Finding Our Way: Pray4me x Izurich

[MUSΞ]

The remaining elite guards found themselves shaking with uncontrollable fear as they witnessed their fellow comrades meet a gruesome death. Telo was affected the sight as well, but was able to push his emotions beside to focus on the enemy in front of him.

"Do not let them get to you! Fight with all your might! Fight with all your life for Horizon!" he motivated.

The elite guards nodded and charged forward to the fae warriors that suddenly appeared. Swords clashed, swords swung onto the ground, the sound of ice crackling onto the vulnerable and weak areas on them. Screams, shouts, cries, blood raining down around Telo as the war between the two armies of Horizon continued on. Usar let out another low roar, swiping another large clawed hand at Telo. The general wasn't able to avoid this attack as the claws made easy contact with the chest-piece of his armor, knocking him ways back and onto the ground. Telo groaned on the ground, raising a hand to the deep claw marks that made its way through the metal armor and just missing his skin.

Surrounding them, bullets flew as the rest of Horizon soldiers battled with the spirits and other fae warriors. It was unclear on how the human Horizon army was doing against the other beings, but to Telo who had a brief chance to observe his surroundings, it didn't look too well. Another wave of Horizon soldiers, the emergency squadrons, rushed forward as a loud whistle was heard above. Giant boulders fell from the skies from the catapults located on top of Horizon Tower, aiding the human warriors.

Seeing a boulder heading towards them, Usar jumped in time to miss the first one. As the second one fell towards them, Usar gathered his strength, letting out a mighty roar as he caught the impossibly heavy boulder in his claws. The weight forced his body into the ground, the veins of his arms popping up from within, as he strained his neck to support the weight.

A barrage of bullets flew towards them, but were stopped by the shields of ice assisted by the faes. In retaliation, the fae warriors rushed the group and slaughtered them quickly, not even realizing that the soldiers were only but young tweens and teens.

Usar prepared himself to throw the boulder at Telo, who was standing with the remaining two of his elite guards, until an ear-piercing scream took away his attention.

Huddled into the fetal position in the center of the bodies of the young teens, was delicate Orchid. She was decked out in war gear, complete with a small pistol and strapped with backup knives for her unit. Covering her small body was the blood of her former unit and a lone hand gripping her leg desperately to be saved. While she cowered inside the heap of bodies, her wide eyes only stared at El and Usar.

Filled with irrational rage, Usar immediately tossed the boulder to Orchid's direction. The shadow of the boulder grew bigger and bigger around Orchid as it prepared to land on top of the small child soldier. Her mouth dropped open, eyes now following her death.

 

[Izurich]

1 hour ago...

In the heart of a mystical land covered in ice and snow with a perpetual aura dancing in the sky, a dazzling crystal palace stood in the middle. In its heart, the throne room, on the regal ice-sculpted throne sat a beautiful woman. Her eyes sharp as icicles, hair white as snow, and lips blue like the frost around her. She was wearing an elaborate dress complete with a sapphire crown, marking herself as the sovereign of the land. In front of her, kneeling on her knees, was an Ice Faerie, a certain one whom El knew well, one who was named 'Kou'.

"Queen Shiva, the battle for Horizon had begun." Kou reported with utmost respect to the Queen of all Ice Faeries.

"I see, it is just as Seer Ta'rinea predicted," Shiva rubbed her chin, contemplating, scheming, "The return of Luna Eidolon, the awakening of Bel-Sarra-Usar, and... the Purge of Horizon," She sat back on her throne, smirking at Kou, "If all goes well, Horizon will return to its former glory. You shall go and assist her in the Purge, take a battalion of our best troops, I give you full authority in this mission, Ellie must succeed." As she spoke, Shiva noticed a slight hesitation in Kou's mannerisms, "Do you have something in your mind, Kou?"

"Forgive me, Your Grace, it's just..." Kou bit her lower lip, pushing away at her doubts then decided to plow on, "Do you think this is right? She may be the Eidolon we had been waiting for centuries, but she's just a child and what she's doing right now... taking lives... I don't know if-... *sigh*"

"Enough," Shiva waved her hand, her icy eyes peering down at the Fae with cold-blooded pragmatism, "Her purpose outweighs trivialities such as age, it does not matter if she's a child or not, she's an Eidolon of Luna and she will be the one who will restore balance to the world with Arkosh Usar. Remember what is at stake, Kou, do not let your emotions cloud your judgement, pull her away from her fate and we are all doomed, including Ellie. Do I make myself clear?"

"I..." Kou gulped then nodded, "Yes, Your Grace, I understand"

"Indeed, now go with haste."

With another nod, Kou stood up, turned around, then made her way out of the Palace.

"Iris, my old friend, please forgive me... know I will never abandon my promise, I will not let Ellie come to harm as I kept you and your successors safe." The Queen muttered after Kou was out of earshot.

--

"NO!!" El's glowing eyes widened in a mix of rage and horror as the boulder - thrown by her very own Arkosh - slammed to the ground, turning Orchid into a bloody pulp, a gruesome fate for the innocent child. "O-orchi-... Or-..." El's jaw went agape, all seemed to shut down, the screams, shots, roars, and warcries of the battle raging around her went unheard. The Chaos around her and within her very own soul fueled her power as Luna itself was channeled through the white-haired girl. When El came back to her senses or lack thereof, her form erupted with an unprecedented amount of power, she launched herself high above the sky as a pair of daemonic wings - opposite to Usar's seraphic design - grew from her back, so huge it dwarfed El herself, making her look like a small figure in the middle of two gigantic wings.

<I recommend: Two Steps from Hell - Nemesis for this scene.>​

"ENOUGH!!!" Her voice shattered the very sky as it slowly turned into a shade of red where in fact it was Luna's essence covering the battlefield. All eyes looked above as the very ground beneath them shook, the battle seemed to halt for El's sheer rage, Kou gazed at the sky between her panting breaths, Queen Shiva, is this what you want? She mentally gritted her teeth, the awful truth that Eidolons were puppets of the Primordial Forces became clear to her, just as Arkoshs were their avatars. The Forces controlled the Eidolon, not the other way around as one might appear. It was sad, but this matter were above petty concepts such as morality, it was about Balance and concepts created by sentient beings were irrelevant.

"OZH DOMOSH ACHA!!!" ("MY REIGN BEGINS NOW!!!") El roared as a huge magic circle appeared above Horizon, pulsating with a red glow. Usar himself could feel Luna's essence leaking to him through their connection, El was definitely not using her own energy, she was sapping from Luna itself. The catapulter all shouted in panic, but they managed to launch a boulder to the floating girl... which proved futile as a destructive beam of scarlet launched from a spot on the huge circle shattered the boulder into dusts.

"VOTH DOQ IZH!!" ("WAR UPON YOU!!") El shot her hand forwards as her wing-shaped aura spread outwards, beams of scarlet light rained down upon Horizon, targeting each guard they could find, collateral damage was there but they mainly hit the spirits as the Ice Faeries were small and agile enough to take cover and all citizens had took shelter in the tower by now. "SOL ARKOSH!" El called out to Usar, "FINISH THIS!"

 

[MUSΞ]

Every soldier abruptly stopped their attacks. Telo and the rest of his elite guards lowered their swords, staring high into the sky, mouth open as they witness El above them. Telo, unable to breath from realization, closed his eyes pitifully. The catapults continued to launch their boulders in vain, each of them bursting into dust. Many soldiers at this point began to run to Horizon. Some were slaughtered by the ice faeries, some were caught in the beam of red light, but most seemed to avoid the troubles as they ran for safety in Horizon.

Usar gripped his head, thrashing his body around as the spirit connection felt like powerful throbs of pain throughout his body. He roared in response to El, spreading his angelic wings and absorbing the scarlet light surrounding him. With a pounding flap, Usar launched himself up, taking in the light, as he spiraled and twisted his way to the center of the magic circle hovering in the clouding sky. Another shocking roar escaped his slobbering mouth, reaching the center of the magic circle in time of the blood red clouds to encase him in.

Deep thunder, strikes of scarlet lightning danced in the air. Usar pulled himself into a tight ball, his body turning into an orange red orb as he allowed the magic to wrap around his body. With a thunderous exhale, two slithering clawed hands revealed themselves, created purely of the combination of El's and Usar's powers. The size of the two hands were enough to grasp the surrounding mountains fully between them.

With a sudden crash, one hand slammed into the ground before raking its claws back, dragging deeply into the blood-stained ground. Half of the Horizon army was wiped out with that one hand, a sea of blood pooling quickly with mashed parts floating. The other hand repeated the action, smashing and raking its claws, taking away the lives of the soldiers who so faithfully fought for Horizon.

The remaining elite guards ran in the opposite direction, giving up their faith in general Telo. Telo fell onto his knees, face as pale as El's skin, knowing that he was now unable to protect the tower he vowed for.

"You...YOU!" he balled his fist up at El, eyes red. "For the rest of eternity, for the rest of existence, I will avenge Horizon from you! From this point, may your life be full of terror, pain, torture and death like you have placed on Horizon! I will make sure of it!"

A clawed fist promptly fell onto Telo, the hand opening to fall on the elite soldiers that didn't make it away far enough. The plains of Horizon was now void of all life, marked of its events by the impacts of the magical clawed hands.

A strike of lightning struck followed by another quaking thunderous wail. The clawed hands joyfully clapped childishly for a few seconds before reaching out to wrap itself around Horizon Tower. A thumb quickly ended the soldiers on top of the towers before the hands began to crush Horizon Tower slowly.

Screams from the huddled citizens escaped through the war shelters they were in built underneath Horizon. The sides of Horizon began to cave in as the whole tower was starting to lift from its foundation. Many citizens continued their prays, crying it desperately as the older generations began to recite one of the few hymns that made it through the centuries since its creation during the times of Bel-Sarra-Usar's reign.

"This?! This?! This?!" Usar continued to repeat as he crushed Horizon Tower."

 

[Izurich]

"So, you are curious about the story of the Eidolon." A figure sat on a stone throne in the color of midnight, books and scrolls put in neat stacks all around it except at the front. A bird's eye view would reveal the throne was rooted on a floating piece of castle ruins, it was as if a part of the castle detached itself, soaring calmly like dandelions. A starlit night sky above, shimmering the throne in its ethereal glow, revealing the figure to be an adult woman, wearing a white robe, hair white as now, eyes red as rubies, and skin pale like porcelain. She was holding a thick tome in her hand. "The story of the girl named Elysion and her Arkosh." She spoke on her own as if someone else was there with her, the woman opened another page.

"Every soul has its own struggles, but in the end, we are all but puppets of Fate."
"In a valley surrounded by mountains, in a certain plain bordered by lush forests."
"In a certain tower tucked away in exiled lands, in the doorsteps of an elderly couple."
"The baby was abandoned..."

She opened another page.

"Fortunately... or unfortunately... the baby who had been abandoned held the key to both your salvation or... your doom."
"The mark of White Rose upon her back, the baby was adopted by a loving father and mother."

"Alabaster hair... scarlet eyes... skin as white as snow..."
"Before long, the foundling baby, now named 'Ellie', had grown into a girl so beautiful, yet her presence sent a chill down your spine"

"All things are in a state of flux; as long as it flows, time is the same"
"Without anyone knowing, not even herself, she'd set a motion that would shake the very foundations of this world."

She paused, gazing up at the Ice Faerie before her.

"Seer Ta'rinea... is there anything else you wish to know?"

"Yes, Luna, tell me more"

"People are afraid to know the future for a reason, Seer..."

"For the sake of Queen Shiva, for my people, and for this world, I am ready."

"Very well" The woman sat back as she opened another page, "And thus..."

==

The centuries had not been kind to the once great people, layers upon layers of oppression had turned proud warriors into a bunch of pushover peasants. No more, Sol's Arkosh had returned and with him came Luna's Eidolon. False Horizon quaked under the reign of Bel-Sarra-Usar and her Eidolon, an ancient pair reborn. In the ancient past, such display of powers were still great, but by no means strange to Horizon, these pitiful soldiers and 'elite' knights quaking in terror were evident enough of its current state. Leeches and parasites, they weakened Horizon little by little, into what it was now. It was El and Usar's duty to peel away the dirt and grime covering Horizon, it would hurt, it might look cruel, but it was for the Greater Good.

After Telo died and the rest of his soldiers dead, with some scattering away with their tail between their legs. It was done, the Purge was complete, only a few traces of Telo's legacy was left, remnants of blind enforcers of a false law, Horizon... exile? Whoever made such laws deserve capital punishment. Kou looked up, sighing as the raging Arkosh seemed to go overboard, he was undoing everything. This wouldn't do, but fortunately, Queen Shiva expected this, it had been so long since Usar unleashed his powers after all, added the fact that his current Eidolon was only a child, either (or both) of them going out of control was within the Ice Queen's calculations.

"Faes! Initiate the chant!" She raised her sword high as the warriors flew up to El and Usar's height. All of the Elven warriors gathered into a circle as they all sync in unison, their voice loud and mystical, they chanted an ancient fae hymn, authored by Queen Shiva herself in honor of Iris, the First Eidolon, and Bel-Sarra-Usar.

"Fel Faerie Nel La Fel Diry, La Fel Lawary Eidolon.
Aria Yuery Endia, Shua Hori Tindharia…
"Fel Faerie Nel La Fel Diry, La Fel Lawary Arkosh.
Aria Yuery Endia, Shua Hori Tindharia… "

The hymn that spoke of the Fae's gratitude towards and their promise to serve as her guardian until the end of time. "Ha... rrrgh..." It was working, El's glowing, raging, self dimmed down until the bloodlust in her eyes disappeared, leaving the Eidolon to float in confusion, but unlike last time, she remembered what she did, what Usar did, "..." El went silent, gazing at Usar, how he turned into a mindless beast because of her, he was destroying the very tower he vowed to protect. With El losing her rage, the spirits once more returned to their realm and the magic circle in the sky dispersed into red particles, with no Eidolon to fuel it, the two massive hands of destruction would also disperse away.

"El." Kou flew up between El's eyes, "You did it, Horizon is free now."

"Kou, but I..." El was on the verge of crying at all the destruction around her. At the death of Orchid, she couldn't care less about the other soldiers, but seeing the massacre around her took a dent on her young psyche.

"I am sorry, but this is your fate as an Eidolon, it is cruel but you have no choice to accept it, now... please help us calm your Arkosh." Kou flew even closer to the floating girl then hugged her cheek, "Please, El, for all of us."

With the chant of both Horizon's people and Ice Faes around them, El slowly approached Usar, she lovingly hugged his neck, "Usar.... Usar, stop, enough... the bad men are gone... we are here to protect Horizon, not destroy it so... so... come back to me, I'm sorry... I'm sorry!" Her tears burst as she nuzzled her face on his ashen white skin, "I... I was just, I wanted them gone! T-they are gone now, s-so... stop, you don't need to do this anymore."

 

[MUSΞ]

The red aura began to slowly fade as Usar descended to the ground with El hugging his neck. He lightly touched the ground, the aura finally breaking to reveal the normal Usar.

"I'm...I'm so tired," his head swayed in a circular motion, bangs falling over his onyx eyes. "I'm...I'm hurting so much..."

He struggled to keep his eyes open and his body upright. Every limb ached, every muscle burned. His chest felt like they were flooded with mucus, forcing him to breath through his mouth. It would take some time for Usar to get use to the impact his body goes through when in an intense battle.

"...did I do that?" Usar asked tiredly, looking around at the devastation around him. He shook his head. "Did I slaughter my own people?"

Slithering to the nearest body, Usar poked at it gently with a claw hoping for a sign of life. All he got was a mushy, bubbly sound of bodily fluids escaping the dead corpse. He hung his head low, shaking it more. A wave of guilt washed over Usar. How was he suppose to look at his people when it was he who slaughtered them? When the plan of saving of Horizon was introduced, Usar thought a more peaceful way would happen. Not this.

Being a beast that was slowly developing human behavior and thought, the tiredness and aches of his body quickly pushed away any emotions he had with the slaughtering. The feeling of guilt was replaced with the need to rest and recover. He slithered back to El and curled beside her with a low huff.

Silence. The plains of Horizon was nothing but silence. The high noon sun finally broke through the clouds that covered the sky, bringing a sense of new. Hearing nothing, a few low ranking officers popped open the protective steel door that was hiding the civilians underneath the tower. All they could see was their tower nearly falling apart with the center of it being crushed in, the middle floors collapsing into each other with only the lower floors supporting them. One by one, the officers exited the bunker to inspect the surroundings with a few making it outside the tower.

Each brought a hand to their mouths as they looked over the plains seeing the bodies in mangled pieces. The few soldiers that survived told the officers of the event with El and the "monster", saying that it was impossible to defeat the two. They suspected Telo being dead and the other highest ranking officers dead along with him.

"What are we to do now?" an officer asked. "We have no leadership and half our population is gone...what do the laws say for this type of circumstance?"

One officer hurried off to the Horizon library to grab a few of the law and government documents while the rest stood somberly. None of them were qualified to run Horizon. With Telo and the rest of the military gone, all that was left to govern Horizon were the basic laws that were created decades ago.

 

[Izurich]

With the battle over came the uneasy aftermath, bodies of those who supported the false doctrine lay here and there, some of them might not even realize they were keeping Horizon in the dark, used and manipulated by a tyrannical higher power. The world was dying, there had been no time to convince people like Telo and Lucius to change their minds, desperate times required desperate measures. This was the justification that Queen Shiva had, enough to order her people to stoke the cleansing flames of El's rage. Those who didn't understand the burden of power and authority wouldn't understand, the people were sheep, they needed a shepherd to lead them, and a good shepherd knew when to cull diseased sheeps. El was still a child, it'd be hard for her to understand, but in time she would.

Kou approached El and Usar as they landed on the ground, "No... no you didn't..." she spoke firmly to both of them, hesitation had no place here, Kou was the only one they both trusted, she understood their powers more than anyone else in Horizon, "You've done a great thing, Arkosh Usar, this is necessary to dispel the miasma that plagued Horizon in the form of delusion and madness. If only you didn't disappear... this wouldn't..." The Ice Faerie shook her head, "No matter, it's in the past, what's important now is to rebuild Horizon, the true Horizon that you used to protect." Kou then turned to El, "El, stay with him for now, my people will take care of the people." in which the Eidolon nodded, rubbing away her tears, "Good girl." Kou then began commanding the Fae warriors to approach the emerging populace, while she herself went to talk with the officers. El was in no shape for negotiations, she had done her part, now it was The Fae's turn.

More and more Ice Faeries appeared, not just warriors this time, even Queen Shiva herself arrived in an elegant floating ice carriage, with her was Seer Ta'rinea. They'd make sure every man, woman, and child in Horizon knew the truth about the Arkosh they had forgotten and The Eidolon they had scorned.

As for El and Usar, two figures approached them, one approached without hesitation as a wrinkled hand tapped El's shoulder, "El..."

The girl turned around, red eyes widening, "M-mama?" then to the other figure beside her adoptive mother, "P-papa?!" She broke down, hugging her elderly mother with all her might, her tears staining Karen's robe, "I-I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I... I didn't mean... t-this, b-but they... t-the bad men... t-the-they wanted to k-kill you... a-and me... a-and- hi?!" She expected her parents to hit her, scorn her, disown her for being such a bad child, a young girl who brought calamity upon the tower. They had loved her as their own daughter all these years and she repaid them with a massacre. "H-huh...?" A loving embrace greeted her instead as Karen stroked the quivering girl's white locks.

"Ssh ssh, don't cry, child." Karen spoke in her distinctive wise elderly voice as Edward watched, letting his wife handled their Eidolon daughter, "We know..."

"H-huh?"

"We know of Bel-Sara-Usar, being old as we are, we... thought he was a myth, but then El, you arrived in our lives." Karen kissed El's forehead, "The night before a certain red-eyed baby was left on our doorsteps, we both had a dream, the same vivid dream, of you... Usar, and... this. A woman spoke to us in the dream, a tiny woman just the size of my finger, she told us about how Bel-Sara-Usar truly exists, and that you will save the world." The dream was so lucid, it burned in their memories. Since then, Karen and Edward took care of this future dark messiah. They didn't truly believe the dream at first, but as El grew up, the more plausible it became. What just happened definitely cemented the dream as prophetic.

"Telo and his ilk were so blind." Edward finally spoke, gazing in awe at Usar's sleeping form, "I've always been a firm believer, one day Bel-Sarra-Usar would return in all his glory, I am proud to be the caretaker of his Eidolon." The old man was a scholar in his young years, one of the few that believed in Horizon's Arkosh, he was deemed heretical and his research stopped. Safe to say, Telo's death was a very harsh 'I told you.'

"M-mama... P-papa... T-thank you! Thank you thank you!" She hugged both of them, crying profusely in relief, the girl kept it up for a few minutes before she fell asleep in utter exhaustion.

"El, Queen Shiva said she want t-" Kou arrived, but was abruptly interrupted by Karen shushing her.

"Sssh... Let her rest."

--------

Forty five nights had passed in what'd be known as "The Purge of Horizon". Horizon Tower was still in the process of reconstruction, but with the help of the Ice Faeries and Bel-Sarra-Usar, it went at a much quicker pace. A new Order had been established, Bel-Sarra-Usar once again officially worshipped as Arkosh, though the De Facto leader was Horizon's Elders including Queen Shiva herself. El was deemed too young to be High Priestess and Kou figured the people wasn't ready to fully accept El as their ruler yet. They welcomed the Eidolon, but one could notice some lingering hostilities and tension. She and Usar were the catalyst that revoked Horizon's false laws, but through fire and blood, obviously they'd have a hard time accepting that after centuries of living in blissful ignorance.

No one dared to make a move on El however, knowing it'd be stupidity beyond compare for obvious reasons. Shiva was aware of this, as said before that desperate times required desperate measures, ruling through fear was one of these measures, gradually Horizon would return to its former glorious self, properly worshipping Usar, ruled by Luna's Eidolon, until then, she'd take care of Horizon in El's stead, Iris would want that. Now, the Queen of all Ice Faeries found herself seated in the massive Council room, along with the Elders, and the (in)famous duo. They were all seated (except Usar of course) around a large round table, "So, let me say this again, the world is dying, the Arkoshs are going out of control due to Luna's influence, only Arkosh Usar can bring back balance, Ellie shall go with him naturally."

"Forgive my audacity, Your Grace," One Elder spoke, an old man with graying hair but possessing loud youthful voice, "I realize this grave matter, but even if she's the reborn Eidolon, Ellie is still a child, can we not just send Arkosh Usar to do so? Remember, just a month ago, she-"

"Enough." Shiva interrupted him, though her voice was calm, it held the strength of a raging snowstorm behind that single word, the Elder cleared his throat in nervousness then sat back down, "Considering how you, Horizon, have treated the Eidolon all these years, you have no right to question my decision. Let's not forget the fact that your ancestors embraced false gods and shunned the one Guardian who took care of you since time immemorial. If anything, Ellie should decide for herself," Her icy eyes turned to the child at the far end of the table, "What say you, Ellie?"

"Eh, ah uhm..." The white-haired girl fidgeted for a bit, rubbing at her cheek as she giggled in awkwardness, "I think uh... I should go with Usar! We do best when we are together, right, Usar?" Over the course of this past month, El had been teaching Usar the Common tongue, he should be able to hold conversations on his own now. So many events had happened, but they both went through it all, stronger than ever.

 

[MUSΞ]

It was a very challenging time and adjustment for Usar. For centuries, he was tombed and locked away from his tower and power. When free for the few weeks, he spent his time a long distance away from Horizon, watching over from the shadows at how his people nearly lost all faith in him. A part of him felt that he would never feel relevant again. Old faiths and religion naturally fade, being replaced by new ones or progressive ways of thinking. Usar was adjusting to the thought of forever guarding Horizon from a distance. And, a part of him was starting to feel okay with the thought.

In a little over a month, Usar found himself back on top and overwhelmed. Even when the Horizon people believed in him all those times ago, Usar was never in a true direct contact with humans. Beside him was always his Eidolon taking the initiative while he stood valiantly beside her. Now, with his Eidolon being but a child, Usar found himself nearly the focus of the humans of the tower. There was almost a sort of social awkwardness being around mortals.

During the month and a few weeks over, Usar was mostly in his human form. He felt safest to the people and to himself in it since he didn't want to have too much attention on himself. Queen Shiva formed the Elders and with El they started the process of bring Horizon back to its former glory. Usar spent the time helping the construction of Horizon, mostly doing the heavy lifting and bringing the supplies to the workers. The population of Horizon was nearly cut down by half because of the end of the army, forcing teens, older children, and women to group together and help rebuild Horizon. They all were accepting of Usar, in human form at least, but none made a true effort of involving him in the daily routine of Horizon. After the work day was over, Usar was with El learning to speak common and after that with the Elders learning human etiquette and customs.

Though, as Usar was in his true form, all his teachings seemed to lock away in the very back parts of his mind. Some could say that Usar's human and true form were two different people. In human form, Usar acted human. He remembered all his teachings and was able to speak conversationally. But in his true form, Usar seemed to revert back to his bestial instincts and ways. It took all his effort to form basic sentences and the idea of human etiquette wasn't a factor anymore.

Usar rested behind El in his true form, curled up and half listening to the conversation. It wasn't until El spoke up and feeling the stares of everyone in the room that Usar lifted his head.

"..." Usar licked his lips, trying to think of words. "...I can't go no where without El."

He spoke slowly in a deep, raspy voice, breathing heavily after each word. Usar positioned himself next to El, his wings tucked neatly, and tail resting around the entire room. He let out another breath, eyes on El before on Queen Shiva. Usar wasn't Queen Shiva's biggest fan as he completely disagreed with nearly everything she has done when rebuilding Horizon. While Usar is a mighty beast, with powers incredible enough to bring down gods and goddesses, he was a peaceful creature that preferred finding a peaceful solution to issues. But, Usar knew better than to voice his opinions as he knew he could never win in a verbal battle with the Queen.

"How...how we to fix this? How we bring balance?" Usar asked. "It been long time since I made contact with other Arkoshs."

 

[Izurich]

Some interesting things to note between Arkosh Usar and Queen Shiva, the two hadn't been always in best terms since... ages ago, Iris - the first Luna Eidolon - saved Shiva's life and the Queen felt indebted to be her friend and council for her and her descendants. Make no mistake, Shiva was a shrewd politician and schemer through and through, she wouldn't support the Eidolon if she didn't get something out of it. Being a close associate of arguably the most powerful witch in the world - perhaps rivalled only by the elusive Sol Eidolon - who was also the single link to an Avatar of an ancient force certainly granted her power, connections and relationships, that's what being a competent ruler was all about. "So," Shiva smirked confidently as she leaned back on her floating ice throne, "I think we've come to a decision, yes? Arkosh Usar and Ellie have both agreed, they'll travel the continents and put an end to the Arkoshs' madness." The Ice Queen examined each of the Elder's faces, some of them still in doubt and murmuring, but no matter, "Of course, I'll task my second-in-command and general to accompany them, I think you know her, Ellie."

"Ehm... Kou?" The adorable girl excitedly grinned, it was rather obvious really.

"Correct, she'll be waiting for you in your parents' apartment, preparing for the journey as we speak. Arkosh Usar, she will also explain what we know regarding this dire task." Shiva used one hand to prop the side of her head, her elbow resting on the throne's arm rest, "Any questions, Elders?" Verbal silence with nodding heads followed her question, as expected, "Wonderful, I believe this Council session is concluded" She made a normal-sized hammer out of ice, the floating hammer tapped the table twice, "Dismissed." The Queen - escorted by two elite Fae guards - along with the Elders would one by one leave the council room, leaving El and her Arkosh alone.

"This is going to be fun right, Usar? Ehehe~" The girl jumped down from the chair, her body glow, then floated out of the window. "I'll see you in my room!" Not bothering to use the stairs, her small form flew upwards until she reached the 21st Floor, then entered through her bedroom's window.

--

Once Usar went inside - in his human form obviously - El's apartment, El would already be with her parents in her bedroom, having their last family session before she went on the long journey. Kou would be waiting for Usar in the dining room, the Ice Faerie General smiled respectfully then bowed, "Sol Arkosh, El will join us soon. In the meantime, I shall explain what we know to you first, take a seat." She motioned for Usar to come closer, on the dining table, in front of her was the map of Bumi with all five continents and Horizon island shown, "It is most logical that you both go to Saujarh continent first, here." She pointed to a spot on the map, "The Arkosh of Wind resides here, and..."

 

[MUSΞ]

Usar sat at the dining room table like an studious student, placing his hands on the table and holding them together as he nodded to Kou. He shook his head, letting his bangs part slightly so he could see the tiny faerie.

"...and I don't know much about the region," Kou curled her finger back, placing it under her chin as she stared at the map. "I am familiar with the ocean pass here. We are lucky we are in this season. The waters should be calm and the weather temperature perfect for travel. However, there will be a lack of wind currents, especially going to the direction of Saujarh. Sol Arkosh, this flight will very much test your current stamina as you will have no help from the winds to escort you to Saujarh. Do you feel up for the task?"

Usar placed a hand on the map, his fingers measuring the distance between Horizon and Saujarh. The shape and length of Usar's wings were meant more for long distance flying that short as he was mostly a glider.

"As long as there will be no obstacles, I will be able to get El there safely," he said to Kou.

Kou smiled, fluttering down to sit on top of the table.

"The Arkosh of the Winds is a very shy fellow, preferring to keep as much distance away from all as possible. I do know he is similar built to you in your beast form, bird-like wings and a serpent form. However, unlike you, he was created to always stay in flight. I firmly believe you will never find the Arkosh of the Winds on the ground," Kou explained with a sigh. "Out of all the elements, this one may be the hardest to track down for El and you."

There was a brief silence. Kou's eyes gazed over the map, trying to remember any other important details that Usar needed to know before El and him depart Horizon. Already packed by El's parents was food, water, and other survival items that was rationed to last about two weeks all neatly organized in two wooden chests. Queen Shiva also provided Usar a leather harness for his beast form with hooks and bands to securely attach the chests in flight.

"Ah, one more thing. Queen Shiva will most likely get upset with me for telling you this, but don't rush. Please, take your time and learn everything there is about the Arkosh of the Wind and other information that will benefit us in the long run. I will be assisting you two as a personal navigator to the best of my abilities. The flight to Saujarh shouldn't take more than three days if we live during the earliest of the morning," Kou fluttered off the table and to the door separating the dining room to the bedroom. She knocked on the door lightly. "El, do you have all you need packed? It would be wise to get some rest now as we will be waking up early for our departure."

Usar stood and walked over to the pantry in the kitchen. Without care, he pulled out every eatable food there, carrying the large load of food in his arms, and sat at the leather chair in the main room of the apartment. He wasn't tired at all and could stay awake for a week straight. Instead of sleeping, he decided to fill up on the food here. He hoped that way the food prepared for the trip would all be for El.

Kou tried her best to cover her laugh as she watched Usar tear into the various breads, crackers, dried meats, and a few sweet treats to fill his stomach up. It was an odd sight to see the mighty Usar in human form, gobbling down food like a starved feral dog, yet very quietly like a small mouse. Usar hardly made any noise in his human form, sticking to his comparison of a house cat.

 

[Izurich]

A short moment after Kou knocked on the door, El came out, wearing her usual one-piece white dress, along with her parents. "Eeehn~ but I still wanna play~" The girl adorably pouted as Kou giggled, patting the gil's white head. "Ehehe~ but okay because I'm a good girl. Just give me five more minutes!" Before Kou could reply, El was already floating off - she came to love the convenience her powers gave her - to the living room, she rose up behind Usar's back then hugged him from behind, "Usar~ Don't eat all the food! Save some for Mama and Papa!" She scolded him like a tiny mother to her overgrown son. Giggling, El floated down to sit beside him, putting both elbows on the table as she propped her chin up, her legs swinging under the table, "I wonder how this Wind Arkosh will look, will he be as big as you, Usar?" Since the only Arkosh she personally knew was male, the girl assumed the Wind Arkosh would be so as well.

Meanwhile, Kou was with El's adoptive parents, she noticed Karen was looking at El with her hands clasped near her chest, deep in thought, "Something on your mind, Madame?" The Ice Faerie inquired.

"Oh nothing, it's just..." The elderly woman gave a proud chuckle, "It's just everything happened so fast... before we knew it, our baby had grown into such a beautiful girl, chosen as the next incarnation of Horizon's Eidolon. As her caretaker, I am quite overwhelmed."

"We already knew, but still seeing it with our very own eyes feels quite different." Edward chimed in, "It's the dream we saw, perhaps do you know anything about it, Kou? Also, who placed El on our doorsteps?"

"Ah yes, I think I knew who appeared to you in your dreams." The Ice Faerie crossed her arms, "It's most likely Seer Ta'rinea, as for El, well... I think it's time." Kou nodded at them, "Yes, it was us, our people had been looking far and wide for the next Luna Eidolon and at last, we found her on the Jalaya continent in a small village, we... took her from her parents..." An awkward silence fell, but Kou cleared her throat, "but we have no choice, or else the world... I hope you understand."

"Yes, Kou, we do." Karen smiled, comforting the distraught Faerie, "Your people did what you have to do, if the world dies, she and her blood parents would also follow. You did the right thing, don't worry."

"Thank you, Madame..."

El returned soon after, hugging her mother as the woman picked her up, "I'm going to take El to bed, Edward. Why don't you talk with Arkosh Usar?" The woman gave a wink as she entered El's bedroom with her beloved adoptive daughter.

For a scholar studying Horizon's ancient history, Usar physically sitting in his apartment was like a dream come true. Of course he would accept. The elder nodded, his face brightening like a spirited youth. "Absolutely! Just let me prepare my parchments and pen first." His passions reignited, the former scholar began gathering the writing necessities, he had so much to ask to Usar, about the ancient people, the past Eidolons, Old Horizon, everything.

--

The next morning, after saying good-byes to her parents, Queen Shiva, and the Elders. El prepared herself as she adjusted the purple coat and hat Kou gave to her. Queen Shiva, Seer Ta'rinea, the Elders, along with some of the guards and citizens were already up, ready to give a small departing ceremony for their Arkosh and Eidolon, they were gathered at the yard in front of the tower, chanting prayers in the ancient tongue. They wished El and Usar good luck, they needed every bit they could get for the world's fate hung on the balance. "Bye-bye everyone!" El was waving with a wide grin, one hand holding her Tome she found back in the library, her small body floated up to Usar's back, making herself comfortable. "I'm ready when you are! Let's go, Usar!"

Kou appeared next to El's right shoulder, complete in battle-gear, "And I as well, Sol Arkosh, let's save the world! To Saujarh!"

 

[MUSΞ]

Usar carefully pulled one of his long flight feathers through his fangs, cleaning and removing the shelling around the quills of the feather. For about two hours during the ceremony, Usar settled himself on the mushy ground from the morning dew, prepping himself for the long distance flight across the sea to the land beyond Horizon. It had been a long while since the mythical beast had taken care of his wings, grooming and separating each feather, fluffing them up and licking them clean. Around him were the dead feathers he plucked from himself, most the down feathers that helped kept him warm.

Before El and Kou were awake, Usar watched while the citizens of Horizon gathered near him to quickly set up the small goodbye ceremony for them. Families lined the main entrance of Horizon, waiting for El as the children timidly approached Usar. Each child carried a necklace made from a simple silver chain with a small gem of different colors attached. Usar lowered his head, letting the children place the good luck and fortune necklace over him. Normally, the necklaces were used for the good harvest celebrations. Each family would place the necklace around a post of the fence and leave it there until the farmers planted the seeds for the crops. This morning, the citizens decided that the necklace was needed for a better cause.

As El and Kou walked out from Horizon, the citizens began to chant the ancient prayers, giving El all their wishes and luck for the adventures ahead. Usar shook his entire body, the necklaces ringing together across his chest, as the faeries quickly attached the chest of supplies onto Usar's harness.

Once El hopped onto Usar and settled in with Kou, Usar held his wings out wide and gave them a small flap. He turned to face away from Horizon and instead of simply lifting himself high into the air, Usar spread his wings horizontally and slithered quickly forward for take off. The winds caught under, raising him slowly into the air as Horizon began to cheer and applaud.

"Come back to us safely you two!" the Elders called out as Usar made a final pass over Horizon Tower. "We'll be here waiting for you!"

Queen Shiva gave a wave and a smile, knowing that everything she needed was already known. She had all her faith in El and Usar without any doubts that the three, including Kou, will be able to save them all.

*
​

The flight to the sea took about two hours. Usar had to lower himself just to able to see the teal ocean as Horizon was located ways above sea level. From the position of the brightening sun, it was about 7 in the morning. The sea welcomed them with frosty air and as Kou expected, zero wind.

"Pace yourself Sol Arkosh. Find the perfect height for flight. Minimize as much down stroke of the wings as possible. Calculate how long you can maintain your flight until you have to down stroke again," Kou suggested as she nervously checked the supplies strapped onto Usar. "As a small child, I think we can ration these foods more. You surely don't eat much anyway..."

"You need to relax," Usar told Kou. "We are just beginning our travel and so far I do not see anything that would cause us any troubles."

Kou sighed, settling back onto El's shoulder.

"Yes, I apologize. I can't help but feel nervous. None of us has ever left Horizon...well, you have Sol Arkosh, but ages ago. All I have for us to rely on is a map. I know nothing of what lies ahead," Kou slumped over, placing her elbows onto her legs and resting her chin into her hands. "We have three days of flight. How should we pass the time?"

"I only will be concentrating on flying. What El and you do is not my concern for now," Usar replied.

Kou nodded, her eyes glancing sideways at El.

"Have you have any plans to pass the time?" the little faerie asked El.​

 

[Izurich]

While Kou was worrying about Usar's flight method and the journey in general, the Eidolon was having the time of her life, humming and giggling as she enjoyed the wind caressing her hair and face. The world looked so beautiful from up here, it'd be shame if it ended, so it was their job to make sure Bumi survives. El was already munching on a bread she stored in her small bag, the chests were good and all, but a handy backpack was the most convenient way to store her tome and some snacks. "Ehehe~ Usar knows what he's doing, don't worry, Kou." The girl said as she finished her bread, one finger went to her cheek in a thinking gesture, "Plans? Hmmm~ I don't know... let me think first, hehe~" She stood up, examining the scenery around her, it was all clouds and ocean for now. It was breathtaking and all, but three days of this would be boring indeed.

"Hmmm..." El sat back down, "Ah! Oh yeah, haha!" She felt silly, she had the most interesting book in all of Horizon's ancient library in her hands and here she was, wondering what to do to pass the time. "Read this, of course!" El showed Kou the tome, "I'll learn more spells and summons, they'll come in handy!" El was a powerful witch by blood, but she had been using her powers mostly out of instinct fueled by emotions so far, an Eidolon's ability weren't just limited to destructive waves of energy or summoning spirits, there was so much more, charms, curses, healing, and various others. Commanding one of the two Primordial forces that initially shaped the Universe certainly had numerous perks. "Let's see, I already know how to summon spirits, uhm... oh~ maybe I'll try learning how to create a barrier then, just like you did, Kou!" She was talking about the ice shield that saved her life during Horizon's purge.

"Alright, very well, I do think it is a good idea, you are still young and there's so much of your powers that you need to learn." Kou nodded at the Eidolon, "If only I can teach you ice magic, I'm not sure you know this already, but... Luna and Sol are only wieldable by their respective Arkoshs and Eidolons. Aside from the Arkosh, you are the only person who wields this kind of power, El. With great power comes great responsibility, please remember that." Good ol' Kou, being a general, she couldn't stop herself from going into 'Teacher Kou' mode sometimes, especially with El, Queen Shiva personally trusted her with the Eidolon to physically accompany her after all.

"Ehn~ I know, I know," El pouted, her cheeks bulging in childish annoyance, "You're so strict, Kou, you're just like Papa..."

"But El, this is importa-"

"Mmh!" The small girl interrupted her, huffing as she turned around, showing her back to Kou, "I know! I'm the Eidolon, I'm Usar's link, Luna, blah blah, I want to read!" One must not forget that in the end, El was still a ten-years old girl and with it came the quirks related to being a ten year old, only this particular ten year old wielded power beyond most beings' comprehension. It was clear that the child wouldn't listen to Kou anymore for the moment, concentrating on her book instead, occasionally 'ooh'-ing and 'aah'-ing.

Kou heaved a sigh, though a small smile graced her small icy lips, she went a bit too far, El was a child and teaching a child was obviously different compared to adults. She should've known this, but with the world at stake, even the Faerie General could get overly passionate.

 

[MUSΞ]

For the rest of that day, Kou remained quiet as she studied more of the map of the world. It was the perfect environment for studying as there was no outside stimulus to distract anyone. Surrounding them was nothing but a blue ocean, blue skies, and the sun that burned on top of them. Usar kept his mouth open wide as he flew them across the ocean, breathing deeply to control his body temperature. During the afternoon when the heat was unbearable, Usar would glide them down near the ocean tops. Down near the water, it was much cooler and Usar was able to quickly dunk his head into the water and shake it, letting the water sprinkle all over his back to help cool himself.

Nearing night, as the light blue sky began to turn midnight bluish, Usar would soar above the gathering clouds, peeking through to let the half moonlight on them. His wings would beat softly every minute, his tail swishing behind him to keep himself leveled. While El and Kou would rest, Usar found pockets of down time to close his eyes and fall into a light sleep. Every five minutes Usar would wake up and fly continually for another hour before having another quick rest.

The next day was the same as before with Usar sticking to his flying plans. Pigging out on the food at El's parents' apartment was the best decision he could make. Hunger was the last thing he needed to worry about. Usar found himself worrying more about the sunlight that constantly washed over them. Horizon was mostly a cold area with the summer only reaching a comfortable temperature. Out in the open seas, it was blazing hot and Usar could feel himself begin to overheat much more quickly. He had to get use to the heat. Well, at this point he had no choice but to.

The third day of travel was much easier than the second. By now, Usar had gotten use to this style of flying without any wind assistance. It was almost like a training session to make himself stronger.

"Kou, it is almost the end of the day and I don't see any land," Usar spoke after three days of silence.

Kou ran her finger along the map, then looked up and around. Nothing about their setting changed. They were still surrounded by the same waters as the other days.

Usar neared himself at the water's surface, dunking his face quickly in it before lifting up slightly. He drank some of the salty water, cringing at the taste.

"It should be...wait...is that it over there?" Kou questioned herself.

Rising above the horizon was a sliver of land. And, most incredibly, Usar could feel the first licks of wind coming from the direction. He let out a wail of a cheer as he suddenly propelled them forward. His tail twirled behind him as Usar flew speedily towards the land.

"Saujarh 'ahoy!" Kou announced playfully. Even she couldn't contain her excitement and relief from seeing land.

In less than ten minutes, Usar glided down to land on plush grass on top of the cliff that guarded the mainlands from the seas. As soon as his entire body contacted with the ground, Usar collapsed to the ground all spread out. He closed his eyes and immediately fell asleep.

Saujarh, a land of complete...flatness. As far as the eye can see, the lands were flat with no bumpy textures. There were no trees or any other tall, stocky plants. All of it were grass, flowers, and overgrown prickly bushes. The lands were also hotter than expected, but the soft, cool winds greatly helped to reduce it.

Kou fluttered off El and went just a bit ahead of the two. She placed a hand over her eyes to help shield them from the dimming sunlight.

"I did not expect Saujarh to be this...uninteresting?" Kou held out her hand to have a small booklet magically appear. She began to jot down a few notes. "Maybe this isn't the right place? I find it hard to believe that any primal arkoshs would chose to live here."

 

[Izurich]

The next two days passed peacefully enough, a short respite for the three would-be saviors before arriving in their very first continent on their list of destinations. El passed the time mostly reading her grimoire, occasionally playing games and chatting with Kou. The Eidolon wanted to talk with Usar as well, but kept it to small exchanges so he could concentrate on flying. El's magical coat and hat kept her albino skin safe from the sun's hot rays. Her daily necessities were taken care of by the ample supplies and magic, the latter mostly used as substitutes for bathing and other bodily functions, it's good to be an Eidolon and having an Ice Faerie companion.

At one time, El asked Kou if there were other kind of faeries, since her people represented Ice, surely there would be Fire Faeries, Wind Faeries, and so on. "Of course, Faes are always affiliated with an element, but we keep out of each other's business, we are quite reclusive people you know." Kou smiled, patting El's head, "The reason we keep in close contact with you - and your predecessors - and Horizon is because of the First Eidolon, Iris, saved Queen Shiva's life, we've been close comrades ever since." To be perfectly honest with herself, Kou found the little girl to be very adorable, her girlish behavior, innocence, occasional tantrums. Take all those god-like powers, El's just a normal albino young human girl. Sometimes Kou wondered what would El's life be like if it's so, but alas, Fate was a fickle mistress.

--

"Nnnh? Moh..." The first reaction the Eidolon gave after Usar landed was a dejected pout. Like Kou, she wasn't expecting this kind of landscape from Saujarh, nothing but grasses and bushes. "Usar???" To make matters worse, her Arkosh just straight out slept not a minute after arrival, "Ne~ Usar~! Wake up! Wake. Up up!" The small child pushed and pulled at his cheeks, but heavy tired breathings were her reply. "Mmmmph..." The girl's cheeks bulged bigger as she stomped off to Kou, who was scribbling notes, "Kou! What is this place? There's nothing but.... nothing here! Ennnnh! Three days and it's all for... this?! Usar's sleeping too! Mmmmph!"

"Ah, El?" Kou gave the girl an awkward smile, now she must handle three things, confirming their location, calming down El's tantrum, and taking care of the sleeping Arkosh. By now, it was painfully clear why Queen Shiva assigned her to accompany them, "Now now, calm down, dear, please. Give me some time to think." Fortunately, the white-haired girl stopped her rant, crossing her arms while tapping her right foot instead, Kou realized she only got a few short moments before El was back to... well, being a small child, "First, let Usar rest, I think he's really tired after three days of non-stop travel, surely you understand, El?"

"Nnnmh... okay..." The girl mumbled, but her pout was still there. One down, two to go.

"Good girl, alright second, I'm not sure whether this is Saujarh or simply a small island off the coast of the actual continent, but... we got the bird-eye's view just before Usar descended and if this is an isle, sure as ice it's one massive chunk of land. We have to make sure once Usar wakes up, which brings me to the third point. I think we should stay here for a while until the Arkosh finishes resting, we'll set up a small cam-..." The look in El's face was certainly worrying, "Alright, I will set up the camp, you can uh..." Kou scratched her head, this was getting frustrating but she expected this already, "Do what you wish to do, just... stay close, alright?"

"..." El was silent for a few seconds, looking at the ground, left, right, up, all over the place as she hugged her precious grimoire, "Okay..." She gave a reluctant nod, but to Kou, it was better than nothing.

A few hours passed before El's active nature reared its ugly head, she was getting bored and for an imaginative child like her, boredom meant recipe for trouble. The girl looked at Usar's sleeping form then at Kou busy with her map and notes. The girl sighed as she began working her powers, her form shone with red light as she mumbled a spell she learned from the tome. The child floated a few inches off the ground as a ball-shaped barrier made by Luna's essence surrounded her form, a variation of the Fae's Ice shield. "Aha~" The barrier proved to be solid enough as El started playing with it, bouncing herself on the ground like a ball. "Weeee~" Her fun was short-lived however as a tornado spawned out of nowhere at unnatural speed, the raging wind quickly sucked El's magic-ball - and her with it - in its spiralling fury, then flew away, "H-huh?! No! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...." Her scream was soon out of earshot.

"El?! What?!" It happened so blazingly fast, Kou realized too late, she was busy preparing plans for them after all. The Faerie blinked in surprise as she started to panic, but as a General, she quickly calmed herself down. At least one thing was confirmed, this place was definitely Saujarh, the Wind Continent. "Usar, Usar! Wake up!" She had no choice, forgive her, but Usar's rest would've to continue later. "A tornado took El away! We must find her!"

 

[MUSΞ]

Usar huffed and curled himself into a tight ball to ignore Kou. He sensed no urgency to wake up, even with the tornado swallowing El and throwing her far away from them. The link between El and him didn't display any sort of panic or an overwhelming sense of danger. At most, there was a tingle of uncertainty, but nothing that would cause Usar to jolt awake to find El.

El needed to figure out things on her own and to rely on her own abilities than have Usar save her most of the time. He saw and treated El more like a cub. And, all cubs at some point needed independence from their parent to figure out things and protect themselves on their own. As long as the link between them stayed relatively calm, Usar saw it as necessary for El to find ways to home her abilities without his presence.

Besides, Usar found it a little humorous sensing Kou trying to act calm when the faerie was near full panic mode.

*
​

The nomadic village of Profundo was quietly sleeping, except for the lone watcher of the village. He sat on top of a very tall ladder, wearing only baggy leather pants and a poncho made of processed dry grasses, staring into an powerful telescope that was able to see long distances away. Beside him was his own little hut, made of the hide of a buffalo-like creature, along with the other huts of the villagers. Profundo was a 30 person village, always built in a diamond shape so that all the huts could see all directions. Saujarh was home to about 100 nomadic villages that still lived in the old ways of life. But, even they were forced to accept some technological advances to deal with the constant tornadoes that plagued their lands.

The watcher, a 20 year old man, sighed in complete boredom. For about a year, Profundo had been lucky with avoiding the tornadoes because of their elder who memorized and documented the 20 specific patterns the tornadoes always followed.

"Ugh...just because I'm a night owl don't mean I want to be up looking for stupid winds," he complained to himself, squinting his eye as he looked through the telescope.

A flash of red appeared through the lens on the telescope, the ball quickly approaching fast and faster. His eyes widen as he looked away from the telescope to see and hear the ball of red screaming towards him.

"What is...what is...WHAT IS THAT!"

At the last second, the man jumped off the ladder before El crashed into his vacant hut. He fell hard onto the ground as the horses that were corralled nearby neighed and reared in panic. He quickly stood, not too hurt because of the plush grass, and ran over to his hut as the rest of the villagers ran out into the main square of the village.

"It's a new power! Oh my gods he has advanced!" the man screamed. "Everyone run there's going to be more of them!"

The villagers began to run in circles screaming, families grabbing their kids and some tried to gather any precious items they had. The elder, an old woman about 80, calmly approached the now smashed hut and raised a magnifying glass attached to a beaded necklace to her eye.

"Oh? It's worse than expected...our prophecies are correct! Ihuicatl has somehow created his child with a human woman!" the elder announced.

The villagers suddenly stopped, their mouths dropping wide.​

 

[Izurich]

"-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!"

*CRASH*

Not everyday one could have a big red ball containing a little girl crashing into one's hut, it was quite a spectacle indeed, as proven by the crowd of people gathering outside the broken hut. The Village Elder's came out of the blue, like a thunder booming on cloudless sky, most of the villagers spared some time to drop their jaws due to how outrageous her claim was. One man thought the old lady must be going senile, while another agreed with her, perhaps doom was indeed imminent. He was right, but for the wrong reasons. Nevertheless, the fact that a white-haired child just smashed her way into the watcher's hut was undeniable.

"W-wa... w-where... where am I? S-spinning, uweeeh... everything is spin-ing-ing~" El's high-pitched voice echoed from the hut, slightly muffled due to the barrier protecting her, in fact it just saved her life, being an Eidolon didn't make her immune to broken bones and the ensuing fatal consequences. The girl shook her head as her blurring vision focused, now finding numerous pair of eyes looking at her from the big hole on the wall, "O-oh... people?" El tilted her head innocently as her ruby eyes blinked twice. They didn't look scary or dangerous, they looked like normal people, albeit with funny clothing, she never seen someone in Horizon wearing those goofy apparels.

"Uhm... Usar?" She looked to her left, "Kou?" then to her right, finding none of the two. El scratched her head in confusion, coming to the obvious conclusion that the tornado must've separated her. What a naughty spinning wind it was. "Enh..." Dusting off her dress and adjusting her hat as she stood up,, El dispelled the barrier as she took a few steps forward, approaching the villagers while hugging her grimoire close. First thing to do, introduce herself "H-hello? Uhm... I'm Ellie," then, ask for help, "I think a spinny-spinny wind tossed me here, mmmph..." She pouted in annoyance, "I'm here with Usar and Kou, do you know where they are?" Only confused looks and whispers answered her, oh right, they didn't know them, "Well~ Usar is a big Arkosh and Kou is an Ice Faerie! I must find them!" The Elder's motherly aura attracted her childish instincts as El moved closer to the old woman, "Granny~ can you help El find El's friends?"

 

[MUSΞ]

"It can speak!" the watcher pointed at El. "It can learn!"

"Hush!" the elder smacked the watcher with her magnifying glass. "Gustavo, let me figure all this out."

He rubbed his arm, pouting and complaining to himself. The elder, a white haired woman who kept her short hair in a single twist, brought the magnifying glass back to her eye to examine El over more. To her, El looked nearly damage-free from her fall from the sky. The little girl was just a bit tipsy and lost of balance. The hut was completely destroyed with everything inside smashed into dozens of tiny shards. Luckily, the watcher named Gustavo, didn't own anything too important besides the telescope.

"Ellie? That's a rather cute name chosen by Ihuicatl..." the elder said. "This is surprising. You look like a regular little girl..."

Gustavo stepped in front of the elder, shaking both his head and entire body in complete disagreement.

"Regular little girl? Look at her! She's unnaturally pale! No one in Saujarh is THAT pale! It's impossible!" he pointed out. "And look at those eyes! They're...red! No human has red eyes around here!"

It was true. Saujarh consisted of very tanned people because of the lack of shade the lands had. All had dark hair in mostly black, brown, and reds with dark colored eyes included. They're skin were weathered, matching the same texture as the hides of their huts, with some having dark blotches from being unfortunately sensitive to the sun.

A sudden gasp echoed throughout the village as El spoke, their hands reaching to cover their mouths. Gustavo turned to point suspiciously at El who was approaching the elder and him.

"Ark...Arkosh! She said Arkosh! It's confirmed! She is the daughter of the wind Arkosh! Oh gods we are all going to die!" Gustavo declared, ignoring everything else El said.

A scream erupted in the village as the people went back to panicking like before. They ran like headless chickens, not really knowing where to run to. If they ran outside the village on their own, they all knew they would be picked up by a tornado to their deaths. Only the elder was most knowledgeable of the paths of the winds.

"Unless..." as Gustavo spoke, the villagers stopped their running. "...we kill her first."

The idea sparked like a firecracker in their minds. Each person picked up whatever piece of something was lying around and formed into an angry mob. Gustavo held his trusty flaying knife, twirling it in his hand.

"Stop, enough. Calm down," the elder raised a hand. "We will not harm this girl until we find out everything about her."

The mob stopped just behind the elder, twitching with anticipation to hit something. The elder knelt down to be at eye level with El.

"Now, please tell me who you are and who your friends are?" she asked kindly, a reassuring smile appearing on her tired face.

 

[Izurich]

To be honest, the villagers' outlandish reactions of alienation didn't surprise Ellie at all. In Horizon, she had been living under scrutiny and thinly-veiled scorn for as long as she could remember for the same reasons to boot. Just two months ago, the albino girl would simply ignore their accusations and closed herself from other humans like she always did, but now... having awakened her powers as Luna's Eidolon and hands drenched in the blood of other humans, it had changed the little girl, whether she realized it or not. "..." The girl's innocent smile gradually faded from her face as the person named Gustavo pointed at her as if she had just murder half of their village, El was sure they didn't know her deeds back at Horizon, so... why? "Eh? Why are you running in circles?" Their odd chicken-like behavior certainly amused her to some degree.

Her ruby eyes narrowed even further when he suggested to kill her with the villagers soon backing him up. "Don't make me angry..." Swirls of red light began circling her as she floated a few inches off the ground, "You won't like it when I'm angry." Her small form hovered forward the equivalent of two steps. These villagers would rue the day they decided to kill a child who had done nothing but accidentally breaking a simple hut. Fortunately for them, the Elder's natural charisma extended to the Eidolon, El noticeably calmed down when the old woman raised her hand. Her aura dimmed down though she was still floating, not entirely convinced that one of these fools wouldn't try something stupid. As cruel as it'd sound, El didn't think she need these villagers to solve Saujarh's problems, Usar and Kou could find the Eidolon without them.

"Granny, please tell them El doesn't like to be threatened, bad things can happen..." The albino spoke to the Elder, her voice clearly held respect for the woman, her adoptive parents were elders after all. Hugging her grimoire close, the Eidolon floated closer to the Elder, instinctively taking solace in the only person who seemed to treat her with civility, "Well, I come from Horizon, just uhm... South of here? Yeah, South! It's a place called 'Horizon', I'm here with Sol Arkosh Usar and Ice Faerie Kou. El is Usar's Eidolon by the way, you see? We are here to save the world! The Arkoshs are going cray-cray so Queen Shiva told us to-" The child soon forgot about her anger, spinning her tale about their mission, Usar, Kou, and the Ice Faeries, to the best of her infantile abilities of course. "-and so! If we calm down the Arkoshs, the world will be safe! Hehe~ so El is a good girl, you don't have to kill me... cause then El will be angry, bad bad things happen when El becomes angry~"

 

[MUSΞ]

The elder narrowed her sunken eyes, watching the swirls red circling the hovering girl. The elder didn't want to believe Gustavo that El was the daughter of Ihuicatl. El was just too cute and adorable to the old woman that it seemed impossible that the horrid Ihuicatl could create something like her. However, watching El threaten her villagers was nearly enough to confirm the elder's suspicion.

A part of the elder wanted to punish El for her threats as if El was one of her grandchildren. But, instead, the elder was able to calm the little girl. She nodded along to El's explanation of the circumstances, that she was really a traveler from a place called Horizon with her two friends on a quest to save the world. It all seemed like a very creative children's story, but some parts did make sense to the old woman.

"Shhh," the old woman hushed El briefly as she stood. She turned to face the villagers who were all crowding around Gustavo. "Please, you may all return to your homes and sleep. I will take care of the girl."

"What? No! Did you see what she..." Gustavo began.

"...shh! Gustavo, take your ladder and place it at the south end and resume your watcher duties. Leave the girl to me, we are going to continue our talk and hopefully help to find her friends," the elder interrupted.

The villager hesitated, lowering their weapons before returning to their huts. Gustavo didn't say another word, folding up the ladder and picking up his telescope to place it at the south end of the village. Once everyone was gone and Profundo was back to slumber, the old woman turned back to El.

"You may call me Granny Elva, or Granny is fine. It's nice being called that again," she said to El. "Come, we will talk more at my place."

Elva escorted El to her hut that was nearby. Hers wasn't any special than the other besides it being slightly bigger and being permanently built on wheels. It was octagon shape with a single window on each face of the hut.

"I am sorry for how the villagers treated you, but you can understand how paranoid some can get when avoiding those spinny spinny winds for your whole life. You never know when you're going to get sucked up," Elva said. "Ihuicatl is a very finicky being, much too unstable to read most of the time."

Once they were inside, Elva pointed to a bed at the corner of the room. The hut was full of nothing but bookshelves filled with journals, maps, diagrams of structures of tornadoes, and different sketches of how Ihuicatl looked like. Some were human creatures, others were of bird-like monsters, but they all had the same mourning face of sadness. Elva handed El a cup of clear water with tiny brown specks of clay floating in it.

"Horizon, huh? Is that a new city formed? I've heard Cosa Mesa was reaching max capacity," Elva reached for a leather bound journal on the bookshelf just beside her bead. "I see you are familiar with Arkoshs. Many your age aren't. That's very impressive."

She opened the journal and flipped through it, the magnifying glass at her eye. The print wasn't of Common or ancient tongue, but of a language that ancient Saujarh spoke hundreds of years ago. She stopped at a page with a sketch of a woman being lifted through the center of the tornado to the awaiting claws of the wind Arkosh.

"You must have your names mixed. There is no such Arkosh named Sol Arkosh. There are only those of the elements with the main being Ihuicatl for Saujarh. We are his subjects and play toys. Has that fall really hurt your head? Maybe you are getting your thoughts mixed? Elva asked, focusing on a particular paragraph in the journal. "Regardless, we will find your friends so you may reunite with them..."

Her voice trailed slightly, her eyes twitching as she read the paragraph. Her hand gripped the handle of the magnifying glass harder.

 

[Izurich]

As the villagers left one by one, El's floating form slowly descended until her purple boots made contact with the ground. "People tried to kill El before, it didn't end well for them." It was not another attempt at threats, the girl was concerned instead, the Elder seemed to care for her people, it'd be a shame for them to needlessly die. The little witch giggled, hop-walking to take her position beside the old woman, "Okay, Granny~" the elder obviously knew how to handle children, no matter how unusual they might appear. Kindness and acceptance would get one far with El, just like with most other children, it was quite simple really, too bad most humans couldn't get past her unsettling voice and powers. El would begin following the old woman, occasionally humming a song.

The hut was unlike any homes she had seen, the apartments in Horizon were very different indeed. It was like a mini library, journals, scrolls, and parchments were everywhere in the many bookshelves filling the hut. As someone who loved to read and draw, El liked it. "Oh, it's alright, Granny~" El said to the elder, taking a seat at the bed's edge, "El is quite used to it, people back in Horizon didn't like me either... well until I kil-..." Oops, even her child-like mind could see telling a stranger about "The Purge" would get her into trouble, "I showed them that I'm here to help save the world! I'm sure me and my friends can stop the spinny winds from appearing again!" The girl said confidently with a grin full of white teeth. "Maybe Usar can talk to this Ihu, they're both Arkoshs after all~"

El was swinging her short legs as she took the cup from the Elder, "Thank yo-... eh?" her face contorted in discomfort upon seeing the dirty - in her perspective - water, her adoptive family in Horizon had the luxuries of clean water and better-than-average apartment, she never drank dirty water for as long as she could remember. "Ehm..." Not wanting to offend the old woman's hospitality, El decided to drink it anyway, it was just a little dirty, she should be fine. Should she be sick, she could just heal herself using her powers, ah the convenience of her Eidoloness. "No, Horizon is old, more than thousands of years old. I don't know about Cosa Mesa though, is that a city in Saujarh?" She tilted her head in curiosity, "I am a Luna Eidolon, Granny, a uhm... what was that word again? Oh! Mortal link to the Sol Arkosh, which is my friend, Usar!"

El scooted closer to the elder, peering into the book, it was written in a language she didn't know, but unlike the Ancient Tongue, she couldn't instinctively understand them. "Ehn... I can't read it..." El sighed in disappointment, but at least she could look at the pictures. At the sketch of a woman absorbed into the clawed tornado, El perked up, "Oh, is she the Wind Arkosh's Eidolon?" El looked up at the elder, confused in kind that she never heard of Usar before, but... Telo did say Horizon was in exile, so logically, it would be forgotten, just like Usar.

"No, Granny." El shook her head slowly, a smile on her face, like an excited little teacher who was about to lecture her much older student, "There are... uhm one, two, three... nine elements actually, Granny. Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, and Lightning are the Primal Elements. Light and Dark are the Fundamental Elements, and then there's Sol and Luna, the Primordial Forces." El huffed in pride, if only Kou could see her now, "Usar is Arkosh of Sol and I am the Eidolon of Luna, we two are linked! It is said there are also Luna's Arkosh and Sol's Eidolon, but no one had seen them before." She opened her grimoire, showing it to the elder, "Here! This is a book written by the Eidolons before me, it is written in uh... Ancient tongue, see? Maybe you can read it, Granny? Take a look, while I uhm... ah!" The jumped down from the bed then wandered around the hut, taking an empty parchment along with a quill pen complete with the ink.

"Here, I will show you how Usar looks like." Using her artistic talents, El deftly drew Usar's true form in excellent accuracy for a child's standards. His angelic wings spread wide and face snarling in a bestial growl, much unlike Ihucatl's mourning face, "This is Bel-Sarra-Usar! He is kind and calm, but when angry, he roars like this, I think he scares people better than the uh... sad-looking Wind Arkosh." Next, the girl drew Kou, clad in battle-armor with fluttering faerie wings, "This is Kou the Ice Faerie, she is also coming with us to calm the Arkoshs." El gave her drawings to the old woman, putting her hands behind her back with a her usual wide grin, "Do you believe El now, Granny?"