will rise. An ordered, loving world."

“But that’s not love.” She said with a meek voice. It was all wrong. Everything he said, it was wrong. The land wasn’t sick or decaying. War wasn’t love. Those lowly creatures he spoke of, they were more capable of love than him. Birds sang for each other. Squirrels snuggled up. Wingless ones kissed and embraced each other. There was no love in burning a world. He was so wrong. So blind. She couldn’t bear it.

She would die anyway. That realization made her eerily calm now. Everything told her that she should be scared. If she was going to die, by him or anyone in the cave, the least thing she could do was try and help them. Even a little bit. In a sudden move she took the man’s hand from under her chin and held it in between her two hands. The instant she touched him, she tried to channel her own understanding of love into him. It was warmth and safety. A smile, a shy glance and a bright laugh. It was conditionless devotion to something other than yourself. At the same time she tried to understand him. Why did he think so wrongly about love? What’s at the core of his misinterpretation?

His eyes widened, an almost instantaneous reaction to her grip and the resulting sensations sent coursing through his system. She could feel something gnaw deep within him. A tumultuous thought, beating out others. A roiling dark mass, spreading to everything else like a cancerous growth, tainting all it touched. It wasn’t malice, or anger, or hatred. It was a need. An obsession. A primal, base urge. Something that sent a rippling shiver through her spine, a sensation as though she was being hunted. Nothing impeded her vision, yet she saw shadowy talons reach and grip for her. Felt that same drive bubble angrily deep within herself. An impulse that lurked in him, and called to her. For just a moment, the world was flipped, and all within it was not enough. The animals were not loyal. The short ones did not respect her. Everyone had to understand. They must be made to love. Whether they like it or not. Then, just as swiftly, the sensation ended - the pale man ripped his hand free of Soleira’s grip, breaking the connection and severing the strange impulse as swiftly as it had arisen. 

The pale Neiyari wasted no time; his palm swung freely towards her face and cheek, as he growled a furious “Insolent wretch!”. In his eyes was a mad panic, a fury borne of desperation and confusion.

The slap connected. It threw her face back. The pain, it stung. The courage she had gathered just a second ago vanished as she crawled away as fast as she could and as far as she could. Which was barely a meter away from the pale Neiyari. Her wings wrapped around her. The entire experience left her shivering. She was going to die now and she didn’t want to die. The cancerous growth had made her afraid. The fact that such dreadful feelings could not only exist but take root. Her cheek was still glowing from the pain. There was nothing else to do for her now than to wait and fear the end.

“You scum!” he shouted at her, and through small glimpses between her feathers she saw him move. Tense up next to her. “How dare you poison me with your wicked ways?! Ailura, give me your knife,” he continued, fuming beside her. There was shuffling about her. 

“Saint Yurari,” came another voice, uncertain and hesitant. “There are a lot of different foodstuffs here. I-If she knows which berries and plants are edible, she can still be of use.”

Silence followed for a time, beyond the sound of awkward shuffling and the constant onslaught of rain. “Is that true, sun-sister?” the pale Neiyari finally asked, his fury abated for just a moment. “Can you identify the poisonous plants?”

“I-I can.” She said from behind her wings. For the past weeks and months she had eaten more than a few berries and roots that had made her violently ill. Though she never would’ve guessed recognizing those plants could ever come in handy. She replanted the poisonous and the edible alike. Would she survive?

“Interesting,” the pale Neiyari - Saint Yurari - concluded. She heard his wet feet hit the dirt as he paced away from her. “Guard her, Ailura. As long as it rains, she won’t get far. We’ll burn her wings if it stops.” he continued, and another Neiyari drew close. Some of the fear creeped away, as though it was attached to the pale man, giving her some chance at rational thought again.

“What are you thinking, Saint Yurari?” asked the hitherto quiet Neiyari, a third man.

“We can use the short ones to infiltrate and sabotage food storages. After a few get sick, they will be unable to trust their gatherers, and will have to throw out their food. Aziri, you are in charge of learning this. The more they resemble edible foodstuffs, the better.” the saint mused, further away but still perfectly audible. Even now, even with Soleira’s interference, his intent could be summarized with what he said next; “This could be an excellent method to progress the war effort.”

More movement, and the one that had first entered the cave came to mutter something to the woman, and they swapped places before Soleira. The Saint meanwhile spoke about what he had experienced. “Watch out for her hands,” he reasoned, before relating the emotional experience to the two by the fire.

Soleira swallowed deeply. Not because they wanted to burn her wings. Even though that alone was terrifying enough. It was the idea that they still managed to find a way to abuse her knowledge for war. She looked around. Attention was diverted away from her, for the most part. “I’m not a weapon.” She quietly muttered. If they forced her to talk, far more than herself could suffer and even die. “Not a weapon.” She repeated, almost as a whisper. It gave her strength though. She then turned towards the Neiyari that was guarding her. He was so young.

“I’m really sorry.” She said with no small measure of genuine regret. Before her captor could even ask why, she shot up. Her four wings spread out. With eyes closed she pushed forward. An unnatural amount of wind blew into the cave. With the crystalline shield formed in front of her to push anyone out of her path she flew out. “Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!” She kept repeating, hating herself for hurting them. Though her wings couldn’t carry her far in the rain. Exhausted she dropped down into the mud. Though she tried to crawl away. If anything, they would have to kill her now. No-one would get poisoned because of her. Her life, for a lot of others. It was fair. Was it enough? “Oh Oraelia forgive me.” She said, fearing she would have displeased the goddess.

Then she heard something chitter and chirp. Despite the wind and rain, some birds and squirrels  had come from their nests. “Nothing! It’s nothing!” She said, looking back at the cave and expecting her darker siblings to flood out in a moment. They didn’t believe her though. They began to chirp and chitter louder. More animals popped out from their hiding places.

The pale Neiyari drew closer. She didn’t hear him at first, but the chill that rose up through her spine could only mean one thing. A few of the animals, those most skittish among her friends, vanished back into the wet darkness as his voice caught through the rain. “Look at this wretch! Too weak to stand. Too cowardly to fight.”

He was right. She looked weak. She felt weak. “I’m not weak.” She grabbed the bark of a tree and pulled herself up. Bit by bit she managed to get back on her feet. Everything hurt. She was drenched in mud. The chirping from a distance grew louder though. A ruckus was brewing in the trees. Next to her, a crow landed on a low hanging branch. It cawed a few times. Soleira offered it a gentle smile. Or at least as gentle as she could manage in her state. “I’ll be okay. Really-“ She coughed violently. So violently, in fact, that she nearly fell to her knees again. The crow cawed a few times. Despite the rain. Despite the winds, it took off again. A second later, more caws could be heard in the distance. They were growing louder. Then the howling began. It echoed from far away. The second howl was much louder though. Tears ran over Soleira’s cheeks again. What they were saying, cawing, howling. She could hear it. “Please don’t hurt them.” She said.

“Saint Yurari,” she could hear the woman among the corrupted kin say in the rain. “Something is wrong.” Still she heard wet steps slap through the mud quickly, grunting as they drew closer, talking amongst themselves; almost lost in the cacophony of animal sounds and rain.

“Aziri, go with Ailura. We’ll fan out and surround her.” the pale one said in the rain. She felt a creeping dread, his very existence seeming to chill her to the bone the longer he remained.

A harrowing bellow echoed through the forest. It was a low, deep rumble. Something that pierced through all other sounds save the howling that got louder. As did the cawing. A crow landed on the nearby branch. Then another and another. They all looked at one of the Neiyari. Some chose to fly up again. They didn’t flee though. The first flash of lightning momentarily illuminated the night sky. A vortex of birds was growing over Soleira. Behind her, the black silhouette of three bucks appeared.

“Please just go.” Soleira now pleaded with the supposed saint. Even though in her heart, she wanted to run. Inside she felt torn between a dark feeling pushing her to run far far away while bravery bloomed in equal measure, strengthened by the growing presence of the animals and what they were saying. The thunder then roared through the air. “They’re not happy.” There was an intense sadness in her eyes.

The sight seemed to instill shock in at least his followers. Aziri and Ailura could be seen staring her way from the edges of the underbrush, but as the next flash came, they were nowhere to be seen. The pale Neiyari seemed undeterred, though his comrade tried to verbally continue what Ailura had begun. Finally, the Saint shouted above the din. “What a majestic weapon you could be, sun-sister! It is not too late to cast aside your folly. Return to the fold, or perish like the rest!” Despite his words, his comrade built up the courage to grab his arm, and pursued by the sound of thunder, their silhouettes began to shrink into the rainy darkness.

She wanted to return his own words. To beg him to turn to the light. She couldn’t though. The moment they were far enough, she dropped to her knees. One of the buck gently nudged her. She patted its side. “Thank you. Really, thank you.” Exhausted but relieved she was still alive, she managed to get up. Supported by the buck walking next to her. “Thank all of you.” She kept repeating. In the distance she saw the tiny glow of wolf’s eyes in the darkness. They never appeared from the darkness though. But Soleira smiled at them none the less. Near the cave she managed to find her way to her bed where she curled up and sobbed herself to sleep. Some of the birds had come inside the cave and kept their vigil.

It was late in the morning when a morose Soleira woke up. She offered every animal a faint smile. She even waved at the deer off into the distance. They let out a bellow in acknowledgement before they continued on. She didn’t say a word though. The most the birds could get out of her were some nods or shaken heads. Normally she would’ve begun the day by gathering berries. Today she didn’t. She was just looking around her cave and flew higher up the hills. It was mid-day when she came back down. Carrying two rocks in her arms. They were heavy. So heavy that even with her four wings she barely managed to get them down safely. Despite her exhaustion, she never stopped to rest. Instead she took another rock and began to very crudely fashion the faces of her two vanished siblings in them. The figures were too crude to ever really recognize but Soleira would remember. She placed the stones in the ground near her cave. “I won’t forget you. Aziri and Ailura. I promise you I won’t forget your names.” She said a quiet prayer with her eyes closed to them. Hoping they were in a better place right now.

Then she smiled again. It was a small smile. A fragile one. But a smile nonetheless.

[hider=Summary]Soleira continues to feed, talk to and befriend animals in the Luminant. When the raining in the evening starts, she retires to her cave from which she watches the rain fall. From the dim a Neiyari appears and steps into her cave. Then three more follow. One almost attacks Soleira but she manages to stop her with her shield. The palest Neiyari, a Saint leading the group, asks if all of the Oraeliari can make a shield. Soleira says she doesn’t know. 

He remains intrigued and asks how useful she would be. Soleira drops the shield and is quick to realize that useful means “as a weapon”. She refuses to help him but asks, before he kills her, why he’s so evil. The saint explains his view of love as taught by Neiya. Soleira finds it awful and wants to help the saint. She touches his hand and through empathetic touch tries to show him how she views love. While at the same time she tries to find the core reason of his misinterpretation of love.

She encounters the deep corruption within the Neiyari. A black, cancerous growth that threatens to even overcome her. Though the saint quickly frees himself from her hands and slaps her. Once again fearing for her life she crawls away. The saint nearly kills her, but the others realize that she knows which plants could be poisonous. They formulate a plan to use Soleira’s knowledge in the war.

This tips Soleira over the edge as she swore to never be a weapon. She flees the cave, using her shield to push anyone out of her way and falls into the mud outside the cave. The animals come out to ask what’s happening. They quickly realize evil is afoot. The forest’s noises grow louder as the Neiyari come out of the cave. Wolves howl, bucks bellow and crows caw all around them. Two Neiyari were ordered to surround her. With the first flash of lightning you could see them. After the second one, they were no-where to be seen. The saint retreats. Leaving a hurt and exhausted Soleira.

The next day a morose Soleira creates two gravestones for the fallen Neiyari. Promising to never forget their names.[/hider]

[hider=Prestige]
[b]Post Length:[/b] +10K Characters
+5 >> Soleira
-10 >> Soleira, upgrade Empathetic Touch I >> II
+5 >> Saints of the Maelstrom (now 8 prestige total)
[/hider]