She awakens to find herself in a cavernous area. Dark. Cold. She looks up and she sees nothing but ocean. Dark cold water. She takes a breath. She can breath normally. Some kind of air bubble?
"So you awaken. Good. Good." says a voice.
". . . You. . . You're supposed to be dead! The Tribunal. . ." she says, immediately recognizing the voice.
"Is dead! All gone! Your little heroes scattered to the four corners of the world. And soon too shall your little guardians. . ." says the voice.
"Crystal and Kuai have nothing to do with this! Take me instead!" Kairine says.
The voice laughs. "Your feeble attempts to save them is almost amusing. I could stay and chat with you, but I've got to run. Ta ta!"
"She will stop you. Crystal will find new heroes. And she will succeed where I failed. . ." says Kairine. "I admit, I failed with the Tribunal. I failed to keep it together. But Crystal. . . I have faith in her."
"Oh I've already met them! Quite amusing they are. I shall have a ball toying with them! How they squabble amongst eachother. Down right entertaining!"
She opens her eyes as she hears the cries. But who could be down here of all places? Who would possibly have found their way to the deepest depths of the ocean? She didn't even know where she was. She looks around, and she sees a Merelvan man running up to her. Wait. . . I know him. "Forma!" Where in the Gods' names have you been?"
"Looking for you. You vanished when the ship crash landed. I looked everywhere for you. Finally I picked up a feint trace of your psi mystia on the scanners. Only one person in all the seas have a trace that powerful." says Forma as he approaches her and helps her up. Kairine knew Forma through the Tribunal. Particularly through Nivyn. She had asked him to bring her down here to the Ocean Kingdoms so that she could see for herself the darkness she sensed was approaching. Something she felt was connected to the civil war in the Ocean Kingdoms. Now she was sure of it. It is all connected. Even the war of the Dragon Lords. All of this. . . has happened before. In the distant past.
She rises to her feet, then she looks Forma in the eyes. "We must return to the surface. To Calrune. You must bring your story to Stormbreak, the Fae'roh of Almahna. And I must see Crystal and Kuai. We must warn everyone."
Forma looks confused. "Warn them of what? What did you see?"
"It's connected. Everything. The civil war here, the war of the Dragon Lords, even the rise of the Lich Lords. For a long time I have been sensing a coming darkness. That darkness. . . it's here. In the deepest depths of the Ocean Kingdoms. And it is beginning to awaken." she says, as she suddenly begins to feel light headed.
"You don't look too good, mi'lady. Maybe you've been down here too long. I should return you to the Merelvan capital Averasta. Then you can return to your Calrune when you have recovered," says Forma.
She shakes her head. "No. There's no time. . ."
"But mi'lady. If you surface too soon, you could get sick. Take your time." says the Merelvan as he begins to help her to the ship.
4But as Kairine begins to resist, they both stop, as the ground beneath them starts to rumble. A deep low growl echoes all about them. Then they look up as a massive shadow hovers over them. "Ok. . ." says Forma. "You win. We go."
As the ship lifts off and hovers up through the water, the shadow follows them for a little while and then backs away. Forma lets forth a deep sigh. "Was that the Leviathan?" he says.
"No. Waveform wouldn't stop. That was something else. Something bigger. What of your legends, Forma? Any mention of a massive creature in the depths?" asks Kairine.
Forma shakes his head. "Not that I am aware of. I mean there are folk tales of something down in the deep trenches. But those are just stories to scare children, keep them from going near the trenches." he says.
Kairine is deep in thought for a minute before, "There is a glimpse of truth in every story. Even folk tales. I need to see your library. Take me to your capital."
Forma nods. "What are you thinking you'll find?"
"I'm not sure yet. . . But there are tales of massive creatures in the surface world. Larger than even the Dragon Lords. I too once thought those to be merely tales. Now. . . I am no longer so sure. Whatever it is. I don't think it's anything good."
**********
Thoughts swirl about her head as she looks through the ancient library. All of the books and stone tablets lining the walls of the dusty archives of the undersea kingdom. She could spend hours and days in here, but today she was on a mission. She had to learn what it was that they had seen.
"What is it you are looking for?" says Forma.
"I'll know. . ." she trails off as her head begins pounding. The words coming in tidal waves. She grasps her head willing it to stop but it won't. What is happening? I've always had control of my powers. Now all of a sudden it is like I am no longer in control. Almost like something else. . .
"You. . ." she says in a moment of recognition. He never left. Or he was never here. I don't know. What do I know anymore.
"Pardon?" says Forma. "Are you alright, mi'lady?"
She shakes her head, wincing in pain. "He. . . he's in my head." she says.
Then she hears a cackle. Here, there, what does it matter? Oh little girl. . . I was never really gone. I know you remember me. Finally. And now I will make sure you never forget! For you can not stop what is coming. . .
"They. . . will stop you. I will get to Crystal. I will warn her. . ." says Kairine. She turns to look Forma in the eye. "Get. . . a message to Crystal Dawn. Some how. She must know. . . the darkness. It is coming. The darkness I've seen in my visions for years. The darkness I've warned about all this time. It's coming! Go Forma! Now!"
Forma is stunned for a moment, and then says, "But what of you? Can I get you help? What is it you are seeing?" he says.
"I will be fine. Go. Now."
Forma, stunned for a moment, nods and gets up and rushes out the door.
Heheheh. . . You really think the fire witch and flower girl can stop me? You really think they can, alone, stop what is coming? For that matter. . . do you know who really killed all of the guardians? You don't, do you? You always assumed. But what if. . . what if you were wrong? What if you were wrong all this time? Heheheheh. . . Your visions betray you, girl. You only saw. . . what they wanted you to see! Haven't you ever wondered why your visions clouded over time?
"That's impossible. Only I have control of my own powers. No one controls me. You don't control me." she says.
Oh control is it? What if control is little more than an illusion? What if your memories are a lie? What if what you showed the Tribunal brats was all a lie? Do you truly know fact from fiction anymore? How can you, when you can not even control your own abilities? Your condition betrays you, girl.
"Get. . . out of my head! I will not listen to your filth any more!" says Kairine as she fights back for control. "It was Raize. . . who killed the guardians. You must be working for him!"
Oh ho ho. . . Is that what you think? But your visions betray you, girl. They've betrayed you for years. What is reality? What is illusion? Think about it. . . you only saw a shadow in that girl's memories. . . You only assumed it to be the time wraith.
"I said. . . get out of my damn head!" says Kairine, reaching out with her mind to block him.
Oh but I quite like it in here. . . I might just move on in!
But Kairine doesn't give up. She pushes out with all of her might, as kinetic waves erupt from her, blowing the papers and books in the room around her like a gust of wind."Kuai's memories. . . are the memories of a child. I never said they showed the truth. Only a part of the truth. Only a shadow of the truth." says Kairine, as she continues pushing out with all of her power. More kinetic waves erupting from her, now creating a storm all about her. Merelvan outside the room crowd at the door, awed and amazed by her power. "The Tribunal are no more. But Crystal and Kuai will find more. They will find new adventurers. And they will find you. And they will stop you. And when they do. . ." Kairine continues, as she reaches out with her hand and her power all at the same time. "I hope you remember this day. When a girl. . . fought back." she says as she looks her harasser dead in the eye. "Xenomancer. . . Or should I say. . . Flarius?" she says pointedly. "No. I sense that isn't your true name either. There's more to you than meets the eye. . . isn't there?"
This isn't over, girl. . . They are coming. Your world will be returned to its true masters. And finally, he disappears with the mists. But as he does, her head begins pounding again. She clasps her head in pain. Visions flash past her eyes. Tentacles. Writhing tentacles. And eyes. The world's oceans spilling out over the land. Calrune under water. And a massive beast, larger than any she has ever seen before flying through the dark skies above. Dark lightning bolts streaking across the sky and striking the ground. The world. . . in ruin. And then nothing as she collapses to the ground.
