animulae 2, chapter 1

[lionbrea]

Thancred Waters did not know when he fell asleep - nor when he woke, in their life between worlds. Iterations. Cycles - whatever the term was. His home was already gone. But he continued to live on, and he continued to exist. All of them did... but they weren't meant to go into deep sleeps, right? And yet, his body was stiff as he sat up in his room. A hand went to his hair - his feathers were longer, his talons were unclipped. And dust covered everything. With a start, he looked around--

--thank the Gods. The Minfilia doll was still there, the Mammet which he knew that his dear Minfilia could see though, from across shards. It was dusty as well, clinging to his pajamas. She was comfortable, but began to wake - looking to him with gentle eyes. A soundless yawn, and she tugged at him a little. Thancred shrugged, his wing arms fluffing out a little.

First, he had to go for a shower. His body felt stiff, and he felt so tired. How long had he slept? As he closed the door to his bathroom, he knew Minfilia would be going down to clean her body as well. He wouldn't want her to watch as he turned on the shower... good. Water still flowed, but it felt stale. Could water feel stale like this? Thancred didn't spend too long washing up, shaking off as the water turned off. Feathers stuck out everywhere, as he began to brush though his hair.

Outside, Minfilia waited for him, in a warm sweater. He knelt down, offering out a claw - and she climbed up. Soon, Minfilia sat on Thancreds' shoulder, held by one of his headwings. Quietly letting out a soft hum, Thancred began to leave his dorm-like room. But... nothing was right. The air was as stale as the water, the ground felt dry and cracked beneath his talons. It hadn't rained in days.

Months, perhaps, as he glanced around. No grass, the trees were dead. Something had happened, and Thancred grew faster. Houses were abandoned, and--! He saw a person, sitting by the dried-up river parting their city, their paradise. A large furred being, one of those cats... why couldn't Thancred remember what they were called?! It was on the tip of his tongue, as he fluttered next to them.

"Where is everybody?" It was the first thing that came to mind, even before introducing himself. Thankfully, the large Miqo'te (?) didn't seem too disturbed.

Instead, he continued to look downwards, at the lack of water. A hiss on his lips, a tremble on his tail. Something bubbling under his surface. "The world is dying."

...right. He'd seen the world die before. He'd been there, to help preserve it. For that's what heroes do, isn't it? Preserve, protect, and make a brighter future. But still - this was meant to be a paradise between worlds. Before he could ask about any of this, though, the other continued. "We lack the strength to protect it, as the Worldeater grows closer. Hah - to think we've all been used.

But to answer your question - those who could have been reborn. Those who couldn't? They'll have to have that strength soon, or they'll be dead." His expression was bitter, as he stood - towering over Thancred, expression dire. "I wondered why you didn't go as soon as your little Au Ra did."

His Au Ra-- right. Bolormaa. Minfilias' will, reborn. She appeared after time had seemed to jump backwards - and he had grown to see her as part of his family. It was the way he had gotten this Mammet, as well. The Mammet who had now crawled up him, to look up at the lion-like being, giving a small frown. (Was he somebody Minfilia knew?) "I-- don't know. I didn't know I'd become Sleeping Beauty." Thancred half-joked, still giving the other a deep expression. "But-- how do I follow her? Follow them?"

...ah. Right. He'd know, wouldn't he. The larger man paused. "...You'll give your soul that easily? You do not know what will happen.

--by the way, my name is Zale."

"My apologies, Zale - I'm in a little bit of a rush to figure things out," Thancred stated. "And of course. I already had given up my time to learn about time magic. What's giving up my soul, compared to that?"

Zale couldn't help but give a bitter smile, shaking his head. How little he knew... but Zale wouldn't stop him. Thancred reminded him of him, before he learned everything. Before he had been betrayed. "Follow me, then. Both of you."

---

The two and a half soon made their way to what seemed to be an endless plain of water, a broken throne in the middle of it. Zale was quiet as they approached, bowing to the empty throne. "The end of all worlds, so I've learned, began with the death of the one who would sit here."

Thancred was silent, as he trailed. Right, he remembered. Two gods were born from the corpse of the one here - to guide and protect. But, then, a question was raised. "I know that Bolormaa is one of the Gods of this realm - because of her connection to Hydaelyn. But then, who's the other?"

At the mention of Hydaelyn, Zale let out a half-hiss. Not explaining it, he shrugged. "Don't know. Does it matter? Even their strength couldn't stop the Worldeater." Shinryuu. The one who began this cycle of conflict, and the one who continued it again. Alongside Elidibus... the one once known as the Warrior of Light. Zale stopped bowing, water dripping down his paws. Hands moving, magic beginning to spark--

--and a flame seemed to appear, surrounding the throne. But it wasn't fire. Even Thancred could tell what it was. "Souls--?!"

"I'm not as good as Hades at manipulating souls," Zale said - not elaborating on who Hades was - as he looked at the souls in awe. "But these are those who linger, and those who move to be reborn. A safe world has been found, far away - one which connects here, though we don't know." The beast smiled backwards, nostalgia all over his face. "It's amazing, isn't it...?"

Thancred reached a talon forward, shakily. He knew that if he touched it, he'd be taken as well. "The Worldeater will follow us eventually, won't it - what's going to stop it from ending up again?"

Zale went quiet for a moment, before: "I have a theory - but I cannot test it without observation of this realm. But I have noted a few things about the beast - namely, that it adapts to whatever realm it is in. In cycles which had opponents fighting one at a time, it followed those rules. Perhaps, if there was a realm where it following those rules were to remove the fact it cannot be killed..."

They might still die. They might not. Thancred took a heavy gulp, before asking quietly: "Are the other Scions-- did they choose to go there?"

"Of course. All your allies have." Was that... bitterness in the cat mans' face? No, it didn't look to be.

A pause. "Will you be?" Thancred asked, not noticing the tiny Minfilia crawling off of him.

Zale gave another long pause, tail flicking. "...Yes. But there's more I need to do here first - to prepare myself. Unlike you, Thancred, I don't have as much experience with my home dying."

Thancred was about to go. He had to. "I want to see you again, in that world. Promise?"

"...promise."

And with that, Thancred touched the souls - his flesh seeming to vanish, his body collapsing...

...him no longer being able to hear. Zale sat by the flame, giving a weak little sigh - before his face began to burn with a glyph Thancred would have recognized. Lahabrea. His expression growing bitter, he looked to the Mammet who lingered. "Worry not, pawn of Hydaelyn. Zodiark is dead. Everything has failed, due to this outside force."

And thus, a new form. One to repent, for he had failed in both goals. Restoring the past or restoring Zodiark. The Mammet put a hand to him, before moving into the flames. Vanishing as well. He hadn't lied, mind you - Zale-- Lahabrea had wanted to take one last look at this former paradise. It was true, Zodiark was dead. But so was Hydaelyn. Their failures had faded, and all that was left was the Worldeater. Perhaps he would wait until it was here to leave. For he needed to stop all of this. Somebody had to.

...somebody had to.