It would take Kimlee a surprisingly long time to get to her newfound destination, the very centre of the ruined city of Rebena - Rebena te Ra. As she approached the massive mausoleum that was her destination, she would notice the ghosts of people she knew were dead looking back at her from the deepest folds of the mist. Ancestors, friends, family… Even people she had seen in the Void where she had resided for a while - though she knew, beneath the trance that had gripped her body and mind, that that was impossible. Friendly face after friendly face would give her a warm smile as she continued to trudge towards the imposing structure, as if she had won a prize and was being congratulated by crowds of adoring fans, as if she were finally reaching her final destiny. In some regards, reaching her final destiny may have been the appropriate thing to say.

As she got closer to the centre, her movements would gradually slow, as if her body was trying to fight the strange compulsions that were gripping it, and the friendly faces would reveal themselves to be what they truly were - Ghost-type Natrelmon of all varieties, looking at her expectantly. An Elbedin and a Naachi were there to usher the chosen one into the Mausoleum, floating passively beside her as she ascended the stone-cut staircase that would bring her to a massive set of stone doors. At her touch, the doors would glow a faint purple and creak open, leaving behind incomprehensible symbols and images that would eventually burn themselves into Kimlee’s mind as the continued down the long corridor.

On each side of the narrow space were sarcophagi, the entombed inhabitants of the city, impassive watching her beneath cold, stone eyes - though if she looked at them, perhaps she would see the souls of those trapped inside, crying out for her in vain. It was too late for her, now - and it was highly unlikely that if she died, she would get the proper burial they had. As a medium, Kimlee would sense the pity and anxiety of the many spirits around her, but that would be overwhelmed as she walked into the central chamber by a feeling of malice unlike anything she had felt before. Where the Void that she had been in before was full of a cold emptiness, the sensations offered up by this chamber were almost angry, angry and full of the direst contempt imaginable.

What Kimlee would see before her would be the King of Ghosts, the Primordial Ghost himself, swathed in a spectral black and staring directly at her. As soon as she came into his view, the caress of Eldritch Chains would be upon her, wrapping around her small frame and completely blocking off the passage that she had most recently travelled through.

“You disturb ashes that none have touched for so long…” the Ghost King spoke, though the voice did not come from his mouth, but rather resonated throughout the entire room, as if it was a cacophony of a hundred thousand screaming souls desperately attempting to communicate with her simultaneously.

“Why have you come to my city?”

It seemed as though the theoretical unstoppable force had met the theoretically immovable object. The mists of Rabena isolated Chyou, her telepathic link with Eienm, Itsuki, and Kimlee severed with but a sway of Rabena's will. Mujin's ashen form throbbed with barren heat, illuminating the small clearing Chyou found herself. While doubtful, they would seem to be a lantern to her party in such terrain, but Chyou held no such illusions. The power of Rabena was great. It would not be underestimated again.

This realm had boundaries: That much was apparent based on the circles they had flown around the isle just an hour before. The most obvious plan would be to map these limits, and given the path seemed to be played before her... she had no choice but to bend to it's will. 'In the dark all is laid bare. Stay close, Itsuki. Evil lurks around every corner.'

So, led the duo foward, hand on hilt.

Ooc: Looks like I was the only one who got lucky with my first roll. :c

Kimlee

Kimlee couldn't resist the grip of the chains on her body, normally her instinct would have been to fight it, but there was a wave of helplessness that washed over her body - forcing it limp. Her abilities as a medium made the situation even worse for her. Before she could fade into the depths of her despair, she recalled her Hawkline and Mythin to protect them. If death awaited her, she would meet it alone and they would remain free from her fate.

Her eyes began to glaze over in response to the vicious assault on her vision; the constant swirling of the spirits around her made it impossible for her to focus her eyes long enough on any one spot, even with the domination of the Ghost King's spirit. Letting her vision fade, she could collect herself somewhat and focus on the presence of the Ghost King, her eyes now closed. Even with the closed shut tight, out of fear of confronting her death once again, tears escaped, running down her face in a delicate mix of fear and pain.

The Ghost King's question may be simple in common tongue, but Kimlee suspected it was far more than just that. Finally collecting herself for a moment, she was finally able to answer, "I do not know why I am here anymore..."

Eien

Eien continued on in silence with Saibrah before stopping. Clutching his side, Eien's bent over, his stomach expelling itself on the ground. Something was wrong - something very wrong, but he couldn't pick up on it yet. At this point, it was no longer just the mist that was disturbing him. Ohitsuji moved up next to him, coated in its soft purple aura, bleating in concern. It nudged him slightly, trying to help Eien collect himself. Eien, in response, placed his hand on his companion, appreciating the comfort of his Natrelmon.

"Something is wrong," Eien said softly. He thought about Astral Projecting using his Gishiki, but feared that that could come at great risk. Leaving his body in this mist, as malevolent as it was, was probably unwise. If he left and could not return to his body, he would be trapped forever within the confines of the mist to waste away. At this point, he had to continue forward in hopes that he would find someone else from the group or find a way out. Then, only then, would he consider using the powers of Gishiki to try to search out his sister and friends.

“A lost insect wandered into the web of the spider…” the voice would echo out before breaking into a malicious laughter, each syllable echoing in the chamber and seemingly being directed at Kimlee herself. The experience, in her frightened state, would likely bring even more tears from her eyes and make her already dire situation worse.

“But you have the stink of magic upon you… Yes, I can sense that you have died before. Are you here to join me, little insect? No… No… That magic… It reminds me of… Of…” He began, before stopping and almost sniffing the air - almost instantly he was gone, a mere blue of shadows, before he reappeared directly in front of Kimlee, starting directly at her. The look of contented malice that he had worn before was very much gone, replaced with fury.

“Her. Rinkoo brought you back and you dare step in MY REALM?” The Ghost King screeched, the aura of malice quickly being replaced by one of anger unlike anything Kimlee had experienced in her life. Rage was something that only grew over time, like a twisted and gnarled root, deep within the psyche. After the Ghost King’s millennia of time holding on to rage, it had grown into a veritable thicket inside his very being, ready to burst out and engulf the world at the slightest mention.

The Ghost King raised his hand, as if to strike Kimlee with the full force of his magic, but suddenly stopped - as if suppressing his rage - though the chains that bound her began to tighten, cutting not into her flesh, but into her soul. The pain would be severe, and it would only grow as the Ghost King started to speak again, lowering his voice back to the cool, malicious tone it normally took.

“Such transgressions must be punished, my little insect… But I will redeem you and set you free from Rebena if you do one little thing for me. I want you to find what the one you call Night is looking for, a tree deep within the Garden of Souls… And when you reach that tree, my little insect, I want you to call for me. You will offer up the body of another for me to inhabit and I will return you…” He began, before snapping his fingers. The chains wrapped around Kimlee’s body would immediately tighten and drag Kimlee to the ground, though her soul would remain very much standing and free of both her body and the chains.

“… To your body, and you will be free to leave. In fact, if you so choose, I will permanently separate you from your body and teach you the ways of the Ghosts… But something tells me that Eien will miss you, my little insect, so do hurry with your decision. I will not be generous for long.”

Kimlee

At this point, Kimlee's fate was a game. She absorbed the Ghost King's words with surprising calm - a serenity that had rarely graced her since her disappearance months ago. Her body was no longer slack and lifeless, but had a calm vigor to it as she pulled slightly against the chains, even with the ferocity of the pain the Ghost King was inflicting on her - unperturbed by the later separation of her physical body with her soul.

"And you dare tell me what to do..." she responded, her voice matching his strength, "Ghost?" The latter was complete derision - Kimlee, against common sense, mocked the Ghost King. "I have experienced what you fear most and have returned from it. Do not talk down to me." Kimlee's eyes were fierce and unmoving as they stared down the Ghost King, ensuring he absorbed her words as well as she had absorbed his.

"I will not kill for you," Kimlee responded, equally cold, pointing her right finger at him, the transparency strangely liberating. "At this point, I suspect you need me for something. And if you know my brother, my disappearance will send him down a warpath - a warpath to destroy you should anything happen to me. Gishiki can be a bitch, can't it?" She smiled at him.

“You may called me Yaves, though that name will mean nothing to you, my little insect… But it is a shame you have chosen to test my generosity. I need only your body, but it seems her ideals have rubbed off on you. How noble.” the Ghost King retorted, bellowing with the same malicious laugh as he had before. With a simple snap of his fingers, Kimlee would find her connection to her body completely gone, and the sensation of its flesh would leave her memory almost instantly. She would feel cold, and alone, but the feeling of liberation that she had felt earlier would stay with her. The Ghost King might have killed her flesh, but he was, for some reason known only to him, keeping her spirit very much real. She was now a Ghost, much like him.

“Have a taste of my power, my little insect… I’m sure you’re familiar with the Eldritch Chains that Ghost-type Natrelmon use, yes? That power is now yours - a gift to help you accommodate your new form. You may leave my mausoleum, now. I will be taking your body for a ride.” He added, dismissing the Eldritch Chains blocking the door as Kimlee’s body rose up, as if it were alive and well again.

“You can gather your friends, my little insect, and guide them to the Garden. As a Ghost, my mist will not affect you unless I will it.”

Kimlee

"Oh I don't think we are done quite yet," Kimlee smiled fiendishly, as if she knew something the Ghost King didn't. "You may have my body, but you don't have my mind. You haven't been outside your mist in awhile, have you? Do you not desire that kind of freedom? I know of a way for you to leave and have your presence hidden, even to mediums. A deal can be struck, but only if you give back what is mine." She clutched her once body's hand, not willing to give up on it so quickly.

There was an inherent danger to what she was playing with. Letting the Ghost King lose on the world was a problem in itself - he was clearly powerful. However, that was a danger she could deal with at a later time. For now, she had to focus on the short term goals that didn't violate her principles. She could then deal with getting the rest of her group out of here forever. For her, she may be returning, depending on the Ghost King's answer - something she didn't relish in the least.

"You clearly weren't the diplomat," Kimlee added, shaking her head in mock frustration, "You didn't even give me time to negotiate. There must be at least some kind of amicable terms that can be reached."

“Oh, my little insect… I did not become King by caring for the concerns of peasants.” Yaves laughed as he walked past Kimlee, her body following suit. His plans would come to fruition before he even considered negotiating with Kimlee. The prospect of freedom was something that intrigued him, definitely, but it was hardly on his priority list. He had his own city from which, if he really wanted, he could likely conquer the world - and the fact that outsiders had finally found Rebena meant that the residual magic Rinkoo had left years ago had faded.

“Hurry along now, or Eien will be the first to die to the one you know as Byakko.”

With that threat, the Ghost King dematerialised into the mist, and Kimlee’s body began its mindless walk through the city of Rebena. It would take a little while to arrive at its destination - enough to give Kimlee time to warn her friends… That was, if she could find them before Yaves’ plans came to fruition.

Kimlee and Eien

Immediately Kimlee ran out of the dark depths of the mausoleum, the mist no longer obscuring her vision. Being a ghost, it was easier for her to move around. Knowing what she was, she let her body float off the ground and move to a higher vantage point to try to pick out the various groups that had entered. She could truly appreciate how grand Rebena had once been - the city a respectable size, even by the standards of her times. She could at least consider eternity here, being able to explore the wonders of the city. The architecture had once been grand, the artisans of the community clearly possessing a skill lacking in her modern world. She doubted human kind could ever recreate the same beauty. However, for now, she was not sightseeing, but trying to save lives.

Her height above the center of the city allowed her to quickly pick out Eien, the light from his Exorcists Fire, as well as Ohitsuji being nearly unmistakable. She flew in their direction as fast as she could, something that would only take her moments.

---

Eien had managed to collect himself, the sensations passing as quickly as they had came. But when he looked up, he went ghostly pale. Kimlee stood in front of him, not as a person, but as a ghost. He was unsure of how to react, beginning to speak but the words catching repeatedly in his mouth.

She raised her hand, "Now isn't the time to deal with this. We need to collect everyone and get everyone to safety."

Eien said nothing and complied, indicating for Saibrah to follow suit.

"Eien!" Saibrah shrieked, almost extinguishing the Pyroclastic Torrent in his right hand to offer to the boy. He withdrew as Eien recovered but didn't pry any further; Saibrah had expected it would only be a matter of time until the mist and whatever foul magic accompanied it would start affecting the two. "What was it? What's troubling yo-"

He found himself stammering the last of his worries as he was met face to face with the spectral image of Kimlee. Immediately he suspected it was a cheap trick of the mist's, and raised one hand to attempt to banish it with the spell he'd been charging, but was stopped when she spoke. It was definitely Kimlee, or at least her essence, and she hadn't come to twist their minds into agony. Most of his trepidation evaporated as Eien complied with the ethereal projection of his own sister.

Mind still racing and full of questions, Saibrah couldn't find the capacity for words, a problem he wasn't quite used to having. With a sigh as he untensed his body, Saibrah quelled his anxiety and followed the two deeper into the mist.

Hurrying past Rook, Night quickly put a firm grip on Samuel's shoulder as the trainer reassured his worried Lancelot. The man had shown great courage in the very face of evil and madness, Night was surprised Samuel had been able to recover so quickly from such an ordeal. Night couldn't help but feel guilty, knowing that it was his quest that had brought them all here, his request that they all come with him to face this evil, this danger. Hoping to spare Samuel further torment, and possibly protect Rook from whatever evils lied ahead, Night decided to take the lead. "Dude... There are seriously foul magics inhabiting this place, I'm sorry you had to go through that. Let me take it from here."

Using the same hand that had been on Samuel's shoulder, Night projected a bright, focused beam of light ahead of the group into the mist. The spell would act like a search light piercing into the mist out from the circular aura of light Samuel's Lancelot was already projecting. It shined directly onto the large gate in front of them that blocked their entry to the next room, though the massive jet black walls around it also did a good job of preventing them from circumventing the door altogether. As Night walked up to the gate, he was obviously apprehensive towards it, the possibility of it being cursed with more evil spells being pretty apparent. The hand not casting the beam of light towards the door unconsciously began to reach backwards to take off his back pack... Before Night realized what he was doing and stopped himself. The objects in his pack were both evil in their own ways, and Night didn't know how the mist, and more importantly, Rebena itself, would react to them if exposed.

Reaching instead into his right pocket, Night quickly summoned Discus, his Flabara. The massive twenty foot long snake was to Night's (And the others of his party due to its length) right, it's mobility and agile nature might be of some use in this environment, where a Kaiguard's slow movement was useless and a Frallion's one-directly speed burst was dangerous. If necessary, the snake could spring its massive muscles forward it one great push to smash open the gate, if required, though as Night walked up to it he hoped this was not the case.

"Any ideas on how to open this thing?" Night asked Rook and Samuel, as he used his handy searchlight to comb the wall for any sort of handle or key hole.

The Gate - Kimlee & Eien

Kimlee brought Eien and Saibrah to the Gate, having quickly found them in the mist.

"There is an Elbedin approaching. It looks strong," the spectral form of Kimlee said, able to see clearly through the mist. Eien nodded, quickly inscribing a chalk line on the ground between the first gate. A brilliant wall of light would erupt upwards from it, a wall he could sustain for awhile. The white light from his Exorcist's Fire casting an intimidating Light, daring the ghost to even try to come forward. Eien was more than capable of holding it off for a fair while, and had a number of other tricks in his book should the ghost try anything too bold. This would give the others time to figure out the gate - or time for reinforcements to arrive. Kimlee had disappeared quickly, off to collect Song Chyou and Itsuki and bring them to the gate as well.

The gate itself was a conundrum in itself. It was clearly crafted with a pitch black stone, but the gate itself was no longer black, but stained a crimson hue. While normally malicious looking, there was something strangely peaceful about the gate - something emanating from the other side. To the right of the gate's doors was a spot of pure darkness, a small hand sized slot carved carefully into the stone. The edges around it was the reddest of the black stone.

It would take Kimlee but a moment to find Song Chyou and Itsuki, the two being relatively easy to pick out in the area given her new ghostly abilities and Song Chyou's rather ornate and bold garb. Once upon them, she'd speak quickly, "We really need to get going. Some things have happened and the others need help. Follow me." She hoped they wouldn't question anything too much, as time was off the essence. They needed to cross the threshold of that gate and do so quickly.

The mists of Rabena haunted Chyou. Terror, sadness, doubt... all emotions Chyou had learned to suppress rose to the surface in waves of apprehension. This effect made it seem as though Itsuki and Chyou had been walking for days, but Chyou knew that it had only been a few hours. Just as she turned to consult with Itsuki, the mirage of Kimlee appeared before them.

A tear fell down her face, the feeling of overwhelming grief filling her heart at the sight of Kimlee's ethereal form. While Chyou knew separation of the soul from the mortal form was possible with Gishiki, Kimlee had not been trained in the spirit arts. If her soul had been separated... that could only mean death. With lines of tears falling down her cheeks, Chyou responded to Kimlee quickly with a shaken tone; 'Lead us then. Time is of the essence.'

The sight of Kimlee’s spectral form came as a shock to Itsuki, who had already been tormented by visions from the strange mist that occupied Rebena. His initial reaction was just to break down crying - though he knew that death was part of the cycle, and it couldn’t be avoided, he would have done almost anything to stop Kimlee from having died in this place - so soon after she had been found and revived? He knew that Eien would be devastated as soon as he had time to fully process the situation - but the damned mist had begun to dull all of their sense of reason and he doubted that any of them could truly process what was happening. He imagined that, to Kimlee, it felt much like a dream that she desperately wanted to wake up from.

As she called for Chyou and Itsuki to help, he simply nodded, and resolved to get on with the task as best as possible given the circumstances. The more death that could be prevented now, the better. That was all that could be done.

”We’ll revive you, Kimlee. Somehow.” Itsuki added, nodding and gathering his resolve as much as he could. Despair was still at the forefront of his mind, and the mist was still dragging him down into the darker part of the psyche - but for Kimlee, and for everyone, he would press on. Chyou was right.

For Axel

While the library's of Nerta often housed books expanding the knowledge base of the world, they also contained an eclectic few that could very well be classified as the exact opposite. Mostly these were research notes of people long dead - tomes the library's had collected over the years as donations from family members. It was common practice for such things to happen when a family member died off, unless the book was of great importance to the family; those books were the true treasures with information from times long thought to be myths. However, clues to these truths could be found elsewhere, as few secrets had only one keeper.

It was a common leather bound notebook, from a researcher probably not any more than five years in the ground. There were tons of maps, especially of the areas North of Lifan. It was clear the man had spent much of his time outdoors. There were many notes on various herbs that could be found in the frozen areas and sketches of various artifacts he had found, mostly of stones with some kinds of inscriptions up on them. One seemed to be of particular importance, repeated over a dozen pages in various specificity. It was a circular inscription, with symbols of lost meaning. Below the final, largest, and most detailed sketch of this seal was the following:

W5mR->N1m

---Axel's Great Adventure---

The frigid wind mercilessly battered against Axel as he and his natrelmon trekked through the Tundra. The cold and snow did their best to halt his advance, yet to no avail. Shrugging off snow that built up on the hood and shoulders of his cloak every so often, Axel continued towards his destination.

Bovent was in the rear, carrying all of his supplies. Yosoku was on point, easily creating a trail, it's massive form not even slowed by the layers of ice and snow. Chu stayed beside Axel as he trudged on, both keeping their cloaks wrapped tightly. As he walked, Axel couldn't help but think on how he ended up here. It all began with a book.

Ever since Axel had began his journey to complete his Rites, he made sure to keep up in his studies, both of the body and the mind. After a day of intense physical training, he would settle in the library of whatever town he was in and browse through stock. He just happened to be in Relin's library, after meeting a contact to procure the rest of the money he had saved up from his mercenary days. A single leather bound journal caught his eye. It appeared to be a notebook of a researcher, and according to the dates, was not that old. It mapped many areas, most North of Lifan. The most interesting part of it was an inscription that was mentioned and drawn out several times throughout the book. The last and largest sketch also included some sort of code.

W5mR->N1m

After seeing that most of the maps were North of Lifan, it was simple to conclude that the code meant "5 Miles West of Relin, 1 mile North." The years of studying with the archmage had molded his mind to be able to solve simple puzzles with ease. A quick word to the librarian informed him that he was the first seen reading the book. With a surge of energy, Axel decided it would be an adventure to find whatever was mentioned in this book. After all, it could prove valuable or useful.

They were about a mile north and 4.5 miles west of Relin at this point and coming up on their destination. To keep himself entertained and less focused on the cold, Axel practices rudimentary electromancy by simply passing small bolts of electricity between his fingertips. One of the first magics he had been allowed to do. It involved very little concentration, and simply forcing electrical energy to escape from one finger, and willing the other to conduct it.

"Not far now till we see where that clue leads us.." He thought, tightening his cloak.

Near Relin

The winter storms had ravaged the area around Relin for centuries, destroying all but the hardiest of plants - plants that had been graced with some abnormal luck, sparing them from the destruction the winters typically brought. Coupled with the strong sea winds, the frigid air ate through most clothing. The Relinians prided themselves on crafting the warmest coats, mostly which was out of necessity. The temperatures in the area could easily drop in the negatives with the often dead of winter bringing the coldest of days, days where -70 below zero would span weeks at a time and bury the area in snow once again. It was, also, at this time, that a festival celebrating Seiryu would be held in Lifan, bringing people from all around the lands, much like the other seasonal festivals.

The area Axel was at was no different from the rest. The snow covered the area in a thick, white blanket. Plants were nowhere to be seen and the cover from the ravages of the winter air was nowhere to be found. It was not unusual for those unprepared for the trials of the Relinian winter to be found dead later in the spring, entombed in a grave of ice and snow. Pitied, those people were, as foolishness has brought them their fate.

Axel Near Relin

After about 20 minutes, Axel arrived to the location the journal had pointed. It was a barren wasteland of snow and ice.

"Alright, Yosoko, Chu, let's search around here a bit." announced Axel, yelling slightly to be heard over the wind, although all Yosoku needed was a thought.

"I've came this far, might as well search a bit. I can try the inscription if my search proves futile. After all, I can always Teleport back to town if it takes to long." Thought Axel, as he began to dig the surrounding area.

Near Relin

The ground was tough, coated in a deep permeating froze. So permeating that it had long ago been dubbed permafrost. Any attempt to dig would be slow, tedious, and near impossible for a singular individual. Even that, the ground seemed just that - ground. There was nothing truly unique about the earth he was moving (or more accurately attempting to move). It was normal soil, but it was, according to the directions the right location.

The wind was clearly beginning to pick up though, snow blasting Axel's face with increased vigor. It would be hard to stay out in the weather too long, a storm clearly on the horizon.