What Child is This? [Aurrealis]

[Hadrian]

2nd Spring, 512 A.V. Avanthal was a mess. Hadrian had weathered the storm in his dwelling with Ethan and, as luck would have it, Tiki. Despite their shelter, things had shattered in his mind, allowing a rush of memories to return: the Zevkan Legacy, his Lykata gnosis, that day of wonder almost two years gone now. He turned the bracelet on his arm, the which Nugget could use to call him back if need be. And now his eyes were an even brighter shade of blue due to the storm, his hair darker now, and shot through with dark blue. He wondered if this effect would be permanent, knew he could deal with it through Morphing or the illusions granted him by Ionu, but it was all so strange. As he wandered, trying to collect his thoughts, he helped where he could. A crying child was soothed by a whimsical illusion, allowing her parents to focus on the tasks at hand. By the Palace, workers were attempting to keep the remaining ice from melting, but while they could reave extant ice, they could not create it. He paused, stilled his mind, and sent forth gushing gouts of the palest blue res before him, and it gathered and whorled until there was enough of it to solidify into a block of ice bigger than he was. It took only moments now, so advanced had he become with his reimancy, and the cheers made him smile, for once just an honest, open smile. At first, he had been upset to be granted Water over the Fire he wanted, and each element had come in turn, never the one he wanted. Now only Fire lay beyond his reach, and that would have been the least helpful element here and now. Perhaps the gods did know what they were doing. A little wearier, he set off to walk, and think, and help more. But he had eaten a large breakfast, knowing he would have a lot of work to do today and that his body would need that to produce more djed in a quick and efficient manner. As he walked, he let his special sense for auras reach out beyond what he could see and hear and smell with his more mundane senses. He noted each person as he passed, and his hand would brush over this wall, or that fence, and with his new connection to Eyris, he could pick up impressions of things that had gone past them or gone into their creation. It was a strange new level of awareness. But an iota of purpose was developing within him. He had to return to Zeltiva, but he could not leave until Avanthal was safe. There had been too much time spent here not to invest somewhat. Now he looked for the next need that he was well suited to fill.

[Aurrealis]

It's been 24 bells and the child's father still hadn't returned. He had suspected Coolwater requiring extra attention, for Iceglaze Mines are far beyond rejuvenation, but never would Aurrealis think that Coolwater would need so many physicians and rescuers that his father is among the ones that failed to show up the dusk the night before. Sure - The city has gone permanently frayed; the Kelvics in desperate need of care, and the Frozen Falls Market, taking in numerous gallons of water every second. With all the Ice Reimancy already attending to the flooding businesses, shopkeepers going mad with panic and freight, little help is given elsewhere. Then again, what help can be given, beyond the point of no repair? His novice skills of healing touch provides no match among the dying - All he can do is watch their tragic souls from afar, whisked away as they part this living world. He was dressed in his typical snow attire, for he has nothing else to wear, a fur hood pulled down, damp with humidity and water. The heat slowly gets to him, his breath stops short as he runs through the streets, searching for desperate pleas of help; the ones that he can remotely aid. He hadn't slept the night before, nor does he plan to until his fate has been decided within this melting world. He leaves his left hand uncovered, an array of glitter coats his Mark, serpents climbing up his index finger and thumb. Not long before his day began of search and find, a young doe scurries out from behind a ruined building, frightened as it hears Aurrealis wander by - blood trailing behind, leaving a tattoo in the thawing ground. Only for 10 feet or so, it drops to the ground, breathing hard, a gloss in its eye. Aurrealis runs to it, kneeling down before the weakened wildlife. No doubt this animal ventured through the openings of the city as it melted away. It was lost, perhaps forgotten. But not entirely. A large gash penetrates it side; an icicle, falling from the heat, possibly bigger than the doe herself. Aurrealis set his hand on her side, his eyes motionless and his breath even, he feels the fleeting heartbeat; the warm blood rushing through his fingers. Within seconds, the blood begins to dry and the doe's heartbeat returns to normality. With that one touch, Rak'keli's Mark, infused with her domain, intertwines in the veins of the animal - finding a broken soul, patching as much as his magic can endure. Her ears spring up, scrambling to her feet before she darts off into a crowd of trees. A rush of success fills Aurrealis, the warmth of healing does good for all. It doesn't last, though, for his emotions refuse to change. It's not perfect, but it'll do for now. He thought, looking off into the direction the doe had fled, blood dripping from his fingers. He retraces his steps back, looking down hard, unblinking and unmoved by such perpetual bliss. A lot has been on his mind the last 24 bells, the thought of leaving and running away from such heartlessness. He couldn't stay here anymore - What if his father never returned? Yet once again, he felt no confusion. He was enlightened to tell the tale of opportunity, but there was no impetus of returning here. He sat down on top of a brick pathway, a stone staircase leading down into another section of shops. A cry ringed off in the near distance, only to be soothed by a scrumptious lullaby from a mother. His head drooped, his insides twisting with bottled emotion, and a bloodied hand, marking a red stain on the stone.

[Hadrian]

He felt a flash of divine power on the edge of his awareness; not the icy flare of one of Morwen's ice reavers, but the brave relief of Rak'keli's healing, he thought. It was difficult to tell at this distance and as quickly as it went. Divine magic was more about being a channel than personal skill, he had found, though he was more adept at his illusions for having spent some time working with Ionu's gift, and he thought he was dealing well with the new Lykata for all that he had gone so far with Auristics. He began to walk toward the site of the Healing to see if his help was needed, but all he found was a boy-child sitting, blood on his hands and the afterglow of Rak'keli's power sparkling among the aurora lights of his own aura. Now that he was marked himself, he was no longer quite so jealous of the young who were marked by deity. Jealousy had never been helpful, and was no longer even necessary. Walking up, he could tell that the boy was all right for the most part, though he did seem to be a bit, well, crystallized, auristically speaking, as if one color had been called forth and was shining above the others unnaturally. It was strange, but then, so much was today. "Hello," he said in Vani. His Vani was rather poor. "I am Hadrian. I help you?" He paused, then switched to Common. "Or if you speak Common, I can help you more easily."

[Aurrealis]

The man behind him, to which he calls himself Hadrian, startles him to very least. He wasn't frightened, just when lost in a mental world of decisions, and having no human interactions for the duration of the past day, the voice echoed through the trees, halting his train of thought before crashing into mental turmoil. The butchered Vani made him smile slightly. Note-ably, Aurrealis enjoys the interests of foreigners in Vantha culture, residing with language as well. He likes to see the diversity among people here, learning his ancestry and heritage; a knowledge best learned by experiencing. His smile faded, quirking an eyebrow at the man. "What do you-" he started in Common, then through a spark of realization, he looks down at his hand. Blood caked, emitting a rich pink colour as his Mark glitters through, a beautiful display of light. He quickly wipes it off in the grass next to the stone, rising to his feet to look at the man. "Oh, that wasn't my blood. It was a doe's blood; It was going to bleed to death, so I helped it." He wiped the rest of the remants on his pants, leaving a streaked mark. He blinked and looked up at Hadrian, great green eyes stared, penetrating the man's. He saw refuge in Hadrian, moreso a coveted return. His eyes seemed lost; desperate as the city melted behind Hadrian. A great magical presence concurred with his Mark; he knew he was standing before an expert wizard, of whatever magic is left to be unknown to him. Aurrealis grew silent, retracted and mindful. Shouldn't he be afraid of this man; a foreigner, holding such magical abilities, confronting a boy in an alone world? Of course not. His mood won't change. He bit his tongue out of fear for a brief second before saying, "I'm Aurrealis. Aurrealis Whitevine." His voice accented and retreating.

[Hadrian]

The djed storm had pulled the traces of Vantha heritage to the fore, brightening his eyes, darkening his hair with those strange, blue-black streaks. Nothing shifted though, but only time would tell him how deeply this transformation went, nor how permanent it might be. He just nodded at the boy's explanations, having sensed a good deal of what had happened, his logical mind putting a narrative together, helping him make sense of the world around him. "That was kind of you," he noted. Kindness was not something of which Hadrian had none, but there was a strange disconnect between his thoughts and his feelings. It was only when they worked in tandem that he became truly powerful. Thankfully, they could speak in Common, which would make things more easy for Hadrian. "I'm Hadrian Aelius," he answered. "More recently of Iceglaze Hold, but I was unaware of my lineage until Morwen enlightened me." He put out his hand to shake Aurrealis' as if the boy were a man grown; it was the only way he knew to deal with children, elsewise he ran the risk of speaking to them as if they were mentally challenged, which was never helpful. "Please to meet you."

[Aurrealis]

When the man spoke of being kind, Aurrealis paused momentarily to think of those words. He couldn't remember the last time he was "kind", as if all experiences have been erased. If only confusion could be seen in his eyes, Aurrealis couldn't logically think of the connection of Hadrian's shining, vivid blue irises and hair to what he was being told. How did he not know Vani? What did this storm do to people? Apparently Aurrealis wasn't the only one to be marked with confusion, which was a relief all on it's own. Aurrealis felt no bravery. He felt no courage to speak to this man. He didn't feel fear either; there was no way to trust this man. His words of sorcery, confusion and disbelief. Where were his answers to this great apocalyptic change? When Hadrian thrust out his hand, reasoning shot through his brain. It be wise to not do this, it be wise to simply run away. But to where? A father missing, a home in ruins. It wouldn't be wise, though, to turn down friendly aid in such dire times. With hesitation, Aurrealis held out a clean hand and shook Hadrian's softly and silently. "Pleasure", he said, quiet as a mouse.

[Hadrian]

Despite the changes wrought by the storm, he was clearly not Vantha. Too tall, too pale, and he didn't speak their native tongue, was not marked by their Goddess, though perhaps she would mark him for his service to her. That was not something he was banking on, however. They shook hands and he felt nothing. Well, he felt a heightened sense of the boy's aura, but the gift from Eyris seemed only to function on inanimate objects and exanimate objects, things that had been living but were no longer. Strange, but good to know. "Well, Aurrealis," he began, thinking. The boy was obviously able to take care of himself enough to go healing wounded animals, and there were people moving around all the time now attempting to deal with the damage, to guard against further encroachment by the djed that was still all wonky. "You seem to have things under control here, but do you want me to walk you home or help you find your parents?" That was the best he could do to suss the kid out, find out what he needed and how to get it for him so he could go on to helping the rest of Avanthal, but it was important not to lose sight of the trees for the forest...

[Aurrealis]

There's an interesting perspective that breaths through Aurrealis every day. With the coming and going of the storm, questions still unanswered, a persistence surfaces in Aurrealis's curiosity. It's a spark, and the heightened sense-fullness of his enlightenment shows predominantly while talking with Hadrian. He's never been the one to judge, and he's never been the one to discriminate. This could be his nature, or it could be his child demeanor. When Hadrian asks about taking him to his parents, although it might seem fiendish through malicious intent, Aurrealis knew that somehow it wasn't. Something snapped behind his deep, emerald eyes. Something wasn't right. It was a sudden burst of fluctuating pain, though it did not hurt. It itched at his mind, crawling to escape. It was a fountain of fire, directed at his holistic well-being. An anxiety crept through his ears, nestling a home in the basis of his emotion. In an instant, it subsided - gone like lightning's sonic shock. He showed nothing of it. He promptly asked Hadrian, turning around to face the open air, pausing briefly before turning back to face the man, "Why are you here?" His voice even and his eyes emerald. "My parent's are dead."

[Hadrian]

"I'm... sorry." He felt a dull throb in his chest where his mother used to be. He tried not to think on her loss; it had been almost two years, would be two years come Summer, if Summer did indeed come again. "About your parents, I'm sorry." His awkwardness came back full force, not knowing how to deal with things emotional. "I lost my mother recently..." That bit of himself offered, he tried to answer the other question, perhaps reading into it too much. "I came to explore and to learn, and settled in for Winter. I'm here now to try to help. Avanthal has been my home for over a season and I would not see it ruined by that wild djed storm. Is there somewhere I should take you? I know where the Icewatch cubs are kept, or back to your Hold? I didn't mean to cause you distress."

[Aurrealis]

There was beyond a doubt that his father was dead. He couldn't deny it any longer. He couldn't play these games; it brought agony to think about. He was, unofficially, an orphan. His father is likely to be on the bottom of Coolwater Hold, face down and lifeless. Aurrealis turned from Hadrian once more, sitting on the cool path, next to the red blood stain with his head in his hands. Why couldn't he be more limitless? He can aid an injured doe, but his abilities stop short if he tried to revive someone; pull them back from Death's Doorstep. All he sees is failure, a useless cause in a now lonely world. He can't even mourn his father's death; he can only acknowledge it. He can cry, but he will feel no relief - no cause - no unending callousness he's pathetically cursed with. He's enlightened. Always enlightened, never finding it a bit tragic. With the realization of his death, comes an epiphany of opportunity. He can no longer be held down. He doesn't need to feel that his personal proclamation is a waste. Aurrealis can now learn, experience - increase his healing magic, so that one day he could breath back someone on the brink of death, before being pulled into a light-less oblivion. Though, what a petty thought to think after a father's death. The merciless uplifting and cruel relief of a persons passing who raised you without a mother, enduring his own struggles. Yet still, Aurrealis felt no hatred. It was deep, an inner sanctum, but never shallow enough to portray his outward behaviour. As Hadrian talks, Aurrealis is lost in this mental parallel, comprehending his last words slowly. He felt no pity for the loss of his mother. I'm part of no Hold; no family. Aurrealis's aura most of jumped dramatically, possibly inducing an intense unrest through Hadrian's abilities. He acknowledges his useless apologizes, unknowingly how to respond to them. He hates this pitiless, but what could he do? He simply sat, looking out onto the forests canopy. He wait's until Hadrian finishes, taking a long pause to soak in the event. Birds chirped above and far off into the distance, naive to grounded humans and their predicaments. "You can take me away from here." Aurrealis finally says, a slight breeze picking up. "You can take me far away from here. I have no home here anymore. There's no one else to trust, nothing else to hold on to. Please, help me." He turns back to face Hadrian, a pain protruding from his expression. He looks down, before pulling his knees up and hugging them tight. He adds while turning once more, "I'm sorry about your mother too."