When the darkness rises up (Lamenting_Quill and Rapterman)

[Lamenting_Quill]

The night had flown in on swift wings of blue black, there were no stars tonight and the moon that usually brought comfort was smothered in thick dark clouds.
Savina drew the ends of her shawl tighter around her shoulders as she gazed up into the inky sky, a prayer on her lips and hope in her heart. Though there was fear as well.
The young empress of the empire of light gazed back behind her towards the inviting warmth of her private chambers, the propped open double doors leaking a thin sliver of golden light from within. She should probably go back inside where it was warm, but her heart was still so troubled.


A sigh escaped her pale pink hued lips before she turned and head back inside to resume pacing her chambers, if the information brought to her was correct... Nevaeh was in for one hell of a fight when it came their decades long war with the empire of darkness, Tenreth.
Emperor Fafnir of Tenreth... was dead... murdered by his own son... Someone they knew almost nothing about. Prince Zaltias, now Emperor Zaltias was extremely careful over the years to keep information from making its way to the Nevaehin empire.

“Father... Mother... I am so lost” Savina murmured, ceasing her pacing as she stopped in front of portrait of her late mother and father “So much has happened and changed, nothing we knew before is going to help us now, I wish you could tell me what to do”





“It's so late, Rafe” Lazarus groaned as he sauntered lazily into the armory as requested in the message sent by the head bodyguard “This had better be good or I swear, I will shave your head again”
Rafael lifted a cerulean blue eyebrow at his colleague and glared “That took a very long time to grow my hair back. You do it and I will kick your ass so hard that your grandchildren will feel it”

“So touchy” Lazarus chuckled as he took a seat at the long table in the center of the room “So spill it, whats going in the world of Zaltias the butthole”
Rafael shook his head “Lazarus, you are well over three thousand years old; act your age”
“Don't wanna” Lazarus, replied as he playfully brushed off his old friend and took a seat beside their other colleague Fiona“Now come on, lets get on with it”
Nodding, Rafael withdrew a parchment folder from within his sapphire blue tunic and set it upon the table “According to spies whom lost their lives to give us this information, Zaltias has begun the process to release the shadow beast Emperor Cornelious imprisoned beneath the Crystal Ocean the day he died.

Also, the target most of the plans are centered around is the empress herself, not the city or empire. Yes, he does plan to destroy the empire, however... He seems to be primarily focused on obtaining Empress Savina, he is very dangerously obsessed with her. Why? Our spies did not live long enough to obtain that information for us. All we know is that Zaltias plans to act and soon”

“This is not good” Fiona said, rubbing her chin and moving her violet eyes back and forth between her two colleagues “We know almost nothing about what this young man is capable of and if he is able to free the shadow beast... Well, I just don't know”
“What about the Crystal Rod” Lazarus insisted “The relic of the gods, Empress Alexandria was able to push them back before with it and wounded the emperor Fafnir. Savina is able to wield the rod, she can do the same”
Rafael shook his head “To some extent Savina is able to use the Rod, however she is very young and her late mother had centuries to become one with the Crystal Rod and it's powers of light. We do not have that kind of time”

Fiona nodded and nibbled her bottom lip “She is so young and bares so much weight upon her shoulders, yet... she still smiles... she still fights for all of us...”
Rafael sighed and nodded “We must protect her”
“Yes” Lazarus agreed “She will not share the fate of her late parents. I'll die before that happens and we all know what a stubborn bastard I am”
“Agreed” Fiona replied and then added with a wry smile “On both accounts. I think we should keep this to ourselves, Savina has enough on her mind as it is”
All three bodyguards nodded in agreement, the young woman they all loved so much was trying so hard to be strong beneath all of this pain and fear. She did not need more added to it.
Lazarus smiled wearily at his friends before all three of them stood up to get to worth on research, they had to know and dig up as much as they could about the enemy as possible. Rafael made it his personal project to learn as much as he could about the Shadow Beast.

[Guest]

"It began in darkness and in darkness would it end. When you have looked into the very heart of darkness and seen the truth of it all will embrace it. For the darkness resides within us all and from the darkness before did we all come and to the darkness we go in the end."

Unknown Tenreth emperor

The man who sat upon his throne was what any would call a handsome individual and possessed of a dark grandeur that spoke of mysteries and hidden powers. The very throne he sat upon may have contributed some to the effect, the ancient seat of power for the Tenreth emperor, hewn from massive blocks of black stone and covered in ancient wards of magic. It was certainly impressive and an awe inspiring site for the people of darkness on the occasion they were allowed the chance to see their emperor.

Today though the throne room was empty save for the man and the yellow eyes that seemed to glow faintly were fixed on something that was not actually present in the room. Or perhaps something that only he could see. For several long moments more the Emperor of the Dark Empire continued to stare seemingly into empty space before blinking once. His face twisted into a smile.

"Come forth children of the darkness. Your lord summons you. Brethren of the great one who lies imprisoned, hearken to the will of your master."

In the shadows of the empty throne room a presence began to manifest. The few torches in the room guttered and the fire dimmed. The shadows danced and expanded to fill much of the room with a solid sheet of inky black. Though the manifestation of the shadows Zaltias had called forth was solid and seemed a single presence the cacophony of voices that whispered from it betrayed its divisive nature. None of the whisperings could truly be heard and eventually as Zaltias waited the mass of shadows he had summoned quieted down.

"You will go and feast upon the Nevaehin. My power will shield you from the barrier the fools value so highly. Enter undetected, lurk within the shadows that light by its nature creates and slay the unwary in such ways as seem mundane. Make them fear that their own people have become lawless and murderous." The yellowed eyes gleamed from the Emperor's coldly handsome face as he smiled. "Do you understand children of the dark?"

The whispered chorus this time was audible and while faint contained barely restrained joy that they were to be released upon something at last.

"My father the fool did not use you, but is it not my birthright, my blood that comes from His Darkness himself long ago? I shall make use of you as my father never did. Go now and unleash your hunger upon the fools."

With a wave of his hand that trailed night black residue the wall of shadows scattered as if dust before a strong wind. Once again the Emperor of the Dark Empire sat alone and his stare once again returned to that place that none other than him could see. His will bent towards the girl, the so called empress of the light, the one he would possess for his own as he broke the light asunder.

[Lamenting_Quill]

"What is happening to my people?" Savina murmured worriedly, wringing her hands in her lap where she sat upon her throne. Her sapphire eyes looked to her head bodyguard, Rafael "Why are they dying?"
Rafael shook his head and began to pace back and forth in front of the throne "None of it makes sense, this should not be happening. There are traces of Tenrethian darkness everywhere, but the barrier should be keeping them out"

Savina looked towards the tall windows lining the throne room fearfully "Unless he managed to free the Shadow Beast, his power coupled with the Shadow Beast could tear a hole in our barrier. We may be on the verge of an all out war now. There is no more trying to hide"
"Fight them head on?" Fiona asked, taking a step closer to her empress "Are you sure? You are still learning how to use the power of the Rod, you are not ready yet"

Shaking her head, Savina looked kindly upon Fiona "We have no other choice, they will crush us if we do nothing but flee every time they get too close. I must be strong now, for everyone"
"You won't be alone" Lazarus added firmly to his empress, his green eyes genuine as he offered his comfort and strength to the young woman baring far too much pain and grief for someone her age "We will have your back"
"I know" Savina replied, smiling warmly at her three bodyguard "The three of you have always protected me, but right now I want you to protect my people. Go forth and slay the fragments of the Shadow Beast, no one else but you will know them for what they are. Right now everyone else believes the people of Nevaeh are turning on each other, Tenreth wishes to divide us. Do not let them do this"

The three Imperial bodyguards nodded and after a few more words of well wishing, they parted from their empress to deal with the situation at hand. The Rod would protect the empress in the time they would have to leave her side.



Hours later, the three of them had slain all but one, this last one was a desperate little fragment. It was determined to elude the bodyguards and continue to wreak havoc in the name of its emperor.
"It want to get into the palace" Fiona growled out, her reddish brown eyes scanning the the empty city streets around her, not a sound was being made. All the people had fled to their homes in fear "I think perhaps the goal is to leave the empress with absolutely no protection..."

"A distraction? They must want us out of the palace to kill the guards and then the empress would be alone..." Rafael finished for Fiona, his brown eyes furious "We must return to the palace before this last fragment finds it way there first"




Savina paced the expanse of the throne room with the shimmering Crystal Rod clutched tightly in her hands, she was prepared to fight as hard as necessary for the sake of her people. So far though, the guards had reported no forced entries of the palace.
"You will not win, Zaltias" Savina murmured, moving to stare out one of the tall windows in the direction the empire of Tenreth lay "I will not let you harm my people ever again"

[Guest]

Zaltias himself still remained perched upon his throne. The strange yellow eyes glowing faintly as he stared off into the space before him. Such was the normal state of things. What it was that the dark emperor did when staring into space was a subject of speculation by his guards but to think too much on such things or to speak of them was to draw Zaltias wrath down upon them. So his oddities mostly went unspoken. Now though his gaze was upon the multitude of a shadow legion he had unleashed upon the Nevaehin. They were like extensions of himself. The shadows always had been and he could sense the havoc they wreaked and Zaltias was well pleased.

But they began to dwindle. Despite his knowledge that such a thing would happen he still resented it. The more damage his little opener did the better off he would be, and the cursed followers of the light had managed to kill the legion faster than even he had anticipated. The long fingered hands steepled before his face and then he cracked each finger slowly. "A minor setback, to be expected. Besides they have yet to see the truth."

Now they had dwindled to only a single shadow. Even as the Empress' bodyguards remarked on how the shadow had seemed so determined and skillful at escaping Zaltias reached out and poured himself into the shadow. His driving will took direct control the of the primitive shadow being and his power pulsed within it like a malignant sore that devoured the light itself as the shadow rushed madly for the palace. As it rushed the palace the little shadow wraith began to swell and change. But the changes had only begun when it reached the Empress' palace.

A vague semblance of a hand rose and flicked in the direction of the wall that blocked its entrance to the palace. The hardened stone and mortar seemed to sag and melt before turning black and rushing down into the shadowy being. Another flick and another wall was gone. And before it lay the chamber in which the Empress was. Zaltias' consciousness which rode the shadow could sense the pulsing of the light energy and his will drove the shadow forward.

A last flick of its now far more solid hand and the final wall melted away. The shadow which had now become an almost fully solid mass of darkness from which black vapor streamed in waves advanced towards the Empress herself. It spoke with a voice that seemed to drag exhaustion and despair from the world and distill it into a purer form that it launched toward the young Empress.

"You cannot stand against the darkness. His Darkness' children shall reign and the light will be broken. But you, the master wishes you for his own."

[Lamenting_Quill]

Savina cried out as the putrid darkness of the creature repelled her, causing her stumble backwards and fall onto her back. Thankfully the Rod was still clutched safely in her hands.
She turned angry sapphire eyes upon the creature and raised the Crystal Rod up in front of her. Closing her eyes, the Crystal Rod began to glow a mixture of pale pink and sky blue and growing brighter and brighter each and every second until the light was almost too much for the creature to bare.

Savina opened her eyes and glared "You can send my regards to your master!"
With a great cry, a burst of the light exploded from the Rod and hit the creature dead center, sending it spiraling backwards. It appeared to be dead.
An exhausted breath burst from Savina's lips as she set the Rod down onto the marble floor and braced her head on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. That was close. Too close.

Just as Savina lifted her face from her knees, she caught something rushing at her at high speed. She tried to grab the Rod, but as soon as it made impact she lost consciousness.

********** Hours later

A groan escaped Savina's lips as she began to stir awake, her head was so fuzzy and her mind was swimming. It was so hard to focus.
The surface beneath her was soft, it felt like a mattress of softest goose feathers; fit for the privileged. Was she in her chambers now tucked in bed? Did Rafael and the others make it in to stop the creature that had attacked her?
Despite the fuzziness of her head, Savina forced herself to open her eyes and sit up. Her mind instantly sobered when she realized that she was not even in the Nevaehin palace at all.
The room she resided in now was a room of luxury decorated in colors of black, silver and dark reds of many different shades. The best she rested upon was enormous, it looked as though it could fit five people comfortably; black silk adorned the four poster bed.
“Where am I” Savina murmured, her sapphire eyes filled with nervous fear; though she knew deep down where she was “The Tenrethian palace”

Savina glanced down at herself and noticed her new attire, she wore a floor length empire waisted satin gown of a dark wine color. The straps were ultra thin straps of dark wine color satin and the skirt bore a sheer black chiffon overly that split in the front to reveal the dark wine color of the skirt. For a princess of Tenreth, this gown would be perfect; Savina was not a princess of Tenreth.
Her next thought, where was Zaltias? He was no doubt close by being as this was his palace and she was a prisoner of war. After that, she couldn't help but wonder why she was still alive, what purpose could she possibly serve to Zaltias for him to have kept her alive, let alone dressed her up like this.
“Gods help me” Savina murmured, tears of fear bubbling beneath her eyes “Please, help me”

[Guest]

As if Savina's thoughts had conjured him, perhaps that old saying that speak of the devil and he will come was true, for it was as if her thoughts had indeed summoned Zaltias as the door to the chamber Savina was in began to open. There was a strangely graceful elegance in even the simple act of stepping in through the door. Zaltias was bedecked in immaculately prepared finery. The silver, red, and black robes were elegantly tailored to fit him and emphasized his power and majesty.

Rather than the cold and hostile face Savina likely would be expecting when she saw the dark emperor enter Zaltias' face was instead smiling. The normally coldly handsome face was much warmer, perhaps finally having the object of his desire in his grasp after years of waiting fueled the warmth in his smile. A gloved hand pushed the door shut again after Zaltias had entered fully and once the door had been shut he turned his full attention to the empress.

The faintly glowing yellow eyes fixed on her features and the focus of the gaze traveled up and down her a few times slowly. Zaltias felt triumphant, he had finally captured the object of his lust and she was as beautiful as the semblance he had spent so long focusing his will upon. As he approached Savina he inclined his head in a gesture of recognition.

His voice was smooth and oddly as he spoke. "Hello Savina, we finally meet. I must say I had not thought your beauty could exceed the image I had of it. But you have pleasantly surprised me." He flashed a smile and stretched out a hand towards her face. "Something men would kill to possess, and I did kill to come to possess it, such beauty."

[Lamenting_Quill]

Savina did not have to have heard descriptions or see a portrait to know whom the man was, he oozed royal arrogance and vanity. If his hair didn't look like he spent hours on it, she might have not guessed right away; was he wearing coal around his eyes?

Her frame went straight as an arrow as she glued her eyes to his stalking figure, he reminded her of a lion getting ready to tear into a meal. She jerked back as his hand reached out towards her face "Don't touch me, you monster!"
Savina carefully slid off the bed from the opposite side of him and backed away, her eyes narrowed and glared at him with hatred "My bodyguards will come for me and then we will destroy you once and for all"

It hit her then, the tool she needed to be able to stand a chance against Zaltias and his powers... the Crystal Rod... where was it?
"The Crystal Rod... what have you done with it?" Savina demanded furiously, panic rising in her breast at the idea of being utterly defenseless "Why am I still alive? What are you planning?!"

[Guest]

Zaltias' mask of geniality did not slip though the corners of his mouth turned down slightly for a moment as Savina called him a monster and backed away from him. The Emperor of Tenreth was not to be denied, EVER. A storm of rage rose up in him and for a moment he had stood with the expression of geniality frozen over the storm inside before with an effort of his driving will forced it back down. And he picked up where he had left off.

"Your bodyguards you say?" Zaltias chuckled and it was a rich and vibrant sound. "What can a few men do against my armies and legions of shadows. " His smile grew wider showing perfectly white even teeth. "And the crystal rod? That has been dealt with."

The hand he had stretched towards her face twitched slightly and tendrils of shadow twined around it. "I really must thank you and your family Savina, without your parent's sacrifice I would not be in this position now. It was tragic but his defeat made my father slay himself with his own sword. Worse for him and the better for me."

Zaltias took another few steps toward her and the robes trailed behind him slightly as if his every motion had been practiced over and over till the perfect elegance was in all of it. The hand stretched out toward her again. "You, why I don't plan to hurt you Savina, you think I mean to kill you?" The Dark Emperor laughed again and continued stretching his hand towards her face. "You are the one I have chosen"

[Lamenting_Quill]

To say that she felt helpless in her current situation was an understatement, she knew she was screwed over at this point. She was completely alone with a psychopath with an ego bigger then her entire empire.
Savina took several steps back until her back hit the wall and there was no where further left to escape to, she was cornered and what was worse was that he knew it.

"Please" Savina pleaded desperately, raising her hands up in front her in defense "Please don't do this to me, kill me or torture me; Anything but this... I do not want you"
She probably should have guarded her words a little more carefully, but there was no time for that when Zaltias was advancing upon her like this. It was obvious he was determined to get what he wanted no matter what he had to do.

Her sapphire eyes glanced around her for anything she might be able to use, she spotted a bottle of wine on ice with two glasses on a side table; that had potential.
"What about a glass of wine to relax us, yes? No need to rush any of this, right? I could use a drink myself"
She could only hope he would take the bait, all she had to do was get a glass of wine in her hand, she gestured to the chilling wine "It looks like Merlot, am I right?"

'Please gods, let him be arrogant enough to fall for this, please' Savina thought to herself 'I just need to get a glass of that wine in my hands. Please, oh please'


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


"That slimy fucking weasel!" Rafael shouted, throwing a broken piece of vase at the ruined wall "He knew we would go to deal with the threat in the Imperial city! He played us!"
"Calm down, Rafe" Fiona scolded "We must have a level head if we are going to rescue her. First we need to think of a place to hide her once we have her back in our custody, we need to make sure he does not find her"
Rafael ran a hand through his cerulean blue hair and groaned "You are right, Fiona. I just cannot wait to get my hands around that twerp's throat"

Lazarus nodded "Agreed, that little snot is asking for it. When the time comes, I say we toss him into bottomless pit and listen to him scream the whole way down"
Fiona gave Lazarus an exhausted look before she turned her face back to Rafael "We have to plan this rescue carefully"
Rafael nodded and looked seriously upon his friends "Lets get started then"

[Guest]

Zaltias did take the question about the wine as a sign of submission of a sort. Though warning bells sounded in his mind when he compared what she had just said to what she had said moments before. About how she would rather be tortured or killed. However Zaltias pushed the faint warnings from his mind. She must have been overwhelmed by him, such was only to be expected given his glory after all.

He smiled obligingly and gestured towards the wine. "Very well Savina we will share a drink first. To celebrate my success at bringing you here, and of course a toast to the triumph that comes swiftly. That of His Darkness Children." As if in response to the flick of the wrist the wine bottle rose from the table and poured its contents into the two glasses.

The yellow eyes stared hungrily at Savina as Zaltias moved away for the moment necessary to get the wine glasses and bring them over. "Here you are." The Dark emperor spoke as he handed the glass over. "And yes it is Merlot, I see you have proper tastes. As I expected."

[Lamenting_Quill]

Savina accepted the glass from Zaltias and took a tentative sip from it, letting the liquor calm her a bit "Of course"
She had to keep herself calm if she was going to pull this off successfully, she did not want to give Zaltias time to close his eyes. If he did, she was so screwed.

She gave him a brief flirtatious smile before she put her limbs into lightning fast action, tossing the contents of the wine glass into the eyes of Zaltias. Merlot would certainly sting his eyes long enough to distract him from what she was doing.
Savina threw her wine glass at his head when he cried out and then raced around the bed to try and reach the door.

She stumbled once over the long skirt of her gown before she reached the door, her shaking hands clutched the knob and pulled. Fear and panic filled her when the door refused to open no matter how hard she pulled "No!"
Savina ran to the side table near the bed and grabbed the wine bottle, prepared to use it and whatever else she could get her hands on as a weapon.

This was not happening, her one chance to try and escape and the freaking door would not open, he locked her in here with him! This was bad, very very bad!
"Come near me and I will scratch your eye balls out!" Savina yelled at him "I will not be a willing victim! I will fight you!"

[Guest]

Zaltias had watched carefully as Savina lifted the glass and drank from it. At that he relaxed and the smile she flashed at him further reassured him that he had been correct. Like it was too all others his lure had proven irresistible. He began to smile back as he raised his own wine glass. That was before the fire that suddenly erupted in his eyes.

There was a terrible almost animalistic shriek that Zaltias in his moment of blinded agony didn't recognize for a moment before realizing in what was almost horror for him that it was his own shriek of pain. And in his eyes too, the bitch had had the gall to throw the wine in his eyes. His eyes which could see the shadows and watch thousands of things at once. For a moment there was even fear that they would not recover.

Then the pain faded and white hot rage flared up in it's place. The elegant motions now seemed more strained as Zaltias wiped what remained of the wine from his face and forced his eyes open again. Everything was hazy as he blinked them several times before his sight returned to normal.

Zaltias now red and yellow eyes focused on Savina and for a moment they constricted into slits between the lids as the fury burned and whipped around inside him. She had dared attempt to harm him. But no true harm had been done he reminded himself and she was the one he had chosen, more beautiful than any other he had seen or even thought of.

"That door will not open for you unless I allow it too." Zaltias voice was still warm but seemed more tightly controlled then it had before. "And I will not tolerate such an action again. You wasted the wine, hurt my eyes and attempted to escape. You should just accept your fate. It shouldn't be to hard to enjoy it after all."

He smiled a hungry smile and then flicked his hand. A tendril of shadow whipped out and knocked the bottle from her grasp before catching it and setting it down gently upon the table once more. It just wasn't in Zaltias nature to waste good wine after all. Another flicking motion and tendrils of shadows wrapped around Savina pulling her towards the bed with just enough pressure to make it impossible to pull away but not enough to hurt.

This time when Zaltias reached his hand out he did not expect to encounter resistance as he went to stroke the line of her face. "So beautiful, and while you believe it is not to be it shall be." His voice changed to a deeper one that resounded with a strange resonance that would seem to work its way into Savina's mind twisting and attempting to make what he said reality, "You will enjoy this."

[Lamenting_Quill]

Sheer horror filled Savina's mind and heart as her body seemed to act against her will, she felt herself move into the embrace of Zaltias and his arms enclose around her like a lover.
"What is this? What are you doing to me?" Savina gasped as her chin tilted up on its own accord to offer up her lips like a lamb upon the altar offered to a god in sacrifice "Stop this insanity! You will never win me like this or in any way at all!"

What was she supposed to do now? He was controlling her body and she could feel those dark tendrils seeping within trying to pluck at her mind, but she refused and rebelled with all the strength she had within her. She had to dos something before he pushed this to the point of no going back, but what?
Savina closed her eyes and focused on everything that made her who and what she was, everything that had to do with her homeland and the glorious history she descended from. She was the descendant of ethereal gods, the sacred beings of light that made their dwelling in the heavens and held sacred the light of day. To yield was something that Savina could not do.

"You will not possess my mind, black one!" Savina sneered as she opened her eyes and almost instantly a burst of light exploded from within her at Zaltias.
She watched in amazement as he went spiraling into the far wall of the chamber, she lifted her hands in front of her and gazed in shock at her palms "What in the world was that?"
Savina had to whip her head around to look as the stain glass window near the bed shattered and in jumped Rafael, sword in hand and a determined look upon his face "You Majesty, come to me now, we must get you out of here immediately!"

She had to hesitate for a brief moment due to everything she had already seen in this place, it would be horrible to think that Rafael coming to rescue her might be some sort of cruel illusion or trick.
After she was certain she was not being tricked or fooled, Savina lifted her skirts and ran towards Rafael as quickly as her quivering legs would carry her.

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