[IC] Descended I: Fires of change

[Rai]

There once was a floating kingdom. Held up high within the grip of a sovereign lord.

(1:00 PM)
He exhaled a spell of silence, conspiring amongst the shadows singled out by the glorious light of the sun. A hood pulled over his head, he along with a few dozen others stood amongst a crowd of other Descendants. There were five amongst them, all shrouded within average clothing and their motives were undetectable to the average onlooker. Silence absorbed the loud sounds of merriment within the castle walls for him. The people of various races, Ascended and few dragons were interacting in various ways. It was as if a spell of joy filled the air as water spouted from fountains in various colors caused by light and followed by fast paced spiritual music of flutes, drums, strums of light wires and singing from an unseen source. Voices of women singing poetry with a passionate echo that softened stone and hardened minds alike. Much like a spell their song began to beat with a slow rhythm. Commanding attention from the happy folk. They watched the water from the center fountain move from one side to another in a slow motion to the beat of a slow drum. Flowing into the form of a circle a light shined from center and made a loud crashing sound as light emitted from the center as small floating particles visibly comparative to dust. Another crashing sound echoed, this one more prominent to the roll of thunder. A bright ball of light escaped the water's center and streamed into the sky above. The water evaporated into mist that infused with the shimmer of light from the sun. The mass of light grew the higher it went until it was a mass of light ever changing like fresh mist. The light twisted until a silhouette of an angel emerged from it's abstract structure. It descended slowly, the large white wings gently compressing together in a elegant flow against the wind, spreading the glowing mist amongst the people below. It's face was visible, and it's clothing as well. White cloths flowing in the wind as light as air itself compressed against its skin which shimmered as bright as a window veil in the sunlight. White hair flowing like water down the bust of the being and a warm and inviting smile sitting on its face, eyes bright and golden like the gates behind it.

Welcome one and all to the return of your true king. The one we know as God. The father of us all. I am Helios, Third son of Mana. Ancestor to children of Mana.

Many faces were in awe but only few were able to understand the weight of time that was compressed into this one moment. The steps of the beginning collide with the now. A beacon is emitted from a device held by one shrouded in mystery. A red glow hums from the device and is joined by several more as the conspirers within the crowd begin to unfold their plans with a unified signal. Photos are taken by many while others fall to their knees in overwhelming emotion. The being Helios raises his hands and uplifts the crowd with embracing cheers. "The end of your pain and heart ache is soon to pass. For many are against us, they will not prosper." His voice was almost like the music echoing from the fountain. Many others would enter the festivities as drinks and food were plentiful. Those of different groups would lay interest in this gathering.

---

Within the Kingdom of Fotia a speech similar to that of the deity was being spoken. The square under looking the balcony King Magnixx stood on was filled with members of Fotia's nation. All looked up as he spoke into a microphone set in stone before him. His voice was calm and firm. He commanded attention and looks that didn't fit just a mere King, many looked to him as a God King. Many believed his skill in battle and wars was matched by none alive and prophecy long ago told a tale of a man such as him. He looked closely seraphin, a mostly reptilian body he did not have. However he retained their key strengths, which was visibly so to the observant onlooker. He adamantly looked out at the horizon's sun that relentlessly pierced his eyes, causing shimmer identical to that of a rare stone. A brow quivered and lowered. His face grew adamant as he looked down onto his people with a somber tone. Storm clouds washed over their kingdom like bats in the night, bringing a wind the howled and whirled the King's hair into a fixed frenzy. He watched his people's expressions and confusion. He wanted to trust them, all of them.. but he couldn't risk the fate of his work failing. He sought to council with elders before, none could change his view point. There was much the world of Descendants did not know about their Seraphin lord, many secrets were buried with the dead and missing ancestors. Only a select few know of the truth behind the lies. He lowered his fist to his side as the winds and clouds were just before the sun's gaze.

"Today my people will know their seat is held on high by their true King."

He breathed in a fresh breeze caught up in the storm's migration, igniting his body like fire. Raising both hands, palms facing to the floor, before him. Within a blink of an eye his sheathed weapon was within his grasp. The air moved in respect to flow the appearance of the ancient blade and it's size. He unsheathed the blade with his left hand and held the hilt with his right. He raised it above his head, blade facing the heavens as he himself did. Eyes now hued with grey. He watched as the cloud's bellies began to ignite with a flash of light. He watched it as a hawk would it's prey. Loud booms, like the crashing of live artillery rounds fired by the will of a final assault. A cry could be heard escaping the skies followed by a stream of lightning, flashing it's presence before them all. However the lightning remained generating in small presence imbued on the blade of Magnixx. Another rolling cry evoked the stream once again to strike the blade. Then again without warning. Each stream made the blade grow brighter and brighter with a blue electric glow, giving a low hum that grew louder and louder. With teeth clinched the King held his arm up high as the strikes challenged his strength, only to lose. His eyes looked over the horizon once more, in view was something more than the fading sun. But the Kingdom of the sky.

"I will tear them down from our heavens... As they did my father."
(1:30 PM)

[Lugia]

It's already just about noon, and I finally manage to get up. The first thing I notice is that, just like the last five nights, I was still at my research desk located in the basement of my house. I looked down at the thing I was working on... it was supposed to allow someone to temporarily pass through walls thanks to a portal, obviously, created by the machine. Of course, none of this worked. I worked on just getting the portal to work properly for more than a week, basically non-stop, but just like my other inventions, so far, this has proven to be yet another dud. The machine, in the form of a ray gun as usual, looked pretty neat. It was actually much smaller than my usual ray guns, and was mostly a chrome color, which can be attributed to me not painting the thing yet. The handle on the device was some sort of rubber or plastic, the same material that now covers the laser gun that serves as the hilt of my sword. The desk was a complete mess, as usual, and had strewn bolts, circuit boards, springs, and various other things littering it... that's not even mentioning the saliva that covered the top of it thanks to the fact that I slept here. Huh, maybe Aurum was right, I really shouldn't have bought a bed... I mean, I never use the thing. I think as I finally get up from the cold, black, metal chair. I remember the tinfoil hat on my head, and look around for my weird-looking green hat. I end up finding it in the middle drawer of a filing cabinet... one that I don't even remember getting, which was weird, because it had a lot of my stuff in it, somehow, the least of which was my hat. For some reason, this mysterious cabinet held several things that reminded me of when I still lived with my parents, including pictures, a couple old school uniforms, and the three inventions I made before I found a way around the brainwashing bubble. I shrugged, and decided to keep those things there before heading upstairs, and accidentally greeting the area where my parents would have been... immediately smacking my own forehead after remembering that I'm in my own place now.

I've had my own place for one week and I still do stupid things like that. I would have made sure that I had my goggles on, but, since I was working on the dimensional ray, I still had them on from last night, so, I didn't need to bother with finding them. I did need to bother with showering before I left, after all, it's been a week, and I'm pretty sure if I take a step outside at this point, it would be considered biological warfare against Vrondi, or something. Sure, it would be difficult for them to actually make fun of me, thanks to the bubble, but I still didn't want to possibly incur the wrath of... wait, who was in charge again? Some sort of fire dragon, or something? Whoever it was could probably tear me to pieces if he tried... well, that, and my scales were kinda losing their shine, which was never a good sign of health for a scale-covered Bleek. After my shower, and putting my clothes back on (or, rather, the same hat, but merely an identical jacket and pants) I head back to the door, finally ready to go, I pick up the small brown backpack that held all of my stuff, and headed out the door. I was going to see just how much I could actually get for these old devices. The fact that they were no use to me, and eventually, I'd have some bills to pay made the choice to sell my old inventions much easier. Once outside, I got the usual laugh, chuckle, and occasional pointing child that I usually did thanks to the weird way I dressed, and I honestly didn't mind it. Sure, they probably think I'm stupid, and would point out tiny things such as how I dress, or how my inventions never work, or maybe even the fact that I don't spend all my time studying Ascension like the rest of the Bleeks do. Ever since I removed the cloth that covered my wings' natural color, and the contacts that hid my natural eye color, I've been singled out for being a 'half-breed' or a 'mutt' by some of the meaner citizens, but, I ignored all of that as I walked over to the nearest pawn shop... the only place that might have a chance of buying my things, and only then I'd have to really convince the shop that this stuff isn't COMPLETELY broken, and that it CAN be useful to someone, in some way, shape, or form... yeah, it was a long shot.

As soon as I entered the shop, I took off my backpack, and looked around for an employee who wasn't busy at the time. As I stood there, waiting, I tried to figure out which of the five or so employees that dealt with customers was the easiest to sell to. I couldn't come up with any answers, as they all seemed kinda strict, unfortunately for me. One of them, an elderly descendant who appeared mostly Seraphin, yet had white scales on the front of his arms, finally noticed me standing there, and had enough free time to deal with me. I smiled as I took out the junk, and he asked me, sounding somewhat annoyed "So, are you selling, or pawning this garbage?" with that, my hopes of getting anything for this stuff were dashed. "I'm selling, sir." I calmly said to the man, who laughed as if I told him a joke, and eventually managed to say "I'm sorry but we don't take trash." He then added, having calmed down somewhat "If you're not going to buy anything, and that's what you were planning to sell, then you should leave." with that, I picked up my bag of junk and headed back out into the world. Well, that didn't work out like I hoped it would... hey, at least I didn't make a scene, or something. Who knows, maybe someday I'll make something that's worth something. I thought as I looked around at the streets, joking to myself somewhat. The streets seemed a lot emptier than they usually are, for some reason which I couldn't really think of, and, of course, whenever I asked if something was happening, nobody would answer, with the general populace generally preferring to pretend I don't exist when I talk to them. I was then left to wonder what could be going on that would drive others away from here, after all, to most of us, this was a paradise... of course, I still like it here in Vrondi, but mainly for the sunny and warm weather rather than the buildings or the population.

[KaBling]

...

...

...

"Get up, Brace." I assumed that was just a part of my dream. "GET UP YOU FRICKIN' IDIOT!"

"Shut up." I answered to the particularly rude voice, with no sharp tones used. I let one eye open, but otherwise the rest of my body was still dead in its black office chair. "Can't you see I'm..."

"Busy? I think you'd be busier finishing this." I heard something slam onto my desk, or rather slapped it; a folder appeared on the top of my books of any genre, with several sheets of paper sticking out.

"What this?" I grunted, preferring to not talk and trying to signal it through my tone.

"Warehouse on the tenth district." I rubbed my eyes with my scaly fingers, getting all the sand and grit by digging them free.

"I don't mean that. Your new folders are getting annoying, you kno-"

"You're gonna draft up plans for us to enter the building safely and quickly, or five people will die today. We've got two regiments of firefighters on stand-by, but all they can do is contain the spread of fire."

I sighed rather silently as the chief left. I reached out for the gritty and brown folder, adjusting my legs and posture so that I wouldn't break them upon grabbing it. "Five people..." I repeated, flicking the file's cover and pulling out a sheet. Let's see... ees s'tel- cut it out. I'm trying work to work. I didn't talk about this ages ago, I won't be talking about this now. Stairs will be out of action, action, action... we'll ned twenty-thousand ladders... I grabbed my pencil as I spied the files, taking a rubber with me as well. Normally, I'd take a ruler with me to straighten out my plans, but there was little time for professionalism. I marked the two ladders on the contrasting sheets, with black plans and white space. (There were 7 sheets; one to show the sides, the top and lastly an isometric view of the building from two opposite sides.) Path teh firefights will take, assumin' this be thy void of flamethrowers. I scribbled a path from the entrance to the second floor where everyone was located. Upon noticing a mistake - which involved pulling every firefighter into the most dangerous room in the warehouse - I scrambled for my rubber and rubbed hard against the paper. It got creased and I swore there was a slight rip, but I didn't mind. After all, didn't want to be implicated for homicide, and I certainly didn't want to plead to insanity. NEED- NEED- I'll need a fire extinguisher fire to extinguish the windows to create a safehouse safe- SAFE exit for the firefighters-

"SURPRISE!" Suddenly, my view was filled with confetti as it laid itself on everything in my room. I was thankful I didn't have an episode over it. "Happy birthday! How did you forget?" The chief asked in his giant voice, bulging eyes staring at me. I couldn't tell whether he was going to kill me, or kill me hugging me. I mean, it was already scary to see how he was free of any scales (aside from his draconic tail, but you get the point).

"Oh... er..." I'll be honest; I preferred celebrating birthdays by myself. How they got my date was a mystery...

"Hey, Brace! Catch!" I turned in my seat to a rather fat lady. Her clothes barely fitted her, but we were all kind enough to not point that out. I managed to catch in one hand a... little firetruck toy.

"Just to celebrate your first year here! And your birthday too!" She said gleefully, giggling as she left.

"Huh. Thanks." I personally thought it was rather cute, holding it in front of my eyes as I leaned on my office chair. I placed it by my empty mug on my already-cluttered desk.

"Brace, you've done good." The chief praised me for some reason, lowering his eyes to the point where they looked calm. "Over 350 plans made, and not a single firefighter lost. Assuming we don't count body parts - but hey - nobody expected that decommissioned boiler to explode."

I smiled, although it soon faded (forcefully) when he mentioned the horrific Boiler Incident. It wasn't their fault; it was mine. A week into my job, I began hands-on. What happened next in that building... I may have deliberately let a fire spread to the boiler. Two men lost their arms, while another was blinded.

"That truck... that's not just a little toy." He continued, coming up close to my desk. "It's a sign of respect. Over a century old, that thing." I could see his point; the thing was rusting slightly, and its paint was flaking on several sides. "Our first chief always handed that down to the most respected of firefighters. My God... he was a hero." He began breaking up. Tears were forming, but he just attempted to rub them away to maintain his attitude. "Saved so many men and women and died for it..."

"Um... that's... really brave of your grandfather." I tried comforting him, wanting help from the half-a-dozen people celebrating my birthday.

"Yeah... I guess, he didn't just die. He left a legacy."

"I'm sure he didn't die in vain. Because, now you're chief, and you've got us."

[Riddles]

Noxxus made his way down the street, running his hand along the sides of the buildings to guide himself. It was pretty early, so besides the occasional sound of footsteps, there wasn't a lot of people outside yet. That was the only reason Noxxus woke up this early. The less people to run into, the better.
Once he was starting to get close to the store, he heard someone walking towards him. "Hey." It was Lara, his assistant. She got there before him, as usual. "Oric and Blyte aren't here yet."
"No surprise there." He said. They usually took a while to arrive. It wasn't a huge issue, though, since they still get there before there are a lot of customers. He handed the keys to Lara. She would have a lot less trouble unlocking the door than he would.

Noxxus heard a soft buzzing sound as Lara turned on the lights. They both went behind the counter in case any customers came in before Oric and Blyte showed up. Fifteen minutes passed, and there was still no sign of them. Lara sighed. "Why did you hire those two in the first place? Were a couple of idiot teenagers really the best candidates?"
"Believe it or not, they were." Noxxus said. "It was hard finding people who were willing to work here."
Just then, he heard loud music coming from a car driving by outside. Moments later, Oric and Blyte came through the door.
Lara seemed angry at them. "You're late again."
"Only fifteen minutes. It's not that much."
"Well, you come in fifteen minutes late every day. If you add it up, that's-"
Noxxus decided to interrupt. "I'll handle this, Lara."
Lara didn't say anything else. She just left the room.
"I've given you two plently of warnings. How many times is this going to repeat?"
"You're not firing us, are you?" Oric said.
"Not yet. I'm giving you one more chance. This is your last warning."
He then went into his office, leaving the two alone. He could hear Blyte talking as he left the room. "He's told us that a million times. He won't fire us."

Lara was in there, shuffling some papers around."There was a bit of a delay on that fungus you ordered last week. You'll have to wait two more days for it to come in." She put the papers down for a moment. "Please tell me you did something about them."
"I told them this was their last chance."
"Their 'last chance' was three months ago. Fire one of them, at least."
"I will, if they're late again tomorrow."
"Alright." She was about to leave the room, but peeked back in for a second. "If you don't, then I'm leaving."
Noxxus sat down at his desk. He had a decision to make. He couldn't let Lara go. That meant it had to be one of the boys, or both if the other one doesn't get the message.

[Rai]

The people of Fotia that watched their King's actions, many a soldier under his ranks, were silent. What were once before loud and rambunctious warriors were sheepish. They trusted their king with their lives, but just what was he doing exactly? Only the King's closest warriors were made aware of the event today, which was planned from the very arrival of the Sky Kingdom a year ago. When the Kingdom arrived everyone in the world was shaken by the power of the Seraphin when he ripped the massive rock out of the earth to form it. So much so the mightiest Dragons of the territory were cautiously pushed back and collided with several provinces. This caused the loss of many soldiers to combat these behemoths. Once this had occurred Magnixx gave into his hatred for the Seraphin and plotted. Even still the Queens and Kings of Protogonos did not join his cause directly, but retained trade and political collaboration.

Fencing with lightning tolled onward and the blade the King wielded was brightly imbued with the vivid white colors of pure electricity. Before him, in the distance, came soaring a machine that was circular and hollow. The machine was propelled by three rockets, effectively moving its attached joints to angle the machine's position. Stopping midair in front of Magnixx the machine's hollow center evoked a bright red light that emitted glowing particles. With a hurl his blade was thrown through the center of the machine and vanished. This concerned the people, as they were even more confused than he was. But as they began to talk amongst themselves for feedback their Lord looked down on them adamantly, and walked forward. The machine lowered to the end of the balcony Magnixx stood on and hummed loudly with a second of silence between each hum. He stepped into the light of the machine and vanished just as his weapon did, leaving his people in awe and confusion.
(1:40PM)

The visitors of their new home the Sky Kingdom were happy, but a bit confused. A young girl, mostly seraphin (human) looking but with horns and a tail looked up at Helios with bright blue eyes. "Excuse me, Mr. Helios. But when can we be allowed inside?" She was cute, and sweet. Causing the entire crowd to uproar in laughter. But Helios did not laugh. He looked down at the girl, still smiling as his feet touched the same ground as the others. "There are negatives amongst you all that must be weeded out. The Lord will not accept conspirers." As he spoke the ones shrouded in mystery within the mass of creatures, who were once separated, stood together a thin layer of people before them and Helios. They all held in their hands a long curved object. They knelt down gently and leaped forward into a roll. They burst out of the crowd before Helios and behind the little girl. They stop just in front of the girl and placed the curved objects together to form a circular device. It emitted a bright red, familiar glow. The girl looked in shock as the bright light washed over her, then in horror. Helios looked down in confusion as the blade of Magnixx was buried deep within his body, so much so it went through him. A powerful jolt of electricity surged through Helios's body, forcing him to collapse to his knees. He did not bleed, instead a bright flame gently escaped his wounds and spilled onto the ground like lava. Helios did not cry out in pain, instead he looked quizzical. Who could, or would dare, try to harm one of God's very children?

He looked up to see Magnixx towering over him, a shadow he casted similar to the one the roaring storm was to bring to the lands below the kingdom. "You are mine." Magnixx grasped the hilt of the blade and with that the blade began to glow and Helios's body began to light up like fire, his skin peeling away and burning up like ash. The fire began to spread onto the blade, effectively absorbing Helios's body. Helios began to scream in terrible agony, he attempted to grip the blade but as his hands were just flames it only conjoined the flames of the blade into him. Soon enough the blade was lit on fire and Helios's body, which once had a form as smooth as silk, was nothing more than a dangerous flame on Magnixx's sword.

"And with this.. I light the flames of war."

Magnixx slams the blade into the ground below him. The fire on the blade seeps into the earth, making the blade return to normal. The people behind Magnixx all were standing in awe and confusion. Their natural reactions were cut off by the spell of joy meant to keep all safe. But Magnixx, and his operatives were immune for some reason. The little girl behind the portal fell to the floor incapacitated by fear and joy's struggle in her mind. Magnixx looked at his subordinates who stood ready, before grasping his sword's hilt. This caused, almost immediately, the ground below everyone to quake. Soon flames began to erupt from below in random locations like geysers, reaching several yards into the sky. This caused everyone within the kingdom to run from simple common sense. Magnixx watched the golden gates of the Seraphin's Kingdom. "Where is he..?"

The Kingdom's destruction could be seen by all nations below. Soon after the rocks of the Kingdom began to crumble and lower the mass of land into the sea mountains below with a loud earth shattering crash. All knew the end of that Kingdom, that sanctuary in the sky, marked the beginning of something more. All reactions could vary, but Magnixx knew he won a battle today, and his victory could and would be perceived as a win for all Descendants. He sat on his throne and met with a council of mystic elders, wise, but lacked the versatility to change. "My actions are not against the Seraphin himself, but his message. He wishes to watch over us like an elder does a child. But how long until he then decides to enslave us, use us. Those of us who do not agree with his ways get in his way. Do you not see?" As time passed he looked out into the sky to see where once the kingdom stood, assuring it stood no more. (11:00pm)

[Lugia]

I catch a glimpse of something on the television that the pawn shop owner left near the window for customers to watch. It was the news, and the biggest story? Some sort of seraphin, apparently pure-blooded, came down to Fotia and explained how he's going to just suddenly rule over all of us. What the heck is this? I don't need someone who just came outta nowhere telling me how to live my life! I JUST found a way out of that trap of a bubble, and now this!? Sure, there's war, but wherever there are different varieties of intelligent creatures, there's sure to BE war. I think as I continue watching, my eyes now glued to the screen where the seraphin continued on adding "For many are against us, they will not prosper." Great, AND the 'true king' is going to be a totalitarian. At least Vrondi's leader, whoever that is, is lax about controlling the city and all of its inhabitants. I continued in my own head upon hearing the seraphin continue on, calling himself 'God'... feh, like we needed religion in control. Of course, chaos appeared to ensue, with a huge battle commencing between Magnixx, who looked even angrier than he did in most of his pictures, and some other seraphin, eventually ending in the seraphin's demise, or, rather, the seraphin's absorption into Magnixx's blade... of course, Magnixx didn't stop there, no, he went into the sky kingdom, and literally destroyed the place. At that, I had to look up, just to make absolute sure that nothing was going to fall on my head. Thankfully, nothing did, or even came close to doing so. Magnixx... he's on the same side of this as me. I just hope I don't have to denounce my Bleek heritage to be accepted into his ranks... wait... was I really thinking of joining the military? I chuckled at the thought, and continued with another Well, I sure look like a Bleek, but I sure think like a Sajukai. I then think about it for a second, and try to think about how to best enter the city... of course, this was made easier by the fact that I, unlike Magnixx, don't look much like a seraphin, which is whom he just declared war against... huh...

I ended up trying to fly my way there, though, I didn't even come close to making it all the way there due to my lack of flight training. I ended up landing right where the forest that surrounded Vrondi ends, and where a wasteland began. The ground was tough and unforgiving, but thankfully rather warm as well. If I was to make it all the way to Fotia, I had to get used to the ground, however painful to my feet it may be. I can do this... too bad my wings are too tired for me to fly any more, though. I think as I continue on my journey to Fotia, unfortunately, I may have come a little unprepared for a long run, as I only had my broken inventions on my back, giving me yet another reason why I couldn't rest right now. I could, however, take off my hats and goggles, which I did, placing them inside my backpack and probably getting them lost in there, and obviously getting them mixed in with the various, random ray guns that I kept in there. After a few hours of walking, I started to get hungry, but given that I didn't take any food with me, I had to simply ignore that urge and continue on, working through the pain. By the time I finally got to Fotia, I sure didn't look as though I was in any condition to join an army, let alone one who was to take on the original, the elder, the one who would control us, control our thoughts, our successes and our failures, and probably even end up controlling who we spend a good portion of our lives with, maybe even arranging the seraphins to be considered 'desirable' with us dragonlike descendants becoming undesirable... who knows, with the power he craves, he'd probably destroy whatever dragons are left, and write them out of history by calling them myths, or something. Just as I've failed on my own, and have learned from these failures, so too must the rest of us. If we aren't allowed to fail, how will we learn? I then think as I look around the city, tired but still going and still dedicated to finding Magnixx and joining his side... but, first, I'd need a sandwich or something. Unfortunately, I didn't locate any kind of food store nearby, though, I was finally here... I just needed something to eat.

[Riddles]

"Boss! Come outside. There's something you've got to see."
Noxxus sighed. Blyte had just came into his office and broke his train of thought. This had better be important. "I won't be able to see anything, Blyte."
"You'll hear it once it hits the ground. Come on!"
Whatever it was, he seemed excited about it. As Noxxus made his way through the store, he could hear Lara and Oric's voices outside, mixed with the voices of many others.

Just as he exited the store, there was the sound of something crashing to the ground. He could tell it was far away, but whatever it was was large enough to shake the ground beneath them. What was going on?
Lara apparently noticed Noxxus' confusion, because she felt the need to explain. "That floating island up in the sky just came crashing down. I don't know why, though."
"Isn't it obvious?" Blyte said. "I mean, that guy came out of nowhere and decided he wanted to rule over us. I'd be willing to bet it was Magnixx who finally did something about it."
"Whoever it was needs to control himself, if you ask me. Didn't he consider everyone else that was up there?"
"Lara, anybody who supported that guy deserves to go down with him."
"They were innocent people! Hell, some of them were children!"
"They weren't innocent! Come on, Oric, back me up."
Oric started to panic. "Umm...I'm...actually on Lara's side here."
"What!? You really agree with HER!?"
Noxxus decided that now would be a good time to interrupt. "Alright, everyone get back inside!"
He tried to keep his workers seperated for now. Oric was running the front counter, Blyte was in the back keeping track of the things they had in storage, and Lara was assisting Noxxus in his office.

"You know we need to do something about this." Lara said. "I don't agree with what that seraphin, either, but what happened out there was way over the line. You agree with me, right?"
"I just need to get some work done. It's been a long day so far."
"You can't just remain neutral all the time. I don't know what side you're on, but you need to choose one eventually. Just...consider what I said, all right?"
Noxxus sighed. He didn't know which side he was on, yet. Thankfully, Lara didn't pressure him any more after this.

[KaBling]

I don't know why. I think I let the narration slip from me to our chief.

Interesting fact; the name 'Garrison' has only been used several times. It's usually because people require my actual name to wake me up from my delusional dreams. I watched as people started leaving one by one, from eating too much cake to slipping on confetti. Suddenly my usually atmospheric room became a kid's dream. I left my slice of cake alone, sliding it to the edge of my... well, I had to clean up my desk, because bright streams of paper were covering it. I sighed a bit, resting my face on my hand. When just four people remained (me, the chief, the janitor and a firefighter), the janitor left and came back with a vacuum in his hand. We all knew he was depressed with his job, but what could we do? Change his life around? I could reflect on this, but I've already done this numerous times.

"Yo, Garry..." Good lord. Another nickname. I turned my head upwards to see the chief busily making a mess of himself. He was getting drunk, had cake smudged on his topless chest, and didn't look so well; he vomited on the janitor. "I just wanna say... happy... b-day... b-day? That's a very offensive word, y'know?" I rolled my eyes. This wasn't the first time he was drunk. In fact, he was a 'closeted alcoholic.' As in, he drinks a lot, just not in public. Well, except for this case; he drinks during festivities and such. "G-g... my good fellow... oh man, am I starting to reel my head in..." I gestured at the janitor to stop the chief from humiliating himself. Within seconds he came running over and began dragging the chief out of my unrecognisable office, pulling him through the rather narrow doorway.

"Ergh." I slumped in my seat. Bright paper blinded me. Chief's vomit didn't smell very nice. A bit of blood covered a wall, which resulted from someone messing up a somersault... "Is this really my future? This place is more dangerous than me." I didn't think that, because it would come out as this: 'IZ DIZ REALLY ME FUTURE!?!?!? THIS PLACE IS A HELL-HOLE.'

So, I turned my seat and faced a corner of my room, before brushing around some papers to bring out a small, black tile. It's also known as a remote.

And then, that thing impact the ground as hard as my jaw. "My lord." Normally, seeing fire on screen would probably trigger an episode. Thankfully, I put in the far corner of my office so the quality would be so bad, that I wouldn't even notice. Very well at least.

Heck, it wasn't even a fire. Just a kingdom coming to us... I wish the others weren't either drunk or injured to see the damage being caused.

[Rai]

No fire can harm the halls of the Kingdom of Fotia.

With the destruction of the castle in the sky the Kingdom of Fotia was at a eerie rest. When it came to matters of war and battle the Fotia army relies of quick decisive battles. Sneaking was the weapon of the Nero, the opposite of Fotia. With such ease in the surreal way Magnixx obliterated the home of the Seraphin many would feel the eerie calm as thick as fog. Something, a retaliation of some kind was bound to happen. Even some feral dragons would chase a man to the ends of the earth if there was no home for it to go to.

Magnixx sat within the hall of minds within Fotia. A barrier for clear thoughts and rational thinking was placed up within such a room. A large marble table with golden seats outlining it’s perimeter sat in the center of the room. In attendance were several of Fotia’s wisest and most respected minds, all with Magnixx sitting in the highest chair. “There’s no easy way to put this. But we are at odds with your decision dear King.” Spoke one, he was dazzled in jewels and spiritual symbols hanging from said jewels. This man was the lead Dragon Priest and was very influential, even more so than the King to an extent. However a part of the Sajukai religion involved their own King and his blood line, the true and only wielders of the sword of Tev-La-Nuik.

“Yes, while we may be at odds. We certainly know peace is not an option at this point.” Said a much older man, a long bearded Sajukai with a long and thin frame. A wise sorcerer. His horns were chipped and his scales were greying and his eyes seemed closed the entire time, the movement of his two long hairs coming out of his nose and his beard that flustered with every word he spoke. “Then we will prepare our weapons for battle!” Shouted a large one, mostly dragon looking. He was not known for his superior intellect but for his size, strength and the armies he commanded. His hairs fell down his face in wild locks and his crimson eyes showed a blood lust the room could not contain. “May I suggest the use of our energy readers to keep track of the levels outside the city walls. In case of y’know.” Said the smallest one. He resembled a small human with horns, tail and wings. Sitting on his face was a large pair of bifocals, he was known for his groundbreaking technology.

A feral Dragon soared high above Fotia, above the clouds. It’s size was quite massive as it seeked the lands of afar where water and less heat was a factor. A twinkle of blue light soars past it, causing the scales on its body to frost over with ice. The Dragon shook, scales scraping each other, as if drying from water. It snarled flames from it’s nostrils yet continued onward. The light soared at great speeds, resembling a shooting star throughout it’s decent.



Once reaching the volcanic rim of Fotia’s outer volcanoes, it soured close to the surface, layering frost on the ground beneath it. Soon a shopkeeper was met with a frosted cloak once the unknown object soared past him, as well as many others down the market path. The center fountain in the inner city was frozen solid by the landing of the light, it’s figure shifting in the mist caused by the constant cold and the warm heat beneath the city.

Stepping out from the warm mist and exuding a fresh cold air from his person was a yellow haired seraphin with piercing blue eyes. It’s clothes were refined with breast plated armor and and white feathers stuffed around the edges like fur. Around his shoulders was a flowing midnight blue hooded cloak, said hood laid to rest below his neck. He held a solemn look as he stepped into the center of the city square. His eyes, piercing the sun’s glare with a cyan blue. The people of the surrounding area looked on with mixed emotions. The Seraphin had no wings but walked as a normal man would. He looked mostly Seraphin but his neck and arms were visibly scaled with lapis lazuli. He was soon met with several guards after their footsteps were heard from out the crowds of people. “Stop right there! You’re wanted for questioning! You’re coming with us.” He eyed the guards with an amused smirk, edging to his cheek, as they pointed automated caliber kinetic rifles with explosive projectile attachment and red dot sights. “Your King is a murderer and you want to question me? The messenger? My apologies. My name is Mirror, the messenger of peace keeping.”

“We can tell you’re not from here meat skin!” The guards chuckled. A term used for the soft skin of some of the more Seraphin type.” Your King managed to slaughter one of us, but the rest survived. Only innocents were hurt after, and a new home for many ruined as well.” He scoffed with a deep sigh. “For such atrocities he is to be brought to the Lord high God for judgement. If he refuses he will be brought to judgement by force and will be given the gravest fate.” The guards looked at each other then back at Mirror. “We’ll relay your message to our king, and will hand him your head.” Replied one of the guards, aiming down his sights at Mirror. His badges were more in number than the others making him leader. “Open fire!” On his command the group of soldiers began opening fire with a great blurr of fire and flashing plasma energy. The combined attacks broke the ground beneath the seraphin to the point a cloud of dust erupted and enveloped him in. Ten seconds of firing and the commander roared a “Hold! Cease fire!” They watched as the dust cleared and their eyes opened wide underneath their Dragon shaped helmets. “H-He’s!” A guard exclaimed. “Alive?” Responded Mirror. His body was full of holes but all that escaped from him was a icy mist that rapidly reformed into his previous body. He smirked as his left eye which had a hole in it was reformed in the wake of spiraling snowflakes emitting from the hole.

“As a peace keeper I’m allowed to judge you based on your level of misconduct. For your attempts at murder and the affiliation with Magnixx I hereby sentence you to death.” On his left and right sides were two blades, thin and narrow. He drew one and it’s blade was made of solid ice. It gleamed a ray of multicolored light against the sun, and once it did so Mirror vanished in a stream of frosted mist. The temperature around the guards dropped dramatically until, in seconds, all were bitten with deep frost, and the mist grew until it surrounded them all. Blocking the view of what was happening to civilians. “N-no, no, noooo!” Cried a guard before all fell silent. Within an instant the mist was literally sucked into what seemed to be Mirror’s body. With no visible point of where the mist went it seemed as though the mist was a part of Mirror’s person. As he reappeared all the guards were in different positions, frozen solid as they died.

Mirror sheathed his blade. “That was fun. I honestly cannot wait to begin laying waste to all of you ingrates.” He looked at the civilians before pushing his hair back from over his face. “Still haven’t figured out how to keep my hair perfect when doing that…” He muttered to himself before turning to walk away. But before he could take a second step the ice on one of the guards began to give a loud shattering sound. A large piece of ice fell off the body of the frozen commander as he soon broke free of the ice, launching the debris meters away. He gripped his armor and tore it off. It shattered as it hit the ground. He tore all his armor off until he was in nothing but pants and boots. He was a Sajukai named Demetri, a general in command of a section of the guards, for good reason. He was a dark red with black horns, his left eye had a scar and was blind but his right eye was sharp and yellow. He looked at his fellow guards with disdain. “You will be avenged my brothers.” He looked at Mirror after saying these words and dropped his frozen gun onto the ground. He walked toward Mirror at a slow pace, but fearlessly, placing his right hand behind him and gripping onto something. Mirror glared at Demetri. “Oh, so this one is strong. Want to play some more?” Demetri pulled from behind him a device much like a rod. Mirror unsheathed his left blade with his right hand. Mirror dashed forward confidently and raised his blade to the air, a step away from his person Demetri’s device expanded and the end of it jolted a concentrated flame of white heat. He brought the spear down and it met Mirror’s oncoming blade with a loud shockwave of icy cold that flew throughout the corridors of the square. Mirror looked with a quizzical smile as he slid the blade down the side of the staff to get closer, however Demetri met Mirror’s face with a punch. On connection an explosion erupted from the point of contact. A fog of mist enveloped Demetri as Mirror’s body went flying from the cloud. His body disintegrated into a cloud of mist before reaching any object. The stream of mist he turned into took a life of its own and whirled in a concentrated form to the air and then back to the ground. The mist was sucked away as Mirror’s body reformed into him, but this time he was not visibly unharmed.

“Cah!.. I see, you have That technique.” His mouth dripped blood that fell on the ground and did not evaporate. He looked at Demetri who remained in his position as the mist around him cleared. His fist emitted smoke for a brief moment before it cleared. “I admire your talent, but you won’t be killing me now that I know what you’re capable of.” Mirror sheathed his blade and wiped the blood from his lip. “We’ll meet again on the battlefield.” After saying this Mirror’s body instantly was covered in a frosted mist that shot into the sky at great speed, forming quickly into the shape of a dragon soaring through the air.

Demetri looked up at the form of Mirror’s escape. Soon reinforcements arrived behind Demetri in great numbers. But it was too late. “We’re here! Where’s the intruder!?” Demetri looked down, his weapon returned to its small size and he placed it within a pouch on his back belt. “See to it that these bodies are defrosted, and then given a ceremony.” He turned and began to walk through the crowd of guards and soldiers to relay the message to the King.

---

The next morning the announcement of the opening of the yearly Colosseum was made, but this time it was early and had direct importance to the war. The contestants of the Colosseum would be entering with the chance to be accepted as a soldier without the brutal training. But one’s merit and skill would be tested. Many of the Sajukai bloodline were forced to enter the Colosseum. Where Dragons were pitted against Descendants, and the survivors would be met with glory and a soldier’s status for the upcoming war.

[Rai]

(N/A)