Aftermath... [Open]

[Sanada Tomo]

Had Taiyou attempted to attack her beforehand, Tomoyo would have retaliated, but her opponent seemed now more focused on speaking to the Yami-ou, his words aimed at making her feel his pain. But the truth was that no matter what he said, all the Hellion King could do was sympathize. Honestly, Tomoyo had never seen a loved one turn to ashes before her eyes, although she had suffered the pain of having her children taken away from her. She had suffered her own children walking away from her. Ren had been slain, and what had made it even worse that she had not been there to protect him.

"I cannot bring your family back, Taiyou," Tomoyo said to him, her voice struggling to settle back into what was deemed normal. "But I can apologize. While I do regret not immediately going to war with Heaven after that incident, you must understand, we were outnumbered. We would have lost had I attacked her at that point. If there was anything that I could do to bring the back the way you remembered them, Taiyou, I would. I know that you loved them very much--I could not imagine what I would do if I lost my family, as scattered about as they are. I can only offer you my deepest regret. I am truly sorry. I am not sure how much these words mean to you, as they cannot bring you back anything that you want to have returned to you, but I mean them from the bottom of my heart. Despite what you may think, I am not devoid of any passion--I do not lack kindness. I am merely a King that cannot please all of her people, as is usually the case. I will admit that over the years, I have made mistakes. But I can also say that I have learned from them, and I have improved upon the ways that I can serve my subjects. The attack that Chiyo delivered to the Realm took me by surprise. But if I was to keep from going to War with a nation that would no doubt crush us, I couldn't do anything but wait. I can't offer you any explanation than that, as disappointing as it may be." Tomoyo's voice choked up just a bit, as her mind was moreso on Migoto than Taiyou. He had just lost the girl, Elizabeth, and she inwardly cursed her injuries because she could not go to him.

As her body adjusted to the magic that was now writhing within her, she attempted to reach out as far as she could with Symphony's power--because she could not physically move--to comfort him. There was nothing like losing a child, and although Symphony had not expressed to her that she was dead, Tomoyo knew that Migoto's scream had not been for nothing.

[Uesugi Yomi]

"You again? I thought I'd banished your accursed figure from existence..."

Nectar said nothing in response to this, watching as Ilreg charged his magic. She charged her own magic--it was the same color as her wispy form. Ilreg then sent a volley of ice in a direction that Nectar recognized as another point of power--the servant, Avalon, was there. Nectar took the time to prepare, rushing to meet the Dragon as he came toward her, throwing her magically formed knives ahead of her to shave off the edges of the spikes on Ilreg's armor, her form sprouting new knives that she brandished, moving her hands to strike Ilreg both high and low. Wind whirled around her body like sharp blades, sharp enough to slice into whatever came into contact with it.

Yomi hissed as the tip of a tendril from the beast-turned-monster struck out at her arm, like a whip, before she could dodge, she fell back, her kama useless as she chopped off the tip, the water connected to the being only shaping itself back into it's original shape. Her abdomen stung harshly, and she winced as she took her fighting stance, trying to protect herself.

[Ongaku Migoto]

In what seemed like an eternity of pain, Migoto wailed, his energy released in a horrible wave of sonic energy, inadvertently effecting Avalon who had been their to help him, and the gods who know else may have been harmed. Then suddenly, Migoto felt the cool rush of water covering him drowning out his scream and filling his mouth, nose with water, his scream dissipating the bubble as he was silenced thoroughly. Sitting there covered in water, drenched from head to toe, Migoto's vision returned to him, delivering the worst sight he could image as he saw Elizabeth's small fragile body still cradled in his arms. Sobbing for several seconds, Migoto held his face close to the small girl's steadily cooling body, his tears adding to the moisture captured by his Blonde locks of hair clumped to his forehead.

Lifting his head, Migoto turned to look at Avalon, his nose still bloodied and his vision blurry from tears. "Avalon... I... I'm so sorry. I... didn't mean to hurt you... I... I... just wanted to protect you both... and now Liz is gone... Why did this have to happen Avalon... she did nothing wrong..." Migoto said full of remorse and sorrow at his failure, the despair of this moment painfully familiar to him as this was the second loss of a loved one, another instance in where Migoto could not save his most cherished, this loss more devistating due to his failure to protect her.

Migoto starred at Avalon and wondered to himself, he he not intervened to save the angel, would Elizabeth still be alive? Avalon was one of Tomo's most trusted guards, meaning he was more than capable than taking care of himself, did he really need the protection the the Djinni provided, seemingly at the cost of the girl's life. But Migoto was too simple to harbor such ideas of unmerited resentment, blaming Avalon for something beyond their control would change nothing, replaying the moment in his head a hundred times over, he would have chosen the same course of action, a life saved was a life saved, and he would think nothing more it than that from here on out.

"Is Tomo safe, is she still here, and what about Rakeru?" Migoto said to Avalon in a distraught voice yet soft, his words filled with magic that would be felt as soothing to Avalon's potentially damaged ear, Migoto not taking any further chances on hurting Avalon as his grip on the child's body not changing as he held her just as close.

[Kanjin Taiyou]

Taiyou listened to Tomoyo's words, and as much as it pained him, they rang with much truth and sincerity, something he did not expect to retrieve in spite of his brutality. He listened to her speak to him, and her voice was the one most familiar to him, no tricks and foreign shape shifting figures, but Sanada Tomoyo, brought to her knees and in pain explaining to Taiyou the nuances of the effects of Chiyo's sudden attack. The thought of being overwhelmed by Heaven's forces had crossed his mind around the time immediately after the attack, but his anger and rage at the loss of himself and his nation allowed him to bypass this course of logic in favor of attacking back, speaking through retaliation and war.

She spoke to the former Archangel of having retained her kindness and learning from her mistakes, something that Taiyou was partly skeptical on, looking at the course of development that Hell had undergone, and the reputation it had because of it. Tomo told Taiyou that there wasn't an a explanation that he wouldn't be disappointed in, and after having finally spoken to his king after centuries of anger, he was left speechless in face of the carnage he had caused, this conversation long overdue.

"No... there isn't anything you can say to remove the pain... but... why did it come to this. Chiyo did nothing as you were tossed from your rightful place as king, the first of the High Kings, I thought that you placed her before your people, but... I... was I wrong... tell me Tomo, was I wrong for my anger. The Lillium slaves, the rampant and growing evil in the hearts of the people, adopting the perverse way our leader. We could never separate ourselves from Heaven if our leader couldn't.

Tell me, was the loss of my family, friends, and the woman I loved and admonished as much as my wife, my king worth anything Tomo, was I supposed to ignore these changes? I am not the smartest of our kind, but I can see change when it happens, and listen when need be, and I do know that I would have went to fight the gods for you my king, but I don't know what happened to you, to us to deserve what Chiyo did. I was supposed to meet with you to have this conversation on that day Yami-ou, but it wasn't meant to be." Taiyou said looking at his hands, utterly confused and unsure of his purpose.

"What the fuck Taiyou! You have her at your mercy, kill her, kill this bitch now!" Oni screamed into Taiyou's ear, her magic growing frantic by the moment, as Taiyou's anger began to subside in light of the conversation with Tomo, his thoughts now clouded and his emotions conflicted. "Don't tell me your copping out you bastard, kill her and fulfill our agreement with my power..." Oni said in a distressed manor, her voice growing more unstable and demonic with the utterance of every word.

Taiyou could not hear Oni's pleas, and if he could they took a back seat to what currently lie on his mental plate, the decision on whether he should kill Tomo or not. He trembled with indecision on his nest course of action, as he Oni's magic began to grow more volatile by the second.

[Ilreg Douisis Ofu'ul]

Ilreg watched as his armor deflected the diversionary attacks on the upper part of Yomi's familiar, power flowing into and from his hands as he prepared to parry the knife that was headed toward his lower extremities. Before he could adequately prepare to intercept the weapon, the sharp, piercing scream from the direction of his attack, his enhanced Dragon senses amplifying the pain tripled fold as the wave of sound caused him to be distracted, allowing the Nectar's attack to connect and him to fall to his injured knee. Gritting his teeth, Ilreg struggled to raise his arm to blast a wave of icy shrapnel filled energy at Yomi, who at the time was struggling with the tendrils from Faf-ris.

"You won't escape death this time, there will be nothing left of you or your slave familiar when I am finished here Yomi, had I the means of desecrating this abominations incorporeal form..." Ilreg growled, trailing his words off to focus on the rest of his attack.

His attack aimed at both distracting the apparition, as well as allowing him time to recuperate from the sonic attack, the knife of air magic having done its damage, dissipating and the wound slowly beginning to heal. His ears and head still resonated with pain, the reverberation of the sound enriched attack, small streaks of blood flowing from his ears and nose, freezing upon contact with his frigid skin, Ilreg homing in on each and every particle he released as he waited for the sprite to make a decsion on continuing its attack on him or protect its ailing master.

[Elf Royal Family-Group Account]

"Oh no you don't..." Alfeo said under his breath, his hands twisting to form a small ball of concentrated dream magic between his palms. The new beast was lashing out wildly, having formed many new appendages from the canine's corrupted magic. Throwing the energy onto the ground it spread rapidly onto the tips of each tendril, turning it away from striking either him or Yomi when it ventured within their ranges and whipping them back toward Faf-ris. The monster was writhing uncontrollably now, and Alfeo took these moments of confusion from the monster to spread his power within. However, the battle for control over the creature proved too much for it's simple origins, and it exploded in a pouring of heavy, tar like raindrops, each drop turning back to it's original blue hue as the magic that once held it together faded. Alfeo took this time to retrieve his sword from his side, and he thrust as his opponent, channeling his magic to his feet to keep himself separated from the dog's now apparent control over water.

--

Alvar tutted as his spires of earth seemed to fall at the power of the dog in front of him. Kojiro seemed to be ignoring his every move, setting up a barrier on his own to counteract the piercing scream that had filtered through the room. Alvar's magic had prevented any extended damage to him, but the fact that the man that he had gone to help had ended up forsaking the prince for himself just pissed him off.

"...asshole," he had time to say, as he attempted to avoid the obstacles that seemed to appear with every step that he took. He stepped on a barb without noticing until he felt blood filling his boot, and he swore, his pace slowing. "Damn it..." He didn't have any time to take it out, but immediately quartered off the would with his magic to stop the bleeding--and the spread of the black-like substance that it seemed to be made out of. It didn't take a genius to tell that that animal was using dark magic, and he knew that these crafty bitches had plans on exactly what to do. No dog was going to get the best of him.

He wasn't expecting Kojiro to help--he was completely useless, that jackoff--and so he held his own, continuing to saturate his wound in magic to help it heal faster. Taking a moment to clear his head, a concentrated effort produced the effect that he was going for: a crack sounded beneath his dog-opponent and began to break apart, pieces of the floor shifting like tectonic plates beneath the dog, making the floor uneven, and there were holes in several places that seemed to drop into an endless chasm as the earth beneath the stone castle moved with it.

--

Backed against the wall, the apparition in place to help calm the baby and distract the hordes of undead that were coating the walls, she felt utterly overwhelmed. She was injured, cuts and bloody bruises all over her body as they continued to assault her. The child had stopped crying in lieu of seeing the visage of this strange woman that Arya knew was important to Lady Tomoyo, her eyes drooping from near exhaustion. She held onto the baby for dear life, knowing that the moment that it left her hands it was going to be somewhere safe. She had failed. She could feel her energy slipping away, and her vision was blurry.

She didn't even notice as Oni turned back to leave that the magic suffocating the room released and the animated corpses fell to the ground, ruins of the sprites attack. Before she could make sense of anything, she fainted, the child cradled to her chest and blood falling from her wounds.

[Avalon Carrister]

As the liquid melted from around them, Avalon's ear could still hear the echoes of the piercing scream that had been coming from Migoto just moments ago. The Djinni apologized for his unintentional attack, still in tears. Avalon didn't have any of the answers to Migoto's questions, and had Avalon been aware of what was happening in time he would have leaped to save them instead. Despite Migoto's antics in the castle he was just an innocent citizen, and the girl had no connection to Hell at all. She was just a bystander. She had done nothing and paid with her life. The thought of such a cruel fate brought a few ears even to Avalon's eyes, although they may not have been distinguishable from the water that now coated him as a result of the shield. Avalon moved closer to Migoto, trying to be more comforting but not knowing how to.

"I don't know if Tomo is safe. She sounded like she was in bad condition. But she is alive, and I know that she can take care of herself. Rakeru is fine. I gave him to one of the Elves. What's more important is your health. Please, let me take you somewhere more safe. I know you have to mourn her, but you can't do that if something else happens and you die as well. I promise that Tomoyo is not going to just let this go without punishment. She's fighting in there right now, against the terrible Dragon that did this!" Avalon just knew in his veins that this was Ilreg's fault. The man who had covered the entire Capital city of the sixth layer in ice. He could feel the magical signature. He could feel it, and he wanted retribution so badly he felt like he was on fire despite the water. "Please, let me take you were you need to go..." Avalon tried to stand, struggling just a bit as his head throbbed with the impact on the ground. It would go away momentarily, he knew, so he tried his best to grit his teeth and bear it. He would heal himself, but he knew that Migoto had injuries that needed more tending to, since he was the one who taken on the volley of icicles.

[Ongaku Migoto]

Migoto heard Avalon's voice and forced himself to smile a little, relieved that he had not done too much harm to him, as well hearing that young Rakeru was safe alongside his mother, who had fared better than her scream had let on. He still cradled Elizabeth's now only slightly warm body close to his bosom, her small frame growing colder by moment. The wall had been opened and Migoto was now privy to all the carnage that ensued in the other room, a spectacular blaze of lights and explosions from spells cast and damage take was in plain sight, amplified by the sounds the seemed to scream in the Djinn's ears, his own magic still out of whack from his last explosion of power.

Migoto had never felt more out of place in his life, his was not a fighter, prone to ignoring quarrels whenever he could, letting berate and badger him all they wanted verbally, his time as a crooner among the race of man had shown him some of the more decadent aspects humans in terms of violence. But this was the worst he had seen, the sheer violence that perpetuated the day came to a culmination as he starred at the man who towered over Tomo, the same man that plucked the infant from his arms earlier and assaulted him now in front of Tomo, weapon in hand, the Yami-ou nearly cloaked in darkness that did its best to mask the horrible, smoldering wound on her back. The weight of failure Migoto felt about himself barred down on him so immensely, that he found trouble doing anything other that hold his head up to see inside the room. The room was filled with a cacophony of people, Celestials and Elves battled two of the most horrid looking creatures Migoto had seen, reptilian canines adept in magic, ferociously battling alongside a naked man with pale scaly skin, and long, filthy white hair.

Backed against the wall, Yomi shielded herself, her wounds now opened as she coated herself in a force field while the apparition she conjured battle the naked man. Despite Migoto's lukewarm feelings about Yomi, seeing her so close to death alongside Tomo mad Migoto's heart sink further, as he lost the very strength to hold Elizabeth in his arms, the small girls arm falling into a puddle from the melted icy blast. Tears began to form in Migoto's eyes as the shroud of death coated the area. He felt as if he could die at any moment, and then he heard Avalon's words, telling them they had to make haste if he were to flee, but to Migoto, there was nothing worth running to, the most important thing in his life now gone, his very soul and life's devotion null and empty with even Tomo unable to quell the madness in the room.

Then he heard the coarse words of the naked man as he belted insults at Yomi, his blast of energy sounding very simliar to the one that penetraed the castle wall, injured him, and ended Elizabeth's life, the puddle in which her arm rested began to chill freeze over alongside his tearsas the cold air swept across the rooms, the cracking of the newly formed water crystals fresh in his ears. It was then the empty void in the core of the blue skinned fallen's being began to fill itself again, with nothing but hate and the utmost loathing of the naked man. Migoto began to shimmer with a golden glow, the absence of his devotion to Elizabeth now replaced wiht nothing but the desire to see the man in fornt of him downed, or worse. The puddles rippled from the mini sonic vibrations and Migoto grabbed the slipping child again and looked at Avalon.

"No... we can;t leave Tomo. she needs us, she needs you, now more than ever. I've never been in a fight, hell I've only through 2 punches in my whole life but... but... I have to do something, that bastard has to be stopped." Migoto said, shakily standing to his feet, lifting Avalon with him as the now melting Ice slid from his metal wings, which were streaked with blood from the puncture wounds. "We have to go to her, that guys not attacking anymore... they sound like they're talking." Migoto said, the look of anger more foreign on his face than anything in the entire world as he made his way to Tomo, holding himself, Elizabeth, and Avalon, fueled by his desire to avenge the death of his closest companion.

[Avalon Carrister]

The debris had cleared on the wall facing the fight outside; the one that had been destroyed in the attack that had taken the young girl's life. Avalon's heart still went out to Migoto, but there was nothing that he could do now. The boy had stopped screaming, and that was a start. The Balseraph's eyes followed Migoto's as he continued to look at the battle, the small explosions and grunts of engagement reaching even Avalon's ears. Further away from the fray, on the corner of his vision he could see Tomo and the man that Cielle had called 'Tai'. He wasn't attacking her, but from what the Ha-ou's daughter had reported and what Avalon had seen of him in battle, he had no trouble talking before attacking. Tomoyo was still in danger as far as he was concerned, and when Migoto suggested going to Tomo, Avalon did not question the Djinni's decision at all. Migoto helped him up, and Avalon stretched his limbs quickly, finding them none the worse for wear after Migoto's dive to protect him, looking at the girl in the boy's arm as he tightened his grip on her once more. Avalon thought, just for a moment, to tell him to leave her behind, but thought better of it. If he was in that predicament with Tomo, he would kill anyone trying to pry her from him. Migoto understood that. And so, Avalon would try his best to understand what the younger Fallen was going through.

"Alright. Let's go," he said, pushing his way through the debris, watching as Migoto's body glowed gold, his eyes filling with contempt as his clutched Elizabeth to him and stared at Ilreg for a few moments. Avalon still remembered all too well the damage that had been done to Yomi's city, and some of the citizens that had been caught in the freezing temperature--the few that there were--had not been able to be revived. What sort of creature cared not for the lives of innocents? Even in Heaven, despite squabbles between authority figures in Heaven and Hell, the safety of innocents always came first. Despite being mistreated by Heaven, Tomoyo upheld the same decree. The Dragon made him sick.

The only thing that made him even more sick was the scar on Tomoyo's back. As Avalon neared her with Migoto at his side, picking through the wreckage of the castle, the severity of her injury was made more and more clear, and were it not from the dangerous energy levels emanating from both this Tai character as well as his Mistress, he would have run to her without regards to himself. However, Migoto was with him as well, and he had been through enough; there was no need to endanger him because of his personal concern for Tomo. He would have to wait. She was still alive, and still defending herself. He had nothing to worry about for now.

[Uesugi Yomi]

Nectar could feel the energy flowing through her attacker even as she headed toward him. But she had power of her own and she was determined to make a hit on this Dragon. Yomi was very hurt and despite her arrogance, even the Hellion King that it was a risk just being here, let alone fighting. There were so many other things going on that there was no way for Nectar to protect her wielder from all of it. Ilreg, however, was the largest threat to Yomi at the moment, and she would have to take care of him before moving on to anything else. Had anyone else as energy-sensitive as her come into the room, they would have been overwhelmed. Ilreg's blue aura was all over the place--all over the frozen water on the ground, coating the large hole in the wall to her left where he had blasted through; Then there was the power of the Elves, their magical signature still lingering about the castle from when they were manipulating the floor...one of them was missing, and Nectar didn't know where the missing elf was located. Then there were the two auras that dwarfed all others in the room--Sanada Tomo as well as the man whose heat had left visible viscerations on the structure. Nectar knew well that Ilreg was a top contender in the room, but his aura was diminished--he was beginning to grow more weary. That was the only reason why she could face him without worry, and even that was a risk.

There was an explosion of sound from the room that Ilreg had attacked, and Nectar's form even shivered with the raw power of what had exploded from the room. It was a scream, loud and piercing, and Nectar had to catch herself from looking back at Yomi. Ilreg had been injured from the assault on his ears, and they were bleeding as well as his nose. Nectar knew that Yomi was suffering a similiar fate, but that was the least of her worries. She attack had connected with Ilreg, and he fell to his knee.

He chose to attempt another attack, the energy that he had been harnessing earlier manifesting itself as another wave of ice shards, directed at Yomi.

Yomi was dodging the tendrils of the water monster, but found that soon there was no need for even that; the tendrils quickly spun out of her range when they were near, courtesy of the elf's magic. However, at the very moment that it had exploded, Migoto's cry had pierced her ears, and she fell onto both knees on the ground, covering her ears.

What the fuck is that? she thought to herself; but her thoughts didn't drown out the noise, and she grunted in pain, her eyes closed until the sound halted completely. The audio assault had left her with tears in her eyes from the pain alone, a ping of sound still ringing in her ears as an after affect. She could see that it was an attack that had affected everyone on the field of battle, not just her, and she struggled to strengthen her forcefield from any oncoming advances--she knew she was in a vulnerable position. She was already injured, her wounds were opening again and she was bleeding all over the place. She was not in the condition to win this battle at all.

Nectar acted quickly, her visible form disintegrating into nothing, now a pure gust of wind. With a blast of her powerful magic, she managed to dispell most of the shards. Again, she couldn't get rid of them all, and a particularly large shard stuck Yomi's left leg, piercing through quite a bit although not through the other side. Yomi tried to stand, but her legs wobbled and she sunk back down to her knees. She was fucked now. She could barely move, and with the battle still raging around her she didn't want to poor all of her magic into healing her wound enough so that he could stand. She couldn't take this. She had been thrust into battle before she had been fully recovered, and there wasn't anything that she could do about it. But Seiryuu damn-it-all, she was not about to die here. There were too many other things that she had to do.

Just as quickly as she had burst into wind, Nectar was back in her visible form, rushing with a lunge to attack Ilreg's right shoulder, trying to take the opportunity to land another hit on him while he was still down.

[Sanada Tomo]

[I'm going to take a page from Abbadon's book on this one, LOL. You'll see. ]

Taiyou spoke from the heart; from the heart of someone who had lost everything that was important to them. Although he had stormed into her castle, made a wreck of it, and had caused the severe damage to her back that she now sustained, she could not allow herself to tell him not to feel angry. Not when Tomoyo had already been dealing with the tumultuous emotions that she had been put through over the last month or so. This man had indeed fallen with her, and had cared about her vision of Heaven enough to follow her into the depths of Hell. Although Yami-ou had tried very hard to reconcile with those who had lost family members during the Great Purging, there was nothing that could replace what they had lost. Tomo had even suffered the betrayal of Yomi, one of her most trusted Kings at that time, and she was suffering now. Chiyo's attack had left her with her hands tied, and there was nothing that she could do but deal with the wreckage one person at a time. After all of her years of living, she could now identify with the pain that they had been going through, and while she had tried to empathize with them before, she knew now that it was not the same.

Taiyou was at least speaking with rationality now. He was speaking with her like a person, a being with a cognizant and sound mind rather than the lunatic he appeared to perceive her as. If anything, during her years as King she began on a bitter note and grew more kind, and hearing that Taiyou thought the opposite was a bit staggering.

Looking up at Taiyou, staring him straight in the eye, Tomoyo listen to him as he asked her if he was wrong for his anger at her. "No...you are not. You lost your wife. You lost your children. Your anger is what any one of us would feel. I recently lost my husband..." she trailed off, not wanting to direct the topic of the conversation to herself. She just wanted to let him know, just a little, that she was not herself too far removed from his own situation. "He was murdered, taken away from me. And there is nothing I can do about it. You, however, knew that I was the one responsible. You came after me because you could, and although I can say that I wish you had not, this situation was not in my control. It was in yours. This was fate, I believe, or it would not have happened. You are right in saying that I canno separate myself from Heaven. I still believe that one day the two Realms can co-exist together."

Then he went on, asking if his family was worth anything, if he was supposed to ignore the fact that the Great Purging happened. Tomoyo knew for a fact that doing such a thing was the wrong choice, if not only because that had been the way that Yomi had approached the matter and it had turned out badly. Tomoyo knew better than anyone that bottling things up and ignoring them only produced catastrophic results. Tai's rage had consumed him after the incident, Tomo could guess, and look what had happened to him. They were supposed to have hat conversation the day of the incident, he said, but they had not. For a fleeting moment, Tomo wondered what could have been if they had spoken and he had heard all of this first hand, but quickly focused back on the conversation at hand. Tomo knew better than anyone else in Hell that if things weren't meant to be, forcing them made things ten times worse.

"Tell me, was the loss of my family, friends, and the woman I loved and admonished as much as my wife, my king worth anything Tomo, was I supposed to ignore these changes?"

That question set off Tomo thinking. Were they worth it all? He had lost his family, his wife, his children, and it seemed that no one had cared--for example, would the loss of Taiyou's family be worth more than Ren, or Rei? No one had spoken about their death since it had occurred, other than the Ha-ou of Hell herself. It seemed that no one was acknowledging their existence, and they had been two of the most important people in Tomoyo's life. Rei was disliked amongst the other Kings for her unorthodox procedures and her heavy dependence on magic; no one had liked Ren very much at all--most of the country had labeled him as an infidel, someone who did not belong in Hell or with Tomoyo in any capacity.

It seemed that somewhat of the same could be held true to Tai's story. Had the right person cared in the first place, he wouldn't be there right now. But Tomoyo knew, from Tai's rage and her own feelings, that Ren and Rei had meant just as much to her as Tai's family had meant to him. The loss of neither was acknowledged, however, and so the question remained: with only one person to mourn them, respectively, what were they worth?

"They are worth nothing," she said, "...and they are worth everything."

[Kanjin Taiyou]

The conversation that should have taken place years ago was at an end, and despite all his wasted hatred and loathing, Taiyou felt mostly at peace with his rage against the Yami-ou. She spoke to him in the manner she did all her subjects in the past, with honesty and sincerity and despite the ghastly environment in which the conversation took place, Taiyou would not have waited another moment for him. The end of her speech had a profound effect on him, her words, or rather the point way in which she choose them helped him to understand that she did indeed felt his pain, and shared in his loss with him, having no one to mourn the death of her husband and closest friend with. Of all the acts in his life, Taiyou had never felt so low, his frustrations wasted in an attempt to strike down at someone who did indeed lie with him, this guilt compounded as Taiyou turned to see who approached from the rear, Migoto and Avalon's footsteps not completely drowned out from the chaos in the room.

Taiyou was familiar with Avalon, having met him under hostile circumstances earlier, but the other Celestiall the blue skinned one once again held another child in his arms, except this time it was not the infant child of the Yami-oui, but the lifeless body of a small human girl, he clothes socked with water, small traces of frost lie on her clothing, matching those that stood on the wall from where they came. All this commotion, all this pain and destruction could have been averted had he not stormed the room making an already bad situation worse. He small eyes were closed, and the man that held her possessed a fierce glow, and a look of spite in his eyes directed at the naked ruffian at Yomi's front, the pair now standing right next to Taiyou and Tomo. Taiyou had grown familiar with death, but all his conflicts were with opponents who could defend themselves, beings capable of choosing their actions and controlling their fates, but she was just a small child, an innocent and precious life lost in a sea of petty violent conflict. Her small body, they way the man held her reminded Taiyou of cradling his daughter Hoshi in his arms as he watched his familiar and home burn to ash.



For all his physical strength, all the might he contained in his body, his legs buckled at the sight, trying to steady himself as his eyes filled with tears of both sorrow and rage. Turning to Migoto with no concern for the look on his own face Taiyou spoke to him, in a humble not not used for what seemed to be an eternity. "She... she looked like my daughter, my little Hoshi. Everyone, I am so sorry, for everything. If I could switch places with her..." Taiyou stopped, realizing that nothing he could say, no amount of pity he relinquished would bring the girl back. Looking back down at Tomo, Taiyou knelt and moved to place his hand onto her back, in an attempt to draw out heat of the wound to prevent further damage.

"WHAT IN THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING YOU IDIOT, KILL HER YOU FUCKING PUSSY! I DID NOT KEEP YOUR SORRY ASS ALIVE SO THAT YOU COULD GIVE THIS BITCH A BACK RUB, KILL HER AND BE DONE WITH IT!" Oni roared, her pleas ignored by Taiyou despite the internal pain she caused him, the energy she expelled in trying to get his attention flowing into the air. She continued to tear at his insides causing him to wince, but he fought throght the anguish to finish what he now set out to to.

Extending his arm before the Yami-ou, Taiyou turned to looked at the downed fighter that battled Yomi, his heart so filled with anger and pain, his very being screamed for this injustice to be corrected, and he was only sure of one way to accomplish that. "Gather your people and get out of here Sanada, I have to hurt something or someone or I'll go crazy. That fucker has to be stopped, and you look like you need some help in that department, so allow me to pay you back by killing him." Taiyou said in his usual gruff manner, motioning to Tomo to take his hand and stand if she could. His sword still remained in his hand, and watched as the naked beast fought savagely against Yomi's sprite, along with his bestial comrades who fought Sanada's own men tooth and nail alongside him.

"TAIYOU, KILL HER NOW!" Oni continued, all but ignored by the Celestial who used what little control over Will power he had left to fend her off.

[Ilreg Douisis Ofu'ul]

Physical fatigue had began to eat away at the once mighty Dragon, now battered and battle worn, his reflexes seemed to failed as he suffered a laceration to his shoulder, partly successful at dodging Nectar's. His blood splattered onto the floor, it frigid temperature freezing the small pool of water, his head falling down below his shoulders, his hair wet and matted against the floor. His breathing now labored, Ilreg strained just to make a movement, forming a blade in his hand as he sensed that most of his shards were dispelled, feeling the one in Yomi's leg. Pointing his sword, Ilreg caused it to explode in another attempt to force Nectar to aid Yomi, giving him the chance to recuperate if only for a moment.

"I... I will not be defeated this way... Disgraced by you worms... beaten by such filth, never... NEVER!" Ilreg said, his shoulders buckling at under the weight of his own body. Shaking, Ilreg refused to relent to the pain but nonetheless his body prepared to fall until he heard the voices in the background. Tomo and the man from earlier seemed to resolve their conflict, and with his hearing damaging he could not make out every word, but the conversation had become quite clear, Ilreg was to be dealt with, an assumption that was not help in any positive way by the spike in power he felt behind him.

Flustered at the prospect of his impending doom at the hands of Sanada, and a cadre of others, Ilreg mustered his strength to make a desperate call for help. "FAF-RIS! CER-DRA, TO MY AID IMMEDIATELY!" Ilreg roared, his vision blurred as both his mouth and nostrils filled with blood that was spilling, his wounds closing at a slower rate, his shoulder's wound only a quarter of the way healed from injury. It was an act that forced him to sacrifice every sliver of pride he possessed in favor of self preservation, hoping to make those responsible for his predicament pay with there lives if he gained the strength to do so.

[Faf-ris]

Both Faf-ris and Cer-dra were focused on there respective opponents, their fury and tenactiy only helping to further their already amazing battle prowess, holding there own against multiple opponents. Faf-ris toiled in controlling the watery monster that attack and prodded Yomi, anchoring her magic deeply into the water, as her sibling the ebon Cer-dra continued to assault both young Hellion King and Elven prince on his lonesome, exploding into a thick, black haze of smoke at the sight and sound of the earth underneath its feet being disrupted, flowing into the general area. And then, in a turn of events that was anticipated by the duo, their master cried out to them for their help, their minds instantly switching their objectives to meet his own.

In a sweeping motion, the aqua beast stiffened its once fluid motion,rippling and then the figure commenced to melt and splashed to the floor, flowing underneath Ilreg, forming around him as a bubble of thick, magically enhanced water that slowly morphed into a hand. Cradled inside of the safety of the water, Ilreg's attention was focused on Sanada Tomo, counting at least 4 people near her, satisfyingly forming an evil smirk as he met eyes with the gathered Celestials. Bringing him closer, Faf-ris the focused a blast of water in the direction of Sanada Tomo and those closest to her which Ilreg weakly willed to freeze, forming javelins as they hardened and grew closer to their targets.

Aiding his sibling, Cer-dra appeared out of the growing cloud of smoke that spread through the room, away from the growing chasm underneath where he once stood, and launched himself at the group of people standing next to Tomo. Using the darkness in the room to swell his size to monstrous proportions, pulling all of the shadows in the room around his body as he barred his teeth, while his claws ripped apart the floor his path. The shadows swarmed to him, his magic causing them to become solid, forming an opaque armour of sorts around his body, keeping the core where the Dragon resided safe and secure from harm at the moment.

[Ongaku Migoto]

Shouldering Avalon, Migoto walked toward Tomoyo, who it seemed in a twist of fate was conversing civil with the man that stromed the castle, and injured her and several others. He was defintatley calmer now, and away from most of the active combat that was still in the room, Migoto was happy to see that at least Tomo was safe. The man stood in front of Migoto, and the even if Migoto lacked his superb hearing, the man's heart played a sympohny of regret and misery, tearful and profusly offering his apologies to the Blue skinned Djinn. He comment on how this girl, the now lifeless Elizabeth so resembled his own daughter, one he was too choked up to go into detail about, but Migoto was not so dense as he couldn't see the pain of loss painted all over him.

In a move that stunned Migoto, the man knelt down to help Sanada, Migoto first tensing up at the sight of him moving toward his king, by comforted by the compassion he just demonstrated. The only thing that seemed of put was his accelerated heartbeat, which rose and fall, but as he commenced to help Tomoyo stand, the commotion on the other side of the room caught his attention. The downed dragon was now worse off than he had been in the whole fight, and he could no longer adequately defend himself, Migoto could here the tearing of his flesh, wincing at the gore, but not pitiful. He deserved the position he was in, and Migoto watched as he desperately called for the aid of the two monsters adjacent to him. Gathered in a floating pool, the naked man looked at the four of them, his smirk enraging Migoto as if he saw the life he robbed from the girl cradled in his arms, and was seemingly more than [pleased with his handiwork.

Migoto agreed with the man's sentiment of their departure, but he did not include himself, persevering he safety of his king before himself, wanting to speak up but intruded by the threat of incoming violence. It was then the monsters launched their attacks, what seemed to be water that quickly forms sharp spears of ice flew at them, followed by a hulking black mass that resembled a hound, growing with each and every step it took closer to where they stood. With a child in his arms, and Avalon on his shoulder, Migoto had no way to defend himself, and painfully began the process of expanding his metal wings, nearly collapsing under the weight of the pain of the open wounds.


He looked on, uncomfortable with the feelings in his heart, but dwelling on the rage to fuel him, make him powerful, and hopefully give him the strength to avenge Elizabeth. Looking toward the man that was going to lift the Yami-ou, Migoto closed his eyes, as he reeling from the pain of exerting his wings, "Help us!" Migoto yelled in the direction of Taiyou.

[Kanjin Taiyou]

In the small window of time that he went to offer his condolences to the Blue skinned Celestial, the environment in the room changed dramatically. The naked man and his beasts seemed to regain their ground and launched an offensive against those gathered closest to Tomo. Both the rising noise and a cry for help from the blue skinned young man alerted Taiyou the massive surge of roaring blackness that headed their way, the beast's size swelling with each inch closer. Cradling Tomo in the arm he was using to support her Taiyou held out his sword, channeling his fire magic into the weapon to create a burst of energy that would stop the incoming onslaught. Unfourtunately, nothing came of the effort, and Taiyou was left to wonder what caused this, not a single flame sprung forth despite his sincerest effort. All Taiyou could see was a dark messenger of oblivion headed for them, and behind it, the smirk of a ruthless killer submerged in secure bubble of water.

"You didn't think this would be that easy did you, you fucking moron. That bitch dies today, and nothing you can do will stop it." Oni said, using her magic to nullify his powers as well as wrench Taiyou's insides Gritting his teeth, Taiyou had only seconds to react, fighting past the pain to commence his impromptu plan of action, continuing by sheer will alone.

"Kid grab Tomo, Avalon through up a wall of water to buffer what I can't stop!" Taiyou said, letting go of Tomo, using all the will he could muster to stand to his feet as fast as possible. Lift his sword, Taiyou rushed forward, headfirst into the fray, taking the initiative and after a swing with his left arm for momentum.



Taiyou then commenced to placing his both his hands around the handle of his weapon, lifting it thought the air, and bringing the weapon down with all of his might and fury, yelling while he executed a downward slash that landed atop the beasts snout, a killing blow so powerful, the seemingly solid black opaque shield shattered like glass, the force smashing the floor beneath the beast, sending large pieces of debris in the direction of the attacks. Much of the wreckage intercepted the icy javelins, the rest pierce through Taiyou's shoulder, only propelling him to lean forward, placing even more pressure of the head of the monster.

There was a loud clash between he and the beast, this teeth tearing into his raised arms, as Taiyou pushed passed the magic an Oni's pain, as Taiyou brought the edge of his sword down, being torn by the monster magic, his will and strength proving to be the better. His hands remained clenched on the handle, focusing his grip to ensure full lethality with the blow.

The howl of the beast was monstrous, and as the strange Dark magic dissipated into dust, Taiyou moved his weapon, a spray of green-yellowish blood covered his front as the monster appeared to succumb to its terrible fate, Taiyou's sword firmly planted inside its skull. As Taiyou examined the would, he saw the blood seemingly reenter the creatures body, its skull moving Taiyou's sword at the tip. It's flesh began to revel itself over the opening an Taiyou realized what he was dealing with. He had not fought such a foe in well over a millenia, but nonetheless the memory was fresh in his mind, the creature was a Dragon, and Taiyou knew full and well what he had to do. With a quick movement, he decapitated the regenerating creature after it gave a sickening growl, its body twitching. Standing there covered in blood, Taiyou tore the javelin out of his shoulder and through it to the floor, looking at the others as he spat on the fresh kill on the floor, his boots soaking in the freshly spilled blood.

[Ilreg Douisis Ofu'ul]

Whatever solace Ilreg had taken in the sudden tactical advantage and ground he had momentarily was instantly shattered, the struggle between Cer-dra and the large fire wielding man ensued and ended abruptly. In a feat of enormous strength, not only was Cer-dra overpowered, his defenses broken, resulting in a vicious blow to his head, downing the beast instantly. As Ilreg watched on, preparing to move and rescue Cer-dra, the man wasted no time allowing the beast to heal, and with seemingly little effort, decapitated the Dragon with his blunted sword, spitting into his severed neck, his look focused squarely into Ilreg’s saffron eyes. His eyes widened, his mouth filled with the magical water as his jaw was dropped in horror, a being such as himself, his history as blood soaked as it were still not removed from the emotional trappings of watching a comrade slain so coldly, a brutal irony among the day’s numerous occurrences.



His eye's widened in total disbelief at what just transpired, his chest heaved in angers, and his hands trembled in grief, Cer-dra’s green blood all over the floor, a pool of emerald liquid at the feet of his murderer. The brutality ate away at his insides; the sudden appearance of the gaping maw of loss filled him so, as it did his lone companion to his rear, the magic off the watery bubble growing unstable. Enraged beyond all reproach, Ilreg’s injury’s were negligible at this point, the semi-broken bones, the small and still mending tears in his flesh did not exist to him, as Ilreg released a wave of energy that froze his protective bubble, the magic reacting violently as the splashing water from the explosion of his power. Covered in frost, he was unstable, forming a large sharp wedge in his hand, unpolished and rough, but a killing tool none the less. Ilreg snarled like and animal, rushing toward the man and Sanada, unconcerned with who he was going to attack, feeling the overwhelming need to cause and inflict pain on the first unlucky soul he came across.

His mind raced with pleasant memories of the past, something unfamiliar making his speedy movements became erratic, thinking back on the times spent with Cer-dra. It was Cer-dra with all his hot-headedness that intervened first on Ilreg’s behalf when he faced certain doom against the monstrous creature in his younger day, much like he did today. Cer-dra, the more vocal of the beasts, snarling at anyone Ilreg disapproved of, his brashness more than compensating for him and his master’s elemental incompatibility. Cer-dra was indispensible, and was one of the only beings who brought Ilreg comfort alongside his sibling and now he was gone forever, Ilreg could feel the Flux inside himself reaching out to someone no longer there, his presence leaving the area, slipping into the ether.

His body began to glow dimly in the darkened room, his white skin now becoming scaly and rough, his entire body now vaguely resembling that of a bipedal albino reptile. Screaming unintelligible obscenities in a language foreign to all in the room, his forked tongue flying wildly, his sharpened and serrated teeth barred to all, stained a yellow color from his mouth being filled with blood most of the fight. He could feel his essence pulling at that of what remained of Cer-dra, his emotional instability acting as a vacuum to the slain Dragon’s energy. “DIE! ALL OF YOU ABOMINABLE CELESTIALS WILL DIE, AND I SHALLGNAW AT YOUR INNARDS AND GROW DRUNK FROM YOUR MAROW.” Ilreg roared in a voice that did not sound like his, the octaves dropped by many levels, his muscle definition accentuated by his scaly covering, nearly doubled in mass from his expanding body, his size not hampering his speed at all as he know made at lunge at the man with the sword who stood before him defiantly, most of his icy projectiles melting at the wall of heat before him.

[Avalon Carrister]

[kinda godmodding my own character here, so don't pay that any mind.]

"Kid grab Tomo, Avalon through up a wall of water to buffer what I can't stop!"

Avalon started as the orders were unexpectedly given to him, and even with the panic and danger around him--with Migoto screaming at this once hostile stranger for help, Avalon looked to his King for leadership. She was hurt--there was nothing that he could do about it. But if Tomo trusted this stranger--enemy or not--he was going to follow Tomo's order, be them silent or spoken. "Yami..." his voice trailed off as he stared at Tomo. Of all things, a small smiled tugged at her lips, and she looked eerily calm, even with her strange, blackened appearance. The dark magic was spreading to affect her very appearance--her hair was turning into long, black curls, and her previously destroyed clothing was now repaired; she was wearing a long black kimono that pooled at her knees where she sat, immobile, unable to move herself. And still, she was smiling.

Avalon knew that the orders must be followed immediately. In the moment it took him to understand that, he summoned a great wall of water, one that seemed to have a mind of its own, as though it were a beast without shape, intangible. Avalon put as much force as he could summon at one time into it's making, and continued to channel his magic into it as Tai attacked Ilreg's servant. It was with a mighty crack that the fellow fallen cut down Cer-Dra, and while Avalon felt like cheering, his eyes narrowed instead, falling on Ilreg. This was the man who had heartlessly killed a little girl--a girl that Migoto had not fully let go of since her passing. He would not take this well.

And it seemed that he did not, prattling on in the manner that he had before, while he changed--his true form becoming clear not only to Avalon, but all those around him watching, with the exception of Tomo, who could turn from her position. "Ha-ou...I cannot fight that..." he said. He could feel the power rolling off of the Dragon in waves, and he began to channel even more magic into the living water. He would fight if necessary for his King, but something inside of him told him that only Tomo, rife with Symphony's magic, could stand a chance against this beast. Perhaps Tai, but...he seemed to already be injured.

"We have to leave," he said, shouting to Migoto. "We have to leave now!"

[Sanada Tomo]

When Tai offered to help with the problem of Ilreg, she did not object. She could sense that he felt more than bad after their conversation, and at the time she did need the distraction. If it was as simple as fighting Ilreg, she would have simply done it herself. Back injury, immobilization and all. The excruciating pain in her back had bulled a little, and was now a painful buzzing working in the background of all of her actions. But there were people on the battlefield--Yomi, the Elves, Avalon, Migoto, Kojiro, and her child was still in the building somewhere as well. She needed to get them out, and with those two feral Dragons about, she couldn't distract Ilreg even if she wanted to. They would just take care of the extra work for him. Tomo could not afford to let anyone else die. She was having a hard enough time keeping herself from staring at Elizabeth, the poor girl whose lifeless body was still bring held in Migoto's blue arms.

But she remained calm. With Tai's help, they would definitely make it out. Avalon seemed mildly distracted, but he was always like that. Tomo paid him no mind in this case. Tai went on to attack one of Ilreg's servants, shouting at Avalon to throw up a shield of some kind. He did, and Tomoyo extended the forcefield around her body to envelope both Migoto and Avalon, the dome of darkness appearing as though black lightning flashed inside of it. The shield was only a few feet away from Taiyou, and if he wanted to step back into it then she would allow him inside as well. With Avalon's magic protecting them as well, Tomoyo knew nothing would easily get through.

They would have to get Yomi closer to them--otherwise she was at risk. Hopefully she would see what was going on and haul ass. Ilreg had begun changing--Tomo couldn't see it, but she could hear his voice morphing. It sounded ugly, disgusting, impure. Tomoyo found herself wishing that Balam and Balak still lived with her. their services would have been much appreciated. But she didn't dwell on that. Instead, she prepared to disperse more magic to fight Ilreg. With Symphony running directly through her veins, she felt unstoppable. Dragon or not, Ilreg would find her a force to be reckoned with if they fought.

Tomoyo felt a strange tingle at the back of her mind, and Symphony spoke to her. There is a weight...it holds the man with fire back. And the words were true--Tomoyo could almost see it now, even as Tai stood over the carcass of one of the felled Dragons. It was inside of him, clawing, attacking the man's soul. But Tomoyo did not want to intervene with Tai's internal struggle, as he had told her nothing of it, and seeing it did not give Tomo permission to enter into his intimate space.

Looking around, the Ha-ou could see the castle all becoming less stable with every passing minute. They need to evacuate soon. "My child..." she whispered, heartache wrenching through her already pain filled body. But she would have to trust that he was fine--she would know if anything had happened to Rakeru.

[Elf Royal Family-Group Account]

[again, I godmod some of my own charries. You can post after this, as there's no point in posting for Yomi.]

The turn of events in the castle had left Alvar and Alfeo without charge, and before even feeling Tomoyo's anxiety for the safety of everyone still in the castle, they had decided what to do.

You, Arya, Alvar thought to his brother. I'll take the bitch.

Within seconds, Alfeo had materialized a hole in the ground. Falling into it, losing it behind him, he found himself traveling through the walls of the castle. Arya was not responding at all, and that wasn't good in the least. As he reached his destination he could see the damage--corpses littered the floor of the room. What had happened here? Arya was passed out, and there was the child, floating in an orb of magic--recognizably his sister's--a few feet above the ground. Alfeo didn't try to disspell the magic, but he found that he was allowed to hold the child, and took him in one hand and his sister in the other, going back the way that he came, but twisting the floor of the castle so that he emerged instead in a much safer place, behind Taiyou but in front of Tomoyo, near the magic that everyone seemed to be gathered under. A wall of water at Tomoyo's back separated her from Taiyou, and Alfeo cradled the child, stepping into the shield without difficulty and laying his sister gently on the ground near Tomoyo. The King was so happy to see her child, and the elf would never say anything, but he saw small tears in Tomo's eyes.

Alvar had gotten to Yomi well enough, at Ilreg's back--he was changing into something hideous now--and the woman was no her knees, her sprite, colored a very light orange type color, helping her stand. She was very injured. Alfeo wasn't sure if creating a door how would be appropriate with Ilreg so close.

"What are you doing here, pansy?" Yomi growled, clutching her stomach. It was bleeding, badly. She had a Celestial body, but she still needed medical attention.

Seeing her in pain brought a sneering smile to Alvar's lips. "Helping you, bitch," he retorted. "I'm not one for your games. Shut up and follow me."