[Reflecting Pools] The Flaming Reflection (Soliloquy)

by **Soshakuakamamushi** on December 21st, 2013, 3:45 pm

"Hahaha... yessss! Ssshow me!" As the being cackled, she hiss-cackled back in return. The Viper raised her head and gazed deep into the black pool. By now, she didn't feel even a tinge anxiety or nervousness, only abundant amount of curiosity. The future's secrets would soon be unlocked and she might be the only Dhani in Zinrah that knew about events that had not transpired. The water began to form pictures, Aka hissed eagerly and directed all of her attention on the images.

"Hsss..." Of course the very first images would involve Mamoru, he was the most influential person, other than Ivak, in her Falyndar life. The moving images showed her conversing with the tall Constrictor, both of them in human form. She was angry about something and punched him in the end. As usual, it didn't do any visible damage, her Viper physical strength was puny compared to a Constrictor, especially one as strong as Mamoru. The Viper wanted to find out why she was so angry at him, it might be him pranking her or forcing her to do something she didn't want, but... her image's rage was real, similar to her exploding rampage in the jungle which attracted the attention of Ivak. She retreated from the scene soon after.

Suddenly, the image of a boy appeared from behind Mamoru. Aka raised an eyebrow, that boy couldn't be a Dhani, a Dhani in human form meant adulthood, the boy looked far too young. Perhaps he was a Viper, like her? Impossible, the boy looked even younger and smaller than Aka, truly a child. The image panned in closer to the boy and by Ivak, "WHAT?!!" She recognized those complexion and eyes... it was that petching half-breed's traits! That boy was the abomination spawn from the unholy mating of a Dhani and a half-monkey half-Dhani creature!

"EAAAAAAARGH!!!! PEEEEETCH!!! PETCH HIM!!! PETCH TINNOK! I'LL KILL THEM!! I'LL KILL THEM BOTH!!" She exploded, hot white mists began pouring from beneath her scales, an overgiving trait she picked up after her meeting with Ivak. Aka didn't care about the mists as she opened her jaw wide, venom and mists dripping from her fangs. "Show me more! Show meeeee!!" She hissed in frustration when the images faded out.

The next scene was not to her expectations, it showed her and the Zinrah army breaking through the Myrian blockage with few casualties even when greatly outnumbered. "I sssee." Aka made a mental frown, she liked this one, the pool showed her that victory was indeed possible. The battle wasn't hopeless and one day, the serpentine race would triumph over the bronze monkeys. The voice then came back, asking her if she had seen enough, what a stupid question, of course not.

"NO! Show me more! Show me when I kill Tinnok with my own handsss! Show me her crisp body as she lay burnt beneath my feet in assshesss!!! After she killed the mother, then... "Show me the boy too... show me hisss corpssse." She would do the unborn child a favor by sending him back to Dira.

by **Soliloquy** on January 13th, 2014, 3:15 pm

The presence seemed to weigh the Viper's demands. Did it want to show her those things? The crazy side, of which became lost and forgot what it was, to watching so many futures. It wanted to show the Crimson snake more of her future. Let her see all there is to see. Let her see her desires and the Dhani forging them true. It saw a slither (it had to laugh at his own pun) of itself in Aka.

The other side was more reasonable and what tether the being to this place. It wasn't lost to the madness and tried to bal ance out the craziness but often times failing. It felt that it had shown Aka enough and that she should be glad she got to see anything at all, even if it wasn't set in stone of whether it truly would happen or not.

Aka could probably hear slight bickering amongst the breeze and the two halves whispered and debated amongst itself, catching only snippets of what was actually said out loud.

"She...seen..."

"No! No! She...wishes..to...more...viper..."

If the Dhani were to peer back into the reflective water before her again, she would see fuzzy images again. It seemed neither one of the clashing personalities were aware that due to their bickering that neither had control over the pool. However because neither was in control the images were extra fuzzy, making hard to make out details.

A short Dhani was slithering through the jungle wilds. He seemed to be searching for something in particular. His face was full of determination and his movement leaked urgency. A sword in his hand tipped with blood, but who's was unsure.

"What's...harm.."

"Does..she..really..."

The short Dhani turns out to be the childlike Dhani from before and Mamoru's son. What he was looking for seemed to be close because features upon his face switched to relief. He hurries his movements and comes upon a glade. Once inside he looks around him before his body begins to shift and change. At first it looks like he was just shifting out of his Dhani form to his human form. A brief glimpse could be seen of him and all childlike features that Aka had seen before the first time were gone but there was a fully grown male Dhani. The figure only remained that way for the few ticks it took him to morph back into the childlike human from before. Claiming some clothes that were hidden amongst some low brushes he hurriedly dressed and picked up the sword and continued back out of the glade.

The pool went black again and all bickering from earlier had stopped. The being seemed to have noticed what had happened and regained control.

by **Soshakuakamamushi** on January 28th, 2014, 3:49 pm

Aka's rage was reaching the point where the effect of her past severe overgiving set in, steams of hot mists began pouring out from beneath her scales, jetting out and filling the air around her with heat. Aka herself paid it no mind, she was too caught up in anger and the pool's apparent pause only irked her further. "Why are you sssilent?! I demand you to ssshow me! Or... Elssse!" To drive her threat in, the Viper opened her jaw wide, showing off her long venomous fangs as slimy res began covering her long sinuous body. The reddish slime ebbed and flowed like living beings as it crawled over its mistress' scales. With a hiss of fury, the Viper ignited herself on fire, causing an explosion of heatwave to erupt from her serpentine form.

"Ssshow me!" Her voice seemed to echo and boom, combined with her turning into a literal fiery serpent, in an attempt to intimidate this invisible oracle. The Viper didn't care about anything else, risks and consequences be damned, the sweet fruit of the future shall be hers one way or another. She paid no mind to the flames raging on her body as the God of Flames himself protected her. Aka mentally smirked when her slitted eyes found images flickering back on the pool's surface, perhaps her little outburst worked, fire was the solution to every problem. "..." The images were very unclear, she had to completely focus herself and even that allowed her to catch but a glimpse.

What little she caught from those images were a child-like Dhani in Dhani form was slithering, carrying some kind of weapon, rather red in color, it could be blood or just decorative painting. This Dhani then came upon a glade before it shifted to human form, but the transformation was strange, his human form was rather disproportionate, looking much bigger compared to his Dhani form, it only lasted for a few ticks before he shrunk to a child. After that, the pool went black, leaving a very dissatisfied Viper. "Petch... petch you! What the petch wasss that?! Ssshow me more!! Ssshow me!" She screamed at the pool, but in the back of her mind, she was getting more and more tired, the constant drain on her djed was taking its heavy toll on her. Aka's vision slowly blurred itself and her survival instinct screamed at her to escape, but no... she must know, she must see everything, but now, her physical form disagreed with her.

"N... no..." Her body simply couldn't move, like all of her stamina was drained from her. With a weak hiss, Aka's head fell to the ground, her slitted eyes closed and her conciousness left her, accompanied by the flames embracing her whole body.

by **Traverse** on February 12th, 2014, 3:32 pm

Her dreams were heavy with the strange possibilities of the future. The viper glimpsed Mamuro, his back turned to her,yet suddenly a hand, his hand, was gently caressing her face. Tinnok crept up behind his shoulder with a wicked smile upon her face, kissing Mamuro's neck, yet then suddenly a blade was splitting the Constrictor's stomach apart, the crimson blood splattering Aka's face and clothes.

She saw fires swallowing trees, res exploding out of her hands and feeding the flames, Okapi, deer, jaguar, birds fleeing before her wake, Myrian corpses charred and crumbling under the power of her flames.

Then the dream changed its chaotic tones. Aka had never seen one, but she had heard stories of the Tskanna, great creatures that Myrians kept in Taloba, but that also roamed free in the jungle wilds. She saw one, grey and blue with giant ivory tusks. It trumpeted at her, the sound deafening her, and making her close her eyes, but when she opened them again the Tskanna was gone, its massive bleached skeleton covered in her flames, the land black and dry around it. A voice crept out from it the skull, taller than she was, looming over her as smoke rose up from the still warm ground.

"Why do you kill the forest that houses you Aka? Why do your flames lick wantonly at our home, our food, our life?"

The voice creeped into her head, and echoed. Meanwhile, Aka's body, unconcious, continued to have the djed drained out of it. The pace had slowed since Aka's emotional upheaval, and the pools seemed to purr with their good fortune of finding such a potent magical entity to steal from.

by **Soshakuakamamushi** on February 13th, 2014, 3:47 pm

The Viper's vision focused itself, finding herself in what appeared to be a cavern room, she held her head as her slitted eyes gazed upon the figure in front of her, they widened, "M... massster?" It was the Trickster himself, standing before her in all his human-formed Dhani glory. In the dream, she didn't recall any previous events nor recognize any odd changes, her mind convinced herself that she was here to see him about something, this 'something' slipped her mind, tethering on the brink of fading. Shaking her head, Aka figured Mamoru must be wondering why did she stood there like an idiot, Aka raised her head, prepared to explain.

She gasped when a large hand caressed her cheek, it was Mamoru's hand, she could feel a blush coming to her cheeks, "M-master, haha, ssstop it, it'sss embarrassing," In truth, she didn't want him to, she loved him, him caressing her face meant he cared for her to a degree. Aka hissed in affection, raising her right hand to hold his, holding it so it would never leave her, but something was off, Mamoru's back was still facing her and by common sense, he shouldn't be able to twist his arm unless... he was toying with her with his Morphing magic. Typical of you, Master... planning to spook me out? So he wanted to scare her through unusual limb movement, he should have known better. She could forgive him this time though, his caress was appreciated.

"Silly you, Mast-?!" Suddenly, an appalling sight played out before her, "Tin... Tinnok?!" As much as it was hard to believe, the half-breed was literally creeping out from behind his shoulder, the expression on her face so vile, Aka doubted she was the same woman whom she met in the jungle, but there was no mistaking it, the dark hair, the bronze skin, the slitted yellow eyes, it was Tinnok, no ifs and buts about it. "You..." Disgust combined with anger quickly rose inside her, her hand clenched into fists, she would kill this half-monkey right in front of Mamoru, for the crime of carrying an abomination of a baby.

Before she could react further, a horrifying scene played out so fast, she was frozen in shock. Mamoru's stomach was torn apart, bits of flesh and streams of blood flew from what used to be his body, many of which splattered themselves to Aka's face and robe, "W-wha... what?! No... No..." She didn't believe it, Aka raised her hands, fresh splotches of blood on her pale skin, a tear fell from her right eye as she screamed in horror, "Noooooooooo!!".

The air around her distorted as the very reality altered itself, now the Viper found herself in the middle of a wounded jungle, flames consuming everything around her, animals fleeing in terror, and it was all because of these flames, who could do such a thing? She raised her palms again, seeing reddish gas flowing out like open faucets. "No, no, I didn't..." Her slitted eyes observed her surroundings, aside from the burning trees, blackened corpses of Myrians strewn here and there, obviously slain by her inferno. Apparently, she was the one responsible, Aka was filled with dread, this was too much, she didn't meant for this to happen. The Azenth closed her eyes, feeling the space around her distorting, then she slowly opened them back.

"W-woah..." Awe replaced the fear in her mind, a majestic giant creature was directly in front of her, grey and blue in color, complete with giant spear-like fangs protruding from the sides of its mouth, Aka had only heard these creatures from the tales of her Constrictor cousins, until now. They were called 'Tskanna' and they were often seen in Myrian company, though wild ones did exist. This particular Tskanna looked wild, not a single Myrian near it, and it didn't like her. "Aaaaagh!" The creature bellowed with its mighty distinct voice, causing the Viper to hiss in pain, using both of her hands to cover her ears, her eyes instinctively closed by reflex.

"Ha... ha..." Panting, Aka half-expected for it to crush her while she was stunned, but it didn't happen. She opened her eyes, they widened at the ghastly sight, the great beast suddenly became bones, only its skeleton remained, covered in flames. Did I do this?! Am I the one responsible?! There was no other creature around it besides her and the only one capable of creating such raging flames was her so surely she must be guilty. The land itself wept at her transgression, blackened and dry. Aka's jaw dropped as her mouth opened in agape, she dropped down to her knees, in repudiation.

"Who...?" The sudden voice prompted her instincts to flee, but for some reason, she stayed, Aka stayed put as smokes hissed out from the skull, "I..." The voice accused her, prosecuting the Viper for consuming everything with her flames. Aka didn't deny them, she was guilty, both now and in the past, "Forgive me," her lips trembled, her small body dropped further down until she was curled up on the devastated ground, clenching her fists as tears flowed from her eyes, "Pleassse forgive me..." She had no excuse, the trees, animals, and Tskanna didn't do anything wrong yet she burned them together with the Myrians she was hunting.

by **Traverse** on February 16th, 2014, 2:05 pm

"FORGIVE YOU?!"

The voice boomed loud in her skull, the sound coming from all around her as well as within. There was a long delay, as if waiting for the sound to dissipate before the next words, much softer, floated into Aka's ears.

"How can the forest forgive you, viper, when you refuse to forgive yourself?"

A flash of Glabern, face pale and withering was placed in betwixt two of the massive ivory tusks of the Tskanna skeleton.

"You cling to the past, your blame is heavy upon your chest, and your flames are your comfort, your solution, so you burn our domain in your fury, rend it away, for what?"

As it spoke the voice grew, slowly, the fury of the wilds behind this echoing voice. The Tskanna returned, looming over her, trunk whipping furiously from side to side, feet stamping and shaking the earth

"You are older than most humans live, yet you are but a child. Deny, and whine all you wish, Soshakuakamamushi, but the jungle where you have found shelter knows you for what you are, and you do not just murder Myrians with your flames."

The pools around the unconcious viper bubbled and broiled, glowing strange colors, her body twitching slightly in her torment.

"Tell us the truth, viper, tell us your truth, or you will never leave these jungles alive."

by **Soshakuakamamushi** on February 17th, 2014, 3:56 pm

"Aaaaargh!" A cry so loud, it actually shot numerous amount of pain flowing through the Viper's body, to make matters worse, the howl didn't just come from one source, it came from all around and within her. No matter how tight she clenched her ears shut, the voice still made its way to her being, the Viper staggered and she fell down to her knees, slitted eyes opened wide as she trembled in panic. The Viper was frozen in fear, until the voice spoke once more, this time gentler.

"Forgive m-myself?" She stuttered her words, not quite catching what the voice meant at first glance, but when the image of her former Nuit mentor, Galbern, flashed before her very eyes, the Viper reeled back in shock, now she was sitting on the ground, using both of her arms behind her back to keep herself from falling flat on the ground. Now, she understood what the voice meant, she couldn't let go of her past, refusing to cease her self-blaming act, constantly destroying herself through guilt. Aka looked down on the ground, a forlorn expression on her face, "I sssee, I underssstand," The Viper had no justifiable excuses, she burned away the forest in abandon, not caring in the slightest for the lives who made the jungle their home, all just to unleash her emotions and hunt Myrians.

"I'm sssorry! I truly am!" She bent down further, bowing deep to the voice, "I admit it, I wasss wrong! I didn't care for you, for the jungle, I thought of you asss mere objectsss... the thought of preserving your livesss didn't come to me, all that mattered was unleassshing my flamesss and kill thossse Myriansss who hunted my kin".

It wasn't good enough, the voice became furious, complete with a cacophony of wild animal cries behind it, now the previously skeletal Tskanna came back to life, its giant body looming over the small Viper. Even in human form, Aka could feel the vibrations as its heavy feet stomped on the ground. The voice scolded her, accusing her of being a child, a child who couldn't control her emotions, bringing fiery death upon all who stood in her path.

Aka felt constant jolt of pain shooting her, she fell, her body curled up on the ground, her lips desperately trying to form coherent words, "Forgive me, pleassse forgive me! Yesss, I kill Myriansss, b-but, the primary reassson I do ssso isss to let out my frussstration with my flamesss! L-like I sssaid, I didn't... I didn't care for you, I never cared that my flamesss took the jungle with it, u-unlike Tinnok, ssshe cared for you, I... I'm jussst a dessstroyer, God Ivak told me to ssspread hisss flamesss in thisss foreign land, but it ssseemed..." A genuine tear of sadness fell from her right eye, "I mistook hisss wordsss, I disappointed him... i-if you want to kill me, p-pleassse, at leassst let me sssee Ivak firssst, I want to tell him that I'm sssorry!! I beg you!".

by **Traverse** on February 20th, 2014, 3:52 pm

The pools rumbled and quaked. The massive Tskanna took a few paces back, giving Aka space as she poured out her heart in her strange dream event. Though the viper could not hear it, an argument broke out within the pools.

"Let her go now, she knows what she's done wrong, she is...different from the rest."

"We never let anyone go, and she is one of the more powerful, suck her dry I say, let her join the rest!"

"Please, just this once?"

"She will be food for Caiyha if she keeps this up, might as well we drain her now and save our Mother the trouble."

"If she keeps this up, if. You can feel the emotions rolling out of her, let her go!"

"This is madness!"

"LET HER GO!"

THe pools bubbled and broiled. Images passed through the rippling waters too fast for any normal eyes to take in what was transpiring. Steam vented off of the pools, curling and roiling over the land, and with it, one of the Pool's illusions dissapated. Suddenly bones and many of them became visible around the grounds, some didn't even make it to the pools themselves, and few were in the center where Aka now lay, but there were piles and piles of them, some sunk into the ground, and all completely bare of any flesh or muscles.

A pool erupted in a flash, a giant rainbow spume of water cascading up into the sky, drenching the land, and like that the spell of the place was broken. The drain upon Aka's body ceased, and within her mind the Tskanna curled its trunk around, black eyes staring steadily at the viper.

"You will not be strong enough to go yet, viper, but you can pass safely through this place, and again if you choose to return. But if you continue on your destructive path..."

The booming voice faded as he spoke, and Aka could not make out whatever the great spirit beast left unsaid, as if the threat needed finishing. After the Tskanna disappeared, so too did her surroundings, the jungle turning to a comforting black sleep that was utterly dreamless.

When Aka next woke, whether that be in a chime or 8 bells, she would find her body barely able to move, her body surrounded by the corpses of those who had not lived to escape the pull of the pools. She would be unable to summon the strength to leave for sometime, but the place that had once pulled her in now presented a peaceful tranquil place.

OOCAlright last post for you and then I'll give you your grade and the results of your time in the pools!

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by **Soshakuakamamushi** on February 20th, 2014, 4:54 pm

OOCAlright! This is my last post then.

Thank you for threading with me, Traverse! It's always a pleasure.

The Viper let her heart out, opening up her feelings to an unknown voice who held power she couldn't fathom. The Tskanna didn't crush her... yet, even if it did, she didn't care, she deserved this, but it would be so kind to call Ivak here, she would greatly appreciate it. Aka just lay there as the very reality around her spun like a tropical cyclone. She felt her consciousness being pulled away as the majestic beast spoke its last cryptic message, it seemed they gave her another chance. With relief in her heart, she let her vision filled with darkness.

"U... uuuh..." The Viper in snake form hissed as her slitted eyes fluttered, her muscles felt like mush, sinuous body locked in place, not because of restraints, but because she didn't have enough energy to move even it was just an inch. Her blurring vision captured unclear images of skeletons strewn haphazardly around her, giving the image of a boneyard. However for some inexplicable reason, she felt at peace, the bones wouldn't disturb her, they forgave her, now she just had to keep her promise.

She let slumber washed over her body, mind, and soul. Closing her slits, curling up her serpentine body in the jungle's warm embrace.

by **Traverse** on February 26th, 2014, 5:08 pm

Aka

Experience:

Endurance 5
Observation 2

Lore:

The Reflecting Pools - This lore is the all encompassing knowledge that Aka received first hand from having her Djed sucked out of the pools, it includes knowing what they do to her, the compulsion they possess, and the power contained int he area.
Reliving the Past
Glimsping a Series of Futures
A Warning of Dire Things to Come

Consequences and Rewards:

After her trials it will take Aka almost a month to fully regain the amount of Djed drained from her body, and as she does she will get weary much faster.

Now Aka can travel to the Reflecting Pools and approach the area safely. The pools will not respond to her, nor give her visions of the past or future, and will seem quite ordinary except for the fact she can still feel the latent energy of the place in the air. She will find it particularly easy to find peace of mind and meditation in the Pools if she chooses to relax there.

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Additional Notes :

Completed [Reflecting Pools] The Flaming Reflection (Soliloquy)