What Was Never Born

[Chaotic Moth]

"We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been here in my place but who will in fact never see the light of day outnumber the sand grains of Sahara. Certainly those unborn ghosts include greater poets than Keats, scientists greater than Newton. We know this because the set of possible people allowed by our DNA so massively exceeds the set of actual people. In the teeth of these stupefying odds it is you and I, in our ordinariness, that are here. We privileged few, who won the lottery of birth against all odds, how dare we whine at our inevitable return to that prior state from which the vast majority have never stirred?" -- The Best Show on Earth ~ Nightwish

See the Portal of Saunlia

Truer words have never been spoken by a human. They know nothing of Saunlia. They know nothing of the Unborn, of how the case aside souls dedicate their immortal lives to guard over the very ones who denied them existence. How the Unborn can travel to and fro from Earth to act out the human called "miracles". The Unborn are given three abilities that set them apart from their human counterparts. They can do anything from fly to cast magic -- it all varies from Unborn to Unborn.


Welcome to Saunlia, a planet --or more a mere concept of a place-- utopia where the Unborn's reside.
The souls that were never conceived upon the face of earth come to this realm to live out their implausible, and immortal lives.
The average Earthling could never comprehend living as these people do.
They are born with the DNA that supports the fantastical things that humans can only dream of doing.

They are the ones who create the phenomenon known as miracles.
There is a magical portal that allows the Unborn to watch over the humans and keep them safe (when they wish to do so ... natural disasters happen at the Unborns will)
There are no gods, spirits, fantastical beings -- No God.
The Unborn are guardian angels so to speak.
The ability to do whatever they wish.
There is a portal.
The Unborn can travel to-and-fro from Earth as they please to aid the humans.

The Unborn can fly, preform magic, transform, time travel, preform telekinesis ... anything!
The Unborn can preform up to three abilities and have any power.
The look as human as can be, but their power sets them apart.

 

[Chaotic Moth]

Battle could remember her very first moment of existence. She had essentially come into being from the endless sky above them. Saunlia was neither a planet, a place, or a dimension. It was a concept of a place where the never born souls were conceived. Battle had gently fallen from the starry sky where she landed onto a grassy plain. The others cooed over the new soul, and carefully wrapped her in gossamer silk. She learned to speak, how to use her abilities, and what she was as a person. What her purpose was is something that they could not help her with. It was up to the Unborn to figure out how to live their immortal life, and what to do with it. Was she to help the fellow Unborn? Was she to look to the sky and help welcome new souls into their land? Or was she to do nothing but simply exist?

As Battle slowly learned what she was, and what she was, herself, capable of ... she soon found that she was different. Here was not a normal Unborn focused on finding their purpose. Here was an Unborn set on losing herself into her favourite ability: therianthropy. She would flit from one earthly animal to the next. At times her shapeshifting would be so quick that she would be nothing more than a blur to whoever came across her path. A gecko one millisecond to a giraffe the next. She also had a nasty tendency to almost abuse her second ability. She was an empath; should she ever find herself in one of her awkward encounters of an Unborn taunting her, she would force them to become passive and depressed. She used her Empath ability as a weapon against those who didn't understand her. Against those who found her "strange, outlandish, and peculiar."

Coming to detest her fellow Unborn, she secluded herself to the vast forests of her home. She learned how to live off of the land, what plants were edible, and how to swing from the tree vines like one of her favourite earth stories about a wild man named Tarzan. She became one with nature in her human years in the forest. The other Unborn would go sometimes years without seeing her -- not that they cared. It was "unnatural, and selfish of her to only think of herself. She should be watching the humans!" as one woman had said. Battle quickly learned how to distance herself from her emotions. She learned how to turn them off, and adopted a very animalistic approach on how live. She saw her people as vermin. She had no reason to want them gone, or dead, she only wanted to be away from them. She was happy being by herself -- as she had been for so long now.

When she met Lucian, she discovered a strange variation of her second ability: telepathy. She found another Unborn who had distanced himself from the others and chose to live on his own. Though, his reasons entirely different, she found a kindred spirit in him and he in her. He always would marvel over how no other Unborn had been able to communicate with him before. Lucian had been born with amazingly strong telepathic abilities. He never grasped the concept of speech, so he had gone his own entire existence without being able to talk with anyone. He said how he was as old as the very first gust of wind itself. He lived his endless life in one form, that of a massive black panther. Lucian said how Battle had become the only Unborn, besides him, to develop the ability of telepathy.

And so, they lived as a small, odd little family in the forest. She learned how to feel again, and learned that it wasn't a good thing to simply turn off her emotions. Still hating the other Unborn, she refused to leave the forest (which Lucian understood all too well). As much as the other Unborn couldn't comprehend, Battle had no interest in preforming the Miracles for the humans. Battle had done just fine on her own, and she felt that it was inherently wrong to help the humans when she had received none on her end. Some would say she was bitter in her younger years. She could be described as stubborn, yes. But she was also extremely gentle and passive.

Living in the forest, she honed her first ability. She would spend human weeks in one form and then switch to another form. She helped care for the wildlife of the forest, and tended to the Saunlian native animals. The animals themselves were marvels. There were earthling toads the size of small trees, animals that were somehow three animals in one, and others that seemed to defy all logic on how they existed. She and Lucian became inseparable. He with his vast wisdom, and her with her wild child like ways ... to say the least, the days were never dull.

One day, she had sneaked through Grand Portal to visit one of her favourite places. She could never identify exactly where she was dumped out to on Earth, but it was never hard finding what she wanted: the library! She had come to adore the human mind and they way that they concocted stories through their weaving and winding ways. Coming across a new word she had never seen before, she quickly identified with it. Faerie. She took it to mean a spirit from another world that was a different form all together. She related to this word so much that she felt a pain in her chest. She couldn't pin what this new feeling was, but she quickly brushed it aside. Faerie. She had a new identity, and was ecstatic over it.

Battle had never been fond of clothes, even from the very first moment of her being conceived. She had been born with long black wavy hair that covered herself. She couldn't grasp the concept of covering herself, let alone why it should be a shameful thing to cover what she had been born with. With no clothes, shoes, and personal artifacts to hold her down she roamed their home for years. Becoming so familiar with each tree and little knot in the ground, she had never been so happy. And yet ...

************************************************************​

 

[FrozenTear]

In the beginning, there was darkness. And then, there was light. Both began to intertwined, and then separated. He could remember the wisps of lights and darkness that brought him into existence. Or was it the void that momentarily existed as darkness and light separated was the true source that caused him to spring into life?

He could not comprehend it then, and he still could not comprehend it years later. As he was formed in mid-air, many gathered around the newly formed soul, ready to take him in as one of their own. However, when he fully materialized, he could see something that he was still reminded of every day in their eyes. Fear. Even before he could understand what had happened, others with much powers and authority approached him. Instead of clothing him, they put him in chains..

He could still remember their words.

"This one is dangerous," they said. "We could not allow this one to go astray." With that, they dragged him away and locked him into what he later comprehended as a cell, where they kept those who were too dangerous, too disruptive. It was as if he was placed inside a box, waiting for someone to open it and take him out. They began to "properly educate" him as he matured, teaching him how to speak, how to listen, how to act, how to feel – and most importantly, how to use his natural abilities And the name "Eural" was given to him. If he stepped outside the designated boundary, even if it was only a millimetre, he would be met with severe punishment

It was only after much time had passed that he began to understand who, or more correctly, what he was. An Unborn, an immortal soul that never made it into a world called Earth. And the place that he was born into was Saunlia, where the Unborn and much other life resided. And with that came a revelation, and the memories that seared into his mind came into life – and he understood. Why he was dangerous. Why he must be kept in sight at all times. Why he must be put in chains. Because even amongst the godly Unborn, his powers were beyond theirs. And through some unknown means, they saw it in him – and they had decided to nip it in the bud before he was even born.

He felt betrayed.

He felt angry.

Even when he was in that little prison of his, he never even thought of wanting to hurt anyone. How could they treat him like a criminal when there was no intention, no action? They had passed the sentence literally before he had a chance to say or do anything in his defence. He continued to act as he did, because he never knew the idea of defiance. Every single commands that he received added to his deep, seeping anger. Every task that he completed fuelled that boiling ire.

His change did not went unnoticed, however he began to learn how to conceal his emotions with a smile. No matter how mad he was, he would smile. No matter how sad he was, he would smile. There was a point in time when he stayed in his cell, where tears would flow down as he smiled at the wall. Even he himself did not know what the throbbing in his heart meant, what those salty tears meant, and the meaning behind his soft smile. However, his perseverance brought some fruits at least, as he finally secured his release – but with his identity publically declared to all the Unborn as well as forced to perform Miracles in the world of humans.

"Help the humans," they said. "It is your only purpose."

He continued to live a forced existence despite being released into the society, serving the whims of the Unborn. He would revive forests with his vast ability in giving life to plants, as well as allowing humans to discover "new" species of plants for them to be used as food sources or medicine. He would restore health to dying patients and those deemed too important to die, so that they could continue to live on their lives and bring enlightenment to the world. He would transmute the earth into new veins of ores, so that economic development would continue. But with each miracle he did, he sunk deeper into his hate and despair.

He helped them. He saved them. Who would save him?

In the pit of shadows, he took on the last name Glaistig, as a remembrance of his wish to be as free as the mythological spirits of the earth, his desire to be left alone so that no one would force him to do anything that he didn't wanted. But a wish was that it was simply a hope, a desire that could be – or could not be - granted. A self-delusion. The Unborn continued to press their brands upon Eural Glaistig, but how far away was he from his breaking point? How much had the Unborn, in their zeal, created the monster that they fear?


*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*_*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*_*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*_*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*


And so, the Unborn by the name of Eural Glaistig desperately reached out for freedom for one last time. His white cloak fluttered in the night as he quickly made his way further down into the forest, panting slightly as he tried to avoid the ancient, giant roots and watching out for uneven grounds. The bright moon hung high above the hooded young man, and he used what light he could from the soft glow to navigate in the great forest. He used to enjoy the shadows as they would conceal him from all the eyes… but now, he wished that there would be less of them as they hindered him from his last, and only escape.

The sounds of flapping wings and footsteps filled the air as he continued to run. Myriad shadows began to appear behind him, but he wouldn't stop even as he could hear their voices from behind. He stopped dead on his track when he saw a low cliff now standing before him. He took a slight peek, and saw that his hunters were almost on his heels – their shadows, their voices, they all indicated that they were gaining on him. He could use his powers to control the trees to lift him up, but if he did…

The slight hesitation was all they need, however. As the sounds stilled, he turned and he saw his adversaries in their regal uniforms all in positions. The winged ones rested on the giant tree branches with nets, while those on the grounds had their weapons and their glowing hands trained on him. Their intention was made clear in their eyes – surrender, or else.
"Why? All I ever wanted was to be free…" His voice echoed softly in the forest as a golden glow began to surround him as he stood defiantly. However, anyone could hear his tone was not that of a fighter, ready to stand his ground. His was that of a man so tired, that he would damn the world if it meant that he could get his eternal respite.



Edit: Formatting issues. The words are so small. :X

 

[Chaotic Moth]

Battle had spent that particular day in the form of a sparrow. She had taken to enjoying smaller forms so she could flit from here to there without being noticed too much. Being covert and concealed were her main concern. When Battle was in therianthropic form, all emotions and ties to her home ceased to be. All she had to concern herself with was which gust of wind to fly upon next, or which river had too fast of a current to swim through. The gnawing and aching pain in her chest desisted and all animalistic instincts took over. She still had never been able to quite pin a word to this strange feeling. It was increasing at an annoyingly impressive rate, and she had decided that she quite did not like it. Coming to learn that she knew of no word to attach to the pain, she simply decided to call it Kana. Kana was an empty and hollow thing that refused to go away -- like a carbuncle on a tree trunk. As a sparrow, she felt nothing of Kana, only pure freedom and bliss.

Conforming to what the other Unborn wanted her to become was vehemently out of the question. Performing the Miracles had never even been a speck of a thought in her erratic mind. Becoming a servant to the Grand Portal was her Unborn counterparts vision of the ideal life. Holding true to her ideology that humans needed no aid, she stayed in the forest with her companion. It had been many human years, at this point, since she had seen another Unborn. She had decided perhaps five years ago that she no longer felt the desire to pour over the novels she once held dear. Her damned emotions had become a complication once again, and so, off they went. Choosing to become her once blank and expressionless self, she began a new day as the Original Battle. The apathetic one who had no ties to anyone (except Lucian) and whom could absolutely not have a second thought about eradicating those who attempted to persuade her.

*******************************

My dearest friend, I hear and sense a presence, Lucian's voice wafted airily through the young ones mind. Battle was tending to an animal who had caught its hoof through a thorn vine.
Do not play with me, my friend. You know as well as I that no Unborn is brave enough to set foot into our midst. Battle had strong opinions for her kind, and most of the time, niceties were no where in her vocabulary.
I do not jest, and I would not lie to you. Come now, do not insult me. There was a strange hurt in his voice, though Battle did not pick up on it. She had been numb for so long that is was near impossible for her to remember what some of those old feelings felt like. Kana was still present no matter how much she wished it dead, though it was greatly diminished when she had her Empath wall up. And up that wall was; it was tall, strong, and a formidable force to be reckoned with. Lucian had learned to deal with this version of Battle, though he did miss his meek little kindred spirit that she had once been. She was hardened at this point, and bitter -- though, she felt like a contradiction.
My friend, I beseech you to listen and sense with me. They are approaching. They are loud, clumsy, and searching for something. They do not know this place as we do. Lucian was getting restless and agitated, as Battle had come to sense. This had been something else she could do with her ability. She was able to sense the emotions of her companion, even if he was at a vast distance. Changing into the form of an ocelot, she bounded through the woods and ran as fast as she could to reach Lucian. Never had anything like this happened in her time here, it had only ever just been them with no complications.
Lucian, I cannot see them or feel them. Perhaps it's only you that I am connected with to this way. She ran agile and briskly up and around the winding little paths they had worn down over the years. Down the tree hole, over the marshy plains, and through the swamp until she mad it to Lucian. Purring and rubbing her nose against his jet black fur she attempted to soothe him -- no matter how empty she was inside.

As they waited to see if the intruders would approach soon, the huddled beneath a hidden grove masked by dying foliage. She changed into a ferret to combat being seen and suddenly wished that Lucian wasn't so hulking in size and such a dark shade of black. Why couldn't he be green of all things?

As they came, Lucian and Battle sunk as low to the ground as they could. They surveyed the scene and watched every moment of it. The flying guards, the ones with weapons, and the strange one so obviously the prey.
Fool, Battle chastised. White is no form of camouflage. She eyed his cloak with disdain and wished that he would be caught soon so they could go back to being the only Unborn in their forest.
He is not like them, Battle. Lucian watched the scene continue to unfold as Battle switched her sights onto her companion. What on earth did he mean? Surely, any Unborn stupid enough to wear such a bright colour while trying to run was doomed to be caught. Battle stared Lucian down, though he paid no heed and continued to watch this strange play. The guards and prey, the main act, and Battle and Lucian the reluctant audience.
Battle, I promise you ... this Unborn in the cloak is no enemy of ours. He wishes to be free, just like us. I see and hear his thoughts, and they are not filled with the humans and the Grand Portal. It is filled with misery, chains, and a feeling similar to your Kana.
Battle had heard enough. She launched out of their hiding place and tranformed mid air to become a considerably large sized white tiger. Landing next to the strange Unborn in the white cloak, she stared at him. The Unborn guards' reaction to her ranged from fear, to simple disgust.
"Get on my back. MOVE!" She roared the last word at this strange being. He had better move quick -- Battle was starting to finally question why she had leapt from their hiding spot to save this man. What was Battle doing?​

 

[FrozenTear]

As the young man intensely looked at his pursuers, an Unborn emerged from the shadows behind them. The guards moved away, opening a path for him to approach. When Eural saw him, he took a step back as the muscles in his body began to tense and coldness swept over him as if the goddess of Winter sighed over him. Even under the glow, he knew who this man was. It was his captor, preparing to once again enslave him as he had done those countless years ago.

"Come back with us," the Unborn, clearly of a higher ranking due to his more elaborate white uniform and cape, spoke to him casually. "This little excursion is over."

"I won't go back," Eural snapped back at him despite the fear slowly taking hold over him. Even though he was no longer back in his small little ten-by-ten cell, he could feel as if the space around him was slowly converging; unseen, predacious chains sneaking up from his feet to entangle him once again in a web of hopelessness; the scars that never truly healed even though his flesh and bones had been fully mended. But then he remembered why he was roaming in these parts of the forbidden forest.

"I won't. I am free now."

"Whose delusions are you feeding on again, Eural?" The man merely looked upon the young man as if a master was listening to the pitiful complaints of his servants, and sneered at the statement of him being free. "Haven't I taught you about the relationship between power and duty? With powers such as yours, it is only natural for you serve the rest of humanity and the Unborn without question. Now, let us return. I will not ask twice."

Eural remained silent, and the man sighed and pushed his glasses slightly upward with his finger as he stare became cold. "Then you leave me no choice. Powers, take this one down and bring him back to Vilon. You are given permission to harm him, though remember not to severely injure him." The Powers, the name of the taskforce did not question his authority. However, just before they could act on their orders, a woman leaped out from the undergrowth and before their very eyes shapeshifted into the form of great white tiger and rushed to the young man's side.

"Get on my back. MOVE!" And her roar echoed loud and wide in the night, and the forest seemingly came to life as small animals began to scatter all around and birds took flight into the darkness. But even in the shadows, he could see the disdain and the disgust they had for the woman turned tiger. However, her roar also returned some of his courage, and he could feel warmth once again. For that one moment, the white tiger became his lantern in this dark and twisted path into the freedom that he sought.

The winged Power swooped down from the high up with their nets, and Eural quickly threw his white cloak into the air towards them as the distance between them became dangerously short. In the fraction of a second, the cloak became a white piece of huge cloth that not only blocked their sight, but also enveloped and wrapped over them as if they were goods ready to transported onto the ground. As the winged ones fell onto the ground, the ones on the ground began their assault. While a few quickly rushed towards them with their swords and spears, those with bows and the guns began aim at them. Thankfully, the risk of friendly-fire had them stayed their hands… for now.

Without thinking, the young man, who now only revealed to be wearing a simple black shirt and a grey pants hopped on to the back of the white tiger. "I'm not sure who you are, but… thank you." He grateful petted the tiger's head as he faced his adversaries. The archers and gunners, pierced through their intentions and released their attack. Eural extended his hands towards them, and the earth before them immediately sprang up, forming uneven pillars that blocked the attacks and their pursuers for the moment. "Let us go. They will catch up in a few minutes."

 

[Chaotic Moth]

Enamored over the fact that this Unborn was doing what she was witnessing, she was astounded. Here, this seemingly unimportant Unborn had just used such abilities that ones had been locked away for. She watched him envelope them with some sort of fabric? And then only moments later she had seen him defend her. Who was this man?
"I'm not sure who you are, but ... thank you?" The stranger had said and then reached across to her own head and petted her. The NERVE of him! She wasn't able to fully process him touching her, before he moved his arms in some strange fashion. Earth, itself moved as though he was its master. Though, who, to say wasn't he? He very well could have been a god with the kind of power he apparently possessed.

As he finally climbed aboard her back, she resisted the urge to hiss as she felt him dig his fingers into her fur to get a better grip. How many years or eons even had it been since she was touched last? Lucian wasn't the touchy sort, he preferred to stay distant. The only sort of physical interaction she had had with him was when Lucian would creep inside her mind.

Battle launched off of her hind quarters and sprang off. She didn't need to be told that she needed to move. She was fully aware of how capable the Powers were. But that was a story for another time. She moved through the trees, vaulted over dead logs, and hurdled the many vines. Swift as the water itself, she moved through the forest with ease. If this mans power allowed him to move earth, he possibly held power to destroy her very home. Finding herself in a suddenly awkward thought, she braked hard and almost caused the man to fly off of her back.

As she was coming to find out, the man was annoyingly capable. He managed to hold on as she skid to a halt, but finding irked by this, she bucked her hind legs into the air where he landed with a thud a foot or two away.
"Tell me who you are!" Battle hissed at this strange man. She stared him down with her golden eyes. With as many animal forms that she could take on, and as accurate as she could mimic their looks and behaviour, the only thing she could never change was her eye colour. They always stayed the same colour with the same golden hue. "Tell me why you are worth saving." This was a demand, not a question. It was finally sinking into Battle that she had done a truly stupid thing by saving this man.

 

[FrozenTear]

It was… wonderful. The sweet and fragrant scent of the forest entering his nostrils, the winds flowing through his hair and touching every surface of his exposed skin, the fresh and frigid air enveloping his entire feeling as the white tiger strode in the ancient forest. Every single jump, every single step, Eural could literally feel the life within him slowly awakening. Life… that he never thought that had ever existed.

Just as he was losing himself in the wildest sensation, the tiger suddenly came to a halt. It was so sudden in fact, that he snapped back into reality and gripped hard to her fur – an action probably irritated his savior so much that he when he came to be, he was already on the grassy surface of the great woodland. The fresh smell of the deep green grass though… It was indeed captivating.

"Tell me who you are!" And he steadied himself as he sat cross-legged, and those pair of golden eyes that seemingly filled with suspicion and anger continued to stare down on him even as her form shifted from one to the next. He could readily make out some, like the great bear and lordly lion, but there were some that was beyond his knowledge. Being confined to a small place and having only limited freedom did not give him much knowledge on the topics of natural life. But her next question took him by surprise.

"Tell me why you are worth saving." Her voice was as strong as steel, and he could hear that if his answer was less than what she demanded, she would leave him here to be captured once again.

But he was deep in the forest now, and he could feel it… no, he could feel her. He was not sure what was calling him, but the voiceless whisper was tugging him deeper. He did not feel it earlier as he was too worried about escaping, but now he could hear the trails of sounds, like the echo of a water dropping into a deep, quiet pool within a cave undisturbed for aeons; like the luring hymns of a siren, drawing him into the all-consuming oceans. He had to reach out for her, as she reached out for him, but there were more pressing matters to attend to.

After a moment of silence, he gave her a bitter smile as he contemplated the silence. "I don't know," he told her straight into her eyes. "All I wanted from the very beginning was to run away, to escape. I never imagined that I would succeed… With most of my strength still sapped by whatever they did to me. But now that I actually am out here…" The young man took a deep breath as he felt the life around him, and he could hear the songs and the whispers of life again. "I want to live. Whether I am worth saving or not, I don't know. But I just want to live as I should."

Eural pushed himself and stood up, and he looked at her. He gave her a nod, and a thankful smile. "Thank you for saving me back then, I really appreciate it. Not everyone will just extend a hand to a stranger being hunted by the Powers, especially with a Dominion leading the group. I suppose… I will take my leave now. I promise I won't disturb your peace." With that, he turned his back to the owner of the golden eyes, his back revealed his thin and lonely stature as he began to slowly walk, and his destination is somewhere deep in the forest.

 

[Chaotic Moth]

Listening to his response required her to think through her actions. Here, before her, was this man baring his broken down soul with a heart breaking answer. To be truthful, she hadn't expected it. She had been prepared to hear some great story of how he was 'the greatest Unborn of all time and had preformed many Miracles.' Having to process what he told her, her mind's wheels were churning and spinning. Was he worth saving after all? She simply couldn't leave him out here. He would die! He was not equipped with her knowledge of the forest. He would get lost, starve and end up who knows where.

His answer had made her pause. Away he began to walk, his lanky and tall stature slowly becoming consumed by the over growth. She watched him for a few moments, still thinking of what she wanted to do. She still had her emotions turned off, so it wasn't guilt she was feeling it was the damned Kana thrumming deep in her chest ... though it was stronger and more urgent than it had ever been. Pushing the feeling into the deepest reaches of her mind, she shifted into her human form. Her flowing black hair covered her body in a way that was modest but still showed what sort of shape she had.

"Wait." She spoke the word as gentle as she could. She called after him again, louder this time and hoped that he had heard her. She was the only one in Saunlia who would and could help him. The Powers would be back, without question. Though with her help, she hoped that she would at least be able to keep him safe as long as he wanted her help. Would he survive in here though, that was the better question. She saw him turn around with a strange look on his face. She had never seen a look quite like it before. It had been just her and Lucian for so long that she was numb to the fact that others existed. Being so wrapped up in her world, she may have become a little sheltered.​

 

[FrozenTear]

As he walked, the undergrowth and the plants began to open a way for him as he walked without him even using his power actively – it was as natural as breathing, as natural as thinking. It felt nice that, for once, he wasn't persecuted. True, he was still hunted by the other Unborn, but something deep inside told him that everything would be alright. Everything would return to a state that it should be. Still, silent, and no more pain. There wouldn't be any more demands, any more fears, any more doubts. Just deep quietness, just him and the stars beyond the known nebulas. He chuckled at his own thought – despite his own desire to live, he was also always tempted to snuff his own life away. That small fickly light, who would notice if it were to go out and leave nothing but a faint trail of smoke in the air – only to be blown away by a soft huff of the winds?

Then a voice came from behind. "Wait." He turned and stood tall, and he knew the owner of that pair of golden eyes. He saw the form of a woman, with her hair as black as the darkest nights covering her shapes like an elaborate dress made of living thread. Eural's face was a mix of surprise, curiosity and the inability to understand, while hers had softened, and was that a hint of worry in her eyes? He was not expecting her to follow him, and definitely not to interact with him again. It was clear from the little exchange just now that she regretted helping him, and he accepted it – because it was also a fact that she saved him from the Powers. He could not, and should not complain at his situation, as he had always been taught. Accept everything as it is.

"Yes?" He asked, wasn't sure what else to say to the woman that appeared before him. He was going to ask a question and opened his mouth, but held his voice. He wasn't sure how to say it. He was not used to asking questions – it was always orders, directives, and objectives. And the only thing they expect is a "yes sir", nothing more, nothing less. Though it was a refreshing experience, but now… It was slowly growing into an awkward situation for him. "…Do you need me for anything else?"

 

[Chaotic Moth]

Staring at this man before her with her strangely feline-like eyes, she tilted her head like a bird trying to hear better. Tilting her head to the left, she contemplated the mans response, and tilting to the right she tried to figure him out. With her knowledge of the Unborn (and it was limited), she couldn't recall if she had ever met one like him. He seemed so defeated and accepting of this strange fate he had found himself in. She wondered why he was even in this menagerie of trees and dark shadows that was her home. Quickly thinking of the stories she had heard in her brief stay with her other kin, one had come to mind.

Battle recalled how the Unborn had called her woods the Emanating Forest. They weaved a tale of how back to the beginning of the very first Unborn who had been conceived, how he had wandered aimlessly about. He had been alone for a very long time, and had found the woodlands. The Unborn hadn't been able to exactly tell her what the First had found in her home, only that it was a dark, ominous and maniacal presence. It had lured the First deeper and deeper into the wood until he was enraptured with this cruel spirit. He became the very embodiment of evil incarnate. The Unborn had never told her the rest of the story, and to be truthful, she had never really believed it anyway. It was more like a tall tale, like the ones that the humans told their younglings when they wanted them to behave -- something that they told her so she would obey them.

"No, I do not 'need' you. I am extending my help, should you want it." Lucian, please tell me I am doing the right thing?, she found that when she asked her companion this question, he was eerily quiet. "You will die out here. You know nothing of the lay of the land, what is safe to eat, let alone what sorts of things reside here. You are foreign to the spirits who call this place home. You are strange, and awkward and you trample about like a newborn Juuna." She didn't stop to consider if he knew what that animal was, though not that she cared either. "Unless you follow me, you will not last any longer than a fortnight. It is completely your choice. Choose wisely." She would not stay around long waiting for him to decide if he wanted her help. ​

 

[FrozenTear]

"You," Eural was taken aback by her warning, and he knew what she said was true about him not knowing the lay of the land. However, after making it this far, he had no plans of dying just yet. He had made a choice to die screaming and clawing his way into his grave, and wasn't that why he chose to run? He would live. He gave her another grateful smile as he took a step towards her, and for once, he felt… joy. "You are right. Your reasoning is sound. I acce-"

But there it was again. The silent whisper, the song of the siren, the sighs of the winds. The moment when he was considering the offer of the woman in front of him, he could feel the entire forest reacting to that single moment. The looked behind him, the tugging was becoming stronger… it was actually becoming very physical now. He stopped, and turned to look deeper in the forest. He felt as if even the moon's soft light was dimmed by an unseen presence as the trees rustled above him, and the bushes rattled… It was no longer calling him, it was demanding him. Insisting him to reach further into the woods.

"Will you not come to me?" he felt someone asking him within the breath of the winds and behind the muffled sounds of the rustling trees and bushes all around him. "Come and take a seat by myside and be freed."

Now that his head was cooled and the constant desire of running away was dying down, he began to realize that something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. He took another step back towards the woman, and the fear was extremely evident in his face as he gritted his teeth. Someone… or something led him here. From him escaping from the facility, to making his way here into the forest. All the dots began to connect. It was clear now as if a veil had been lifted up from his eyes, and he would have fallen into the honey trap if the woman had not stopped him from going deeper. Imagine, running from one slave master into the embrace of another slave master. What could be more ironic? "Stupid, stupid me…" His weak voice trailed off as the wind began to pick up, an unnatural phenomenon in the dense woods. "This was a trap all along…"

"Run, save yourself!" He turned and shouted at the woman, desperately trying to get her out before things get worse. And he hope that he still had to time to do just that. He could feel whatever was drawing him in was ready to shed off all false pretence…

 

[Chaotic Moth]

All animalistic instinct that she had shifted into over drive. She didn't have to be told twice, this was not a drill. He had legitimately seen or heard something that had caused a sheen film of sweat to blossom against his forehead and for his face to pale. All of the signs he had read as afraid. As she ran through all of the possible escape routes through her mind, she quickly settled on one.

Changing into the form of an over grown black wolf, she again ordered the man to once again mount her. She was getting tired of saving this man already. He was a handful. She would have to teach him ... Battle shook her muzzle out and shifted her attention back to reality. She didn't wait for the man to get a good hold onto her scruff this time, she simply bolted. Back, up, down, and around she moved.

As they ran along, she found that Lucian had caught back up to them. His strong back legs making quick work of themselves as he maintained her speed. His jet black mane was almost as dark as her fur. My friend, he has sensed something. Battle allowed herself a quick look over to Lucian, then turned back towards their path. It had begun to narrow very quickly, thus they found themselves on a thin pathway. She had been through here before, but not in many years. It soon turned muddy and slick. Watch yourself, Battle! Lucian warned as she simultaneously slid causing her rider to fall over. Tumbling through the muck, her form shifted into obscure shapes until she finally settled on a barn owl.

Are you alright?, Lucian tread lightly over the gook and stopped in front of Battle. The great jaguar was only concerned with his companion at this moment, and he somehow forgot that Eural even existed at all.
"I'm fine." Battle bit off the last word towards Lucian. She looked over at the man and assessed his condition. "And you, are you fine?"​

 

[FrozenTear]

As soon as he yelled out for the woman to run, he felt he was suddenly being enveloped by a vast darkness. As the nameless, formless being rose up from the depth, he felt as if his entire world was being swallowed by a vast, black ocean of nothingness. Eural's entire senses were being overload by the pitch black emotions of awe and fear. He was shuddering before the endless despair, and only did he realised that the terror he had endured was nothing. It was all nothing... Compared to how he would be consumed by this formless monster. When he heard someone told him to hop on, the adrenaline finally managed to kick in and he caught onto the four-legged east that began to carry him away, zooming quickly away from their current whereabouts.

He could feel it sneering, the shadow. It was laughing at their puny attempt to escape.

He was so obsessed with the fear that he didn't feel the pain from the fall. He heard a woman's voice, but he could scarcely recognise it as the voice of the woman that saved him twice now. He could not allow the darkness to hunt him down, as it did him. He quickly stood up, visibly shaken and still trembling by the terrible evil that now stalked them in these woods. "You must go, get away from here as fast as possible without me. It is coming for me, and I don't want you to get hurt!" He yelled out to the owner of the golden eyes, the concern and anxiety in his voice was made very apparent.

But it was too late.

Out of the shadows, black ribbon-like strips lashed out from the darkness and pierced the air like arrows being shot from composite bows by powerful archers. Eural could barely hear the whistles in the air as the strips determined to impale the living with no remorse, but before they could finish the job, Eural extended both his hands out, and the ribbons shattered into a million molecules. The young man stood there, no longer able suppress the soft golden glow that had always surrounded him. And a voice laughed from the darkness, it sounded like it came from a thousand different people all laughing around them at the same time - but no one could mistake that it all came from one single source nor could any one miss the dread and wickedness in the voice.

And before them, the strips began to converge before them, taking the form of a vaguely humanoid shape with limbs, feet, arms and a bloated head. All the while, Eural could see the ribbons swirling and moving, making it looked like a union of snakes and serpents slithering in the dark. When they finally stopped, Eural looked at the feminine form of the monster who seemed to be wearing a dress made out of nothing but black strips, and her black pupil-less eyes stared back at him. She extended her right hand towards Eural as if extending an invitation, and her fingers suddenly shot out like spears towards the owl and the panther!

Eural quickly used his powers again, and they were instantly disintegrated into formless shadows once again. However, the joke was on him this time, as only four of the ribbons were lashing out towards the owl and the panther. The last one pierced through his shoulder cleanly, and impaled him as he screamed out in pain with blood spurted out from the wound. The monster was seemingly enjoying this moment. "You protected them, how foolish."

"She was nice to me..." He moaned as he used his power to shatter the strip that pierced him, but he quickly fell to his knees as he felt some of his strength left his body. The monster was clearly not amused with his answer, and her voice boomed out in annoyance.

"Then die! Become a part of me, and be free!"

 

[Chaotic Moth]

"You must go, get away from here as fast as possible without me. It is coming for me, and I don't want you to get hurt!" Eural yelled at her. Taken aback by this sudden outburst, she quickly came to realise that his face said it all. With worry and anxiety clearly evident against his handsome face, Battle felt her heart sink into her stomach. What could it be that he was so worked up over? Lucian and Battle share a mutually quizzical expression.
Should I do it, Lucian? Battle hadn't used her second ability in god knows how long.
If you feel that it will help smooth over the -- Lucian's telepathic message was cut short as all hell broke loose.

Black strands of abysmal matter whipped around them. The tendrils went after anything that moved. They were relentless, destructive, and calamitous. In all of their years in the Emanating Forest, never had they seen such a creature! Battle raked her golden eyes over the tar black ribbons that were winging about. She had the sudden urge to laugh at how these hellish strings looked like a poorly-decorated human party with streamers flung haphazardly about.

One of the strands knocked Battle out of her stupid daydream as she was forced to fly out of the way -- lest she want to suddenly find herself without an eye. Honing in her now human form into its smallest size, she hunkered down behind a tree. The young woman scanned the scene that was unfolding and found her newest companion with his hands outstretched before him. Witnessing his awesome power again, she froze in wonder for the slightest moment. As the coils of darkness burst out of existence from whatever Eural had done, a bone-chillingly eerie laugh rang around them. As if a choir of demons had set about them in a never-ending ring, the cacophony of chortles and snickers could be heard from every angle. With Battle's animalistic hearing, she clapped her hands over her human ears and screamed. Trying to drown out the howling laughs, she shut her eyes as well.

Abandoning her human form, that was weak in her mind, back into an owl she formed. She took to the higher branches to try to help in any way that she could. As Eural's attempt at ceasing the shadow beast had failed, Battle found herself needing to know what this thing was and where it had come from. Lucian had the same idea, it seemed, as he was running and dodging the tendrils with great agility. His years of experience were well seen as none of the coils were able to make their mark. Torn between helping Lucian or Eural, her mind was made up as the strands began to take form as something.

They writhed and swung about until the beast took shape as a woman. Her obsidian, soulless eyes connected with Eural as he again disintegrated the ribbons yet again. Feeling useless, Battle began to run towards Eural as did Lucian. And yet, the tendrils were still zooming towards them. Four of them snaked their way through the air, though she and Lucian were quicker. The monster seemed to be distracted, as the wisps didn't connect with their desired target of flesh. The harpy of a woman had thrust one of her shadows into Eural's shoulder, his blood shooting into the air.

Everything slowed down suddenly; Battle found herself turning her emotions back on. A flood of fury-raged anger and hostility was abruptly focused against the female creature. Battle did not listen to the words that were exchanged between Eural and her, Battle only had one word thrumming in her mind: kill. Years of pent up feelings burst through as the now wolf-Battle raced towards her target.
"Then die! Become a part of me, and be free!" Hearing the shadow woman yell this at Eural, Battle zeroed in on her. Flying over top the kneeling Eural, Battle sunk her powerful jaws into the shadow. Onyx swirls of shadow attempted to encase and murder her, though she was faster somehow. The creature-woman was disorganised and seemingly unstable.

Outraged over the fact that Battle had not been able to harm the woman with her bites, she morphed into an elk. Steadying her hooves against the muddy undergrowth beneath her, she charged at the shadows again. Attempt after attempt, and charge after charge Battle could not connect physically with the beast. Now as a lioness, she roared with ferocity. Lion-Battle's mind was spinning from all the repressed emotions. Dodging another ribbon, she remembered her earlier conversation with Lucian.

++++++

The jaguar had not been able to penetrate. Unbeknownst the Battle, the woman had encased the pair of them into a dome like jail fabricated out of her strips. The tendrils were weaving tighter and tighter so Lucian was quickly losing sight of Battle. Roaring with outrage, he sent message after message into Battle's mind, but no thoughts were returned. Lucian could see how tangled her mind had become. The repeating thoughts of kill, kill, murder, kill ... it had startled him. Where had the meek and timid Battle gone, and whom had this new Battle become?

Continuing to lose his friend in the tangle of shadows, he moved around attempting to find any way in. As Battle had found out for him, no physical contact could be made with the beast, so how to win? Bounding around helplessly outside the further darkening entrapment, Lucian was helpless.

++++++

Battle ran away. She pounded her hooves into the leaves and took off. Leaping over a log, shifting midway through the air, she landed awkwardly. As she had thought, the creature-woman had followed her. The dome jail was thinning and Lucian was able to see his companion once again. Swiftly turning on her heel, she faced the other woman and stared her straight on. Connecting her golden eyes with the sick looking black ones, Battle quickly raised her hands in front. Not allowing for the beast to react in any way, Battle thrust out her second power. Waves of emanating energy swum in the air. Endless colours encased everything, and a strange humming was heard throughout. Battle had overpowered every beings emotions in the immediate surrounding area. She pushed out a feeling of bliss towards Eural and Lucian and turned her attention to the shadow beast. Keeping one palm faced towards the jaguar and man, Battle aimed her other palm towards the enemy. Thrusting out the feelings of hopelessness, depression, and weakness at the woman Battle could see her visibly start to fade.
​

 

[FrozenTear]

Eural looked on with amazement as colours that he couldn't even begin to describe began to fill the air, as he began to feel hopeful once again. For some strange reason, he felt that his fate was not as dire as it seemed. He felt as if something was going to burst out from his heart, and the rising heat was making him realizing that he could still win this. He had won freedom once, and he could win it again! He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, his already yellow eyes became golden in colour... and the soft glow that surrounded him began to grow stronger, and with each pulse the power of life seemed to shower upon all of them. Even his wounds began to mend visibly as his flesh seemed to join back together, leaving no trace that he was even injured in the first place.

"Ah... So cold... so empty..." The shadow moaned and shrieked as it began to twist and turn upon itself, like an octopus dancing a mad waltz. However, its tendrils and ribbons continued to thrash at its surrounding, breaking ancient trees and digging up dirts and rocks. However, even with his new found hope, Eural continued to be cautious. This... thing was intelligent enough to manipulate not just him, but one of the most powerful organization that Unborn had ever formed and it managed to avoid detection for all this while. Who knew that a thing like it could even exist if it had not shown itself, confident that it could dominate and consume all of those that present? As it was distracted by the shapeshifter, he extended his hand towards the monster, and the pulsing light that surrounded him dimmed for the fraction of a second.

A blast of pure golden light pierced trough the mantle of darkness, and its light was far reaching. Behold, the forest that was filled with darkness was no more! The patch of forest, heavily destroyed by the monster had begun to heal itself as sprouts began to come up from seemingly dead trees, leaves began to grow, and flowers began to bloom... In just a few seconds, the plants all around them had begun to grow uncontrollably, but the trunks and branches had become so strong that they were able to block even the stronger blows from the monster's ribbon-like appendages as it slowly began to reduce into specks of shadowstuff. Eural stood up, and he raised up both his hands in the air began to weave them in the air like a conductor conducting a symphony of green as they began to converge upon the creature. The shadow let out an ear-piercing scream as it gradually lost its form, corroding as the tough plants crushed its physical form and under whatever power the woman was unleashing upon it. In just a few moments, it even lost its ability to maintain its form as its entire being burst into lights of darkness and dissolved into nothingness

There was a moment of silence as the shadow retreated, but then the familiar voice rang again throughout the forest. It was still powerful, and each of the syllables muttered by the demonic voice brought weight upon their hearts. "Well done, Unborn! Truly, you all are worthy to be freed from this world just as I had!" Eural remained quiet as he tried to pinpoint where the voice came from, but before he realized that he had no need to. He need only to look up. A towering figure watched upon them, and even from down here he could see what they are truly facing. It was the monster... it did not disappear at all, but perhaps they were only looking at its true form now. It still looked like it was created by ribbons, but these ribbons must be as broad as him with his hands stretched out. It was so tall, it even towered the great ancient trees that had been here since the first Unborn was created. And she seemed to have a halo of light, as her huge head and extremely long ribbon made hair blocked the light of the moon.

"I will enjoy to see you grow, my sweet child," The titan spoke through no visible mouth, but her voice encompassed the entire forest. The air trembled with each word spoken, and the world seemed to stand still before its majestic presence. "Grow, and feast upon the experience of the world! Open your eyes, see the truth, and awaken! And be freed!"

The final word she spoke was like the final strike onto a bell, and she cackled madly as a burst of darkness expanded outwards and consumed all. Eural erected a defense as quick as he could and disintegrate the energy into nothingness, but he felt that something was planted into his heart. Was it the desire to be freed? Or was it something else? He could not quite understand, but when he came to, the woman-like titan made out of ribbons and tendrils were no longer to be seen. She left no trail, no wisp, and it was as if the existence of the monster was a dream. You would expect the titanic monster would leave an entire wasteland at its wake, but there was no signs that she were there at all. But it was no dream. The fight with the smaller version of the creature was still here, the destruction was still fresh and the pain it inflicted was seared in his mind. But it was over... for now. He could no longer feel its sinister presence. All that was left was the echo of her high-pitched laughter.

It was... finally over.

Eural felt his strength quickly left his body as felt on his knees once again on a thump, and then felt sideways onto the fresh, soft grass. The golden glow that pulsed uncontrollably around him finally began to dim before finally dying out. He was breathing stably, but his was looking at the woman and the panther that saved him more than once today. He appreciated them. He gave them a smile from the bottom of his heart, and muttered a "thank you" as he continued to look on. He could try to move, but his body actually refused. How long had he been running? It was too long, far too long. And now, he could finally rest. He gave up control of his body, and allow it to run its natural course. His mind and his soul fell into a deep, peaceful slumber...

His first since he was conceived in this forsaken world.

 

[Chaotic Moth]

Enamored with the display of power before the jaguar and woman, they watched with awe. Eural wound and weaved his ability into her wooded home and repaired it anew. She silently thanked him and exchanged a brief discussion with Lucian about how she was surprised at the fact that he was taking the time to fix her home. As the creature's piercing screams of defeat rung through her ears, she shuddered. Luckily the new foliage that was being conceived was more distracting, so she focused solely on that.

Tendrils of roses, snaking vines of Kudzu, and the weeping leaves of the Willow tree wound their way about. As they settled into their new homes, Battle couldn't help but softly pet the new rose buds. The perfume like scent permeated her nose. Inhaling deep, and finding a strange new feeling in the back of her mind, she watched Eural once again. As he continued to manifest the shrubbery, vines, and plants Lucian's voice wormed its way into her mind.
Battle, my friend, he truly is remarkable. I have never seen such an Unborn with abilities such as his.
I -- I agree, Lucian. He is remarkable. Battle left her response to just that. Her emotions were still a whirlwind of nonsense in her chest. Just as she started to try and process what she was feeling, the shadow woman was no more.

++++

Breathing in silently with relief, she exhaled loudly as she found that it was not yet time to be relieved. What had come back in the shadow woman's place was much larger, more oppressive in appearance, and ... massive. Barely comprehending what she was witnessing, the thing spoke from some direction. Addressing Eural, it spoke as if he had passed some sort of test. Her form was wearing some sort of dress that blew around in the nonexistent breeze. Speaking again through whatever force she was using, she said some things of freedom, truth, and an awakening of some sort.

Cataloging the creature's speech away in the recesses of her mind for further dissection, she burst out of existence. Eerily similar in what manner Eural's ability looked like.

+++++++

Rushing over to her newfound friend's side, she saw that his light was fading; that could not be good. The light some sort of source for his power, Battle presumed. She was not going to let any other sort of tragedy's to happen today. The woman was finally gone, though Battle had the creeping suspicion that she wouldn't be gone for long. The thanks that the man uttered near broke Battle's heart. Was was this aching pain in the pit of her stomach? And why did she hurt so much as she saw this man slowly losing strength?

As he fell asleep, Battle looked down at him. She didn't think she had ever seen a being so tired. The weight of Saunlia must have been sitting on his chest. Mustering every ounce of strength in her human form, she dragged the man off of his back and towards Lucian.
"Lucian, can you please carry him? I need to tend to him. He cannot go back to wherever her came from, the Powers will be searching." Lucian's lack of response was unusual, but nonetheless he came to her aid and assisted in getting the rather large Unborn atop his back.
"We must go to the cave. They won't think to look there." Battle pointed in the direction they should head and they set off.​

 

[FrozenTear]

When the shadows were finally lifted, the silver-haired Dominion could finally stand up on his own two feet again. He could hardly fathom how such a powerful creature could exist and avoided their detection all this while. He and his Powers were successfully tracking his quarry, when black ribbons struck them from all sides. He was able to fend them off, but the others weren't so lucky. The flyers were immediately dragged down to the ground and were instantly drowned by the black strips and their own screams. The ones with the blades managed to hold on, but not for long as the ribbons pierced through them like a fork through some human shaped dumpling. He didn't even realized where the ones with the guns were since the battle began - they probably didn't make it through the first round of combat. Though he fought those things alone, he was holding them at bay, but only barely.

Then, they all went back into the shadows.

He thought he had earned a hard-won victory.

Then "that thing" that appeared in front of his eyes, in all its majestic glory. And the moment it looked at his way, he felt his entire being was drained of courage... and life. He fell to the ground, hoping that the thing would not take notice of him. His mind was filled with fear, and only fear. He could feel his sweat falling from his forehead, his body going cold, and hear his own heart beating. It was only until it disappeared that he had retaken control of his own body. He gritted his teeth, turned and fled from the forest.

The world be damn, nothing is worth facing that thing again.


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


He floated in the vast emptiness of space, and there was no end to the darkness that enveloped him. However, he felt... at peace. He felt that he was safe here, and that no harm would ever get to him. Was this what it meant to be in a mother's embrace? To feel at ease no matter the circumstances? He took a deep breath, as he finally uncoiled himself from the fetus position and looked at the world around him. Yes, there was nothing but the void. And he remembered... fear, when he was first thrown into complete darkness. The terrifying experience never lifted itself from him, leaving a burning mark on his soul. But now...

He waved his hand in the darkness, and a familiar glow began to fill the darkness. It was light, the glow that emanated from him as always. He then remembered something... something important, but what was it? He remembered that it was an important matter. his eyebrows locked for a second as he searched for the elusive answer, then they softened. He recalled it in the deepest part of his memories. He extended his hands, and then there was a great and terrible revelation as a burst of terrible fire and light consumed everything as it expanded outwards towards every direction - even the darkness was not safe from its all-consuming power.

But he was there.

He was still there, observing like some kind of all-knowing god. He continued to weave his arms like a conductor that had finally found his melodies, and countless stars were and nebulae were crated in the universe. Then, a star... a system stopped in front of him. He knew this star... It was the Solar System. And then his presence fell upon the third planet, and he could see the planet of boiling magma cooled as rain began to fall... landmass began to form... creatures from the deep started to migrate into the land... It was like looking at a weird documentary on accelerated speed. In minutes, he saw extinction of giant lizards and ancient forests as a great rock fell upon it causing catastrophy reminiscence of the planet's primal state. Then another few minutes before the planet healed itself and humanoids began to scour the land. And Man was born, quickly claiming the entire planet for their own. With sadness, he saw Man create towns and cities... and in a few seconds, forests of steel replaced forests of wood, clouds of poison replaced the life-giving ones, seas were poisoned, and the land were left barren.

Then it all disappeared in a great white light, and he stood on the top of a great spire which was rooted on nothingness, and above it was a huge vortex of all imaginable colours. A pale-skinned woman in a black robe with long white hair sat on her throne made of stone, staring at him with her dead, pupil-less eyes. She motioned him to come closer, and he did so without questioning. She opened her bony palm, and the once blue planet was in her palm, but it was blue no longer. It was already dead. That was her final destiny.

Suddenly, he was filled with a myriad of emotions. He felt anger, for the planet that was killed by her own children. He felt sorrow, for the death of a planet and all that depended on it. He felt joy, knowing that she would be revived, and that her splendor would fill the empty darkness again. ...but when he looked at the woman again, he felt at peace again.

All the emotions gone.

 

[Chaotic Moth]

Battle felt a strange tenderness towards this strange man. His head laid in her lap as she used a strip of his shirt that she hold decided he wouldn't miss too much. Eural's eyes were moving fast and furious beneath his lids as though he was dreaming. She wiped the strip of fabric across his brow in an attempt to soothe him. Having no experience of taking care of other Unborn, she was making it up as she was going along. One thing she had remembered while she was still being taken care of by the Power's upon her conception: Unborn never became ill. It confused her what was going on with Eural. If the Unborn could catch no illnesses, why was he still sleeping? Battle was able to sleep for mearly four hours and then was able to function for the rest of the day.

Tending to him for the rest of the day, she and Lucian had quiet conversations about meaningless topics to pass the time. They found that they were not quite able to speak of what had happened with the Shadow Woman. Lucian could see the fear that was still dwindling in Battle's mind of her returning. He saw her hesitation of mindset where she thought herself not capable of handling the Woman should return. She wasn't strong enough against the tendrils of doom that had shot their way at her. Those deadly ribbons with only one end result seeded into the hellish onyx strands: kill.

++++

Looking over my little friend's mind, she dreamt of horrid things. Things we had seen, done, and struggled desperately to forget. Living in the woods had not been all fun and games. Many hardships had been thrown our way as we navigated our way through the thickets, shrubbery, and wild trees. Battle was like no other Unborn that I had ever met, and perhaps this is why we attached ourselves to one another. In all of the endless years that I have been alive, she had been the first to not question why I had secluded myself to these woods. The first to understand why I stay in the form that I do now. Truthfully, I do not even remember what my Unborn form looks like. The image of green eyes is marred into the recesses of my consciousness, though I cannot say why. We had met one fateful day, and not even one human hour later, we had been determined to stay fast friends and travel together. I still do not know why we connected so quickly, nor why we think in near identical ways. Perhaps, we are the first Unborn to have been born in half. Perhaps this is why we only feel whole when we are near one another. And perhaps it is why I only finally understood the meaning of "complete" when I met her. I had been wandering for millenium missing half of my never born soul.

++++

Deciding to catch up on a little sleep, she closed her eyes and let the inevitable dreams attack. There they were, the images she always managed to forget while she was awake. But damn those thoughts if they didn't return whenever she closed those golden eyes of her. She still had Eural's head in her lap, and her hand was on his forehead. Her hair draped carefully over her uncovered body, she moved unconsciously in response to her night terrors. Her arms thrashed in an attempt to ward off the invisible beings. They murmured unforgivable things into her ear, so quiet it was barely a whisper.

Awakening from her nightmares, she found her breath ragged, her hair out of place, and that Eural's head had managed to slide off of her leg. Returning it to its previous location, she looked over to Lucian and felt her mind come to an abrupt sense of ease.
"Lucian, how are you?" It was her first attempt to bring about conversation of what had happened. Lucian chose to spoke aloud.
"My friend, I am as I always am: more concerned about you than I am myself." Battle smiled at him and reached over to stroke his cheek gently.
"You must think of yourself once in a while. Your age is vast beyond my own years, and you must continue to think of your own well being. Promise me that?" The jaguar nodded his large head, though it quickly looked at Eural as he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. "Is he stirring?"​