Eyes peeled to the sides of his face, the whites tainted red by the narcotic. A piercing gaze met Talay-a', and steam hissed from his mask as he decided to take it off. "I only know the cleaver." Gideon turned to face her, mask in hand and his weapon held in the other by its chain.

"This is a lonesome trainin-" Gideon blinked, and then there they were. Similar to that of the bedrooms, the training room provided whatever its user needed to train. "oh. Seems it does what the bedrooms do." Gideon placed on his mask once more with a hiss. With his voice now masked by the filter, he spoke with passion, "You could watch. I get kindled by this.". For Gideon viewed his aggression like an art form. 'Kindled..' Eredos hushed as Gideon's mind summoned a Brothen for the training room. His blood began to boil.
The Brothen is a fleshly like mole that is roughly the size of a cow and is able to burrow quickly through the hardest of surfaces with a jagged mouth that resembled the front end (or back end) of a worm. These creatures were also vicious.

The Brothen remained in the corner of the stunningly clean training room, and it seemed calm. It hadn't had noticed the pair and it was just nosing around the environment, as Gideon remembers they do.

The leathery creature growled deep, and it started inching closer. Its violence apparent to Gideon. His teeth grit, moving away from Telay-a for space. Eredos cackled in his ear, always giddy with giddyeon to see him combat so early in his training.
A deep roar from the Brothen, and then it charged. Its beady black eyes meeting Gideon's blue ones.
The chain dragged and the cleaver followed as Gideon recoiled the weapon sideways like a whip. The metal clanked and slapped against itself with a piercing cling.
Steam hissed from his respirator and the whip moved like a ribbon in air. The Brothen lept back at the sudden strike, and continued its onslaught hastily. That long iron whip, the blade of the once cleaver seperated into several somewhat blunt metal edges. The chain that connected the pieces was hiding behind the enveloping veins of blackness.

The Brothen was now upon Gideon, and he was prepared. His boots were made of Brothen Hide that he hunted and skinned himself, meaning he knew the creature well. The whip had grinded along the surface of the ground and recoiled back into its one-piece cleaver form, where Gideon roared and swung across the jagged mouth of his enemy. Blood painted the floor of the room as if a red pen had broken across a fresh sheet of paper. Gideon stumbled slightly forward in his swing, but regained composure quickly. The Brothen slid forward with its charging inertia dragging its own limp corpse.

The blood and corpse vanished into dust, and then that diminished- leaving only fresh air. Gideon looked to Telay-a and with sweat on his brow he said, "Brothen's dead. What do you do?" He spoke gravely. Gideon's shadow danced in multiple directions unknowingly for a few moments before finding a spot and remaining still.

Time flows with or without you. Stuck behind a glass prison, watching the world’s tide rise and fall without you is an experience hard on one’s sanity.

At the end of the last Struggle, as Etro has taken to calling them, everyone died. Thanatos, now aware the flow of time had been manipulated twice before, devised a plan to take advantage of the cracks that had formed. He filled them with death. His mission was to increase the flow of souls into the timeless void of Valhalla to cause irreparable damage to the multiverse, making time travel impossible. It worked, mostly. In the last shreds of time and space, the remaining Archons, ones of Time, Gravity, Crystal, and Sound, destroyed Valhalla in a desperate attempt to stop Thanatos’s plan. Etro, having mercy on the souls that would be doomed to roam the multiverse, crystallized Valhalla with herself in it. The Archon of Time, knowing Valhalla’s absence would remove the anchor necessary for time travel, pushed it through the cracks of time into another era before its absence had any effect.

Pockets of power broke off Valhalla on its trip through The Void, flying into neighboring Universes. Three entity's, once proponents of Thanatos, stumbled across Valhalla. Realizing the folly of their ways in the histories saved by crystal, they took the crystal world and tucked it away, hidden from the view of Tartarus, the realm of Thanatos. Chronus, Hermes, and Nephilis, once three servants of Death, became Guardians of Valhalla, now called the Temple of the Archons.

Watching as a few other archons all but ignore her suggestion, Aella was about to give up and go off on her own, before she heard Docia speak up. She was confused at first at the weird language the other woman spoke, but was all too ready to answer the proposed question when she understood it. "It entails letting your mind completely fall still and once you've reached a state where your only focus is on your vital processes, your spirit guide can show you things. Or, well, at least in my experience with Sagittarius. But, it was only after I become an Archon that meditating did anything other than relax me. But, I don't know what your guide will do when you let them take over your mind to show you things," Aella explained, "A lot of meditation is finding what helps you calm your mind and getting to the point of which the entire world around you melts and you become one with the world around you. It really opens up your experiences to learn from and to listen to your guide."

"That's probably not going to help," Aella heard Sagittarius whispered in her head. The elf shook her head a bit before clarifying, "I can help you with tools to achieve the level of relaxation, but it's also a personal journey."

Talay-a watched in rapt fascination as Gideon fought the giant beast, how they danced in this deadly battle before Gideon slaughtered the creature. She was far enough away that she wasn't covered in blood, but a few drops spattered on her uncovered feet. She looked down and wiggled her toes before the blood turned to dust and the dust disappeared into nothing. She looked back up at Gideon, who had spoken something it took her a minute to process.

"Of course." Talay-a bowed her head, as she glanced around the room. She found a small pool in the corner, as well as a giant cat, now stalking Gideon. It was a Prowaser, one of the few mammals found on Atlantis in the highest mountain ranges. It was nearly blind and deaf, with absolutely no sense of smell but it could sense heat, which was why they were rare even on Atlantis, since most everyone was poikilothermic and didn't radiate heat like humans did, like Gideon does.

Talay-a rolled her blades as she stalked the beast, the world becoming clean and in focus as she concentrated on it. She waited for it to strike, and she didn't wait long before it pounced at them. She shoved the water from the pool in between them, quickly so it created a waterfall effect causing the cat to bounce off of it and to the side, where it stumbled before it regained it's balance. The cat snarled, focusing on Gideon once more as it charged but Talay-a intercepted once more by creating small concentrated pools of water beneath the cats feet, causing it to slip. It was almost comical how the cat skidded around before landing on it's stomach. That was when Talay-a made her move, pouncing on the Prowaser's back and stabbing it in the neck with both blades. It fought feebly for a few seconds before it slumped under her, and then turned into dust and then to nothingness.

Talay-a stood slowly as she sheathed her blades, before wiping her brow. She took several deep breaths, trying to slow her breathing. She wasn't used to fighting animals like that. Her battles were usually in the shadows with her enemies.

"Is that what you wanted to see?" Talay-a asked Gideon with a raised eyebrow.

Gideon's mask hissed in delight, a subtle smile edging from the side of the mask. You could see the brief moment of joy in his eyes before the pool appeared. A pool just off in the corner, like no other in the room before. Something has changed. Gideon's face bolted into a snarl.
Talay-a was concentrating on something behind him.. She had the same look of a stalker, one who is so in the moment they remain timeless and full of intensity. Gideon paced forward, edging around himself but was unprepared for the pounce. A grunt, and then reflex. Gideon swung his cleaver through an undercut with such force it slipped from dirty hands and plummeted into the ceiling above and the chain hung down like an urban sixteen-foot vine.

The attack was unnecessary, and would've missed anyways. The water splashed aside, protecting the duster from the Prowaser. Her abilities were graceful in nature, and he was impressed to see that much water in one place. "Damn." He whispered. It sounded more like a deep growl.
His mask hissed as he moved up from sitting on the hard floor. After softly groaning he reached up to grab the chain and tugged. Like a spring resetting, the entirety of the blade zipped back into its stable form. He held that cleaver in front of his body in a fighting stance, watching the mammal during the time.

The cat slipped and died from an opening. 'What a opportunist' Eredos hissed
"Yeah." Gideon relaxed, now holding his weapon at his side. He paced forward to stand a distance across from her. His walk was hesitant, and curious. His gaze was fixated, and concerning. His boots ached and his smoke left was intoxicatingly strong smelling.
"The Opportunist." Gideon dubbed her out loud, calling it as he saw it. "That's you.". His shadow danced at the thought of her abilities in use more, like a dog's tail reflex.

"I liked the.." And he used his hands to indicate a gesture of a wave of water rolling off to the side.
"That. And I'm not used to much water. It is... refreshing.?" He smirked under the mask, finding himself funny.

"Well then, let's get on with it." Her voice grew bold, moving to sit straight instead of legs crossed. "What kind of tools did you have in mind?" Docia raised an eyebrow, not necessarily comfortable but rather curious with the 'tools'. "Can we do it at this very table?"
-
She was thinking of time spent frozen underneath masses of water. Meditation may have been what she was born from, and maybe she can grow stronger with it as an aid in present time. Hopefully she can unlock further secrets about herself, and maybe see what everyone else has in store.
-

Talay-a bowed her head in modesty when he named her. Opportunity was something that she strived for, because she would never be the strongest in the room but if she could be the smartest, it would be just as well.

Gideon mentioned the water and she noticed it still along the ground at their feet. She slowly gathered it up, before depositing it in the pool as she pondered his question.

"For you, maybe. I would suppose so since it feels nice but for me it's as necessary as air. I can inhale air, that's true but my body isn't as adept at yours at filtering out certain toxins. I could survive a year, maybe two, without water. My gills however, they don't take in the toxins, and something about the process detoxes my body. It's more than just refreshing, it's electrifying." Talay-a tried to explain, as she pulled her hair back and tilted her head to the side to display her gills. There were four down each side of her neck from the top of it to her collarbone, each one the same width.

"Perhaps I over exaggerate but it is the best feeling to receive pure oxygen to my blood from time to time." Talay-a finished as she shook her hair into place.

Brynn walked through the halls of the temple simply exploring. It felt empty, lonely. He found a lot of rooms full of nothingness.
You could try to make a few friends, you know.
"No thanks."
For someone who doesn't like the dead, you sure spend more time talking to them more than the living.
"..."

Still seeking something even he didn't know himself, Brynn continued through the temple. Seeing what looked like a training dummy in an otherwise empty room, Brynn stepped inside. As he entered the doorway, the world around him changed. What was once a bleak, tan limestone interior was now an expansive wasteland of ruined architecture.
"What the hell is this? Where-?" He turned around in bewilderment and the doorway was still there. What looked like some kind of portal was between it. A link to the temple and that unknown landscape. You wanted to look around. You got your wish. Though, good luck. We're going to need some.
Luck? What is she talking about?
What felt like hours had already passed. The sun hadn't moved one inch; a perpetual mid afternoon sky. Brynn continued moving through the ruins. The air felt cool and comfortable. He began to feel uneasy; anxious. The further he went the more he felt that something was behind him, breathing down his neck. Gripping his sheath, he turned and drew his sword at..nothing. Just darkness. When did it get this dark? The sun was still up shining bright in the sky, yet there was only darkness here; surrounding him. Suddenly, a giant blade comes crashing down less than a few inches from his face. It stuck in the ground, hilt pointed skyward. Before him appeared what might have once been a a man wearing decrepit armor.
"What? You?!", Brynn shouted at the figure. It vanished completely, only leaving behind a murky darkness where it once stood. Anxiously, Brynn started looking in every direction, hoping his attacker wouldn't somehow get the drop on him. The man reappeared only a couple of inches from Brynn's eyes; where he finally got a good look at his face, or lack thereof. A veil of nothingness was under his hood, it seemed to drain all light out of the room as if it were some kind of contained black hole. The thing that was once human let out what can only be described as an inhuman scream mixed with a guttural growl. Brynn couldn't move, he was frozen in place. Holding its giant blade in one hand, it grasped at Brynn with the other and threw him across the ruins. Almost a quarter of a kilometer he was flung. When he finally landed, he hit the ground and kept going. Brynn only stopped because a wall had halted his momentum. It might be a good idea to leave. You could die here. "No shit. But he shouldn't even exist...that was only stories they told us when we were kids." He slowly regained his balanced and couldn't find where the man had went. Most of those stories weren't lies. They just happened a very, very long time ago. "Then this is-" Another time. But the same place where Yharnham was. Brynn didn't have a lot of time to think, the Abysswalker was upon him again. Finally able to draw his sword, Brynn felt like he had some kind of chance against this once heroic man. The man moved impossibly fast; Brynn was barely able to hold off the onslaught of attacks. He struck over and over a hundred times. Brynn shifted his weight and knocked the knight off balance. As quickly as he could, Brynn struck his arm; wounding him. Making another screech, the man took a new stance. Brynn prepared himself for another barrage of attacks, but instead the man began to vanish. A flash of light and what was left in the knight's place as a doorway back into the temple. After he was through the doorway, he turned around to see the ruins still there, and the Abysswalker's blade. still placed in the ground. Battered and bloody, Brynn slowly made his way back into the temple. He limped his way back through and found the meeting room once again. There were still a few people left in there so Brynn decided to warn them. "Hey, I found a place you probably shouldn't go into." He fell into a nearby chair tried to relax a bit.
Knight Artorias; the Abysswalker. A god damn monster.

A sliver of thought was more pronounced than the rest: “We should leave. This is growing pointless.” Vanth nods in agreement. They stood together, drawing the eyes of the silent room. “We’re going to find some place to attempt to train… If anyone would like to join us and see what we can come up with, that’d be great.”

Haven had been looking at her watch until she heard “Archon of Time” spoken in the conversation. She looked up, hearing enough to let her know what was going on. Another archon? Interesting. What makes me so special that I and two others are the only ones that can help them? She thought, biting her lip. Corvus frowned lightly. ”I didn’t know that Etro would appear here. I thought she’d been lost in time. Apparently I was wrong.” He let out a heavy sigh. ”This will be a challenge. I’m not sure how this will play out. Are you prepared to use your abilities? You’ll need them.” I think I can do it. I’ll try my best. She thought, slowly standing and looking at Vanth and 17. ”I will help you,” she said, giving them a small smile. ”I mean, you need me, anyways. What part will I play in this, though? Do you know?”

Vanth shrugged to Haven, “I’m not entirely sure of all of the details just yet, this is all that 17 has shared with me thus far.”
“I don’t know anything else. I’m just as lost as you are.”

Ian agrees and stands to follow the others as they head toward the training room.
“Sitting around talking will get us no results. I say for now we work on training our archon abilities and if we come across the archon of crystal we will free him.” Ian said, looking from each person to the next. “It seems we have wasted enough time already and we need to get something done at this point.”

“Her,” 17 whispered to Vanth, “Etro is a girl.”

17 began toying with his powers on the way there, seeing what he was able to do to sound. He could feel the expanding and compacting of space against his skin as the sounds of their footsteps reflected off the walls. He pushed back at them mentally, causing a louder second echo. He smiled mouthlessly beneath the bandana.

Haven walked alongside 17, one arm tucked behind her back and gripping the elbow of her other arm. She thought about where this archon could be and wondered how hard it would be to rescue her. If we save her, won’t we be releasing Valhalla as well? Corvus sighed softly. ”I have no idea… When I pushed the crystal into the cracks of time, I expected to never see it again. I’m not sure what will happen if we save Etro.” Haven pursed her lips, lost in thought. I guess we’ll find out and deal with it as best as we can...

Ian listened to the strange echoes that came with 17 playing with his powers and began thinking of potential uses for such powers. He had no idea what might be in store for them in this temple but he was anxious to find out what they had to work with in the battles to come. This entire temple was at their disposal. It would be their arsenal against Thanatos in this war.

Upon arrival, all four stepped into the room. It shook violently and the large room became even larger. The room exploded with sound as the group of four suddenly began slowly spinning. The brass floor extended to the walls in a series of spinning gears and mechanisms. A fan on one end whirred violently, while the other end sounded like sparks were flying across a corridor. The group of four froze and took in their surroundings when a voice started speaking above the volume of the grinding and ticking.
“I am Chronus, the first of three Guardians for you to encounter. These prisons were designed with you in mind, so please, waste no time.”
A clock at the top of the room began slowly but distinctly ticking.
“You have one hour.”

"I guess we could," Aella hummed, a small smirk on her face, "But, it's all about making yourself comfortable. If you are comfortable here, then here would be the best place. I like a place a little more quiet." The silver haired elf looked over the other woman once again, before sitting on the floor away from the table. She took on a comfortable position for meditation, the lotus position. Her feet were on either thigh as she sat cross legged, her arms resting on the ends of her knees. "This is all about you and your journey, so first, start by sitting comfortably. If you wish to do what I am, that is okay, but you must find a position that you do not mind sitting in for longer periods of time," Aella explained, "Once you get into a position you feel is best for you, you will close your eyes."

The elf demonstrated, taking in a deep breath as she did. Her body already started to relax out of years of deep meditation. "Take deep steady breaths and let your mind clear of all obstacles. Once you are there, hopefully, your spirit guide will show you things you will need to know," she whispered gently, already losing herself. She felt her body become almost weightless and she could feel Sagittarius start to take over her thought processes. Her body then started to float as the air around her became her support. She really didn't even realize that she was doing this. As if like a vivid dream, she was experiencing Sagittarius's memories.

---

Maddie startled awake and shot up in her bed, her head screaming in pain. "Oh my god!" she roared. "What the hell Eridanus?!" She clasped her hands on the sides of her head, hoping the pressure would relieve the sharpness that pierced her.

"I've been trying to wake you up for some time now. You're impossible." He hissed back. "You need to get started on your training. You're lazy and will be behind the others if you don't get started now!" He was nearly shouting, causing the pain in Maddie's head to multiply. She rolled off the bed into a standing position.

"Goddamn it, I'm up now! Will you stop?" She pulled her hair up into a ponytail, unable to find her hairbrush in the dark room. Hearing her inner thoughts, Eridanus lifted the lighting in the room. Maddie blinked rapidly, not yet accustomed to the glow.

"Take your necklace off and put it in your hand." Eridanus bit out sharply.

"Well, you're clearly relentless. No more naps for Maddie." She said, unclasping the emerald and grabbing ahold of the gem. "Wait, why aren't we doing this in the training room?"

"Others are using it currently. Besides, I think this is a better place for you to connect to your element. We both know that being in nature isn't exactly your forte." Maddie cocked her eyebrow but said nothing. "Now, surround yourself again. The sights, the smells. You've done it before and you can do it again. Focus." Like before, the gem shifted in her hand, elongating into a bow with a quiver and arrows. Maddie tilted it in her hand, feeling where the bow balanced. She strapped the quiver on and held the weapon up, drawing it back to rest at her face. It was as if her body instinctively knew what to do.

"Wow," she said, continuing to hold the bow drawn. "This feels so...natural."

"Once you've had enough practice, it won't feel like anything at all. It will be such a part of you that you won't even notice it's there." That was a little hard for Maddie to believe. Afterall, she could use weapon for a hundred years but one this size wasn't something she was just going to forget she had.

"So are we going to get started or what?" She asked. The moment the words were out, darkness dropped around her and the walls fell away. A dense fog rolled in and coated the scene in front of her. "This is amazing" she whispered.

"This is a simulation. You can shoot at anything that moves," Eridanus assured her. "Right now we need to work on knocking your arrow and releasing. We'll decipher targets later." Maddie pulled a brilliant green arrow from her quiver and set it, drawing the bow back. She creeped slowly, attempting to remain as quiet as possible. A rustle in the bushes a few hundred feet ahead of her startled her and she shot. She heard Eridanus sigh. "You're at least going to want to see what is you're aiming at though, dear." Maddie nodded but didnt say anything. She reached back and grabbed another arrow, noticing that she still had the three she started with.

"I have eternal arrows?" she asked with disbelief in her voice. "Looks like I'm the real Legolas of this group." She smirked at her own joke.

"You know," Eridanus replied, "for a model, you're kind of nerdy." Maddie rolled her eyes and drew her bow again. This time when the bush rustled, she waited. Immediately a small brown rabbit jumped out. She dropped her draw dramatically.

"A bunny?! Eridanus! A bunny?! I'm not shooting a bunny! That's Bambi's best friend! I am a vegetarian! How do you not know this!?" Her shrieking had reached a level that made her own ears uncomfortable.

"My god woman, desist. I'll change it. No more bunnies." Eridanus stopped the simulation, changing the rabbit before her into a robotic looking machine with wheels. "Happy?" he asked. Maddie drew the bow back and shot, hitting the center of the red target Eridanus had conveniently painted in the middle of the vehicle. A second and third robot emerged from nearby hiding places.

"Happy." Maddie replied, drawing back her bow and shooting again.

The clock ticked in the back of Gideon's mind. His interest fled as the rush of battle tingling left his fingertips. Without Adrenaline, Gideon actually looked kind of peaceful under the respirator. The aftermath was medicine, the carnage inside his heart ceased. 'Living like a hermit tends to make one bitter, good to know you're able to adjust.' Eredos huffed.

"I."
He saw gills. What were gills? She explained, and he raised an eyebrow. Gills, wow.
The respirator hissed, and soft pufts of smoke left the ventilation.
There was a short silence after she finished.
...

".. I like carnage."
He said it, and chose to say it bluntly. "I have lived alone. I learned to live alone. And the thrill of survival is engorgable." The cleaver dropped. "I feel blessed to be given the gift of darkness. Even though I have no god to receive a blessing from."

Blue eyes with sadness peered to her, "I like watching light leave a threat's eyes. It's like a.." He exhaled smoke and looked away. "Drug. Which I suppose is better for our victory against Thanatos."
In the back of his mind, he wanted to fill the training room with live bodies.
Alas, he decided to pace slowly to the exit with a soft huff.

” Well, no time like the present!”
Vanth took a step forward. Well, he attempted to since every inch he gained carried an increasing amount of resistance behind it, until he felt himself sliding backwards. Everyone turned to look at him as he leaned forward into the force as if it were a strong breeze. Should it continue, it appeared that he would be forced right back out the door. Eyes wide, body shocked, and 17’s probing questions floating in Vanth’s head, Vanth- now crouching like an Olympic runner- removed the headset and set it on the ground as gingerly as possible.
Then with a final burst of force, he was swept off of his feet, outside of the room, now with the entrance closed off before him.
Well that was short lived! I figured something like this would happen since we kinda crashed the party Vanth mulled it over. Virgo’s conclusion was logically sound since the voice in 17’s head had only mentioned archons of Sound, Time, and Gravity… But what will that mean for 17 communicating with the other two? He’s an archon: he has to and will be resourceful enough to manage the tasks ahead with Ian and Haven- don’t ask me how I’ve already memorized their names. With those words, Vanth cupped his hands around his mouth shouted at the closed doors in hopes that the three inside could hear that he was okay.

Ian watched as Vanth was pulled from the room, a puzzled expression on his face as the invisible force pulled the other man away. He shook his head, turning back to the task at hand. An empty door-frame appeared in front of him with dark mist swirling within, clouding his vision of what may lay beyond through the door. He turned back to the others to see what they thought of the situation but to his surprise he found nothing but an endless white void with no one else remaining but him. He was alone.

After a few moments of thought Ian decided that the only course of action would be to go through the doorway. The Voice had spoken of a prison and a time limit possibly to escape from said prison? It was most likely some sort of trial and he would need to get through it as quickly as possible in order to get out of this place. He took a few steps closer to examine the frame before finally shaking his head and entering the door.

After what felt like an eternity, Ian stepped out of a similar dark doorway into a grand hall made of pure crystal that shined with reflected light from a roaring fire. The trial had been difficult for Ian to complete, playing against his fears and the weaknesses of his abilities. It had felt like an eternity that he had spent in that black void. He noticed two other dark doorways that he could only assume the other two archons would enter through. It seemed that he was the first one out. At the end of the hall there was a large crystal throne with the crystallized figure of a woman sitting on it looking towards the back of the room with a frozen expression. "That must be the final archon" he said out loud, making his way across the room towards her still form.