Fallenreaper

⊰Manifest Anima: Planes Divided⊱

ANNOUNCEMENT

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Alright to make sure everyone got the memo, please vote for the Slice of Life period of the rp.

@Fallenreaper

Edit and adds @AdobeFlash

⊰Manifest Anima: Planes Divided⊱

ANNOUNCEMENT

---

@Fallenreaper @Ganryu @Demonic Angel @Luna @Vinsanity @May @AdobeFlash
Alright to make sure everyone got the memo, please vote for the Slice of Life period of the rp.

You rent a shared apartment, and when you go in for the first time, the profile pic above is your new roomate

Looks like someone was playing with the Gene splicing chemistry set again. This should be interesting.

Formaroth: Battle for the Throne

@TheDuncanMorgan: Moved in, and net will come Friday. Until then, using mobile data from a phone to write. Yay for hot spots! ^-^

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Nox Alignment Ceremony

_{@Rtron,@Lucius Cypher, @May, & @Luna}

‘How little you know,’ Darell though but resisted snapping back the comment to Helena. Her outburst was unreasonable, purely because he suspected her pride got into the way and made her irked to his re-sharing of knowledge she should’ve recalled. He didn’t have the time to argue since they were under attack. The nitemare could return and ready to burst into the room at any moment.

He watched the man approach Annabeth, as she introduced herself and then walked off to attend to the girl.

Still sobbing, the girl looked up. Her eyes met the speaker trying to sooth her pain as she wiped away the tears. She sharply nodded and reached a hand for Annabeth to hoist her up. The girl was weak in the knees, as expected, causing her to stumble forward upon being lifted up and grip Annabeth’s arm for balance. When she finally gathered her balance once more, she introduced herself and began walking toward the group, “My name is Jessie. We were trying to find a way out, but S-”

Her words cut off from the pain of trying to say the younger girl’s name, her breath inhaled to collect herself, “She said not to go this way and that she got a bad feeling. Drake didn’t listen. He felt he knew better despite what we were taught about the Nox.”

Drake, still guilty about the whole incident, averted his gaze from Jessie. He focused on Helena instead as he listened to what she spoke about the thing possibly coming back causing him to pale in color. For a moment it looked like he was about to be sick, “Oh by the Gods. W-w-well… what are we waiting for? Lead the way out.”

Before any of them could move, a low familiar rumble filled the tunnels. It was the starting of the maze shifting again causing Darell to shout at the others, “Get into the room and grab each other, quickly before we’re separated!”

Meanwhile, if anyone had looked down the hallway then they would see a snorting, charging nitemare heading for those who had managed to edge into the hallway. Drake being among them.

Uncovering Shadows

Lyn, Hysteria (Djarkel)

---

Lyn leaned against the carriage interior as she thought over what Ssarak had said to her. Her arms were crossed over her middle while her head bumped with the jarring movement, letting the guilt fill her despite her best efforts to shrug it off. Their conversation had touched on something she hadn’t considered. This made her feel a mixture of an idiot and possible murder, thinking she might’ve risked the Naga’s last remaining numbers with her foolishness. She began to question why she thought she was ready for this trip.

The hybrid sighed, then shifted her arm from her middle and rested her chin comfortably on. Coming into the city, her eyes drifted to the scenery and absorbing it until the carriage stopped abruptly. She hadn’t much time to dwell on the reason when suddenly she heard a loud thump above her. Her eyes to looked upward and she frowned.

Footsteps darted across the roof as she watched a man leap down from the carriage to the street. Lyn pushed her torso out to lean out the window as she spotted him dash down the street with something in hand. Her arms reached up to the upper frame of the window and pulled herself to the top, her head peeked over the roof’s edge to see the trunk was stolen. She cursed in her head as she pulled her feet out to drop to the ground just outside the carriage door.

”Leith, stay and protect Lyn!” Ssarak’s voice ripped through her head causing Lyn to frown, but didn’t stop her bolt into the thief’s wake. She wasn’t about to be left behind since she was nimble enough to join the chase now. Reaching a hand at her side, she pulled one of her non lethal ones and tossed it at the man’s legs.

He jerked to the right, seeming to sense her attempts to pin him, as the dagger busted and entangled the wall it landed at. Unable to waste the time to pause and pick it up, she continued to follow the man’s wake.

⊰Manifest Anima: Planes Divided⊱

Late Night Ramblings

♪♫ Lily Quarin ♫♪ & Rex Volt

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Time

Day 2 ~ Night

Location

Business District of Ominar

---

“Finally…” Rex mumbled to himself as he walked out of the front doors of the Armax Investments & Innovations International building. With the end of his shift, he could now head home and sleep… probably.

He began his walk towards his apartment complex, which was luckily pretty close to his place of work, just a mere block away. It was pretty quiet during this time of night, as most people would have already retreated to their homes. The only ones out were Armax Security patrols. As a large, heavily armed mech stomped past Rex, it’s voxcomm chirped as the pilot spoke. “Have a good evening, Mr. Volt.”

Rex gave the mech a lazy salute, aimed at the cockpit of the warmachine. “Lily should be asleep by now.” Rex mumbled to himself again, somewhat relieved by the thought. As much as Lily didn’t really like living in this district, he felt a warm comfort from the fact that she was safe here. No OCPD to hunt them down and cull them both like animals.

Distracted by the thought, he was already at the doors of the complex, a large skyscraper that almost matched the Armax building in height. He stepped in, passing through the extravagant white and black lobby, and called the elevator. He watch the numbered display above the doors with an empty mind, with the numbers counting down from floor 33 to 1.

The elevator dinged, and the doors almost silently slid open. He stepped in, and hit the button for floor 100, where his penthouse suite was located, and where Lily was, possibly, peacefully dreaming.

---

A single light, pale and centered, illuminated the pages of Lily’s book as her eyes darted from to word, her mind working to piece together the scene within her imagination. Her right arm folded underneath her elbow while she curled her legs underneath her in Rex’s oversized recliner. The seat sank just a bit to give support and comfort, her attention fixed into the world beyond her own.

She had noticed Rex’s absence in the middle of the night. Over the years, she had become accustomed to feeling him beside her and indenting the bed at her side. Now it was hard to sleep without him.

At the sound of the door opening, her thumb rested into the book’s spine and folded it up. She pulled her figure upright, her head turned to the large canine like bear entering the room. A small smirk crossed her lips at seeing him showing him she had been worried. She causally snatched a silver etched leather bookmark and wedged into place before she snapped the hard cover novel called ‘The Succubus’ Heart’ shut. Lily placed it gently down as she edged a leg over the edge of the recliner, touching her sole down on the wooden floor for balance and followed with her other one.

The siren was wearing a silky, transparent cover over a lacy blouse shirt and mini low cut briefs with blacken design of a lotus flower across the front. It was among her favorite lingerie outfits for whenever Rex got home. It showed her shape, curves and more flesh with some her delicate places left to the imagination, waiting for him to unwrap later.

With no surprising grace, she reached her arms up to wrap about his neck. Gently she pulled him down and kissed his elongated nose, her voice a soft whisper, “I missed you. Did you have to work over?”

Her tone was accusing, but rather disappointed and wishful he had been here sooner.

“Mmm, sadly.” Rex said to her softly as he wrapped an arm around her. “It was your tip off, actually. They decided to strike tonight, as Masha had found herself a lady-friend to spend the night with. The bartender talked a little too much, and the bouncers let Cortez know about it.” He sighed. “It got a little messy.”

Lily paused thoughtfully then replied a few moments later, “I knew Ms. Patel was considered reckless and a bit of a gossip, but I was hoping Ms. Vorobyova was wiser to wait. Darius would’ve had to find a replacement for the club and he’s got too few individuals he can trust as it is.”

She let her words sink in before she released Rex, her arms doing it begrudgingly, then gestured toward the recliner, “Sit down, I’ll get you something to drink. You look like you could use a few shots of your whiskey since it ended badly. Besides, I need to talk with you over something I’ve been considering all day.”

Rex smirks as he watches Lily walk away towards the drinks cabinet, clearly admiring her form. “Alright.” He took a seat on his recliner, where Lily sat earlier. It was warm, obviously she was there for quite a while.

Gracefully, Lily glided into the kitchen as she thoughtfully began to form her next conversation in her mind. She had to tread cautiously since it was a very touchy subject since the incident and through she would still likely find a way to make it possible, she didn’t want a fight tonight. A house in conflict was difficult to find peace in.

Her hand opened a cabinet, reached for a large glass (about the size of a 16 oz mug) and the whisky bottle. Due to Rex’s ten foot tall size, nearly everything in their apartment had been pretty much supersized requiring her to use both hands to keep from dropping the glass from higher places. The Siren finally retrieved a metal bowl which she filled with ice enjoying the hum of the ice maker built into the fridge. Collecting them all, she then placed them on a tray she got from a nearly rack and placed them in the center.

She then carried them back into the room before she set it in on the coffee table next to Rex, allowing him to drink. Lilly then moved around the coffee table and took a seat upon the sofa. Adjusting until she was comfortable, she waited until her boyfriend had drank his fill before she began.

“I’ve been considering getting back into singing again. More carefully than I did and I decided to start from the bottom, meaning I need to contact Darius to enlist his help. Thoughts over that?” or issues? Lily didn’t say the last bit out loud, not wanting to jump to conclusions that he’d have issues with her getting into a career that nearly killed her once already.

Rex’s face immediately lit up. “You… wanna get back into it?” He asked rhetorically, seemingly as if to reinstate the fact. He chuckled for a moment and shook his head. “Lily, honey. You have no idea… no idea how much I missed your singing…” His black eyes had a little moisture in them as he said. She hasn’t sung since she was kidnapped, as the whole ordeal left her mentally scared. To Rex, this was progress. She was healing.

He leaned forward with a grin on his face. “You have always loved to entertain… What kind of a moronic ass would I have to be to say no…?”

Lily’s eyes blinked thrice, her mind absorbing his statement, then looking at him with a soften expression. Any tension that had built up in her figure melted away to his acceptance of her choice to want to sing. Honestly, she had expected some resistance or worry to taint the news, but found it a pleasant surprise she was completely wrong. Rex never failed to surprise her sometimes causing her lips to curl in an affectionate and modest smile.

“I was partly worried you might be concerned truthfully,” Lily rose from her seat to walk toward her guy, her hips swaying with each movement, before she lowered down to one side of his lap. She shifted until she comfortable then kissed him again on the cheek, her head moved to lay on his shoulders now that she was able to without forcing him down.

“Considering what happened, I don’t blame you.” He wrapped his arm around her, and kissed the top of her head. “You feel like you’re ready?”

“As humans elegantly put it: Hell if I know for sure. We’ll have to wait and see what comes of my attempt, praying I don’t break down. I can’t avoid it forever as I miss it too damn much and I will not let fear make me its bitch,” Lily’s tone took a sharpness when it came to the last part. She wouldn’t live in fear of something she loved forever causing her to inhale, calming her budding rage and resentment building up inside.

“How long have you been thinking about this?”

“A few months. It really hit hard when I spotted Ms. Vorobyova and Patel walking from the club, and through the club was in a sorry state... “ She took a breath to let the emotions escape her before they exploded within her, “I had a really bad case of nostalgia wash over me. It hasn’t left unlike other times and I think it might just crush me if I didn’t take the chance.”

“Well, I’m glad that you are finally taking that chance.” Rex replied. “If you want, I can try to be there… If work allows.”

“It would help soothe the nerves and considering I’ve gotten intel that an old ‘client’ is in town, I wouldn’t object in the least. I expect him to eventually pay a visit, but trying to accurately predict when is like trying to predict the future itself. You can only make so many guesses to the outcome and even then, it still manages to surprise you,” Lily didn’t fully believe her description of Szayeis’ unpredictability was accurate, but it was close to enough to how it felt when she originally met him, “I’m curious how Darius has changed without the nightwalker around to continually influence him. I might have a hunch of something about to happen that will toss any future plans into shambles.”

“I don’t think Darius ever changed…” Said the wolf. “He was born Kitsune. I remember you telling me that being born on one side or the other influences their personality.”

“Yes, but they are capable of dual natures. The Kitsune and the Nogitsune will always be apart of him. It’s rare, but possible, that a Kitsune can flip back and forth between its natures,” Lily paused long enough to let out a small yawn, her hand back curled upward to cover her mouth and let it pass. When finished, her closed her eyes as she continued with her thoughts, “If he’s able to do it, he’s going to need help to control it or his Nogitsune will leave Ominar in ruins. I need more information however before I jump ahead of myself. It might’ve been his ties to Szayeis that actually influenced the reaction rather than a hint of something sinister to come.”

Rex yawned widely himself as he leaned back in the recliner, making it’s back fold backwards, putting them both in a lying position. He gently stroked her back as he thought about it. “Heh, look at us. Trying to play heroes…”

Lily chuckled lightly, the effects of staying up washing over her, as she adjusted to get closer to the center of his body, “I wouldn’t say that or we would be saving everyone.”

She loved the sensation of him around her as it brought the memories of safety, warmth and love, things she knew were the basics of life to her. A few moments of silence passed before she spoke again, her voice a touch softer now, “The whole ‘saving Darius’, it’s not for him but to keep what we have. To protect our home. A Nogitsune, even a small tailed one, is very… destructive. Not chaotic, but strives on pain, suffering and worse.”

The Siren buried her cheek deeper into the black fur, flattening it out as she began to fall asleep. However, she managed to say one last thing before slumber took her completely, “I don’t want to see it here.”

⊰Manifest Anima: Planes Divided⊱

_{The art isn’t mine and belongs to its rightful artist, but I borrow it as a physical example for Olivia.}

❤ Olivia Matthews ❤

_{~ "How can I help?"~}

ℬio

_{Olivia Matthews}

_{^❤ Fe m a l e ^❤ Heterosexual ^❤ 8 ^❤Human}

^❤...Ａｐｐｅａｒａｎｃｅ...^❤

---

Olivia has long, brown hairs with a hint of red in which is often tied up into two twin pony tails. When let down, they reach down to her shoulders’ middle and is completely straight compared to Emmett’s. Her facial features are much more soft in comparison making her look younger than she actually is. She reaches to about 4’1“ in height and weigh in at about 57 pounds for her age. Her eyes are golden much like her brother’s though it is slightly darker, indicating they will likely alter color as she gets older. She’s considered petite and rather delicate looking causing her often be teased by Emmett that she looks more like a doll, than a girl.

Unlike her brother, she doesn’t tend to play roughly and is absent any of the scars, bumps, and other damages you would find on him. Her expression is often gentle and leaned toward bubbly as you might expect from looking at her. She does enjoys wearing skirts, dresses and other considerable girlish things. The current favorite outfit is a small tank top with a knee long skirt, tennis shoes and a hoodie about a few sizes too big for her. It turns out it was actually her father’s who often used it to keep her mother close and warm, a fact she mimics with Emmett when he lets her.

^❤...Ｐ ｅｒｓｏｎａｌｉｔｙ...^❤

---

Upon first meeting new people, Olivia tends to be shy and timid. Mainly because she is not sure how to act or their reactions to her. As she gets to know you and becomes attached, she pulls out of her shell to show a very active chatterer and giving the impression she’s happiest when others’ company. This is very true. Helpful and enjoying being an active participate in new things, she strives to keep those around her cheerful thanks to her up bring.

She can get frustrated when her attempts fall flat, often resulting to calling in assistance from those she feels can help. A positive type child, she thinks the best of everyone she meets even when she doesn’t jump out of her shell at first. Very tight with her brother, despite their age differences, that Olivia can read him nearly like a book even he tries to hide it.

(Might change ICly and not all of it)

^❤...Ｈｉｓｔｏｒｙ...^❤

---

Olivia Matthews was born 2045 in Ominar to Alice Flores and Raiden Matthews, a bounty hunter within the city. She had a half brother by the name of Emmett, who she grew attached to and often subjected him to much hair pulling. According to her mother, she showed affection by tugging on hair, but she doesn’t remember this ever happening. No matter how many times her mother or Emmett had told her it did.

Emmett wasn’t constantly in her life until she was around two, his own mother died after an attack by a Shade and they buried a month later. She recalled everyone in the house was depressed but beyond that, the memories are hazy. It wasn’t a pleasant time in her mind.

For the next four years, she had a playmate. Like with any siblings, they had their highs and lows when it came to getting along. He would often try to go into a corner and play while she followed, curious over what he was doing, before he frowned then moved. Naturally Olivia just repeated the process until he began to include her, grudgingly. Eventually he couldn’t find himself playing by himself anymore.

She never understood Emmett’s experience with the Shade until the night that her own mother suffered a similar fate. They had just been put to bed, after much wrestling and protesting, before she fell asleep at the reading of a story by their mother. Olivia didn’t even know the Shade had floated into their room as it held Emmett aloof and forced something down his throat, threatening her subtly. Instead she was assaulted by a nightmare of her worst fear: the fear of being abandoned by her family.

^❤...Ｂｅｌｏｎｇｉｎｇｓ| Ｅｑｕｉｐｍｅｎｔ...^❤

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TBA

^❤...Ｃａｐａｂｉｌｉｔｉｅｓ...^❤

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❤ Mental ❤

Nothing to note yet.

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❤ Physical ❤

Fast runner: she’s a fast runner by 8 year old standards, at least she says she is and takes pride in showing her skills off in a game of tag.

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❤ Magical/Technological ❤

Vis Retrace: Using her own Vis, Olivia can flip through the history of an item. These scenes will play through her head, the information translated into her understanding and painting the picture as if she was an unseen witness. It is limited by the item’s angle, proximity, and condition of the item. The better of all three, the better the information gain will be. At this point, Olivia requires a lot of practice, know what the item is and spend some time with it in order to begin to flip through its history. What memory she encounters first is usually completely random.

She can’t invoke memories from components of the item. For example, she can’t focus on the memories of a cherry tree used to make a piece of furniture. She can focus on the furniture’s creation up to present day without issue.

Some items are more fickle in giving up their information, especially if they are of a magical nature. She can manipulate information gained to a limited sense, such as ‘fast forward’, ‘rewind’, ‘replay’ the scene for examination as long as she has retained physical contact with the item. With the help of another magic, it’s fully possible for her to actually recreate the information in order for others to view it. The larger the item, the more Vis it requires to read it and could leave risk leaving her drained afterwards.

⊰Manifest Anima: Planes Divided⊱

_{The art isn’t mine and belongs to its rightful artist, but I borrow it as a physical example for Emmett.
The main difference is that his hair is a bit more golden brown}

✠ Emmett Matthews ✠

_{~"I'm stronger than I look."~}

ℬio

_{Emmett Matthews}

_{^✠ M a l e ^✠ Heterosexual ^✠ 12 ^✠Shade Hybrid}

^✠...Ａｐｐｅａｒａｎｃｅ...^✠

---

Emmett appears to be a child with a slightly lanky built, rising to about 4 foot and 8 inches and about 93 pounds in weight. His face often seems to have a either a continually scowling or uncertain expression, a smile being very rare to see but usually very genuine when he does. He has the the numerous childhood scars an active boy can obtain, most have faded over his years. Often he’s seen in a simply shirt and jeans, preferring something he can move in and quickly without getting tangled up. These clothes often are torn or dirtied by his rough play.

His eyes have a slight golden brown, much like his short cut hair. The hair strands seem to continually look messy with intentions never to be tamed giving him what his mothers call an ‘adorable’ look.

^✠...Ｐ ｅｒｓｏｎａｌｉｔｙ...^✠

---

Emmett is often described as a protective, stubborn and rash youth by his father. His sister, being the sole living blood connection, brings forth his guardian like nature rather rapidly whenever she is in dangerous or hurt. This also makes him more reckless as he can become rather frustrated and angry when he fails to protect those he dearly love. His own safety comes second to his sister’s or others when he’s fixed in this mind set. He’s considered resilient to most trauma since he often focuses on the moment than think about the future, but it also means the moment itself affects him the worst and causes caution to be tossed out the window in favor of instinct.

Interesting enough, when he becomes infected he isn’t in as much conflict as one might expect from a child who’s now part Licentia. Whether he keeps it inside or hides it well, it’s hard to tell since (when not locked in a mood swing) he rarely shows a smile. Often his expression is one of either anger or uncertainty until one peels back the layers to reveal a compassionate nature. That’s when his moments of shown joy shines through in a meaningful way. At this stage in his life, he’s highly influenced by those around him and especially those he comes to love because he develops the want to make them proud of him.

(Might change ICly, but I tried!)

^✠...Ｈｉｓｔｏｒｙ...^✠

---

Emmett Zeke Matthews was born in 2041 to Raiden Matthews and Braelyn Adriana, both engaged for about a month before their son was accidentally conceived. However, he was a happy accident that neither would change for the world. Raiden was a well known hunter in Ominar, but it seemed Braelyn underestimated the stress and risk of the job itself causing the pair to gradually drift apart over the years. By the time Emmett was four, his parents had divorced and leaving him in the custody of his mother believing it was best for him. There was one stipulation: Raiden was still allowed to be involved in his son’s life as much as possible.

Over the same year, his father had rekindle an old love with his old high school flame, Alice Haynes. She was born into a family hunters and knew the job risks much better than Braelyn as she became pregnant with Olivia. Interesting enough it seemed Emmett knew she was bearing life before even the mother or father. She had caught him staring at her continually one day and when asked why, he merely stated, “You’re different.” Then he went back to playing.

They found it odd until Alice took a pregnancy test and it was positive.

On request of Raiden, Alice and him managed to find a place close enough that he could pick Emmett every day after day care to spend many hours playing with his sister, allowing the boy to develop a protective nature over her. Even when they didn’t always get along. It was the night after Emmett’s last day at primary school when his biological mother died at the hands of a Shade.

Emmett noticed his mother had become tired, paranoid, and looked drained to him. Being a child, he wasn’t sure why or how it effected him beside her sluggishness in playing with him. Deciding to play by himself, he had went into his room to play a video game until he heard the heavy thud of his mother falling to the floor. Cautiously, he edged from his room to find something incorporeal and shadow like hovering over her.

A dread washed over him when it turned its ugly, red eyes upon the boy. He got the dark impression it was smiling at him in a way that reminded him of a cat noticing a mouse for the first time. His fingers gripped the wooden frame in panic as it twisted its head, looking to the door, then began to melt into the floor. Emmett stood there quietly for several moments before he finally reached for the courage to walk carefully to his mother’s side. He bent over to jiggle her arm, his voice filled with fear, “Mamma… wake up.”

Nothing. Her eyes just kept staring forward into space as he continued to tug at her sleeve, push at her body and everything he could to get her attention. His ears heard his father, Raiden, enter the apartment. Emmett’s attention turned to his father’s whose eyes widen in shock then narrowed into anger. This caused the boy to pedal back as Raiden’s hand reached for his gun and pointed it at his own child.

The gun went off and Emmett felt something tingle along his skin then a sting at his shoulder side. His body hit the floor causing him to scream in terror. He curled into a ball, trembling, as suddenly Raiden’s shaken form rushed to him and began to cradle him in his arms.

It seemed the Shade had gotten clever. It had casted an illusion upon the boy, hoping Raiden would kill him, only to have the illusion evaporated upon the boy being shot. In a panic, the hunter roughly checked Emmett’s small form to find the entry wound. He was a decent shot and at point blank range, there was no way he had missed Emmett.

After a few moments, his worry started to fade when he found nothing. His son was unharmed and merely terrified, his voice whimpering and crying from the experience. Trying to sooth his son, Raiden spotted a hole in the wall across from him where the bullet had ricocheted off and buried into.

For the next four years, Raiden buried his ex and raised Emmett alongside Olivia. Emmett’s life was peaceful and uneventful while Alice adored him as her own. His magic never seemed to flare up, or likely because Raiden never looked for it, again. It wouldn’t last.

When he turned twelve, Alice had settled Emmett and Olivia down into bed before she returned to the living for some late reading. She also knew Emmett or Olivia, now about eight, would come dragging their feet out of the bedroom for a glass of water. It never failed when they attempted to stay up past their bedtime. Casually waiting for the event, like clockwork, to happen she felt something brush her shoulder. Confused she began to place her book down as the Shade struck, the dreadful magic aura blared on her causing her to scream in terror.

She wasn’t prepared for it as she crumbled to the floor. Her heart, weakened from surgery a few years ago, began to throb and bust in her chest rapidly. Something ruptured causing her to bleed out slowly. The Shade then turned to the children’s room with ill intentions, its form floating toward it and let its aura seep in. Olivia fell into a terrible nightmare while Emmett, who had just began to get up, just stood there terrified. He was frozen in place when the Shade drifted through his bedroom door and seemed look at him. It casually moved closer as it manipulated the shadows at Emmett’s feet, rising him by his throat. He barely managed to clasp his hands upon the tendrils holding him and keep himself from being choked to death. Something small and slightly contrasted to the dark shadows holding him then pressed into his mouth, the marble like item threatened to slide down his throat. However, Emmett got the sense the Shade merely smirked in pleasure at his struggle as a shadow like hand pressed to his mouth and forced him to swallow it.

“Do it, or you’ll watch your sister die…” Came a raspy voice against his mind, like sandpaper, causing him to flinch in obedience. It then reply in a slight mockery tone afterwards, “Very good boy.”

^✠...Ｂｅｌｏｎｇｉｎｇｓ| Ｅｑｕｉｐｍｅｎｔ...^✠

---

TBA

^✠...Ｃａｐａｂｉｌｉｔｉｅｓ...^✠

---

Note: With Emmett’s growth being gradual, I will put all the sections into about 3 stages. Only Stage 1 and 2 will be seen in this sheet.

• Stage 1: This stage is when his abilities are just budding into existence and gradually gaining in control.
• Stage 2: Unlike Stage 1, Emmett has grown enough control to begin to develop them for combative and other uses with ease. They still occasionally mess up or fail.
• Stage 3: The max ability he can obtain during his growth and experience. While they can likely still grow in power, it will be rather slow compared to Stage 1 and 2, and his control, duration, and more of the magic comes with surprising ease.

✠ Mental ✠

Shade Traits

Shade Aura

Shades have the unncanny ability to create paranoia, fear and panic by emitting a natural aura from their Vis and influence those emotions in others. They use it to feed from and gain nutrients from the emotions. It starts off subtle and small, but builds as long as Emmett doesn’t restrain it. Depending on the stage, the time it takes to affect those around him and the range it has varies. It has an active and dormant phase, each one happening as needed for Emmett though at Stage 2 he can learn to suppress it. When it hits the active stage, it is because he is usually hungry (human food unable to give him all the nutrients he will need). Once satisfied, the aura will stop and no longer be affecting anyone nearby.

Stage 1-
Emmett can’t fully control it as well as he doesn’t realize he does it at first. When finally discovered, it takes a lot of mental effort and Vis to suppress it since it is a primary way to gain needed Vis for his growth. It’s slightly hard to predict when exactly it will happen for sure at this stage.

In order to suppress it for long periods, it takes more ability than he has at the present moment and likely will require some sort of magic, device or something to assist him from randomly feeding on impulse.

When he has developed the ability for long periods, he can only suppress it for up to 30 minutes at a time. This fluxes due to hunger, pain, stress, or other factors outside himself with the negative ones often lowering the time depending on how drastically they affect him.

When Emmett doesn’t control this, it spills out and infects anyone within 6 foot radius of himself. It takes about 5-6 minutes to see the effect in his victims, unless stopped or countered, and 3 hours before his victims are in complete, utter fear and paranoia. Thankfully, he’s not strong enough to actually frighten anyone to death.

Stage 2-
Much better control, he can sense when it starts then turn it on and off at will now. Though it still requires effort to suppress it when hunger creeps upon him and can be prevented from affecting anyone up to about 6 hours max. The longer he suppresses it, the more Vis he will require when he does feed because he’s making up for the lack of it when was needed.

Again this can flux depending on the same factors above and in the same manner. In addition, if he’s used a lot of Vis in say a fight then he would require a feeding to replace what he used. It’s much like people get hungry after extreme activity and burning off their energy.

When Emmett doesn’t control this, it affects anyone within a 10 foot radius of him. It takes about 3 minutes to see the effect in his victims, again unless stopped or countered, and 1 hour before his victims are in complete, utter fear and paranoia. Again, unless the victims are left a day in his aura (which is not likely) then he still doesn’t have the power to actually frighten anyone to death and merely only cause mental, emotional and some physical stress.
Stage 3-
TBA later

Notes: This ability doesn’t affect other Licentia related to Shades, or those who have developed mental counters to telepathy as that’s what this is channeled though. In addition, this makes him immune to abilities of those close in nature to his own.

---

✠ Physical ✠

Shade Traits

Shade Hybrid Anatomy

Due to his hybridization, normal magic has the potential to damage him depending on the strength and additional properties of the spell itself. However, light, fire and holy magic will create serious amounts of damage to his physical form for sure. In addition to the threat of those three kinds of magic, sunlight can burn and hurt him when in contact with unprotected skin.

In the first few seconds, pain starts to spread across the area. This gradually begins to turn into bad sunburn, then first degree burns all the way to third degree burns depending on the length of time and intensity that he’s been exposed to. Too much damage runs the risk of killing him unless treated. While weakened by the sunlight, Emmett can’t use any of his magic related to his shade nature. This includes shadow manipulation, shadow walking, and nightmare creation.

Like most hybrids, Emmett’s got both human and Licentia anatomy making him more vulnerable than a complete Shade. His own (not that of magic related sources) reflexes, strength, speed, and other physical traits can only reach to the peak of human range. This makes him less formidable -without magic to assist him- then compared to Licentia whose strength is in physical traits. Most tactics that could kill normal humans can work on him when targeting the heart, brain, lungs and any other vital organs.

A small, crystalline soul core is nested into his spine back and slightly elongated in shape into the parts of the limbric system where emotions are regulated. Unless someone does a scan of some sort, it’s nearly impossible to tell it’s there. Surprisingly enough this doesn’t affect his ability to think, react, or other normal processing skills. Its size is considered only a bit larger than the average Shade core, but any violent and devastating damage to the brain will result in obvious death. He can still take some pretty hard knocks about the head as it’s protected by the skull, however.

As noted by Celaira, Brisn is also another magic that can hurt him unless it’s Tainted first.

Hybridized Vis/Emotional Sensory

Emmett, though he didn’t know it, had a very limited ability to sense changes in Vis when he was younger. It was how he could tell Alice was pregnant before either Raiden and her knew themselves. However, he could only sense something off/different, not the full details. This is because it worked more like empathy (like getting a gut feeling over something) than actual sight.

With the Shade now running through his own natural form, that ability has grained strength since including a small measure of Shade Telepathy. He can detect what people fear on a subconscious level and even a vague sense of hostile actions toward him, allowing him to get clear of danger.

-Stage 1-

When it first budded, this ability hasn’t changed save that it now includes the ability to detect people’s fears and hostile actions. The changes becomes easier to note and observe, though he doesn’t understand the reason fully yet. Due to his reliance on his instincts, Emmett can likely brace, evade or etc an attack directed at him upon sensing it. However, actually being able to do so is another story.

-Stage 2-

As Emmett learns and grows, he begins to notice patterns in the auras in individuals he interacts with. The more he’s around a bunch of individual of one race, more easily he can see how a pattern can differ in one individual compared to their fellows in the same race. However, his sense can still be fooled as its based solely on his experience with the aura of that race, past experiences with auras, and with the individual themselves.

For example: if someone’s hiding their aura/Vis to appear to be another race, like human, then he would never know they weren’t human.

Though he tends to react instinctively to whenever he senses danger, distraction and over thinking can often cause him to hesitation. This pause to think will affect his ability to dodge and how well depending on the length.

-Stage 3-

TBA later

---

✠ Magical/Technological ✠

Shadow Manipulation
Casting Time:
Stage 1 -
Up to 1 minute or more. (Between 2-5 seconds)
Stage 2 -
Up to 10 seconds max. (Between 2-5 seconds.)
Seconds
Stage 3 -
TBA later
Range:
Stage 1 -
Primarily his own shadow
Stage 2 -
Any shadows up to 10 feet radius of him, but those farther from him take more time to cast on and uses more Vis to control
Stage 3 -
TBA later
Duration:
Stage 1 -
Up to 10 seconds before his focus wanes, unless encouraged then he can reach to 15 seconds. ( If he’s lucky, he could retain it like 1 moment after an action)
Stage 2 -
Gaining control, Emmett can expand his control up to a minute at least and possible more if not directly attacked or his focus is interrupted. (One action and by adding some focus, he can retain it up to 5 seconds afterwards)
Stage 3 -
TBA Later

Emmett’s new nature allows him to influence and manifest shadows (Stage 2 only), mostly through connection due to his hybrid’s nature. When under duress in his current stages, his instinct kicks in and causes his casting speeds increase notably, but this has a down fall however. Because he is acting on instincts, he isn’t actively concentrating to keep his shadows in the given shape or solidness causing them to crumble after one action and forcing him to start from scratch in casting once more. See the notes in () for the changes when he’s under duress. In Stage 1, it is more unpredictable and draining on the child than compared to when he’s more trained in Stage 2. This reflects when he tries to this spell multiple times, even on instinct.

This also means when not in times of danger or emergency, Emmett tends to take a bit longer to focus and cast this. It’s not the fact he finds it difficult, but rather he’s not quite learned to tune his concentration with his instincts so trying to do one without the other is much more time consuming with this spell.

A weakness to this spell is Purity or Light spells, which will either completely destroy them or return to their normal state. (Note the effect on Emmett in his physiology too) In stage 1, it is mentally draining to retain focus and keep the shadows into some sort of solid-ish form to interact with the world for extended periods.

Shadow Walking
Casting Time: Takes about minute or more depending on his determination, experience with the spell, and duress.
Range:
Stage 1-
Any shadow within 5 feet radius all around him.
Stage 2-
Any shadow from 5 feet (min) to 1 mile (max).
Stage 3-
TBA Later
Duration:
Stage 1-
If he’s done this unstressed, it will take him several minutes to an hour (unless Aeris is accompanying him) to find his way out. When under duress, it will last until someone retrieves him or until he’s able to calm down and get himself out.
Stage 2-
In short distances, it takes about 6 seconds to enter and 2-3 seconds to exit/retreat if he’s not fully exited. However, if the shadows move drastically (due to light source or other means) then it take longer to find an exit. In longer distances (anything not within easy eyesight and close proximity), it takes a bit longer since he’s unable to see the ‘images’ from the exit options well.
Stage 3-
TBA Later

Learning from Aeris, Emmett’s able to dematerialize himself into his own or any shadow he can come into contact with and more to another location. As he grows older and become more familiar with the shadow like maze within, he can easily find his way through without getting lost. However, he does run a risk of being possibly trapped the longer he remains within them.

-Stage 1-
During this stage, he often needs a guide since he’s learning the maze like atmosphere of the shadows when walking through them. When he manages to calm down and exits the shadow after duress, he won’t reappear in the same place he came out. Instead he can appear anywhere from 1 to 2 miles from his location and mostly likely have no idea where he is or how to get home.

-Stage 2-

He’s starting to learn exactly what he can do within this form. The casting time becoming as quick possible for him. He edges to being able to pull himself partly out of shadows then pull back in, testing what he can do and treading the limits. However without practice, time spent in the shadows, and experience… it’s difficult to continue endlessly so it’s unlikely he’ll be using it effectively outside of quick travel or mischief for now.

In addition, he’s solid so grabbing and pulling him out is possible if you’re strong and fast enough. It also traps him in place as he can’t move back through the shadows. You can also wipe out his shadows and force him to seek another exit likely far away from his current location. This tends to take time allowing his target to recover, run off or prepare. There’s also the matter of his occasional miscalculation of his shadow exits as he needs to relay more on memory, guess work, and instinct than actual ‘images’ in the shadows at this stage.

So it’s very imperfect at this point with numerous factors getting in the way depending on his experience at the time, but he’s getting there.

Nightmare Creation
Casting Time:
Stage 1-
At this stage, it will take up to 3 hours to active and complete 1 nightmare (per individual).
Stage 2-
As he gets better, the 3 hours drop down to 30 minutes and can span to multiple nightmares to each individual within the area. (unless they wake up)
Stage 3-
TBA later
Range:
Stage 1-
All those within a close radius of him, like say the same household or room.
Stage 2-
This stage increases to about 1/2 mile area.
Stage 3-
TBA later
Duration: Until the individual wakes as they have to be asleep in order to use this ability.

Much like Dream Manipulation, this is a non combative spell as the target needs to be asleep in order to work. Emmett needs to be within range of his target and get comfortable, letting his instincts relax his mind and seek out a sleeping individual. Emmett’s vis builds up into a soft and fine mist, colored blue so dark that it’s black, pouring from his figure into the given range. When the nightmare starts, he can influence it however he desires as long as he’s following the realm of ‘scary’.

Neither individual can be harmed in the dream physically or forced against their will. However, being part shade allows Emmett some instinct to what would be considered scary to an individual and immediately begin to twist it to produce the needed emotions- Aka this means players have control over the nightmare itself to make it fearful for their PCs since they know their characters best.

Stage 1-
He can only give a single nightmare to each individual and has no control over how many he can influence. He also lacks any sort of controlled manipulation in it, though he can appear in it and interact with the individual’s representation of it. Surprisingly, it doesn’t make him afraid and has no affect on him.

Stage 2-
He can give multiple nightmares to each individual, varying the intensity, but can’t single it down to one individual yet. He has much better control over how the nightmare plays out as he can influence, to a minor degree, its elements by dismissing or summoning them. He an also appear within it to interact with the individual though they might find it hard to.

Stage 3-
TBA Later

Notes: Kin to Shades and Shades themselves aren’t affected by this ability. Anyone awake is also not affected and makes it a waste of Vis.

Tough Skin
Casting Time:
Stage 1-
When activated, it takes less than a second to cast (Only at this stage and has is emotionally triggered only.)
Stage 2-
As he gets able to call it on will, instead of instinct, it increases to about 3-4 seconds (1-3 to push it through his skin, and one to harden on his skin)
Stage 3-
TBA later
Range:
Stage 1 & 2-
Self only
Stage 3-
TBA later (He will be able to give to another, but not multiple people and can’t cast it on himself after doing that)
Duration:
Stage 1-
Until a physical attack hits or for a total of 2 seconds (usually activates last moment literally) He can only do this once per battle as it takes time to rebuild the Vis.
Stage 2-
He can activate it and retain it for up to 6 seconds, disappearing when hit. It requires about 10 seconds or more to rebuild the Vis for another layer.
Stage 3-
TBA later

Using his Vis, Emmett can create a thin layer of Vis by pushing it through his skin and harden it enough protect him from most physical damage. Anything that actually gets past this barrier, I rather it was story base until he gets to about his late teens purely due to him being primarily human on the physical front. It acts similar to extreme armor though it can’t deflect any magical spells or none physical based attacks. It also doesn’t stop him from being shoved off his feet or over distances if the momentum and other vectors cause this. If enough force is applied, while it might not break the skin, it will leave a superficial and large bruise after contact. The first time he activated this, it was pure by emotion making it difficult to summon on a whim in his young age until he was taught.

---

Mass Effect: Borealis

Lafayette Station, Vellios

Before the crew made their way off the ship, Vellios had studied the maps that each of the crew collected over the specs of the Lafayette station and downloaded into his omnitool for when they needed a quick exit. Thanks to encryption from both Serena and Dex, it would take a grade A hacker to find them masquerading as game programming data. He made his way toward the exit area right after their ship took dock.

He leaned over to sight see the hatch widen and eyed the busy scenery around them. Individuals, mostly LOKI and humans, were darting about from one area to the next to load, unload and other activities he was use to seeing in a place like this. His figure stood lingered there for several moments before he began to move again and came to rest to Serena’s side, his nerves made obvious only to her.

It didn’t help he was unarmed.

He crossed his arms, trying to prevent the twitching in his talons from being visible as he held his eyes to the nearest wall on the old relic. Vellios didn’t like he was too aware of what was missing on his person, the absent weight of his weapons brought back terrible memories and the instinct gnawing at him not to risk repeating those experiences by doing this.

Why did I let Serena talk me into removing all of my blades?!? The thought screamed at him through his crest while he breathed through his nostrils, trying to sooth over the jumpiness within him, and act natural. It wasn’t easy, but he managed to fake it.

The moment they began to move, Vellios did. His figure kept close to Serena as he glided and kept in step with her on exiting. Each time, his eyes wandered to absorb the scenery to keep himself occupied from the fact he was mentally naked.

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

Repressed Memories

&

Location: On a side road heading out of NY
Time: Morning (1 am +)

Ben bit his inner cheek a moment, realizing how crazy he was for trying this with a bunch of strangers, as he sniffed the water a moment on impulse. It held a herbal scent though it was diluted by the water and hard to get a good scent. He snorted then took a cautious sip. The taste was bitter as he fought not to spit it back out causing him to shudder, his stomach clenched and tightened in reaction. An amused grin crossed his lips before he inhaled then promptly downed as much as he could in one movement.

The bowl was nearly a third of the way done before the nauseous sensation to throw up was on him. He stopped then sought to retain his stomach contents as he hunched over, his insides wiggling in unpleasantness, while he tried to stare into the fire. Flames crackled for what felt like hours before his vision started to blur and sweat began to roll off his skin. Gradually, he closed his eyes and let his eyesight fall into darkness.

Imagining his wolf was more difficult than he could’ve believed as he had never seen himself before. All the changes were painful and distracting, leaving no ability to focus on any reflective surfaces. Truthfully, he had been curious enough to want to know. It was just a disruption in his once normal life which explained why he wanted it gone and killed any desire to picture it. Ben let himself sit uncomfortably for what felt like several minutes before he couldn’t stand it anymore. His legs moved and he pulled out from under his seat, crawling out of the car with the blanket held up to shade him.

Everything felt off.

The wind blew across his nose causing him to shift his attention as everything felt uncomfortable. Ben’s figure leaned back against the car and still protected from the full moon’s effect. For the first time in two days, he actually looked content and peaceful. Another shiver of discomfort caused Benjamin’s stomach to flip within his middle as he turned to Rune across the fire.

“Alright,” Irritation obvious in his voice as the teenager tried to puzzle together what was about to happen to him,” “What now?”

His wolf appeared to be nowhere in sight for him.

“Patience young wolf,” Otto spoke softly and comforting as Rune began to chant something in what was clearly one of the many dialects of the First Nations, of the Native Americans who truly owned the land they sat upon. His mumbling grew to a fevered chanting as sweat ran down his forehead and his brow furrowed. And then it hit them, like a celestial truck, the magic smashed into them, dislodging their astral selves from their bodies.

“Don’t panic.” Rune said as they were now standing, according to their senses at least, upright. Yet at their feet, their bodies were clearly slumping forward, staring at the fire.

Even as Rune spoke, the fire seemed to discolor and lose its luster. The colors of the world bled out into a fog, that warped and shaped and swirled by laws none of the three could understand. Rocks and Trees took on hues of purple and their edges seemed undefined. And then there was a sudden, shuddering jolt running up their transparent, ghostly spines. The world wasn’t merely warping, it seemed as if another one was superimposing themselves over their perception. Shadows of trees that once stood where the deserts now stretched. Ancient shades of great walking beasts now bones beneath the ground. A place where death had been suspended, and time moved in all directions at once. The Spirit Realm.

“Easier said than done,” Ben tried not to snarl.

His eyes widened and blinked twice, trying to clear his eyesight of the illusions he thought he was seeing. They didn’t disappear. In face, they only got sharper to his attention causing him to tense and try not to bolt. If he hadn’t been turned into a werewolf, shifted several times in the last two days, and had come face to face with individuals gifted in magic, then he highly doubted he could’ve mustered up enough tolerance to remain in place right now.

Still soaked in fear and adrenaline rising, Ben turned toward Rune and Otto, “Alright, you still haven’t answered my question… I don’t see my wolf, so what now?”

“Are all kids this impatient Otto? Is it the videogames fault?”

“You did give the kid peyote.”

“Yeah. True” Rune shrugged. “Just hold on. I feel something. Something strong… It isn’t to happy though…” The rune priest mumbled as he swept the landscape with his eyes. Things were changing, the ghost grass seemed to grow, and he felt as if he was being watched. He knew this feeling, the presence of an Apex Predator.

With predatory grace and absolute quietness, a large, blond wolf edged into sight. It looked nearly identical to what Ben had when he was being hauled about by Barron in his fully shifted form, from the slight off figure upon all fours to the bright blue eyes, as it drew closer to the three that had trespassed upon his territory. His head shifted from one to the next, observing each individual then rested on Rune as the cause of bring them here.

What do you want and why do you tread upon my territory? The words were that of a confidence, mature wolf compared to the image of a pup he showed. He stood there patiently waiting for an answer.

“To bring together two sides of the same being. And reach better cadence between wolf and the man. According to the peace of the moon, and the nature of you both. You are one and the same, yet you are currently at odds with one another. I hope to help you both. It is obvious your transformation was premature, that even now. It strains you. I wish to help.”

The wolf turned to Ben, causing the boy flinch as he tried to stand his ground against the wolf’s stare. After a moment or two, the wolf turned back to Rune, I can’t be become whole with someone that rejects who they are and fears it. He wouldn’t accept the animal instinct, the responsibility, or the savagery that comes with my kind if he doesn’t accept himself. The premature transformation had little to do with the divide created.

Another pause was created while the wolf waited for Rune to comment on his words.

“It is never easy to wake up to an altered reality, to the nature of one self.. Some men spend their lives running from it. Others naturally accept it. “ He turned to Ben. “Running away will not make your life easier. Trust me.”

“I didn’t want to become a werewolf so you can’t blame me for not wanting it,” Benjamin said, trying to understand the wolf’s confusing words. Naturally in his attempt to translate the deeper meaning, he hadn’t fully understood them at all. This was enough to cause the wolf’s head to snap toward him and peered hard at him, absorbing that fact then turned to Rune as if to point out the obvious.

“No… That is not it.. You are special. Tell me wolf. How come you can track magic? What else runs in Benjamin's veins.”

Only three have ever been able to smell the energy you call magic and that is because they have had it within themselves from the start, The wolf said calmly as he cocked his head, No breed is built to sniff out what they can’t understand unless it lies in their veins. He suppresses it because it upsetted the one he loved the most and the only one that loved him back.

Johan felt a pang of sympathy at that. Tilting his head back he let out a sigh. It would not be easy. And he could not force the boy to simply reconcile with his past on the spot. “Benjamin” He said, his voice calm and steady. “Do you hate it? The magic I mean?”

“I haven’t any idea what you’re talking about. I’ve never encountered anything magical or supernatural or anything before I was bitten. Personally, I’m still hoping this is some whacked out dream and that I’ll wake up as things were,” Benjamin spoke, his words believed to be true causing the wolf to snort in disagreement. Anger filled the boy’s attention at being told he was something he wasn’t as he looked to the wolf, his voice reached out in a pissed off tone at it, “You don’t know me at all.”

For the first time, the wolf acknowledged the boy as an individual separated from himself as his eyes narrowed upon Benjamin and its back legs raised underneath it. Inch by inch, its hind legs pushed the blond wolf to stand fully on two legs as it towered over six foot (6’2”) and loomed over the boy then stepped forward. The voice was a snarl, the lips curled back to reveal several white canines, when it rippled through all their skulls, a warning, I know you better than you know yourself. You run from what you don’t want to face which means you’ll run from me as well. We can’t be whole that way.

After a few moments, the wolf’s figure then stepped back and once more resumed his earlier posture. However the hatred in the confrontation was still lingering in the spiritual energy about them.

Rune had not expected this. In hindsight, he should have. Teenagers were the spawn of every hell conceivable, and the crucible of angst and hormones made for the terrible creature known as young adults. And here he stood, watching the primal incarnation of Ben’s supernatural side try and talk sense to the one creature so immune to logic and rational thinking: The fabled and feared: Teenage boy.

“Ok Ben. I hate to say this. But it is time to put on the big boy pants. This wolf Is you. Of course he knows you.” He said exasperated. “You share the same memories, the same impulses. You are one and the same, separated only by the fact that you do not accept what and who you are.” Otto nodded as Rune spoke adding his own words to the conversation only after careful consideration.

“The Supernatural run in my family to. This form you see before is passed on through magic for generations. I did not have any more a choice then you did. But if we deny what we are, we will eventually burn from within. Nobody suppresses the beast forever.”

“I don’t… I don’t remember. You’re asking to accept something that makes no sense,” Ben said firmly his stubbornness shining through as his words showed earnest in his belief. At the mention of the wolf sharing the memories and impulses, his stomach turned at the truth. Something terrible was about to happen as his eyes seemed to plead for Rune to stop this and not pry further despite Ben himself being unaware that his eyes reflected this.

The wolf’s figure shifted uncomfortably, a show of pity perhaps, as he edged back to the boy, It was suppressed because it was painful to face the true or would hurt her memory. Admirable as the compassion is, despite how we try to hide it, it has caused a fracture. If it is difficult to remember, showing might be better.

With that, the wolf began to trot off into the landscape with an air of expecting them to follow. His fours legs moved in predatory grace across the rugged and shifting territory he called home. Never missing a step or lost pacing, they gradually came to a small, calm pool shrouded by mist. A feminine voice called out loudly, a slight worry mixed with the motherly tone.

“Ben, Ben where are you? I know you’re here, come out. Ben…”

Ben immediately grinded to a stop as the wolf turned, not at all surprised, then shifted his head to Rune and Otto. This will be difficult… we must see to believe. Often we can’t run from the truth when it’s facing us and a small, outside nudge helps in great measures.

“Magic is build on truths and deceits. A truth is always powerful. That is why we protect them with deceit. Even if it means fooling ourselves. “ Rune felt a pang of pity for a boy, and something else entirely. Selfloathing. Here he was, speaking of truths and deceits, but he had no idea where his own road led. Steeling himself he spoke softly. “We are here to bear witness, we shall take this secret with us to the grave, shall you demand it of us Ben. We will not abandon you.”

Ben didn’t reply. Instead, he watched his mother drift into their backyard and toward the pool, her eyes darted for him. Her cries made him cringe inwardly with each word that it could be seen and felt by touch. He was fixed in place, helpless, and unable to stop it from peeling back the haze of that day. A six year old boy materialized in the pool’s reflection as he chattered with someone.

“Ben, who are you talking to?” There was fear lacing his mother’s question. He was too young to understand why, his eyes unable to remove themselves from her figure and noted the gut sensation of guilt squirming into his chest. Casually she moved toward his younger self and immediately picked him up, her eyes widened in recognition toward the figure as she clenched him tightly to her.

“What do you want? Leave my son alone,” She spoke harshly to the figure, a wispy shape taking a woman’s form. Rune and Otto would immediately realize the creature his mother was talking to was a Banshee. Through Ben could see her, she disguised her word to where only Mrs. Reeves could hear. It sounded like the rattle of the reeds, eerie and grim, with each breath. However the words seemed to draw more fear and panic from the woman as she shook her head, “No. He’s staying here, grandmother. I won’t let you take him.”

Another eerie whisper occurred.

“Please, no. I’ll do anything. Just don’t take him.”

Through the scene wasn’t over, its running was a mish mash product, darkness filled the pool and eventually once more became a dark surface untouched by anything. Ben just stood there watching in silence. The wolf turned to Rune and Otto, his eyes studied them a moment before he spoke, This was as much as could be unsurfaced from the mind and we need time. Even if the fracture was healed, learning to co-exist would take months or longer as is normal with an American Werewolf. We are done here…

“Yes.” Rune bit back the dark bile that rose in his throat. “Yes. We are.” Otto looked stunned. He looked to Ben, but Rune stopped him.

“If you need time, you have it Ben. This turned out heavier than I expected it to. It may not feel like it. But in time, you will thank me for this.” He closed his eyes and began to sing the hymn of return. Reality began to warp and separate again, the superimposed hyper reality fading until they were simply at the roadside, a small tray of coals where the fire between once had been.

“Ugh… my goddamn head..” Rune mumbled.

Ben’s eyes fluttered open as his figure leaned over the car edge, his arms pressed to his squirming middle. Without warning his lips opened and spewed the mostly digested contents of his dinner across the ground nearest the car. Unable to remain seated, his figure dropped to all fours upon the ground and felt another sickening wave rush over him before he finished purging whatever remained in his system once more. Ben then weakly sat up, his back pressed against the car’s frame, and somehow managed to keep the blanket mostly covering his skin.

“I can see why Otto wasn’t keen on doing this… fuck. Was that real?” Ben said, though he knew the answer, “What was she speaking to? I don’t...”

His right leg lifted and bent as his forehead rested on it, not caring anymore if he went wolf or not, while trying to cope with what had just happened. A sick, twisted blade of guilt dug into his middle causing him to want to just disappear altogether. His mother had gotten in a car accident and died in the hospital, or he thought. Daniel never allowed him to say his final goodbye before the bastard made the call to pull his mother’s life support when he was away at school. With the thoughts running through his head, he didn’t notice he was trembling along his surface.