Open The Reliquary Of Thoughts ( Kiva )

[Skyard Underwood]

28th of Summer, 512 A.V

Dreary and dreadful had the night been for the Kelvic. Despite being at a mature age; the Kelvic constantly battled himself mentally. The star-speckled darkened dome which rested within the heavens; adorned with pasty grayish Cloud formations, and the combination of a ghastly perpetual breeze only further racked his mind. Sensory-overload overcame him, and the world suddenly became silent. Silence was in fact an understatement; the lack of sound brought about an eerily harrowing sense of fear. His imagination ran wild with rampant form-shifts. With each and every moment that passed; he changed physical forms. Yet, of course he couldn’t possibly be forced to shift forms physically; however mentally nearly anything including the unimaginable is possible. His thoughts were blood-curdling, and the very moment silence befell him; the sounds of screams imploded and hammered away at his ear-drums.

Mere ticks later, he’d been overcome by a sudden sense of nirvana. Solitude and calmness filled the air; the scent of a light perfume flooded the perpetual gusts of wind. Beneath the Kelvics feet what felt like stone appeared. Unable to determine rather or not this was a mere dream, or if it was simply a distorted reality the Kelvic tapped his feet. The very moment he’d done so he discovered that no sound left the spot upon which he tapped. Heavy, cold and hard were the breaths he managed to muster up whilst he attempted to figure out why this place existed. His cerulean irises twitched at the sight of the now incredibly distorted night-sky. The moon became tainted with a deep-onyx coloration which made it hardly visible at all.

The Kelvic once more shifted forms, and this time his visibly “human” form remained permanently. He decided to rest and crossed his legs simultaneously; his rump pressed against the tall tower he resided atop. Several details could be made out about the oddity that was this “place”. The question was; was this even a “Place” at all? The location had no name that he knew of; with the skies this distorted it had to be called by some sort of name. When he realized what actually went on it had been too late, and he’d been in too deep a-sleep to wake up. His first and foremost bond-mate appeared before him, blue, black & silver clad. This time however several features about his “Master” were very peculiar. Not only did his eyes look distorted, but his entire face; not to mention his right hand had an additional finger.

“Accept your loss; for if you do not your death will come swiftly. Skyard, mark my words you must move on.” Spoke the figure that looked very similar to Aaron. In response the Kelvic immediately spoke “Shut your petching mouth, you’re not my Master. “ Skyard had never possessed such a venomous tongue, and he’d been overcome with anger. His blood boiled the very moment the twisted figure attempted to foretell the future. Skyard despised that to the highest degree possible, simply because he knew that destiny and future were shaped at the hands of the wielder. When people spoke of destinies; Skyard knew that there was no true “destiny” because a simple action can lead to a massive turn of events. Skyard shook his cranium from left to right immediately, and attempted to recuperate himself. Why had he acted out, and not remained a calm demeanor the way that he usually could? The longer Skyard remained in this forsaken place everything around him became increasingly strange.

[Kiva]

There was a flash. Soundless, and hot. It was a calling, a beckoning to the young woman whose desperate desires spurred her forth. She ran towards it, bare feet slapping against the jungle floor. She pushed and pushed. Kept running. Kept searching. The wind gave life to her black hair, whipping the ebony locks in wild disarray. Broken branches and thorns cut into her long legs, leaving a littering of tiny marks from their contact. Kiva gave them no mind. She could not afford to be distracted. No, she had to find them. She had to find her parents. She was like a hound on a scent. She could not be deterred, not until she found something to soothe her mind.

The young woman dressed in black skidded to a stop, a feeling of caution striking her heart. She crouched, eyeing the shadows. The wind blew, but no animal or insect made noise. The abnormal quiet of the jungle made the nape of her neck alive, the hairs there standing straight up. Silence was never a good sign in this place. It unnerved her. As her dark eyes roamed her surroundings, she gasped and jumped back when her shadow detached itself from her in the dim moonlight. The dark mass twisted and turned, rising from the ground and solidifying into a growing form. It's size became enormous, its edges beginning to take shape. It transformed into a tiger - a Myrian tiger. Color began to bleed onto its coat, and it held something in its mouth that looked familiar. Hanging from its neck like ornate decoration were a plethora of heavy beads... the same ones that had belonged to her mother.

Flashes of memory struck Kiva like lightening, remembering her mother wearing these draped over her bare breasts, always glittering in the Falyndar sun like jewels when they swung. The tiger bowed its head, offering them to her, laying the items in its maw to the ground in unison. These things... had belonged to her parents. They were the same items that had been brought back to her by the scouts after the djed storm. Her father's bag with his field notes, and malediction tools. Kiva had denied them at the time, but not now.

Kiva pulled the necklaces off the tiger and set them around her own neck. The bag, she slid onto her back. She nodded in respect to the large cat, and was ready to walk away when it growled in distaste. She turned, confused.

It nudged her with its head, pushing her back as it looked at her with knowing eyes. She was to ride it. The fear and urgency of before had faded and was taken over by intrigue. Kiva climbed on the feline's back and leaned close, feeling how it moved beneath her when it walked. It was now or never. With a low grumble, the cat crouched and began bounding off, more agile and veracious than Kiva had been herself. It moved fluidly, as if the terrain had no impact on it at all. She gripped its fur for stability, and took a deep breath.

Suddenly, the jungle broke. A clearing, and among it, a tower. The cat slowed and Kiva leaned back, never having seen a building so tall. The tiger roared, announcing its arrival... A challenge. The power of the sound, rose from the cat and vibrated through her body, making her feel alive. The night sky glittered above them, and they began their prowl around the foreboding structure.

-Kiva

[Skyard Underwood]

A sound erupted from below, and Skyard clearly heard what sounded like another feline. Skyard fended off his instinctual reaction; which would’ve been to transform and roar back. However the Kelvic knew very well that the roar might’ve just been yet another product of his imagination. Therefore he decided to walk to the nearby edge of the staggeringly tall tower. The very moment he’d done so he spotted what appeared to be a woman, atop a tiger. Although he knew that he should’ve been alone in this realm, and he wasn’t. That large feline had to be the source of the roar he heard. Skyard immediately sprang into action, and whilst fully clothed shifted shapes. Oddly enough he’d only been able to do so simply because this was a dream.

Majestic was the glistening white hide; accompanied by an elongated mane which extended toward the very end of his forepaws. Retracted claws remained within the minute folds of skin in between its toes. Despite his shift in shapes several of his features remained the same. Pasty-white hair, and very few darkened strands of hair were scattered about his hide. His maw opened and hung for a moment which revealed his lengthy pearly white teeth. He drew a deep breath, and inhaled a vast amount of air which caused his diaphragm to expand. Immediately the roar escaped his esophagus and exited his oral-cavity. The roar was staggeringly powerful and incredibly audible; if a person stood at a close range they’d feel the vibration in their body.

The Kelvic paced back and forth and waited for the arrival of the lion and its companion. He grew increasingly envious because he wished he had a bond like that once more. The apparition of his distorted “master” faded slowly. Flashes of the true “Aaron” flickered tick by tick. Words which sounded like the equivalent of a melodic lullaby echoed within Skyards’ ears. “Remember I’ll always be here watching you, Skyard.” The voice spoke before the illusion completely and totally dispersed from its aforementioned location. Skyard sat down immediately and his tail remained motionless. He placed it at his right heel, and left it to sit there until the others arrived.

Skyard looked to the heavens once more, and he attempted to make sense of what went on. Firstly he saw his now deceased master in a much more demented physical state. Now he waited motionlessly for the woman and her tiger to arrive although he began to think they too were no more then illusions. The Kelvic thought to himself “Wysar, what is going on now? Can I never be at ease my lord?” He stood once more, with his hind legs and forepaws outstretched. He attempted to relax until the opposing entities made their way atop the tower. Perhaps he would get some sort of explanation from the other two. He couldn’t think of any logical explanation as to why he would be here with another person. If this was some sort of nightmare he wanted the relentless torment to cease at once.

[Kiva]

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The powerful roar that bellowed in response sent Kiva into alert mode. The tiger beneath her lowered itself, its ears turning and tail twitching. Where had it come from? Kiva's dark eyes scanned the area, moving skyward. Had it come from the top of the tower? The Myrian gripped the animal's fur, pulling her body close, "Up there," she whispered in her native tongue, the animal obeying in response. Extending claws, the tiger gave a determined growl and jumped against the tower's outer wall. Its claws dug ruthlessly into the stone and they began to ascend. The cat moved gracefully, defying gravity. After all, who needs stairs? Or doors? The dream world allowed for the impossible to happen, and so it did.

Up they went, with Kiva's hair whipping around as the wind blew. The tiger's large paws would lift and press down, pulling them with every step. Kiva looked over her shoulder at the drop below, stomach dropping as she saw the distance. She held onto the cat with more urgency, trying not to pull its fur too much. The tiger only grumbled in response.

It did not take long for them to reach the top, with one more giant pull, the tiger was scaling the wall and climbing onto the roof. When they were on solid ground, Kiva sat up to look over her mount's head, and her eyes widened at what she saw. In front of her was a creature she had never seen before, a large cat with white fur. It had a full mane that flowed around its head. Kiva began mumbling in Myrian, the speech exotic and flowing, "What is this Navre?"

Her tiger's tail continued to twitch, a low growl emitting from its stomach and it stood its ground. Kiva watched the other creature with careful eyes, unsure as to the intent of this strange animal.

★★★

[Skyard Underwood]

“Wh-who is-… is that a woman? I’ve never actually seen one up close. Mysterious creatures they are.” Spoke the Kelvic bewildered as he was already with this realm; now a woman came along? Why had she been here, and what had that gigantic tiger been doing here? Questions compiled atop questions within the Kelvics mind, and he could only assume further. He decided to reveal to the woman that he wasn’t simply a massive feline. He couldn’t even begin to understand what the woman said, or what language she spoke in at all. Skyard knew nothing about her, but he would soon find out what he so desperately wished to know. The woman stood before him; gorgeous as she may be he didn’t dare move. The tiger growled at the Kelvic, and of course he hadn’t known why. Therefore he decided upon walking forth, and he approached closer at a slow pace. He didn’t want the tiger to pounce, and therefore he displayed submissive behavior. His gut hung low toward the ground, and he lowered the entirety of his bodily posture; as to not display dominance.

The Kelvics white hide continued to flutter about elegantly. Suddenly he shifted shapes spontaneously, and a faint glint of blue luminescence appeared. His body returned to its “Human” state, and now the Kelvic squatted down before the woman. With his knees bent and his elbows resting atop them; he interlocked his fingers and held down his visage. The boys’ whitish-silver hair riddled with very few incredibly dark strands had been revealed. His pale skin shone amidst the night, and he finally looked up at the woman. With his geometrically proportional facial structure aligned with her own, and the cerulean hue iris of his eye set upon the woman’s own. The woman was strikingly beautiful, and Skyard lacked the words to say. Therefore he simply held his tongue for a moment, before he attempted to communicate with her.

Finally he parted his lips, and spoke to the woman. “H-hello… My name is Skyard-Skyard, Underwood. I know this might sound crazy, but what is your name, and have you a clue about where we are now?” The Kelvic spoke in the common tongue, and he hoped that she could understand him. If not he’d have to resort to shifting shapes again, and simply using bodily language. He knew nothing of women, and therefore he couldn’t help himself. He observed her carefully, and attempted to figure out the proportions of her body. Quite different from a male and her facial features were different as well. He made several mental notes as he awaited a response. Hopefully he wouldn’t be attacked and mauled by the tiger she was atop of.

Everything about the woman had been exotic to him, her hair, her skin-tone and the way she spoke. Her appearance alone was incredibly enchanting, and now he wished to know more. His curiosity peaked, and a deep breath exited his lungs; steam emitted itself from his lips. Skyard continued to attempt mentally figuring out why he’d been here, and perhaps she could give him the answer.


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[Kiva]

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The foreign cat stared at Kiva with human understanding, causing the dark haired female to move from the tiger and step back. She showed caution, curiosity, but not direct fear. She watched it carefully, hand subconsciously resting on the hilt of her blade. Her tiger continued to growl, and she sidestepped, trying to see the animal from a different angle. The other animal seemed to show some sort of disinterest in fighting, submissiveness. Why would this large creature be so quick to give up its territory? Surely it wasn't as great as her Myrian tiger and it knew that. When it looked as if her own mount would refuse to calm, she held out a hand to it and gave a sharp command, "Enough."

The tiger instantly sat up and began to fade into shadow, returning to her own body shape and taking its original form. In tics, her shadow looked nothing out of the ordinary, surely not the creature it had been moments before.

In response, Kiva noticed that the lion was doing a transformation himself. She jerked away, eyes widening. She pulled her kris free and held it out, stepping backwards in shock. A man began to emerge, changing shape to stand before her. A surprised Myrian curse fell from her lips and she stumbled backwards. In front of her was someone she had never seen, someone... a cat changing into a man.

'Navre?' The young Myrian girl was breathless, dark eyes wide with shock. Immediately, she fell to her knees, lowered her head and began to pray, the words barely audible. The jumble of hushed whispering was a mixture of praise and awe, and when she looked back up, the man was talking.

He looked nothing like she had imagined. This was Myri's supposed lover? Kiva refrained from making a face, standing when he began to talk. She circled him as he spoke, eyeing him up and down, nodding. Well, Kiva guessed it was possible for this to be Navre, but...

"...My name is Skyard..."

Kiva froze, this time moving to look back at the male's features. Skyard? This was not the name of her god. This man was also speaking the common tongue. Wouldn't Navre know her people's language after all this time? No.... Kiva's common wasn't perfect by any means, but she understood what he asked.

She shook her head, disappointed. No, this man... thing... this was not Navre. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, an emotion she was not familiar with. Kiva tried to regain some of her composure, taking a deep breath and staring the man in the face, "I am Kiva of The Crimson Sun," her accent was audible, but not so heavy she could barely be understood, "We are near Taloba, city of my people."

She raised her sword again, narrowing her eyes, "You not god. What are you?"

★★★