Simon had been standing when the transformation happened but even without his glasses on he knew that something definitely wasn't right with this situation. Everything in front of him was flashing but fading away to what seemed like normal. No more visual changes. Right after the changes happened Simon heard a small exchange in conversation between Talan and Tyaelaem and Talan state that he was going to proceed to a group of people. Maybe they had some answers to this place or even food! How Simon craved a piece of food that didn't come from a stupid rabbit. Plus since Simon really couldn't see well he figured that it would be beneficial to follow someone that could could see and would be able to be somewhat protective if a situation would arise. As Simon passed by Tyaelaem he didn't even pay attention to him.

As he made it towards the group he could make out a new figure that was standing there, he was a giant of a man by his standards much taller than any person that he had encountered since he has been in this mysterious land. It was a little bit intimidating and he imagines that if he could fully see them see him that it really wouldn't help the intimidation aspect.

With his spear in hand he crouched through the foliage and towards the silhouettes. He hid in the bushes nearby but he still could not see them clear enough. "Wait, the mask!", he thought to himself before putting on the wolf mask.

Ahead of Talan, the green and violet lanterns shone brightly together, illuminating the princess he had first and last seen at the attack of the monkeybats. She held the green lantern in her fist. Beside her, a huge armored man held the violet lantern aloft.

Rhea stood at the edge of the light's reach, silent and wary.

But when Talan placed the mask of the wolf over his face, he saw a very different picture.

Still there in front of him were Anise, Rhea and the unknown armored knight -- but now their forms were sharper, their features clearer, the lights less glaring and the darkness less consuming. Inside the green and violet lanterns, Talan would perceive something alive and perhaps moving, twitching at the heart of the lights. He would have a distinct sense that the creatures inside the lanterns were trapped and powerful, that the woods themselves were somehow connected to them.

Through the eyes of the mask, Talan would see a multitude of dark shapes and bright eyes clinging to the bark and branches all around; they appeared to be little more than shapeless living globs of black matter, ranging in size from as big as a human to as small as a fist; the globulous critters blinked with round white eyes that were not hostile nor intelligent by any means. The trees were thick with these formless creatures, attached like fungus to the bark, and might have been overlooked as such if they weren't breathing and blinking.

Only Talan could see them, as long as he was wearing the mask.

As he made it towards the group he could make out a new figure that was standing there, he was a giant of a man by his standards much taller than any person that he had encountered since he has been in this mysterious land.

"Aack, pah, pah!" Tyaelaem huffed, and he leaped to his feet and snuffed out the campfire with armfuls of damp dirt, angry that it should be left so meaninglessly unattended. "Eager to start another inferno, I see! Burn the entire forest down, I see! Not satisfied with the massacre you've caused already, I see!" He was, in fact, as fond of Simon as Simon was of him, and every moment confirmed he was justified in his dislike. The boy stood when the fire was out and smoldering, smacked his hands clean, and deftly skittered after Talan and Simon, darting silently between the trees and bushes.

Her eyes settled on Rhea with a wary glare. "I intend to gather all of the lanterns and free the eggs from their cages, so we can leave this awful place. Are you going to try and stop me or will you help?" With a little bit of work tearing the bottom of her dress she cut enough length of it to use to tie the green lantern to her belt. She then yelled out. "Tyaelaem! Where are you?!"

Fyair’s grip tightened over the handle of his violent lantern, but found it hard to imagine that the thing was a magical item, let alone held an egg. Obediently, the mountainous man placed himself at Anise’s side, looking in all directions when she called out a name unknown to him.

Rhea -- once she had got over the shock of being suddenly deprived of a house and met with a rather dangerous looking armored man -- stood coolly, wary of the two strangely-dressed tourists who held weapons of more worth than they realized.

"Gather them and free them?!" she sputtered, horrified at the princess' words, and she stared with wide eyes and a slackened jaw. "You're mad! It took twenty generations to contain the monster before it devoured the stars as well as the sun!" She clenched her teeth and her fists, then opened her tattooed palm toward Anise again. "Separate them immediately, you don't know what you're doing. I will kill you if I have to."

At that moment, a rock flung out out of the bushes and smacked Rhea in the back of the head. She stumbled and spun around, but another rock struck her from another direction.

Tyaelaem darted out from behind Anise and attached himself to her, crouching at her skirts. "Lies, she lies, Your Highness," he hissed angrily. He had been the one to throw the stones. He chucked another at Rhea with surprising force and dexterity, and it clocked the pirate upside the head. Tyaelaem was momentarily distracted by something shiny, and picked up a pair of spectacles which he hung on the neck of his grimy white shirt.

The iron pendant around Talan's neck began to tug slightly toward Rhea, and he felt a coursing power flowing through his veins, like magnetism. He would find he could lift small stones and branches without touching them, should he have the desire to do so.

In Simon's head, the voice he had heard in the valley of white flowers was singing softly.

"Gather them and free them?!" she sputtered, horrified at the princess' words, and she stared with wide eyes and a slackened jaw. "You're mad! It took twenty generations to contain the monster before it devoured the stars as well as the sun!" She clenched her teeth and her fists, then opened her tattooed palm toward Anise again. "Separate them immediately, you don't know what you're doing. I will kill you if I have to."

Anise's eyes widened as panic rushed through her system. There was no way this was true. She got here because of the lanterns, so that meant she'd leave using them. "N-no! I came here because of these things! They're my only way out! There's no way you're telling the truth. No monster like that exists! The only monster here is you by stopping me from getting home!" Anise didn't know why the girl was opening her hand at her, but she had a bad feeling about it.

Suddenly the girl was hit with a rock and Anise saw her opportunity to step forward. She was going to kill the girl. There was no way she could let an enemy stop her. She had to get home. These lanterns. These eggs, they were her ticket home and there would be nothing to stop her. Nothing. Suddenly Tyaelaem appeared behind Anise.

"Lies, she lies, Your Highness," he hissed angrily. He had been the one to throw the stones. He chucked another at Rhea with surprising force and dexterity, and it clocked the pirate upside the head.

Anise's heart soared. Her knight had returned! Her friend Tyaelaem! He was back! He had created the opportunity she needed. With it she lunged at the pirate with her sword aiming directly for the girl's heart. No one else around her mattered at this time, just stopping this threat. Ending this danger. Killing this monster that would dare get in her way.

Talan would have remained in the cover of the bushes had he not seen Anise lung towards Rhea. Seeing as he owed the pirate his life along with some answers he kept out of the darkness and threw his spear to land between her and Rhea. "Stop this, NOW!", he roared at the princess and her allies. Whether or not he was outnumbered it was of no concern to him. So far Rhea wass his best chance at getting the answers he wanted and a way out from here. The others would listen to what she had to say unless they wanted another forest fire on their hands. Soon after revealing himself the pull of the amulet became more apparent. He began to feel a sense of power, while he couldn't explain how or why Talan began to put forward his hand and suddenly the rocks scattered on the ground which they stood began to levitate. They shook slightly as they were raised from the earth. Talan knew what he could do with this power. "Unless you want these rocks to pierce your skull you will let her speak!", Talan was unfamiliar with magic. The clan elders would speak with the gods but never had he experienced something of this caliber. For a moment he thought of what more he could do with this but then a thought entered his head. When he first met her, Rhea had spoken about Kith and that Talan had been wearing their mask. "If what she said is true I shouldn't wear this mask long", with his free hand Talan took off his mask and grinned at Rhea before saying, "What happened to you? I lost you after we went over the falls"

As Simon stood there befounded by the giants size he was caught off guard when Tyaelaem spoke again. "Eager to start another inferno, I see! Burn the entire forest down, I see! Not satisfied with the massacre you've caused already, I see". Simon scoffed at this remark and spoke under his breath And I won't truly be happy until your body is cold and dead as the scolded trees Simon now had something else to focus on besides the giant. His most beloved rabbit masked lunatic.

As he watched the general zone that Tyaelaem had been silently been creeping around as he turned his head he could hear voices having a mildly heated debate. He couldn't make out everything that was said word for word but he did hear snippets between two female voices the most surprising was "I will kill you if I have to". This was a little alarming given that it was a females shouting it at another one. He barely had any time to comprehend what had been said before he heard the squeal of the rabbit boy. As he slowly made it closer to him to keep sight of him. He wondered who was really telling the truth, he didn't know the pirate at all but he disliked the rabbit so much that his hypothesis was slightly biased as to the truth teller.

Right after Tyaelaem threw his last rock at Rhea he bent down and picked something up, and placed them on the front of his shirt. The glisten of the glasses caught Simons attention as they much have to catch Tyaelaem but he recognized instantly what they were; his glasses! He only needed to find another excuse to add to the listen of why he hated rabbit boy but this one just entered at number one right now. The blood was pounding so hard between his ears that he hadn't heard any of what Anise had said but he did snap back to reality when he seen the princess lunging with her sword towards Rhea but her plan was squished by Talans amazing launch of his spear which cut off the angle of impalement. He was a little sad that he didn't use that good launch to take out the rabbit but he would wait patiently for his demise.

This was the moment that Simon gotten extremely distracted himself, for the first time in a long time he heard quite an angeletic voice singing softly hopefully just on the inside of his head.

Anise halted suddenly as a spear landed between her and her target. She glowered in the direction from which the spear came and saw Talan. She hadn't liked him the first time they met, but now she knew that he was an enemy.

"Unless you want these rocks to pierce your skull you will let her speak!"

Anise noticed that the rocks around him floated above the ground. He was a witch! Fear spiked wildly in Anise's heart. The pirates had a witch on their side. This was the first time she had ever seen a witch. She stepped back switching between pointing her sword at Talan and Rhea and cursing her luck. She glanced quickly over her shoulder at the blue light that could only be the first lantern that could only be the lantern she arrive at.

She stepped away from the incoming group while Talan was focused on Rhea. As far as she was concerned both of them were the greatest threats. She then whispered to Tyaelaem and her knight. "Retreat with me towards the blue light while they're distracted. With a witch on their side we stand no chance to win."

If she could she wanted to get away from her enemies while she had a chance before they ganged up on her and her allies.

Where there were few, now there were many; although, the knight’s attention had been absorbed by the tattooed woman and her frantic words. The tone of conviction in her voice struck him at his core. While it was obvious his princess found her the enemy, Fyair had little to nothing to base good or evil on in this place and for all he was concerned, as long as threats remained bloodless, he would simply listen. Heck, even watch as long as no words were thrown his way.

Crouching down so that the backs of his thighs rested on the tops of his heels, the massive man fed his curiosity into his lantern to study the thing in better detail. It was an odd piece for sure. Looked old and by no means held any kind of fire he had even seen. He shook the object up and down, tapped its glass, and put it up to his ear in a series of tests. Although, with all the shouting and talking, it was almost impossible to prove or disprove the egg theory. The knight frowned and casually glanced up to check on the progress of the scene playing out ahead of him.

The princess had put herself in the middle of a tiny blunder, but he didn’t move to help. No need to involve himself, the little darling was doing a good job of dodging harm. What bothered him was the rivalry between the only two pieces that seemed to fit into the puzzling landscape: the painted lady and a new masked child. Over a sleeping monster? Again his attention was consumed by the purple glow of the mysterious item. For a fleeting moment, he considered breaking the thing open if only to confirm who spoke true and who was the liar.

As the regal girl returned, he again stood into his full height and looked over her and the masked kid--feeling the assumption that their corner was slightly outmatched appeared painfully clear. He glared at the boy for a short moment, noting that of all the people in the area, the little rabbit had been the only real antagonist. “Lady, if magic brought you here and magic will allow you to leave… Isn’t a witch a better resource than a handful of colorful lamps?” Not that he meant to argue, but trusting the odd child didn’t sit right with him.

she lunged at the pirate with her sword aiming directly for the girl's heart. No one else around her mattered at this time, just stopping this threat. Ending this danger. Killing this monster that would dare get in her way.

Rhea's eyes flashed bright yellow, and the eye tattooed to her palm glowed the same color, bright against the dark of her skin and the billows of her robes. She did not move to dodge Anise's blow, but instead planted her feet, waiting for the blade to come down --

he kept out of the darkness and threw his spear to land between her and Rhea. "Stop this, NOW!", he roared at the princess and her allies. "Unless you want these rocks to pierce your skull you will let her speak!" With his free hand Talan took off his mask and grinned at Rhea before saying, "What happened to you? I lost you after we went over the falls"

The spear planted into the earth between them, and Rhea's glowing eyes narrowed, her fingers curling around the magic in her palm. It wasn't something she could simply will away; the spell had been cast, and it must be released.

The moment Talan removed the mask, everything seemed much darker; he could no longer see the shapes in the trees, and where he had been able to discern the depths of the forest all he could see now was black.

Rhea turned her yellow eyes toward Talan, glanced at the mask in his hand, the floating stones and the grin on his face, and she offered a thin bright smirk. She hid her shock: he shouldn't be able to wear the mask while wearing the iron pendant at all, let alone work both magicks at once -- but she had known from the start that there was something unique about Talan. If he could, indeed, wield the strengths of the forest and of the Runes together, he could be the most powerful weapon any of them had known.

"I'll tell you all about it later, pretty boy," she said while she marched forward, and she yanked the wooden spear out of the ground with her glowing hand. The spear itself began to emit the same faint yellow glow. "Right now there's a rabbit that needs skinning."

It hadn't escaped Rhea that the hideous little Kith was manipulating the princess in possession of the lantern. There was no need to spill more blood than was necessary.

the massive man fed his curiosity into his lantern to study the thing in better detail. It was an odd piece for sure. Looked old and by no means held any kind of fire he had even seen. He shook the object up and down, tapped its glass, and put it up to his ear in a series of tests. Although, with all the shouting and talking, it was almost impossible to prove or disprove the egg theory.

The iron casing of the violet Lantern indeed appeared to be very old, but had resisted any trace of rust; it was etched all over with small ornate runes that were very similar to those tattooed into Rhea's skin. The egg inside glowed from deep within, with a living warmth that very gently brightened and softened as if breathing. The shell of the egg -- thick as stone -- was etched with a single rune that glowed brighter than the rest.

Shaking the Lantern did nothing, but tapping the glass caused the light of the egg to pulse gently with each tap. When he put the warm glass against his ear, he might hear a faint swishing sound -- like something moving slowly in thick liquid. There was something alive inside.

"Retreat with me towards the blue light while they're distracted. With a witch on their side we stand no chance to win."

He glared at the boy for a short moment, noting that of all the people in the area, the little rabbit had been the only real antagonist. “Lady, if magic brought you here and magic will allow you to leave… Isn’t a witch a better resource than a handful of colorful lamps?”

At this moment, Rhea threw the glowing spear with the speed of an arrow. The wooden spear sped through the air, ripped Anise's skirt, and for a moment it appeared the spear should have pierced Tyaelaem through the heart -- but instead the spear struck the ground, and Tyaelaem had vanished. The grass around the spear withered and turned black, and the spear lost its glow.

Rhea was not surprised; the Kith had their own powers, after all. She turned her glowing eyes on Fyair. "The Lanterns must be separated," she urged him, and she extended her other hand to him, so he might give her the violet Lantern. She looked over at Talan. "Take that Lantern from her," she told him, indicating Anise. "Before she gets us all killed."

This was the moment that Simon gotten extremely distracted himself, for the first time in a long time he heard quite an angeletic voice singing softly hopefully just on the inside of his head.

Suddenly Tyaelaem was standing next to Simon, placidly watching the scene between the Pirate and the Princess.

"I know you don't like me, sirrah," he trilled easily without looking at Simon, "but I see you've found the Lady of the Pond. I see she likes you. I have long ears, I hear her singing to you, yes. A good friend of the Kith, the Lady."

The voice in Simon's head laughed quietly, and continued singing.

Tyaelaem went on: "You see, the monkeybat-boy," he pointed at Talan, "he can use Pirate magic and Kith magic all at the same time. Who's to say you can't too? The necklace there you've got, it's pirate-forged, like the Lantern, it's a prison but don't break it. Gentle, fragile! But what do you think might happen if you put on the Fox, yeah? What would happen if you gave the nice Lady a drink of the healing waters of the old grotto?"

Tyaelaem showed Simon his water cask -- the same one that he had filled down in the cave when he had first met Anise.

The voice in Simon's head whispered: "Water . . ."

Tyaelaem hooked a thumb under the edge of his mask, and he lifted it up just enough so he could peek under it, so Simon would see the bright blue of Tyaelaem's eye. He grinned, and held out the cask of healing water.

“This,” Fyair held up the lantern with its base nestled steadfast in the palm of his imposing hand, “And her,” he motioned his other hand toward Anise, “Stay with me.” Aiming a firm yet placid stare on the inked lady, the rest of him made a silent promise to unleash a fierce retaliation if provoked. “I’m not sure you’re capable of guarding something so dangerous, seeing you’ve lost possession of several already. So I’m keeping the purple lantern,” his fingers flexed to tighten his grip, “But I won’t hesitate breaking it if need be.”

With that he fixed his attention on the magical warrior, “And you wait just there, I’m not looking for a fight.” He moved to attach the violent item to his belt before raising both hands up to show he was completely unarmed and willing to play fair.

Keeping his senses on high alert, he turned to the princess with a sweet manner replacing his previous malice and offered her his warmest smile, “Little thing, this is for your own protection.” The soft grin remained as he quickly and carefully confiscated the girl’s sword with ease and used it to cut the green lantern free, her minuscule force no match for his greater mass. “Proper ladies shouldn’t be burden with great responsibility. It messes with their heads,” he spoke with a knowing tone, referring to the royal’s unlady-like behavior and psychotic haste to lash out against her enemies. “I’ll give you the sword back after you’ve had a moment to collect yourself,” he nodded sincerely as he slid the weapon into the same side of his belt where the other light hung and pretended himself to disregard any ensuing tantrum. Or rather braced for a storm.

Dangling the green lamp in a laxed index finger, the knight plainly addressed the supposed witch man, “Are you really a witch? Because, unlike her and him,” He nudged the lantern in the direction of the painted woman and back at the spooky masked-child, “You don’t look like you belong in this dream either. Do you know anything about these colored lanterns?”

“Lady, if magic brought you here and magic will allow you to leave… Isn’t a witch a better resource than a handful of colorful lamps?”

He doubted her, Anise could tell that. She confidently responded. "No. Talan came here just like us. And these are no ordinary lamps, they are how we got here, and they are how we're leaving this place." She really didn't care what happened to this forest after she freed the eggs from the lamps, all she wanted to do was get back home.

The girl then used magic and threw the spear at Anise causing her dress to tear further as it sailed past and landed where Tyaelaem was standing. She cried out in surprise. She was a witch too!? Even with such a strong knight at her side this would prove to be an impossible fight. Then her knight committed the worst type of betrayal she could imagine: he took her sword and then shortly after her lantern. She had no time to react and even if she did there was little she could do.

“Proper ladies shouldn’t be burden with great responsibility. It messes with their heads,” he spoke with a knowing tone, referring to the royal’s unlady-like behavior and psychotic haste to lash out against her enemies. “I’ll give you the sword back after you’ve had a moment to collect yourself,”

He then faced the witches and spoke, but she didn't listen. Her eyes were on the green lantern dangling from his index finger. He had betrayed her meaning that whatever monster the witch had spoken about could have him. Anise didn't care if Rhea had said the truth or not. Right now Fyair held both of her lanterns and her sword. She would need to come up with a plan. There is no way brute force could succeed here as she could only operate on the element of surprise. She glowered at Rhea and Talan. Would she have to become the thing she hated?

She glanced around the forest. There was plenty of cover and places to hide. She would have to retreat. She could not stand around midst traitors and enemies. She felt the clock ticking to make a decision. If she tried to take a lantern back from Fyair and run she would give the witches a clear line of sight to attack her, and she didn't want to die. No, she would have to leave them behind for now. She'd know where they were, all she'd have to do is come back later.

Anise made her decision and dashed into the woods leaving behind all of her gear and entering it just like she came here: with nothing but the clothes on her back. She ducked and weaved through the brush and trees taking advantage of her small size and the darkness. Even if she couldn't see, the same was so for her opponents, and she knew where the blue lantern was. She kept the direction of where she saw the light in her mind and she took a roundabout route to the blue lantern.

Tyaelaem had stood next to Simon and the first thing that came to his mind was that he just wanted to knock over the rabbit, jump on top of him and strangle him lifeless. However he feared that he might hurt his glasses that were still attached to his shirt. That was when his annoying voice spoke next to him

"I know you don't like me, sirrah, but I see you've found the Lady of the Pond. I see she likes you. I have long ears, I hear her singing to you, yes. A good friend of the Kith, the Lady"

You see, the monkeybat-boy," he pointed at Talan, "he can use Pirate magic and Kith magic all at the same time. Who's to say you can't too? The necklace there you've got, it's pirate-forged, like the Lantern, it's a prison but don't break it. Gentle, fragile! But what do you think might happen if you put on the Fox, yeah? What would happen if you gave the nice Lady a drink of the healing waters of the old grotto

This was the first time that he didn't want to injure the rabbit, in fact he was glad that he had even a small amount of information about the Lady with the voice of his sister. The one small test that he was going to perform to see how well he could test whether or not to trust him was how he was going to react when Simon took back his glasses without telling Tyaelaem what he was going to do. Simon took his right hand and slowly reached over to where his glasses were suspended off of the rabbits shirt and softly plucked them off. He held them in his hands like they were the answer to all of his problems. He placed them upon his nose and placed them behind his ears and everything was finally clear again since he had been charred and soaked. This was the first time that he had been happy to actually see Tyaelaems face.

Simon looked Tyaelaem dead in the face "Rabbit, tell me all that you know about the Lady of the Pond" After he spoke to Tyaelaem he placed the fox mask atop his head thinking about the possibility of using the mask if he truly felt the need. While he was standing there he gently held the single flower that remained from when he picked it up from the gully before the inferno truly torched the forest. While standing there he seen that after the confrontation between Anise and the rest had made the princess do what she did best, run away. Simon had debated chasing after her to make sure that she didn't get in any trouble, but he wanted to get some answers from the rabbit.

Dangling the green lamp in a laxed index finger, the knight plainly addressed the supposed witch man, “Are you really a witch? Because, unlike her and him,” He nudged the lantern in the direction of the painted woman and back at the spooky masked-child, “You don’t look like you belong in this dream either. Do you know anything about these colored lanterns?”

"I'm no witch, but I am someone who knows it's best to trust her", Talan said plainly as he pointed towards Rhea. "She's seen me though so far and as she said earlier she'd prefer we all not be killed. So perhaps you should listen to the one who knows more of this place than a highborn and her pet rabbit". In the short time he had been in this accursed forest Talan had been attacked by ghosts, snakes, monkeybats, rats, and water demons. The last thing he wanted now was to release something as terrible as Rhea said it was. Talan waited for the knight's response but before a word was said the princess bolted into the woods leaving everything she had. "The girl is of no importance, the lantern is my prize", Talan released his magical grip on the rocks and in unison they plummeted to the ground.

"You claim to be a better protector of the lantern, yet you've only just arrived. What makes you so sure of yourself? Whatever the reason it is irrelevant, you will give the lantern to Rhea. You can follow us if you wish but the lantern stays with her", Talan walked over to where his spear had been replanted and ripped it up from the ground. The tip had been chipped so he'd have to rely on his magic in a fight. Walking over to Rhea he sat atop a rock which lay between her and Fyair. While the knight gestured his hands to show he was unarmed Raman still held his spear ready to attack. He didn't trust Fyair in the slightest, one who blindly serves another is easily manipulated and if he served Anise then it is likely the lantern would not be returned without force. Talan tapped his wolf mask, which laid atop his head, ever so softly. It rested at an angle so that if needed he could equip it quickly. Talan was not going to let this man run off with the lantern. Not with such a threat at stake, "Rhea, you spoke of the power of these lanterns, explain".

Tyaelaem grinned a slow grin, motionless while Simon retrieved his glasses -- and then he placed his mask over his face again, hiding his glowing blue eyes from sight.

"The Lady of the Pond is the Spirit of the Waters -- just like the Sparrow King is the Spirit of the Forest. You met the Sparrow King, I think, yes? Glowy little person with horns?" Tyaelaem curled his fingers on his masked forehead like little horns and grinned. "The Lady of the Pond is his sister, you could say, really, Sirrah. Then there's the Spirits of the Wind, Rock, Shadow and Fire. We were chased by the Spirit of the Shadow for a little while, nasty trickster he is -- but you're a Soothsayer, he would like you I think. Maybe he was looking for you. You've been using his flowers and calling his ghosts -- the Fox is the mask of doors and shadows -- sure he's interested I think, I bet." He pointed with a thin finger at the mask on Simon's head and the flower in his hand.

At that moment, Rhea turned her glowing eyes toward Tyaelaem and Simon. She picked up a shard of rock and flung it -- speeding like an arrow -- straight at Tyaelaem's masked head.

Tyaelaem suddenly grabbed Simon, and in a blur of disorienting movement, suddenly both Tyaelaem and Simon were sitting high on the bough of a tree, harmlessly out of range of Rhea's attacks. The wood creaked and the thick green leaves rustled all around them. From this height, the star-encrusted sky was clear and deep above them.

Tyaelaem scampered like a cat along the tree branch, leaving Simon sitting near the trunk, and he leaned over to peer down at Rhea, Talan and Fyair.

With that last attack, Rhea's eyes returned to their normal dark hue, the power having been spent uselessly attacking the rabbit. She looked between Talan and Fyair -- and to the latter she cast a distrustful glare, though unwilling just yet to fight him for the Lanterns and for her fallen comrade's sword.

"In order to explain the Lanterns I have to tell you the old legend." Her voice was irritated and impatient; there was no time for a story, not while so many of the Lanterns were so close, and the Kith were already involved. "Centuries ago there was a powerful god or demigod or something that's just called the Dragon. All I know is it was in a prison somewhere. It had enough power to summon a ship from your world, full of airship pirates who were my ancestors. Those pirates had no idea what was going on, because they stupidly released the Dragon thinking it would help them get home again. Instead the world went permanently dark and the pirates were forced to fight for survival.

"After a couple hundred years of learning rune magic, a band of warlocks managed to defeat the Dragon and sealed it into the five Lanterns. The Lanterns were hung from mechanical trees that were meant to keep them asleep -- but something must've happened to the trees, because the Lanterns summoned you people, just like the Dragon summoned my ancestors. This is the Dragon trying to make another attempt at escape, by repeating history. I'm telling you that if the Lantern seals are broken and the Dragon escapes again, there'll be no surviving it. That princess is delusional; there is no way back."

"LIES!" Tyaelaem hollered from the tree above. "The Dragon was always the benevolent god, everything was warm and bright under its rule, until the PIRATES arrived and decided to take our home for themselves. The Dragon tried to send the evil Pirates back to where they came from, so the greedy Pirates locked away the Dragon in the Lanterns, and trapping the Dragon CAUSED the forever-dark! The Pirates killed our people, destroyed our forests, and trapped and tortured the spirits and fairies for their power -- but the Pirates were too stupid and weak to use the Lanterns' power like they wanted, so they hid the Lanterns away and made up STORIES about evil gods."

"You Kith are people just like us!" Rhea called toward the dark treetops where Tyaelaem's voice echoed. "You're Pirates who've been tempted and brainwashed by those masks! You won't admit it!"

"We are the children of the forest." Tyaelaem's voice had turned to a violent hiss that whispered throughout the woods. His blue eyes glowed through the holes in his mask. "We were here first, and we will be here long after the Pirates are gone. We will restore the Dragon to his rightful place, the Dragon will send you pillagers back to where you came from, the light will be restored and we will take back what is ours." Tyaelaem's words conflicted with his ongoing desire to see Anise's kingdom, to visit faraway places and distant kingdoms -- but he still believed in the Dragon and in the rights of his people, especially in the face of a dirty Pirate. "The Pirates tell you you're stuck here forever. I'm telling you the Dragon will send you home. The Lanterns have done nothing but protect you, because that is the nature of the Dragon." He addressed Talan and Fyair, and he looked over his shoulder at Simon. Surely, they would see the truth.

Meanwhile, Anise would be able to hear the shouting match between Rhea and Tyaelaem -- Tyaelaem's voice, especially, echoed in the shadows of the forest all around her.

Those shadows were moving. Something shifted between the trees and in the branches, and Anise would have the distinct feeling of being watched, but without the nightstick to guide her all she would see is darkness -- and the glimmer of the blue Lantern shining on the ground ahead.

There was a corpse lying beside the lantern: it was Arin, the boy she had chased into the woods not so long ago. His eyes were wide, gray and vacant in death, and his cold hand still clutched the lantern. There was no mark on Arin's body, and no discernible reason he had died suddenly.

The tree that stood just next to Arin's corpse was white and dead, and covered in runes just like the one that the Lantern had first hung from -- only this one made no sound, and the gears and springs inside had rusted long ago.

Fireflies flashed overhead. In the light of the fireflies and the glow of the lantern, Anise might see ancient mossy statues standing broken among thick weeds and vines; the statues were of small, thin people -- most of them chipped or missing limbs -- and each statue wore a white wooden mask.

A pair of big yellow eyes stared down at Anise. The beast's hot breath smelled familiarly like rotten flesh.

The huge black wolf had found her again; it stood close to the glow of the blue lantern, its yellow teeth flashing.

Anise had managed to get away. She knew she wasn't safe, but immediate death wasn't something on the table now. She knew she was being watched by something in the darkness. She stumbled through the bushes and followed the light of the lantern. She stopped briefly when she saw the body that still held the lantern. How he died she had no idea, but she recognized the person that laid there. She had run away from the wolf with him until she decided to return and help Randold.

She glanced over the surrounding area and noticed the statues wearing the white masks in the light of the fireflies and lantern. Tyaelaem and Talan wore a mask, but these seemed different than theirs. The tree made no noise, but it seemed similar to the one she was summoned to. She stepped towards the lantern, but stopped as soon as she saw those familiar yellow eyes. She saw the huge wolf near the lantern, but not quite in its light.

Anise bared her own teeth with a grin. There was no place for fear in her heart in this situation. "I remember you. The first time I saw you I ran in fear." She took a familiar tone with the animal. "Are you hungry? Do you want food? Is that why you're following me?" She glowered at the wolf with a feral expression and crossed her arms. "Well, I won't let you have me. I'm going to take that lantern and I'm going to break the egg free. I know a nasty witch you could eat." She paced toward a statue. "Although I don't think she'd taste good." Then an image of a spear landing between her and Rhea flashed in her mind and she thought of Talan. "Or maybe you'd like a Talan treat?" She then giggled at the thought of the wolf eating Talan.

She walked up to Arin's body while keeping her eyes on the wolf. "I think I'll call you Reus, you look like a Reus." She pried the fingers of Arin to free the lantern from his grip. She wouldn't let the wolf eat her, no way.

Simon felt like his head was going to explode! It could have been from a number of things, whether it be from the overload of information that had been gained from Tyaelaem and Rhea about the lanterns; the disturbing feeling that had been delivered by the rabbit taking him up tree; and last but not least that Simon was truly afraid of heights.

A lot of things that Tyaelaem said made a little bit of sense, he had felt an eerie small connection to 'The Sparrow King' as he referred to him. Simon remembers seeing something with horns when he ate the flame back when they got attacked by the monkeybats. Simon feared that Tyaelaem had been telling the truth about this but he didn't really see how the land could be watched over by a giant dragon. He also didn't feel like he would be much safer in this already unfriendly place with a dragon on the loose, however he didn't really feel safe as long as Rhea was around.

Simon was bear hugging the trunk as hard as physically possible to avoid falling out of the tree, since he was having a tough enough time surviving here to begin with. Quickly before his arms could get tired Simon took his left hand and swiftly placed the fox mask from on top his head to over his eyes since he felt like it would give him a little bit more courage while he tried to avoid tumbling out the tree.

Simon was thinking of how he would be able to stop Anise from breaking anymore of these eggs without ... Well without having to kill her.

Talan wasn't sure what to think, both sides of the story seemed to make sense but he it was the potential consequences that kept him from deciding. Either choice had the potential to destroy the world and to have such a burden be put on him made Talan go silent. In his mind he thought out the possibilities, if he were to side with Rhea he would have to contend with the Kith and the other horrors of the forest. The Kith, Tyaelaem, could be the one telling the truth but he wasn't sure if he could be trusted as the creature was so quick to turn on him before. There was the matter of the dragon, if it was released would it really be a benevolent entity? Back with the ckan the elders spoke tales of dragons but they were never kind. Instead they were cruel, dangerous beasts that were all slain by great warriors long ago. Could this really be a monster from a forgotten age? If that was the case then he'd prefer it remain imprisoned. But that still left Talan with the problem of the eternal night. The sun must return or all will die, but if the Kith claim it is due to the dragon's imprisonment then how would light return to the world. Seeing no other option present Talan stood up to speak, "You've gotten me this far, I trust you know what you're doing". Talan would side with the pirate and help her ensure the eggs stay in captivity. He'd have to hope Rhea would be able to fix the darkness over the world later. As for the man that stood before them with the lantern on his belt, "That lantern you carry, you alone are incapable of protecting it. I've seen what this place can do an nd you alone won't last long. You can stay with us, help us make sure the dragon sleeps. Or you can stand aside alone in the darkness".

She walked up to Arin's body while keeping her eyes on the wolf. "I think I'll call you Reus, you look like a Reus." She pried the fingers of Arin to free the lantern from his grip. She wouldn't let the wolf eat her, no way.

The great wolf lifted its chin and glared down at her, bright yellow eyes studying her. Waiting.

The blue lantern, gripped in the princess' thin hand, began to dim.

Images flashed through Anise's mind: she was small, standing in a desert town with a pair of shears in her fist; she was stabbing a dog ruthlessly, and burying the remains before her mother could see; she was older, and saw groups of other young men, and a deep desire to slit their throats overwhelmed her; she was running through the forest with a blue lantern in her hand, murderously chasing after . . . herself?

These were Arin's memories, Arin's dark emotions and desires. They flooded through Anise like demons, whispering terrible things. Kill, they always hated you, they don't deserve to live. Slit their throats, stab them, let their corpses rot.

The blue Lantern had sucked Arin's dark soul out of his body, killing him. And now, the Lantern had a grip on Anise's mind, forcing the stored memories into it.

Arin's will had not been strong enough to resist the Lantern's hold -- he had been too obsessed with his bloody fantasies, too hopeless in his own survival to understand what was happening until it had been too late.

Among Arin's memories of tortured animals and breaking quarry stones under the hot sun . . . were flickers of something else. A shadow of wings over a sea of trees. A mountain, with a great stone hidden at its summit. A pirate ship stranded on the rocks of an island. A forest full of masked faces. The sun flickering.

Reus narrowed his eyes, and watched with a low quiet growl.

Quickly before his arms could get tired Simon took his left hand and swiftly placed the fox mask from on top his head to over his eyes since he felt like it would give him a little bit more courage while he tried to avoid tumbling out the tree.

Simon was thinking of how he would be able to stop Anise from breaking anymore of these eggs without ... Well without having to kill her.

It would take Simon's eyes a moment to adjust to the shade of green that he saw through the eyes of the fox mask -- the mask of doors and shadows, as Tyaelaem had called it. Through the eyes of the mask, Simon could see clearer and farther than he had before -- but what was more, he could see things that had not been there before.

On the bark of a tree behind Talan, a keyhole glimmered brightly.

Simon could see a shining path through the woods, lit up clearly by shimmering flowers and flashing fireflies.

He saw clearly that there was a grove of ghost flowers nestled in the crook of another tree.

He saw dark shapes moving between the trees -- the ghosts themselves, walking the line between the world of the living and the world of the dead. Simon had the distinct feeling that he need only summon them, and they would obey his every wish. The mask assured him of this.

Below, he could see the pirate and Talan and Fyair.

The Lady of the Pond whispered in his ear. My brother, the Lord of Shadows, he watches you fondly. Simon. What is your wish?

"You've gotten me this far, I trust you know what you're doing". Talan would side with the pirate and help her ensure the eggs stay in captivity. He'd have to hope Rhea would be able to fix the darkness over the world later. As for the man that stood before them with the lantern on his belt, "That lantern you carry, you alone are incapable of protecting it. I've seen what this place can do an nd you alone won't last long. You can stay with us, help us make sure the dragon sleeps. Or you can stand aside alone in the darkness".

Rhea's expression remained stony, but she let out a relieved breath. So Talan would remain by her side. She had done well to put her trust in him.

She stepped forward until she stood beside him. In the corner of her eye, she noticed the blue light had dimmed and gone out in the darkness of the forest. "Keep your guard up," she told Talan. Her eyes turned to Fyair, and she saw there a look she didn't like at all.

Rhea stepped to the side, slowly, so that she and Talan might easier surround Fyair if it came to a fight. The eye in the palm of her hand began to glow again.

"Two out of three," he called back to the tribesman then grinned at the tattooed lady, "Those are good odds, yeah? For whoever is right and whoever is wrong." Fyair then lifted the green lantern high above his head and without hesitation threw the thing to the ground with all his impressive might.

SMASH

WOOSH

BOOM

A green brightness blinded them all. Shattered glass shot in all directions, scraping bloody gashes over Talan, Fyair and Rhea. Wind rushed all around; the air was yanked from their lungs. A high-pitched screech rang in their ears.

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEE

Elsewhere in the forest, Reus lifted his great head and looked out toward the brilliant light, ears pricked.

From above, Simon would see the shadows gather around Fyair.

The violet lantern -- which had been previously broken at the bottom of the waterfall -- added its brilliance to the the light. Green and violet winds swirled all around Fyair. His legs became immobile as stone encased his feet, his knees, his thighs. A flickering vision of golden armor flashed on his chest and arms. Tendrils of stone snaked around his chest, around his throat. He could feel the hilt of the sword in his hand, but there seemed to be nothing there but a flash of gold and a spark of lightning. The winds swept all around, the screech reached a higher pitch, the light swelled.

The green was the Lantern of Scales. The violet was the Lantern of Illusion. Now that they were set loose together, they were free to break each other's prison. Their iron casings cracked.

Tyaelaem suddenly jumped and landed hard on Talan's back among the calamity, and he clamped a hand around the man's throat.

Simon could see all of this from his perch, and the green and violet glowing winds whipped around him. The paths were still clear, as were the shadows, the ghost flowers and the keyhole. The Lord of Shadows promised him safety in the darkness. The Lady of the Pond laughed in his ear.

Anise seized as these new and powerful emotions blew through her mind. She saw herself committing heinous acts of slaughter, and liking it. Something felt like these emotions were hers and yet a rational part of her mind said that this was not hers. Her heart pounded as she struggled to come to terms with these powerful thoughts.

Kill, they always hated you, they don't deserve to live. Slit their throats, stab them, let their corpses rot.

N-no. She struggled against the darkness that enveloped her. This... this is wrong.

I killed the old man. The image of her bludgeoning him to death with the nightstick flashed before her eyes and a chill went down her spine. She had done that? Why didn't she remember? She must have blacked out or something. Instantly, regret mixed with the lust for murder as White Anise fought against Black Anise.

I killed the old man and liked it! Black Anise continued. He lied to me. He said that there was no way to return home.

I didn't want to! White Anise protested weakly. Her body felt physically sick temporarily. The memory makes me sick.

I did it for my own protection. He would have killed me! This place is ruled by survival of the fittest. Black Anise had chills of excitement run down her spine. The thrill of the hunt.

Tears ran down her face. Tears of sadness, and yet her expression was lust and hunger. I don't want that! No more! White Anise remembered her protectors: Hania, Randold, Tyaelaem and all they had done to help her survive. Even Simon and Talan accepted her into their group when they could have killed her. I am not a killer. I won't let this place make me a monster! I will protect everyone I can from now on. I will do it for everyone that protected me that I have lost.

They'll betray me. They'll hunt me. I'll die if I try to save others. After all, all of my guardians have died so far. For all I know my abandoning Tyaelaem resulted in his death. Black Anise felt a twisted pleasure in the thought of the boy being split open by one of Talan's spears. I can't trust anyone but myself. All others are stepping stones for my escape back home, and then I shall use the power I have gained here to continue my slaughter as Queen!

A strong feeling White Anise could only describe as righteous fury washed through her and Anise found herself fully standing up. Her tears had stopped and a determined expression had settled on her face. NO! I will only kill those that intend to kill for no reason other than bloodshed! I will protect those that need a guardian. I. WILL. NOT. FALL.

The murderous thoughts and emotions faded away after was felt like days. Anise stood tense as she struggled to maintain her focus against these dark thoughts that weren't hers. As the last of these thoughts faded her energy drained away. Even then she clutched the lantern tightly and glowered at the wolf. In the back of her mind she remembered the ship and the flicker of sunlight. She decided that if she earned the favor of the wolf, she would hold off on destroying this lantern and find that ship. She wanted to learn of its significance about the sun and then she would make her decision then.

Right now, she kept eye contact with the wolf and never lowered her guard towards it. Something about the wolf told her that it was smarter than the average animal. That made it even more dangerous. She even more than ever wanted to live, not only for those that died protecting her, but for those that she had killed herself.

As Simon slipped the mask over his face and he almost didn't have to wait for his arms to get tired since the shock of the change in his vision almost knocked him out of the tree itself. Why hadn't he noticed this the first time he slipped the mask in the cavern underneath the waterfall, was it because he didn't have his glasses on to see properly or was it because it was nighttime and he was sitting inside the cavern. Whatever it was it was a extremely strange but interesting change, he thought he might be able to get used to this. He could see and feel things that were abnormal to his usual senses, he noticed there was a keyhole on the trunk of a tree near the commotion down below. He could feel that he was being watched by few and noticed by many. He could see what he assumed was spirits because of how carefree that they moved given the giant man, a masked wolf boy and a pirate that had only been a few mere feet away.

Simon had spotted a few flowers down below and he figured that he would collect a few of them since any of the flowers that he has collected so far have had well interesting properties so far. Given what he has seen so far and what Tyaelaem had told him he felt like that could become useful if he could figure out their true purpose. Simon was trying to scope out a path to see what branches would be able to hold his weight as he tried to make climb down this tree.

Right as Simon thought that he had spotted a good path to take he hear that angelic voice once more. This time without insightful information depending on how you looked at it. "

He watches you fondly Simon, What is your wish "

Simon felt this might he a little bit of a loaded question but he thought about it for a second and he wanted to make sure that Anise didn't get anywhere to crazy without anyone observing her irrational actions of late. "There actually is something that I do wish, I wish that the moody princess could be stopped in a non-fatal fashion. In return of this favour I will offer you a tribute, I will offer you the eye-sight of the Pirate Rhea"

Just as he had made this wish Tyaelaem had launched himself from the tree landing on top of Talan followed by grabbing him by the throat. Simon sat in the tree and jumped down one set of branches; he would have liked to be right behind the rabbit but he didn't want to place himself in direct danger since there was no telling how either party would react. When Simon had it on the branch he scuttled down the branch and focused as hard as he could on Tyaelaem and whispered hoping that it would be audible to the large ears of the rabbit. "Tyaelaem don't take out the Wolf, he isn't nearly as useful here without information however accurate or corrupt it may be. Go for the pirate the one who is feeding him such extremely contradicting information Ty." all Simon could do was wait now.