Thirianna's maternal attentions were not rejected, but nor were they welcome. The smile faded some more still, Varavana's eyes coming to squint at Thirianna as she ruffled his neat, black hair. Out of respect for both her and the context of the meeting, he said nothing, letting the perceived slight go over like it was nothing. Vaul, on the other hand... Varavana stared up at the armoured elf god, letting out an exasperated sigh and shaking his head. The following arrivals of Nerevas and Kyras only continued to fuel the chimera's alienation and disappointment. His worst fears were being confirmed and then some. 'The fate of the worlds is in the hands of these imperious, callous and confrontational beings. It always has been, and this is where it has gotten us.' Varavana's thoughts bordered on the downright blasphemous. He halted that train of thought before he entered regrettable territory, focusing instead on how to better communicate with the proud beings who were supposedly his 'family' - he had not been taught to hate or reject others, be they mortal, young gods or Ancients. "I cannot tire in matters such as these, Ancient sibling" He emphasised the last bit in indignation, "I dare say, Most-Elder-Sibling, it is not I who has grown tired. It is not I who has been afflicted with lethargy, apathy, inaction and complacency. I travelled here for a few reasons, and thus far this meeting has proved..." His eyes looked between the more on-edge Ancients, Vaul and Navaras, and then back to Kyras "Productive, on those fronts. It will undoubtedly continue to be so, even with the absence of the rest of our kin. It is their loss, not ours." Fire. That was the best way to describe it. His words were spoken with fire, unmistakable warmth but burning with passion, illuminating the figure of Varavana and making his stances more known. To the gathered Ancients, there was something hauntingly familiar about it - brief recollection of a long lost sibling, bright as the stars and blazing through the sky. What was their name again? It faded as quickly as it came - these words were still spoken from the mouth of a child, after all. Varavana closed his eyes for a moment, letting out another sigh. "We had best discuss the matter which Respected Thirianna has called us here in concern of." The fire faded, the chimera returning to his usual peaceful self.

Dust stepped unhurriedly through the archway and into the light of Aun, his drake-like feet barely making a sound on the warm stone floor. He offered a cursory glance around the room. Aett, Ceyr, Hades, representatives of all, preening and dancing around one another with their powerful words and furtive gazes. Dust recognized Danives, who sometimes accompanied him on his endless path; and another, Hiraga, one of the oldest gods whose pitying eyes he felt on him in centuries past. He turned away and took a seat, his short stature making his legs hang some ways from the floor. Dust drew his ashen sword from the loop in his belt. He turned it in the light of the sun, the cracks weaving an intricate pattern in the burnt wood, glowing as the cooled embers within reflected the light without. He thought of the time, ages ago, when he found it in the ruins of a castle from a civilization long-dead. It was a curious thing, short enough for him to wield and in one piece, burnt to ash as it was. He knew its history of course, as he knew all blasted vistas and desolate ruins of his wastelands, but much of it was for him alone, as a keeper of the dead places of his world. He placed it sideways on the table before him as a silent display of disarmament. They were there to discuss the fate of the worlds, hopefully without weapons in hand.

Hiraga waited for the current verbal combat to be over to take her time to greet the new arrivals, although she couldn't say she was happy to see them anymore. It looked like children bickering. Were they really that much younger? Kyras seemed to crown it by breaking what good spirits remained. "So could she say about your projects being a pathetic attempt to emulate our creator. And obviously since you are here, you think the idea has some merit. So silence yourself and let the angel speak. In the worst case scenario she is wrong and we get to laugh at her later. Until then..." she berated her eldest brother. She looked at Varavana with a hint of hurt in her expression. She realized the young one did not understand her connection with the world and that her weakening power was a good sign, but she could explain later or not at all. Right now it seemed like another situation craved her attention a bit more. She felt the need to defuse the prelude of war that was happening a few paces away. Getting up from her seat, she walked over to Nevaras. "Greetings, brother. It is wonderful to see you again. I trust you slept well?" she said, Standing herself in between the Smith god and the sword bearer. If they intended to fight, they were free to take it elsewhere, but she would not have Ceyr be the site of their struggles again.

When the Smith Gods eyes cast an unsavoury gaze at Itone, Voana felt her Wife stiffen at her side and delivered a livid glare at the Ancient, stepping part-way to the side and pointedly covering most of Itone from his view. At Vauls pointed rebuttal and dismissal, Voana felt her body stiffen and bristle, her pride quickly convincing her resolve as her hand resting on Iron-Spines hilt tightened. Taking a step forward, a snarl on her lips, Voana suddenly heard the cool voice of her Sister mutter at her shoulder, "Not now Sister..." before Sohena slunk out from behind Voanas broad form, gliding forward and recognising Vauls greeting with a slight tilt of her head towards him. Voana watched Sohena offer her silent greetings to the Smith God and tensed further, her snarl melting into a frown and her brow still deeply burrowed. At her side Itone suddenly grabbed Voanas arm halting Voanas movements as the warrior strove to step forward once again, seemingly following Sohenas steed and attempting to placate her Wife to prevent conflict at this early stage, Itone gave a small and insistent tug, pulling Voana further back into her. Turning to face her Wife and argue her restraints, Voana instead found that Itones attentions were not focused on her but rather across the room, her eyes narrowing and glinting with calculation. A questioning arch appeared on her brow as Voana followed her Wifes gaze to just behind where the Angel Thirianna stood, her own eyes narrowing as she saw the red tear open and the beastly Guardian of Hades pull himself from it, hauling its large inhuman body into the room. Voana had met Kyras only once before, and his monstrous form was still as remarkable, grotesque and worthy of fear as she remembered. When Kyras called for Sohenas affirmation, Voana watched her Sisters slim shoulders stiffen a slight whilst her face, from what Voana could see of it, remained placid, though Voana could swear that Sohenas features took on a considering, almost hesitant look. Following the Guardians rejection of Thiriannas claims, Sohenas form relaxed once more, and she dismissed herself from Voana and Itone wordlessly, her hands clasping in-front of her as she made to pace around the outside of the room, head bowed as if she intended to space herself from the others in deep thought. Her head lifted only once to regard Neveras as the dilapidated Ancient addressed the gathered once more, before she bowed it once more, silent and gliding in her rounds. Voana shared in her Sisters silence, the warrior had taken to casting her gaze around the room properly, registering who had attended, keen and accusatory eyes had been flitting from Kyras, to Thirianna, to the animorphic form of Hiraga, who she noticed had pointedly taken a blockading stance between the warrior and Vaul. When Neveras explicitly addressed Voana, she fixed him with a cautionary glare before recognising the contrite nature of his words. "Especially now, since you have someone to share your existence with." As the Guardian spoke, Voana considered his words, her Wife still a solid, familiar weight behind her. Neveras' words seemed to have pleased Itone, as Voana felt her Wifes clutch on her arm relax, giving Voanas bicep a squeeze before softening entirely, stroking her thumb comfortably on Voanas skin. Voana lessened her grip on the hilt of Iron-Spine and turned her eyes away from Neveras, taking her arm away from Itone and instead using it to bring her Wife forward, again having her stood next to her, and bringing her hand to rest in the small of Itones back. Itone leaned into Voana, tilting her chin up, Voana leaned down to compensate for their difference in height and listened as her Wife whispered, "You grew up with this lot, no wonder you've got a stick up your ass half the time..." giving a small grin up at Voana as the warrior chuckled shortly in reply, her limbs relaxing.

Agimar walked through the archway, wings folded behind him. He took a cursory glance at the figures filling the room, noticing that many of the Ancients had arrived earlier. Probably much earlier. He shook his head, giving a small sigh. Well, it couldn't be helped. Not everyone had power to spare for instant travel. "Well, I seem to be rather late." Agimar lowered the cloak's hood, mostly as an afterthought. There would be some at this gathering who recognized him, regardless of whether he showed himself. He took some time to examine the others a little more thoroughly. Hiraga, Thirianna, and Kyras, of course. One could hardly expect the "guardians" to miss such a gathering. Neveras was present, as well. That would be...awkward. And Danives just had to come, didn't he? No matter. That conflict would hopefully be resolving itself soon. Then there was Yakushi. Not the biggest threat, but there was little doubt her knowledge could make waves, for better or for worse. Voana, Itone, and Sohena, on the other hand.... Well, he would need to be careful around him. The upstarts were beneath his notice, for the most part, but his eyes did linger slightly on the goblin. What was his name again?Dust? Well, regardless of allegiances, it was nice to see that he wasn't the only one who had bothered coming.

Tower of Broken Dreams, Ceyr ————————————————————————— "If, that is, there is anything at all to discuss," the arch-demon replied to Varavana. When Agimar arrived, Kyras gave his fellow demon an acknowledging nod, having deigned cheerfully not to respond to Hiraga. Meanwhile Thirianna was closing her eyes and quelling the urges to argue with what she deemed as an arch-traitor, since all of her rebuttals involved the use of her lance. With particular distaste, she spoke, noting the faint shimmer of mischievousness on the bird-deity's beady little eyes when one of his heads regarded the half-breed Itone, and as Vaul nodded approvingly when Neveras dissipated his sword. "Kyras. I don't want you here either, but this involves all us spirits, us brothers and-" "You still cling to the notion that we are siblings in that manner? Then looks like mortals must be nothing but a horde of incestuous-" A sharp rumble tore through the floor as Thirianna smacked the foot of her lance upon it, a crisp thunderclap, almost deafening, accompanying the silencing gesture with a flash of golden light. For a moment, her eyes began to glow eerily, and the air seemed to be oppressive, before she hid her power once more, her cordiality gone. "But this involves all of us," she reiterated. "As such, the presences of angel, god, demon and upstart are required. Still, I must remind you that I am the host of this affair, and am perfectly content with leaving you here and having someone else be representative of Hades, if more blasphemies vomit from your unclean mouths. Now," She stepped back a pace and swept her eyes to all those who have come thus far. "I sense no other presence approaching, near or far. We wait for Dorn, then we will depart to Aett. He is near." "Aett?" Vaul cocked up an eyebrow. "What for?" "You will see," Thirianna flashed him a knowing smile. Kyras furrowed his brows as much as a bird could, and looked confused. It was then that a figure surmounted the final stair-step and emerged from the interior of the tower. Clad in black mithril plate, Dorn, God of Man, took his place amongst the gathered crowd and rested on the floor the pommel of his warhammer, which was large as befitted a hulking tower of strength such as he. Having taken a vow of silence at the conclusion of the War, he could only greet Voana, whom he held with the greatest of respects as a warrior, with a wordless nod, and looked expectantly at the arch-angel, who flashed him a smile in greeting. "We will discuss Fate in the presence of our Maker," Thirianna said decisively, as she gestured with a smooth hand movement and forcibly tied two far-away places together with her divine might, swirling the reality before her into a shimmering portal, upon which was a picture of a different world: a snow-blanketed grove of Featherwind trees, upon whose pink leaves danced and twirled playful wisps -- strange magical creatures native to Aett, and ones who could survive only in its essence-sussurated environment. Far beyond the trees, towering walls of steel dominated the skyline and over whose edges meekly peeked the shy Aun, who was far enough away that the world was perpetually in a sort of twilight, where one could see always the sea of stars glittering upon the backdrop of the void. "In front of the Corpse?" Kyras was incredulous, clearly not having anticipated this development. "You would let us into your Fortress? You would let Agimar and I into your most hallowed places?" "Like I said, this involves all of us." Then the angel stepped into the portal and emerged out the other side, making its surface ripple mystically.

Those not completely distracted by the prominent portal to a realm they do not often tread within may have noticed a certain detail on the horizon of the desert out from the balcony. A feature not likely seen in dead imperial city of Roma since the year of calm waters following the Golden One's death. It was a smell in the air. A refreshing humidity. It came in with an unexpected breeze. Sharp ears could hear sand whisking across the sides of the tower in the strange change in weather. Then a shape came into view in the sky. It flagged from side to side, depositing a trail of clouds behind it that faded to nothing a kilometre further back. It was a serpent, and as it came closer, it showed its scale. Shoshar had not shaped himself to be nearly as big as the tower, but in the final turn on his approach to the tower, he swept close enough to the balcony that it momentarily blocked out the light. Aun was replaced with a rushing wall of shimmering blue-green scales. Shoshar's body seemed to contract and shrink as he circled the tower over and over, until finally he was the width of most beings within and the length of about three of them, swimming through the air in a large bubble of water. Once small enough, he twisted upwards to slow down, then gently floated his way into the room, yellow eyes warily inspecting all present. Some were old acquaintances, familiar faces. Some were completely new to him. Some made him hiss as he met their gaze, old enemies reunited. He had greetings owed to some, but he preferred to get to the main point of order. Shoshar found an place to coil his body and lowered the water around him until his standing head emerged from its surface. His scales emitted a cold, lowering steam as he was exposed to the desert air. His noble posture was interrupted only for his mouth to open, turn to one side, and blow out a gust of perfectly dry desert sand picked up from the journey. "Where is Thirianna?" Shoshar's deep, disdainful voice addressed the archangel as if she had done him a great wrong, "This place, I have forsaken. She insults me by summoning me here, but I will listen if what she claims is true." Shoshar's eyes inspected the portal to what was unmistakably Aett, with Thirianna on the other side. His upper lip lifted in a slight snarl, but lowered just as quickly. "You would have us gather there after all?" He seemed incredulous, as far as a dragon could be. It made no sense while the leaders of mortals, Ceyr at large, and even Hades were present. "What is the meaning of this?" As the others stepped in through the portal, Shoshar waited for the leaders of the main factions to go first. He liked the idea of being around snow rather than above this hot and dry wasteland, but he distrusted the immediate situation. If there was going to be a trap, he didn't want to fall into it head first.

When the portal was opened, a massive torrent of water was blown away as if there had been an explosion of some kind. It was similar to when the danger angel had entered before, except unlike the Angel, this presence wasn't strange. Simply massive. The Archangel that had called them here said it was the corpse of the Creator which made sense. Gaon had never seen the Creator but from the stories he'd heard, his presence would probably have been greater than this. I really don't know much, do I? Gaon was well aware that he was perhaps the youngest of all the spirits. There was a chance that he was the only one born after the Creator, and the one who knew the least about spirits in general. Never was this feeling more acute than when he was told the legends of the Gods. In his travels he'd heard story after story of the glory days of Ceyr. He'd find a traveller sometimes, offer some trade, and sometimes they'd have some stories to tell. The stories always awed him, and why would they not? There were stories of gods splitting continents, raising civilizations, warring, destroying; Gaon found it hard to believe that he was one of them. They were weakened, yes, but just sitting in the presence of the Ancients, he could feel they had much more power than he did. He was only technically a god, was he really fit to walk amongst the Spirits of Old? He felt inadequate. He'd never even seen the Creator before, was he really worthy of the privilege that few people shared? Suddenly, he felt soft fur under his hand. He looked down and saw that his deer had woken up and was nestling into his hand. His palm glowed of his own volition, and the two had a silent exchange. "Ha, it really doesn't matter does it?" He said to his deer after a few seconds. "We are the spirits of Ceyr, this is something we have to do." Standing up, he dispelled his 'instinct' as he picked up his fishing rod. Holding his fishing rod with one hand, and guiding his deer with the other, he walked into the glowing portal to Aett, just as the Water Dragon made his descent.

With the arrival of Agimar, the hand nestled in the crook of Itones back stiffened. Itone, who had witnessed the Demons winged arrival with a fascinated but detached curiosity, rose her head to look up at Voana inquisitively, noting the hard-lipped suspicious expression on her Wifes face with a piked interest. Casting her eyes towards the Demon again, she found Agimar staring at her, an air of wariness present in his gaze before his brow raised tightly and he snapped his eyes away from her. Perplexed, Itone instead moved to look elsewhere, her eyes falling without intent on the hulking beast that had found such conflict with Thiriannas words and had addressed them without civility. Surprised was she to find the monster, 'Kyras' Vaul had addressed him as, peering back at her, that Itone hunched further into her Wifes body against her will, her hand coming to clutch at the end of the chainmail-skirt that hung between Voanas steel tassets. She registered Voana send a questioning hum down at her and, holding gaze with Kyras, shook her head slightly. After a few seconds, she felt Voanas hand leave her back and instead move to grip tightly at her waist and Itone, grateful for the reassuring gesture, relinquished her grip on the chainmail skirt and moved her eyes away from Kyras' form and instead cast it around the room, deciding simply not to rest her eyes on one person for too long. They were all strange beings, Itone had decided, familiar and almost human in some ways and quite unlike the legends and stories her kind had shared around tankards and hearth. Despite the disparity between fact and fiction however, there was still something entirely untouchable about the lot of them. Something almost otherworldly , enough that Itone had no doubts that they might find advice about her...illness amongst those gathered here. She was pulled from her quiet considerations when the sound of heavy footfall echoed around the room, and another towering being entered the fray, solid and sturdy and carrying a formidable looking War-hammer. The giant turned his chin in their direction and delivered a short but decidedly reverent nod at Voana, Itones Wife replying in kind before the being turned his attention to Thirianna. Intrigued by the beings sturdy armour and weapon, and impressed by his show of respect towards her Wife, Itone tugged on Voanas wrist for her attention and asked, "Who is that?" with a tilt of her chin in the giants direction. Voana looked between her Wife and the being before answering with the slightest fond twist on her lips, "That is Dom, a great warrior, some of your people might refer to him as the God of-" The Ancients explanation suddenly cut off in alarm at the appearance of the portal that Thirianna had summoned, apparently taking Doms arrival as an indication to proceed. Itones grasp on her Wifes wrist tightened, Voanas grip on her waist squeezing in reply before leaving her and coming to rest again on the hilt of her sheathed sword. Itone watched in fascination as Thirianna disappeared through the portal, several others within the gathering following in succession, including the quiet Sohena who gave the two of them a pointed look before stepping through. "Where does that go Voana?" Itone asked of her Wife, tugging again on her wrist, her eyes snapped back to Voana, taking in the distrustful expression of her face. "It goes to Aett, the realm that Thirianna shares with her closer kin...it exists above Ceyr..." Voana explained, face hardening further when a frown appeared on her lips, "...I've only been once, I didn't like it much." Itone regarded her Wife carefully before sweeping her eyes around the quickly emptying room, everyone else apparently as lead by the undying itch of curiosity as she. It was what had led her here, what had made her refuse Voana persistent shielding and insisted on answering the summons alongside her. When a booming voice called through the room, Itone turning to her left and witnessing, beyond all things, a dragon enter the room, Itone could not stop a loud bark of laughter escaping her lips at the bizarreness of it all. "Oh come on you fool..." Itone sang back at her Wife,her head shaking a slight to herself, tugging again at Voanas wrist until she followed her dutifully towards the portal, the two stepping through into a blinding light.

Neveras stood there, cold, as he became witness to a portal being opened to Ceyr. The spirits in the room had barely registered his personal presence. Neveras didn't want attention, nor did he want to feel important. But it was what they did not know, which scared even him. The Ancients believe they can just simply seal him away again if he stirs up any trouble. They must feel as if they are allowing him to be here. Neveras' conflicted mind was incomparable to what laid within him. He doubted even Sohena knew what he was capable of, but he knew that she knew.... what would become of him. Neveras' anger and love had mixed together in that pit of darkness, and it had created a need to do what needed to be done, whether it was right or not. He stared at the portal as he sunk himself into deep thought, before coming to the conclusion; He was not blind. He was not weak. Right and Wrong is an illusion. He must do what is needed to make a better living. A slight pulse emitted from him that the others felt. For Sohena, it was affirmation of the future. For the others, it just meant he was getting stronger. Of course, he was gaining followers, but now he had accepted his ability to kill. "Great Angel Thirianna." He stated out loud, as he gently and slowly pulled his arms into a crossing, his behavior and look changing to a cold stare, perhaps and possibly heartless for a moment. "I will respect your wishes, only once. I will listen. And that is all." With that, his arms relaxed and he stepped forward, toward the portal. As he continued towards the portal, he paused just before entering it. Turning his head, he gave Vaul a look. One that struck him in his core. Neveras made it strong, forcing it through Vaul's entire being... before continuing through the portal. Neveras had marked Vaul. To the others, they could tell Neveras was no longer uppity, snarky, or loud. He had become ....hollow. While none knew of his potential, it would be right to fear him. Not as an undefeat-able being, but it would become the same as fearing a boulder falling from the sky and striking a Mortal. He was destined with the power to kill Ancients, and he could only be killed by Mortals. He was a threat to everyone, and not one that could be brushed off.

OOC: With SillyGoy *clap* Hiraga's head snapped in the direction of the sound. Her face twisted into an annoyed expression. Thirianna was pushing her luck with her behavior. "Does she really expect me to leave my realm unguarded?" she growled, suddenly very much understanding why Kyras was so angry. She waited as others left through the portal, adamant about being the last to leave. She would not leave any angel or demon in her realm while she was gone, friendly or estranged. "Unguarded? You hold no trust in your fellow gods, nor your lieutenants in the treants and dryads?" Kyras quirked up a feathery brow, one head holding Hiraga's attention, the other watching the others step into the portal. He watched as Dorn, characteristically stoic, was second into it, following Yakushi, and the arch-demon was mildly annoyed at the minor tremors that accompanied the God of Man's footsteps. Giving Kyras an amused glance, Hiraga elaborated: "My dryads are hardly enough to deter someone of your power. And trust? Your territorial war before the War in Heaven was ruining this beautiful world while all I could do was try and minimize the damage. I sworn to never let something like that happen again. And to be honest," she said, giving the portal a pointed gaze, "I thought about crossing this one with my own. It woud be a fitting trap for our dear sister. A few millenia spent in a cage like that of Neveras might teach her some manners." she shared the thought. "So please, go ahead." Kyras, much as he would have loved arguing over the sins of the past, pulled one birdy head back a few inches at the gesture of encouragement. "Well, much as I would love to go first, dearest sister of mine, I am quite afraid age takes precedence over beauty." His voice practically dripped mischievousness. "Then there is the human cultural value of 'ladies first.' It wouldn't be appropriate if you went in second." "Very well then, it would appear there is no other choice. Shall we, brother?" she said, extending an arm to indicate she wnated them to go at the same time. If nothing else, Hiraga thought, seeing the two other guardians acting familiar might annoy their angelic counterpart to no end. In her mind it was worth it if only for that, not that she had any particular distaste for the demon lord. But though one part of Kyras mirrored Hiraga's thoughts and wanted to indulge them, he wasn't particularly keen on visiting Aett. Angels and Demons were, after all, vengeful opposites ever since the schismatic War in Heaven split the spirits into three distinct groups. Though both wanted to see the return of the past, one desired nothing of the Golden One in the future. The fact that most of what was solid of the Maker's cadaver rested on the snowy world (the rest were gassy clouds of essence floating in the void between the three worlds) represented effectively why the place was anathema to the Demons. But under the circumstances, Kyras knew that he had to free himself of the guilt, hatred and fear he associated with the accursed planet. "Very well," he decided, with a reedy sigh. History was in the making. "Let's." And he took one clawed step forward, expecting Hiraga to do the same. Nodding in understanding, Hiraga stepped through along with her eldest brother. She knew better than to state out loud that he was afraid, and even better than to hint that his big sister would protect him in need. The demons were more notorious of their pride than any other of the factions. Still it didn't need to be said. She has always kept the balance, adn this would be no different. Aett. Ceyr's guardian goddess had very little interest in the angels' plane. All it was to her was a reminder of her greatest failure. At times she thought Aett and Hades were parts of Ceyr forcefully split from it, and her healm was the husk that remained once it's light and shadows became separate. Hiraga has often wondered if she was right, and if that was so whether it was possible to reunite the three into one again.

Agimar stared at the portal in a kind of stunned disbelief. The angels would let demons, upstarts, and gods alike into the sanctuary kept from them for so long? He shook his head. This had to be some elaborate trap. However, much to Agimar's surprise, it seemed that the spirits had appeared beside Thirianna largely unharmed. If the portal was a trap waiting to be sprung, is seemed Agimar would be needed to spring it. He contemplated Aett for a moment, wondering whether it was truly a good idea to follow the others through its rippling surface. "Well, better late than never." He spoke, even if there was nobody else there to hear him. It was something he had picked up in Hades, largely because he tended to avoid the other demons. He really needed to break himself of that. Agimar shook himself out of the brief reverie and walked into Aett.

Kyras and Hiraga's back and forth was making Shoshar believe that shoving the two headed bird forcibly into the portal was a viable possibility. It became a better idea in his mind the more he thought about it, but their words eventually brought them forward together anyway. He wouldn't be the one to test Kyras' mettle today. Now, the chamber was looking far emptier than Shoshar had beheld upon entering. Either side of him were a short goblin creature and some other mortal looking upstart. There was no telling when they would hurry along. Nearby was one other, more recognisable visage. Vaul. He might have been in on the trap if it existed, but Shoshar was getting tired of this idleness. The last demon present, Agimar, was through in any case. Shoshar gave a low growl. "I will not be the cowardly tail end of this procession," he proclaimed, springing forward and slithering through the air in his unnaturally moving water. His form slid into the portal until it swallowed the dragon whole. The speed at which he swam forth left a wake in the portal that made the image it projected shimmer and ripple beyond recognition for a short while. Instantly, relief came over Shoshar as he entered the climate of Aett. Before doing anything, he took up some of the surrounding snow and swirled it about his personal water to cool himself. It was only Shoshar's right as a guest, especially after Thirianna insisted on meeting in a location on Ceyr that was anathema to him. The cool made him audibly sigh, before he opened his eyes and better inspected the surrounding realm. There was a time where the Golden One's loss drove Shoshar's grief to madness, but it had been a long time since then. He knew the angels to hold their own kind of madness for believing that they can rebuild or reincarnate the Golden One, but it was worth indulging their obsession to check that what they said was not true. Shoshar expected today to be no different. Ahead, Shoshar's eyes narrowed for a second. "You there, boy," Shoshar caught up beside Gaon Latze and held his neck up high to look down on the fisherman god, "The last time I beheld you, it was under different circumstances. Do not make the mistake of being insolent here." Shoshar's tone hissed with threat that implied that he was talking about insolence towards himself, but the words themselves made for good general advice. This was a gathering of spirits. The ancients held the most power here.

Dust's eyes shimmered, reflecting a pool of crystalline light as he stood transfixed before the portal. Others pushed past around him. Without conscious thought, he lifted one foot after the other and approached. His right hand gripped the hilt of his sword tightly in the loop at his right hip while his left moved forward slightly, palm down, fingers extended as though steadying himself while moving forward. He had never seen snow before. He knew of weather, and seasons, and climates and hemispheres and currents of the wind and the seas. But he had never explored. The rest of the world had never been an option. Dust had never even considered leaving his soulless, blasted land for another. And here he was, a door to the heavens open before him, snow falling upon flushed Featherwind trees, cosmic dust streaking across the infinite golden sky surrounding an amber Aun. He stepped through, brilliant ripples curving around his small frame and welcoming him home.

Plain of Eternal Welcomes, Aett ————————————————————————— In contrast to the Ullanor Wastelands, the hills of the Plain of Eternal Welcomes were not red with sand, but bluish white with snow. Perhaps the transition from hot to cold alarmed the upstarts with its suddenness, but none of the ancients even shuddered at the unnaturality of it. The proper resting place of the Golden One as it contained most of what was solid of its corpse, the world of Aett was shrouded in its essence; and as the party's souls partook of the invisible life-stuff imperceptibly, they felt their bodies reacting immediately and filling with sudden vigor. A familiar hotness began from their hearts and spread to their toes and fingertips, and this welcome feeling distracted Vaul enough from his silent anger at Neveras' hostility for him to be mildly cheerful. The winds here were strange in that, though they were cold, they did not bite, and one could look at Aun without damaging his sight. Eternal Welcomes, indeed; though Kyras frowned while Thirianna smiled. Itone, the half-breed, however, felt nothing. The grove of trees that consisted of the picturesque preview on the portal was revealed to be but the end of a massive forest that flourished behind it, its species alien and exotic to Ceyr, with flowers that glowed with a nimbus of eerie purple about them, and strange, ghostly deer whose existences were not purely material and were nigh-undetectable to even Hiraga's inborn senses. The treeline marked the artificial beginning of a large clearing that ended at the feet of the Fortress of Redemption's oppressively high walls of cold, blackened steel, which circled the complex protectively. It had but one vaulted gatehouse, its twin doors as high as a hundred men, directly in front of the party, but quite far away. Thirianna was already gliding through the snow, which parted from her feet to reveal the soil, that she could walk sure-footed. The corpse of the Creator lay but a kilometer ahead. Even while hidden by the walls of the Fortress, the ancients could glance illusory images of it if they stared at the direction where the divine cadaver slowly continued to erode into misty essence. But this was no recent thing, and was common knowledge to all those who had visited Aett at least once: Vaul, Dorn and the very reluctant Kyras made sure not to stare at the grey aquila that gilded the keystone of the gatehouse's arch, lest they relived memories they would have rathered not, as they followed the winged spirit in her wake. "I cannot feel the Maker's heartbeat," Kyras commented. "Can you, Agimar? This feels like a trap." "A trap?" Thirianna echoed, shooting the avian deity an amused look over her shoulder. "You dearest visitors of mine outnumber the native ancients of this place by quite a few heads. Attacking you would be folly." "The War in Heaven is long past, Kyras," Vaul pointed out. "And there's enough hostility here," he took a gander at Neveras, whom he was beginning to dismiss as an unpleasant nuisance. "I would rather you be quiet. There are infants around."

"Inferiority is why you set up a trap, instead of a head on attack." Hiraga noted, watchful of her surroundings. She didn't know how to feel about the two spirit realms. Unlike Ceyr, she couldn't feel quite such a connection, doubt in her mind whether the alien growths and incorporeal beings resembling animals even deserved to be called nature. Why in their right minds would someone choose to live in place such as this? Perhaps being so close to the Golden One's remains for so long caused the angels to go mad. She could feel it's euphoric effects even on her. Along with them the hint of a power she long didn't possess. Just like Ceyr's nature lived and died with her, so was the bond between the ancients and their creator. And the firstborn was feeling the loss the most, having being in the presence of His essence far longer than most of the others. She was wary of the fact that Thirianna brought them this far out. She didn't put it past the Arch angel to make an attempt on them yet, even though she couldn't find any motive as to why for now. She stopped understanding her siblings when they started warring over the realm. Perhaps she was an idealist. And maybe there was a good reason. Who knew if the Arch-angel could even make the portal go close, of whether the essence of the Creator interfered with the magic. She was willing to trust trust her a little further. "You would presume to be able to comprehend what how His death would affect him?" She asked Kyras. The Arch-demon forgot all too easily that there were greater powers in the universe than himself, and things beyond his understanding. One thing bothered her though. Where are the other angels?

Gaon was awed by the beauty of Aett. He'd never been there of course, so it was quite a new experience for him. He saw in the nearby forest a huge amount of creatures he'd never seen before, and he suddenly developed a desire to fish. He could feel his bait bag react to his will, and he knew that if he put his hand into it, he could find bait for any of the creatures ahead of him. But that wasn't what he was here for. He saw it now, illusions and phantasms floated in front of the wall of a far off fortress, he wasn't sure what of but he could guess. He was here to visit the creator, and discuss the ramifications. But still, he wondered if he could fish for a while after they were done... "You there, boy." A voice behind him suddenly. Gaon turned quickly to see the face of the Water Dragon, the one that had saved him some time ago. "The last time I beheld you, it was under different circumstances." He said. "Do not make the mistake of being insolent here." "Ah, right..." Gaon said, sheepishly lowering his fishing rod and bowing his head slightly. "I'll keep that in mind." He'd forgotten for a second that he was probably the youngest person in the meeting, everyone was his elder. Although, when he had been human all of the people in the village had been his elder as well. In the village he hadn't really felt the age gap, but in the meeting he could practically feel the years radiating from the Ancients. There was something about Aett though, that made him feel somewhat more calm than usual. "Ah, I just remembered!" He said to the Water Dragon, "I never found out what you're name was!" Then he faltered for a second, because he realized again, he was supposed to respect his elders. "Or is that something you don't want to tell me?"

Being not much older than forty years of age, Varavana had never experienced Aett or its hellish counterpart. The sudden rush of unique sensation came as a surprise to him, feeling as if his body was beginning to rip its self apart at the metaphorical seams. In almost the same moment he came out from the other side of the ripple, his body morphed and compacted into the much smaller form of a green-feathered owl. Only after the rather sudden transformation did the pain subside. Flight came naturally to Varavana, taking briefly to the air to find an appropriate spot to land. 'What on Ceyr was that...?' The Upstart thought to himself, finding even his vocal capacities reduced, 'It felt like -' he paused in his thought, thinking of a way to describe the ungodly pain to even himself, 'I was being picked apart.' He finished, large yellow eyes squinting in the air. He descended, landing upon the shoulder of Hiraga softly. Of all those present, she was the least likely to swat him after all. The reflective feathers glinted as Varavana turned his head at an almost 180 degree angle to stares back at where they had come from, large eyes blinking. '...This is a different world. I cannot connect with the creatures here.' He concluded upon looking around at the vast forest surrounding them and the creatures just out sight. 'It is a wonder I did not revert into whatever state I was in upon my creation.' An idea that was not completely unappealing to the Upstart, but not something he wanted to discover when surrounded by the others. Varavana looked at the eyes of Hiraga's humanoid form, giving an apologetic tilt of the head. For one such as herself, the simple message of 'sorry' would be easily carried through such a gesture.

After Gaon Latze's answer, Shoshar looked forward and meandered ahead of him, inhaling the golden air of Aett to taste the abundance of power. He had intended to ignore the upstarts from then on, but his breath caught in his throat upon hearing that Gaon Latze didn't even know his name. He halted in place and slowly turned around to leer at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. Whether it was the look he was given or the realisation of Shoshar's advice, he seemed to partially back off, but Shoshar was not letting him get away with it. "My...name?" Shoshar started in a low rumble. Shoshar's head emerged from the front of his water bubble. For effect, he spread a layer of sparkling frost over his face in a regal pattern. "Have the mortals in your home lost their respect enough to forget my name!?" Shoshar coiled upwards in front of Gaon to look as big and imposing as possible and fashioned a pair of wings wrought from ice either side of the middle of his body. Looking down at Gaon, he bellowed such that his voice echoed. "I am Shoshar! The Water Dragon! Liege of Storms and Sire of the Seas!" Shoshar showed his teeth and lowered his voice, the impact made clear, "I hold many secrets, but my name is not one. Mortals who dishonour me by forgetting it hold no welcome on the water. See that you do not forget, little fisherboy." Shoshar slithered downwards until he was at eye level with Gaon, melting his crystalline wings back into his water bubble. In this position Shoshar's head was over half Gaon's entire size. Shoshar's breath was much colder on the fisherman's front than the odd climate of Aett. "I made you what you are. I can just as easily revert you to a drowning whelp." Shoshar tossed his head to one side with a "hmph!" and swam away side to side. Though he hardly perceived it, Shoshar found that he had to put forth more effort than usual to stay angry with Gaon Latze. He had some atmosphere about him that seemed to affect Shoshar's temper. Up ahead was a sight that even brought Shoshar to quieten. Never had there been such a magnificent and at the same time haunting sarcophagus as the the Fortress of Redemption. Paying respect didn't seem appropriate. This structure demanded respect by its nature. Shoshar didn't know whether he wanted to go further to see the Golden One's corpse. Even if the creator was dead, the aura was uneasy.