Celaira

Essence of the World: The New Age [CLOSED]

Forbidden Revelations

Loom - The Academy - Aeris' room
Midday

Collab: @yoshua171 and @Celaira

---

For a few moments after the Lord of Chaos exited the room, Aeris simply sat there, staring at the doorway. She didn't know if she could continue with her lecture for the day, not with the knowledge that he was around. Though, she knew she'd have to get over it at some point, and thus, she shook her head and began to lift both herself and her brother from the ground. Before she could even ask for any help, the bell dismissing the classes for that hour tolled, and a part of her sighed in relief. She had remained calm throughout his visit, but inside she was starting to crack slightly. Because of her being there her brother had gotten hurt, and the lives of her students were put in danger. What a great first day, Aeris. She thought to herself, sarcastically.

The vampiress watched as the students filed out of the room, having told them to do so herself. Her eyes searched each of their faces as they walked away, and then lowered to look at Mairyell, who still lay unconscious in her lap.

"What am I gonna do...?" Little Kasio questioned no one in particular, the sadness in her own voice grating on her ears.

Staying in his seat longer than the rest, Timore stared at his wrist for a long moment, somewhat spaced out, before he heard the footsteps stop. Shaking his head he pushed up from his desk, his chair sliding back across the floor a bit. He put the chair back in its place after moving out from his spot then walked towards the door. He stopped halfway there, his brow screwing up a moment before he glanced back at Aeris. "It could've been worse," he said a bit quietly, "but for the record, I like the bit where you got to lecture...and I'm sorry Metentis added to the trouble," he waved, giving her a smile that looked slightly forced. "I'll be sure to come back...even if no one else does," he then turned and left the room, his fragment's eyes shining green a moment before dimming to black.

However, as Timore left Aeris' view he entered the sights of another instructor, one with eyes as green and luminous as his own fragment's. "Aye laddie, tha little mistress lingerin'?" Reates said with a wide smile and a questioning tone, his cheery voice would be readily apparent to Aeris despite her being in the room and he in the hall. Timore just stared up at the man for a long moment. "Ye doin' fine? Ya look a flutter. Like a cliff's gone and broken up with ya on it," said the irishman in his characteristic accent. Timore, after another moment of consternation, just nodded in the affirmative, then pushed around Reates and left.

It occurred to him that he'd not introduced himself to the man. He hoped it wouldn't be held against him later because he was a bit too tired for all that. He was lucky that he had an hour or so of freetime before the next class was due.

He could finally take a nap and stop thinking for a bit.

Aeris heard a familiar Irish accent, and her eyes rose from her unconscious brother to the door leading into the hallway. Why was Reates looking for her? She wondered, moving so that she could get her brother's arm over her shoulder and hoist him up. When they were both up right, Mairyell's full weight leaned into Aeris and she blinked. "What have you been eating for the last 200 years, you weigh a fucking ton." The vampiress muttered bitterly. She looked at the room, and then saw that she needed to get both her bag, and the present Sam had brought in with her.

She groaned.

Glancing back over his shoulder at the student, Timore was his name if he recalled, Reates made a brief note as to whom in class should get tailored comments. He had two on that list so far, Ian and Timore. He really needed to do a better job at this, he'd been slacking. What would the second years think?

Turning away he walked to Aeris' door, realizing he could've just looked through the wall to check. Still, the real question had been [I]is she alone in there and is everyone okay,[I] but that's just not how he functioned so it hadn't occurred to him to just ask in that manner. Entering, Reates immediately noticed the unconscious essence of someone else and sighed. Looks like something had happened. Still, he'd done his job and Abstractis was keeping a close eye on both the intruder and his charge, Olivia. He had also left the little kitty to guard her. "Ello Aeris, I felt you 'ad a visitor. Mmm," he looked her over, noting the dedicedly downtrodden air about her, "...don't look like it went all that well neither. A shame."

He began crossing the distance, "Need some help with the goat-snake-lion?" His tone was an odd mixture of cheerful and serious as he offerred some help.

Aeris' head tilted to the side when Reates asked her if she needed help, and then it registered what he meant. "Ah, yeah, that would be great." She said with a small, sad smile. "Thanks Reates." She spoke softly as she handed her brother off to him for a moment to retrieve her bag, and then shouldered the present, reaching out with her other arm to wrap it around Mairyell's torso. "Today was not the best day." She said in response to something he had said earlier. "The reason I can even teach this class showed up out of nowhere, so that was fun." The sarcasm in her voice was palpable.

"And, my brother, being my brother, sorta lost his cool for a bit there." Her voice dropped a few octaves as she adjusted Mai's arm around her neck. Her eyes dropping from Reates' face to her shoes.

As she moved to take one of her brother's arms, Reates shook his head and his eyes burned a fierce green for a moment after which Mairyell began to comfortably levitate. It was as if he was floating on a bed of air, He smiled at her, tipping her chin up to see his smile, "Aye, there're good days and bad 'uns. Tomorra will be bett'r," he beamed and glanced up at the unconscious chimera, "Now, let's get this silly man to yer room so he can at least wake up comfortably, aye?" He patted her shoulder lightly, glancing towards the door.

The doll watched from the corner of her eye as her brother began to float, and then met eyes with Reates as he tilted her chin up. A small, grateful blush colored her otherwise pale cheeks as she slid the large package from her shoulder to hold it with both hands. "Ah, yeah... Not that I'm positive any of the students who came today will even come back. Save for one, but I'm not sure if he was just trying to make me feel better." Aeris stated, nodding when Reates suggested getting Mai to her room. She walked toward the door, expecting the Irishman to follow, and cautiously guided him to her room. Her cautiousness was due in part, to Szayeis being somewhere in the school, and another part of her not being completely acclimated to the entirety of the school yet.

"Is Olivia all right?" Aeris wondered aloud as she walked, her irredescent eyes watching Reates curiously.

His eyes stayed on her as she spoke, as was polite, though his attention was divided between holding the vampire, watching his step, and listening he still managed not to miss a beat. "Heh, ya'd be surprised. Excitement is interestin' for most people, even if it involves bein' a bit afraid," he shrugged a bit, thinking towards the future. His class was in an hour, "...most of my students leave class without a clue, but most of 'em still return." He smirked, winking at her conspiratorially, as if he had some kind of method to his madness.

He might've, but who knew.

Turning the corner as they gradually approached the dorm rooms, Reates nodded his head at her question before responding in his usual tone, "Aye, she's under the dutiful watch of my companions at the moment, and I've also got Abstractis keepin' an eye on the little shadow who thinks the place his own playground," at his mention of Szayeis an odd undercurrent entered his voice, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly behind his glasses. The green darkened for a moment and Aeris would feel a distinct shift in the mage's essence for the briefest of moments before his eyes returned to normal, any tenseness vanished, and his essence relaxed once more.

If she picked up on the cues it would be quite apparent to her as to how Reates felt about demons that displayed such antics in his sphere of influence.

He didn't like it, not one bit. After a long moment he spoke again, "She's in good 'ands I assure you," he smiled at her again. "I can promise she'll come to no harm as long as she's under my care." They were nearly to her room.

Aeris came to a stop at her door, listening as Reates spoke. His strange shift in mood left her mind itching to understand what the fuck just happened. When he answered her question about Olivia, her worry for her goddaughter was somewhat put to rest. "I really appreciate your help." Her voice was soft as she reached out and opened her door.

Just as the door slid open Lisara's massive form strutted halfway out of the frame. Are you okay, Aeris? The dry female voice filled her mind, and the obvious worry saturated the air around the beast.

"I'm fine Lisara, back up please." Little Kasio said, gently placing her hand on the Fire Dancer's muzzle as she stepped into the room, and waited for Reates to follow suit. "You can set Mai on the bed, and also," Aeris motioned to the seven foot tall flaming dog who was seated in the center of the room. "This is my Fire Dancer, Lisara. A gift from that little shadow while I was with him." She emphasized what Reates had called Szayeis for affect, though she wasn't really sure how he was going to react to it.

He nodded, "My pleasure," he said with the same smile. As she opened the door his head tilted slightly and his glasses shifted--though not in appearance. He politely waited for her to invite him in and explain. He set the vampire down on the bed comfortably, but immediately afterwards his attention turned to the massive hellhound and an intense interest could be seen pooling in his emerald green eyes. "and a magnificent specimen she is too!" His voice was filled with jubilation as his eyes scanned through the demon, assessing her somewhat, though the hound wouldn't feel it at all.

He reached out with his essence, making polite contact and sending a message through it as a medium, 'Ello there Lisara, I hope you don't mind.' If Lisara didn't want him using telepathy, she could merely refuse to receive the message. As to Aeris' little inflection when mentioning Szayeis, the professor had merely cast her a sidelong glance with a more subtle smile, rather than say anything in response. He left it for her to decode.

I don't mind... Much. Lisara responded curiously, her head craning down to sniff at the strange man before her. There're only two people I can communicate with like this, not including you, and only one of them actually likes talking to me. She said, nuzzling Aeris a bit with a soft whine. Aeris reached up and patted the beast gently, being able to hear the conversation easily. She smiled at Reates when he acknowledged her statement, and then turned her attention to her brother.

What did Szayeis do to him? Lisara questioned, sniffing at the vampire's unconscious form curiously.

"Punched him, and sent a massive wave of essence through his body." Aeris responded sitting on the edge of the bed, and stroking Mairyell's cheek, the glow of Brisn beginning to carress her body as she got closer to her brother. "He also elbowed him in the back of the head." She finished, more calm than she thought she'd be when she said it out loud.

Reates chuckled and nodded slightly, reducing the essence medium to a thin, but quite durable, thread. It was invisible of course, though detectable by anyone who could do such things. 'How unfortunate, you feel like you'd be quite fun to interact with, plus look at you, you're gorgeous. Especially your tail. Do you groom that? Every word was filled with curiosity, honesty, and joy at being able to interact with such a creature. Most of the Fire Dancers he'd seen had been trying to kill him after all--through no fault of his own of course. The question was said as he looked at the fiery portions of her tail, he had always been curious if they had to maintain that somehow or if it was just automatic.

As Aeris stated what had been done to the hunter that now laid upon the bed, she might notice Reates' right eye twitch slightly. The mage glanced over at Mairyell a moment, his smile dimming for a moment as he looked him over.

"He heals quickly," the professor stated simply, his gaze steady.

Yeah, I do. Lisara responded, simply, watching Aeris. Little Kasio's attention rested on her brother for a few moments before she looked at Reates when he spoke. "Ah, yeah, he's good about that." The vampiress responded. She wasn't sure what else to say, or do, so her attention returned to Mairyell. Please just... Wake up already, brother... She thought somberly.

Reates nodded slightly, and noticing a very subtle change in the male's breathing he bowed his head to the two ladies, "I will leave you two to your devices, ah, and give him my regards when he wakes. It may pain you to see him like this, but the little shi-" he cleared his throat, "...-shadow, deserved it." He smiled and then departed, closing the door softly behind him.

Someone had made a new enemy today.

Though Aeris didn't react to the way Reates spoke, Lisara growled slightly in agreement. Once he was gone, Aeris moved and laid down beside her brother, curling up. Tears welled up in her eyes and began to stream down her face as she laid there reliving the events that had transpired in her head. "God dammit..." She cursed, her voice cracking slightly.

What the fuck was she supposed to do? Once again, she'd gotten her brother hurt because she couldn't do anything to stop Szayeis. Even though she was stronger than she had been 200 years ago, was there really nothing she could do to help him? She knew that when he woke up he'd have questions, but she wasn't sure how she was going to answer them. Or, if she even could.

---

Curses spewed as blood was spilled and a canvas of flesh was painted crimson. His teeth gritted and his eyes wild, the same crimson as the blood he wielded, though the liquid was tinted blue--unlike his eyes.

Demons poured and attacked from, and as, the shadows, beating him and Layna, his mother, back towards the Veil of the West, the Chaos Barrier. He growled, a deep menacing sound in his throat, as he split a demon's body in twain, spinning to catch another and pulse Brisn through them before tearing them apart.

He was in control.

He lunged forwards, trying to make headway, his mother at his side, wreathed in brilliant blue light--magic that reminded him so much of his dear sister. The line of demons began to split before them, unable to hold them back.

It didn't last. The ground began to shudder, spikes slamming upwards towards them, one catching Mairyell in the shoulder. He merely grunted, his wings spreading and sweeping downwards, driving him into the air.

The wind buffetted him then, slamming him backwards and back to the ground, where he flipped and slid, catching himself. Layna beat a demon away from him, incinerating it with blue flame.

They had to win!

His blood tinted blue, and his eyes purple as he began to raze everything in his path, his rage and determination mixing to form a powerful flurry of blood and magic. They again cut a swath of death through their enemies.

He looked to his side, making sure his mother was handling things, but instead he saw a man in a trench coat, a demonic visage, with flaming eyes.

A demon tackled him to the ground only to be turned to a pathetic screaming beast by acid that spewed as if from nowhere. Twas magic of course. Mairyell rose and moved to Solus' side, their surroundings blurring to him, making everything foggy and indistinct. He began to notice light dancing at the edge of his vision as he and Solus fought back to back, now being pushed back the same as before. Finally they had to give in and Solus called the retreat.

Mairyell listened and, with anger swelling in his chest, swallowed his pride.

He fled.

Failed again and many paid the price.

---

Mairyell snapped awake, slashing at thin air as he sat up, before realizing where he was. That he wasn't in Judas' city, that he wasn't on a rampage. He wasn't in Hell. His claws melted back into blood and were absorbed again. He relaxed somewhat and his eyes faded back to normal from the red that had been at the edges of his vision. He could feel Aeris in the room, next to him, he could hear her crying. He rubbed his head slightly, his headache quickly fading. "Ugh..." he said, twisting his neck to get rid of a knot before he laid back down, turned on his side and hugged Aeris, sighing a moment before he did.

There were certainly some questions he wanted to ask, but first he wanted her to stop crying, because he had a feeling that the ensuing conversation was not going to be pleasant for anyone--least of all her. He'd probably get angry again, as much as he disliked feeling that way. Anger made him feel...powerless and without control, more often than not. These were both things he still hated.

Still, he had to stop hiding from whatever Szayeis had done to her, even if doing so hurt them both.

The truth was important...that was something he'd learned in the last 200 years. Sometimes it was more important than anything else.

His acceptance of that fact even baffled him somewhat, but he wasn't about to go back on it.

It was a good thing to know, he felt, so he'd keep doing so till he was proven wrong, that was simply his way.

Aeris' sobs were almost inaudible to those with human hearing. Mai didn't have human hearing though, and so, when he shot up with claws extended, Aeris blinked, not really surprised by it. What she was surprised by was the fact that he laid back down and hugged her. She didn't expect it, nonetheless, she clung to him on instinct. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." It was hard for her to speak because of the crying closing her throat somewhat, so her words came out as broken whispers, even more muffled by his chest as her face was buried in it.

"I didn't mean for this to happen... I didn't know..." She babbled uncontrollably as she tried to calm herself down, it ony served to make her worse. She just didn't want him to hate her.

She couldn't live with herself if that happened.

Squeezing her gently, he kept his breathing even, he could only imagine what that bastard had done to her to issue this kind of response, but he knew that if they both survived, he would spend as long as it took to make Szayeis pay. The only indication of his anger was a slight tenseness of his muscles, but it was quite subtle.

He took a deep breath and let Brisn flow through his blood, cooling his temper somewhat in the process. "I don't blame you Aeris and I doubt I ever will," he squeezed her again gently, letting her sob into his chest as he kept his breathing even and natural. It wasn't her fault, he knew that, but they didn't know each other like they had so long ago, hell even then he'd known her better than she did him. He'd been hiding so much after all. He was glad he had a second chance now, glad she was alive, even if she was different it didn't matter.

So was he.

"There's nothing he can do that would make me hate you," he said with a certain confidence, though in the back of his head he hoped that only Aeris heard him. He pulled away slightly so he could look down at her. Even crying he found himself marveling at her somewhat. It took him a moment to speak, but when he did his tone was even and his eyes shone a gentle blue, "We're family, Aeris. I don't abandon family.... If anything you should be mad at me. I gave up, I thought you were dead...." He trailed off, looking away a moment, before he swallowed hard, took a deep breath and continued, "...But I'm glad you're not...and unless it happens in front of me, which I won't ever let happen, I will never think so again. I can't...you're to..." the words caught in his throat and he stared at her blankly, unable to finish. He pulled her close again instead, hoping she knew what he was trying to say.

He didn't want to lose her again...she was too precious.

He wasn't sure he could take that.

Not again.

She listened as he spoke, her sobs quelling slowly as he tried to calm her. When he spoke about thinking that she died, she nuzzled his chest. She didn't really have the words to respond to him, but she understood what he was trying to say to an extent.

After a few minutes of silence, she gently pulled away from him, meeting his eyes as she sat up. "So, I'm sure you have questions about what happened. I don't know where to start, so you might want to just start asking..." She spoke as she moved to sit with her legs curled beneath her. Lisara was looking at the two of them from across the room. The beast huffed slightly and turned away, to sleep. Aeris smiled gratefully to her.

Rather than sit up, at least not immediately, Mairyell rolled onto his back as she situated herself. He nodded a bit, staring up and to the side at nothing in particular. "Give me your hand," he said, not meeting her eyes as he did so.

Curiously she looked at him, sliding her hand over his, and gently squeezed it.

He squeezed back, then relaxed further into the bed, taking a deep breath and then letting it out slowly, closing his eyes, then opening them again a moment later. "He tortured you...didn't he," his eyes met hers. It was clear from the slight furrow of his brows that he knew the answer...but still had to ask.

Aeris nodded somberly. The words among other things entered her mind, but never left her lips. "Yes." She answered him aloud, squeezing his hand again. "Though that wasn't until after he had turned me. When he tortured me as a Human it was more psychological than physical. He taught me how to use my Brisn, and how to control my levitation."

His eye twitched slightly, he closed them and took another deep breath, squeezing her hand a bit as he did so, before continuing. "I...I know this is personal, but," he bit his lip, then let it go, grinding his teeth. He didn't want to think about it, he really didn't, but he knew Szayeis was capable of anything...and he had to know. "...did he rape you," he even twitched as he said it. He held his breath, hoping he was wrong.

Aeris' eyes widened at Mai's question, but she didn't verbally respond. After a few seconds, she simply looked at her legs, and slid off the bed. "Turn away for a minute?" She asked him, knowing that he was probably still reacting to her reaction.

He let go of her hand as she slid away, sitting up. She likely heard his breath catch when her eyes widened. He could feel his body shaking slightly, but nothing else. There was no anger, just...pain.

Regret.

He turned away, "Okay." He waited silently.

The sounds of buttons popping and the distinct rub of fabric against skin were so loud in the silence. There was another, softer click and then her weight returned to the bed. "...kay." Her voice was small, as if she had barely spoken. If he turned around he would see several jagged scars that wound their way over her back. Some were small, like nail marks, but there were two that made a sort of 'X' shape down from either of her shoulderblades to the lower part of her ribs. Though there were a few scars that spread down below the line of clothing, and her arms were crossed, covering her chest.

Hearing the sound of clothes slipping off he had to check himself again for even though it hurt him deeply to think of what had happened to her, that was the past.

He began turning. He knew that nothing he did could heal he-.... His thoughts cut off and, without intending to, his hand reached out and touched her back. He remembered seeing it a long time ago. When she was younger, naive. Still a child. He even remembered stumbling in on her changing a few times, not something he was particularly proud of, but it had nonetheless happened. Her back had been...pretty. Smooth.

Now it was horribly scarred and, after running his hand across a scar, his eyes trailing down, back and forth, he finally pulled his hand away. Suddenly he was very conscious of how his touching her might make her feel, how she might feel about showing him these...memories, the trauma clearly etched in her skin. He remembered the nightmares then. He remembered the painful nights, unable to eat because he was too stubborn to accept what he was, too stubborn to ask for help, to tell her. He remembered all the injuries he'd ever sustained, even if the pain and reasons for them were all blurred together in a heap of unpleasantness that he'd rather push to the side in his mind.

Whatever he'd done to her, he knew it was worse. So much worse.

It took a lot to scar a vampire.

His exhale was accompanied by a terrible shudder, he felt hot tears in his eyes, and the anger finally came. His claws formed, smaller than normal, and he dug them into the flesh of his own hand, biting back the pain. Ignoring it. It was nothing compared to this, "I'm so sorry..." he barely managed. He moved closer behind her, and despite her nakedness, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her again. He didn't know what else to do.

When his hand met her skin, she shivered. His hand was considerably warmer than she was at the moment, and with showing him these scars, it was like someone had locked her in a freezer. Her eyes closed, and she fought the urge to curl in on herself as she felt him staring at her back. Part of her thought he was going to grab her by the throat, or something. The part that knew that's what Szayeis would do.

His eyes were closed as he held her, but partway through he forgot and they opened, briefly looking down as was the natural reaction. He swallowed and drew away slightly, kissing her head, though he found himself drawn to her neck...not that that was he only place he noticed. Disengaging completely after a few more moments he sighed, wiping the tears from his eyes and smoothing his hair back somewhat, he wasn't sure what to do.

When she opened her eyes and saw Mai with tears streaming down his cheeks, she moved slightly and kissed his eyelids very softly.

Parts of him knew what they wanted, but he wasn't so sure. Then again, he was used to doing risky things, but perhaps being a bit more cautious now that he had someone else to live for was better.

But truth was paramount, wasn't it?

He ruffled his own hair in frustration, fully realizing and beginning the process of accepting what was--at least possibly--there. She had likely began to put her clothes back on, but before she finished he moved closer again, putting a hand around her waist, pulling her back to him before he spoke, his voice more tender even than before, "...Aeris," there was still a sort of hesitation in his voice. She would likely feel his breath against her shoulder.

When he pulled away and kissed her head she moved to start pulling at least a shirt back on. Yeah, she decided to forego the undergarment she had removed and simply slid a shirt back on.

Just as the shirt was slipping into place over her back, and abdomen, Mai's arm wrapped around her waist, and her breath caught in her throat. She didn't know what he was doing, but she froze when she heard, and felt her name leave his lips. "...M-mm?" She answered, swallowing hard as she craned her body slightly to look at him, her sapphire eyes brightening a little due to their Brisn resonance flairing up.

She had turned, just as he'd thought she would, closing most of the distance between them. He licked his lips nervously, "I..." he didn't have the words, so he gave up on speaking completely, leaned down quickly, and kissed her, his other arm pressing to her cheek gently.

As their lips touched Mairyell felt a sudden flare of warmth as their Brisn both acted up in sync, channeling through them both. He hoped she didn't push him away, because after this long he didn't want to regret being true to what had been there all along...even if no one else would ever understand.

He hoped that she would.

When Mairyell kissed her, her breath once again caught in her throat. She felt his hand on her cheek and her hands rested against his shoulders, gently gripping his shirt as she softly kissed him back. The feeling of Brisn as it resonated between was causing a soft, sort of icy fire in her stomach. She reconized it as a shiver cascaded up and down her spine. It was the same feeling as the one she had felt 200 years ago when he had fed on her.

This time, though, she knew exactly what it meant.

When the kiss ended, there was a strange nervousness, and a slight pang of fear in her as she kept her eyes on his. She didn't know what to say, much like the majority of their interaction thus far.

He was leading her like he always had, and she was okay with that.

He was somewhat breathless when they finally separated, though she remained in his arms, gazing up at him with the same look he knew he was feeling. He could feel the nervousness, but it was a happy feeling. It was a sort of nervousness he could live with, though he hadn't felt it much before.

He remembered a saying he'd heard a long time ago...Love is blind, deaf, stupid, but at least it knows no boundaries. He had thought it was bullshit back then. He had hardly believed in things like love or peace. Accepting the good in the world had been hard for him then, but now he knew that it was there, and for him in this moment everything good about it was in front of him in the form of Aeris.

He laid his forehead against hers, a contented sigh leaving him, the smile still on his face. He could hardly believe that this was real.

Was he still dreaming? No...his dreams were not usually pleasant ones. It seemed that no amount of time could get rid of early trauma. It was unfortunate, but he didn't regret going through it, not anymore. Not right now.

For this it was all perhaps worth it.

"I...I'm glad that you didn't push me away," there was relief in his voice, an overwhelming amount. "...but I hope you know that...now, I'm not going to let you go again," he grinned at her, opening his eyes to reveal their prestine blue color.

So this is what love was.

For a few moments there was nothing but silence between the two. His forehead rested against hers, and she nuzzled him gently. She knew the feeling that was working its way up through her body. Love. Though, it was a different type of love than she was used to with Mairyell. It scared her a little...

What scared her most, though, was that the happier she was, the easier it would be for Szayeis to tear it away from her.

When he started to speak, she smiled at him softly, "I don't think I could've pushed you away even if I had wanted to." When he opened his eyes, Aeris gasped softly. "So, that's your natural eye color." She murmured leaning into his chest.

She was silent for a moment, and then she looked up at him again, "I love you, Mai."

"I love you too, Aeris," he responded, there was no hesitation when he spoke this time. He leaned down a bit and kissed her again, lightly, then drew away, nuzzling slightly before he fully straightened. He swallowed a bit, noting how his body was reacting to finally releasing what had been pent up for over 200 years.

No wonder he'd never felt properly satisfied, he mused to himself before glancing at the clock. He had some time.

Laying down he pulled her down with him and cuddled up, pressing to her lightly. He was rather curious as to her reaction.

He was guessing that it was mutual, given the amount of Brisn flowing through him.

When he kissed her again, she smiled against his lips, kissing back only to have him draw away. The feeling of hearing him say that he loved her, had her heart picking up its pace. When he pulled her back down onto her bed with him and pressed close to her, she blushed, looking away for a moment.

Her body was practically humming, and it knew what it wanted, but was she ready for that? She wasn't really sure... Though, she did find herself kissing him again. When their lips met a wave of electricity swept through her, causing her to shiver against him. Unsure of what he expected from her, Aeris simply waited, her hands pressed against his chest, lightly gripping his shirt.

He shivered, pleasantly surprised when her lips met his a third time, leaving him the one smiling during their kiss. He pressed closer, a hand slipping to her waist and pulling it just as close before exploring further back. He didn't care if she had been beaten and broken. Anything could be repaired, and if he couldn't heal her body, at least he could try with her heart.

With that thought in mind, he flicked a hardened droplet of blue blood, with a tendril, across the room where it hit the light switch.

Apart it may have been easier for him to hurt them, but let him try when they were one.

He might be in for a nasty surprise~

Essence of the World: The New Age [CLOSED]

Woo, big collab is up. Welcome back Szayeis, thanks for harassing Aeris and Mai. Ah... Just like old times.

Essence of the World: The New Age [CLOSED]

Chaos Class Catastrophe
Loom - The Academy
Midday

Collab: @yoshua171, @Celaira, @Wind Wild, @Themerlinhawk, @Grin

---

Having taken the cart with him, Mairyell entered what would be Aeris' classroom. Glancing about briefly he chuckled at a stray thought and then rolled the cart at the front of the room before he began to look the room over in more detail. Like all the rooms he'd seen in the Academy thus far it was in some manner impressive. He could not quite describe it for himself, but it had an air about it. It was fitting for Aeris to be in it, right? He hardly knew. He wasn't sure, it'd been so long since he'd last spent time around her and even having had moments with her this morning and the day before, he was sure that the Aeris of his memories was not the same Aeris that would teach in this classroom.

He wasn't sure whether to feel sad or happy in regards to this so rather than dwell on it he moved to the back of the classroom glanced up, seeing the top of a small pillar embedded in the wall, and then jumped onto it. He would almost seem to fade into the background, the shadows, as the room was lit only by its windows, and so he waited. It'd be far more amusing to be the mysterious man in the far corner of the room than anything else he could pull off. Perhaps one of the students would put two and two together, realizing who he was. This would be about as amusing, but he had no intention of counting on that mere possibility.

So there he sat, wondering how long it would take Aeris to sign Olivia up and get her situated.

---

Having quite enjoyed Lazarus' class, Timore had a smile on his face as he headed for his next class. It had a rather long name, but it was a good one--at least he thought so. It also helped somewhat that he knew the teacher would be playing a little prank on the rest of the student. That'd be fun to watch, he mused a bit, glancing down at Metentis for a moment as he walked through the hall. Had he not done so he would've noticed a green eyed man briefly poke his head out of a wall and smirk at him, before disappearing back into it.

Eventually arriving at the class room he glanced at his schedule, and the time. Dispelling the Veil: A Comprehensive Study of the Western Realm it was called, and apparently he was a bit early. Oddly, the door was already open, so he decided to walk in and take a seat. He was pretty sure Aeris wouldn't mind.

He sat in the second row from the front, doing so because he had already made up his mind that he'd not be sitting in the same relative position in each class.

Once he'd sat down and arranged his materials on his desk he leaned his cheek against his hand, the elbow to which was propped on the desk. He then closed his eyes. When Aeris walked in he'd be seen nodding off a bit. He wouldn't notice her initially. He hadn't slept much last night afterall--it'd been too eventful.

Aeris' body moved with a slow and candid purpose. The uniform that she wore hugged her curves as she moved, though it seemed as if no one was in the halls as she neared her classroom. Strange. Her chestnut tresses flared out behind her as she walked, the sweet scent of lavender shampoo filling the air around her petite form.

It didn't take her long to reach the classroom, and when she did she simply sat atop the oak desk that was placed at the head of it. With the way she appeared it wouldn't have surprised her if a few students mistook her for a classmate. That is exactly what she wanted, after all. Shifting her body slightly to cross one leg of the other, the vampire reached into her messenger bag and pulled out a book similar in make-up to the ones that rested on the cart to the side of the desk. It was then that she noticed where her brother had gotten to, her iridescent blue eyes watching him from their peripheral vision, a small smile pulled at her lips, but she remained straight-faced.

It took her a few moments, but as she laid eyes on a young man sitting in the second row of desks, and smiled knowingly. "Hello, Timore." She spoke with a slight grin, winking at him, but not moving from the desk.

The doll planned to wait until the second bell that signaled students being late rang to make her real entrance.

"Huh?" his eyes shot open and he glanced around a bit, he was still a bit drowsy from having nodded off. "Oh, good morning Aeris," he smiled, a slight sleepiness about him.

There was a loud banging in the back of the room, coming from one of the large ivory cabinets, followed by an annoyed groan.

At the sound of a loud bang, Aeris' body stiffened and she looked up over the desks to the back of the room. The sound of a groan caused her head to tilt to one side, and she slid off of the desk to investigate. The heels on her boots made low clicking sounds as she moved to the back of the class to one of the cabinets, her hand trailing along Timore's desk as she did so. Cautiously she watched the cabinet for a moment. "Hello?" Her voice was soft and concerned as she reached for the handle to the cabinet door.

Even as Aeris reacted Timore turned his head, raising an eyebrow. As he did so he noticed two glowing purple irises near the ceiling of the room. The eyes briefly shifted to crimson and a smirk formed on the figure's lips, Timore immediately looked away, the blood having drained from his face. Oh god what did I walk into this time, he thought to himself, trying to ignore what he'd just seen. Hopefully whatever was in the cabinet was not even a fraction as sinister as what he'd just witnessed.

As the boy looked away, Mairyell's smirk only grew and he chuckled quietly to himself, barely audible to begin with, but even less so with the noise coming from the victim of a nasty little prank he'd partaken in--not that the girl would know that.

Out came a redheaded clutz, toppling over to the ground with a loud thud. She lay there for a moment, her mint crystal eyes wide with panic. She recovered, however, and sat criss crossed on the floor. "OH MY GOSH THANK YOU! I WAS STUCK IN THERE FOR AROUND AN HOUR." She rubbed her temples, Her feet finding the floor, positioning the girl up. She stared at Aeris, confused, before beaming brightly. "Wow, you're so pretty! I'm Iris! Do you know where the teacher might be? I was looking for a textbook when I got a little...sidetracked.." She grinned sheepishly.

"Iris?" Timore asked rhetorically, feeling less humor than the last time he'd seen her wipe out, or at least nearly do so.

When a girl came tumbling out of the cabinet, Aeris took a tentative step back and looked at her. "How did you get stuck in there for an hour?" The doll asked curiously, her head once again tilted to the side just as the girl was getting to her feet. When the vampire was complemented, she blushed slightly and smiled, "Thanks. As are you. My name's Aeris, nice to meet you, Iris." Aeris' voice was polite, and her glowing blue eyes regarded the girl warmly. When she asked about the teacher, however, Aeris shrugged. "Maybe they're late?" She questioned softly, and then turned to look at the desk beside which the cart of books Aeris had asked for was stationed. "I'm pretty sure those books over there are the textbooks, though."

Iris blinked, then shook the girl's hand in a firm handshake. "Nice to meet you too!" She beamed. Iris's hands were soft as silk, and she wandered over to the cart, searching for the one book she would want to carry with her. "I got stuck in the cabinet because I thought I saw a textbook towards the back, but I couldn't reach it, so I climbed up into it to get the textbook out and the cabinet closed on me..." Iris paused. "It sounded a lot better in my head before I went through with it." She giggled a little before grabbing one of the books, waddling over to a desk towards the middle of the classroom and smoothing her hands over the surface of it.

When Iris went to go get a book from cart, Aeris followed her back to the desk, picking up her bag and book and sitting down in the desk beside Iris. Faintly, she smiled at the other girl, until her own eyes went back to the book. Curiously, she wondered if any of the students who hadn't seen her at the ceremony last night would guess that she was actually the teacher.

Watching the exchange Timore waited for her to get her book, only waving when Iris turned back around. "Hi again," he said, chuckling a bit, "You really have a knack for getting yourself in odd situations, don't you?"

Iris blinked, then grinned the sun at the familiar face. "Timore!!" She stopped midway getting out her pencils and eyed the shy boy. A pout found her attractive features. "I've been unlucky this past week, I guess. I could have sworn the cabinets wouldn't lock behind me though..." She brushed off the thought, her eyes meeting a new face, Mairyell's. "Oh! Hey person! If you didn't hear me earlier I'm Iris, oh, and this is Timore!" She gestured towards her classroom friend.

Timore smiled back sympathetically as she responded, seeming to empathize with her on that note. However, when she addressed the ominous figure, Timore leaned over, as Iris had again picked a desk near his, and whispered, "I don't think you ought to bother him...he's got a dangerous look in his eye,"

However, more silently than the young man had spoken, Mairyell had crossed the entirety of the room and was now right behind Timore, looking down at him with an amused smirk. “It’s not nice to talk about people behind their backs you know," his purple eyes turned to Iris, "...you've the right idea, Iris, though I did hear you earlier. My name is Mairyell," his eyes then turned to Aeris and he tilted his head, making a show of looking her over.

"And what might your name be? You seem new here." The irony was that Mairyell was also new to the Academy. It wasn't like he'd been within its walls terribly often. Still, it was an amusing ploy.

Aeris listened to her brother speak, her face buried in her book to hide the smirk that was pulling at her lips. When he addressed her, however, she blinked and looked up at him, surprise written all over her face. Her acting was flawless, and without missing a beat, she blushed and began to speak. "Ah, name's Aeris... A-are you taking this class too...?" Her voice was timid, like a schoolgirl with a crush, her body even moved slightly back in her desk as if to keep herself from accidentally touching him.

Inside her mind, however, she was grinning like a fool. She found her own joke hilarious, and wondered how the students would react when things got into full swing.

Iris noted the change in the girl's behavior, but hid it behind the icy forest in her eyes. She nodded at Mairyell and Timore before her behind met the chair to her desk, squirming a little to be situated.

"You could say that," he replied with a chuckle as Timore practically shrank in his seat--trying to gain any sort of distance he could. The boy didn't respond, but he took no mind to it.

Ian pressed open the door to the classroom; an open book in one hand which he was reading as he entered the class. Closing it he surveyed the room. Taking in Mairyell, Aeris, Timore and Iris. He nodded at them and covered the rest of the room making sure he hadn’t missed anything. With that he crossed the room and rooted through the cart full of books and produced a text book which he tucked under his arm. Opening his other book he turned to walk towards the back of the class to take up a seat by the door. “Tim, Iris” He took in the other two giving Mairyell a searching look as though half remembering something. Ian took in Aeris in her tight school uniform not sure what to make of her as he continued on to his seat.

Leaning back in the seat he went back to the book, letting his right arm fall over the back of the chair. It appeared calm but in reality his right hand was grasping the firearm in the middle of his back. He thought he recognized the vampire and he had a sneaking suspicion about who Aeris might be.

Iris eyed the boy, ready to introduce herself but stopped when she realized it would be rude intruding on someone who was so much into their reading. With that she bit her lip.

Watching the new arrival for a moment, Mairyell then followed suit, walking to the back of the room, where he deftly lept back to the pillar he'd been roosting on before. As he did so, Timore glanced back hesitantly before looking away and shuddering. Mairyell simply shook his head.

The two vampires might have sensed the rise in tension but it didn't get to rise any further as Sam marched in. She was carrying something huge covered in gift-wrap and as she passed through the door, her arms spread wide apart to hold the thing, one of them bumped into Ian's, causing him to drop the gun. She didn't apologize or acknowledge she felt the collision as she walked between the rows, throwing Aeris and Mairyell a brief look.

“Hullo.” She lisped, a lollypop in one cheek. She reached the teacher's desk and popped the gift on the seat, putting her hands on her hips and evaluating the outcome critically. She shifted the ribbon slightly and grinned, then turned to the two unfamiliar people. “So, who are you two?”

Noting Sam's presence, Timore waved slightly to Sam then raised an eyebrow, trying to once again ignore the stranger's presence, as she asked of their identity. He said nothing, instead leaning over his desk somewhat, bringing his wrist under his chin and resting it on the arm lightly. His eyes closed a bit and he let out a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves.

His eyes trained on the fallen firearm for a long moment, likely before Ian stowed it away, Mairyell took note of this oddity then turned his attention elsewhere.

Turning to eye Sam, then Aeris, then Sam again, raising an eyebrow. "You just missed it, we're all acquainted," he said a bit dryly. There was a long pause, "Nonetheless, tha name's Mairyell, though that's all that needs knowin'," he stated a bit cryptically before turning his lightly glowing purple eyes away from the student. He wondered how Aeris would handle this one. It'd probably be fun considering the acting she'd just managed. Seems she'd picked up as many skills as he had in the last 200 years.

Aeris watched as another student entered the classroom, and simply smiled at them as they walked. She watched as the male reached behind himself, and tilted her head her eyebrow arching slightly. Her attention was brought back to the front of the classroom as another new student entered the room, a large box in her arms, the vampire couldn't help but blink.

When the girl spoke, Aeris waved offhandedly to her, looking at the box that now sat atop the oak desk over the girl's shoulder. "Name's Aeris, and you are?"

Sam stood there, staring at Mairyell as if mesmerized for a long moment. Her expression was straight but her mind was working, tying to figure out why the face looked familiar. Unable to pin it, she moved the lollypop from one cheek to the other, this time biting on the twitching stick on the right. She then took the candy out and smiled at Aeris, polite but not overly enthusiastic. Sam was quick to judge and she could tell the other girls' manners were too refined for her wild tastes. She adjusted the bag on her shoulder and proceeded to slouch over a desk around the middle of the class, next to the window.

After receiving the girl's gesture, the bell that warned students were going to be late rang out loudly. As if on cue, the vampire rose casually from her seat and walked to the windows and peered out of them, her eyes seeming to scan the area for a moment before she pulled the shade down. This pattern continued until there was only one window uncovered. Little Kasio stood by the windowsill for a moment, her body lax against the wall as the lights in the room began to flicker and dim. When the final shade was pulled down the lights went out.

The only lights in the room were the glowing eyes of the two vampires who were standing in different spots, Aeris by the window, and Mairyell still on the pillar in the back of the room. The sound of her heels as they met the hard tiled floor echoed even more loudly than they had when the lights were on, and a soft chuckle cascaded around the room as she made her way back to the oak desk. The sound of wrapping paper shifting resounded in the room as the door creaked slowly shut.

The present that Sam had placed on her desk was seated on one of the desks in the front row as Aeris situated herself back on it. Another soft chuckle echoed around the room, "I hope you're not afraid of the dark," The doll paused, to meet eyes with her brother for a moment. "Because in this class you'll learn why you should be."

Ian closed his book at the darkness. Placing his left hand on Fidrieon, Koshmar layered a grey scale over his vision. It was good to have a Nightmare Demon sometimes, even if he was a giant pain most days You're welcome. Ian rolled his eyes at the comment as he took in the odd pair. Watching for the other students' responses. Sitting near the door did in fact have another advantage. A quicker escape should the instructor attempt to eat the class. He eyed the other students to see their reactions to the darkness and the strange pair running the freak show. Lazarus was strange but atleast he told you he might kill you accidentally.

Mairyell chuckled, it seemed that his sister really had developed a dramatic flair.

Timore on the other hand glanced about and as the room darkened he instinctively began spinning the ring that he wore. He could hear Metentis' thoughts, sense him, but he knew that the instrument was no longer on him, which was extremely worrisome. The damned fragment had apparently slithered from his wrist while he'd nodded off. Still, he had to admit that Aeris' little trick was a good introduction, considering the nature of her class.

Meanwhile, Metentis slithered across the floor, keeping out of sight as it headed for Iris, wishing to sate its curiosity greatly. Hopefully no one would stop him before he managed to.

Sam's foot started its annoying habit of counting down the seconds, betraying her excitement as she leaned forward on her desk, arms on it like a really curious model student. Her eyes ran over Aeris, a new appreciation making them gleam with curiosity. The thought of danger didn't bother her - in fact, it was only adding more adrenaline to her body as if every movement the teacher made was another drop down the IV drip.

Suddenly the whole classroom heard a loud groan out of the redhead, her face thumping onto her desk. “I DIDN’T COMPLETELY UNPACK GUYS.” Iris's lips puffed some air to get loose strands of scarlet away from her eyes. “Not cool.” Her eyes caught the two glowing irises in the center of the classroom, and her jaw dropped. It took some effort, but she hummed a small tune to herself, pushing the vibrations at the eyes, making sure whoever bore them got the message.

Aeris? I recognize your eye shape. What are you doing?

Iris gasped to herself.

Are you a magician?!

The better question, is are you? a insidious male voice whispered in the little doll's mind. A familiar voice, one dripping with amusement and what many would perceive as arrogance. The already pitch darkness somehow became something more and what felt almost like a deathly cold would sweep over and through the students--bringing with it a feeling of dread. Aeris was right, they would learn to fear the dark, if they had any sense. After all, those who had not feared him often died as a result...or worse.

He smiled at the thought.

When the voice penetrated Aeris' mind, her eyes widened. Though she had wanted to respond to Iris, who she thought had spoken aloud, she couldn't think anymore. Her body shook slightly as she slid from the desk to the ground, "Mairyell... The shades. Get the shades." Her voice was quiet, low enough that only her brother and the man within her mind would have been able to hear it from across a room.

Mairyell, as asked, immediately began lifting the shades, his senses alerting him to a being's presence that he would rather did not exist at all, let alone exist within the same room as he and his sister. Oddly, despite his senses, he could not tell where said being was.

It was then, that she braced herself. "All right, class," She spoke, swallowing the anxiety that was crawling up her throat. "If you feel or hear anything strange, I want you to call out. Immediately. We might have a visitor." She paused slightly, making her way through the rows. "Interestingly enough, I was going to start my lesson on a race known as Nightwalkers. You'll find that the Western Realm, about which you'll be learning, is where most of them originate."

As Aeris moved through the desks, she created a small blue flame and placed it in midair above each occupied seat. While she did that, she called back her shadows slowly, trying to discern where his began and hers were ending. A shiver ran up her spine as she continued to speak, but she remained composed. "The textbooks I have given you for this class were books I asked the school to retrieve for me from the rubble of what was originally Loom's Library."

When Little Kasio reached the back of the room, her body stiffened. She was expecting something, anything to happen. Part of her even thought that he'd simply pop out and say "Boo." The room was significantly brighter now, as her shadows had completely dissipated during her trek through the class.

Her eyes shifted through the classroom as she turned back around to face the students that were probably watching her in confusion. For a moment, she didn't say anything, her face in a sort of deadly calm. "If you'd open your books to the first chapter, you'll find a piece written by an angel on Nightwalkers and what they can and can't do." Aeris' voice strengthened slightly as she looked around. "It's about three pages." A small smirk pulled at her lips. "And surprisingly, all three pages are wrong."

"Chapter one, Nightwalkers." Aeris spoke aloud, pulling the book from the desk she was previously seated in next to Iris. "They are creatures born of Shadows, and have no physical forms." She paused, shaking her head. "This part is partially accurate, in that Nightwalkers are primarily composed of Shadows, but they can and often do have physical forms that they prefer to take." With that, she skipped down a few paragraphs that talked about the government of a Nightwalker society and how it had destroyed several villages along the countryside. "Nightwalkers are seemingly more adept at living a sort of loner lifestyle. That's not to say that they don't sometimes have families, or even colonies. But, out of most Nighwalkers I've met, they prefer to be alone."

"Now, here it says that Nightwalkers are something akin to dopplegangers, in that they will take one shape and one shape only. This is false. Nightwalkers are masterful shapeshifters more often than not. They could change from one of you to a dog in a matter of seconds if they really wanted to." Aeris voice was warm, and calm as she read the text aloud. Most of it had to do with this particular angel getting reports from Humans rather than actual research he had done. It even said that in the Western Realm of Hell there was no ruler, and Nightwalkers roamed freely throughout all the realms. To this, Aeris simply shook her head. "Now, as this was a different time, I can't say that was this angel was getting reports on wasn't true. However, I can tell you what I know. And what I know is that the Western Realm does in fact have a ruler. He is a Nightwalker. And, fun fact, Nightwalkers are actually where Vampires come from."

"You see, when a Nightwalker infects or possesses someone, or even just feeds on them without killing them, it leaves a virus inside their bodies. Sometimes this virus lays completely dormant, and some times it doesn't." The doll looked at her brother for a moment, warily. "Now, there are other ways to become a vampire. Being bitten by someone who already is one, for instance. In most cases a Nightwalker will deliberately turn a Human into a Vampire, or the virus just won't take. Sometimes a Nightwalker will infect a pregnant woman, and instead of the woman becoming a vampire, their child or children will." Aeris paused, taking a deep breath.

"For the moment, however, Vampires aren't what we're here to talk about. But, does anyone have any questions?" Aeris, who had been pacing through the classroom throughout her monologue was now standing in front of the present that Sam had brought her. She stared at it curiously, and then looked back at the class, waiting expectantly.

Mairyell's eyes carefully surveyed the room, watching for any irregularity in the shadows that remained present even while the room was lit. The bastard was there somewhere, and while he would've liked to listen to Aeris' lesson, he was more concerned with their safety. He was glad that he hadn't left to do something else....

Sam didn't seem to think much of Aeris' little fit, having learnt to expect that in a place where near everyone had sudden mental breakdowns for no apparent reason. She only eyed Aeris curiously and smiled when she regained her composure, proving her mental fortitude. There was something approving in her smile, as if the woman had gained her respect, at least somewhat.

Her interest was captured which was evident by the way she kept quiet throughout the entire monologue. When she raised her hand and waited to be called on before speaking, it was a sign of that respect.

“Is there a difference then in the vampires created by Nightwalkers and those rabid ones we sometimes meet on the streets? Or are all of them created by Nightwalkers? And is the process undoable?” Her grin was somewhat sinister. “As in, can we try it out for the fun of it? And how disastrous would it be if we can't go “human” again?”

"Why would you want to do that exactly?" Ian's response cut through the room. "It seems like that would be more than a bit dangerous." Ian's gun was out of its holster now and resting casually on the desk. Clutched in white knuckled hands. His eyes wild as they scanned the room for danger. Knowing it lurked in the shadows. "Care to tell us what exactly is stalking us? And in the Academy no less."

Timore, while briefly aware of a flicker of movement that had nothing to do with his physical senses, was far more worried by the fact that Metentis had escaped. He wanted to get up, but he also didn't want to ruin Aeris' fun, though she sounded rather worried all of the sudden. Wait, her worried? That didn't sound right, she'd been so confident the other night. Wait, what am I thinking about, he asked himself as an image of her flashed in his mind and he felt a rush of blood to his face for a moment before it faded. He really needed to get back into his damned skin as he was getting rather tired of this nonsense. Despite all that was running through his head he tried to pay attention and simultaneously search for his instrument while Aeris told them to open to some page, which he managed, and began her lecture--if that's what it was to be.

With the lights on his eyes would flick away from Aeris here and there, scanning the room. When he finally saw Metentis the serpent had made its way to the back of the classroom, then apparently circled back, slithering with surprising silence towards Iris. Well that's not good, he thought, spinning the ring about his finger nervously. He didn't want to get up and bring attention to himself, but he also didn't want Metentis to get to Iris, that could only be bad....

Then he registered Ian's words, glancing back at him. His eyes widened slightly and his mouth opened as if to speak, but no words came. What was he talking about? Was it Metentis, no, even if he is a nuisance he wouldn't...not here in broad daylight at least. No, the serpent wasn't dangerous enough to be considered something that might stalk any of them, and even if he had been, Ian had no way of knowing that. With this in mind Timore's eyes scanned the room, first everywhere, then just the shadows. When his eyes moved over them he frowned, that was odd. He raised his arm from his desk slightly so he could see the shadow it cast.

It looked different than the rest of the shadows in the room, barring the student's and the ominous stranger at the back. Mairyell he had called himself. Still, he didn't know why the shadows were different, but the fact that they were at all bothered him. He took off his ring, his eyes darting back and forth every now and then. He was on guard and unfortunately, Metentis had just become a secondary priority.

Aeris, who had been standing silently for a few moments while she waited for questions, watched the room intently. Her glowing blue eyes remaining fervently calm even as she pointed to Sam as to have her ask her question. While the student spoke, Aeris simply smiled at her, amusement plain on her face. "I'll answer your question in parts, if you don't mind." Aeris spoke softly as she moved back to the front of the classroom, her hands resting on the oak desk that lay at the head of the room, her body leaned against it. "First, sometimes there is a difference and some times there isn't. That all depends on the Nightwalker, or other Vampire that created them. You see, Vampires can breed. At the very least, those infected with a Nightwalker's essence can. When a Vampire child is born, they tend to have more control over their selves as opposed to someone who was infected by a Nightwalker and left to die." Aeris met Sam's eyes with a continued smile. "An inexperienced Nightwalker often times doesn't intend to create a Vampire, and can't teach them what they need to do. Most often the Nightwalker doesn't want to teach them, and would rather let them run rampant. These are the rabid vampires you see in the streets. They can learn, they just haven't."

"As for a cure," Aeris thought for a moment, "There is only one that I'm aware of. If you're turned by a Nightwalker, they can turn you back to Human if they know how. I'm not entirely sure how the process works, however, so I can't comment on it. I do know that it has to do with a lot of essence being drained from your body, and it's likely that if you were turned back you wouldn't have an aptitude for magic anymore." Once Aeris had finished speaking, she heard Ian's voice cut through the air, and turned to look at him. "Often times curiousity is a good thing to have in this world. Just because there's danger doesn't mean you shouldn't try something." Aeris responded to the boy calmly, walking toward him when she saw the gun on his desk.

"Put that away. I won't tolerate you having a weapon drawn in my classroom." She spoke firmly, now standing directly in front of the boy's desk. Her gaze pierced him with an eerie calm as he asked his next question. "No, I won't." The doll's eyes moved from the boy to Mairyell for a moment, watching her brother's stiffened body as he surveyed the room. After a moment, her eyes returned to the boy in front of her, "However, I'll let you guess what it is, anyone is welcome to give it a shot." With that, she turned and walked back to the head of the classroom, her eyes briefly resting on each student's face as she looked around.

Silently she hoped that her reaction had made the students think she really didn't know what it was.

“What, don't tell me you're not curious what it feels like.” Sam snapped at Ian before Aeris started addressing her question. What she was saying was interesting and shed some light on some fundamental questions and unfortunately probably meant she wouldn't get to experience vampirism unless she made friends with a really kind Nightwalker, and they didn't seem to be generally such.

There was something actually in the classroom? It wasn't just in their heads? Sam glanced around, more curious than worried. Some of the students were reacting while others were just as clueless as her. 50/50 then. Still, while some students were more paranoid than others, Aeris didn't seem overly bothered and that other guy at the back wasn't yet pounding anything so it was probably alright. The teacher asked what it could be and Sam really hoped it was a nightwalker. She'd read the Academy used to arrange “surprises” like that in the old days and if that were the case, it would explain the stranger's presence – probably a mercenary or some other sort of bodyguard to make sure whatever was lurking wasn't gonna kill anyone. The girl reached into her pocket and took out one Sameda, absently rolling it back and forth on the desk. Its light was dim but still visible in the room, the Instrument her equivalent of Ian's gun. Except it was a toy just as much as it was a weapon.

“I hope it's a nightwalker, haven't battered one of those before.” She commented with a grin.

Iris was silent for most of this time, taking in everything she saw and learning the best way she could, through detailed observation. She tucked loose strands of hair behind her ear and sighed. Nightwalkers, huh? She thought about Sam’s question, and whether or not it held any value to her. Her arms found over her head in a stretch, as her eyes glanced over to her harp, which leaned against her desk patiently. Her stare returned to Aeris, however, when a thought rose to her head.

“Can Nightwalkers have romantic relations with one another? How is it that they continue walking the earth if they all prefer to be by themselves?” She frowned, before watching Timore’s instrument slithering up near her out of the corner of her her curious eyes.

A laughing fit befell Sam and even though she put her hand on her mouth it was still a pretty loud giggle. She wasn’t taking the situation seriously but hey, apparently she wasn’t the only one.

“What a wonderful question,” a suave mystery of a voice stated, the sound of it permeating the room. A shadowy hand laid itself on Iris’ shoulder and a wave of anxiousness spread through the room as a figure, entirely from nowhere, materialized rather suddenly behind the student. The hand lifted, and as it did the figure vanished, likely leaving Iris quite confused as to the identity of whomever had touched her.

“It is always amusing as to how little people know of my kind,” his voice was clearly audible to them all, but Sam would hear it as if it had originated right next to her, almost as if the comment was directed at her former wish.

“...though I much prefer the reaction of those who think themselves steeled against them.” This time the voice originated near Ian, particularly all around him, making it impossible to tell where it actually came from.

By now Mairyell had hopped from his place atop the pillar, landing soundly on the ground where he glared about the room, his jaw stiff, and his eyes a bloody crimson. “Come out you slimy bastard,” the vampire snarled under his breath, a certain venom in his tone.

Arms wrapped around Mairyell’s torso, their composition that of materialized darkness. “Why so tense?” Mairyell whirled, slashing with his now formed claws, his eyes somewhat wild.

There was nothing there, the arms were gone. “Dammit...” he growled. There was a laugh and then the room dimmed somewhat, the light from the windows somehow unable to fully penetrate the mire.

Two white embers opened just above Aeris’ head, and the voice again rang through the room. “My kind do not often love as humans do, and even should we choose to, it is not so as to make another of our own,” there was a light chuckle, “ We are demons after all and the proliferation of our kind has little to do with any sort of intimate act, as one of yours might put it. Then again, that all depends on your definition of intimacy, doesn’t it pet?” It was in this moment that the Nightwalker’s form materialized once more, draping itself about Aeris and surrounding her entirely. She would for a moment appear as a feminine silhouette standing in the dimmed light, and quite unable to move.

Timore’s reaction? He was frozen entirely in fear. Not only due to their visitor, but due to the fact that Metentis had made his way under Iris’ chair and was sneakily slinking his way up one of the legs of her desk. He had no idea what the serpent was planning, but, much like their visitor, it could not be good.

Iris eyed the north wall with an unreadable expression, her hand sliding over to the skin where she was touched. She silently noted how it felt before a small smile found her lips. “Thank you for answering my question, strange visitor. Your touch is very cold and your breath is foul, but you seem to have much pride for your people.” She was relating to the nightwalker in the best possible way she could. “Don’t you ever feel lonely?” She cocked an eyebrow. “Oh, also, strange creature, here..” She dug into her bag and brought out a small container of mints, setting it on the front end of her desk. “Take some.” She sat back in her desk with her big green ice eyes staring at nothing, or was it really nothing? Whatever emotions she had they were smoothed underneath a collected mask.

They’re all as fucking mad as you are, aren’t they? There is a demon wandering around the classroom and they simply don’t seem to care Koshmar laughed the sound resounding in Ian’s head. Oh how interesting I haven’t seen a Nightwalker in an age, shoot it. I’m interested to see how it reacts Ian had ignored Aeris request but at the behest of Koshmar he put the gun away and gripped Fidrieon instead. It’s enveloping Aeris, no way am I going to shoot something not fully corporeal that is occupying the same space as the instructor Koshmar snorted Buzzkill

Ian finally spoke “Are your kind so secretive that someone teaching a class on you is cause to show up in the heart of a paramilitary magic training facility for the next generation of peacekeeping individuals, and act like some 20th century knock off vampire? Because I find that to be rather pathetic. Isn’t your appearance just telling us more about your capacities and your need for dramatic flair?” Ian paused for a moment “I mean clearly he isn't happy to see you” Ian gestured to Mairyell “however It seems like a really huge coincidence that you just decide to show up while she’s teaching a lesson” Ian gestured to Aeris “So are you here to show off and be dramatic? Start a fight with some of the only people that could probably stop you? Or did she bring you here to prove a point?” Ian let the questions hang as he cradled Fidrieon.

Sam stared at Ian with newfound admiration. It was obvious that he was much better than her at expressing things in words. Quickly her gaze shifted back to Aeris and her shadow, eagerly expecting some answers.

This lot certainly seemed an unruly bunch, the lord thought to himself as Iris’ behavior changed. How odd, he thought as she so rudely insulted him, though her comment was almost entirely groundless and he cared very little in regards to it anyways. Their opinions meant very little to him after all.

His eyes surveyed the room, looking over the class for a moment before his attention was drawn by Ian. With this a grin formed over his shadowy surface, appearing as a whitish crack before the shroud that was his body drifted from Aeris and gathered. The cloud continued forwards, towards Ian, even as it took form, solidifying entirely upon the Nightwalker’s arrival right before the student’s desk. An eyebrow was cocked, and a grin laid ‘cross his face as he looked down at the seated human adolescent. “You know, for a child you are awfully conceited. First you should know that even if several master musicians took it to mind to play a tune for me, I could kill them all before a single note exited their shards. Secondly, should it be one of the measly hunters I’m sure this establishment hires to protect their precious musicians, it would take double their worth to do much of anything. I’ll have you know that the last time I was challenged, I began the destruction of the Angellic council, starting with several thousand innocents, and ending with three archangels devoured before fending off a threat to my kingdom singlehandedly. Oh, did I mention I am the Western Lord of Hell? If you’re not informed, that means I have the power, by myself, to wipe out a city on my own and you think I’m pathetic because I simply enjoy having a bit of fun? If so, my dear boy, I believe you are terribly misinformed,” he then turned away from Ian and strutted between the desks, weaving somewhat aimlessly, sometimes passing a student, sometimes not.

Timore’s eye remained glued to Aeris, his entire body was shivering, but he couldn’t move. He didn’t think he’d ever been this afraid. “Thhaanksss Mss. Intrigue,” Metentis suddenly hissed, having come into plain view upon Iris’ desk. Despite being unable to actually eat the mints, the metallic serpent slithered to them, curled about them and began to slowly crush them into smaller pieces, watching them fragment as he did so with what appeared to be glee. “I do enjoy thiisss ssort of thing,” the fragment glanced away from his game, briefly regarding the nightwalker. Metentis’ green eyes briefly became so bright that Iris, or any other, would have trouble looking at the serpent, before they dulled once more and the serpent turned to Iris, where his eyes stayed as he slowly crushed the mints in his coils.

Metentis’ master wasn’t pulled from his stupor even by the voice of his escaped instrument. He remained still, as if that was all he could do to stay the least bit composed. It was.

Meanwhile Mairyell took several steps from the back of the room, he had moved to stop Szayeis, but not so unexpectedly, he was caught by a shadow and rendered unable to proceed. When the demon did not attack Ian, his eyes narrowed. What was the bastard playing at?

He briefly considered trying to figure out what the nightwalker was thinking, before casting the idea away. It was impossible, Szayeis was entirely insane and unpredictable. No point in even trying--at least in his opinion.

Thus, instead, he remained near Ian when the lord withdrew, putting his hand on the kid’s shoulder and glancing at him. “You okay?” He said, trying to keep the anger from his voice.

Iris, Ian, Sam, Mairyell… Aeris’ mind registered the people that Szayeis interacted with carefully, her eyes trailing his writhing shadows about the room. When his body weaved itself up and around her she moved her arms under her chest and closed her eyes, allowing him to encase her. Though she couldn’t move, she could speak, as well as focus. With her eyes closed, she concentrated for a moment, and a blue aura flickered to life around her body beneath the shadows. When she heard Iris speak, her eyebrow raised and she smirked a bit at the thought.

When Ian’s voice met her ears, she couldn’t help but laugh slightly… Until Szayeis’ body left her. Then she grew a little worried. The vampiress watched as the Western Lord made his way about the room, her eyes staying with him consistently when he got to Ian. When Szayeis began to speak, Aeris’ head tilted to the side as she listened to him. “For those wondering, no I did not invite him here, but I knew who it was when I felt his presence the first time. He’s the reason I know so much about the Western Realm in the first place, after all, he trapped me there for 20 years.” Aeris spoke the sentence as if it was as simple as breathing, though, on the inside she was a brightly flaming ball of rage.

The doll watched as Mairyell went to Ian’s side, smiling softly at his consideration for the boy, though he obviously didn’t really care that Szayeis was who he was. She then brought her eyes to the Snake-like creature coiled atop Iris’ desk and--ignoring Szayeis for a moment--walked toward it. She watched the creature with a cold, analytical curiosity. One born from years of instruction. “Hello there.” She spoke softly, placing her hand on the desk next to the creature, her eyes moving back to the Lord of Chaos.

“Lord Szayeis,” Little Kasio started her sentence emphasizing the word lord as though calling him only by Szayeis would warrant some form of punishment. It likely would. “How’re you feeling?” She questioned the Nightwalker, intent on knowing whether or not he was still as weak as he was when she last saw him.

Metentis paid her little mind as she addressed him. He continued to slowly, delicately, yet brutally, crush the mints. The edges of his metallic jaw curved up slightly as if in a dark grin.

Szayeis on the other hand looked in her direction, brow raising on his now human face--though it was but a ruse one might say. “Yes love?” There was a subtle smile on his face as he said it. Mairyell twitched.

In response to her question, he just chuckled and, with a tone she knew, he lied, “I’m perfectly fine. Having quite a bit of fun as you can see,” he said it as if no one else was listening to their conversation.

“Mmm…” Was all Aeris responded with, watching him, and then moving her eyes, and body slightly to look at her brother silently.

Ian’s eyes flared with Nightmare fire. His voice was slick like oil sliding across water. “Go back to your realm Szayeis, this surface does not belong to you. And this human. Is mine.” Koshmar casually set his feet on the desk and crossed his ankles. At the mention of him being fine an echoing laugh filled the room “Liar Liar. Feeling a little frail Szayeis? Needing a little Help from the Essence of the World?” Koshmar snickered “Or did you forget what I’m a fragment of?”

Ian closed his eyes as he grappled with Koshmar and forced him back into his cage. His eyes blinked open and he took his feet off the desk looking around at the majority of the class staring at him. “What the hell is he talk-” Ian stopped mid sentence and connected the dots with his dream the night before and the hairs stood up on the back of his neck. “Oh shit…”

As the Nightmare fire lit Ian’s eyes, the lord’s own white irised orbs snapped to the human. His head tilted and an eyebrow raised, then the boy spoke. “Oh how little you know, insect,” there was no amusement in his tone, instead there was only a dry, almost sarcastic, sound. Szayeis’ white eyes glanced through the room, scanning it with the same dry look. Now he was annoyed.

By the time the foolish fragment finished his second comment, Szayeis had vanished and almost simultaneously reappeared in front of Ian. It was at this point that Sam exclaimed.

“AH!” Sam's shout echoed through the room before anyone could respond. She jumped from her seat sending Sameda rolling off her desk with a cling. “The Lord of Chaos, are you serious?! The real one, the guy who totally demolished the Council and then just turned on his heel, seriously?!” Her excitement exploded, butchering her words to breathless gibberish. “I can't believe you actually came personally to teach this class and I mean to teach and not just try to devour us all, it's so cool that you're here, I bet you can tell us so much about your kingdom and just how cool you are and---” she gasped, her head whipping around to look at Mairyell, enlightenment shining in her eyes. “Is that Sanguine?! I knewIrecognized himfrom somewhere butwho could evenimagine we'dgetsomanyelitesteachinghereatthesametimeand--” She paused to take a breath, holding her heart that seemed to be literally on the verge of exploding. Sam's expression was that of a child at Christmas, eyes scanning the room as if it was a candy factory. Passing over Aeris they froze on her and a slight frown furrowed her eyebrows. “Did he say lover?”

Szayeis, at this point, gritted his teeth, noting the human’s control returning. His white eyes would briefly meet with Ian’s, piercing through him before glancing down at Fidrieon. He smiled, a look that to everyone but Mairyell, Aeris, and Ian himself would appear harmless. However, Ian would see the malice in those eyes before they turned from him entirely, the aura of violence receded, and Szayeis spread his arms, smiling at Sam.

“Why yes, I am that very lord,” he lowered his arms and chuckled, “...now take a deep breath would you? Perhaps several. It’s hard to understand you when you’re choking on excitement, and you’d hardly want to annoy me, now would you?” Despite his back being to Ian, it would be obvious to the boy--and everyone in his poor mind--that the comment was aimed at them.

Then, at Sam’s misinterpretation, Szayeis shook his head. “Not quite. I heard Aeris speak of my kind and thought I’d drop in for a bit to visit my two favorite vampires. Afterall, a sire must visit their offspring to check on them, don’t you think?”

In response, Mairyell snapped. “Get out,” he growled, taking his hand off of Ian’s shoulder. He stepped past the student’s desk, his eyes now an almost black crimson, so dark was their color. The vampire’s essence spiked, flooding his immediate surroundings with an aura that was sickeningly hostile. It would smell almost like blood.

Then it became apparent why.

A crimson liquid flowed out from the chimera’s skin, coating his hands entirely, and solidifying into wicked talons as it did so. He then slashed straight through Szayeis’ body before the demon could even react. A fierce purple light flickered like electricity in the space he had struck.

The lord’s body stiffened and any who saw his face would note a distinct look of shock on his features, followed moments after by a smile. “For a moment, that actually hurt,” he turned on his heel and slammed his fist into Mairyell’s stomach, sending a wave of searing essence through the vampire’s nerves. “Why don’t you take a little nap,” the lord sneered before slamming his other elbow hard against the back of Mairyell’s head, dropping him to the ground instantly.

He turned, looking to Aeris as he wiped his hands off, “Deal with him,” he stated simply.

The vampiress met her brother’s eyes for a moment before turning her attention to the most palpable fear in the room. Timore. With a small smile, the doll reached out and placed her hand upon his shoulder, channeling some of her Brisn through his body in order to calm him. “Don’t worry, Tim. It’ll be okay.” With that, she turned her attention back to Metentis, “Who does this belong to?” She questioned calmly, quickly snatching the creature from the desk, her thumb pressed into the base of his jaw, keeping his mouth closed. The remainder of her hand was wrapped around what would be his neck, forcibly tilting the fragment’s head up.

When Koshmar spoke, Aeris whipped around, dropping Metentis on to Timore’s desk by accident. Though, the snake was a secondary priority to the life of a student. Before she could say anything, Szayeis had made his move, and she could do nothing but blink. He was certainly getting riled easier than usual. Her head tilted to the side hearing Sam. There was a visible cringe when she questioned Szayeis calling the doll love. “Ah, no… He’s not going to be teaching. And no. He is not--we’re not lovers,” Aeris stated coolly, pausing to smile softly at Mai before she continued to speak, a hint of something else in her eyes, sadness? “Sanguine… Mairyell, however, is my older brother by blood.”

When Szayeis’ response to Sam met Aeris’ ears, her nails dug in to her hand, but she said nothing. That is, until Mairyell went ballistic. “Mai, don--” Before she could even finish her sentence her brother was falling to the ground. Before he had completely dropped, she slid to his side and caught him, looking up to meet Szayeis’ white eyes with a look of both anger and uncertainty. That’s when it registered to her that there was more than just a power difference with the lord. “Mm… Lord, what happened to your eyes?” She asked cautiously, holding Mai in her arms, her hands glowing with the same blue aura that she had used when Szayeis encased her in his body. She was healing him.

The doll stayed kneeling on the ground with her brother, waiting for him to wake up, but her eyes never left Szayeis. There was something she wanted to do, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it in view of the students, or her brother. He would hate her, wouldn’t he?

Iris stood up from her desk. She grabbed Metentis, stroking his metallic head for a moment, her voice warm like honey. “You remind me of a good friend.” She gave the fragment a wry smile before placing it onto Timore’s desk. Kuro… Her heart ached for a moment before she shook the name off her thoughts. Without having to think much her fingers grasped the grip on her harp as her body sat itself on the table of the desk. Something was completely different about Iris, and nobody seemed to notice while the other events were the priority. Her eyes glowed green plasma, and her tattoos were faintly glowing, as if lighting up completely would be a sin. She just sat there, and then she spoke, her voice had strings of higher frequencies woven into it, ones that any of their ears couldn’t comprehend, except for maybe Szayeis. “Tell me more about your powers, Szayeis.” She beamed of stars in her mouth. The girl was beautiful, but something about her current form hinted at slight madness. For some reason the events didn’t phase her, or did they? Maybe she was trying to calm the situation down.

Like a whisper in a quiet room was the essence in Iris’ voice, but not just to Szayeis for there was one other--aside from the siblings--who had an eye for essence.

With Aeris managing to calm him down somewhat and Metentis finally on his desk again, Timore could think. Iris’ approach did throw him off somewhat not to mention the sharp crack of Mairyell’s skull likely being fractured for a moment. She stroked Metentis before going and sitting, where she took her harp in hand and then spoke. However, something was different.

While he could not hear the frequency itself, the fact that one occurred was apparent to him, and its color was orange. The normal sound of her voice had been golden, but now it had shifted from red, and when the girl spoke to Szayeis, it was orange. What?

Szayeis on the other hand, who had been queried first by Aeris, glanced down at the clearly angry woman. He regarded her with a sort of apathy. The same expression was given to Iris when she spoke. His attention, at first, appeared to turn from her and back to Aeris as he spoke.

“What ever do you mean,” he said somewhat drier than was fitting.

Simultaneous to his verbal response was another, a mental one, projected directly into Iris’ mind, What are you? He queried, his eyes pinned to Aeris, ...and what exactly makes you think I’d tell you anything?

Iris stared at his form, her glowing eyes somewhat flickering with flames of curiosity. There was a low hum that eased out of her lips, the vibrations curling up towards Szayeis into what was her voice. ”My name is Iris.” She stated. ”I am terrified of you, that’s what I am, but I want to know why.” Her voice slipped into him like a caress, numbing his ears. She smiled weakly, then waited, if a response were to return.

Sam had sat down slowly as the situation in the room suddenly turned bitter. Eyes pinned on the dynamic between the now subdued Sanguine, his dominator and what turned out to be his sister, she grew quiet and still. The danger was suddenly obvious and her animal-like instincts were reacting, making her slowly drift to the edge of the seat and then down, almost curling up under the desk. From there she observed, her muscles coiling for a fight-or-flight reaction but her heart was steady and calm. The bounty-hunter was knocked out, the strongest of them was threatened with imminent pain, the teacher seemed distraught, an instrument was running wild and the new girl was revealing a part of her that was blazing with mysterious potential.

Too many players a logical part of her mind regarded, too many pieces on this board. Where did it come from? Was it an artefact of the old Samantha? Or something the new one had recently learnt? Was it a projection of Crow? Or perhaps it was even Sameda trying to communicate? She didn't know. Confusion clouded her mind for a second but she pushed it away.

Silently, yet making no attempt to hide, she got on all fours and crept to where Mairyell was, sitting beside Aeris and slapping his face gently. Was she hoping to witness an epic battle or was she genuinely worried for his safety? Was she just curious about the brisn or was she showing Aeris that she's got her back and she's free to move? It wasn't exactly clear what her motives were, not even to her, but it felt like the only right thing to do.

Aeris’ eyes drifted from Szayeis to Iris, back to Szayeis, and then on to Sam who was now seated beside her. The vampiress watched as the student smacked her brother’s face, her head tilted in confusion. Then her eyes found Iris again, staring quietly before looking back at Szayeis with a small, timid smile. She wasn’t sure what to do with herself, simply holding Mai to her person for both her own sanity and his protection.

Though the doll kept her eyes locked on the white embers of the Nightwalker before her, her mind was elsewhere, debating on an action she wasn’t sure she was ready to take. Why are you staring at me? Did I do something wrong? She questioned the Lord mentally, her anger subsiding to a dull ember, as she focused solely on being courteous.

To say that she was calm given the situation, would be accurate. However, she also remembered the punishments her Lord doled out quicker than he breathed. One misstep, and she could find herself back in the Western Realm for another 20 years of torture.

Ian’s voice cut through the tension in the room like a knife slicing through a taut string. “Leave them alone.” Ian had stood and walked from his seat in the back of the class towards them. No Nightmare fire blazed in his eyes. They were clear and all too human. “You have so much power and yet at the end of the day all you are is a bully” He stepped up next to his professor sitting on the floor next to her felled brother and the two girls in the class.

“Koshmar says it was easy for you to obliterate the council. You can kill beings that can see the future and you can wipe out Archangels. And yet you choose to come here and beat up someone with less power than you and threaten the weak” Ian curled his lip. “Two hundred years ago Judas ruled this world through force and fear. Hazumi helped him do it. And you know what? He was a bully too, crazy. Sure. But a bully none the less. If you’re so fucking powerful and so damn old. Explain to me why you get off on petty shit like this. Because I feel like if I were in your shoes I could find something more interesting to do with my time. Unless you actually have a reason for being here besides hurting those weaker than you.” Ian folded his arms and gave Szayeis a hard stare. And tried not to tremble.

This Iris was an odd one, as delicate as a flower, but with a certain solidity to her. Still, like most, she was fragile. You fear me as any prey fears a predator, he responded telepathically, his eyes leaving Aeris in response to her questioning. She would get no response, at least not yet.

Noting Sam’s movement, the lord’s eyes then shifted to Ian as he once again stood for the weak and wanting.

His expression remained apathetic. “I am not sure if you are brave, or just stupid,” Szayeis looked the human up and down. Fools and heroes were far less interesting to break, but perhaps this boy was different. There was something about him, though he was not yet sure what it was. “However, I will answer one of your questions,” he then stood right before Ian and chuckled, his white eyes locked with the boy’s own.

“It is fun,” he stated, a smile forming on his face, “...and honestly...” he splayed his arms out wide in a gesture, “...if I did not, then I would have little else to do. After all, the majority of those alive are weak by comparison. Including you.” He shook his head and turned, glancing at a clock, at which point he frowned.

“How unfortunate,” he said, sounding annoyed, “...it seems I’m late for a meeting,” he chuckled, switching from annoyed to amused. Primarily because he had not scheduled anything. He walked past Timore, who stared directly into his eyes unflinchingly. The small serpent now wrapped around his wrist. Szayeis smiled, his eyebrows raising for a moment before he shook his head humans, he thought with a chuckle.

Iris sat back in her chair, the glowing from her body ceasing, but the plasma still remaining in her lava-like stare. This man scared her, she knew, but something about the way he spoke, the way he worked, also guided her to admire him. She knew one thing above all else, however, is that she sympathized with him. She knew, more than most, what it’s like to be all alone. She didn’t respond to him after that, however, just stare. Laced through all the strings of fear and chaos woven into her first impressions of the man, she knew one thing. She hoped to see him again, when she’s stronger.

As Szayeis reached the door he stopped, seeming to think a moment before turning around and looking at the small congregation, “I hope this has been informative as I assure you this is not the last we meet. I have a way of...getting around,” he smirked, “...oh and Aeris; Nice outfit, it suits you.” He turned and walked from the room, waving as he did, “Tata~”

So as he had come, he was gone just as suddenly, vanished around the corner leaving behind an unconscious vampire and a score of scared children. Ah yes, life was good.

Mahz's Dev Journal

@Mahz There aren't any dark boxes around the new post content on the mainpage. I quite liked that, and was wondering if you had simply changed it.

Essence of the World: The New Age [CLOSED]

Hey, just a note for those of you who haven't been on skype, or seen: Aeris' class needs replies from all the students before it can continue! ^^

Mahz's Dev Journal

@Mahz I was made a test co-GM in an RP for one of my friends, and I can't seem to see an edit button for the topic. Where's it supposed to be?

Mahz's Dev Journal

<snipped quote>

@Mahz

I mean, in terms of that red difference, I only noticed a small one. Then again, I scored a 43 on that color test @Shienvien posted. The headache I got during it wasn't fun lol. The reason I said anything in the first place, though, was because it seemed like you wanted people who knew that stuff, so I thought I'd let you know you have people that do. ^^

Mahz's Dev Journal

@Mahz I'm not a Web Desinger by trade--yet, I'm going to school for such come August--but, I do know my way around a CSS document.

Essence of the World: The New Age [CLOSED]

Okay, working on my character now and I have to say, I think it's going to be really boss. :D Also, I really like that logo,@Celaira. It's really rad. :D

@Altered Tundra

Thanks, Alt! <3

Mahz's Dev Journal

Tag Suggestion: Fandom -- For RP's that are based on say, anime, movies, or books