Zaria

How she remained calm upon the appearance of the fenghuang was a mystery even to herself. It was instantly obvious to Zaria that this was no normal Natrelmon. She really doubted it would approve of her using the Mythin for such a ritual. She herself did not see any problem with such a thing. Was it not the natural cycle of things? The smaller creatures were killed by the bigger ones and thus used. Sure, this was not quite the same as the food chain as it wasn't being eaten but Zaria genuinely did not believe it was murder. Of course, she maybe should not have enjoyed it. Ah well.

Her eyes widened as the Mythin was resurrected and flew away in fear. That was some power. She tilted her head, face impassive as she listened to the words Tasri spoke. Well this certainly was a sticky situation for her. She was quite sure she would come out best if she placed her hands on the light. However, she did not know what it did apart from helped her begin to repent. It could do anything in addition to that.

And anyway, it would not work as she had quite clearly been told deception would not work. She, personally, did not feel that she had anything to repent for. It was just a Mythin. One that happened to now be alive again. So no harm done. And it had died in the first place for a good cause. At least, it was a good one in her mind. It had not been without a reason. And it would further her own goal of attaining power.

Taking a few, slow, steps backwards and away from the light Zaria finally spoke. "I apologise for any harm I have caused." Lie. "And I do thank you for your concern. I'm afraid I have no loved ones to bring to ruin, as you claim I will do, and I am sure I will be quite fine." She felt herself being drawn towards the light, and the incredibly bird, but somehow continued her slow journey backwards. If repentance meant giving up the ritual she now owned, and possible her blood magic, she certainly wanted no part in it. "While I do regret my actions and I'm afraid there is not much more to repent for." Even if it was a slight struggle Zaria managed to retain her skill with words, though she was unsure how well it would work on the Tasri.

"Really, I am quite fine." Zaria had certainly made up her mind now. Touching that light was not her best option. She was certainly not willing to 'repent' for the crimes she had committed, however small they were. And deception was not advisable. It was a shame, really, that Tasri had seen her darker side. It was, of course, something she kept hidden from most. People tended not to approve of those who weren't perfectly morally good and she needed people to approve of her. Ah well. It was hardly like the legendary bird could spread the word.

+ Tasri - @Zaria +

"Then you may be too far for me to save," Tasri 'spoke' softly, letting the globe of light fade into nothingness. "You were once like that Mythin, but with those to look after you. Would you preform your ritual should it have asked for a child's heart? Humanity extends far beyond your species."

It was clear that Tasri was displeased with Zaria's choice in the matter, "You had great potential - potential you squander by not using it to help others. I was once mortal like you, but I chose to continue to watch over Atren as I did when I walked in the same flesh you once did. Your choices will not only have consequences for yourself, take heed of that. Your path leads you dangerously close to threatening the world with power meant to be forgotten, with power that we may not be able to keep at bay."

Light formed yet again in front of Tasri, this time, shaping itself into a small teardrop shaped gem. It floated towards Zaria, waiting for her to clutch it.

"Take that gem. Should you change your mind, we can begin your journey, but it will not be easy. The further you follow in the footsteps of that woman, the more painful it will be to walk back off of it."

If Zaria took the gem, it would change from its pure, clear color to a vicious red-black.

"When it comes time to use it, shatter the tear gem. You will face what you have done," Tasri finished, leaving the matter at that. With little else to say, the bird began to unfold its wings to take flight, returning to its duties to watch over the area.

Shio

Stashed away in one of the books that Shio had recently found in the library would be a note with an address in the city of Ward, neatly folded and obviously intended to be found. Though the note was inherently nondescript, an observant person would note that it had been found within a tome on smelting, specifically between the pages relating to throwing knives. The script was neat, clearly penned with a quill and ink, and left very much to the imagination. Within the spine of the book was a mysterious looking bulge, erratic and displaying very euclidean angles. Though it was not initially obvious that it was there, the book certainly had an added weight to it, and an observant person like Shio would likely notice it extremely quickly.

Though Zaria did not answer the question she knew what her answer would be, deep down. Yes, she would have most likely used a human child's heart if the ritual had asked for it. Part of this realisation about herself disgusted her... but it also pleased her. There was little that stood in the way of one with no morals. At least she would not hold herself back. However delving into blood magic and many of the more unsavoury things that came with it would only make it more difficult to keep up the guise she wore in everyday life. She was sure she was up to the challenge.

It was easy enough to notice Tasri's displeasure and Zaria almost felt that she should feel guilty. Of course she couldn't quite bring herself to feel something such as that. There was nothing to be guilty for. She was doing what was best for herself whether Tasri approved or not. She did not see how helping others would be using her full potential. Quite the opposite in her mind, in fact.

She stepped forward to take the gem, inspecting it before pocketing it. "Thank you, but I doubt that time will come." She gave a slight smile, eyes narrowed. She disliked that Tasri was suggesting she was following 'that woman' as if she was not doing anything of her own free will. Oh, Zaria was not following anyone. Her actions were her own and her path her own.

Shrugging slightly she spun around and walked into the forest, heading back towards Toran.

Caelyn

As Zaga was performing his weekly search for new Natrelmon, he would suddenly find himself lost within the vast beach near Toran city, with no other Natrelmon or Trainers in sight. For all intents and purposes, it would be like the world had abandoned him, and a deathy chill would permeate the air, coating the choppy sea in fine icy crystals without fully freezing it over. After a few moments of wandering around the now-barren landscape, Caelyn would sense an immensely powerful presence near him, and if he gazed out towards the sea he would find himself gazing towards the Lord of the North, Seiryu, whose immense coils were perched around a spire of ice rising from the ocean.

Seiryu's presence was unmistakeable, and though he said nothing, his mere presence beckoned the young Caelyn towards him. Seiryu gave off a condescending air, and though it was arrogant it was not malicious or hateful - its tones bordered more along the lines of curious that malevolent. He would not speak until the young man chose to approach him, and if Caelyn chose to meet with the great dragon, a bridge of solid ice would form across the sea leading to Seiryu. Seiryu's presence did not indicate that he was particularly patient, however, and if Caelyn chose to approach the chill in the air indicated that he should do so sooner rather than later.

Shio

Shio did not miss the details in the smithing tome. She had mulled a bit over what to do with the book, having noticed the extra weight and shaping. She was not keen on damaging library property, but it seem in this instance there was no choice. She had pondered consulting Kasumi on the morality of what she was doing, but decided she already knew the answer Kasumi would give and what she needed to do anyway. Taking her belt knife, she ran it along the top of the binding of the closed book, creating a small slit for the key to slide out from as she shook it. Soon she was rewarded with a key in her hand, as well as the address the book had provided.

Without hesitation, Shio quickly boarded the next train to Ward. She wanted to find out more about where this book was leading her. While she did conclude it could be a trap, completely with threatening lasers, she knew that if she didn't explore this further she would regret not having the experience to write into her booklet. She had never gone on a treasure hunt as a child and she was quite certain this would classify as one. So far she had a key and an address with very little else to work off of. Clearly it was intended that someone find these things, as well as go to the address with the key, but after that, she wasn't sure of what she should do.

The train to Ward was non-eventful, as was the walk from the station to the address. Shio was quite familiar with Ward, having stopped off many times here on her way to the Western cities. She had even promised to treat herself with some of that ice cream she had tried last time she passed through, icecream being an experience she had written in last visit. However, this time she was going to write it in again under the experience of 'rewarding oneself'. she suspected that she would likely be keen on continuing to do this.

Shio would find herself in a mostly deserted back alley within the city of Ward, far away from any sorts of prying eyes. The address that she'd been given had led her to a small shop, one that would be intensely challenging to find without written direction, that was labelled Kimlee Li's Throwing Knives on a decaying wooden sign. The "Kim" had faded more quickly than the other letters, and while they were still legible, they were not as pronounced as the other letters. Upon trying to open the door, Shio would find it locked, but there was no obvious key slot for her to insert they key that she had found into.

The alleyway was so far away from the hustle and bustle of the city that a strange silence had fallen upon it, which was very unusual for a big city. For most people it would have been unnerving, but Shio was not most people. The layout of the shop seemed to be fairly ordinary, but the paint that surrounded the door frame was very slightly off, a lighter shade having been used in some areas than the others. Studying the paint intently would reveal that the wood was marked with an array of runic magic, but the purpose of the runes would be obfuscated from Shio, who did not have any knowledge of the types of runes that she had just encountered.

Whatever Shio decided to do would certainly be interesting - but if she failed, the threat of lasers could indeed be very real.

Shio

Shio knocked lightly on the door, noting the name of the establishment. She hadn't heard of the shop before, but it looks like an older establishment. It seemed to have the strange touch of nostalgia though. Upon trying the shop door, she found it locked. It was surprising to her that the business would not have its doors opened. According to what she knew, the next step was to knock on the door. Other people may have been considering a more aggressive approach, but Shio felt no need to exert force onto the situation that didn't require it. That would be a waste of energy.

Shio's knock was solid, but without being intentionally obnoxious like some people when they were absolutely desperate to be heard. Politely, she'd wait at the door for a response before pondering other options for entering the establishment. She was unsure whether this was supposed to be a part of the treasure hunt. She suspected it wasn't completely out of the ordinary to put significant roadblocks in the way to make the treasure hunt more challenging. Given that there was no obvious slot for the key, she was unsure of how the key fit into this equation at all, but for now she kept it firmly in her grasp.

She did question whether all treasure hunts lacked such specifics. She knew they were supposed to be challenges of the mind and body, but felt that such directions could have included more clarity on what to do. It seems that such details were important should you want someone to actually be successful at completing the hunt. With just the address, a key, and a locked door, she was unsure of what she would do if there was no response.

Upon knocking on the door, a hidden slot within one of the horizontal panels of wood would be revealed and opened. From the slot a voice would speak sharply and swiftly: "Password?". Depending on Shio's reaction to this, one of two things would happen. If she correctly identified the password, the door would open to reveal the interior of the shop, and she would be beckoned inside by an elderly woman behind a counter at the far end of the shop. Failure to correctly identify the password would result in the slot being closed - though it would open again should she knock. If she failed multiple times, she would notice that the voice was identical each time that it spoke, as was the timing of opening the slot. It would be almost eerie how identical each separate instance was, should Shio experience it.

Shio

"I have a key," Shio responded, holding up the key she had been given before launching into a longer explanation, "I was given this address and key in a book I found in a library in Toran. I assumed it was directing me to this shop, however I am not certain what this is for."

She was unsure what she was supposed to do in response to this. She hadn't been given a password from the initial material, which could make this challenge extremely problematic. Once again, she was questioning the original material that had directed her here. Either the original author had failed to provide information or there was something the merited greater scrutiny for her. She tried to find the excitement in this, as she suspected she should, but was unsure if she was successful. She had been told that excitement involved an increased heart rate and an intangible sense of looking forward to something. Her heart was doing its duty, as per her direction, but the latter was proving more challenging.

As soon as Shio presented the key before the door, the entire thing would slide back to reveal another door, though this one was much more obvious, having a keyhole placed squarely in the centre of the large slab of metal. Through this door would be an elderly woman behind a decrepit counter, who would beam out at a prospective new customer. It looked like she had very little stock to actually offer to Shio, but a box on a shelf behind the counter stood out as being something special.

"Hello, dearie! I don't get much custom these days, no... Not any more, not since my son left for the war..." She spoke out, furrowing her brow a little as she did so. While it was clear that she had gone senile a long time ago, what she was doing in the decrepit and mysteriously well-guarded store was anyone's guess.

Shio

Shio unlocked the door with little issue, finally utilizing the key she had been given. It was peculiar setup to an entry way that Shio could approve of, given that it was rather perplexing. It would likely deter attackers with lasers. She would have to consider putting in doors like this into her home to prevent these such assassins.

"Hello, I am Shio of the Enyo family. I was given this address and a key from a book I read," she stated, "Is this a treasure hunt?" She slid her book out of her chest pocket, preparing to write down 'treasure hunt' into the book, "I need to know so I can write this down in my book of experiences."

Shio was completely oblivious to how odd her reply was. However, she had completed the core tenants of her training. Introduce yourself, followed by an explanation of why you were there if applicable. Then, she knew she was to ask any clarifying questions before explaining why she was asking them. It was only 'proper', even if likely most of the information was entirely unnecessary to the situation. Shio had already deemed the woman a non-threat, and while still on her guard, had moved her left hand an inch extra away from her left hip which had her belt knife. Her Kohitsuji joined her in a brief flash of light as well, allowing Shio to further 'relax'.

"Oh, I miss my little Kim dearly..." The old woman lamented, clearly not paying any attention to what Shio herself was saying. As Shio began to explain herself, she started to fidget around the small counter that she was hunched over behind, briefly disappearing underneath the desk before retreiving another key, very similar to the one Shio had already gotten, but a dark black in colour.

"Do you have anything to trade, dearie? This was a shop, once, back when little Kim could help out... Oh, we had the finest stock... Suzuno herself made my blades, you know? We used to have a shop in Orin, my little Kim and I..." The old woman began again, turning around to grab the box that was on the shelf as she did so. She placed it on the desk, looking longingly out of a window that no longer existed.

"If you can find my little Kim, you can have the box. It has some of Suzuno's knives! Nobody ever came to buy them, not after little Kim went off to war..."

Shio

"I could trade you the key I used for the door, which would seem prudent given a stranger has a key to your place," Shio responded, holding up the key in offer. She wasn't used to bartering with people, so this was definitely something to write down in the experience book, especially given the second request of the woman.

"i don't know who Kim is or how I could find him, but if you could direct me I will see if I can locate him," Shio added. "Also, given the timeline, you'd be a ghost. Are you aware that you are a ghost or currently possessed by one? I am an exorcist and can provide my services."

Shio was now feeling what she suspected was excitement. This was now treading on her territory. Although, it was unique given that the woman was in her human form as a ghost, which was quite unusual. That usually invoked powerful magic long lost to their world. It could pose a challenge to her skills. She had spent the trip up to Ward reviewing Gishiki material in order to better deal with events like Toran where she had felt a bit useless, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that this would help her in dealing with this woman.

Shio was ready to pull out one of her books on Gishiki and start reading through it to try to solve the situation.

"He went off to fight in the war, you know? Yes... I know that he isn't coming back because he's trapped there... No, he'd never leave his dear old mother alone for no reason... He must have died, he must still haunt the battlegrounds... There was such powerful magic in that war, oh yes, and there were lasers... Yes, the Lord of the South had a laser once, you know? But it can't have been that laser that killed my little Kim... No... I'll not rest until he's been put to peace! If you let him finally come home, you can have the box and the keys, dearie! Yes, just let him be at peace..." The old woman started, before trailing off and mumbling to herself under her breath. While she had not been very specific, perhaps that was part of Shio's task.

"Yes, set my little Kim free... The sands are so hot this time of year, I can't imagine how he's coping..."

Shio

"Are you sure you have maintained your mental faculties in your purgatory?" Shio asked in response to the old woman before waving the question of, seemingly because it might be considered rude, although Shio was not waving for that reason. "Rather, more specifically, are you sure that I will find him in the desert? I am required to release both of you from this state, but locating a singular spirit can be quite challenging, especially given the vast, nonspecific area you have provided."

"While also unorthodox, if you can provide me with more specific details on locating your son, I can release you from your state second. Father and mother would likely not approve of this, but there is potential for self-release if I do it that way - the tomes reference such thing. I'd be interested in experiencing that firsthand."

Shio was not pleased with having to go to the desert. Mentally, she thought about how much she disliked the desert before quickly pulling out that book and scribbling in 'disliking something consciously' into her book. She had generally approached all things, including terrain with a general air of apathy. To consciously dislike it was quite a different experience for her.

"I would like to mention that I have consciously made the effort to dislike the desert, although I suspect I didn't like it subconsciously as well," Shio added, hoping the woman might be moved to assist her in her task given that it would take Shio to a place that she was not keen on going. "I also think I am not fond of lasers as well, as they are quite dangerous when in the hands of assassins." She gave a firm nod at the second statement, given the likely agreement of the old woman, as she had brought up the subject matter of lasers in the conversation herself. Shio had heard that people occasionally bonded over their mutual dislike for things and that bond could prove useful in completing her task and releasing both this woman and her son Kim from their binds in the mortal world - a place they should not be.

"Oh, you will?! Oh, my little Kim! He went to the Battle for the Gate, you know? Yes... The Black Gate... You know where that is, don't you, dearie? Let me see if I have a map..." The old woman mumbled, before presenting Shio with the box she had gotten down on the shelf.

On the box would be a simple image of a gate in stark black - it seemed that this was the map that was to be given to Shio.

+ Old Woman - @Wotan +

The old woman steadied herself and recoiled back, taken by surprise by the young man's aggression.

"A-pologies," she stammered, "I was just tired and didn't expect to run into anyone and I lost my footing..."

Quickly, she began to disengage from the situation, taking up as brisk of a pace as she could muster away from him, she began to continue on her path towards the Peak of the Gods. She used to know these very woods like the back of her hand, but the wild, tangled growth of decades had shifted them. Clearings she once knew had vanished, filled in by brush and trees, while new ones had been formed by fires, years gone by.

While clearly no match for him, she took a stronger grip on her walking stick. In her day she had been an accomplished trainer and mage, but those years were long past. She dearly wished she still had her Animikii, but he passed away awhile ago. She only really had the relic containing her very old Ocalia which was mostly kept as a pet rather than a battle companion, thus it would be useless in that regard. Her ability to tap into her magic had also dwindled with age, which wasn't completely unsurprising.

"Good day young man," she called as she began to head away.