Invisible Prisons
Searing 53, 122nd Year, A.o.S
Night had fallen now that he had made his way up the slope. It was clear and crisp within the Astralar Range tonight as the Ebberite peaks were blanketed with snow, the lower reaches more of gravel though when he made his way up and around another bend within the ridge. It had been the one place he needed to go to, just the one, where he could finally confront a few things about himself; when the location was right. Kalzasi was still in range but at a credible distance, even so, Rickter wanted this to be done at a much more careful position instead. For the first time in a while, he had a chance to think and he'd reflected on much of his actions after the trip up here with Traversion.
His magic had been used as a tool of war once he'd set off on his campaign, something that Rickter never suspected himself of doing until he'd actually realized it. Magic had been one of the few things he'd grown good at, almost to a point where it defined him even, and never did he once want to use iy as a means of killing. Yet he did. His powers and his protections turned into weapons against his enemies, when instead he should've been using them for other good things. After tonight, he thought, there wouldn't be just blatant abuse of his power anymore. There just wouldn't. The wolf was always meant to be a protector to his people, a guardian, and after tonight he would make damn well sure he was fit for the role once again.
He came upon a clearing between several peaks within the range, doubtful that anything extreme he did here would carry out that far into the mountains. He believed Kalzasi to be safe at this point, and the dangers minimized down to just him and whatever might throw itself at him. But the mountains were quiet tonight and as such, only the wind seemed inclined to guide him further along the slopes into the clearing itself. He'd forgotten the chill this place could still give someone, even as hot-blooded and tempered as Rickter was most of the time. "Is this the place?" The knight manifested behind Rickter as he stared out ahead, taking in the sight of the area as snow and rock seemed to be the only thing present.
He then took a deep breath before looking past his shoulder, to give Alistor a reluctant nod before he looked within the center of the area. "Very well. You're not alone, Rickter, even when you choose to be."
"I'm well aware..." He agreed with a ghost of a chuckle before he shifted to sit down on his knees. "No matter how hard I've tried, I'm well aware now of that little fact... Shall we, then?" The Dawnmartyr gave a slow affirming nod to the wolf, and though his breath shook, Rickter closed his eyes to focus deeply on the storm he felt brewing within him. It had to be done. What went on inside his soul had to be dealt with, and he was finally prepared to face all the pain and sorrow. It had been a couple of seasons, several months of harboring these intense emotions. The wolf focused on the inner reaches of himself, seeking to withdraw in until finally, he felt that part of his consciousness slip.
Beneath him, he felt rock but when he opened his eyes he was in the Foundation of his Soul once more. The Oceans were turbulent as gales whipped across the sky, clouds threatened to burst with rainfall overhead as he looked up at the rising storm within his heart. This had gone on too long, far too long. And when Rickter stood he did so with not just the Dawnmartyr but the Zaichaeri at his side also. It felt as though Rickter held a breath for far too long, and finally, a sense of relief had started to rise out of him now that he gave it a sighful release. "Let's get this over with."
He turned to the other two as they approached him, both men eyeing Rickter with determination as they each took a shoulder. Together they helped crane him to where the wolf was gradually lowered down, until the back of his figure finally rested over the surface of the water. This was where the hard part would come next, where the wolf would have to endeavor to keep himself in control. With one final deep breath, he looked between the two of them and nodded, before he shut his eyes and felt their hands slip from underneath him. In just a moment of that fall, the wolf felt the waters engulf him, even so much as embrace him when he plunged into the depths below.
Bubbles trailed out from his nostrils when he exhaled once more, his breathing more regular after he'd taken the dive. As he sunk deeper the wolf drew closer and closer, to the vein of light that acted like a scar upon the depths of his soul. It had been the result of a night gone so horribly wrong, but now, even as he drew close enough to touch it; Rickter felt a warmth coming out from the vein. We started this journey... Apart. Rickter reached out to feel the light seep into his hand, and even though an unforgettable heat momentarily coursed through it he didn't pull away. We started it feeling alone and scared. His somber gaze rose back up to the surface, as another plume of bubbles exhaled from his nostrils.
But I'm not afraid... Not any longer. The vein of light glimmered a little brighter in response to Rickter's reach, his gaze averted to it, and he reflected on everything that brought him here. His family had been taken from him. That was the immediate blow he had to address, the schism born from that fact already felt like a dagger plunged into his heart. The pain of that felt real and fresh as the night it took place, but the wolf's chest heaved steadily as he took that pain deep within. He was exiled from his home, which had been another blow to his pride once he returned. Rickter remembered all the anger and pain he felt upon the first return, the overwhelming fear of losing his loved ones when they snuck back in, and even the drive he felt when they made their break for the wilderness outside Kalzasi's domain.
He had been fighting nonstop, to protect what mattered to him and what he had left, but that wasn't where he had gone wrong. He chased after an impossible dream... He had wanted something deeper, something more, something meaningful between the ones that had brought such joy and clarity in his life. He wanted to build that life with them, not see it all fall to pieces because the world pulled every one of them away. Sure... his actions only caused a greater divide, but at the end of the day, his pack was still his own... and he could still protect them all. But first...
I don't know what Fate has in store for us anymore. I doubt you'll even feel a shred of any of this... But I'm done. He would no longer hold himself back, for he was done with the walls and the invisible prison he built for himself. I'm done holding everything back! The heat of the scar generated a wave of bubbles as even sparks began to flow out, tiny lights swirled out into the churning depths all around, and the waters around him responded to the focus on that scar. The wolf reached out until his hands finally dipped into that shimmering scar with apprehension. A muffled boom shuddered overhead as thunder clearly flashed from the surface.
It all threatened to surge out of him now, he felt his entire core rattled as the pain born within escalated, the level of his surface fiercely ached as the ocean responded to his thoughts. It wasn't just every painful memory he channeled but the good ones too; the hopes he had of strengthening the pack's familial bonds, the dreams of sharing the miracles of life with all of them, every wish he had made when he admired something about them. Even every lesson he learned from this difficult journey. All of it.
The scar emitted a brilliant radiance now as he channeled it all, before the turbulent seas above him roiled into a rage which slammed and crashed against overhead. They can take my world. They can take my heart. But if that's to be my fate... The final breath that he took in before he clenched, his entire body filled with the heat of the fire he kept buried deep within. Then every step of the way is a step closer to home.
Rickter's eyes opened once more out onto the clearing before him, with a massive ball of weight resting heavily in his chest. He leaned forward from his knees to rest his head on the ground, his hands momentarily clutched at his core as he strained from the gravity of it all. The immensity. It was all so much and though it continued to hurt, Rickter refused to let it all just go without focus. He had done this once before already, in a prayer of never hoping to see the light of day. In hopes of never having to face that Dawn, because the loneliness left behind when the ones ripped away from him... left a void in his heart. Not anymore though. All around Rickter, the air stirred with aether, a glowing plume radiated off of him as his aura grew massive in size. Every thought and feeling he had made it larger, while the ice around him accumulated into spikes when he lifted his head from the ground on up.
With one long scream out into the night, Rickter finally loosened the reigns on his power, and a burst of wind surged from his body; sending snow and dirt particles flying away from him. Aether and ice swirled into action when he lifted his hands, snow, and dirt clumped within them as he finally released everything into one burst. Nothing volatile, nothing that would bring more harm. Just one burst of energy coalesced around his form, before tendrils of ice started to form at the base of the ground around him. Ice stemmed up, around, as well as off of him, and laced outward to burrow roots all throughout the ledges. The very space above him shuddered as the wind danced in a circle all around him, and silver particles soon caught in the swirl as frost caught the moonlight.
There came a high-pitched ring after his roar, one that echoed into the night before every ounce of his power came bursting out, everything, he flooded every thought and memory through himself; and into that ghost of the Bond he kept iced away for months. Rickter channeled all of it so that in the wake of his release, even the ice heard his deepest wishes, and took to form that ideal. All around the wolf ice spiraled into a spire that hardened into a twisting gnarl, the element crystallizing while it continued to rise into a tower over Rickter. The icy stalagmites that he made that lonely night could not compare to this, having only been eight meters tall after they were born fresh from his pain.
This time...
A long spiraled shaft formed as the ice continued to surge up above, and shot twenty meters high, before the final few memories he channeled filtered through. In one last gust, a burst surged throughout the peaks as the spire's tip exploded, the crackling sound of ice now a sudden cacophony of broken glass, as spikes and frost jutted from the peak of the spire over Rickter. A blanket of frost spread out and blanketed the ledges and clearing, and when all fell silent throughout the range again, a brilliant structure in the form of an icy tree had crystallized in Rickter's place. It took the wolf a moment to realize that the ice born from his soul would not freeze him, and therefore, found himself able to move as he looked overhead within the structure. Lights were starting to dance above the tree now, generating a soft neon teal and purple as he shifted onto his feet.
Finally, he rose within the center of the structure, unhindered by the ice as he started to walk through it. It took about thirteen steps before he reached the outer edge, and he felt the cool breeze hit him with the smell of ozone once again. He parted from the base of the structure and walked onward, approaching the ledge that allowed him to gaze back down at Kalzasi once more. He breathed... Heavily but not in the same sense as before, in fact, he felt lighter than ever, finally relieved to have unleashed all those thoughts and emotions he'd kept bottled within. All that remained in him now was just the clarity and determination, the two best things he needed to see the world before him, a world that he knew was waiting for him to finally rise to the occasion.
Searing 53, 122nd Year, A.o.S
Night had fallen now that he had made his way up the slope. It was clear and crisp within the Astralar Range tonight as the Ebberite peaks were blanketed with snow, the lower reaches more of gravel though when he made his way up and around another bend within the ridge. It had been the one place he needed to go to, just the one, where he could finally confront a few things about himself; when the location was right. Kalzasi was still in range but at a credible distance, even so, Rickter wanted this to be done at a much more careful position instead. For the first time in a while, he had a chance to think and he'd reflected on much of his actions after the trip up here with Traversion.
His magic had been used as a tool of war once he'd set off on his campaign, something that Rickter never suspected himself of doing until he'd actually realized it. Magic had been one of the few things he'd grown good at, almost to a point where it defined him even, and never did he once want to use iy as a means of killing. Yet he did. His powers and his protections turned into weapons against his enemies, when instead he should've been using them for other good things. After tonight, he thought, there wouldn't be just blatant abuse of his power anymore. There just wouldn't. The wolf was always meant to be a protector to his people, a guardian, and after tonight he would make damn well sure he was fit for the role once again.
He came upon a clearing between several peaks within the range, doubtful that anything extreme he did here would carry out that far into the mountains. He believed Kalzasi to be safe at this point, and the dangers minimized down to just him and whatever might throw itself at him. But the mountains were quiet tonight and as such, only the wind seemed inclined to guide him further along the slopes into the clearing itself. He'd forgotten the chill this place could still give someone, even as hot-blooded and tempered as Rickter was most of the time. "Is this the place?" The knight manifested behind Rickter as he stared out ahead, taking in the sight of the area as snow and rock seemed to be the only thing present.
He then took a deep breath before looking past his shoulder, to give Alistor a reluctant nod before he looked within the center of the area. "Very well. You're not alone, Rickter, even when you choose to be."
"I'm well aware..." He agreed with a ghost of a chuckle before he shifted to sit down on his knees. "No matter how hard I've tried, I'm well aware now of that little fact... Shall we, then?" The Dawnmartyr gave a slow affirming nod to the wolf, and though his breath shook, Rickter closed his eyes to focus deeply on the storm he felt brewing within him. It had to be done. What went on inside his soul had to be dealt with, and he was finally prepared to face all the pain and sorrow. It had been a couple of seasons, several months of harboring these intense emotions. The wolf focused on the inner reaches of himself, seeking to withdraw in until finally, he felt that part of his consciousness slip.
Beneath him, he felt rock but when he opened his eyes he was in the Foundation of his Soul once more. The Oceans were turbulent as gales whipped across the sky, clouds threatened to burst with rainfall overhead as he looked up at the rising storm within his heart. This had gone on too long, far too long. And when Rickter stood he did so with not just the Dawnmartyr but the Zaichaeri at his side also. It felt as though Rickter held a breath for far too long, and finally, a sense of relief had started to rise out of him now that he gave it a sighful release. "Let's get this over with."
He turned to the other two as they approached him, both men eyeing Rickter with determination as they each took a shoulder. Together they helped crane him to where the wolf was gradually lowered down, until the back of his figure finally rested over the surface of the water. This was where the hard part would come next, where the wolf would have to endeavor to keep himself in control. With one final deep breath, he looked between the two of them and nodded, before he shut his eyes and felt their hands slip from underneath him. In just a moment of that fall, the wolf felt the waters engulf him, even so much as embrace him when he plunged into the depths below.
Bubbles trailed out from his nostrils when he exhaled once more, his breathing more regular after he'd taken the dive. As he sunk deeper the wolf drew closer and closer, to the vein of light that acted like a scar upon the depths of his soul. It had been the result of a night gone so horribly wrong, but now, even as he drew close enough to touch it; Rickter felt a warmth coming out from the vein. We started this journey... Apart. Rickter reached out to feel the light seep into his hand, and even though an unforgettable heat momentarily coursed through it he didn't pull away. We started it feeling alone and scared. His somber gaze rose back up to the surface, as another plume of bubbles exhaled from his nostrils.
But I'm not afraid... Not any longer. The vein of light glimmered a little brighter in response to Rickter's reach, his gaze averted to it, and he reflected on everything that brought him here. His family had been taken from him. That was the immediate blow he had to address, the schism born from that fact already felt like a dagger plunged into his heart. The pain of that felt real and fresh as the night it took place, but the wolf's chest heaved steadily as he took that pain deep within. He was exiled from his home, which had been another blow to his pride once he returned. Rickter remembered all the anger and pain he felt upon the first return, the overwhelming fear of losing his loved ones when they snuck back in, and even the drive he felt when they made their break for the wilderness outside Kalzasi's domain.
He had been fighting nonstop, to protect what mattered to him and what he had left, but that wasn't where he had gone wrong. He chased after an impossible dream... He had wanted something deeper, something more, something meaningful between the ones that had brought such joy and clarity in his life. He wanted to build that life with them, not see it all fall to pieces because the world pulled every one of them away. Sure... his actions only caused a greater divide, but at the end of the day, his pack was still his own... and he could still protect them all. But first...
I don't know what Fate has in store for us anymore. I doubt you'll even feel a shred of any of this... But I'm done. He would no longer hold himself back, for he was done with the walls and the invisible prison he built for himself. I'm done holding everything back! The heat of the scar generated a wave of bubbles as even sparks began to flow out, tiny lights swirled out into the churning depths all around, and the waters around him responded to the focus on that scar. The wolf reached out until his hands finally dipped into that shimmering scar with apprehension. A muffled boom shuddered overhead as thunder clearly flashed from the surface.
It all threatened to surge out of him now, he felt his entire core rattled as the pain born within escalated, the level of his surface fiercely ached as the ocean responded to his thoughts. It wasn't just every painful memory he channeled but the good ones too; the hopes he had of strengthening the pack's familial bonds, the dreams of sharing the miracles of life with all of them, every wish he had made when he admired something about them. Even every lesson he learned from this difficult journey. All of it.
The scar emitted a brilliant radiance now as he channeled it all, before the turbulent seas above him roiled into a rage which slammed and crashed against overhead. They can take my world. They can take my heart. But if that's to be my fate... The final breath that he took in before he clenched, his entire body filled with the heat of the fire he kept buried deep within. Then every step of the way is a step closer to home.
Rickter's eyes opened once more out onto the clearing before him, with a massive ball of weight resting heavily in his chest. He leaned forward from his knees to rest his head on the ground, his hands momentarily clutched at his core as he strained from the gravity of it all. The immensity. It was all so much and though it continued to hurt, Rickter refused to let it all just go without focus. He had done this once before already, in a prayer of never hoping to see the light of day. In hopes of never having to face that Dawn, because the loneliness left behind when the ones ripped away from him... left a void in his heart. Not anymore though. All around Rickter, the air stirred with aether, a glowing plume radiated off of him as his aura grew massive in size. Every thought and feeling he had made it larger, while the ice around him accumulated into spikes when he lifted his head from the ground on up.
With one long scream out into the night, Rickter finally loosened the reigns on his power, and a burst of wind surged from his body; sending snow and dirt particles flying away from him. Aether and ice swirled into action when he lifted his hands, snow, and dirt clumped within them as he finally released everything into one burst. Nothing volatile, nothing that would bring more harm. Just one burst of energy coalesced around his form, before tendrils of ice started to form at the base of the ground around him. Ice stemmed up, around, as well as off of him, and laced outward to burrow roots all throughout the ledges. The very space above him shuddered as the wind danced in a circle all around him, and silver particles soon caught in the swirl as frost caught the moonlight.
There came a high-pitched ring after his roar, one that echoed into the night before every ounce of his power came bursting out, everything, he flooded every thought and memory through himself; and into that ghost of the Bond he kept iced away for months. Rickter channeled all of it so that in the wake of his release, even the ice heard his deepest wishes, and took to form that ideal. All around the wolf ice spiraled into a spire that hardened into a twisting gnarl, the element crystallizing while it continued to rise into a tower over Rickter. The icy stalagmites that he made that lonely night could not compare to this, having only been eight meters tall after they were born fresh from his pain.
This time...
A long spiraled shaft formed as the ice continued to surge up above, and shot twenty meters high, before the final few memories he channeled filtered through. In one last gust, a burst surged throughout the peaks as the spire's tip exploded, the crackling sound of ice now a sudden cacophony of broken glass, as spikes and frost jutted from the peak of the spire over Rickter. A blanket of frost spread out and blanketed the ledges and clearing, and when all fell silent throughout the range again, a brilliant structure in the form of an icy tree had crystallized in Rickter's place. It took the wolf a moment to realize that the ice born from his soul would not freeze him, and therefore, found himself able to move as he looked overhead within the structure. Lights were starting to dance above the tree now, generating a soft neon teal and purple as he shifted onto his feet.
Finally, he rose within the center of the structure, unhindered by the ice as he started to walk through it. It took about thirteen steps before he reached the outer edge, and he felt the cool breeze hit him with the smell of ozone once again. He parted from the base of the structure and walked onward, approaching the ledge that allowed him to gaze back down at Kalzasi once more. He breathed... Heavily but not in the same sense as before, in fact, he felt lighter than ever, finally relieved to have unleashed all those thoughts and emotions he'd kept bottled within. All that remained in him now was just the clarity and determination, the two best things he needed to see the world before him, a world that he knew was waiting for him to finally rise to the occasion.
"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Speech" Thoughts "Alistor"
"Speech" Thoughts "Alistor"
