Guardians of the Continuum (Open/Started)

Seren, Northern Drift

Gingerly, her eyelids fluttered open. "..." Crouched with her knees pressed against her cheeks, Seren silently awoke to the soft nudging of a monumental figure. Her blurred vision gradually cleared and thin pupils met the gaze of an Eagle with a brazen look upon his face. "... Orion," She murmured, reaching out to run her fingers through his slate colored feathers. "Good morning." She could feel the cold reptilian scales armoring her Summon's skin. There was no warmth radiating from his body. It was a still familiar cold that welcomed her being, however as time passed, she grew less and less accustomed to the frigid sensation. Humanity was drifting away. Humanity was getting colder. The tear in space was clawing away at the two worlds and now, Athea was tinted with corruption and glazed over with a sudden aloof chill.

"...I feel her calling." Her sentiment hidden from tone and expression, Seren lifted her body in a gentle, swaying manner. Her solemn gaze watched the world around her. There was no living creature besides Orion in this realm. Like the inside of an endless box, pitch blackness raced onward for ages upon ages only to be pierced by a speckled arrangement of dazzling lights and spatial objects. It was a fictional figment of her imagination, where everything was gradually moving in a steady pace, but was constantly disturbed by random storms. Her world was shifted upside down and Seren's upright and Orion's perched figures were suspended, but unfazed.

Her hair swinging by her knees, the pale Guardian strolled past her sleeping place with Orion's massive wings flapping by her side. His momentum was constant for the most part, but Orion eventually sped up and led Seren to the edge of her space. A door in midst of darkness slid open and Orion swooped through, diving into the crystal blue sphere. Exiting from the black box, Seren floated through the sky in a delicate manner. When her naked skin touched the earthen ground, she breathed in. When did she last feel the dirt between her toes?

Seren shook her head, brushing the emotions away and pushed on, Orion gallantly leading her to where Mother was waiting.

-----

Darius Rivers, Southern Drift

The sturdy, ebony bars that had once thwarted his every method of escape were now splintering into mere ashes before Darius's eyes. No, less then ash. Nothingness. They were completely dissolved into the atmosphere and left no memory of their existence. Finally, freedom had been achieved. Neatly descending from his former resting place, the Sin's cunning eyes scanned the area until they were fixated upon Death.

Darius felt a rush of excitement as another Sin exited their dreary dimension, however he restrained his own burst of spirit. His fingers charily brushing against the makeshift prison that barred the Guardian's movement, Darius spat down onto Death's face. "I suppose I'll let you have the pleasure of staying in this dear home of mine," He murmured in a dry, sadistic tone. "It'll serve you well for the rest of eternity." Darius smirked in contempt and glared at the frail being, before turning away. He padded forward and paused before the Athean scenery.

"From here, you'll see...you'll see all the joys that sin will bestow upon this land..." His voice trailed off and then, without a moment's pause, Darius flashed a toothy grin and slipped through the tear.

-----

Tavares Butler, A small trading village somewhere in Athea

Nimble and swift, fingers slid in and out of the flowing waves of fabric that laid out before a dark haired male. A thin needle gripped between his fingers, the young tailor maneuvered the tool through the thick material with caution and precision. His expertise was evident and his progression from start to finish was flawless. However, even at completion, the tailor's eyes revealed not a shred of delight. Only boredom. He folded the cloth in a neat motion and placed it among piles of others.

"Tavares! When you've finished, help Mama up front with the new customers!" Hearing the shrill call, Tavares brushed his dark hair away from his forehead and trudged through the rooms of his family's tailoring shop. It was the beginning of another bland, onerous day. Tavares let out a heavy sigh, but he answered his mother in a sweet, obedient tone and met her at the entrance. Assisting her in a gentle manner, Tavares opened the remaining windows and doors as their store opened for the start a new day.

Name: Kaleva

Element: Earth

Powers: Although he possesses a number of techniques, the powers that Kaleva seems to use are limited to defensive strategies.  He rarely ever uses them to attack enemies, as he feels it is unfair in the art of war.  He can manipulate the earth around him to create barriers and walls.  He also has the ability to create and nurture plants in even the harshest environments, which he uses mostly for medicinal uses.

Summon: Zirin (see below)

Personality: For being a very strong and hardworking man, Kaleva is rather gentle.  With his line of work, it is needed in order to care for the delicate balance of plants and animals.  Kaleva is usually found in his domain crafting new medicines and elixirs from the herbs gathered from his enormous plant garden.  He is very pushy, however, and tries to get the other Guardians to adopt his healthy lifestyle and listen to his tactical information.

Connection to Element: While being both strong and hardworking like the earth, he is also quite calm and gentle like the forest.

Weaknesses/Fears: Of all the things in the world that could make him fear, unpredictability is the worst of it all.  He absolutely despises not being able to know or understand why someone is doing or saying what they do or say.

Weapons: Kaleva, when he enters the battlefield, wields a very large axe into battle with him, as well as a round shield on his back.  The weapon was forged within Cinaed's Eternal Flame using a metal only found underneath Mother Nature's domain.  The axe's blade is almost as large as Kaleva's forearm, and physically shakes the ground when it makes contact with it.

Skills: On top of being both incredibly fit and healthy, Kaleva has the ability to forge almost anything into a weapon, and made many of the weapons for the other Guardians.  He is also quite skilled in medicine making.

Looks: When he is in the Drift, Kaleva takes the form of an Ent.  He retains his height and weight from his human form, but looks more like a plant than a human.  He is covered in wood and bark, and his hair and beard are made mostly of mosses and leaves.  His clothes as a human can fit on this body, and prefers them to stay on.

As a human, he completely replaces his wood and leaves for skin and hair, respectively.  His skin is quite tanned and his hair frizzled and peppered black and gray.  Many people have said that he resembles that of a dwarf, especially because of his unfortunate stature.

Other: Kaleva, in both forms, stands 157 centimeters, or roughly 62 inches.  He also weighs 105 kilograms, or roughly 231 pounds.  Contrary to his peaceful and gentle nature, Kaleva has a fairly decent collection of large, deadly weapons he forged himself.

-----

Name: Zirin

Species: Golem

Guardian: Kaleva (see above)

Powers: As a being made entirely of clay, he has the ability to mold and shape himself into anything he feels necessary.  He also can gather more earth from underneath himself and make himself much bigger and much more powerful.

Personality: He and Kaleva don't seem to get along very well with each other at all.  Zirin is very narrow-minded, and it is very hard for him to change his mind about something.  It almost seems to contrast completely his shapeshifting ability.  However, he is quite social, and tries to get out of the domain as much as possible.

Connection to Guardian/Element: Earth, as a classical element, is related to close-minded personality types, but was created like this to contrast with Kaleva as much as possible.

Weaknesses/Fears: Since he is clay, water and/or sun are pretty damaging to him.  Too much sun and he can bake; too much water and he can fall apart.

Looks: Unfortunately, there isn't a lot to him; Zirin is a clay statue that vaguely looks like a human.  He has a lot of the same proportions that Kaleva does, and has a pretty bland face, feature-wise.

Cinaed, Northern Drift

Within the middle of his abode, Cinaed had been tinkering again with one of his little doo-dads.  He was working on a mechanical grabbing device that he could use to further his laziness by letting him sit and grab something from far away.  He tested it out, but to his avail, the gear-filled hand’s grip was too strong and it crushed itself.  “Aw, man!” Cinaed pouted as he lowered himself off of the chair.  As he began to pick up the gears off the ground, Emer, his Summon, appeared at the entrance.

“Cinaed, I need you to come here!” she called eagerly to him.  Cinaed placed the pile of gears on the table for recycling and approached her curiously.  “Yes, Emer?” he said with lightness in his voice.  He noticed that she had a very serious look on her face, which made him slightly nervous.

“Mother Nature calls for all of the Guardians, she says it’s urgent!” she replied.  Mother Nature was not the one to have meetings so suddenly, so it truly must have been urgent.  He quickly climbed onto his Summon’s back and she rode off toward Mother Nature, with both curiosity and discontent wracking both of their minds.

------

Kaleva, Northern Drift

In the quiet recesses of his domain, Kaleva had been sketching up a storm.  For almost 3 days, he had the image of a large sword haunting his thoughts, and he knew he had to get it out of his mind.  The only thing he knew it had was a very thick blade, but everything he drew was just not coming out the way he wanted.  As he sat there, staring at the paper and hoping for some sort of inspiration, his Summon, Zirin burst through the door with excitement.

“Kaleva, you’ll never believe it!  Mother Nature said something about the Sins, something’s going down!”  Kaleva jerked upright and twisted toward the golem in his doorway.  “Zirin,” the Ent said, “this is not good!  Mother Nature never is to speak of them unless something terrible has happened!  Now, please, move out of my way.”

The golem moved disappointedly out of the doorway.  Kaleva looked and grabbed a hand axe hanging from the wall next to the door.  He may have to use this later for tactical purposes.  All he knew is that this day would not end the way he wanted, especially since he had just gotten a new idea for that sword.

------

Amsiel, Southern Drift

Waiting patiently at the end of a long table for his subjects to settle, Amsiel stared out into the black that was the Southern Drift.  After much thought about it, he felt a strange feeling of peace with it, as it reminded him of calm thoughts and days spent by himself.  He was almost sad to leave it behind, but if he wanted to get what he needed, he would have to let it go.  He turned to his fellow six and began to address them.

“My fellow Sins,” he began, “the time has come.  With our abduction of the Guardian of Death, Althea’s balance has been overthrown.  The gates that once kept us out of the world of light have begun to rot away.  Tonight, when the last humans of Althea close their eyes, we shall arise from our pitiful hole and take what is rightfully ours from that accursed Mother Nature’s cold, lifeless hands!”

With a loud cheer from his subjects in praise of him, Amsiel moved onward to the gateway.  He watched with his summon, Ayabith, as his fellow Sins reached out of the gate with excitement and hunger.  The gate had finally crumbled before their eyes, and Amsiel uttered a single phrase:

“Let’s begin.”

Nieve, Northern Drift

The brooding Ice Guardian and her partner trudged after the hare, winding through the chilled, silent forest that acted as the barrier around her realm. Nieve watched, annoyance flickering across her features, as pastel-coloured flowers and puffy dandelion heads sprang to life wherever the hare stepped. The plants cracked through the ice, spreading to invade her forest, but as Nieve passed, ice spread from beneath her feet and killed them instantly. Her realm would not be encroached on, even by Mother Nature. The hare would stop every now and then, eyeing the dying plants with a disdainful sniff before hopping off again, the touch of summer spreading like a rash behind it.

As they walked, Nieve noticed the land around them changing much faster than it would have under normal circumstances. Once the Guardian and the two animals had broken out of the frozen tundra, the provinces of the other Guardians seemed to pass in a blur. All Nieve had to do was blink and they had traveled the Athean distance of ten miles. In nearly no time at all, they arrived at the foot of a soaring mountain, a sheer gray-brown mass reaching up into the clouds. Far above, its roots twined about the mountaintop, a gigantic tree stood, sunlight streaming from inside its branches. Chunks of rock, all carpeted with grass and flowers along their tops, floated in the air around it. Several trees were sprouting on them, and various woodland creatures, a mix of mythical and Athean, stepped and fluttered in the dappled shadows of the giant tree.

The hare stopped, flicking its ears at the mountain, indicating that its job was over. Without a word, Nieve swung herself onto Ermine's back and the regal gryphon soared into the air, banking in wide circles as she glided to the top of the mountain. Behind them, the hare dissolved into a puff of dandelion fluff, a whisper of wind scattering it into the wide blue skies.

-----

Cronus, Northern Drift

The deer was surprisingly agile for an earth-dwelling creature, even walking on the air to cross small canyons and waterfalls. Cronus drifted along behind it, running through sequences and calculations in his head, checking and re-checking his work to make sure time was still flowing smoothly. Nora crouched on his shoulders, her fluffy tail wrapped under his chin, and seemed content to watch the doe's bobbing white tail with a hawk-eyed interest.

Once they left Cronus' domain, a white sphere opposite Seren's black cube-like dwelling, Cronus drank in the details of the rest of the Northern Drift. It was rare that he had the opportunity or excuse to leave behind his workshop and explore, so this was a chance he wasn't willing to take likely. While crossing a wide desert, the party climbed the top of a particularly large sand dune, and far below began an expansive tropical rain forest, which gave way to plains and finally the cold, isolated glaciers of Nieve's realm. In the opposite direction, the Drift sported volcanoes, a large ocean, and a mix of deciduous and coniferous forests. Throughout the Drift, long rivers, nary sparkling blue ribbons from far away, wound throughout the land.

Quickly after their traveling began, Cronus, Nora and the doe arrived at the mountain. Waving a spirited goodbye, Cronus began swirling into the sky, leaving behind a pale streak of cloud that faded back into the sky when he passed. Far above them, Nieve could be seen, hardly a white dot against the expanse of rock. Yet even from a distance, Ermine's unique form was easily recognizable. Nora clung to Cronus' shoulders, yowling in delight as the wind whipped through her fur, flattening her ears and pressing her whiskers flat to the sides of her face. Back on the ground, the doe that had led them stretched its neck toward the sky and grew into a small, elegant tree, white dots of lichen decorating its trunk.

-----

Ephrem, Outside the Southern Drift

Ephrem's chest was nearly bursting from the excitement of finally leaving the confines of the Southern Drift. With Amsiel's triumphant speech ringing in his ears, the Deadly Sin burst forth into Athea. Instantly, he was nearly overwhelmed by the sense of power which had long slumbered dormant, deep in his chest. And now he felt as if he were filling to the brim, boiling over with energy, and he had to let it loose. The dark-haired man leaped forward, his heavy boots sending a shudder through the earth. The rock split, opening a narrow, yawning cavern-like crack in the earth. With a screeching crunch, the weight of the ground itself wrenched itself in two, sending one half of the cavern towering into the sky and the other plunging below the surface.

Several houses unfortunate enough to crouch on the cavern's edge were crushed into splintering fragments, the inhabitants snuffed out before they could even scream. Ephrem's grin widened as dust exploded into the earth, the moon unable to penetrate the corrosive dust. Finally, after many unjust years, the Deadly Sins were taking back what was truly theirs. Beside Ephrem, Desiree emerged from the Drift, her magnificent black might towering above the tallest building of the meager town. Her long, elegant neck arched, she parted her great maw and rent forth an ear-rending screech of triumph

-----

Ella, a small trading village somewhere in Athea

The yowling screech of a cat jolted Ella awake, and she stared about wildly before realizing she was seated in the quaint swinging bench outside of her home. Stifling a yawn with her hand, the young woman got to her feet and stretched luxuriously, feeling the tingle in her fingers. She let her arms fall back to her side as she surveyed the village. Now that day had broken, the villagers were out and about, the road already clattering as merchants harked their wares and aging men led their cart-pulling horses out of town.

Ella smiled slightly. This was her home, and though quaint, she would not have it any other way. Grasping her basket in one hand, she made her way down the short cobblestone path to the small fence that ran around her house. Butterflies fluttered through her herb gardens, and birds twittered and sang in the great, spreading tree that she had just fallen asleep under. Pushing her way through the short metal gate and latching it behind her, Ella made her way down the side of the main road, waving at her neighbors before entering a shop that had just opened.

A small bell tinkled overhead as Ella entered the tailor's shop, another quaint building. This one had a strange atmosphere, different than that of the rest of the village; to her, despite the colourful clothes and fabrics on display, the air always felt somewhat stagnant and tense. At a clattering sound to her right, Ella turned to see Tavares opening the last pair of shutters, allowing golden sunlight to filter gently into the shop.

"Oh, good morning, Tavares!" She said happily, unhooking the basket from her elbow. "I brought some things for your mother. Some nice gold thread and some cookies, too." Ella held the basket out to him, smiling that radiant smile she was apparently famous for.

Seren, Northern Drift

    Seren floated across the sky in slight bobbing patterns while her emotionless gaze scanned the area above and below her. The sky was the same, similar blue sphere speckled with various clouds, however the ground below was a sight to behold. Every environment was present, from icy tundras to fierce volcanic grounds. It was far different from the blackness she remained in. "Almost there," Seren murmured, her keen eyes catching the illuminated silhouette of Mother's tree. Upon a majestic, lofty mountain, the tree sat and seemed to await their arrival.

    Orion let out a long, screeching call and swooped down towards the tree, his flight pattern still a continuous looping motion. Seren increased her pace to match his in a gradual manner and watched the aerial scenery. Before her, the land was absolutely gorgeous. Suspending pedestals of earth floated around the tree's branches, and the flora and fauna living upon the rock remained unfazed despite the calling. Not a single creature was disturbed by her hidden floating presence, the unnatural amount of snow that climbed up the mountain or the fierce, startling energy that swirled up as well.  They all continued with their day. It was natural. It was homely. This was Mother Nature's realm.

---

Darius Rivers, Outside the Southern Drift

    Ignoring his "leader's" words, Darius passed through the tear and stepped onto the earth with a strange delicacy. This was the world that would give him everything he needed and everything that he was deprived of from within the Southern Drift. Just the land underneath his feet to the lowlifes that lived in it would all belong to him one day, and everything needed to be just perfect. Unfortunately for him, the tear had led him to around the same area as Lust. Darius watched the earth crumble with an irritated expression.

    Sure, they'd been psychologically oppressed and completely retrained in the Southern Drift, but there was no need to explode the second they got out. "Che," Darius muttered a curse underneath his breath and turned away. As long as the Sin didn't get in his way, there was no need to bother himself with Lust's emotional actions. His destination was the nearest and largest trading city. The Sin flashed a crooked smile and ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair. From then onward, his journey would begin.

---

Tavares Butler, a small trading village somewhere in Athea

    "Ah, good morning, Ella." Tavares replied, grinning back at the girl that had appeared before him. His smile was natural and his face glowed, but Ella's happiness obviously outshone his. Either way, it was the same every time they met. Nothing different. Always the same. "Thanks for coming out here for that," Tavares said, his arms hanging loosely from the windowsill. "Those cookies look delicious... If only they taste that way as well..." As he spoke, he reached down and snatched a cookie from her basket. He split it in his mouth and took a bite, holding the other half in his hand.

     It was warm and melted in his mouth quickly. Tavares grinned and held the cookie halfway up, as if presenting it to a small crowd. If Ella had made these cookies, she wasn't half bad at cooking. "They're good. It's a bit too sweet for my taste, but any woman would love eat these." He still held the cookie and smiled at younger girl before him.

Ella, a small trading village somewhere in Athea

Ella squeezed her eyes shut and stuck her tongue out at Tavares, then plucked off a corner of his upheld cookie and dropped it into her mouth. The sweetness of chocolate dissolved on her tongue and she sighed happily, relishing it. "Oh who are you kidding, you know you like them," she teased, pulling the cloth back over the basket to keep the cookies fresh.

"Anyway, I'm glad you like them." She said, turning her eyes to the ground as her smile faded slightly. She twisted her fingers together, hugging the basket close. "I just wanted to, you know, give you a little something. I'm leaving today, remember?" She looked back up at him, her brown eyes twinkling sadly. This was the day she would finally embark on her journey to find her father, wherever he may be. Ella reached up and brushed her light brown hair out of her eyes, tucking it securely behind her ear. "I was wondering, could we spend a little time together? I can help you finish your work for today if you need it. But it's just . . . I'm afraid I won't see you again, my lifelong friend." Ella stopped talking, her throat closing up slightly. It was true; the two had known each other since they were very young, and he had been there for her when her father failed to return with the few other men who managed to come back to their modest town. Their bond grew stronger when his father failed to come home as well.

-----

Nieve, Northern Drift

Ermine settled down on the sparse ground between the large, arching roots of the ancient tree. The bark began to frost ever so slightly, but Nieve's normally freezing touch had no more power than that. The Ice Guardian settled down on a root to wait, her pale blue eyes watching for the other Guardians to arrive. The pair had chosen a spot farther away from the center of the tree, marked by two upstanding stones, so as to not be forced into conversation. Even if another Guardian were to attempt to speak to them, however, Nieve was not afraid to simply ignore them.

She watched as small flakes of snow drifted past her icy nose to settle on the grass below, where they melted back into the ground. Due to the high moisture content of the air around the tree and the frigid cold radiating from Nieve, a slight rain of snow fell continuously around her, though it was not cold enough to collect on Mother Nature's tree.
A few minutes after the Guardian and her gryphon settled down, Cronus came into view. He rocketed into the air, overshooting his landing and very nearly crashing into the woody bark of the tree. Grinning wildly, he swerved to the side just in time and circled back, more slowly, to "land" in front of the great tree. His small cat-thing, Nora, leaped from his shoulders and began chasing small bugs around the nooks and crannies formed by the tree roots.

-----

Cronus, Northern Drift

Settling down on a large mossy rock, the brown-haired boy held his hand out and a small wooden abacus poofed into his grasp. His hand moving in a blur, the boy slid the beads along the wooden poles, muttering to himself as the beads clacked against each other and reset themselves whenever he finished a calculation. Nodding decisively, the Time Guardian tossed the mathematical instrument into the air, where it transformed into the wooden bird from a cuckoo clock and fluttered off back toward his realm, bearing instructions for the clocks to run smoothly without his being there.

Finally, his work done, he smiled and waved at Nieve, who merely cut into him with a chillingly blank stare. Unfazed, he turned around as Seren alighted nearby. "Hey! Hey Seren! How are you? I haven't seen you in a while! Running the universe is so boooring, isn't it? I'm so excited to get out!" He said happily, his excitement overflowing. He floated closer, nearly launching back into the air out of his excitement.

-----

Ephrem, outside the Southern Drift

Ephrem ignored Darius' cold glare and lifted his head, laughing aloud. He stood back to his full height, taking a step forward and nearly stumbling. Catching himself, the Sin brought his palm to his forehead, which was burning up. His other hand, as he lifted it closer, was pale and trembling. The grin on his face faded at the corners, his sharp teeth being hidden once more. "Hah . . . ha ha . . ." He breathed harshly, his exhaustion unable to tame his excitement. Clearly, he would have to pace himself while using his powers.

Behind him, Desiree growled slightly, eyeing him mutinously. "Oh shut up, you feathered lizard. I'm just a bit winded is all," Ephrem swatted his hand at her, stumbling forward to seat himself at the edge of the crumbling rock, looking down on the half-decimated village, where people were now running around screaming. Ah, how beautiful it was. He listened serenely for a moment, his chest rising and falling as he caught his breath. The rush of power he had felt had been like nothing he had ever experienced; he yearned for the time he would feel it again, and knew it would be soon.

(Wow so glad my email notified me when this topic got posts, NOT. Ugh. I'll do my starter after school)

((Yaaaay hi Suzu!!! And yeah, that's totally fiiine~!)))

Imber, Northern Drift
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Imber's dark blue eyes opened slowly, her gaze sliding from the cold seafoam green water brushing against her nose to the dark black form of Arcus sleeping next to her before she almost jumped into the water. "Arcus!" She hissed, "Wake up!!!!" Arcus opened a bright eye, as if raising an eyebrow. "We slept in! It's breaking the schedule!" Imber rolled over onto the water, quickly getting to her feet as the lake she was sleeping next to rippled around her. Arcus raised her snout tiredly, snorting and shaking her mane as she slowly got on her hooves. Imber just rolled her eyes, her hair blowing about in the cold wind that had crept in from the south of her realm, 'How odd,' she thought, 'It doesn't get cold here often,' Imber just shook the uneasy feeling off, glaring back at Arcus.

  "Huff and puff all ya want it doesn't change the fact we got work to do," Imber said sternly, shaking her head slightly as Arcus just snorted once more, flapping her wings as she stepped on the water, procceding to walk to the other side of the lake. Imber followed closely behind her, following the path she normally took to the other side, calming the water down and then riling it up all over again just for the heck of it. "There's so much turmoil lately, ya know? I can feel it in the rain, the waves are even reflecting it. Everythings just gettin' so rough," Imber sighed, Arcus just looked back at her with an unbeliving stare and whinyed in response. "Yeah, yeah I know, I suppose I'm being a bit silly, but I'm not wrong, you'll see!" Imber's gaze moved up to the sky, her eyes following the path of a dove flying above them. "Hm..."

   The Gaurdian's eyes suddenly caught something on the shoreline, a small fox it seemed. "Eh? What's a fox doin in these parts?" She muttered, tapping Arcus on the wing as a signal to move faster. "I think we're a little later than expected, Arcus," Imber said quietly; she herself picking up the pace. "That's a summons from Mother Nature, see told you something was up, ha!" Arcus presumably ignored her, her slow trot turning into a purposeful one. Imber's smooth brisk strides turning into a full run as she tried to keep up with her pegasus.   The water churned under their feet, setting Imber off balance every once in a while. As they broke the shoreline; Imber breathing heavily and leaning on Arcus; the fox took off like a dart, stopping a few more meters away. Imber rolled her eyes and moaned, "Do you have... any idea... how out of shape... I am?" She panted. Arcus nudged her gently, gesturing to her back. "Good... Good idea," Imber said, nodding and climbing onto Arcus's back. The pegasus flapped her wings slightly before breaking out into a gallop after the fox, who started bounding away as soon as Imber climbed up onto Arcus.

 "Shouldn't be late for too long now huh!" Imber exclaimed, grinning and holding onto Arcus's mane.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Inseram Simulacrum; Southern Drift
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inseram flirted with a smirk across his pale face as he watched the rift slowly tear apart, his eyes widening as the light of the humans realm peaked through. "Oh my, oh my, finally freed at last," He chuckled, his fingers stretching across the fabric of his hood as he reached to pull it up and over his head. Inseram whistled, Anguem silently slithering from the darkness and next to Inseram's side, his scales glittering in the new light. "Let's go and wreak some havoc, yes Anguem?" Anguem quivered in anticipation, hissing lightly as he started to move towards the light; Inseram following behind. Both of them stopped just before the rift, peaking out slightly, just to see it. Anguem hissed as he saw the other sins, Inseram touching the serpents head to calm both himself and Anguem. "Here we go," He whispered excitedly, his blood pulsing through his body. He could already feel the power seeping through, even from just standing in front of the crack. Tentivley he stepped through it, Anguem following behind him.

 It took a couple minutes for the Sin's eyes to adjust to the light, but he site before his eyes was absolutley stunning, "Well you guys certainly didn't wait to start the party," Inseram said jokingly, shaking his head slightly. He could feel it now, all the sweet, sweet revenge those humans were planning. Throughout the entire land, he could feel the swirling wrath of so many of the weaklings that inhabited the world between the drifts. "Beautiful," He murmured, almost in awe. Anguem hissed lightly, surveying the damage done to the village. His tounge slipped from between his enormous fangs, his head moving side to side as he watched the humans run.

Another smirk flitted across Inseram's face, "Anguem you hungry?"

Tavares Butler, a small trading village somewhere in Athea

Tavares pursed his lips and drew a thin smirk after she'd taken the other half of the cookie. He'd meant to give the other half to his mother as he'd split the desert in his mouth, but Ella had other ideas. It was a bit interesting, but nothing big enough to catch his attention. They'd known each other for a long while. Since way, way back. It wouldn't surprise him if Ella had taken the shirt off his back.

"So you're finally planning to leave?" Tavares cocked his head to the side, the small smirk fading from his face. He tried on a look of hopeless concern, then left the windowsill. Swiftly appearing by the doorstep, the tailor invited the girl into the store. "How's the rest of your family dealing with this?" He asked, holding his hand out towards Ella. The look of worry was still perfectly painted on his face, but frankly, Tavares really doubted her courage. Could she step out of their peaceful little village? Especially in this time of distress? News of war was spreading like wildfire and tensions were rising.

Ella was an unusually cheery and youthful woman. In fact, she was so happy that it almost scared him. A shadow of doubt crossed Tavares's mind. Ella would have to prove herself to him, otherwise she wouldn't go anywhere. Not with him around.

---
Seren, Northern Drift

Seren drifted downwards in a subtle descent, her neatly pointed feet aiming towards a spot near the roots of the Mother's tree. She had assumed her presence was perfectly masked and gently landed with an inaudible grace. The space entity's spiritless gaze was laid upon the great winding roots before her and she stood in a temporary silence. Her peace was shattered by the energetic calls of a brown haired spirit not too far away. What was his name again...? She seemed to have forgotten. His energy was so... lively and turbulent. Seren blinked, her body turning to face the approaching boy. He seemed to know her name... so had they met before?

She parted her lips to speak, but before her message could be conveyed a piercing screech resounded and a flurry of ruffled feathers exploded. Orion, wingspan fully extended, bared his razor sharp teeth and beak at Cronus. Strings of reflective saliva clung to the sides of his maw and sprayed in the boy's direction. A dark swirling energy radiated from his offensive stance.

---
Darius Rivers, Outside the Southern Drift

Darius could still hear Ephrem's ringing laughter behind him, but continued to ignore the unpleasant sound. Slinging a leather satchel over his broad shoulders, the man straightened his wrinkled clothing with a disgusted look on his face. Soon, he thought. I'll turn these rags to riches. A smile crept across the Sin's chiseled face and his footsteps quickened. If his intuition was correct, there was a town centered around trade and commerce directly in his path.

Ella, a small trading town somewhere in Athea

Ella sighed, her smile weakening as she took Tavares' hand lightly in her own. "Mother is beside herself. She's been trying to convince me not to go since I first decided I would; she says she doesn't want to lose someone else." Ella paused, studying the floorboards. As usual, they were swept clean of any dirt and shone brightly, as if they had recently been polished. "But I think she's wrong. Papa is still out there somewhere, I know it. I . . ." Ella broke off as her voice began to warp, and she dragged her hand across her eyes, drying the few tears that lingered there.

"The point is, this is my decision, Tavares. and I know you well enough to know that you'll try to hold me back. But please, let me go on this journey." Ella brought her face up again, and though her eyes were slightly red and puffy, her tears had been replaced by a determined expression. Deep inside, however, she thought she felt something crack.

-----

Cronus, Northern Drift

Cronus laughed happily, completely blind to the angry ruthlessness of the eagle. "Well hi to you too, Orion! It's been a while!" The Guardian floated up and down slightly, his hair windblown and messy.

He pursed his lips, placing his hands on his hips and tilting forward slightly. "But really, Seren! Don't tell me you've forgotten my name! I'm Cronus, remember? Guardian of Time? My realm is right across from yours!" He exclaimed somewhat indignantly, surprised by Seren's faulty memory. It was quite ironic, seeing as to her level of power and influence.

-----

Ephrem, outside the Southern Drift

Watching the other Sins move out, Ephrem narrowed his eyes, his grin diminishing. If he didn't play his cards right, the other Sins would end up stabbing him in the back instead of the other way around. He turned to the black swagon at his side.

"Desiree," he said, and she turned her great, graceful head to glare at him with blood red eyes. "Go down there and have some fun, okay? But leave some snacks for me, or else," he growled, but the playful glint in his eye revealed his true attitude.

With an excited screech, Desiree spread her wide wings and leaped from the edge of the towering cliff, gliding down to land in the center of the terrified village. All around her, the humans scattered and screamed, their bewildered eyes wide in scatterbrained horror. Desiree drew herself up to her full height, glaring down at them, and a man in front of her froze in his tracks. His eyes widened and his face fell slack as he slowly crept closer to her, reaching out with a shaking hand to stroke her beautiful plumage. With a ferocious slashing motion, Desiree lunged, biting down over his head. Blood sprayed out, splattering the ground like spilled ink, and Ephrem dissolved into hysterical laughter as a woman screamed and fell to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks, and the rest of the village scrambled away as fast as they could.

Another few bites and the man was gone. Desiree shrieked in delight, whipping out her long, barbed tail to knick the woman on the side of her neck as she finally struggled back to her feet and attempted to flee. Her body stiffened as the swagon's venom began coursing through her veins, paralyzingly her, and Desiree moved in for her second course.

Imber; Northern Drift
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Imber laughed as they bounded towards the forest that surronded her domain, water splashing around them in arcs as they continued to cross rivers and brooks, passing waterfalls and lakes. Arcus's mane blowing in the wind and whipping Imber's face slightly, as she was pressing her face into it. Yet, it was strange, no matter how fast Arcus was sprinting, the fox always managed to be a bit faster, always a little ahead of them. Imber didn't mind of course, she always needed a guide back to Mother Nature's tree, she is never able to find it on her own. The Gaurdian's sense of direction always had a tendency to send her straight back to where she had came. Imber lifted a hand from Arcus's mane, waving goodbye to the waters of her domain as the watery plains melted into hard packed forest, the trees melting together as the duo passed by them at an astonishing speed; the fox still leading the way to Mother Nature's tree.

"Psst. Hey Arcus," Imber leaned close to the pegasus's ear, grinning, "Think we'll be able to get outta here, huh? That would be great, I love my domain and all but it gets a bit boring sometimes," Arcus moved her head slightly, which Imber assumed to be a nod of agreement. Arcus suddenly slowed down, the fox moving to a slow and final stop. The tree's seemed to thin out, and a trail pointed ahead of them, Imber nodded thanks at the fox before Arcus began trotting down the worn path, her spead slow and steady now. "I'm a little bit excited, I haven't seen the others in forever!" Imber bounced a little bit as Arcus increased her pace slightly, whinying and shaking her head. "Yeah I'm sure we should hurry, wouldn't wanna be the last one there!"

The two continued in silence for a bit longer, following the path at a brisk trot. As they arrived at Mother Nature's tree, Arcus stopped at the edge of the roots, allowing Imber to dismount from her before flapping her wings and curling up on the ground. Imber studided the others around her, grinning.

"Well, good to know I'm not too late, yeah?"

~~~~~~~~~~

Inseram Simulacrum; Outside the Southern Drift
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The giant coral snake hissed lightly as the other summon fell upon the town, his teeth glistening as he started to slither down the mountain side, stopped by a touch from Inseram. He looked his summon in the eye, frowning, "It's best to get to another town for feeding purposes, as silly as it seems, Anguem, I'd rather be away from the other sins as quickly as possible," The serpents tounge shot out from between his giant maw, a slight disgruntled hiss erupting from him before the snake turned away from the village being ravaged. Inseram nodded slightly, "Don't worry, next town we find and bam, all yours,"

Anguem just hissed again, starting to slither towards the north-west, making his way to the left of the village. Inseram followed behind him, the sins hand tapping against his thigh as he followed behind the serpent. His pale features twisted into an scowl, 'We must move faster, I've been looking forward to wreaking havoc after all these millenia of being cooped up,' The man took a deep breath, breathing in the anger filling the hearts of so many humans in the land. 'I can feel all of the beautiful wrath flowing through these weaklings. How stupendious,' Inseram's scowl quickly turned into a grin as he turned his attention to the serpent slithering next to him.

"Anguem, we are going to have quite a time,"

Tavares Butler, a small trading town somewhere in Athea

Despite feeling her eyes wander across the room, hearing her voice waver and watching the tears form in slight droplets by her eyes, Tavares's look remained unchanged. So her mother is against this too. The tailor ignored her determined, yet pleading look. Ella was putting up an extremely pitiful front that irritated him. "Even if you say that, I'm still going to butt in," murmured the dark haired male. Rubbing the back of his neck carelessly, Tavares caught her puffy eyed gaze. "Have you ever thought about how your mother would feel about leaving her alone?"

Tavares maintained a strong, stern stare, but allowed a pinch of compassion in his expression. He relayed his words and his message with just the right amount of delicacy and strictness. "She obviously loved your father as well. Hasn't it hurt her enough to see him leave?" He paused. "Aren't you just planning to take another piece of family away from her?"

"Even if you say he's still alive and living out there, how can you prove that? Just being sure isn't going to cut it," Tavares pointed out, then added in a softer tone. "How can you even prove to your mother, or to me, that'll you'll come back alive for sure?"

---

Seren, Northern Drift  

Orion ceased in his movement after a gentle signal from Seren as she padded down towards his side. Stroking his stale colored feathers the female observed Cronus carefully. This was the Guardian of Time. He seemed so lively, innocent and somehow polite... but something about him sent a shiver down her spine.

"Cronus... I'm sorry, but it seems that over the ages I've forgotten your face," she murmured. A strand of ashen hair slid across her face and she realized that whatever was to happen this was possibly the person she would be working with.
"So I'll just have to come to recognize it from now on then," Seren softly added without a tinge of emotion in her eyes. She waited for an honest reply, however, in a flash, a mare and its rider bounded in a wild flurry of energy and Seren slowly turned to meet the newcomer's gaze. Yet again, she found it difficult to register the faces in her clouded memory.

---

Darius Rivers, outside of the Southern Drift

Darius lifted the hood of his cloak over his head and continued down the dirt passage way. A hazy image of a small town appeared in his vision, but he knew he'd have to travel a few miles before he would reach the destination. Every nerve in his body tingled. A rush of excitement caused him to shudder. Only a few more miles to go... Darius smirked, energy boiling within his newly liberated body. No matter how far he went, his feet would never ache.

Ella, a small trading village somewhere in Athea

Ella buried her free hand in her hair, pulling it out of its careful braids. Tavares was always terribly good at making her feel like a horrible person whenever she was making a decision he didn't support; he didn't mean to, of course, but it was a dreadful habit of his. She felt tears coming again and blinked them away fiercely, determined not to cry anymore. "Don't you think I know that, Tavares? I know what I'm doing to Mother because it hurts me, too! But I have to do this, I . . . I can't explain it!" She broke herself off, taking a deep breath, trying to calm the turmoil in her heart and mind.

"But . . . no, I can't prove I'll come back. But I can't stand waiting here for Papa to come back. What if he needs my help somewhere? What if he's trying to come home but he can't? If I don't at least look for him, I'll never forgive myself! Don't act like you don't understand me, Tavares!" She felt her throat constricting, and willfully forced it open again. She couldn't play the weak, helpless girl anymore. The only person she could rely on was herself. "Surely you've felt this way before? How are you content with just accepting something like that?" She looked directly into his eyes, something that seemed to take even more courage than the first step down the road. "You have to let me go, Tavares. And if you don't, I . . . I don't know if I can forgive you." Her voice cracked, and she fell silent. If this didn't assure him, she didn't know what would. If she had to, she would leave in the middle of the night, when he couldn't stop her. She was tired of being a penned bird; she had a purpose, and she couldn't find it here.

-----

Cronus, Northern Drift

Cronus laughed so hard that he doubled over and nearly tipped onto the grass. "Ha ha ha! I guess it has been quite a while, though. But that's okay! This means we'll get to become friends again!" Cronus said, a huge smile shining on his face. Just then, Nora bounded up from the tree, twittering madly, a moth crunched in her teeth. As Cronus watched, it turned to sand, falling from her mouth to where it re-formed in midair and fluttered off, triggering an excited yowl from the lynx-cat.

"Aaand this is Nora!" Cronus said, catching her under the arms as she tried to leap from his shoulders. Because of the way he held her, her front legs stuck out like sticks in front of her. She flattened her ears, her eyes darkening into an evil glare as she started kicking with her bottom feet, though she avoided actually scratching Cronus. "She's a bit crazy sometimes, but she's my best friend," Cronus hugged her close, mushing his cheek into the fluffy fur on her neck. She let out a pitiful whimper, and finally Cronus caved, letting her drop from his hands and bound off to find more prey.

At the sound of a horse trotting to a stop and a bubbly voice shouting a greeting, Cronus turned his smile to Imber, who had just trotted to a stop on her majestic pegasus Arcus. "Hey, Imber and Arcus!" he shouted, waving his hands in the air. "Long time no see!"

-----

Nieve, Northern Drift

With Ermine curled below her feet at the base of the root, Nieve sat still and listened to the sound of the great tree. A light wind stirred its branches slightly, and every now and then a leaf would fall from its heavy branches. It had leaves of all kinds, and as Nieve watched, a ginkgo leaf fluttered to the ground next to a mix of oak, pecan and sycamore leaves. Birds twittered all throughout the tree, making a beautiful mesh of sound paired with the wind. Nieve closed her eyes, actually enjoying the moment, when the loud clattering of Imber's arrival startled several birds into flight.

The Ice Guardian opened her eyes slightly, slitting them in annoyance as Cronus joined in the shouts. Now she regretted coming; while it was peaceful every now and then, the other Guardians' arrivals meant sure disturbance. It wasn't as if she could simply ignore Mother Nature's summons, however. Nieve closed her eyes once more, breathing in and letting it out, her breath forming a white cloud of snowflakes.

-----

Ephrem, outside the Southern Drift

Ephrem smiled devilishly, watching Desiree gorge herself on the screaming villagers. The cacophony was music to his ears; still grinning, the Sin pushed off of the ledge of rock, sliding down its rough surface to the bottom, where he landed in a cloud of dust. His legs still felt like jelly, and he wobbled as he stopped, but stayed standing. Regaining his balance, Ephrem strode into the village, stepping over puddles of blood and chunks of flesh that Desiree had carelessly scattered in her hunger. He didn't blame her; after more than a thousand years trapped in a perpetual prison, he had built up quite the appetite as well.

Strolling casually past the feasting swagon, Ephrem sauntered up to a nearby building. The sign hanging outside read something about a bakery, and even in the dead of night, delicious smells wafted from inside. His insane grin still planted on his face, Ephrem smashed the door open with his foot and walked inside, his hands hung carelessly in his pockets. He heard someone scream, and turned to see a man, clothed in white baker's smocks, holding a shaking bread paddle in his hands. Behind him a woman, presumably his wife, cowered behind him, screaming her head off.

"Make her shut up or I will!" the sin yelled, taking a step forward for emphasis. The woman screeched hysterically and the baker tightened his grip on the paddle, an exciting mix of terror and anger on his features. Ephrem laughed, turning around and running his eyes over a shelf filled with freshly baked breads and pastries. "Honestly, that stick won't protect you at all. You're alive because I don't care about you at all," His words followed by another scream from the hysterical woman, Ephrem pulled out a long loaf of braided bread, its crust a light golden colour. His mouth watered at the sight of it, and without hesitation, he began ripping into it with the same savagery as the swagon outside.

Tavares Butler, a small trading village somewhere in Athea

Tavares stifled an indignant huff as Ella attempted to prevent her tears and turn the tables on him. The strength in his tone, expression and eyes did not waver with her endeavors to convince him of her motives and plans. Nothing she said really made any sense to him. She didn't want to hurt her mother, but she was going to do it anyway? She knew her father hadn't come back from a war, yet she was willing to waltz into the same situation? Just where did this girl get her ideas?

'I don't know if I can ever forgive you.' Ouch. Was that supposed to hurt? The tailor scratched the bridge of his nose with a disappointed look, then shuddered and took a look around the room. Rays of sunshine were beginning to filter into the shop and the morning customers were already lining up. Most of them were women, dressed in their Sunday best, and they anxiously waited by the counter, but with the sudden disturbance of a crying girl they shot quick glances.

Mrs. Rivers, a widowed old woman, stood clad in a black cloak with the hood drawn over her face and stared at him with a horrendous glare. Tavares met her gaze and shivered. Slowly, his reputation was drifting away, but he was quick to snatch it back. The tailor straightened his dusty apron and let out a light, natural laugh. His hand pressed against Ella's back, between her shoulder blades, Tavares began to lead the girl out the back of the store. "Of course I've felt that way before... when my mother didn't let me use the sewing needle until I turned 15!"

"But she was always right," he said, then gently narrowed his eyes and hinted to her last statement. "If she had let me go, I probably would have lost these fingers."

---

Seren, Northern Drift

Seren watched as the cat plopped down from the branches and into Cronus's arms without a particular interest. The cat, Nora, seemed to pair well with Cronus. The way she avoided harming the boy while desiring more prey seemed to be a good quality for a Summon. Nora. Cronus.

She turned to face the newcomers once again. Hearing their names, she began to keep record. Imber. Arcus.

---

Darius Rivers, nearing a small trading village somewhere in Athea

A familar scent wafted through the air and Darius indulged in its flavor. Wealth, riches,power, love... whatever was waiting for him, he'd take it all mercilessly. Not a penny must be wasted, right? Darius joked to himself and his pace quickened, then came to an abrupt halt. From behind him, the noise of trotting footsteps were approaching fast.

Imber; Northern Drift
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Imber grinned at Cronus, rubbing Arcus's back lightly. "Yeah it certainky has been awhile Cronus! It'a good to see you," Arcus flapped her wings slightly, whinying in response. The Guardian laughed lightly, "And I'm sure Arcus agrees as well,"  Imber's gaze drifted across the roots of the great tree, her eyes counting the Guardian's who had arrived already. Imber winced a little as her gaze passed over Nieve, the snowflakes she had emitted from her breath specifically noticable to her sharp eyes. Soon she was examining Seren, giving her a small smile before walking closer to the roots of the tree, trying to stay as far away as possible from the Ice Guardian.

"It's very lovely to see you all!" Imber grinned, Arcus stamping her hooves into thenground for emphasis.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inseram Simulacrum: Heading to a town in north-western Athea
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anguem hissed lightly, stopping and opening his mouth suddenly. Anguem's head snaked about as he started to try and find a more pleasing scent then the one he was currently following. "C'mon Anguem what's the problem!?" Inseram snapped, pointing his head up and sniffing the air. Inseram sorted through all the scents, trying to focus on the one which held the most amount of anger. "It's still straight ahead Anguem, lets keep going," Anguem just hissed, more threatingly than usual, and shook his large head lightly. The huge snakes tail flicked his tail up into the air, bringing it down with a loud crash.
 
"Okay, what is it then Anguem, because I'm sure the best way is straight ahead," The sin paused, "I mean to do you wanna eat or not?" Anguem closed his gaping maw, his tounge flicking out as he hissed softly. "That's what I thought, don't question me Anguem," Inseram snapped, walking over to the serpent and tapping Anguem's head softly. "Now let's get going, I'm starving, and you know how I get when I'm hungry," The coral snake nodded, starting to slither off in the same direction they were going, Inseram following behind with care.

(((sorry for the late reply, I got sick orz)))

Ella, a small trading village somewhere in Athea

Ella allowed Tavares to lead her back out of the shop through a door in the back, one they had used many a time when they were younger and went to play in the forest. "Perhaps you would have better skills, considering the extra practice you would have gotten . . ." She replied, just quiet enough so that he was the only one to hear her. As they passed the desk, Ella set her basket down next to Tavares' mother, who was busy working through the tide of customers that always came at the shop's opening.

-----

Nieve, Northern Drift

Unwilling to talk to the Water Guardian, Imber, Nieve took the excuse to avoid conversation with any of the other Guardians. She preferred solitude, anyway, so it didn't bother her at all as the other Guardians continued to ignore her. She laid back on the root, watching the leaves fall to the ground and sway in the wind. She caught a leaf on the tip of her finger as it drifted toward her face, freezing it solid with a frigid coating of ice and frost. She tossed it down to the ground, where Ermine, out of playfulness, snapped it out of the air and crunched it in her large, sharp beak.

-----

Cronus, Northern Drift

I'm glad to see you, too! How've you been?" Cronus asked, drifting up on top of a root so that he could get a better view of the other two Guardians, considering his child-like stature. Of course he could always change that if he wanted, but Cronus didn't see the point. "Anyway, have you seen what's going on in Athea? I figured Mother Nature'd do something about it, but it looks like all of the Guardians were called here!"

His became more excited as he continued. "Do you think we'll be let out into Athea? To do things?! I haven't been out of the Drift in . . ." his face scrunched up as he tried to remember, ". . . a long time! Yeah, a long time. Not since . . . well, you know," He left off, referring to the Deadly Sins, whom they had all played a part in locking away.

-----

Ephrem, outside the Southern Drift

As Ephrem wolfed down more and more bread, he clattered loudly into a chair, propping his booted feet up on the table. The baker and his wife had already retreated into their bakery, where they had probably escaped through an outside door. No matter; they would be picked off by Desiree or another Sin, anyway.

Tavares Butler, in the outskirts of a small trading village in Athea

Just maybe doesn't cut it. Tavares remained in silence, despite the words that had already formed in his mind. At this point, there wasn't a single good reason to retort against a girl who obviously knew she was on the losing edge. It was also nice that she'd noticed the customers' looks and calmed down as well. Carefully guiding her through the twists and turns of the store, Tavares met his mother's eyes as Ella set the basket down upon the table's surface. Gray eyes glared back at him in an extremely dubious manner. The young tailor winced and smiled at his mother before continuing to lead Ella out of the store and into the town's outskirts ahead.

Little did Ella know that his mother's good-natured behavior, like his, was simply a facade to keep good relations. Though their motives and reasons different, that was one of the characteristics Tavares and Mrs. Butler held frighteningly similar. Tavares sighed as he let his hand slide away from Ella's back. "Let's talk about this where it's more comfortable, shall we?" He breathed, his eyes softly turning to meet her gaze.

---
Seren, Northern Drift

Seren aimlessly gazed on as the energetic Guardian shot into a wild conversation. She'd been unaccustomed to this kind of a familiarity and grew desperate for silence. Cronus and Imber seemed to grow increasing comfortable with the setting, but far off, a female with white hair seemed distant and closed off. Seren looked to her, observing and noting the fact that not everyone would be as lively as the Water and Time entities. She was slightly relieved, however her gaze was as empty as a barren, abandoned ghost town.

---
Darius Rivers, nearing a small trading village in Athea

Darius turned to see his Summon, Yubi, trotting up behind him in a less-than-subtle manner. A thin smirk drifted onto his lips as he realized this was a usual occurrence. Yubi and him weren't master and servant -- at least as Yubi saw it. Yubi was simply another tool of the trade to Darius. Powerful muscles rolled as the female hybrid create small craters in her path to the Sin. A haughty look on her face, Yubi passed him in a blur of brown and white. Darius noted that her dappled coat still retained its gorgeous shine.

"Hold up, Yubi," Darius called as his pace quickened as well. The Summon didn't bother to turn around. "Yubi." Darius's voice was stern and strick, but he knew that still wouldn't faze her. Extending his hand out of the dark clacked, a hazy image appeared and flickered like bad reception. In a few seconds, a golden substance sparkled and dripped from his palm.

At the sight of gold, her regal head turned and the jewels and charms that hung from her ivory antlers chimed in the silent wind. Her mesmerized brown eyes hungrily stared at the gold and Yubi barely noticed that Darius had mounted himself on her back.

Imber: Northern Drift
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Imber furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to keep up with Cronus's excited talking, twirling her dark blue hair with a finger as she waited for him to finish. His energy was refreshing, as she was always happy to have somebody to talk to, especially since it had been so long since she interacted with the other Guardians. Finally the excited boy stopped talking, and Imber started to formulate her replies. "I've been good, bored but good," Imber paused, thinking, "And yes! I've noticed the bad stuff all over the place, it's kinda ridiulous to be honest, even the water is getting upset about it. To be free at last would be the best part though!!" Imber's smile turned into a large crooked grin, and even Arcus stamped her hoof in agreement.

"Think of it though! Even if the land is all angry and stuff I'm sure there will be many, many, many, cool things to do," Imber's eyes widened slightly, "Think about all the food too, oh my Mother Nature, how glorious would that be?" Imber dropped the piece of her hair she was playing with and shook her head lightly. "Now I'm all excited and stuff oh my,"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inseram Simulacrum: Heading deeper into Northwest Athea
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Inseram sighed impatiently as he followed Anguem, whose mouth was open wide to breath in the scents he had missed in his long imprisonment. Inseram could feel them getting closer, but they were just going too slow, they certainly weren't going to get there fast enough for both of them to feed properly. "Anguem," The summon stopped at the sound of his keeper's sharp tone, the snake shutting its maw with a loud snap. "We need to move faster," Inguem snapped, the serpent nodding as he brok eye contact turning to face forward and lifting his head from the ground. The Sin smirked, climbing onto his summon's back. He whistled, and the snake hissed disgruntledly before taking off as fast as a bullet. It's always a bumpy ride, for both the serpent and the rider, but it would get the job done.

(( You can obviously tell I wasn't really feeling Kaleva today, but I hope I made up for that with Amsiel, lol ))

Cinaed, Northern Drift

Cinaed had been on the back of Emer for quite some time, and was getting quite restless. He personally never liked how all of the different realms freely floated around, as it made finding them more of a hassle than it should have been. Emer had finally spotted Mother Nature’s tree and quickly dove to it. She was just as happy to get Cinaed and his squirming off of her back as much as he was.

They touched down and caught up with the rest of the group. Cinaed excitedly caught up with the other Guardians in order to talk with them. He had barely seen them since The Incident with the Sins.

“No need to fret, my fellow Guardians, I have finally arrived!” he said with a sarcastic tone in his voice. He could not keep his flames to a simmer and the smile off of his face as he approached Cronus for the first time in what seemed to be forever.

“And how have you been, Cronus? I’ve missed you quite a lot~!”

------

Kaleva, Northern Drift

Kaleva touched down at the base of the mountain, in which Mother Nature’s tree sat at the top of. He looked up with hope and uneasiness. He knew that with Mother Nature’s call was an inevitable clash of some sort. He had been keeping tabs on what had been happening on Athea, and it was nothing good. Kaleva could only keep his head high and his thoughts positive as he continued up the mountain.

------

Amsiel, Outside the Southern Drift

While his fellow Sins roamed the countryside to destroy and pillage, Amsiel took his time to plan. He found himself in a quiet opening in a forest, which was almost the polar opposite of the blackness of the Drift. His incredibly pale and brittle skin was sensitive to light making him very uncomfortable, so he decided he must take someone’s body.

He came across a fairly tanned man who seemed to have been put into some sort of comatose state from a stab to the lung. Amsiel laughed a bit, both at the symbolism of the chaos set upon a deathless land, as well as the fact that people relied upon breathing to sustain themselves. As unpleasant as it would be to take on the form of a beggar, the man was quite handsome (of course, not as astounding as Amsiel himself), and could serve as a good disguise.

His body had begun to morph and darken, until he had matched the man exactly. Of course, he had tweaked a few things, like removing some fairly ugly scars from his face, improved on the physique a bit, as well as a few other things. He took the man’s clothes to wear, and covered him in corruption. It ate away at the man until it left nothing but his soul. He tested out his new mouth and ate the tiny soul, which was unfortunately small, but still quite delicious.

The soul did, however, awaken something within Amsiel he had almost completely forgotten about. He began walking westward toward a small village by an oasis, as the call to more souls was almost as charming and persuasive as himself.

Ella, outside of a small town somewhere in  southern Athea (wow this is getting long//)

The silent exchange between Tavares and his mother going completely unnoticed, Ella continued walking forward, somewhat stiffly, until they had left the store and were working their way out of the town. Just past the homes on this side of town, the surrounding farmland gave way to a small wood surrounding a spring-fed creek, which wound through the fields to become a river farther West.

As Tavares spoke, Ella closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, reaching up and re-settling the strap of her old, worn leather bag, which she never left anywhere without. What if something were to happen and she needed it? "Fine, that's fine. But there's . . . nothing to discuss," she said, a bit too quickly, turning her gaze from his and marching forward, heading straight into the wood. Depp in its heart, a trek of only a few minutes, lay a place they both held sacred; the "secret" tree fort they had built together over the years, nestled by the spring in an old, sturdy oak tree.

-----

Nieve, Northern Drift

Nieve, once again, was being ignored. Out of boredom, she listened to the other Guardians' discussion, mulling over her own opinions about their summoning. Below her on the ground, Ermine whined a short, quiet snuff, lifting her head to nudge Nieve's shoulder. Be more social, she said. Nieve almost laughed; she was surprised Ermine even tried anymore. Nieve had lived in solitude far too long to care about others or what they thought of her.

-----

Cronus, Northern Drift

"Hey, Cinaed!" Cronus said, his face brightening up even more at the sight of his old friend. "It's been way too long!! How are you doing, Emer? Cinaed being annoying again?" He teased, sticking his tongue out at the Fire Guardian. Then he turned back to Imber, drumming his fingers happily against the woody bark of the root. "Oh, yeah!! I haven't had any Athean food in over a thousand years! I mean I guess I could've made some or something, but I just never seem to have the time!"

His eyes widened slightly and he counted off his fingers, shaking them and recounting again, muttering strings of numbers and disembodied words, whose meanings really only made sense to him. "Six! Ah, no five! Um . . . cuckoo? No, 42! No . . . currents! Agh sorry guys, I gotta send another bird!" Cronus floated over to the edge of the mountain, where the earth plunged down to ground below, which was so far down it was hidden by a thin cover of clouds. Holding his hand out, another wooden cuckoo-clock bird appeared in his palm and he pulled it in close, whispering to it. With a mechanical chirp, it fluttered to life and launched into the air, rocketing off toward his realm.

A sheepish grin on his face, Cronus returned to the other three Guardians. "Ah, sorry . . . I made a miscalculation. Time doesn't like to run itself, y'know!"

-----

Ephrem, outside the Southern Drift

Ephrem stood sharply, dragging his black-gloved hand across his mouth and wiping away any spare crumbs from his meal. A satisfied grin on his face, he bent over and scratched his finger over the surface of the table. A thin, black smoke rose from its surface, and satisfied, the Sin stood again and walked out the door, closing it as if as a joke, its broken hinges leaving it to lean awkwardly and clatter against the side of the bakery as it fell open again.

"Desiree!" he shouted as he sauntered over, and the swagon looked up from her meal. Her ruby-red eyes slitted in satisfaction, her harsh beak stained a scarlet red and the scales on her neck dripping blood onto her feathery breast, she hissed a cryptic greeting. Several men and women, even a young child, were crouched at her feet, mouths open and eyes blank, staring up at her in infatuation. At Ephrem's shout, one man got to his feet and ran at him, blathering madly about wanting Desiree all for himself.

"Really, Desiree . . . why do you even try?" Ephrem asked coyly, catching the man at his throat and halting his movement with a jerk. He stood still, his mouth stammering a silent, obscure language, and Ephrem ran his hand along his jawline, as if caressing it. "There, there sir . . . Yes, act reasonable. Wouldn't you rather an unwavering life? One spent with ultimate power, ruling the world?" He leaned closer, his eyes dark and inviting, his lips nearly touching the man's. "Of course you would . . . Now come, and I shall show you the meaning of strength!"

With a seizing motion, Ephrem brought up his other hand, cupping the man's face. The man stretched his mouth wide in a silent scream, his eyes rolling back into his head as a puff of a breath drifted from his body, a white cloud as if it were cold outside. It hung there, suspended, and Ephrem let the lifeless body fall to the ground. Stepping over it, hardly even acknowledging it, Ephrem sucked the soul into his own body. He closed his eyes, relishing the feeling of power as the soul coursed through his veins, replenishing some of the power he had spent destroying the ground outside of the village.

"Yes, yes . . . Thank you, Desiree, for doing me this service. These people will do just nicely . . ." The midnight-black swagon growled deeply in response, lifting her control over the rest of the villagers. The ran at him, all wanting to kill him for rights to Desiree, and one by one they feel prey to the sin.

Back in the bakery, the table began to burn, distorting slightly the message Ephrem had inscribed there. "The Sins are out, and we are coming."

Imber: Northern Drift
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Imber's head turned to see who the new voice was, and her face quickly twisted into a sly grin. "Oh yea, we were all waiting to bow down before your feet as you arrived, we were going to throw flowers but deemed it inappropriate," Imber laughed a little bit, she always enjoyed picking fun at the Fire Guardian. It certainly never failed to amuse her. She turned to Cronus once again as he came back from doing his time whatever, "You have more work than I do, so don't worry about it," Imber's hand reached back up to play with her air, almost distractedly, "Certainly Athean anything is going to be an adventure," She murmured, looking back at Arcus. 'But will it be a good or bad one?'' The pegasus shook her head lightly, letting out a loud huff as if in response to the Water Guardian's thoughts. 'I certainly wonder...'

Imber shook her head lightly as her hand dropped from her hair, looking around. "Do you think everybody'll be here soon?" She asked, looking up and around. "I would like to get this show on the road,"

~~~~~~

Inseram Simulacrum; A town in Northwest Athea
~~~~~~~~~~~

 The cloak Inseram had wrapped around his shoulders billowed about him as Anguem sped up considerably. They were so close to their goal. Ruin and destruction galore, a feast those puny humans will speak about and fear across the ages. Inseram pulled down the hood of his cloak, squinting a little as the sunlight hit his face, but otherwise kept staring forward as a small town came into view. The smirk on the Sin's face widened, and turned into a bloodthirsty grin, his hands clenching and unclenching, his body preparing for the feast he was going to be served. As the town came closer, Inseram could feel all the anger held within each and every villager's heart, they all hated each other so much.

In his opinion it was delicious, even from so far away.

 The serpent finally reached the edge of the village, throwing Inseram from his perch behind the coral snakes head. Anguem's teeth glinted as he opened his mouth, almost giving a grin before shooting off into the village. "LEAVE SOME FOR ME!!!" Inseram warned, shooting off after him as the screams started to resound throughout the town. When he finally came into  view, Inseram watched as Anguem swallowed people whole in a gulp, shooting out like a cobra and picking people off as they tried to run. Swatting the people trying to sneak behind with a single thrust of his powerful tail, splattering them flat onto the walls. Blood was pooling around the snake as he began just snapping with his fangs, skewering people onto them before ripping them apart, his head thrashing around until the humans either fell off his fang or were ripped off of in, ending up in two or more pieces. Inseram's mouth watered as he watched the chaotic spectacle unfold in front of him, pulling his hopd back over his head and whipping out his knife.

 A woman quickly ran past the Sin before stopping and turning around to touch the cloaked mans shoulder. "You must run, that evil... Demon is going to kill u-" Inseram's arm shot out from under his cloak, a sadistic smile on his face as he cleanly sliced across her neck, letting her fall backwards onto the ground with nary a sound. He kneeled down next to her, his grin turning into a glare of disgust. "You're not allowed to touch, you filthy human, and now you will pay," Inseram chuckled lightly as he forcibly shoved his hand into the dead woman's chest, ripping out her soul and devouring it with a single gulp. "Mmmmm.... Revenge is sweet," The man cleanly wiped the blood off his hands on the woman's dress as the power of her, admittedly weak, soul courses through him. Unlocking a deeper hunger inside of him, one that wanted more revengeful souls than the woman's.

Inseram turned as Anguem bolted towards another area, the one he had just finished devistating covered in shreds of people and blood covering nearly every inch of the plaza. Inseram smiled as he followed his summon, licking his lips for the remaining taste of the woman who had dared to touch him's soul. 'More'

Tavares Butler, outskirts of a small trading village in Athea

Clearing his throat, Tavares dismissed her abrupt sharpness and kept pace towards the heavy woodlands. As they passed through the first set of roots that marked the forest's dominance, Tavares judged her silence. It wasn't often that they would be surrounded by this sort of chill, distant air, but if they were, it was often something forced upon them. This time, it had been brought about by themselves. Tavares bit his lip and continued forward, leading the way through the dense leafy environment. She obviously feels strongly about this... Tavares thought to himself, as his feet crunched a pile of dried lichen.

The wind was subtle in the forest. Strands of sunlight peered through the cracks between the leaves and shone down upon the traveling two. The branches beckoned them, hanging low and loose. Animals chattered and chirped as the darted away from the approaching humans. Tavares ignored them all and narrowed his eyes, trying to catch sight of the tree house before him. His greasy black hair hung past his forehead and brushed the bridge of his nose as he walked, but it didn't faze his vision. "Almost there," he murmured as the artificial architecture came into view.

---
Seren, Northern Drift

Cinaed. Emer. Seren stared off aimlessly as she tried to remember all the names she'd been confronted with today. Orion, beside her, grumbled at the sight of more Guardians. Towering above the Space Guardian, the Summon gently extended and curled a wing around Seren.

---
Darius Rivers, nearing a small trading village in Athea

After Darius had mounted Yubi, the travel seemed to be swift and fast-paced. Her rolling muscles literally carved the route out before him at lightning speeds. Before long, their destination became more than just a hazy image. The entrance paved with a cobblestone path came into view as well as a small sign identifying the village.

Summerstone Place.

Ella Maerin, outskirts of a small trading village in Athea

Ella kept up her tense silence, though ignoring her best friend tore at her heart like a pained animal. She brushed off her feelings as much as she could, instead focusing on the memories brought back to her at the site of their old fort. She remembered playing dragon slayer and home here, alone with Tavares, blissfully unaware of the bad things in the world.

In a small clearing ahead, which was really just a small space where trees couldn't grow for fear of drowning in the spring, an old oak tree had grown up and out over the rest of the smaller trees. Tavares used to tell her that it was the oldest one there, too. It was massive, with wide-spread limbs and a thick trunk, more than capable of supporting a rickety wooden tree house and a pair of skinny kids. Now, that tree house was beginning to fall apart. The wood was bowed and soggy from age and rot, and Ella feared climbing the slabs of wood nailed to the trunk, acting as a ladder, because they looked as if a puff of wind would shatter them. The old swing they had hooked up together was a bit lopsided now, but looked as if it had miraculously escaped the same weathering as the tree house.

Ella padded over sat down on it, setting down her bag on the ground beneath her feet. The woods were so calm, the sound of the spring the only thing breaking the thick silence between the two young people. "Tavares, how are you going to stop me?" She asked, looking him in the eye. Reasoning with him was out the window; for as long as she could remember, he could talk circles around her in an argument. Now, she just had to go with her gut, something she knew Tavares wasn't good at.

Tavares Butler, outskirts of Summerstone Place in Athea

Tavares grimaced as the ruined, ravaged tree house came into view. To be honest, despite his long hatred for his plain lifestyle, Tavares really treasured this place. It was constructed in secrecy -- hidden away from his parents' eyes. It was exciting, exhilarating and undeniably fun to engage in something different than the everyday store procedures and he loved to come visit this place whenever possible.

Nearing the ancient, weathered structure, Tavares let his vision float upward. This is the biggest tree in the forest, Ella. There's none bigger than this guy. He's the tree boss! A smile drifted on his lips as he watched the leaves flutter from the tree top. Memories of his innocent childhood with Ella still remained strong in his mind. His tiny, high voice echoed in his mind. Ella, we're going to tame the boss, ok? We'll make a bigggg fort! And once we have our fort here, no one will ever stop us!

As he reminisced upon the light and airy scenes they shared, his hands brushed across the splintery steps of the tree house. He heard the creaking sounds of Ella's seating upon the swing, but didn't turn. He breathed in the fresh forest air before meeting her gaze. There was a strong air emitting from the girl and Tavares narrowed his eyes.

"Stop you?" He murmured, patting his apron free of dust. "Well I'm not so sure... Maybe I'll follow you around so that you'll never be able to leave? Or maybe," Tavares paused, a playful scowl on his face. "I'll make you feel so bad, so bad that you won't ever be able to leave."

---
Darius Rivers, Summerstone Place in Athea

With a stern slap on the shoulder blade, Yubi let out an ear-splitting roar and sprung into an earth shattering gallop towards the entrance place. The earth beneath her monstrous hooves split and cracked with every step, and an earthquake replied to her angered bellow. Ground shaking and reverberating, Darius felt the rebellious energy tempt his soul once again. A sneer stretched across the Sin's face as his golden hair flew around in the air. This time, he'd gladly accept the temptation.

Yubi let out a thundering, guttural boom as she passed the gates. The cobblestones were obliterated into dust as she trampled on, her muscles working furiously. All around them, the bewildered and frightened faces of humans crowded the clearing. Shrieks of terror resounded and the villagers began scrambling towards their houses, unsure how to react towards the strange approaching beast. In a few seconds, however, Yubi's hooves came to an abrupt stop and she lifted her magnificent and adorned head, contrasting the monster she'd just revealed.

Now inn the center of the town, Darius brushed his hair back in silence as the cries and screams surrounded him. As he opened his eyes, he could see the terrified faces of people who'd either run away, stayed in fear or the few that glared in disbelief. Darius sighed as the last of the screams died away and patted Yubi. "Good work," he whispered as he placed a golden ornament on her ivory antlers. The hybrid grunted and Darius slid down from her back and into a crater created by Yubi's footwork. Facing the alarmed townspeople, he let out a hearty laugh.