The Tale

THE RULES:
-Read the story so far then add as much or as little as you want.
-When you are satisfied with your contribution, tag the next person to continue so they know it's their turn.
-This is a "yes, and..." collaboration, so just go with it, be creative, and (most importantly) have fun.
-This chat is ONLY for the story. Any discussion of story needs to be elsewhere.

@Tonya
Before the giant of a man could finish his chant or answer the bartender, a sultry, yet snide voice cut him off. "If he would learn to properly roll his R's, he'd have had it by now," the voice chided. "10 years of schooling and he's pronunciation is still as bad as the day he walked through the door."

Ames flushed and glowered at the enormous beast's head hanging over the fire place. As the men watched a shadow sprawled between it's might horns shifted and stretched before dropping to the floor soundless. Amber eyes glowed from its inky face like drops of sunrise caught in coal. The thicky furred creature was the size of a wolf hound, but was stockier and more catlike. A blood red tongue flicked out to taste the air.

"Do you disagree, boy?" The feminine voice asked sweetly, contempt dripping from the words.

"Durian..." Ames started.

"THAT IS NOT MY NAME!" The creature shrieked, fur fluffing, bat like wings spreading, and tail lashing.

The man sighed. "We've been over this. I can't use your Name in public. You have to have a nickname."

@Sally
Her eyes swept over the dark, empty tavern before settling on the bartender. "You can introduce me to your friend. Or do I have to teach you manners, too, Ames?"

@Jessica
Ames sighed, his eyes shifting between her and the bartender. "This is my old friend, Sven. Sven," he muttered, "this is Durian."

The creature growled at the use of that name, the deep menacing sound strangely mixed with a feminine purr. Sven, the crusty bartender, nodded his greeting. "How do you do?" he muttered, confused eyes turned to Ames.

@Poopsie
Durian glared at Sven with a look that said "Play along or I will rip out your heart and stuff it down your pretty little throat... or I may just rip your throat out... haven't decided yet... This was not the first time the two had met, but they were the only two in the room with that knowledge. Sven got the message loud and clear. He swallowed hard, breaking his eye contact with Durian and turning back to Ames with a quick, uncomfortable cough...

"I've always been shite with that spell..." a wide grin appeared on Ames's face as he spoke to Sven. "So maybe you can help fill me glass? I've come to talk with ye on an important matter..."

@Dee
Sven gestured nervously toward the door at the back, "Sure thing Ames, just go wait for me in my office and scrounge yourself up one of those jelly pasties you love so dang much, I'll be right in after I lock up." Ames glanced at Sven inquisitively, but remembered how much he really DID love those pasties and lumbered to the office before the offer could be revoked. Sven rushed to the front door to make quick work of locking up and muttered to Durian under his breath, "Svetlana, you shouldn't be here, you know the authorities will be looking for you after that heinous stunt you pulled! I don't need you dragging me down with you."

Durian's eyes glittered menacingly at the mention of her true name, a name that hadn't been spoken in so long she'd almost forgotten. As Sven watched the shadows twist and flicker in the firelight, Durian's thick fur began to morph and entangle with the ebony darkness. Almost imperceptibly, the creature shifted and Sven stared into the piercing purple eyes of a raven haired woman. "Quick Sven", she taunted in a low and deliberate tone, "Don't want to keep Ames waiting, he might get suspicious..."

He grabbed her by her arm, "Have you lost your mind? You can't just shift in the middle of my bar, you'll get us both killed!"

@Tonya
Svetlana hissed out a curse and Sven jerked his hand back with a yelp, palm stinging. "Do not forget yourself, mortal," she growled. "Now, go. Ames.Is.Waiting," she snarled giving him a shove.

Trembling, he quickly turned and headed towards the back of the bar. By God, how he hated his cursed family. A quick glance back confirmed that the creature Durian was back, the beauty hidden behind the mask of the beast again.
Fumbling with the lights, Sven once again recalled the family tale that centuries and however many greats ago, there had been a powerful sorceress leading their once massive Aven clan to prosperity. Unfortunately, jealousy of the wealth and might of the clan grew amongst the neighboring clans and war had been bought to their doorstep. Foolish sorcerers with no real talent managed to do one thing "right" and summoned a great evil to the world, to wipe the clan Aven from the face of the earth. But the evil wasn't simply content to kill just his family. The air grew foul as great black clouds blocked the sun. The plants and trees withered before their very eyes, and animals screamed in terror as they dropped dead. No allies would come to the country's aide, hiding behind their own walls and praying, mocking the beautiful, powerful woman who had dared to be a sorceress. To save her family and the world, she had done...something...to gain the power to defeat the evil. The family was split into factions as to what she had exactly done, but all agreed that the price was her humanity and mortality. Only the direct descendants of Svetlana could speak her Name without binding that fearful power to their Will, but that came with the cost that they couldn't mention her nature to those outside the bloodline. Notes burned, stones melted, voices stopped in the throat to the point of choking when the Name Svetlana was used or even vaguely referenced, for good or for ill. History books, written by men of course, painted her as the great evil, not the savior of the world. Between that, the terrible deeds she committed since, and the lack of qualms about killing her "family", the once numerous clan had dwindled until only a few dozen members. Sven had moved so far from home hoping escape the reputation of his family name, but his luck had always been a fickle beast.

Ames was happily stuffing his face with jelly pasties. He glanced up from his plunder as the pair came in. "Now what did ya ta discuss?" Sven asked sitting behind his desk.

@Sally
"And why the hell would you do such a foolish thing as bind yourself to a changeling?" Sven shook his head as he watched the big man across from him. He could still see traces of the young man he once knew in the shape of Ames' nose, the corners of his eyes, and the sheepish grin he now flashed.

"Ya know I've always craved the magic, Sven. And ten years ago I seized the chance when I crossed paths with Durian. I helped her out of a mess, and she's been teaching me the magic ever since."
Ames' expression turned a shade darker as he lowered his voice and began to speak quickly. "I love the magic, Sven, but you know I'm not the fastest learner and Durian's been becoming impatient. We're bound until I can master it, but she keeps changing the terms ..." The big man almost looked small as he cast his pleading eyes upon his old friend, "I... I've killed for her..."

@Jessica
Sven sighed, looking down, and closing his eyes for a minute. He knew that Svetlana had become more depraved in her approach to humanity, but to drag a simple man like Ames into her sick world? It was a line he had hoped she wouldn't have crossed. Sven looked up and saw the desperation in Ames' eyes. The pupils had dilated to a deep, ink black pool and were barely rimmed by the smoky grey of his irises.

"Please," Ames pleaded with him haggardly, "I just need help in getting this mastered so I can allow her to not be fettered to me anymore."

His eyes shifted briefly from Sven to glance at Durian, whose impatience was palpable at this point. While he knew it would be a bad idea, the heart that beat in Sven was not borne of the same evil that Svetlana had easily embraced. He felt sorry for his old buddy and knew that without his help, she would eventually kill what was left of Ames too. With his brow furrowed and with a gnawing pit forming in his stomach, Sven turned around, looked Durian in the eyes, and said "Alright, Ames. I will help you."

@Poopsie
Even as soon as he said it, Sven regretted his words and inwardly winced, realizing what he had just done. Ames couldn't understand. Not yet at least. To Ames, Sven had simply agreed to help him. He didn't know that even this seemingly simply gesture would put Sven in danger. They would be able to sense him by the energy he would use to help Ames. They would be able to sense his tools as well. They had an energy and a life of their own. Sven owed his life to the man sitting across, and even if he had given it some thought instead of answering immediately, he would have said yes. He could see the pain in Ames's eyes. Immediately Ames relaxed. Sven noted the crumbs at the corner of Ames's mouth and knew he was saying something but wasn't paying attention to what was being said. Sven had left this world...the world of magic...a long time ago and he had purposely given up his place and any claim to the legacy that was his by rights. All he wanted to do is live invisibly. Pour some beer and whiskey for his patrons... and for himself. He wanted to visit Ingrid who had allowed him to share her bed so often it had become a habit for them both. It didn't help that the stillness of the tavern was interrupted by another burst of thunder. The wind picked up and drops of rain hit the window in an erratic pattern. If he hadn't known better, Sven could almost hear a pattern in the sound of the rain drops - a type of Morse Code saying "We knew you'd be back.." another message spelled out "Tell them... tell them he is returning". Despite the look of relief that came across Ames's face, Sven's continued to listen to the rain. The exact same pattern came again. The elements had really big mouths. He wasn't hearing things, and knew Svetlana heard it too. Ames didn't.

@Deedre
Sven closed his eyes for what would only seem like mere moments to Ames. Behind closed eyelids, the bar faded away into smoke and fog, a vast plane of emptiness. There he found Svetlana waiting, staring intently at him through those devious purple and all too human eyes. He returned her gaze with unmistakable malice.

Before he could speak, she interjected, "At last we meet again on an even playing field. You know this all could have been avoided if you had simply chosen your beastly form and taken your rightful place on the family council, brother."

Sven spat on the ground at her feet, "Don't call me brother, I severed those ties long ago Svetlana, and I want no part in this families futile war."

Svetlana laughed, a piercing and disconcerting sound. "Oh Sven, always so naive. Trying to go to school and play with all the other children, learn their simple magic as if you weren't above all of it. I remember the very day you met that hapless oaf Ames."

Sven grimaced and lashed out, "You leave him out of this, you've already done enough. And he hasn't always been, so..." he struggled for the right words, "So, slow. He showed great promise in the beginning, there was a real spark in him, as great as anyone if our so called family. I don't know what happened, maybe it was when he fell out of that tree and hit his head."

Sventlana cackled again and spoke with condescension, "Really? You ARE a hapless oaf yourself! You denied your birthright and refused to choose a form, and you thought the family council would just allow that giant of a man, who stumbled on such great power as an, an accident of birth to keep such a gift? Don't you remember the story of the tainted apple, or wait, was that an apple jelly pastie?"

Sven's eyes snapped open with a start. He stared from Ames to Sventlana and back again. It was all part of a sick plot. She had known all along that they had stolen Ames power and now, had tricked this fiercely loyal, albeit admittedly oafish man into binding himself to her all for what? For what? And then he knew, it was all about Sven. His decision to not choose a form. His decision to leave the magic behind. This was his punishment and Ames was bearing the burden all because his elitist family thought that unbridled, raw magic should belong only to them. "Fine, Svetlana", he said aloud. He clenched his fist and called to the thunder. "I know you can hear me. If it's a war you want, it's a war you shall have."

@Tonya
He jumped to his feet, further startling Ames, and began to pace. In his tumultuous mind, the familiar mantra he used to calm and focused his mind ran over and over until his heartbeat slowed as well as his thoughts and steps. Sven sighed. What was done was done, and he now had to focus on what he could do to change, fix, or outright stop what was going to happen next. He whirled to face Ames, who watch him with wide eyes.

"First things first. You will no longer eat or drink anything without checking it first," Sven stated going to the book shelf and selecting a heavy book. With a soft click, another section of books slid an inch or so forward. Placing the first tome back, he grab the entire section and lifted them on of the way, revealing a cobwebbed cubby containing a jumbling of apparent trash. Grabbing a moldy apple core and a slimy looking object that might have been a sandwich, he brought them back to the desk.

Ames look faintly queasy. "I can tell when food's gone off" he muttered flushing.

"But not when it's been enchanted or poisoned," Sven countered. "Revelare."

The apple core and slime mold writhed and began to slowly expand, giving the impression that something was inside that corruption and desperately wanting out. Ames cringed back, afraid of what was inside as much as he was afraid the objects would simply explode and drench his in their foulness. A soft, distance part of his brain noted "Reveal", but the rest was too busy processing the horror in front of him to take notice.
With a puff of noxious gray green smoke the objects transformed into a small, ornate jewelry box and a large brown rucksack. Sven picked up the jewelry box and opened it to reveal two plain wooden bands. He plucked one out and offered it to Ames, who carefully pinched it between two fingers.

"Umm..." Ames began, eyeing the tiny thing that might fit a two year old, but definitely wouldn't fit any of his meaty digits

"Put it on," Sven said without looking as he removed the second band and shut the box, before opening it again to display a collection of pins.

"Where?" Ames whined.

Sven glanced up impatiently. "Its magic, Ames. It will fit where ever you put it." He slide his own onto the pointer finger of his right hand to demonstrate, the tiny band quickly changing to accommodate. "They will glow green when the food and drink are safe. Blue when they aren't. No one but you will see the glow." Sven muttered, frowning, "I've never figured out what red and purple mean though..."

Ames poked at the ring with his left ring finger and it shifted to accommodate, sliding smoothly down his finger.

@Sally
Sven began opening the rucksack.

"How..." Ames looked up from his new wooden ring with grave concern mingled with suspicion on his face. "Sven, how... how did you know her true name?"

Sven stopped and winced as he realized he had yelled aloud in anger.

Ames stood suddenly, the force of his big frame throwing the chair across the small office. "I trusted you!" He declared as his hope shattered.

@Jessica
Sven held up his hands, taking slow steps backwards as Ames, along with his bulky frame and angry glower, stepped toward him. "Look," he said quietly and calmly. "I knew her from my past...from a life I didn't want." He watched as Ames steps slowed and then stopped. "It was a life I don't like talking about nor do I like thinking about now. However, the fact is I do know her, her real name, and the immense power that she holds."

Durian's piercing purple eyes watched the scene in front of her. Disgust with Sven's humanity towards his friend filled the black spaces inside of her. She was feeling rather impatient as well and walked over to them, an eyebrow raised."That's enough. We have been in this pub far too long. Let's get going." Her voice left no room for argument and both men were wise to know better than to even attempt at not following her demand.

Sven ran a hand through his hair, the locks on his head wet from sweat that had always coated his body during confrontations with his sister. He looked at Ames, who looked at him and slightly shrugged, then looked at Durian. "Okay, you want to go," he said "but WHERE?"

@Poopsie
Sven's eyes gazed at the window and was keenly aware of the rain tapping on the window and listened until he could identify a pattern. The rain was still listening...still ready to report to those who meant him...now them, harm. He shook his head at Ames. "Shut up. Rule one, you do not eat or drink anything without testing it. Rule two, the elements are listening. The elements are always listening, and they will report to those who are listening. We do not speak our plans out loud. Rule three..." Sven snapped, holding up three fingers. "You. Do. Not. Ask. Questions."

"Oh for crying out loud..." Svetlana rolled her eyes. "Simply transport him if you are so worried about his bloody mouth."

"Transport me?" Ames asked, an inquisitive look on his face. "What do you mean transport me? Where are we going? Why can you not just tell me?"

Svetlana's gaze turned to Sven. "Or, I could just go outside and tell the elements where we are going. Perhaps put up a sign with a map..." She hissed the last sentence. "Then we can listen to him talk and ask questions the entire way."

"Fine." Answered Sven "Ames. Go and close the curtains."

"Why do I need to close the curtains? What is going on?" Ames asked impatiently.

Durian rolled her eyes again...this time much more dramatically and shook her head. "Make it shut up, Sven. That isn't a request."

Sven glared at Durian. "Still not doing your own dirty work. Fine" Sven muttered a few words and the curtains on windows slammed shut. He muttered a few more words and Ames closed his eyes and then as if lifted by an invisible force, began to levitate. His body extended as if he were laying on an invisible bed, and he stayed there motionless hoovering several feet above the floor...

Sven took one last look at his tavern. He had friends here and he would miss this place. It saddened him slightly to know that people were going to show up tomorrow and find the doors closed and the bar stools on the counter. Sven stalked across the floor and went behind the bar, grabbing his cloak, a hat and a leather bag that had been filled and waiting for this exact moment that he always knew would come.

@Dee
Svetlana and Sven landed gently and intentionally in a grove outside Loc Dornan, touching down feet first in front of the sacred wisdom tree. This was a place of old magic, the tree a relic of a sacred yet all to dark past. Sven, sighed deeply and reached out to rest his hand on a gnarled branch. For a brief moment he forgot about all the pain and anguish, the heated arguments, the treachery, for the briefest of moments, he was merely the prodigal son returned. A sharp crash, broke him from his reverie as Ames came crashing from the sky, into the ancient tree, hitting every branch on the way down.

Svetlana cackled in hysterical amusement, "Forgot what teleportation is like for the non-magically inclined, did you brother?"

Sven shoved her aside as she doubled over with laughter, rushing to Ames side. He was battered and bruised, but given the circumstances, no worse for wear, other than a bloody gash on his forehead. "Ames man, that was a nasty fall, you all right?"

Ames blinked his eyes and looked around perplexed and a bit shaken. His head was buzzing and he had the strangest feeling in his fingers. "I'm alright, I think," Ames staggered out, unconvincingly.

"You have a nasty gash on your oafish head that would state otherwise," Svetlana hissed unsympathetically.

"You're bleeding," Sven said. Ames reached up to touch his bruised forehead. "That's not blood, don't right know what it is." Ames declared.

Sven reached out and then understood, it was sap, from the wisdom tree mingling in with his cuts and bruises. Now Sven laughed, but it was not a sound his sister liked.

"What's so amusing, halfwit, your ogre of a friend rubbing off on you?"

Sven just smiled, he had clearly remembered something she hadn't, apple pasties are made from apples, and tainted apples were always made from the fruit of the wisdom tree. Now sap, sap had its own restorative magic, but that, he refrained from reminding her.

"I feel all tingly," said Ames, "Guess I must have smacked my noggin pretty hard".

@Tonya

The sound of sloshing water and childishly muttered oaths and laughter reached the trio. Around the side of the huge tree came four children with flaming red hair, dressed in apprentice robes, and carrying large wooden buckets of water. Three were laughing and talking, not much caring if the water slopped over the sides of their pails or not. The longer this task took, the less time the strict teachers would have to assign other tasks, or worse yet...lecture. They caught site of the trio immediately and fell silent, eyes wide and faces pale as they recognized the woman before them.

Poor, studious Maeve, who was so focused on her task and muttering oaths every time the water threatened to leave the confines of the bucket, kept her eyes on the ground and didn't notice the sudden silence of her companions nor the people in front of her until she was almost on top of Ames and Sven. Her head jerked up and she let out a squeal as her eyes also let upon Svetlana. The bucket dropped from her hands as her knees gave out, soaking both men and herself as the water splashed everywhere.

"Auntie", she croaked and tried in vain to smile. "How lovely to see you?"

@Sally

- - - - -
Meanwhile, the storm raged into a crescendo over the newly abandoned tavern. A flash so bright enveloped its entirety and lit its darkest corners, the sound rattled the glass in the cupboards, cracked a window, and a stool fell over. In the pitch blackness that followed, a small figure stood motionless, listening and waiting. Until the rain once more revealed its secrets.

- - - - -

"Oh, child," Svetlana tried to hide her smile for the ridiculousness of the men behind her impatience with youth. "Do watch where you are going. Go, now, fetch another pail so you can return to your studies." The little girl scurried off as she eyed the strange men. "You do need all the studying you can get!" Svetlana called after her.

Ames looked down at his soaked pants, "The elements, Sven!" "This water won't betray us, friend." He clasped Ames' shoulder, then muttered a few words. The dampness evaporated from their clothes. Sven took a deep breath in. He hadn't realized how easy it would all come back. The warmth, the magic, the power. He glanced over and saw the knowing smirk on Svetlana's face.

@Jessica

As he saw the smile on Svetlana's face, he also could see her purple eyes turn dark. They held the deep, brooding, insensitive evil that he knew laid deep in her being, allowing nothing but black, no room for light of any kind. His hand still on Ames’ shoulder, Sven couldn't stop his mind as it began to trail back in time. Even though he had tried to repress the memories, they began flitting back into his vision. He remembered a day that he and Svetlana had been running through the hills and climbed the twisted limbs of the tree they now stood at. He had laughed as she made silly faces at him and had felt so carefree and not...scarred. Before she had scarred him. The memories, yes, were coming back to him like tiny sharp blades swirling in his mind. They were painful memories, most of them, but the good memories, like that day that was now in his mind? Those were the ones that hurt most of all. His hand unconsciously left Ames' shoulder and ran over the jagged and raised line that ran right below his right ear and down past his collar bone. That scar was a reminder of those days...all of them...before she had made a deal with the devil and when she had changed his life forever. Taking a deep breath, Sven shook his mind clear of those memories to see Svetlana glaring at him and Ames, her eyes sharper than the tool from that day long ago. Sighing, he motioned to Ames. "Let's get going," he said. Yet the smell of sap as Ames slowly shuffled by him made the scar start to throb.

@Krys

The small figure removed the hood of the cloak it was wearing to reveal a young woman. Small and slender and appearing to be around the age of 17. To the untrained eye, she appeared to be a remarkably pretty girl with porcelain skin, long dark hair, and an odd fashion sense as the clothing she wore was from times long past. She took a few steps towards the bar, her heels clicking against the wood floor and surveyed her surroundings having no need for light in the pitch black. They had been here... Durian and the one they call Ames, and it felt to her like they had left in a hurry. The human was inconsequential, but he had something she wanted. Something that she had killed for.... and died for, and something that was rightfully hers. It was too bad he would have to die... Ames was clueless and harmless, and had no idea what he had, or how to use it, but it wasn't like she had never killed before. She walked behind the bar and looked into the mirror. Out of habit she replaced a wayward strand of hair even though her reflection wasn't visible in the glass. Some old habits die hard.

@Dee

As Svetlana and Sven made their way toward the ancient and formidable school building across the field, they were so entrenched in their own thoughts, that they paid no mind to Ames lumbering along behind them. As he walked, he took in the old building with a twinge of sadness. School was a reminder of his myriad failings and his sense of "otherness" among the community of talented magical folk. He paused to take in the Orenthary bush by the front gate. It was once beautiful and lush, flowering the most delicious buds (both in scent and taste) and when ground and brewed, allowed the drinker a brief glimpse into the future. All students were given a dram at the graduation ceremony as a symbol of their vast achievement and assumed future potential. Ames never received this because he never graduated to the chagrin and embarrassment of his parents, and because the illustrious Orenthary bush had shriveled and died many years ago. No one new why, but a living Orenthary bush was extremely rare and nearly extinct these days, almost a relic of a grander time. Ames, looked at the shriveled, gnarled branches, a relic left behind and glanced at the plaque that hung beside it, a history lesson for anyone so inclined to read (which Ames was not). He sighed deeply, and reached out to run his callous fingers over the sadly withered shrub. As he did, the strange tingle returned to his fingers, and he swore he tasted sap. The Orenthary hummed beneath his giant hands, the dead bark began to shed, vibrant green began to emerge and unfurl, and suddenly it was not so very dead at all, but alive and positively sprouting fiery orange blooms. Ames jumped backward in alarm. Perhaps, he was not so harmless after all.

@Tonya

A dark shadow swept under Svetlana and Sven's feet as an intense cold fell upon them, forcing them to pause. The shadow stopped before the doors of the school, condensing into an immense, one eyed wolf whose pelt was the blackest of night except a sprinkling of silver and white hairs, giving it a star dappled appearance. Ames trembled where he stood, feeling small and weak against the aura of protection the creature gave off. The wolf slowly looked the pair up and down, then turned its shaggy to Ames and the bush to repeat the gesture. The thick shadow beneath its feet engulfed it once again, only to fall back, revealing a lanky man who towered over even Ames. Hair was the same black as the wolf's, and his one golden eye glimmered. "Mighty bold, Svetlana," the man said in a deceptively soft voice. "To come here in your human form. This may be your family's school, but a great number here would turn you into out of pure jealousy." He tilted his head in a thoughtful manner. "Though, given it is the family school, I guess your other form would be known as well." Svetlana flinched as her name was spoken so close to True, her face heating with embarrassment.

"Hello, Brother," she muttered and actually bowed her head slightly.

Sven swallowed hard. "And will turn us in, Rashe?" he asked softly.

Rashe grinned, his sharp canines glinting in the early morning sun. "Why, you're just here for a nice family visit, right?" He shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing to report to the high ups, no reason to stop you entering the school..." His gaze harden
ed. "Right?" "Right." The trio echoed and Rashe nodded.
"You shouldn't have been able to sense us," Svetlana pouted. "We came in right by the tree. How..."

"My little Maeve. Came running as soon as she was out of your sight," Rashe cut her off. "Sometimes simply having loyal friends and family gets you much further in life then blindly chasing power in an attempt to follow an ancestor's footsteps to "Glory"." His eye softened, though his stony face remained impassive. "You need to be careful, baby sister. Chasing our father's dream will surely kill you just as it has most of the women of our bloodline."

Svetlana hissed as her face now grew red with anger. "Mind your tongue or I'll remove it!" she snarled. "I've made it farther than any other, save my namesake, and I will surpass her too! Just you wait and see! Then I will be head of the family, head of the council, and none shall oppose me."

Rashe's eye briefly closed and grief marked his proud features for a moment, before his expression re-schooled itself. He stepped aside to let them pass, and Svetlana sweep passed him like a Queen. Ames glanced between him and the door before darting through it. Sven shuffled his feet, cleared his throat, but then found he had no words for his elder brother. Ducking his head sheepishly, he started past only to jump when those long fingers closed on his shoulder. They squeezed briefly and he felt a warmth wash over him.

"Be careful," he heard whispered before those fingers released him.

"You too." he whispered back before hurrying to catch up with the others.

@Sally

From outside, a darkness lay on the other side of the threshold. Sven took one final breath before stepping into the obsidian beyond. Thick, live, wooden beams vaulted the ceiling above and curved down to line the foyer in a thick forest. Thousands of small lanterns hung from the thick branches above. There were no walls, just the cool forest air and worn paths that formed hallways that departed from the entry. In the midst of the clearing, stood a large white stone, a pale ghost amongst the forest, upon which was carved the crest of the Aven clan.

@Jessica

Rashe watched as Svetlana, Sven, and Ames stood at the precipice of the forest's edge, their eyes adjusting the dim light and the cool dampness enveloping them all. He breathed out, silently, but with weight that held years of burden that came as the oldest of his siblings...and from the years of watching Svetlana and Sven move on such different paths that had not been marked for them when they were born. Here he was, at the school, managing the new students and following the plan that was laid out for him even before his siblings had been a part of the equation. He watched as Sven turned to face him, the scar on Sven's face and neck as pale as the white stone that bore the clan's name. Regret from that day, from not being there when his sister had nearly destroyed his brother, filled his mind with bitterness and...even a twinge of sadness. He worried about Sven but knew the history and knowledge of his brother's past hadn't just completely disappeared. Then, Svetlana turned to him and he saw the ice in her eyes that also burned white hot with rage. Even though his siblings were twins, Rashe knew that a confrontation between the two would happen...and would maybe destroy them all.

@Poopsie
"Well?" Hissed Svetlana at Rashe. "Are we going in, or are you just going to stand here just staring at us and pondering your sad and pointless life choices?" As bold as she was, there were still a few rules that she followed, and it would have been bad form to walk in before her brothers. Rashe eventually turned and walked underneath the crest. He walked down the hallway, the others following behind him. "I don't really need to ask, but I am going to anyway...", he paused "Why exactly have you come?"
@Dee
Ames stared nervously at Svetlana, Sven, and Rashe. It was a good question after all. What exactly were they doing here? What the hell had he gotten himself into? Think Ames, think. He reached into his pocket and ran his thumb over his worry stone, a strange, obsidian colored rock he had found wedged in between two larger stones, on one of his many unsavory adventures with Durian. She had called it a vampire stone, but it was smooth and cool and helped him find his happy place when he rubbed it with his thumb and forefinger. The buzzing in his head intensified, the tingling in his hands grew to a tremor, the obsidian stone began to hum.
"Um, guys, I hate to interrupt..." Ames stuttered nervously.
Annoyed, Svetlana shouted bitingly, "What?"
Just as she turned to see Ames head drop back as if he was about to laugh deep from his belly. A blinding light shot from his mouth and eyes. A haze of black mist emerged from the stone in his hands.
"Well now you've done it," Sven said less startled than he should have been, "What idiot let him get his hands on a mesmer stone?! First the bush Orenthary bush, and now this?" Svens eyes darkened as he turned to Svetlana and Rashe, "This is what happens when you try to strip someone of their natural powers. They've clearly been set to rights, and now he doesn't know how to bloody control it! And if that's not bad enough, now we've set off a bloody homing beacon for that vampire!!"
Svetlana looked shaken for the first time in as long as anyone could remember. "Shit..." she cursed, "Shit.Shit.Shit."
@Tonya
As Svetlana had a mini meltdown/tantrum and Sven glared about like a petulant, yet smug teenager who once again had been proven "right", Rashe let out a deep sigh, closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. It was always trouble when his baby sister came around, but add in Sven and that trouble was multiplied a thousand fold. Well, the time to dwell on that was in the future, preferably over a bowl of rich beef stew. Now it was time to help his troublesome siblings and mitigate some of the peril now headed towards the school he was tasked with protecting.
Gathering his power, Rashe stepped forward and plucked the stone from the witless oaf's numb fingers. Instantly, the light that poured from Ames face disappeared and he dropped to the floor like a puppet with his string cut. The black haze swirled in an agitated manner, almost as though it was alive. "Occultatum," Rashe intoned, and the hazy abruptly vanished as well. He tossed the stone to Sven gaping at him like a landed trout, who flinched before juggling the now silent stone. Svetlana seemed just as stunned, but only if you knew what to look for in her features. "What?" he asked casually meeting Sven's gaze. "While you were meant to be the dagger that silenced any and all who might threaten our family's power, and Svetlana was to become the sword with which the family could control the world, I am but the humble shield meant to keep our seat of power standing at all cost." Rashe grinned wolfishly. "Did you forget that a shield can be just as strong as a blade, if not stronger?"
Kneeling, Rashe began to search the unconscious man. "What are you doing?" Sven said, becoming outraged again.
"Checking to see if your friend has any other surprises hidden in his pockets," Rashe answered. "And who's this vampire you think is coming? It's not that poor fool Lavrentii, is it? That idiot who got himself changed into a vampire trying to win her favor?" Pockets checked, he moved onto the pack Ames wore, carelessly rolling the man onto his side. He paused, and tilted his head. "What is this?" he murmured as he withdrew the object from depths. The color drained from his face as he realized what was cradled in his palm and he fumbled it for a moment. The color rushed back as his temper finally reared its head. "What the hell are you two playing at?" Rashe hissed as he rose back to his full height. "How DARE you bring this here?!?"
Sven held up his hands placatingly. "I literally just joined this pair an hour or two ago, brother, I didn't know he had that."
Svenlana eyed with a mix of fear and longing on her face. "The fool never showed me that," she all but whispered stepping forward hand outstretched. "But I'll gladly take it off your hands, dear older brother," she simpered.
Rashe growled, fanged bared and she paused. "No," Rashe snapped. He shoved it back into the bag and spoke rapidly. "Praesidio. Tutella. Occultatum." Pulling a vial from his pocket, he yanked the cork with his teeth before shoving it under Ames nose. The poor man immediately jerked awake gagging, disoriented and confused. "As you are my family," Rashe growled out. "You have 15 minutes to attend to whatever business you have here."
"But.."
"15 minutes. The headmaster will have been alerted to your presence because of the Mesmer stone. Whatever vampire is coming will be howling at the gates in twice that despite my warding. And..." Rashe swallowed hard. "The owner of that won't be far behind, if it's not the vampire in question." Heading for the doorway, he tossed over his shoulder. "I have to tend to the wards to make sure you have that long. Be gone by then, or I'll toss the lot of you to your death, siblings or no."

@Sally

Sven held out his hand to lift Ames off the ground. Once upright he coughed a couple more times before he noticed the daggers in Svetlana's eyes.
"I thought it was a just pretty bit of obsidian..." he whined in explanation.
"Don't you dare touch anything else" she seethed back at him, with rage in her eyes.
"We only have 15 minutes," Sven reminded them. "Let's get moving." He led the way at a quick pace down the well worn stone path on the left. Memories of hiking the paths in the school filled his mind, some good, some bad. The forest trails led to different clearings, each filled with areas for students to learn and experiment.
"Sven," Ames called to his friend after a couple of minutes of trekking. "It's nice to be back at school and all, but what are we doing here?"
Sven slowed his pace slightly to explain. "If Svetlana won't unbind you until you have mastered magic, then this is where we will find the shortcut. At least the healing sap of the wisdom tree has brought your full power back, so we have that to be thankful for, but until you can ‘master' it, I doubt Svetlana will be willing to give up her toy." He glanced over at the woman keeping pace with them, who smirked smugly, knowing she held all the cards. "We've only got 10 minutes left."
Worry flooded Ames' face. "I can't learn something in 10 minutes that it takes others a lifetime to do!"
"Ames!" Sven stopped and reached up to put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Stop doubting yourself. When you were young you had control over the magic you possessed. Now, you just have to remember... and there's a potion for that."
Ames' face brightened as they turned again to race down the path. Svetlana stood there for a second longer, neither of them noticing the wrath on her face, before she caught up. The trio took one more branch of the path that lead to a clearing made by a large smooth stone of grey granite imbedded in the forest floor. Huge logs were arranged around the clearing creating a boarder of tables, and covered in bottles, jars, and vials of different shapes and sizes, presenting a rainbow of liquids, gels, and pastes.
"The Balm of Remembering," Sven instructed as they began to search the table tops. "It's white and aqueous." The group scoured the tables, Ames stopping a couple times to have Sven inspect what he'd found. Then suddenly the sound of glass on stone. The two men turned to face Svetlana, then their eyes simultaneously dropped to the wet stone and broken jar.
"Oops!" Hope left Ames as anger flooded Sven. "I guess this plan isn't going to play out, boys." She feigned sympathy. "But... I'll make you a deal, Ames." She knew she had the upper hand once again, and she relished in the power she held over the men. "Since you have your powers back, I'll agree that 'mastering' is a subjective term IF you give me that which you carry in your pack... the Orb of Desideratum."

@Jessica

With long fingers, the young woman traced the intricate bark of the Wisdom Tree. A smile briefly touched her lips when she came in contact with a small trickle of tacky sap. Her straight dark hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, clashing with her skin that was so pale it was almost translucent. So...they had been here, she mused to herself. She knew that that oaf, Ames, had what she wanted...what she needed. Even though, his life mattered little to her. She didn"t care if he has was just another casualty along the way. Suddenly, her ears hummed with a sound and she turned her head to a light in the distance that wasn"t even discernible to most. THERE. There it was, far away...but close enough she knew exactly where it was at. With a deep, cleansing breath, she began to walk that way. The light from a full moon lit the path in front of her...yet her figure did not cast a shadow on the ground. That died a long time ago...as did she.

@ Dee

"The Orb of Desideratum?" Ames muttered aloud, confused. As the word rolled around on his tongue, he felt the now familiar tingle and taste of tree sap. He reached into his pocket as if searching for a memory and extracted a few leaves that had dropped from the Orenthary bush back by the gate when he touched it. His head ached as he strained to grasp on to the thought that lay just outside his grasp. Without understanding, almost by instinct, he placed the leaves in his mouth as he repeated Svetlana's words again "The orb of Desideratum." In an almost imperceptible instant, Ames felt a powerful surge run through his body - the hum of centuries of secrets, lies, wars, and magic as old as time itself. The thing about a truth is that, no matter how hard one tries, it simply can't be buried forever. The more you stuff it down, the more powerfully it will explode when it finally escapes. You see, Orenthary bushes don't just see the future, they see the past too; their roots dug deep, deep into the earth. As much as Svetlana wanted, needed to believe that her great family had been the first, that her power was as limitless as her cruelty, the truth was that pure magic cannot be contained. Subjugated, corrupted, bridled, but never truly contained. The vampires, the beastly forms taken by generations of Sven and Svetlana's family were all fragments of a broken, corrupted legacy of futile attempts to control a force that cannot be controlled. In a state of uncharacteristic shock that shook Svetlana to her very core, she watched Ames transform - his hair turning shock white, his skin and eyes glowing with an unearthly white light. His magic had not just returned, it had connected with the earth, with the past, with the future. Oh yes, the vampire was coming, and with her, she was unwittingly bringing a truth that had been buried for far too long.
Sven looked to Svetlana and then to Ames as a weary tear rolled down his face, "Well, sister, they always said the truth will set you free."

@Tonya
Ames fell to his knees, his legs no longer able to hold his weight for the moment. Magic took a lot of energy to use, unbridled magic even more so. "Tamed" magic, as if such a thing could truly be gentled and brought to heel, didn't necessarily need that energy to come from the user. Hence the carefully crafted chants and spells, the potions, the sacrifices...all so the trained wizard, mage, sorcerer, magician, etc. didn't (usually) kill themselves trying to do the desired bit of magic. Raw, untamed magic though, all the energy came from the caster, whether or not the casting was intentional or not. Untrained souls could pull off incredible feats of magic, but they almost always paid for it with their lives.
Ames now had back his control, but at the cost of his powerful body and possibly several decades off his life span. His once fitted clothes now hung on his wasted frame, as his lank white hair hung about his face. He panted on the floor like a dog, so drained that he just wanted to curl up where he dropped and sleep for a century. But the danger was drawing ever closer and his small group needed to move. Now.

@Sally
Svetlana screamed. "What have you done!" Her face contorted in horror as she watched her fingers slowly start to turn boney and her hand contort arthritically. The magic Ames had conjured had used their bond as a second source.
"Severe the bond," Ames croaked.
"Give me the Orb, and I will!" Sven had never heard her voice filled with such desperation. He had never heard anyone in his family sound so powerless.
He turned to his friend. Sven could still see his childhood friend in the nose and eyes of the old man before him. He knew the Orb of Desideratum would grant its holder their greatest desire when the key phrase was said over it, but there was always a price to pay. Right now, Ames had nothing left to give. It was possible the immortality of his sister could grant her the immense power she craved if life-force was the required ingredient. However, whatever spell Ames had tapped into was making fast work of that bottomless well.
Sven helped his friend to his feet. Ames' old eyes looked at him. "I remember everything. You were such a good friend to me, even as my powers faded; as your family stole them, unbeknownst to you." His eyes flashed to Svetlana. "And she could never understand your compassionate heart, so tried to cut it out."
Sven remembered now too. Svetlana knocking him down, the flash of the knife, the pain in his neck. His scar throbbed. Then Ames pulling her off of him, the last of his magic used to chase her away. Then Ames returning to carry him to the healers. Ames had saved his life those many years ago. Sven would now save his.

@Dee
Sven looked around the room, a feeling of uneasiness filling him. Something was amiss, wrong. It wasn't just the old man in front of him, or his sister's gnarling screeches. Something was off, he could feel it in his bones. He looked to Ames again, and in a chocked voice his friend rasped, "Not what, but who. Think!"
The words resounded in Sven's ears. Not what, but who? Not WHAT but WHO? He turned it over and over in his mind. He looked around and around the room, from Ames to his sister, to the dizzy, nauseating fog clouding everything. Finally, he clinched his fists, closed his eyes, and willed himself to concentrate. He remembered back to when he was a boy in school, when he was first learning to channel the magic, to be still and feel its presence. Sven took a calm, deep breath, and whispered "Revealearum". The room began to shake, but not really the room, the illusion of the room. The veil fought against his revealing spell, it twisted and writhed, and finally tore away. Suddenly Sven felt whole again and before him was Ames, unchanged, not old and withered, not broken, but Ames young and strong and still shining the magic from his eyes. His sister Svetlana still grasping and screeching held under the illusion. He looked to Ames in sudden realization. "Not what, but who..." he trailed, "The Orb of Desideratum is not an object, it's a person, an entity, it's the source and the beginning, it's in you now."
Ames, smiled and spoke in a voice that was not quite his own. "Yes Sven. I am the Orb, the beginning, the essence of and not of this world. Ames has broken the barrier between the old and the new, what was, and what will be. Only a heart as pure as his, only a man who has lived so humbly, could reach across the planes, and bring me to this time and this place."
Sven furrowed his brow, but why the illusion? Why make Ames look so broken, his sister, what was the meaning of this? And then suddenly, the realization was upon him. He shot an uneasy glance to the corner of the room. Out of the shadows, stepped a woman - her gaze amused and transfixed. She clapped slowly and cruelly. "Congratulations, Sven, you've broken through my mind meld and seen the truth, who would ever have thought you would be a match for a vampire."
Ames burning eyes looked to Sven, "The truth belongs to those who seek it. What do you wish to see?"

@Tonya
"What do I wish to see?" Sven repeated. "I wish to see Maeve grown with children of her own, free of our family's legacy. I wish to see my brother smile again. I wish to see my bar and Ingrid, and watch both grow old. But mostly I wish to see an end to this. To my ancestor, Svetlana, and her cruelty. To my family's mad scrabbling for more power." He glanced between the vampire and the man who was Ames again, "But what can you do? Legend says you were there when Svetlana fought the great evil, but the vessel you held then was destroyed." Sven crossed his arms. "What can you do now that you couldn't do over 3000 years ago?"

@Sally
In his confusion and disbelief, Sven glanced around him. Past the man who used to be his friend. Past the young woman who was not. Past his sister, stuck in her horrific illusion. Past the tables and counters of potions. Out into the woods beyond. He thought he saw fireflies dancing in the distance. But these lights did not bring him any peace. Their time was up, and the Aven Clan was quickly approaching the intruders from all sides.

@Jessica
The sound of a womans chuckle, dripped in evil and hate, brought Sven back to the space and even more aware of the Clan's arrival around them. He looked at her form. Every hair was in place, regardless of the growing presence and sound of the Clan nearing them. Its black strands were darker than ink, hanging straight and all of them in place. Her nearly translucent skin looked like white marble with barely perceptible veins underneath. Yet Sven knew, he knew that those veins were for mere show. For the woman, the VAMPIRE, in front of him was no longer alive. No blood beat through her being and she could not cast a shadow even in the brightest of moonlight. Her body almost glowed, a horrible light that would make most men cower in fear, as they stood in the forest. Frowning, Sven spoke "It's time. We need to go,and go NOW." He grabbed Ames by the man's newly strong shoulder, the clothes taught across muscles of a younger frame, and pushed him along. Svetlana, her body still gnarled and bent with the sudden aging, hobbled along with them, her wails having turned into whimpers. As they made their way through a hole in the forest, the sounds and smells of the Aven Clan all around, the vampire's form came along with them. Sven had no time to consider that, though: he would deal with her once they exited their current situation

@Dee
As they made their way out of the forested rooms in the castle, Sven pondered their circumstance in haste. His quiet life had been torn away from him as he was drawn back into the fray. Everyone was in search of power whether they wanted to admit it or not - power to control their own lives, other people's lives and power came in so many forms - money, station, magic. He had heard so many stories growing up in a powerful and well situated family. He had heard stories about the vampires and their quest for vengeance and their search for orb. So many people searching for that stupid orb only to discover, it's not a thing at all. Sven chuckled to himself, then looked to the vampire, to his sister trapped in her illusion, to Ames glowing eyes, and then the realization crept over him, he had not asked to see anything. The source offered and he merely condemned it, consumed by his own anger. Yes. He had heard stories about Svetlana, about the great battle, about the vampires and the beginning, but they were all stories. Passed down for centuries and embellished upon by the victors.

He suddenly stopped cold and grabbed Ames by the shoulder. As he looked into his eerie, glowing eyes, he said, "I know what I want to see. What I NEED to see."

Ames looked upon Sven, "Speak and it shall be so." Sven steadied himself and braced for what was about to come, "Show me what happened. Show me the beginning."

Ames nodded, and time stood still, everything around the party began to glow white, washing out the here and now. Svetlana finally stopped shrieking, the mind meld broken as the vampire watched the light grow every brighter until they were all engulfed in it. They stood amazed as they watched the world shift and change around them. They stood at the center of a transparent dome of magic and looked in awe struck horror, as they realized exactly where they stood. They were in the middle of a magical looking glass, staring directly into the past, to that fateful battle, on that fateful day. No more stories, now only the truth. A voice boomed around them, "As you asked Sven, so have you been given. We are at the beginning, look upon the truth."

@Tonya

The fields surround in the school were trampled and muddy from thousands of feet and hooves. Despite the family story of no one coming to aid the Aven clan, near the edge of the fields, just yards from the western mountain pass, great lines of soldiers stood in loose formation, waiting for the coming enemy. The last of the great armies of the surrounding kingdoms that had been decimated by the great evil stood, spears and swords and bows in hand. Farmers armed with hoes, pitchforks, and scythes. Rarer, elves clutching their bows or Dwarves wielding axes were dotted amongst the human, unlucky enough not to escape when their kin had fled across the waters, hoping the vast seas would contain the danger. Slightly off to the side, a pair unicorn stallions and a wyvern rounded out the group. No place had been spared from its miasma of death. No life existed in this land beyond this last mountain meadow.

The thick, heavy, smoke filled air cast the scene in shades of night. Camp fires nearer to the school revealed woman and children toiling to make food and prepare bandages amongst the tents that had been hastily erected. The only sounds were those of people working as silently as possible or the occasionally creak of armor or leather as the soldiers shifted anxiously.

Then an angry shout ripped the air. A small group of men in blue cloaks were gathered to the side of the great tree while twelve other people in green cloaks had ringed the tree itself, leaving space for a 13th in the circle. The mirror scene shifted and magnified this smaller group and the words became clear.

"If you'd just given Bareth what he'd wanted," a young sorcerer yelled, "This wouldn't be happening!" His comrades clamorously agreed.

The older woman he was berating calmly looked back at him. She wore a simple brown cloak with the Aven family crest embroidered on the back, her silver shot black hair pulled back into a loose tail. "His foolish mages had already caved to his demands multiple times," she replied wearily. "His insatiable desire to have a navy in a land locked kingdom. Flooding his lands so he could watch his ships sail, while his people starved and the rest of us dealt with the excess water the best we could until nature had no more water to give and the drought came." She sighed, "And even then, he was more worried about his dry docked ships than the state of his lands. You know this."

"But your callous refusal made him turn that creature on us!"

"Multiple other schools and master mages turned him down," a portly man cut in, walking slowly up to the pair. He was balding, dressed all in crimson red, and the Aven crest emblazed in gold on his cloak. The woman eyed him warily. "Svetlana here had the misfortune to be a woman though. Bareth though he could bully her like he bullied his own weak willed wizards."

"Master Jaks!" the young man exclaimed. "You survived! I thought all of our village was lost. How many others are with you?"

Master Jaks smiled oddly bright, eyes sad but distant. "All dead," he chirruped, almost happily as his head tilted. The blue cloaks gaped at him in horror. His expression shifted slightly and he tilted his head the other way. "No...that's not right," he murmured still smiling. "One should frown when giving bad news."

"Master Jaks?" They whispered. "What..."

"Oh, do go away!" Master Jaks snapped, finger tips sparking. "You're wasting what little time we have left. That beast will be here soon and I need to speak to Svetlana without your incessant whinging." Unnerved, the group fled, casting furtive glances back as they did.
"Now my sweet, I..." he turned to find the woman walking away. "Wait a moment."

"Monkeypaw begone," Svetlana snarled over her shoulder. "I have no need of you here and as you said, there is little time. The Inugami swiftly approaches and we need to prepare the binding."

"That won't work," he singsonged giddly. "You know it won't. If it was just an Inugami, just a dog turned demon, sure. But a human Inugami, one bound with a hematite miasma and a hatred for all life in its core?" Grinned widely, eyes becoming mismatched as the magic in his body roiled in excitement. "NOT.A.CHANCE." He swaggered over to her and she flinched away as he tried to embrace her. "You need my help," he cajoled. "You need my..." with a flourish he pulled the Orb of Desideratum from the air itself. "Power."

"Monkeypaw begone." She ground out again, taking a step backwards towards the circle around the tree. "You don't care if the whole world is destroyed or thrown out of balance. You only want to be freed from your self-imposed exile turned prison. I know what you are and you are no friend. The great tree will contain this great evil and purify the land."

She startled, but he just frowned as an unholy shrieking filled the air as the very mountains to the west began to crumble, crack, and fall away from the creature clawing through them, as though the very earth was crying out in pain. Four times the height of the tallest man, the barest form of a person could be seen inside the misty gray cloud. Long, scythe like claws darted out again and again shredding rock and flesh to dust and blood. Long lines of multiple hued lightning struck and bit at the creature, slowing its progress, but it drew ever closer to the Aven stronghold. The lines of men stood fast, though they knew death was coming. They had to buy the mages time.

Sprinting the last few yards, Svetlana called to the group, "CHANT!" And the voices of the group rose into the air as the ground and tree began glow. Weeks of preparation. Hours of drawing symbols over and over to reinforce the intent and magic contained in them. Countless drops of blood spilt to reinforce the sutras and ropes circling the great tree. At last the stone gave way and the beast now stood within the confines of the meadow. The first line of soldiers gathered themselves to charge, but with a mighty spring the Inugami leapt straight over them and sprinted towards the tree.

Before it could reach them, Svetlana felt a sudden coldness in her chest and her chant faltered. Crimson arms encircled her as she stared down dumbly at the blade now blossoming from her breast, still struggling to speak the needed lines. "You will be mine," he breathed against ear, pulling her back against his body. "No one else shall take you from me..." Gleaming scythes reflected the trees glow as the beast reached for Svetlana. Gathering the last of her strength, she spoke the final word and the world exploded in a flash of cyan light.

Seconds, minutes, hours, years, millennia pasted before she opened her eyes again, broken blades impaled in the earth on either side of her. Slowly, she sat up and took in the massive tree before her, the twelve stones around it, and the cloud of mist glaring at her. Rising, she glanced at the smear of crimson beneath her before focusing on the mist. Teeth bared in a vicious grin, she charged it at it.

Strangely, the fog shied away, as did the creature within, and it fled before her. With new found strength and speed, she gave chase, nails growing longer as she grabbed at it. Handfuls of mist and flesh were stuffed into her mouth and she greedily gorged, limbs distorting and body contorting, she grew and changed. As though realizing it couldn't escape, the Inugami turned on her again and they fought, bloody and fierce until only one demon remained on the plain, the other swallowed down by the victor. Those few who hadn't fled into the school in terror couldn't be sure which had survived until the mist and smoke and miasma began to fall away.

But the excited cheers turned to terror filled screams as this new creature fell upon them. Once the plain was emptied, it turned its attention to the building. Again and again it struck, but the shield Svetlana had herself placed around it kept her from razing it and feasting on those within. Shrieking, the now canid-like beast spat a gout of flame at the school only for the shield to throw it back into its face, and knocking it tail over teakettle.

Seconds, minutes, hours, years, millennia pasted before she opened her eyes again. Slowly, she looked around than down at herself. Her form twisted and turned again, and she stood naked and shivering on the soil of her family, human once again. The door started to creak open and she called out, "Don't."

"Mother!"

"No. Svetlana is dead. I will kill all of you if you come out. I can feel them fighting and we are hungry. Do not trust me. I'm leaving while I can, but I will be back, and I will kill you when I come. The Aven family will never be safe as long as I exist. Kill me...if you can."

@Sally

Sven watched as his fabled ancestor's face was overtaken by the bright light and he was again standing next to his possessed friend and his startled sister. "What did you see?" she asked, grasping his shoulder in desperation. Sven's eyes were wide as the truth sank in. Despite her good intentions, the original Svetlana's spell to bind the creature so it could no longer harm anyone was manipulated by the orb's power all those years ago. It's then host, Jaks, had interrupted the spell at a crucial time and not only imbued Svetlana with the orb's power, but corrupted her with the creature's unsatiable hunger.

Sven looked around... "Where did she go?" Svetlana returned, "Who, the vampire?"

"She's not a ... It's her... I saw HER face... SHE IS SVETLANA!"

The entirety of the school shook, branches creaked and began to fall. And as screams erupted from the forested halls, the white stone with the Aven crest split with a thunderous crack.

@Jessica

@Poopsie