???:Who am I?! Yeaaa. That's fucking rich. Who are YOU? *He shouted, coughing up blood shortly after.* Myotian lunar sorcerer, blood magic, auramancery?! How many Anthems reside in that vessel of yours?! Because it's surely not YOUR body. You weild the magicks of the Myotis, the skin of a human, the build of an Orc and the SMELLL of something I can't quite put my finger on.
His eyes narrowed like well-trained arrows as the black fur mentioned his peculiar…smell. The Wood, a fae spirit that protected the forest he wandered into several moons ago spoke something similar. It told him that “Life’s Essence echoed twice within”. He wondered for weeks mulling over the spirit's cryptic words, a speech more curious than even his speech when he first awakened. Upon learning the physiology of the myotis and how they possess two hearts he figured that was a hint the spirit gave to him that he was of the Myotis.
Absurd, his entire being revolved around mastery of self. To even insinuate the possibility that he was not his person was enough to inflame his heart. Though as much as the notion infuriated him… he could not deny the gnawing feeling of truth behind the black fur words. Piercing though as they may be, it was a possibility he had considered before but laid to rest for a truth that was simpler to accept. Every battle he has had, nearly every word shared with another was in defense of his sense of self, that his will his life was his own as if he was fighting against the pull of something or someone else's influence. Like a child rebelling against their parent once they shed the skin of adolescence.
However, after the trial of the maze, where the Wizard King's ghost first illuminated the secrecy of the curse that he was bound to, his curiosity about the spirit's comment revived.
“The Seed Of Creation”
He whispered unintentionally. The Demon that sired his curse, which he called Inari’s CORE, manifested the most resplendent red he had ever seen. The demon mentioned having traveled through the ages to claim it for himself and that Inari’s fate was to be the vessel that would allow The Red Eye to be born in this world anew.
His flesh was that of an Elv, his nature that of a beast, yet Inari could feel it whenever he invoked his plant magic. Its flow…was not synonymous with Vescrutia's, not entirely anyway. This instability and the curse made it incredibly difficult for him to control his magic fully. It was becoming so clear to him now.
Inariel's soul itself was not of this place…
He had more questions, but just as he fixed his mouth to inquire of the black fur more, Aurelius, newly emboldened by a fierce resolve managed to wield Inari’s anthem as if it was his own. Implausible, that a being would be able to control something under his dominion was something he never witnessed before. It must have something to do with the vast amount of blood he consumed, could Aurelius, could the Myotis use the anthems of those they drank from?
Before he could make heads or tails and a sharp pain shot through his mind, almost crippling. A flash of images beset his mind. The faces of his mother and father, a boy ordained in golden mana with a crown of the same ilk. And a man with wings that sparkled with colors known and unknown to him. Above his head was a
Red crown dripping blood. They were hand in hand standing before a
massive tree bursting with spiritual power.
“Ngrh “
He grunted as the tendrils of darkness began to seep from behind the light of the tree a massive black hand encompassing all in its void.
”You, are starting to awaken. Good, the veil is soon to be lifted.”
A voice spoke out to him, foreign yet so familiar.
” I was starting to worry that hope was lost. But you don’t believe in things like that do you, Inari.”
???:U-u-udiah.
Amrit stood tall next to Inari worried about what was happening to its other half. Though connected when on the outside of him Amrit can only read the surface of Inari’s mind.
“Who…who are you”
“That seems to be your favorite question as of late. But I would challenge you to think hard on the Black Fur answer. As it will be the same as my own. Crown of the Myotis; Crimson Heir, Mikado of Carna, Who are you?”
The pain subsided, and as Inari looked to the right of him a phantom stood, one that looked almost completely Identical to
him.
“Fret not, they cannot see me, only you who will inherit the world tree can perceive me.”
Udiah:..There's a war coming. Written in the stars and I don't mean that metaphorically. Only those with the right allies can hope to make it out alive. Heroism and Morality aren't allies, they're delusion.
“The beast's heart might be wicked, but the fear of death gleams the raw truth. Heroism, Morality, Hope, Faith. They are all but words, concepts that allow mortals to cope with the finality of their existence and the fragility of their souls.
“There is indeed a war coming. One with more at stake than your treacherous kin understands. The power he years for is birthed from the same source as your curse. Its one desire is to be the sole presence in the universe. It will use anything as an instrument to make its dream reality…of a red world, A cardinal realm of blood where only it shall reside. It’s harbinger; The Vermillion Dawn the hand that will bring this change to pass. You though, possess the seed that his plan needs to succeed. For now, stomach your curiosity. Find the paladin whose golden glow reminds you of home. Only then will the picture be made whole…you are so close. I wonder what you will become. The Crimson Moon, Or the Vermillion Dawn. Whatever the outcome, Vescrutia Age of Uncertainty will most assuredly become less so upon its arrival…”
With that, the phantom faded. Just as it did Inari's nose was filled with the pungent smell of Udiah’s blood magic once more. Just as his daze faded the massive black hand sprung to life nearly taking him and Aurelius with it. It grabbed Udiah and sought to flee the caves. The beast would find escape a frivolous notion.
"You have made a most grievous mistake Udiah...I am the Crown of this Domain..."
Amrit, though concerned for Inair, never once took his eyes off the black fur. Poised to strike at a moment's notice. Yet curiously he was not commanded to strike instead As that furious black hand burst through the adjacent wall, Inari's fang shown. Whatever his destiny may be, whatever he truly was right now in this very moment the only title he claimed was
Avenger
For the lives he failed to save, the starving children he failed to protect.
"And I did not grant you permission to leave...you sought this audience and now you will see it through"
Udiah burrowed hastily through the mixture of stone and plant flesh like a drill of darkness he coveted the embrace of the outdoors once more, to escape the grip of his captors. However, Inari would not allow his escape. He would nod and his familiar would once again merge with his being reigniting his frame with its silverly glow as his mana flooded the caverns like a flash flood of power. As he nearly reached the surface the black fur would find not the glorious embrace of the azure moonlight nor the gentle breezes of the Acrix. Instead, he was met with a bloody red void of magic reminiscent of a mirror that manifested right before he broke through the surface. Portal magic
Though not one of Inariel's strong suits by far he has never had the proper training to truly wield such magic with adept proficiency. He learned the basics of such magic through his numerous encounters with similar arbiters. He first tried using it during the Crown battle with the Tyre. However, as he was now he was more than confident it would serve his purpose justly. As long as he created the entry and exit points for the portal in spaces where his naten was highly concentrated the spell could be used optimally. Now since this entire cavern was a living extension of himself his essence saturated this now hallowed land giving him nigh omnipresence within its walls. He would strike a pose like a predator about to pounce on its prey whilst his aura
brazenly flayed
"Fetch...Amrit!"
Just as Udiah was spit out of the crimson void he would immediately find himself within the massvily gaping maw of Inari's invocation. Teeth that shined like crystal yet jagged like wild stalagmite littered his soon-to-be grave. Leaving him little time to react the jaws would slam shut into his midsection. One might notice that the nature of this invocation was different than the one he used when they first encountered the assassin. Consume, when used as he did before created an incarnation of Amrits mouth whose mana-endowed fangs can tear through flesh and spirit alike completely devouring all in its path indiscriminately. However, fetch was not an arbiter used to outright kill a target. It was used to hold them in place. By sending a powerful paralyzing spiritual force through its target. Hindering their access to their naten pool. Unless the target possesses the incredible spiritual ability, to dismiss his familiar, it would be hopeless to dream of breaking Inari's hold of them. Like the venom of a coiling serpent. He thought to consume him entirely, but when the Crimson Heir thought back to the fear those children must have had in their eyes as he slaughtered each one...He deemed it necessary that Udiah, who still had yet to answer any of his questions, last sight living was that of his killer and his crown.
“You came here, like a slithering slug, and desecrated the only haven allowed to these vagabonds. You could've trained them, emboldened them made them more than their wildest dreams, yet you've decided to skulk around like a beast of burden for your oppressors. At first, I felt you deserving of death…but now looking at you closely…your blood, foul and odious as it is, is an untapped pool of potential…”
He said as he walked, casually, over to his prey. His eyes no longer emanate their green hue, but a fiery silver.
“But do not despair, your crown is more benevolent than he appears. I shall bequeath to you a great honor. A fate though worse than death greater than any other purpose your wretched life could have had otherwise.”
He said taking his index finger and allowing its nail to grow by 4 inches. He traced around the surface of Udiah's furry chest. Little by little he began cutting deeper until his blood was drawn. Just as he was about to initiate the ritual he had the most curious thought, one that caused his body to tingle in anticipation. They had been afforded quite a unique opportunity. Noting earlier how Aurelius was able to somehow wield his anthem he wondered, with the copious amount of blood he consumed from Inari just how deep that well of access ran.
“Aurelius…come…join me”
The gold fur who had been silently watching found himself beset with a flurry of feeling his being had not known for so long. Longing, lust, fury, destruction,...
Freedom
His body was quaked with anticipation, fear, and a tingle of excitement. And yet without hesitation, as if Inari invoked an arbiter to command him to move, the gold fur appeared before his crown.
“I have a theory and would like to invite you to assist me in a little experiment. But first I must ask you but one question.
The rage in his eyes as he glared at Udiah only subsided the moment Inari spoke to him. With eyes that held a piercing affirmation, he answered
“Should you ask for stars I would tear the heavens in twain.”
Inari smirked, his loyalty was almost palpable.
“My path is not one of sparkling grandeur nor am I some glistening knight in shining armor here to whimsically restore the Myotis to glory. My goal, my singular desire is to stand at the pinnacle of all there was, all there is, and all there ever should be…I will use anything to that end, so my question.”
He said taking his eyes from his prey to the former crown. One could tell a definite truth about Inari. He never lies… as if his very words declared new laws upon the world around him. He meant what he said, should the myotis prove themselves useful to his end, Decatur’s to his cause, he would usher in a new age of prosperity for them. But such things always come with a price. And only those willing to sacrifice would be welcomed into his fold.
“Will you follow me, always, even if my path should lead you and our family to the depths of the Nether itself?”
What he asked was no small ask. Even Inari himself did not possess a road map for how and where his path would take him. Though he could resist it now the curse within him was of a source fathoms more powerful than he. At any moment he might be swayed from friend to foe, becoming still the cause of the Myotis’s ruin. And yet, on the other hand, he just might become one of the most exceptional creatures to ever exist in the center of it all. But he would not force his family into submission. They have already been shackled and bound by chains of the heart. His one gift to them free of charge was their freedom of choice. Here and now Aurius must choose.
Take the rest of the Myotis and flee, or take Inari's hand and bind himself to an oath eternal. To walk the Red King's path no matter where it may lead them. A choice of such magnitude cast the gold fur in deep reflection. Over the last century, he had done all even the unthinkable such as devouring the flesh of their fallen to feed those still fighting to survive. Barely keeping the Myotis bloodline alive. 100 years of solitude, suffering, and….settling. But now that he has tasted the blood of a true crown, now that he has seen the true splendor and power nestled in their bloodline he could think of nothing else. After walking aimlessly through a void of purposeless existence the flagrant flame of vengeance had now been sired into his soul. A flame that only the blood of his transgressor, Udiah, the Holgurd crown, this Baal, could satiate.
“The Myotis have solemnly sat in isolation patiently waiting for death…yet we’ve still, by our instinct as elvs primal creatures, still fought against it to survive. To long, have I allowed the stain of our bloodline to go without vindication, the blood of the fallen requires action. You, who have once again filled my vessel with the beating pulse of ambition. My Ava, it shall forever sing your song in glory. Inariel Myotis Hellgate, Bearer of the Crown.”
He said taking Inariel's hand and placing his palm softly, affectionately, affirming his next words.
“Should your path lead you into the bowls of the abyss? You will find me there, waiting. And I shall welcome you with open arms before oblivion embraces us both…for all eternity. I am sure those who live will feel the same.”
Inariel found himself staring at Aurelius with eyes wider than the moons themselves. He anticipated his devotion but never has he experienced words laced with such reverence before. He was a black pariah upon Vescrutia never welcomed, never invited. And yet, here in these virtually empty caves. He’s found a most unexpected boon. A willing puppet, without the worry of strings. His eyes soon narrowed back into daggers, and twin crowns turned to face Udiah with eerie synchronicity, both carrying the same
fearsome glare.
Guiding the gold fur hands he would enthrall Aurelius only enough to where he could control his body as needed for the ritual to be successful. To Aurelius, the commandeering of his being would feel like a parent holding their child through a forest. Their wrist slit by a thin slit of Naten beckoned by a twinkle of Inari's nose. He needs only trust. Their connected palm now flat against each other were bathed in an insidious aura. Aurelius would feel the rush of adrenaline activating such magic unleashed feeling his body with an incandescent sensation as their claws like a scalpel slowly penetrated Udiah's chest stopping just short of the creature's blackened heart.
"GRRAAAAAAA!!!"
The black fur's cries of agony filled the hollowed caverns with new life. Sending chills down the twin fur's spine ladened with subtle estacies. They bite down on their lips, quivering now in anticipation as they feel the ripe warmth of his blood nearly searing their flesh. His life-flow like that of a river of black magma as he bleeds into the the earthen floor below them. How riveting...the pair had never seen blood black like this from a living creature. They yearned to witness more, their curiosity piquing and encouraging the early climax of their encounter they call nearly bring them to end his life too soon.
"Mmm...but we must have patience, we must savor this feeling, try not to disappoint us, Udiah"
Beset now by a flood of encapsulating feelings, a ravenous almost maddening hunger, the incorrigible desire to voracious devour their target. Inari though would bring his temperate down, not quelling the desire merely shaping it. Their souls needed to be on kilter or risk a backlash he did not desire to experience.
“We shall show you, the depths of the power you severed yourself from. Unfortunately for you, it will not end quickly. True blood magic can take even centuries to complete...”
Gripping the creature's heart the pair spoke the words in total unison.
“Dominate…”
At that very moment the call of their blood, so powerful pulled the trio collectively into the the psychic realm that Inariel and Aurelus stumbled upon. This time however it was in Inariels full intention to show Udiah in his final moments the lost splendor his Myotis bloodline could afford to him. The mystical realm ebbed and flowed no doubt its wavelength singing tunes reminiscent of the ancient line that flowed through them all, tingling their ava with primal psymoties the likes of which have not been sung in ages long past. Here the essence of the soul laid bare, a true crown, connected to every Myotis living or otherwise.
"Coursing through your veins is the very promise of the universe. The nature of space and time to bend according to your inquisition. You could have stood with us on the precipice of the new age of our people. Your fears, your thoughts, your worries, and insecurities. Before us ladened in the realm of coexistence we could have been a collective of force to rewrite a new destiny in which your master laid dead before us and the Hellagtes would once more fear us in reverence. But that was not your choice..."
The words of the gold fur alone. The iridescent realm shifted under the dominant consciousness and as it were Inari, and by extension, Aurelus dictated the course of this place. It no longer reflected the serene nature it passed when he first entered. No, it now reflected Inari unchained, the nature of the blood ritual revealed to him when the Demon tried to take his core. A realm once flaunted with silver now had been stained by red. The fluffy white clouds now sweltered with blood that softly rained down upon the earth bathing the earth in sanguine glory.
Akai Kizu-
The Red Wound, font of his power, his soul space. When he last visited it was a moving realm where sky and earth met conflictingly. However, with the psychic realm as its anchor and his grip on it, the realm that connected all of them, itself, was under his invocation to bring order to his chaotic soul space. Inariel and Aurelius stared at the brilliance of his crimson soul. The sun was simmering upon the horizon whilst the sanguine moon sat high in the sky seemingly eclipsed. His answer was given to him. Vermillion Dawn, Crimson Moon. What if he didn't choose to become either? What was his chosen form to be? Whatever it would be he was destined to become that which eclipses all, and his soul agreed For over the last thousand years, his soul has been the bargaining chip in some cosmic game and he had enough of it.
A long tear would fall from Aeriuls face as he witnessed the visage of his crown's soul space. Never had he seen such splendor, and yet riveted by anxiousness, perhaps even fear. Inari truly was something otherworldly. In front of them was a dais and around it in a circle of 3 meters were a myriad of inscriptions in a language older than Udiah would recognize. With a unified snap, the black fur would find himself bound by ethereal binding that grabbed onto his arms and legs his chest still open from the womb. How agonizing his every breath must be, here in this state of limbo, his soul danced between death and life.
"Your choice was to buckle under your fear. Instead of standing beside your crown, you discarded it. But fear not"
The pair began walking around him their visages seemingly oscillating with the realm around them. Inariel hair radiated a thick crimson glow, Aurelius' golden fleece shining violently. Like glistening gold and resplendent ruby, the light left trails of their essence behind as they moved.
"We will not allow your potential to go to waste...here and now you will go on living as an extension of my will, a part of a greater whole. Let it go Udiah...."
The pair's voice resonated and echoed causing the emblems to glow brightly as the ritual began. Inari's blood was like a virus usurping and uprooting its target in every sense of the word. Every thought past or present, every secret no matter how well hidden unraveled before him and became his own. They eventually stopped each one on opposite ends of the black fur.
"We will free you from your burden, worry not, we shall cull the ones who took advantage of your loniless. But first the truth"
Inari stopped just in front of him. He held his hand out in front of him and from the tips of his fingers, five tendrils would shoot into Udiah's chest. With an incredulously torturous delay did the tendrils bring his heart from its cavity. Still connected to his body as it beat frantically in fear.
"Who. Is. Baal"
Words echoed around them as Aurelius walked aside from Udiah. With that, they sank their fangs into the black furs and gorged themselves on his essence. As they did so all the answers to their questions were answered. The who what when and why of this little rebellion. Udiah passed an almost unfathomable regenerative ability that he and Aurelius both would share. Black fury would fill their eyes as they gorged themselves on him. His agonizing grown and incessant terror was like a ballad, a cacophonous aria that lit the Crimson Heir's soul a flame. His shrills of horror filled the red wound with such dastardly emotion the very moon began to pour out blood. Like crimson streams did the blood fall upon the earth. Excruciatingly siphoning the truth from him. As they fed their consciousness and became a trio, the red wound responding to this inquisition would begin to relinquish all that was known about baal as far as it and black fur knew. This sanguine rite went on for what felt to be eons all Udiah, paralyzed in time would see would be the rise and fall of innumerable moons his grip of time lost to eternity with only the tone of Inariel's combined songs reverberating through him. He was losing himself, his desires, and his will to be until nothing but Inariel became his ever-encompassing thought. The only thing that was his to hold was the unbearable pain of it all.
"SSSSAAAAAHHH"
The sound of euphoric exhales as they released him of their bloody embrace. The blood pool of the dais now filled with his black being began to bubble slightly as the twin moon's souls ebbed back and forth between each other. They began to rise, their wings speared seemingly covering the sky in their wingspan. Unified and absolute in their next words their voices and ava in perfect harmony as they spoke their final word in not common vescrutian but in their native Myotian tongue. Allowing him this very last acknowledgment of what once was.
"VI'ECTR!"
Consume, A call, a command that signifies the completion of the blood ritual. The dias began to ignite furiously with sanguine power. A void of gurgling blackness that opened like a door revealing a harrowing
sight. A void of black that seemed to be perennial, a babbling broke of mayhem as the screams of horror became legion filling the quaint serene red with a manic volley of furious wails. The souls of the fallen Myotis, those brutalized by hundreds of years of scrutiny. Those, who were condemned to the darkness of oblivion after the Acrix forsook their namesake. Those who were bones littered the underbelly of the Axcrix flawing gnawingly scrapping for retribution. They manifested as Inariel's fearsome hunger, a carnivorous nature a desire to devour unpredicted. Over the ages, this hunger has carved itself through the earth and has drunk on the blood of all those who have borne the burden of his curse. Hundreds of bearers of his insanity thousands more of their victims all clamoring for the soul of the one who first sired this affliction, the master of this former myotis who he betrayed his kin to oppose. Their hatred was now trained on him.
And with that, he fell into the abyss, the vengeful souls of the fallen tearing him voraciously limb from limb. Aurelius drifted closer to Inari as they both glared down at the truth of his soul. The vehement rage and unyielding hunger surrounding the Seed Of Creation. He was nature incarnate, scion to both its life-giving dew and emissary of its appetence. There was no distinction for him anymore between the two. Each side of him held its ambition but if the fact did not stand that he and Aurelus were now living proof.
That way birds can fly at the same time.
He could embody the whole of his nature without presenting either. To welcome both his halves and exist as something all his creation all together. The Red Eye, This crimson phantom of his likeness whose soul ebbed the same as he. Each of them vying for control of his evolution, but his was a path dictated by self alone. And the only thing currently on his mind is synonymous with Arelius's desire.
To confront the Holgurd.
The realm would fade around them returning once more to the solemn caves. Udiah's husk would fall to the ground drained of every fluid in his body. Inari's silverly mana dissipated upon the ritual's completion his body adjusting to the black blood incredible factors. Winded, on bended knee gasping for air.
"What do you know...we live."
The team
