Return to Earth (Open)

"That's a good question, Shadow, where are we?" his voice became strangely indistinct and garbled towards the end as the world rapidly shifted from some great book to a little cabin tucked away in the mountains. Someone was hurt, someone was worried, something was wrong. The little apartment in the city began to close in and swirl. There was blood everywhere, too much blood. Blood covering the floor in that darkened chamber as the beatings never ceased. It was like some kind of punishment. True, being queen meant she could do so much good, but she was locked away, away from the world that was her home. Home, where was home, a whirlwind of images, of faces, of names and of places it was all swirling around her, drawing her in so that she would never escape. And all the while that question beating through the very nature of everything, "Where are you, Shadow, where are you!? Shadow! Shadow!"

Diaes was shaking her awake as she lay in bed. "Shadow! Shadow, wake up!" he called again and again, but it wasn't his voice. It wasn't Diaes. It was Raven. It was Bart. It was Alba. It was everyone that she had ever known and loved. They were all lying around her feet, dead. In that horrible, dark place, the sky bleeding red as the ground became soggy with blood. A single figure moved, somberly, horrifyingly through the massacre, gleaming red eyes shone like fire. There was a noise like the very Apocalypse, a scream of sheer agony. Bones and flesh rending apart. It was utterly and completely hideous. What more would madness be if it were tangible?

And then it was all gone. All was silence. A long, dark hall lay ahead and at its end, a door. The door was open just a crack, allowing a soft, white light to come through. And there, by the opening was a mask. It stared at her with that gruesome smile. The eight separate limbs of the creature all made strange waving motions. No sound was made really, but it was laughing. If her ears could not hear it then her mind could. Mad laughter echoing all about. "Run, Little Girl, run!" a phantasmal voice pricked at the edge of consciousness only to be drowned out by more wicked cackles. Still facing her, the mask began to be pulled through the door by the limbs attached to its body, yet it always remained forward, staring at her, never changing height nor direction. The door opened more, but what was on the other side, who could tell, but the thing was almost gone, almost vanished into the whiteness. The vile sounds fading with it.

Shadow fought against screaming, clmping her hands over her ears and squeezing her eyes shut. She began to mutter under her breath, fragments of poems, pieces of song, anything to focus her mind. She drew in a deep breath. Now she was starting to get angry. The demoness closed her eyes, exhaling.

She dropped onto hands and knees, rapidly morphing. A gigantic wolf got to its paws, flames sprouting from patches of its fur, looking similar to the wolf in the book. It roared, the sound echoing from the shadows of the room. It hurtled towards the door, crashing through it, teeth bared, fury burning in its eyes.

At first, everything was simply a wash of white and the splash of water underfoot. But then... The world resolved itself into a bleak impression of an alluvial plain, a thin layer of water covering the field of mud and silt which stretched from one horizon to the other. There was no form of land mark by which to distinguish any position or direction on the nondescript landscape except for what looked to be the remains of ruins which had long ago sunk into the ground. Just possibly, there might have been the final remnants of corpses to those who had died in many ages passed. Neither head nor tail of that thing with so many limbs could be seen under the clouded sky.

The sound of the door closing gently behind her with a soft click could be heard. "You ran the maze quite quickly," Diaes' voice was placating in a very strange way. He had slipped out, although where from was a mystery, because there was no door anywhere to be seen. In fact, if Shadow had looked back, she would have seen the little pieces of once great architecture, but nothing that could have even facilitated the frame of a door. Only he stood there, that inexplicably dark figure with his pale, almost gleaming skin. It was such a peaceful vista that lay before the thundering wolf. He looked so calm, happy even, in his own sad way. It was strange how on those features which always indicated that something was integrally wrong that such kindness could rest so easily, but there it was. "You're safe now, Shadow," he smiled for just a moment before self-consciously sheathing his razor teeth, "And I may be able to touch at those questions of yours."

The wolf didn't notice Diaes at first. It was too busy analyzing its surroundings. For a moment, the fires on the wolf seemed to die down, before the creature collapsed in on itself, morphing back into the shape of Shadow, and the demoness was as close to furious as she ever got without turning demonic. Her eyes, however, were still glowing red.
"Right, Diaes, I need some answers here," She growled. "What on Synairn is going on there?!"

"You're dreaming, Shadow," he said it as if he were mentioning the color of her shoes, "That turmoil just now was in your head somewhere. I went in to try and pull you out, but I couldn't tell you what was going on for fear that the dream would collapse if you underwent the emotional stress of becoming cognizant. Out here, that is not a fear because we are no longer in your head, but you are still dreaming nonetheless." He looked at her, emotionless, but obviously curious to see her reaction. "You are now realizing the Realm of the Sleeping," he pried further, "A universally possessed dream to which time and space are foreign concepts, and reality..." He smiled to himself that almost vicious grin. "Reality is relative," Diaes looked out then across the seemingly endless field. "Right now, you are standing on the alluvial plain of Eden Wabe. It was and always shall be a field of combat because of its location. Some would call the place we are standing on the center of all worlds. From here, we have access to almost every one of the kingdoms of this Realm. You might also call this Desolation, for you see before you a perpetual graveyard of a kingdom long past, and warriors from ages ago and even the more freshly dead," his eyes narrowed as he gazed at something out from them a way. It was what might have been a large rock, but under closer inspection, one might have noticed it moving slightly, heaving up and down as air came into and left its body in a ragged manner. A dying behemoth it lay with its face half covered in the water as it breathed its last. "The heart of all worlds, a gateway into a land of wonders," that last part was whispered, hard to hear, but not inaudible.

The demonic princess had her arms folded and was tapping her foot. Her temper was already fraying and her lack of understanding was starting to really get to her.
"Diaes, would you be surprised if I said that pretty much nothing you have just said made any sense to me?" She asked in a cold tone. "Basically, I have understood that I am asleep, but since when still escapes me, and that somehow I'm in a sort of dreamscape."

Discreetly, Shadow touched the hilt of a knife concealed beneath her sleeve. It was a slight comfort to her to know that it was there. Always a back up to her magic. She was beginning to feel that she might need it given the cryptic answers she was getting from Diaes.

"You understand more than you know," if the vampire had in his body a single bone possessed of clarity then it never showed itself, "You returned to the library with me. There you fell into sleep. Wishing to show you the Realm of the Sleeping, so that you might better comprehend the prophecy, I stole into your dreams. However, to let a person know that they are dreaming within a dream is a dangerous thing, for the mind rebels at such foreign concepts and I fear that the instability of your dreams would have caused them to collapse should I have tried to reveal the truth to you. So I tried to lead you away, but you got ahead of me. It is my belief that when I entered your dream, I accidentally allowed something to follow me, and that you chased whatever it was back out onto this very plain, a place that I never intended to go." he looked out across the bleak and haunting landscape, dark eyes searching. "This place belongs to those dead, dying, or soon to be so," obvious disapproval showed in his every extremity. Those blackened pools whipped around to grasp her in their fearsome grip. "You stand now in a place that doesn't exist. It is a universal dimension, spanning all others, into which the subconscious mind of every living being within the multiverse populates an image of the self. In our case, the cognizance which we possess allows us, and even compels us to project the form which we most associate ourselves. So I appear as the man whom you envision me to be," he looked and spoke exactly like the Diaes that had brought her to the library.

"However, if I looked as I envision myself to be, as is my natural tendency," as the words left his mouth, his form grew, not in volume so much as in presence. The dark aura, which was always there if not pronounced, flowed outward like a massive cloak, spreading across the ground around him. He became more shadowy, until all that was left was a pale face, nearly lost in the dark and shifting shadows, illuminated by bright red beacons which burned in their sockets. All the lines were indistinct, and just keeping your eyes on him was difficult. And then, as if nothing had ever happened, he was simply Diaes again. "You, Of course, look how you imagine yourself to be," one pale claw indicated the Shadow as Shadow would have known herself had she looked in a mirror, "Because that is your mind's interpretation of the epitome of you. It describes who you are in every facet, from your ability to become a wolf down to the demon transformation. Had I not woken you into the dream, though, not allowed you the knowledge of what this is that you are experiencing, you would have taken one of any number of forms based upon how your mind perceives certain elements of your person that would have been evident in your dream state."

The fingers of his right hand began that strange habit he had of mapping out some sort of musical tune by their progression of steps upon each other, as though pressing down the pedals of some instrument in proper succession. His eyes had wandered off into the distance, a haze passing across them. "This, Shadow, is where the prophecy I showed you takes place. Well, not here specifically," he smiled to himself, "But within this Realm of existence. I will show you how to return here, so that you may have the ability to come and go, but you must not allow any others to know of this. It is your secret to carry, along with that of the prophecy. You may learn and travel here, so that with all hope you shall be prepared for the coming day, and when you wake, hopefully well rested, I will take you to meet the one who will be able to give you the next step in your journey. I cannot promise that she will be any more clear than I, but at least you will have some vague impression of where to go next, and perhaps have a better chance of getting there." So he ended his speech, standing, looking at her, and then out once again, before turning and walking back through several piles of rubble and ruin, into a small maze of stone.

Shadow listened quietly to the explinations, not necessarily understanding it, but filing it away for study during her next meditation session, which was likely to be soon given her present mental state. Her violet gaze watched Diaes go with a detatched indifference in her eyes and expression. As soon as she was sure he had left, the demoness closed her eyes, sitting on the dusty ground. She hugged her knees to her chest, shivering slightly. Her black hair hung down her back like a cloak as she rested her head on her arms, trying to sort out the turmoil of emotions in her head.

She didn't know how long she stayed there. It could have been minutes, hours or even days. There was no way to tell on the dead plain. SHe slowly got to her feet, her muscles protesting after the time spent hunched over in such a tight ball. Ignoring that, she arranged her limbs in a yoga position known as the 'tree pose'. She murmured words in demonic, a chant or perhaps a mantra.

Coming back from a trip into what she still considered a dreamscape was a jolt for Shadow. She felt reluctant to get up, instead curling up under the blanket, closingher eyes again and trying to get back to sleep.

Just at the edge of vision was something strange... Just a snatch, a disembodied smile, a wicked grin stretched wide. It had been somewhere before... At the end of the bed, staring straight at her. "You don't get out that easily," a thin whisper of a voice hissed just at the edge of consciousness. But then it was swept away like a vicious wind. Candles were still guttering out in the hall, and all was still quite dark.

Shadow opened her eyes, sensing another presence in the room. She closed her eyes for a moment, concentrating. She bolted upright, sending a column of magic towards the foot of the bed. What was it with things deciding to mess with her mind at that moment?! Ending the flow of magic, she scrambled out of bed, ripping her knife from its sheath strapped to her forearm.

Nothing... The room was completely empty of anything living except for herself. The noise of someone lunging into the room from the hall swept through the air. Diaes had catapulted through the door, his long black coat flaring out behind him. "Shadow! Are you alright?!" he shouted anxiously as he whisked to a halt, his fiery gaze raking the room as if they could burn the vermin out from between the stones. He stood there, arched, ready to fight, but then the tension left him. He looked confused. "Shadow, what is the matter? What has frightened you?" He sort of looked curled in upon himself a bit, as if he were cold and hugging his overcoat tighter to himself. A strange expression was locked upon his face in that moment. It looked thoroughly out of place, and one might have suspected that it was stolen or faked. he looked concerned, and perhaps, just a little bit... afraid.

Shadow slowly shook her head, her eyes fixed on the spot where she could have sworn the voice had come from. Slowly, she sheathed the dagger again. Running a hand through her hair, she turned to face Diaes.
"I'm sorry, I guess the dream thing spooked me a little. I'm... not used to people being inside my mind like that." The demoness took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves again. Her hands flexed nervously at her sides, her gaze sometimes darting away from Diaes to scan the room, searching for any sign of the creature that could have spoken.

Diaes did not look completely convinced. Eyes still narrowed, he said, "Perhaps it was wrong of me. Perhaps you weren't ready." He gave the room another glance himself, nostrils flaring slightly as he took in a breath of air, searching for some foreign odor perhaps. "Hm," he wondered to himself, "Well, allow me to get you some tea to calm your nerves. That is, of course, assuming that you like tea? Perhaps you would like to accompany me to the kitchen? To get out of this room." He looked hesitant to leave, as if he were worried that he might be abandoning her to something, or perhaps with something.

Pausing at the doorway, as if drawn back. "What exactly did you mean, 'dream thing'?" he queried.

"Yes, please," Shadow said at the proposition of tea. She grabbed her cloak, pinning it around her shoulders. She didn't want to stay in that room, not when it seemed intent on playing tricks on her. In fact, she was so eager to leave the room that she almost cannoned into Diaes. She frowne slightly at his question.
"The dreamscape, the..." She paused to search within her memory for the words he had used. "Realm of the Sleeping."

He narrowed his eyes, not seeming to understand her, but said nothing more as he turned and led the way to the kitchen, although he still looked a bit disturbed. It wasn't long until he brought her to the room. It was still quite dark outside, but torches strategically placed about the walls kept the room quite cozy and well lit. The shadows were quite adequately chased away here, and really, as the Library went, it actually felt homey.

Diaes moved to one of the cupboards, the place looked quite a good deal more modern than something of the library's time, to be honest, but it was hardly a crime to make a few improvements to the quality of living. Water was already on to boil, perhaps he himself had not been having the best of nights. "Do you have any preference?" he asked in a quiet was, "I have quite a few different types of tea that I've collected during my travels abroad."

Shadow kept quiet as she followed Diaes. She was starting to get really confused. Once again, she touched the hilt of her dagger, reassuring herself. Using her magic in such outbursts really used up a lot of energy, leaving her exhausted. She drew her hood over her head, hiding her face in shadow. She glanced up at Diaes as he spoke.
"Any, I don't mind," She murmured, still aware that she was sort of in a library. She kept an eye on Diaes discreetly, still not convinced that she could trust the man.

Diaes apparently noticed her odd behavior and countered with some of his own. it was not alien for him to show emotion, but to ask a body if they had ever seen him show what he was actually thinking upon his face would be something completely different. However, now, he put on display an equal amount of suspicion on his own part, freely allowing it to control his expression. "Very well," he brought a small pouch forth from the cupboard, "Would you like anything in yours?" The water could be heard bubbling away in its pot on the stove. "I have a little something or other in the ice box, "he had swept over to the cooling device, a refrigerator, "Made this addition during a friend's stay here." He turned and smiled, and that was when it became painfully obvious that something was dead wrong. His teeth weren't sharp. That is to say, the canines were, like the typical impression of a vampire, but anyone who knew Diaes or had even seen the man would have known that every single one of his teeth were filed to sharp points, the canines falling in line with the others instead of protruding like some cheap film monster. Of course, being what he was, the pale man could change forms at will, and it was night after all, the time when his powers were at their strongest, but that wasn't what this was. Despite having known her for a short time, Diaes apparently respected Shadow, and he certainly didn't know her well enough to play simple tricks like a shift in form. So, perhaps he was playing around with her head...? Still, something felt serenely and totally wrong about him, and not the usual Diaes kind of wrong. When you looked at him, you knew he wasn't natural, that he shouldn't exist. This... This just looked fake, a cheap imitation. This wasn't Diaes...

"No thanks," Shadow said quietly. She turned her head, apparently to examine something on the wall. The smile on Diaes' face was unnerving her. It didn't seem like something he would do. She put a hand up to her temple. Maybe her tiredness was playing tricks on her. It certainly seemed like something that would happen within the demoness' mind. Out of the corner of her eye, she cast another glance at the vampire. She frowned slightly. There was something... something not quite right. Shadow sniffed the air discreetly. There was a scent on the air mingling with the smell of the library and the kitchen. It smelt kind of like Diaes, but differed too much to be him.

Shadow threw out a hand towards the person she supposed to be Diaes. A streak of magic left her, heading towards him. She focused her mind to pin the man to the wall. She was starting to get really annoyed by the continual games that seemed to be going on around her.
"Who are you?" She spat, her eyes glowing red.

The eyes on the face became afraid, the face contorting into pain and pitifulness. "Shadow, what are you doing," having been slammed up against the wall had taken its breath away and when it came back, the false image whined out its words, "Shadow, please, put me down. I'm your friend. It's me, Diaes!" It began to sound downright desperate. But the blubbering and weak mass pinned where it was showed no sign of divulging its true identity nor of being helpful in the least.

Shadow took a few steps towards the person masquerading as Diaes, er arm still outstretched, not releasing the dark matter. As she parted her lips to speak, it would seem that her canines, slightly elongated compared to the norm, were still longer than usual.
"You are not he," Her voice was no louder than before, but it was echoed from every shadow in the room by a deep, growling demonic voice. Inside her mind, Shadow pulled hard on the metaphorical reins to keep the demonic possession within her control, but enough to hopefully scare this imposter senseless.
"It would be in the best interests of your being to comply before I decide that you should be relocated to a rather warmer place."

The thing hanging from her powers wriggled, as if trying to get free, and then went strangely limp, limbs drooping and head lolling to the side. Upon its face, it wore some kind of deranged grin, although the eyes simply stared into nothingness. The voice was disembodied now, at first coming from the body of the impostor, but then ranging through the room until it was behind Shadow. Similarly, as it moved, it became less and less Diaes' voice and more and more something else. When finally it settled, it was all too familiar. The last time that she had heard it distinctly was from the end of a hallway, laughing maniacally. And so it laughed now, behind that perpetual grin. "I admit, I don't work nearly so well when I'm rushed by some deadline, but then without deadlines, would I ever do anything at all?" the swooping form was obscured by its large brown cloak, but that mask and the mess of tangled hair which followed it was unmistakable. It was hanging from the cabinets, watching her, a massive needle dangling from a stretch of thread swung underneath it like a pendulum. "But it fooled you, didn't it? At first?" almost a giggle escaped it to echo eerily throughout the kitchen, or was it a kitchen? The room looked darker than before, and cobwebs seemed to be more evident. Less did it appear that the cabinets were made for food, as bars showed themselves. Not a place for food preparation, but a dungeon.

The thing hanging from her magic was now completely and unmistakably not Diaes. It was like a rag doll, sewed together out of multiple human remains, it's clothes were a patchwork of different hues and textures. And the grin which rested on its face had been stitched there. It was hideous. The masked creature hissed, its vision darting up. Somehow, one would get the opinion that it had been terrified, even though its expression was impossible to see. It skittered backwards along the wall, almost lost its balance, and then darted away with unimaginable speed. The tatters of its cloak could be seen streaming out behind the mask as it made its escape around the corner at the end of a long hall.

Shadow stood, stunned. With excruciating slowness, her face darkened, as if a storm cloud were passing over it. Her feet left the ground. Her body seemed saturated with magic. Her hair floated around her head. She strode forwards on thin air, following the same path as the creature that had impersonated Diaes.
"Come out and play!" The voice only belonged to Shadow as an afterthought. It whispered from every shadow in the room, a deep growling demonic voice.

"Just a silly game, little girl," the voice was behind her, hissing its disapproval, "Don't be so mad!" It was balancing upon a massive pair of scissors that were wedged in between two of the massive blocks of granite which made up the floor. But that was only one foot, the rest of its limbs were fanned out, each ready to do damage. Several arms were stringing out the thread from underneath his cloak to wear it fed through that gigantic needle. Wild eyes glared from where they were painted onto the mask, or were they real? They were almost on fire.

"I'm not mad," The demonic Shadow said, an evil grin spreading across her face. "I'm furious! This game ends now!" Once more, her magic raced through the space separating the young woman from her target, intending to kill.

"Oh, little girl," waiting for the magic, "Don't let the game end yet." he seemed almost to fall backwards, slamming into the ground, the sound of those heavy metal scissors hitting the floor beneath him. Snapping them up, the creature bolted down the hall, racing just ahead of the magic's power. Bringing the arm holding the needle up, he swung it backwards, releasing so that it slammed into the magical energy. It froze the energy in midair and left the needle hanging along with it. This thread trailed out behind him as he ran, Skidding around a turn in the dimly lit dungeon.