Seras Ancalime - Of Insanity and Darkness

[Interia_Discordius]

The peaks of Firesteep were like the gods above, watching as Kinai held a squirming, wailing baby in her arms. Her head was tilted up to the skies, emerald eyes glaring with triumphant defiance, a faint smirk on her exhausted features.

The baby, its name decidedly Seras Ancalime, held its arms up in random directions towards the darkened heavens, its little eyes squeezed shut in sobs. She was wrapped up already in a blanket, the only other thing visible her large head with a bit of fuzzy, black hair at the top.

The mother stood slowly, hugging the screaming child close to her before looking down the trecherous climb back. She smiled gratefully to the shadows, half stumbling into them for a moment's rest before heading to the continent of Mistone for solace and safety.

The story had begun, Kinai knew. A story of a child born from Hawklen's insanity and her own shadows, raised and nurtured as time went on with Pyyran's guidance and Dur'Thak's training, entertained by tales from Karn and Ozy...She had a feeling the child would be far from normal, yet at the same time, she was fine with that.

Normalcy had never granted Kinai a thing, anyways.

[Interia_Discordius]

"Worth comes from things that grow from within. May you too find your worth first, before finding that in things external. Then you will truly learn how to love what surrounds you. Take it from me. Seras Ancalime, may Luck ever guide your steps."

Pyyran whispered to the bundle in Kinai's arms as he held his beach conch, the happy mother beaming at both the child and her father figure. Hawklen stood beside her, watching as Pyyran placed the shell against Seras' forehead for a moment, a light glowing in response. After it grew dim, he left to speak to the others, missing Seras' eyes opening to see what all the fuss was about.

Beautiful eyes of blue with elaborate streaks and designs of black laced between. Astonishing eyes that took your breath, changing from the cerulean to the emerald depending on the light's angle.

And they closed again.

As Kinai gasped and showed Hawk, something dawned upon her...Even as newborn as the baby was, it held life, a mind, something that she would never be able to replace if lost.

She had to be more careful. She would never make a mistake that would hurt the child, she swore. Ever.

[Interia_Discordius]

Kinai watched Seras from being hooded 'lids as she lay next to her on the bed, Seras cooing and making other baby-like sounds as she rocked side to side on her back. A smile lit the mother's tired features, and as she sat up to pick Seras up, the child rolled all the way onto her tummy and looked to her mother with what could be described as a toothless, mischevious grin.

"Good job," Kinai said to her softly, and Seras blinked her multi-colored eyes at her before relaxing her little arms, lying down on her stomach. She was learning quickly, the mother noticed, being only three months old yet able to roll all the way around.

Smiling faintly, she picked up her diary from the other side and flipped to a random page. Checking on Seras, who was holding her upper self off the ground again, she looked down to her own words and began reading to her baby.

"Dear Dur'Thak,

I haven't forgotten that first lesson you had taught me so long ago, that first real conversation. The scars from the past remain on my hands, however, and I observe them quietly in the times I have nothing to say as my friends, acquaintances, stand about...To remind myself to stay on the clear as I am now..."

The child ooh'd as she started before listening with what could have been keen attention, and Kinai continued on.

[Interia_Discordius]

Kinai set Seras down on the cushions in front of the fire, where the world was most comfortable and closed, and told her stories of her father, reminding her how much he loved her along with his troublesome self that made him so memorable. The toddler's eyes were wide in fascination, mostly by the ever shadowy form of her own mother as Kinai's sorrow momentarily blurred her outline. Seras was unable to understand most of the story, and whined as her mother trembled throughout the tale, biting back tears. She would be told stories for times after, to be sure neither would ever forget who Hawklen was and could have been. Yet, in a way, it would forever remind Seras she was without a father, and constantly remind Kinai she was a widow.

All stories hold bittersweet ends...At least for the two of them. Yet where darkness exists, light does as well, and when there is sorrow, hope is never far around the corner.

[Interia_Discordius]

"Mommy...?"

Kinai bit down on her lower lip, forcing herself to look down at her daughter. Her heightened vision in the darkness made every detail sharp and all too real. Fallen leaves crunched under their feet, a sleeping bird awakened by Seras' voice fluttering close by.

"Yes, Seras...?" Her voice sounded foreign to her own ears, too calm, too light-hearted for the dread she felt within her.

"Is this another game?" Seras seemed to be taking it in stride, yet there was something insightful and sharp in those swirling, blue eyes. Kinai had a paranoid sensation that she knew...She knew what torture was awaiting her.

"In a way, love, yes," Kinai squeezed Seras' hand reassuringly, knowing it would be another twelve years before they would meet again. "I can't train you anymore...You're blessed by the Weave, and as much as I would love to show you what I know, I can't have you ignore such a gift."

The little girl tilted her head, just like how her mother did. "The Weave?"

Kinai bit down on her lip, trying to find the proper way to word to Seras how long they would be apart...She wanted to believe with all her heart that Daralith wouldn't hurt her, but she knew he would.

There was really no one else who could do it right... Hawklen was gone, everyone she loved was gone, and all because they did something horribly stupid. If Kinai gave Seras to someone who survived even with the entire world against him, then she could sleep at night knowing that her daughter would live...

If she was alive, she could do anything...

Seras tugged at her mother's sleeve impatiently. "Mommy, what's the Weave?"

Shaken from her reverie, Kinai continued her previous thought, "T-the Weave is... Uh, it's a magic in this world. Mm, magic..." She trailed off, thinking again.

"Like Daddy?"

"Sort of...You're born with a kind of... Ability for it, I guess. Daddy followed Shadon, but you're a smart girl, and you've always learned that sort of thing quickly." Kinai paused in her words, her confusion clearing for a moment. "Dur taught you all of this already, why are you asking?"

"I don't want to forget!" Seras stated vehemently.

Kinai glanced down at the parchment in her other hand, mumbling to herself the directions until she made the realization they were very close to It... The Cave...Where she would leave Seras, where Daralith would decide if she was worth his time or not.

She suddenly hoped that Seras would fail, but then... What would happen to both of their futures?

Stopping abruptly, nearly dragging her daughter to the ground, Kinai dropped down to her knees and took hold of Seras roughly.

"I may not see you again for a long time, Seras...I'm going to let a man take care of you, I'm going to have him teach you how to survive in this world so you don't lose what you love...This is for you, this is so you live and things that happened to Mommy and Daddy won't happen to you." Her words were like a flood, pouring out of her mouth in a string of connected syllables.

"You're hurting me!" Seras cried in panic, fearful of her mother's sudden outburst.

"Shh, shh, no...Just listen, I'm sorry." Kinai loosened her grip, but kept speaking despite the horror in Seras' eyes. "This man might hurt you, he might make things very very difficult for you... But just remember, you're a beautiful, smart, and wonderful girl... No one can break you down, and no one is better than you. You will learn, and you will show Daralith that you are not a failure."

"The man's name is ... Daralith?" Seras said slowly, or at least what felt too slow for Kinai.

"Yes, his name is Daralith...He's a dark elf. He wants to train you properly, so that means I won't be able to see you until you're of age..." Kinai pulled off one of her many necklaces, one she kept dear to her, and put it around Seras' neck. "Never forget me, Seras, or what you know of your father...Daralith will teach you the rest, but remember who your true parents are, and no matter what happens, know this is for your future, and it will save your life someday."

Seras, too shocked to even cry, simply stared up at her mother with a numbed expression. Her trembling hand clutched the necklace, and she nodded once with the finality of a prisoner headed towards the gallows.

It was a look too old for her, and it terrified Kinai.

Eventually, they reached the cave in silence. Mother, with Daughter in her arms, stood at the entrance. Without a single word said, Kinai set Seras down and lit a fire.

Finally, as Kinai stood to leave, she spoke in a broken voice, "Just wait here all night, and don't be scared... This fire, like my love, will keep you safe. Just believe that everything will be okay, and if something comes near you, fight it, kill it, defend yourself. We are with you, even if you can't see us."

With a last, parting hug, Kinai vanished into the shadows. She would be watching Seras up in one of the many trees, to see her away for the last time. Her hope was that, if she protected her to that extent, it would make her actions right... But at that point, she had no idea.

So Seras waited the full night, shivering from a cold within her heart. She held the necklace tightly in her fingers, shouting at any animal that dared to approach the line of darkness hovering outside the ring of light. She didn't know, in words, what would happen, but her subconscious warned of something far worse than her understanding could grasp.

And with that omen hanging over her head, she knelt close to the crackling fire, staring at the black hole of a mouth of the cave.

[Drizzlin]

The Lord of Spiders grants favor to those who weave webs of decent and hate. With those webs the foundation of vengeance is laid and turned upon his enemies. Only then will the Lord of Spiders reveal his favor.  Hawklen, a fool at best, cursed with madness and doomed with the blood of a Darthir. If I were short sighted, I would have killed him upon our first meeting, robbing myself of the pleasures to come..

I am taking on a young half breed, barely six years of age,  as an apprentice as a "favor" to Kinai. Kinai believes her daughter possess the talent to wield the weave. I have convinced Kinai that through my tutelage her child will grow in power, which is not completely untrue, however it is not my goal. Instead, I will break this child and turn her into an instrument of mine to serve the Prince of Hate. I will make her all that Hawklen envied and hated in me. When I am done, if she becomes a practiced mage, so be it. If she fails, then I will do to here what I should have done to her father...

The only sounds heard over the crackling fire are the quiet sobs of uncertainty and fear coming from the crouched child. The warm flames filling her with a false sense of security as she clings to the edge of the fire's heat, partially in search of warmth from the cool evening breeze, but more importantly out of fear for what may lie in the shadows beyond the lights reach. If only she knew. If she were not so young, she might think it strange that not even the sound of chirping grasshoppers can be heard this night. Fear has a way of blinding reasons and logic. If only she knew what lurks above her, she would know real terror.

In the trees far above the fire, watching in complete silence, sit four guardians of hate and vengeance, their mandibles sliding back and forth in anticipation. On each guardian a set eight deadly blades, four feet in length, that serve as legs. Each leg aimed down towards the child ready to pounce up an unsuspecting victim. Their task had been given the night before, they dare not move, not even as the mother of the child said her goodbye that evening. They are cold and calculating with their patience while ever vigilant, which is as natural an instinct to the sword spider, as breathing is to the child. For the child's sake, their fear and loyalty to their master keep them at bay. Their purpose this night is not to feast, but to guard the child and allow nothing near her. Not even her mother, should she have chosen to return. Their final command, the one they desire to carry out the most, should the child run, leaving the light of the fire, kill it..

In a dark chamber, lit by only a single candle, a dark elf, known as Magus Daralith Del'Mar to most, watches the entire scene unfold through a pool of water; the blessing of Baraeon Ca'Duz's fueling the power of the scrying magic. A smile of pure hate creeps across the dark elf's face as he watches with pleasure at the child's fears and doubts. With but a thought he could command the spiders to fall upon the child and watch them feast upon her entrails. But no, now is not the time for that, he has plans for this child that go beyond the quick satisfaction of hearing her dying screams as his servants feed. No they will have to find their own meal this evening, for the child belongs to him.

With a wave of his hand the image fades from the water. Turning, he checks the chamber, visually inspecting every ward's integrity before grabbing his staff. Extending his hand he pauses to give the spider hanging from his robe time to reach the ground and scurry off to some feast tucked away in a web. Most would cringe and flail about if a spider hung from their robes, even more so if the spider came in contact with their flesh, but to the followers of Baraeon Ca'Duz, the dance of a spider upon their skin or the occasional sting from their bite brings such ecstasy and pleasure that could only be reproduced to others through sexual gratification. Grabbing his staff he utters a small cantrip"Valsharuu" and the flicker of the flame dies as the wall opens and closes behind him.

The journey from his chambers lead to various side tunnels under the earth that eventually bring Magus Del'Mar heading towards the mouth of the cave where the child lies waiting. It would take most about six hours to travel the distance between the two, but aided with magical means of travel, the journey is short.

A soft sob echoes down the cave just as the light of the flame becomes visible to the light sensitive eyes of the drow. Smirking, he adjusts the bag on his back, careful not to crush the rabbit within. As quietly and softly as a spider, Magus Del'Mar makes his way up to the edge of the cave and stops to watch the child. Amused that Kinai actually went through with the ordeal, he steps out from the cave and looks at the child. To his surprise, she snaps her attentive gaze in his direction, apparently aware of his presence the entire time. Narrowing his eyes he takes note of her vigilance and keen senses of her elven heritage.

With a smirk, "Well what do we have here?" Biting back her tears she replies, "Are you Daralith?"
Anger flashes in his eyes, causing the child to reflexively recoil. In a correcting tone, "Magus Del'Mar. If you ever call me by any other name again, there will be consequences. Are we clear?"

Gulping, her response barely a whisper, "Yes Magus Del'Mar. My name is Seras, my mommy said..."

Cutting her short with an angry look and the wave of his hand, "Your mommy is dead to you, never mention her again. Your mommy cares nothing of you, or she would not have sold you to me; and if you ever even think of mention daddy, there will be consequences. Forget all that your mother has told you, forget all that the demon tainted Dur'thak showed you. What I say is all that matters. I am your mommy, daddy, and master now. I your mentor and god now."

Interrupting the Mage, with a look of shock Seras questions, "Dur'thak is a demon? Like a devil?" With such speed and grace, that of which she has only seen in the likes of her mother, Magus Del'Mar closes the ten feet of distance between them. With barely enough time for the look of sheer horror to come across her face, Daralith, with his magically enhanced strength of a giant, backhands the child; the cracking of bone and a dull thud are all that are heard as the child is sent flying a good ten feet away.

To shocked to cry, to hurt to stand, and chocking on the blood in her mouth she clings to consciousness as the dark elf watches, not caring if he just killed her. With surprise the child soon recovers, sobbing and holding her mouth she struggles to find her balance to stand again before spitting out three teeth.
 
Watching from above the chaotic minds of the guardians begin filling with pleasure at the sight of their master as he exits the cave, anticipation swelling at the thought of their duty coming to an end and perhaps their reward being the soft flesh of the child. Watching the scene unfold below they remain ever vigilant for any intruders who would dare come close to their master. As the scene unfolds the guardians vile hearts begin to race, barely able to contain themselves as the child flies out of the light, sent their by their master, an obvious reward for their loyalty.

Movement in the trees above catches Daralith's eyes, softly cursing, remembering his orders, "Should she leave the light of the fire, kill her", he casts quickly, with the skill of a seasoned mage with centuries of training. "Talma Valliree Uthvas" Instantly the flame of the fire grows, doubling in size, covering the child in the protection of the light once more.
   
A screeching cry echoes through the trees above, a sound of frustration and anger.  Now satisfied that the guardians above are not falling on the child, Daralith stops to take a moment to judge the her reactions before speaking. Smirking he looks at the broken child, her jaw dangling as she tries desperately to slide it back in place, but to his surprise she stops the sobbing to look at him. Too most they would mistake that look as fear, but not Daralith. His life of treachery, hate and vengeance know that look all to well. Daralith's keen eyes see through the visage. Hidden behind the innocence there is a look of hate and anger. Smirking Daralith approaches the child satisfied. Slowly the child looks at her teeth laying on the ground, debating whether or not to bend over and pick them up.

"Do not worry child, you were going to loose them soon anyway, more will grow back. I did you a favor." Looking down at her and then holding his hand out, "When it comes to consequences, that is the best I have to offer you. And it will never get that good again."  Still holding his hand out, "Now take my hand and come closer to the light."

Hesitant she takes his hand and follows, doing as her mother told her, but more importantly doing as the vile creature holding her hand instructed her.

Taking the child's jaw in his hand, "Now I will show you that I am as I said. I am your father, your mentor, and your god now." Motioning to her broken jaw, "I can take away, but I can also give. I can be cruel, but my rewards are like no other."

With one hand on her jaw and the other about a spider amulet on his neck, "Lilith mowarth ragaloth". The child bites back a scream as a loud pop comes from her jaw as it resets itself and begins to heal. To the child's surprise the aching in her head subsides as she once again moves her jaw freely.
   
Reluctantly, "Thanks Magus Del'mar" Smirking, "Save your thanks and never utter them unto me again. Here is the first of many lessons. Never do anything for free and never expect gratitude for your actions. Your actions should have a purpose to which serves your best interests. If someone temporarily benefits from you actions, then make them repay you. Do not accept a pathetic "thanks" as payment for the value of your services."

From a bag at his waist he removes a rabbit. The child watching, wondering what cruel thing will be done to her next stares at the rabbit with curiosity. "Now child, everything is a test, remember that. Failure has consequences, need I remind you?" Handing the rabbit to the girl, "This is yours to care for. Now come, we have a long journey ahead of us."

Taking the rabbit with a smile, the child looks up to say thanks, but catches herself quickly, biting her tongue, drawing blood. Looking up she realizes the Dark Elf is watching her entire reaction intently, studying her every move and amused by it all. Turning Daralith heads for the cave, the child taking one last look out into the darkness, wondering if her mother is watching and says one last goodbye to the life she knew before heading down into the dark cave...

[Interia_Discordius]

"...Failure has consequences, need I remind you?"

She hugged the rabbit carefully to her, taking comfort from its life. She threw a glance towards her new master, a thousand images of the long night of waiting flashing through her mind, the strongest of them the back of her mother as she walked away.

Seras had a brief moment of wondering who told the truth...Was Magus Del'mar right that her mommy didn't care? She sharpened her eyes, internally yelling at herself that of course he wasn't. Her mommy loved her, she always did...

Satisfied with the answer her mind had given her, that her mother still loved her, she continued on next to Magus Del'mar. She, in truth, was terrified of the idea of going into the cave...Yet it was no surprise that it was happening.

She had a knack for being able to guess such things, after all...

Rubbing her jaw, still ginger with it for fear that the healing was temporary, she gently stroked the fur of the rabbit.

With each step further into the choking darkness, she suddenly realized that...

...Every embrace from her mother...Every heroic story about her father...None of it would ever happen again. Yes, they loved her, but they were gone...

And Magus Del'mar had taken their place.

Suddenly, she began to feel the chill in the air, biting past the warmth of the ball of fur cuddled in her arms.