[center][h1][b][i]Para Bellum[/i][/b][/h1][/center]
[center][h2][i]The Sacred Sextet & The Order of the Phoenix[/i][/h2][/center]
[hr]
The sky was burning brightly, alit with cosmic flames that spread forth from Skydancer and its few passengers as they soared above the lands of northern Terminus at an incredible speed, leaving long shimmering streams of otherworldly light in their wake. Upon the sacred vessel, they flew much faster than the rushing winds, and yet their passage remained peaceful and quiet, like a shooting star silently streaking across the luminous heavens, as the red goddess and her chosen champions all traveled to the bitter and bloody sands of Nalusa where war awaited them.

Their journey would be brief, but there was still time to talk and prepare themselves for the coming battle. As glittering jewels embedded in the boat’s hull conjured a cloud of colorful radiance around them, and the two equine colossi that were suspended with subtle golden wires flanked both the left and right of their entourage like gigantic guardians, it was known that their swift and imposing arrival would be akin to the rising of the glorious sun. Though her champions were familiar with such sights, Homura wondered whether the mortals that had been abandoned by the Divine would be frightened or in awe… She sought to end this skirmish without shedding further blood and the waste of precious life, and that would require their cooperation.

[b][i]“We will be reaching our destination soon. Have you devised a strategy for achieving victory, my champions? We fight on behalf of our great purpose, so I expect nothing less than brilliance from each of you.”[/i][/b] Homura said, her face still hidden behind the veil of mourning as she spoke, and even though Courage and Wanderer were both far away as they stood upon their colossi where the winds howled around them, the voice of Homura was crystalline clear to their ears and echoed with sacred power.

“I was thinking we split and deal with each side separately, ya. Beat up those that insist upon fighting, while we also heal the wounded. Desire can find the leaders and make them surrender with her aspect, otherwise we just keep hitting them until they can’t remember why they’re even killing each other!” Courage II offered, divulging a more detailed plan among her sisters telepathically. [i]“We’ve got to focus on overwhelming them if talking fails. Wanderer will provide support from above, while I’ll grab their attention. Desire, you’ll focus on quickly taking out their leaders. I’m uncertain whether our Maker will be assisting us too much with this one, ya, but let’s not worry too much about that. Let’s save these folks!”[/i]

Wanderer wordlessly conveyed her agreement alongside her Reflection, while also sharing her intention of increasing the potency of the spiritual aura that Courage and Pride had bestowed upon Skydancer, furthering its range and strength so that Charis could manifest on the battlefield in her true form. Then without warning she summoned her bow of light, as the archer and her Reflection mutely mentioned the immediate creation of a second ranged weapon for the latter to use in combat - letting Courage explain aloud these additions to the plan for Homura and Charis.

[color=f6989d][i]“I do not abjure death, though blessed with an aura of life. I am neither alive, nor dead. I do wonder why we show such concern for the ones that would commit murder… Hmm, I shall heal those that have fallen though.”[/i][/color] Charis chanted in her melodious voice from where she had leisurely seated herself before peering over the rim of Skydancer to watch the vast blurred array of shapes and colors that they passed over, until only a sea of sand and ragged stone was visible underneath as they crossed into the lands of Nalusa.

[b][i]“I will announce my presence before those that make a mockery of War, but I will not directly intervene. I will offer my guidance and tutelage, for the servants of the Divine must become warriors, and yet I am not obligated to sift through the unworthy to find those that should wield power. They must arise from the ashes… and those that continue to wallow in their sin shall be punished.”[/i][/b] Homura proclaimed, and provided each of her champions with a glimpse of her vision; the erection of a grandiose temple beside the swift gathering of a great host of soldiers. An honorable gift to those that dwelt in Heaven.

“We don’t intend on letting our far-away family fall. We’re here to uplift them! Heh, we’ll get farther along the Sacred Path even if we have to crawl, and we’ll bring them with us, even if we’ve got to drag them, ya.” Courage II said, and Desire nodded at that, mentally disciplining herself for the battles to come. Aligning the mortals with the Sacred Path sounded like her skill set exactly. Courage II began stomping her feet and clapping her hands, while Wanderer II leapt from Skydancer onto the crown of the colossus where her other iteration stood.

Once more, the shifting symbols of the Gnosis adorned their skin as the champions of Homura called upon their sorcery. Courage gathered scarlet spiritual essence in her hands, shaping it into a strange instrument that she then beat, and with every strike the instrument let out a rich and rumbling boom that accompanied her Reflection’s rhythmic stomping and clapping. Wanderer and Wanderer both danced as they performed their two spells, the former directing her power towards Skydancer while the latter gathered it into her hands and began molding it. 

The Incantation of Making was cast more swiftly than the ritual that would enhance Skydancer’s aura, and Wanderer II held in her hands a second simulacrum of the Bow of Light that Wanderer wielded, so with her newfound weapon, she joined her sister and imitated her dance. The music shifted from merely supporting their spells to being loud and boisterous enough that even Charis felt compelled to participate, and so the final component of the ritual was included. With a burst of light and a thunderous roar, the Phoenix took flight in her true form and set the sky aflame with her presence.

The prismatic aura that surrounded Skydancer expanded, reaching farther and farther, allowing the massive six-winged spirit to fly freely beside the soaring boat and its passengers. Even combined, the two colossi were smaller than the Umati that simply flew close to them, and yet both Homura and Charis seemed unconcerned by the close proximity of the latter to their much tinier transport. [color=f6989d][i]“Have I hope? Have I known fear? Am I free?”[/i][/color] Charis mused aloud, when her sheer size and resounding voice drowned out the conclusion of their ceremonial melody.

Courage didn’t seek to answer any of the spirit’s rhetorical questions, content to dismiss her temporarily conjured drums and continue with readying her sisters and herself. Her efforts to stay optimistic were always slightly hindered by Charis because of the distress the spirit instilled in Wanderer and her Reflection whenever she spoke or came too close. The brash champion shrugged. “So another thing before we get there; how about you help us see the inner flames of others.”

[color=f6989d][i]“Hmm…”[/i][/color]

Without warning, those among the Order of the Phoenix felt their eyes alight with a celestial shimmer and a searing pain. There was no means to alleviate it, but it was brief, and when the champions opened their eyes they could see hints of currents flowing through the air - they could see the smaller streams of life and subtle sacred motion; where such gathered and where such wandered. With their newfound vision, they peered into the realm of divine influence, where they saw that everything around them moved at the whim of their Mother, and realized how little they could command even of themselves when aware of how many forces pushed and pulled them and every element in all directions.

[b][i]“You must prepare for war as it is here, and ignorance will lead to your downfall. The Sacred Path will demand that you transcend your limitations and evolve your mind; its processing and perception of itself and the world. There is little time to learn how to navigate this newfound landscape, but you cannot surrender to lethargy or cowardice.”[/i][/b] Homura intoned, and they were witness to the effect her words had on them, to the way she manipulated everything before her like she was weaving the threads of existence together with unseen hands, except now they could perceive the contour of those hands.

Courage shook her head, and attempted to close her eyes for a moment of respite that her mind sought, except she found that even when she retreated into the shadowy recesses of her secluded thoughts there were lingering traces of celestial currents she could not turn away from. Their eyes had been opened to a truth that could not be forgotten, and now their sanity required that they discover a way to swim in the blazing sea of their afflicted spirit, or else drown defiantly and sink into madness.

Desire was staring into the middle distance with a look of intense concentration on her face, faring just as poorly as her sisters. Occasionally she would glance at one of the other champions before immediately wincing and looking away, their sacred flames blindingly bright. Slowly, however, she began to acclimate, and the extrasensory perception revealed more than just life. She began seeing eddies and patterns in the way the lights danced, stoked and shaped by thoughts and feelings. No longer did she have to blindly reach, now she could [i]see.[/i] She smiled inwardly, feeling far more confident at being able to perform her part of the plan for the upcoming battles.

Wanderer contemplated whether loneliness was better or worse than being among family, as the companionship of her sisters only offered too much of this unknown energy without any mercy. She understood that nothing had changed aside from their understanding of what had been happening while they were unaware, but this knowledge ushered unexpected consequences. Wherein ignorance was bliss, it seemed enlightenment was painful, and Wanderer wondered when she would be able to find the answer to the question that haunted her: How did Mother discern the difference between the right path and the wrong path?

There was virtue in their struggling to adjust to their greater sight, and regardless of whether or not Wanderer wished to remain in solitude, her sister reached out towards her through the connection they shared. She was rushed by rivers of otherworldly light that washed over her, and passed through her, but she recognized then that she was finally seeing the manifestation of their bond and so she let herself be carried along. Then the rivers parted as the embodiment of Courage’s thoughts fled back whence they came.

“I… I know it sounds silly coming from me, ya, but we’ve got to be careful with our connection.” Courage called out aloud, as she divided her mind between gazing outwards and the conversation. “It’s getting harder to distinguish ourselves, and we need to practice more with that before we go crazy. All of us know the risk of possession, so let’s just keep our sight turned on those that lack our brightness.” Despite physically looking away from their mental bond, the champions found that telepathy was both inevitable and harmless, so their thoughts and memories continued to be passed on from one to another.

“What about Kindness, Curiosity, and Pride? How will they handle this?” Courage II asked, sparing a glance at Homura who appeared akin to a dark silhouette at the center of a curtain of light where all threads of warmth were woven and entwined. The Reflection felt the gaze of the veiled goddess upon her, and shivered slightly… Was it dread or wonder which caused her to react like that?

[b][i]“Pride will guide them through the unknown, for though she could not see the secrets of the tapestry before with clouded eyes, she sought to comprehend the cosmos so soon after her birth, and attained an understanding of what lay farther ahead upon the Sacred Path before she was ready. Should your sister betray me once she confirms I reside within all living creatures, will you fight against her, my champions? Would you stand against the Goddess of War?”[/i][/b] Homura replied, and Courage could only regret not bringing Kindness and Curiosity with them.

Like the rest of the champions, Desire didn’t reply immediately, staring at her maker questioningly. “What do you want, Mother?” she eventually asked. “For humanity? What is your plan?” The crowd of Homura’s children stirred at the question, glancing among themselves as she spoke.

[b][i]“I intend for humanity to ascend… for you and your kin to walk beside the servant rulers of the Galbar. As you are children, I seek for you to mature and become powerful enough to defy those that imprisoned us. My plan is to tend to and nurture all of you… and protect you from the path of annihilation. That is what I want.”[/i][/b] Homura answered, and Courage could not decide whether she was annoyed or relieved because they had been given a diplomatic answer that failed to address their actual problem, but wasn’t forcing them to contend with fighting their Mother at the moment.

“I don’t really understand why though? Why is that your intention? Why do you want that? Just how far ahead do you see down the Sacred Path? I know that you want us to be faithful, ya, but trusting you solely for the sake of trusting you seems like a foolish idea. I’d know, as I’m full of foolish ideas.” Courage II said, yet found it difficult to maintain her composure when she looked towards Homura, and saw the difference between them. The separation between the Divine and her own more constrained existence.

[b][i]“Perhaps you should ask Desire such a question. Perhaps you should ask yourself how far your conviction will take you. Then perhaps… someday you will understand the origin of my motivation. Know however that I do not wish to needlessly perish, and that my actions all lead to preservation of myself and all that I love. We are all fools, those that pursue paradise… our sought-after salvation. Hmm… it seems we have arrived at our destination.”[/i][/b]

[hider=Summary]-Homura and her crew are flying northwest to Nalusa on Skydancer, taking time to figure out a plan during the trip.

-Wanderer and Wanderer II cast some spells in preparation for the fight ahead, and Charis imbues the champions with greater sight.

-Homura says a few more ominous words before they all reach where they were going.[/hider]
[hider=Vigor]Cycle 5 Homura’s Vigor total: 3.
Vigor spent: 0
Remaining Vigor: 3.

Desire’s Vigor: 4
Vigor spent: 0
Remaining Vigor: 4

Courage, Courage II, Wanderer, Wanderer II, and Charis gain 3 Spirit. (+1 minimum, +1 medium, +1 collab)

Wanderer spends 15 Spirit to enhance the aura of Skydancer, increasing its range and potency to allow for Charis to manifest her true form.

Wanderer II spends 12 Spirit to create a second Bow of Light, a copy of the weapon her older iteration uses.

The Sacred Sextet gains 1 Prestige.

The Order of the Phoenix gains 1 Prestige.

Charis spends 5 Prestige to grant the members of the Order of the Phoenix the ability to see the life forces that move living creatures, granting them a finer ability to manipulate/interact with these forces.[/hider]