Arreyis

Devouring Light

Astoria nodded, watching him go. She ascended the stairs to the top of the temple, standing on the roof hoping to watch out for Asran even as she protected the people of the city with her magic.

'This was before things got really bad.' Ayrie thought, then looked around at the vision of Astoria in surprise. The woman nodded at her, and smiled sadly.

'Remember.' she heard, as she watched the vision fade and was left alone to watch her memories of the past. She turned back to the scene in front of her, as her past self watched the battle between Asran and the Angel. As she watched an elven woman approached her, and Ayrie finally realized who the woman with the priests had been. It was Nadia.

"Astoria." she said, "Do you know why the Angel came here?"

"Nadia. Why? We've been building a great city here, Asran hasn't harmed anyone..." She stopped as the elf shook her head.

"He demolished a city to the north of here two days ago. Left no one alive save one dwarf that got away to tell the tale." Nadia said, her hands shaking with rage. "He killed everyone."

"No... Nadia, two days ago..." She paused for a moment, remembering that Asran had been missing two days before. No one had been able to find him and when he came back he had said that he was off scouting trade routes. Her eyes widened, her heart wanting to deny it, but Nadia's word and the fact that he was gone, the presence of an Angel, it was too much. She couldn't deny it, not even in the face of all the good he had done, as he was still a Sin Lord at heart. Tears welled in her eyes as she went from sadness to anger at the betrayal. "What do you want me to do?"

"Help us oust him. Help us get revenge for the city lain to waste at his hand." Nadia said, and held out her hand. In it was a sheet of paper on which was angelic script, a spell. "We will repay his actions tenfold, and then you shall leave here with us and retake your place with the Seven Lights."

Devouring Light

Astoria took Ayrie's hand again, though this time it didn't feel so much like someone else's hand, and she looked as though she had started to disappear. She lead her down another path, to a new memory in which Asran and Astoria were speaking to some adults. These she seemed to know were children he had rescued, who were now adults. They were asking him what to do in some fields, and another was asking about building a port. The building they were in looked like an old version of the main temple, beautiful but much smaller and built from wood instead of stone.

"We're havin' some trouble with the north fields, m'Lord Gluttony." said one of the farmers. He was a plain man, with a scar on his neck where someone had tried to harm him as a child. "The deer keep coming through the woods and eating off the corn, and the snakes is bad out there, too. We're havin' troubles keepin' the boys workin' durin' the day."

"Trout is also low in the shallows. The men are wanting boats that can go out further, but for that we need to upgrade the docks. If we do that we might as well open a port for trade." This man was more well spoken, though he wore clothing much like the first. Ayrie couldn't remember what his name was, but she recalled that he was one of Asran's go between's with the fishermen.

Devouring Light

Ayrie laughed at the memory of Asran choking. Memory Astoria laughed too, and handed him her canteen. "Here."

She watched him as he drank and thought some more about what he had said. She wanted him to listen to her, but was unsure how when she had already tried plain sense. The way he had held the doll and dejectedly thrown it into the flames, the way he had just spoken of children and babies being 'cute', gave her an idea.

"You were friends with a child here, weren't you?" she asked, "That's why you threw the doll into the flames. They killed her before you could get to her."

She paused for a moment, still looking at him. "What if I told you that you could save millions of children just like her? That just by being a friend to the children, you could change their perception of you, of right and wrong? Or that when they grow into adults they will love you and praise you, be loyal to you?"

Devouring Light

"If you presented yourself differently, you would not be so terrifying to them." Astoria said. "Just because you are a demon lord does not mean that you are automatically terrifying."

The astral Astoria actually smiled as Asran spoke, and Ayrie heard in his voice his annoyance.

'So similar to the way he talks to me when I question him.' she thought to herself, but when Astoria looked at her she realized her thoughts were not her own here.

The memory Astoria went on. "You have seen the kindness of these people, and their determination to survive far outlasts that of the other races. Why not become their friend through kindness and compassion? Why not help them rid themselves of evil by choosing to eat only those like the man you threw into the flames before? Your immortality gives you the ability to see the larger picture, and one such as you would be doomed to a hollow existence if you continue the way you have."

Devouring Light

Ayrie looked at Astoria and saw pain and sadness there, then looked back to the scene around her and shuddered with horror. Even in this vicious scene she could see the kindness and willingness to do good for others in Asran.

'Look, now.' Astoria said, pointing at a figure cresting the top of a street path. It was a younger version of the redheaded beauty, and she carried with her a light sword like the one Ayrie had used earlier that night against Wrath. She was headed directly for Asran, but as she approached she watched him toss the small doll into the flames. She stopped, put away her sword and approached cautiously.

She said something to Asran that Ayrie couldn't hear so much as remember.

"I am Astoria, sent here to stop this madness, and to stop you." She said, "But I see that it is not you that I should be stopping." She motioned to the building that Asran had thrown the man into and the screaming stopped. "I will not abide unnecessary suffering."

She stood, her red hair blowing in the wind, almost daring Asran to come after her, as if she feared nothing. Ayrie envied that confidence.

The astral vision of Astoria then took her hand and lead her down a different path, to a different memory, a scene of Asran and Astoria sitting in an unplowed pasture. She was telling him that he didn't have to be violent, that he could care about people and do good with his power even if it was dark. She was interested in the demon, as he showed more signs of caring about the balance of the world than the other Sin Lords did. She wanted to aid him in creating and maintaining that balance, so that scenes like the first wouldn't have to be repeated across the world.

|| The School of Death ||

Ryanne Thomas

Name: Ryanne Thomas

Nicknames/Alias:Ry

Age: 16

Gender: Female

Nationality: American

Hometown: Midland-Odessa, Texas

Date of Birth: May 5

Appearance:


Weight: 120 lbs

Status: Greenhorn

Weapon of Choice: Unsure- So far only hand to hand combat is known.

Magic: Ryanne’s magic will manifest in clear or light yellow colors, and manipulates the vibrations of objects and at higher intervals people and animals, as well as lets her hear vibrations that occurred in the past. In essence, she can hear back in time via the memory the objects have of vibrations they picked up. This does not give her sight, and she can only go back up to fifteen minutes. During the time that she is doing this she needs complete silence in the present, as any vibrations from footsteps or voices will disturb what she is trying to hear from the past.

Strengths: Although Ryanne is mostly blind, she has incredible hearing, sense of smell, and touch. Her father taught her basic hand to hand combat and how to sense what direction an opponent may be coming from by listening to the air and objects around her.

Weaknesses: Ryanne is mostly blind, so without voice indicators she cannot typically sense how a person is feeling or what they are thinking, and is unable to describe people outside of their voice or how heavy they sounded.

Fears: Water, hearing loss, people thinking she is a pity case and not worthy of going to the school.

Personality: Ryanne is aloof at first, but once she becomes comfortable around others she opens up. She is a sweet and caring girl, but her lack of sight means she is sometimes awkward in social situations. She is quick witted, having grown up in a boring area she listened to a lot of comedy albums and learned how to be funny to ease tension in a room. She hates when people think she needs help or that she cannot do certain things because of her lack of eyesight.

Likes: Soft and fuzzy textures, low volume music, sitting in a garden or on a balcony in silence so she can listen to nature. Flowery smells and the smells of good food cooking. She LOVES candy.

Dislikes: Burnt or rotting food smell, as it clogs up her nose and makes it harder to smell for a while. Loud noises and crowds. Overly-solicitous people trying to ‘help’ her.

Backstory: Born in Midland-Odessa to a wealthy oil investor, Ryanne grew up in a well to-do family. She never really cared about this much, as her sight was gone by the time she was twelve so things that money can buy don’t interest her. Her father always told her that somewhere way way back in their family line there was a magic user, but until she received an invitation to attend the school she had always thought it was just a story. Knowing that she would be blind at an early age, her father invested early in teaching her self-defense. He never wanted her to be taken advantage of because of her lack of sight.

Hobbies/Interests: Though she cannot see, she can feel, and using this Ryanne paints. Using the textures of thick splotches of paint to create what she thinks things look like based on memory and feel. She also likes to write, and has a special laptop for typing in brail.

Other: She has a specially trained dog that helps her get acclimated to new places. He is a black lab named George and wears a special halter with a handle and a vest marking him as a service animal. He is not especially needed for her to get around, but he does make it so that she can relax slightly in new places.

Devouring Light

Ayrie sat down on the edge of her bed to rest a moment before changing her clothes. It felt good to rest after the long walk from the clinic. Her side hurt, and her shoulder was throbbing. The doctor had given her something for pain, but it was wearing off and soon she would need to make some more. As she sat she looked at the ring that Gerrick had given her. It was simple, and though she hadn't looked at it before sliding it on she could feel powerful magic coming from it. A tiny spirit whispered in her ear that it was for protection, and that she should never remove it, even for a friend.

She wondered who the woman was, she had obviously come to help the priests and she was thankful that she had, but she wondered why she hadn't stayed to speak to her. The nagging feeling that she should know her wouldn't go away. She sighed and stood, standing a bit too quickly and nearly passing out.

"Darrin?" she called. "Gerrick? Could I get some help in here?"

They must not have heard her because they didn't come. She felt odd, but let it go as she slowly straightened and walked to her suitcase which had obviously been packed in a hurry. She changed into a pair of sleeping pants and tank, and threw a robe over her shoulders. She regretted not bringing a pair of slippers with her and vowed that if she ever had the chance she would get some.

Astoria.

Ayrie startled at the name, looking around for the source. 'That med the doctor gave me sure is playing tricks on my mind.'

ASTORIA. Remember who you are!

This time Ayrie whirled around to see a beautiful woman standing in the doorway. She had long red hair and a face reminiscent of Ayrie's, as if she could be a long dead relative. The woman was staring at her, hard, as if she were angry that Ayrie couldn't remember.

Ayrie suddenly noticed that the room had turned grey, the woman beckoned for her to follow and lead her outside. As an astral projection Astoria took her on a spiritual journey through Astoria’s past. Where they landed, Ayrie saw a giant black armored figure standing in the center of a burning village screams echoing from all sides. In their hand was a tattered doll stained with blood.

Devouring Light

"Who was that woman? Why was she here?" Ayrie asked Gerrick, as he handed her the remaining ring.

"Put that on, and let's go inside to talk." He said, watching her slide the ring onto her index finger. "We have much to discuss."

"First, why don't you go change into something more comfortable, Ayrie? I can see that you are hurt, there is no reason to wear something you cannot get comfortable in." Darrin said as they turned toward the house. "We will talk for a while and then we will go to bed."

Ayrie looked at the demon that had escorted her, "Thank you for seeing me home. I would appreciate it if you let Asran know right away that we made it safely."

With that the three of them turned and went inside, Ayrie to her room to change, the priests to the living area to make a comfortable spot for Ayrie to sit while they talked.

Devouring Light

Darrin and Gerrick took the rings and slid them on, grateful for the protection. Looking up they saw Ayrie approaching in the distance, a demon with her.

"She returns to us." Darrin said, relaxing further as he saw his charge. She looked like she hadn't slept in days, and the hole in her dress where she had been wounded gave away that it had been no accident. As she approached she tried to hide it by balling up the torn segment in her fist, but he had seen it before she could do so.

"Ayrie..." Gerrick whispered, concern evident in his voice.

----

'Here we go...' Ayrie thought as they neared the house. She saw a shimmer of magic over the car outside, a car surrounded by a woman she recognized but couldn't place, and the priests. 'So much for hoping they hadn't found out what was going on here...'

She balled up the ruined part of her dress and tried her best to hide it in her fist while not looking conspicuous, and smiled as they approached.

Devouring Light

Tears welled in Gerrick's eyes as his knee was healed. It had been hurting him for close to ten years, and the lifting of that pain quite literally felt like the lifting of a heavy burden. He couldn't say anything in return, so Darrin spoke for him when he noticed the straightening of Gerrick's body.

"Thank you, mistress. His knee has been paining him for some time." He bowed his head, grateful for the easing of his friend's pain. "But I must say, I do not know that we could ever see this Asran as a 'good' demon. We will accept him, for now, as a necessary part of our lives. There will come a time when we must answer to our Church, and I am not so sure that they will allow us to ally with him for long."

----

Ayrie went along with Mara, her eyes peeled and waiting for an attack of some kind. Her heart was racing, and the hairs on her arms were still standing straight up. She wasn't sure if it was simple nerves from the earlier attack or if her gut was trying to tell her something, but she was uncomfortable.