Character

"Mmmm....."

I moaned as I turned over in my rather deep sleep which was finally allowing me to wake up. As I opened my eyes, something seemed amiss.

"I must still be dreaming. This looks a lot like my room at the Rising Stones.."

I mumbled to myself as I closed my eyes again. Suddenly everything hit me at once and I recalled all that had happened. As relief poured over my entire body, I quickly found myself crying. All that I had been through to hold onto this one hope that I might make it home. Here, everything appeared the same as it once was yet, I knew, I was not the same person I once was.

FIve years have come and gone for me. Yet today was no more then a day later from when I left. I sat up in my bed, resting my bare back against the wooden bed post. To my surprise, my dark blue hair had grown down to my bottom. Umbras doing no doubt, as the man seemed to love long hair.

Moving to the side of the bed, I quickly stood upon my tip toes. Stretching my bare body for a moment as I turned toward the bathroom and looked into the mirror. This was the first time I could even see myself fully in five years. Despite such a fact, I did not look to bad. My eyes fell down upon some scissors I left upon the sink.

Grasping them, I smiled and grasped the long hair, cutting it clear across beside my neck and allowing it to hit the ground.

"Bastard."

I stated aloud as I looked to the shower and my eyes lit up.

"Oh dear gods, running water..."

I quickly walked in and turned the water on, letting it hit my body for a long moment before I sat down in the shower and let my body soak for a while. After my shower, I created some new clothing to wear. Sliding on the skin tight cover over my body, I smiled at how smooth it felt upon my skin. I leaned down and pulled on some comfy shoes and grasped the black leather jacket. Sliding it over my arms and my hands gently into the gloves attached.

Finally I looked into the mirror, smiling as I moved my body around, modeling it a bit for myself.

"Now, for the busy day ahead."

I stated aloud as I held my hand out, concentrating aether as I created a dark blue portal. Walking through it, I sealed it from behind me and glanced around my new surroundings. Standing outside my old family home, I glared upon the front door which still remained upon the ground. Walking over it, I entered and began to search the house for items of value. Though it had remained vacated for twenty years, most in Ala Mhigo feared it and left it alone.

I took a glance around the living area and kitchen, mostly ignoring it as I walked past, down the hall to the right where my parents room was. The barren design was almost comforting, reminding me of my mother. Due to her blindness, she did not care for portraits nor exotic things. Merely how fabrics felt upon her over sensitive skin. My grandparents were never a fan of her lack of taste, due to her aristocratic upbringing.

The thought of which apparently made my mother smile more often then she would have admitted. I remembered often I would wake her from her slumber by calling for her in excitement. Father was often busy and colder then he likely meant to be. This could have been for any reason, yet I suspect he never planned on being a parent. Even so, he had his moments which stuck in my mind.

In his corner of the bedroom, I noticed a stack of tomes covered in dust. As I looked through some of them, I could see they were filled with information upon the Mhachi, Amdapor and even Nym. With a smile, I flickered my fingers a bit, creating a portal to someone I felt knew what to do with them. Light flickered from the window and upon something shiny in the closet near my mothers side of the bed. Walking toward it, I glanced upon a pitted armor covered in dust. Wiping the side shoulder, I could see the symbol of the white griffin upon it and knew this was likely mothers old Kings Guard armor.

"I wonder why she would keep this."

I knew she was sentimental, yet never suspected she would keep such, considering what Thoridon did to her. Personally, I hated even looking upon it and turned away, leaving the room as I walked into mine just across the hall. Nothing of true value really came to mind until I looked upon my old bed. My Cait Sith doll remained on a pillow untouched for such a long time. When I was just a baby, my father made the doll for me. Leaning down, I grasped the doll and looked upon it with the biggest grin I think I could ever have.

"Okay, you can come with me as well."

I stated aloud to the doll as if I thought it would talk back. In it's own way, it seemed it wanted toward me. Standing up with the doll in hand, I held it close to me an walked back to the living room. With a final glance around the house, I looked to the living room and snapped my fingers, allowing black and blue fire to quickly consume the house as I walked outside. Refusing to look back as the house went ablaze, I acknowledge the past was now where it belonged, in memory alone.

"The Wynter family is gone. It has been for decades. Now, it is time I allow it to pass in peace."

Creating a portal again, I smiled to myself as I pet my Cait Sith dolls head as I once use too.

"Farewell to my homeland."


******


Mahdi stood outside his free company estate with his arms crossed as he looked to the platform his Odin trophy once stood.

"Autumn."

She placed her hand within her other, smiling rather playful as she leaned forward.

"Yeeesss?"

"Where are the items?"

"Oh you mean it was not empty before? Well that seems slightly strange. Must have been stolen!"

She rest her finger upon her lip as she looked up to the sky, thinking to herself.

"You realize this requires punishment by fathers orders yes?"

"Really? Awe, I wish I had done it, all that "Punishment to get."

"Uhh huh."

Mahdi sighed and quickly began to walk off the lawn and toward the venders of the housing district.

"Where are you going? I don't think you'll find it here!"

"That's just what you want me to think!"

He shouted back as he began to search through the entire district for his trophies.


******


Krohman held Krehmia in his arms, listening to her purr for a while as she slept. The newborn seemed more tired then normal as Shtola gently rubbed Krohmans neck to relax him further.

"She was a good girl while you were gone. Though one could easily tell she wanted her Daddy home."

"Hmmm, Yeah I could not agree more with her."

A knock upon their open door had the two looking toward it to see Cleo standing at the door smiling.

"Welcome home!"

"Thanks! We could have really used you but we made out okay I think."

"Is Esper doing alright?"

Krohmans ears twitched a bit at the question.

"You have not seen her yet?"

"Nnnnoope. I figured she had something else to do."

"Hmmm, perhaps. Well, she is okay. For the most part I think she will be okay. Her hair and eyes are blue now though... Seems a bit strange considering..."

Krohman stopped as he looked Cleo up and down for a second and then back to Shtola.

"Is she?"

"Uhhh I am not suppose to say."

"Wow, you could tell just like that?"

Cleo lowered her ears a bit worried.

"Don't tell Thancred. I will tell him soon."

She smiled as her ears moved up and down rather excited. Quickly she turned around letting her tail flow freely across the door as she walked out.

"Oh great, another round of mood swings."

"What is That suppose to mean?"

Krohman lowered his ears, realizing Shtola heard him.

"Nothing dear."


******


I stood in front of Master Denz home looking on for a moment as he opened his door and walked out to meet me. Removing his shades from his eyes, he looked upon me with his staff at the ready.

"Should I welcome you home? Or should I destroy you? It is hard to decide considering how close our bond has been."

I thought upon his question for a moment and smiled a bit.

"Fear is not an option my old master. Do you hesitate?"

"I do indeed."

Slowly I put my foot foward and stepped toward him, calmly. I held my hand out in front of me, summoning forth an item I had held onto for a few years. Denz could not help but eye the item as I stopped a few yards away from him.

"I believe this is for you. It helped me learn how to better control my power over the darkness and how to convert my primal collections into my own."

"What do you have I wonder?"

Gently, I allowed the item to float into Master Denz hand. He gripped it, looking to it with great interest. The crystal orb from Shantottos staff, his old master from another world.

"Interesting."

I smiled toward him as I created a new portal.

"I can teach you more if you wish."

"Thank you my old master."

Bowing to him, I walked through the portal and sealed it behind me. The lalafell smiled a bit as he realized I was saying no.

"Not a pupil anymore are you?"

Turning back into his den, Master Denz shut the door behind him, quickly finding his way to his chair as he leaned back in it and held the crystal within his hand. He closed his eyes and slowly fell asleep as the crystal for at least the moment, silenced the temporial voices and images. He mumbled to himself as he thought of the elezen still laying on his floor.

"Damned ascian, clean up your mess.


******


Skan stood within the wreckage of the abandoned city Rabanastre. A dark portal opened before him as Solus walked through it, looking upon the ascian with a smile.

"Skan my dearest friend! It has been far to long!"

"Solus."

Walking up to Skan, Solus quickly rested his hand upon the ascians shoulder.

"All is going according to plan. Are you not happy? After all your Fa-"

"The result I hope, was worth the price."

"Hmmm... You spend to much time with the mortals. Come my friend, let us have a drink, I need some companionship after being cooped up with that damned grandson of mine for so long!"

Skan obliged, following as the two walked through the destroyed city together.