March of the Volunteers

[Jen]

It was taxing with two young males attempting to be dominant in a confined area. The air of bald rivalry was thick around Trydian and Soren. Caela took a breath and pressed her fingertips to her temples and let out a sigh.

"Welcome to the Island of Xexoria. I am Caela Rivenfelde Xanathi -- the Queen Mother." She bent her head to the newcomers, a sure sign of respect in most cultures. Caela extended her hand toward the well lit Temple proper. Since the time of her confinement Caela and Sebilla had spent countless hours refurnishing the temple -- their home and place of power.

"Will you come in and have something to eat? Everything is fresh and grown by myself." For a ruling family they really didn't seem to have a need for servants. Caela stepped back into the Temple which was warm and inviting -- tapestries hung about the walls to keep the cool night air out and the warmth in. She smiled, a picture of angelic beauty and grace. For a woman so incredible it might incur whispers about her children -- though Sebilla seemed to be the perfect picture of human elegance. It was then that Caela realized that Sebilla was gone and Soren as well.

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Sebilla was smiling at the newcomers, listening to her mother speak, when Soren pulled her away by her free hand -- the other had been resting on Trydian's forearm. Flustered, Sebilla followed -- really having no choice because her younger brother was far stronger than she was. All the family was stronger and more powerful than she was.

"What is it?" A lock of her blue black hair fell to brush her cheek. Annoyed, Sebilla tried smoothing it back away from her face -- only to have the hair fall more. With a deep breath, Sebilla smoothed her skirts at her hips and reached up, taking the tie from her hair to let it fall in a mass of loose blue black curls. She glanced sideways at her brother as she put her hands on her hips and glared at him with all of her sixteen years of life and experience.

"Well?" Sebilla was beautiful, stunning given her exotic tan skin and silver eyes. In a family of pale skin and strange powers -- this child fit well within the fold. She was the most well protected girl known to exist, most likely -- and yet she felt as if she were being punished for being a mortal human in a family of immortals.

[Iskander]

Trydian's eyes followed Soren and he shook his head slightly. His brother was supposed to be a Vuri Prince? He couldn't even rule himself, let alone others. Trydian bowed his head toward Caela in greeting and flashed a smile at her that was at odds with his behavior since Vylrath had died. He stepped past her and into the Temple, "Thank you mother. Please be sure to bring up extra food. We have many guests tonight, and much to do."

The warriors who had joined Trydian on the path took up positions guarding the Temple entrance, while two of their number broke off to follow Trydian into the Temple. Trydian paused within the Temple doors and spoke over his shoulder to the guards, "Retrieve the citizens and bring them here." Several of the warriors bowed and made their way from the Temple and into the foliage again.

Trydian turned back to the foreigners and his mother. He bowed to them all, "Please excuse me. I have something to take care of." He turned from them and left the room. He made his way to the room he was staying in and opened a small wooden chest. Within was a crown of gold, stamped with runes of power. He had forged them into the metal while it was still hot, but had forgone activating the enchantments. He had saved that for his coronation. With the night of his crowning on him, he took the crown in hand and made his way from his room. He avoided the main areas of the Temple, where his mother and the foreigners would be, and instead made his way for a private area deep in the Temple. His two guards trailed along behind him, their long spears abandoned for short blades.

[Kirin]

Chizuru glanced at Soren, noting the glare with a sneer. She turned to Tenzo and exclaimed in her own language. "How dare he!?" It was clear she was displeased. Tenzo's eyes widened and he responded, in the same language. "Perhaps not all of the men in this country are quite so civilized. We shouldn't have expected more."

Chizuru's attention turned to Caela. She bowed her head in return. "I am Michiba Chizuru. I am honored at the graciousness that the Queen Mother has shown. I would be honored to have food and enjoy your company." Chizuru motioned for Tenzo to follow her.

Tenzo obeyed, keeping his brush and paper ready. Despite the obvious flattery, Chizuru was angry and offended by Soren.

[Iskander]

Trydian's men had slowly gathered around the temple. They'd come from across the island, marching to the temple at his command. The approach of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of iron shod feet couldn't be mistaken by those within. Most of the men, and the women, remained outside the temple while a select few ventured into its depths. The men who entered had been selected for their courage, loyalty, and their cunning. They were armed with a rifle slung across the back, and a spear gripped in both hands. Officers had a small white shield strapped to their left forearm.Their armour glinted beneath golden and white cloaks in the dim light of the temple.

The warriors tromped through the temple and to the dining hall, as they had been instructed. There they bowed to the Queen Mother, then the foreigners, and then took their positions along the walls. The room became crowded with armoured men, all silently standing and waiting.

It wasn't long before Trydian himself entered the hall, at the head of a second group of warriors. He walked with Sebilla beside him, and his brother chained and guarded behind. He stopped just within the hall and held up a hand to bring his men to a halt. His hair had been hacked to a much shorter length and dyed a dark black, but his eyes were the same. His white and golden armour gleamed under the torches carried by his guards; the young man was drastically different than he had appeared when he first led the foreigners to the temple.

"I," he called out across the hall, "Am your King! Kneel now and give your loyalty to me!" He hefted a red crown and settled it on his head. The men behind him fell to one knee, as did the warriors who had taken up their stations across the room in his absence.

[Kirin]

Tenzo wrote briefly, before looking up. "Lady Chizuru...something is happening." He said in his typical soft, calm voice.

He could hear the footsteps and there was no doubt that Chizuru could hear them. In fact, Chizuru peered upwards in time to see soldiers enter the room. She glanced around at them and greeted them with a silent bow of her head. Her eyes glanced at Tenzo, who appeared panicked. Immediately, her attention moved towards Trydian, only vaguely recognizing him. Suddenly a creeping feeling of dread seemed to fill her slender armored body as she glanced over to Soren and then finally Sebilla.

Chizuru rose an eyebrow, just sitting and watching everything unfold in front of her. She knelt down, bowing respectfully as she would bow to the Emperor, or..she hoped..that people would bow to her one day. Tenzo copied her immediately.

[Jen]

Caela watched with mute interest as her oldest son brought her younger son in chains. She sat idle on her chair, which was just a chair made of stone, completely unadorned as she saw it fit to be so. She was a presence, but a motherly one -- she had always been that way. It was her children's interest she held close to her own heart. It was something she had lacked as a child growing up -- a mother to turn to.

When Trydian claimed his birthright Caela bowed her head as was fit for her to do. She was his mother, and a past Queen of Xexoria. She had planned for her son and daughter to take her place -- ruling was not her interest. Caela smiled at her son, a brilliant and happy smile -- despite immediately realizing that he was no longer Vuri.

"This Island welcomes its King." It was a simple statement, often offered by a past monarch upon the initiation of a new monarch. Caela's eyes lingered on her son, whom looked like a younger more virile form of his father. He was a handsome young man, having taken more after his grandmother and mother in looks than his far more angular father. The demon in him was thickly noticiable to Caela whom still had pieces of her own demonic half within her. She doubted that that particular essence would ever leave her.

As Caela's eyes wandered, so peculiar in their appearance, she wondered what her youngest son had done to find himself in chains and with what looked like a sickening burn along one arm. When her gaze fell on her only daughter, Caela's mouth opened a fraction. The girl looked as if hell itself had descended on her. She had bruises on her arms, a rather large blue green bruise on her cheek, and if her shoulder was any indication -- a dislocated shoulder.

"I think your sister needs some medical attention." Caela got to her feet and watched as her pretty young human daughter hurried as fast as she could across the dining hall to her arms. Caela wrapped her arms around her, careful of her shoulder -- and her ribs as she soon found out, hearing her daughter wince aloud at the added pressure.

"Do you need me?" Her question was directed toward Trydian but she was engrossed in her daughter's wellbeing. Her fingers probing the shoulder which was wrapped in a cushion of magic to aleviate the pain but not mend it.

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Sebilla swayed a little on her feet. Being within the protective circle of her mother's arms was almost too much for the young girl to bear. She was physically and emotionally drained from her experience with Soren. She felt the tears pooling along her eyelids, entangling in her thick black eyelashes, and beginning to slide down her cheeks. She refused, however, to let any of the visitors see her cry. She had done enough of it.

"We can mend the bones, love." She heard her mother mumble against her cheek as her warm lips brushed her cold skin. A mother's touch was infinitely comforting, easing the tension in Sebilla like nothing else might at that moment.

"Trydian saved me." Was all she said as she felt her mother press her toward the door behind her stone chair. "Will we be ready for Trydian's dinner?" It was the only thing keeping her sane, thinking of being near her brother during his rise to power.

"Of course, and if not you can visit him afterward." All of these words were passed in hushed tones, but Trydian would hear them if he were close enough.

[Soren]

"You are not a Vuri! I am your Prince!" Soren cried out, attempting to break the weight of the chains. He felt a burning in his chest and immediately ceased movement. The guards tightened the binding of the chains, waiting for Soren to attempt another move. Soren watched the reaction of his family bowing down to his brother and felt an anger he had never before experienced. (It wasn't jealousy, but some of that did reside in the original emotion.)

His brother had changed. Soren couldn't remmeber what had happened in the room, but he knew the details between him and Sebilla. He felt a sick feeling, starting in the pit of his stomach...What had he done to her?

When he tried to cast a Vuri spellweave, he could feel his arm retaliate with intense pain. Even though his arms were bound behind his back, that wouldn't stop him from performing magick, but his father's curse immediately reacted. He couldn't talk, but his expression would tell all what he was feeling. The runic symbol underneath him turned into a scorched effect, showing what the lines could have been in ash.

The image of Vylrath still haunted him and he tried to push the thought away. When he saw the strangers bow to his brother, he knew that he had been defeated. He pulled at the guards, making them know that he was bowing. He felt his knees, touch the ash, that should have been a spell to interrupt his brother.

Now they would be enslaved by their brothers madness. He didn't understand why his mother supported it. His eyes went to her and then to the floor. Soren had never felt such an urge to kill a man before.

[Iskander]

Trydian ignored Soren's outburst at first, focusing his attention on Sebilla and Caela. "The Queen Consort requires tending. I will address the reasons momentarily." He turned away from them, knowing that Sebilla was in good hands; Caela was the best healer he knew of. Trydian faced Soren, who had bowed, and he laughed.

"The traitor is right. I am no Vuri. He is also wrong; he is no prince. This Kingdom, Xexoria, has never been home to just one species. It has never been the Xexorian Kingdom of Humans, or Elves, or Vuri. And it never will be!" He spun to face the soldiers who were still kneeling, "No one man is superior to another by right of blood or birth. No species is superior to another. Elves may find that they learn spells with ease, but they die just like anything else when struck with a spell from any other species. The mighty Orcs fall to human blades, just as Elves fall to Orcish spells. No man is superior by right of blood; men are superior because they have gone out and done deeds greater than those of their peers."

Trydian turned back to Soren and sneered, "Soren, formerly of the Xanathi, it is my great pleasure to strip you of all title and rank. You are guilty of attempted regicide, and assault on your Queen. You do not have the right to call yourself Prince, or even Xanathi. You are, from this day on, to be known as Soren the Traitor. You will never take another surname, for such a name belongs only to men of a civilized nature, and you are by far the most barbaric brute I have ever seen. You know not the laws of honour, of courtesy, or of family loyalty. If I were anything like you, I'd kill you here. I know those laws, however, and I will spare you. You are banished from all of Xexoria. You will wander this world alone until you have located the Chaos Sword. Then, and only then, may you return to this Kingdom."

He waved to the guards, "Remove this traitor from my presence. Send him to the mainland." He turned back to the crowd in the dining hall and let a slow smile pass across his face, "My first official act as King has been to banish the traitor. My second will be a mark of celebration; for long months now my people have gathered on this island, and now they gather here. I give my consent for my people to build my new capitol around this Temple. The Sanctuary shall remain Holy to the Kingdom, and will be given a place of honour within the city. My capitol's name will be Jedah, in honour of my grandmother who once ruled this land."

He paused to take a deep breath, the smile still on his face, "Now let us feast and revel, for a new age has begun."

OOC Note: Jedah/Jeda/Jidah is an Arabic word for grandmother. It's not intended to be any character's name.

[Kirin]

Chizuru glanced around, only halfway sure of what was going on at this point. All she could do was glance between the group and make small remarks to Tenzo, who wrote furiously. A sly smile curved upon her lips as she remarked in her own language.

"Get the snacks, the real show is about to begin." Chizuru muttered to Tenzo. Tenzo smirked, but continued to write.

"Ever studious."

Tenzo glanced upwards, watching Chizuru's behavior. Chizuru rose one eyebrow towards Trydian, having no clue of what he was speaking of and what exactly Soren had done. There were some issues she had with this Soren. Some issues that she found would definitely be worthy of death in her land. And some issues that would get entire families killed in her country.

[Jen]

Once the cheering for the King died down, Caela slipped away with Sebilla into the room behind her chair. It was a small but cozy room, all things considered. It was packed with herbs, tinctures, poultices, and all sorts of oils. Everything one might need to heal an ailment, sort out some sickness, or tend a broken body. Caela had been stockpiling ingredients since she learned of her abilities.

"Do I even want to know?" Caela asked as she bent over her work table, gathering dried herbs and oils -- tilting their lables toward the firelight that was perpetual in the cozy little work room.

"I doubt you do. He's only three weeks old." Caela heard her daughter say as she stood nearby.

"Lay on the work bench." She heard the swish of her daughter's skirts as she obeyed the quiet command. Caela placed all of the things she would need in a large bowl and brought them to Sebilla's bedside. Oh, but did she look tattered! Caela bit her bottom lip as she watched her daughter stare at the ceiling without much emotion. Trydian had done well to conceal the pain his sister was in, but by the looks of the frown lines on Sebilla's face -- the help was wearing off. She was a brave girl, anyone less would have been screaming by now no doubt. The girl had been tormented by visions of horror and pain for her entire life, and living in a family of quick mending immortals made her feel most vulnerable to emotion.

"I understand that your pain is coming back, and its not going to get better just yet. If you want I can give you something to make you sleep while I work." Caela watched her daughter carefully, wondering what she would say.

"Do what you must. I don't want to sleep, I fear what I may see." Sebilla spoke with her eyes on the ceiling, unblinking.

"As you wish, Daughter." Caela placed the bowl on a nearby table and placed one hand firmly on Sebilla's shoulder, the one that was dislocated, grabbed her forearm tightly in her other hand -- and pulled the errant bone back into socket. It took most of her considerable strength to keep Sebilla on the table as her scream permeated the room. There was no doubt that, no matter the festivities, Trydian and half the dining hall would have heard Sebilla's pain.

"Hush now, shhh..." Caela's heart broke a little as she held her only daughter to her chest, letting her cry out her pain -- attempting to sooth the spasms of ache within her child's heart and arm. She had trusted Soren, and look at what he had done to her. Caela kissed Sebilla's tearstained face and laid her back on the table, carefully resting her arm over her belly. She went around the table to the other side where Sebilla's ribs were fractured, causing her some severe discomfort of their own.

"I have to be careful. I don't want to turn you into what I am. This is why I can't risk using all of my power. You understand, don't you?" When Sebilla nodded wearily Caela pressed gently around the area, probing with her power to understand the nature of the fracture. A frown creased her otherwise perfect face, and Caela shook her head.

"A fraction more and there could have been internal bleeding. Don't they understand that you're not like us, that you're human with a real chance of dying?" Caela was obviously angry, but she kept her head. "Hold still, I'm going to encourage the bone to mend -- it will take a few days because I will not risk more power being in your body in its fragile state. Soren must have tried to shred your spirit, the Gods alone know what he was thinking."

Caela focused a small amount of her power into the bruised and stretched muscle, and the bone itself -- encouraging the rebonding of torn muscle and bone. When that was done she smiled and kissed her daughter's forehead.

"You will not feel as much pain and you should be able to breathe easier. The area is braced with my power, but it needs to be reinforced." Caela helped Sebilla undress to the waist so that bandages and a bone brace might be tied securely around her slender body. Modesty had flown out the window when the two were alone after Vylrath's death. Sebilla's back was to the doorway with Caela's body somewhat interposed to keep her modesty intact to strangers -- should anyone walk through the door during this part of the procedure.

"Mother, I want Trydian." The yearning in Sebilla's heart for her brother was sincere, and he might feel her need to be comforted.

"In time, child. You need to take time to compose yourself, change into something looser." Caela helped Sebilla step out of the rest of her gown, dressed only in her bandages and undergarments until Caela found her a suitable dress, helping her into it being very careful of her ribs and arm.

"Thank you, Mother." Sebilla smiled weakly as Caela pointed to the work table.

"Rest. Your brother will come to you, just give him time." Caela left Sebilla in the tiny room, making her way to Trydian with the discreet haste of a healer and doctor.

"Sebilla's arm was dislocated and several of her ribs are fractured. I used my Vuri power limitedly because I do not know what it will do to a full blooded mortal. I have her resting now with bandages and a bone brace holding her ribs secure. She will mend without a problem, but again I do not trust my Vuri powers enough yet to heal her fully -- she will have to take it easy for a few days in order for what power I did use to help her bones mend." Caela spoke matter of factly, taking her time to make it seem as if the situation wasn't as serious as it was or could have been. Family business was not to be shared with anyone but the closest of guardian figures. Her eyes roamed the crowd and she shared a smile here and there, especially to the travelers -- as she spoke to Trydian. This was information he would want to know now rather than later, especially if Sebilla was to be his Queen Consort.

"He could have killed her, one more blow to her ribs and she would have bled to death internally."

[Soren]

Soren's powers began to wane, along with his drunken state of superiority. He began to slump, feeling the weight of his deed. He had almost killed Sebilla, all for the sake of power. His brother was right to accuse him in front of his family and the guests, but he still felt the disgust boil underneath his blackened skin.

Someday, he would prove his place. The guests were quickly forgotten in the room, all, except for Chizuru. "Forgive me. You are more of a warrior than I will ever accomplish. Join me. I doubt that you came here to rest in one place. Your friend is free to observe our way of life, while you venture."

He still spoke with authority, which may have been humorous, considering he was still in iron shackles. His black eyes watched her. They had once been completely white and dull- appearing to be blind- but now they were dense with a darker pigment. Only his mother would notice the finer details in his appearance.

[Kirin]

Chizuru glanced at Soren as though he were insane at first. Eventually, her gaze softened and she began to relax.

"You flatter me with such an assumption. There's no telling how great of a warrior I am simply by the armor that I wear or the way that I portray myself. However, I'm not going to join you. Especially not if you're going to be wearing those." Her gaze travelled to his iron shackles.

A hand travelled to her chin in thought. "It would be more fruitful of a venture for you to join me. I have work to do in my own country that will take me away from sailing for a while." She said slowly, still thinking about what to do with one such as Soren the Traitor.

"Your actions here would have gotten you killed. You have dishonored yourself, spoken clearly when it was very..unwise to, and acted extremely recklessly. I have much to think about before I consider letting you join me. I have a crew to watch out for. These..men and women have families to feed and I have things to seriously consider. I hope that you do understand." Chizuru offered a half-smile, despite the thoughts that were filling her mind.

Would she risk it?

[Iskander]

Trydian felt his innards turn to ice as he listened to his mother. He hadn't realized just how badly his brother hard hurt Sebilla, and the knowledge sent him into a cold rage. He placed his hand lightly on Caela's shoulder and nodded once, "Thank you for telling me. Please bring everyone outside. It seems I was too merciful with Soren; I will correct this mistake at once." He turned from her and strode toward his brother where he was speaking to the foreigners. He started to sing with the very first step that he took.

His spell, a simple one, had finished weaving itself around him when he reached the traitor. He didn't care if Soren saw him coming, for that would make what he was about to do all the more pleasing. Death was written on Trydian's face, his intentions abundantly clear. His left hand shot up in a sharp gesture, pulling shadows from around his brother into a solid mass. A second gesture tore the shadows open, revealing the area outside the temple to all who were behind Trydian. As soon as the gate was open, he brought his right hand up to push his brother through with all his considerable strength. He let the gate close as soon as Soren was through. He glanced briefly at Caela to be sure she was following his instructions, and then began walking toward the exit. He continued to sing, building up power with every step that he took.

Outside the temple, Soren would be the center of attention. Warriors and peasants gawked openly at him; it was rare to see a man appear from nowhere. A circle was forming around him.

[Jen]

Caela's face was a mask as the people began to follow Trydian's orders. She pointed the way, it was obvious what was going to happen. And still, she ached in her belly from the wounds still healing -- Soren had just been born not three and a half weeks prior. She half wondered if she ached for her misbegotten son, the one that never had a chance to know his father.

Caela's attention turned in time to see the door to her work room hanging open. A frown creased her face, but only just as she saw the skirts of her daughter disappear through the door. Curse the girl's curiosity.

"Sebilla!" Gods, but she could get hurt worse if she wasn't careful! She needed rest, and so Caela went after her -- having no intention of watching her sons attempt to kill each other.

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"What is going on?" Sebilla asked a nearby man, one of those that had not been allowed indoors.

"Its a fight miss!" The man hadn't recognized her for who she was and for that she was thankful. She'd heard Trydian's voice and his song and knew that something was amiss. She had felt it in her body, that he was angry.

"Who's fighting?" Sebilla already knew, she knew it in the pit of her gut.

"The King and the Traitor!" Sebilla pressed her hands to her face for a moment and then pushed through the thickening crowd toward the center.

"Let me through! Gods, but you pig headed people. I said let me through!" The crowd quickly began to part as they realized who was fighting toward the ring created by Trydian and Soren.

"What in the hell is going on here?" Sebilla's arm, the injured one, rested in a sling that had been hastily put together by herself, and her dress was at least two sizes too big for her to accomodate the bone brace and bandages. She looked like a wild mad woman with her black hair tangled and her face bruised. Already the Vuri magic of her mother was causing those to disappear. For that she was thankful. Her face wasn't swollen anymore where the bruises had been, and the general ache from the injuries that weren't serious were going away. There was no doubt that Trydian would be acutely aware of her personal state, especially since he had been notified. He could feel the turmoil in her head and her heart if he tried. She dared to think that he might be too angry.

"What are you doing, Trydian?" It was the first time that she had laid eyes on her younger brother since his assault. He looked chastised and somewhat afraid to her, to see her like she was now -- to see what he had done to her. And though she felt indifferent she knew that she couldn't allow Trydian to kill him. "You have passed your sentence, and to be cut from family and fortune is enough. I am not dead Trydian. He did not kill me."

Sebilla walked toward Trydian, unafraid of him even in his blackest of angry episodes. She had been there for him when no one else had dared -- she was the one that could bring out his deepest emotions. Sebilla reached out to Trydian's forearm, resting her delicate mortal human fingers on his ceremonial outfit. He would feel that she was alive, even as he saw it with his own angry eyes.

"Do not kill him over me. He has been given a task that he needs all of his limbs to accomplish. Though I have no love lost on my little brother, I would not see him killed."

Sebilla stood as closely as her bandaged arm and ribs would allow her. She was the only person brave enough, stupid enough, to touch and speak to Trydian as he flew into a black rage. Her love and confidence in him kept her as safe as she ever needed to be with him.

[Soren]

Strange power had been ignited from it's true source: Trydian. He knew that he could only come at him defensively. His mind attempted to break the weave, but it failed. The pain filled his entire body. Now they were outside, his body ripped into exhaustion. If Trydian were going to kill him, now would be the opportune time...

But he would not give up so easily. He still believed that blood from the Vuri held truth and great strength. His mind, though shattered, had momentarily gained enough strength to call a shield for Soren. (The shadow would be stronger and like a second being attached to Soren.)

The circle had been a foolish thing to create. The darkness surrounding his feet had only enlightened his senses. He was a creature of darkness and this made him suddenly aware of what he could do. He glared toward his brother, seeming to become another creature entirely. It would be a false skin and mask- he was letting the shadow control him out of desperation.

His skin pigment became a sickly black and blue, while his hair fell to his back in a knotted mass. Eyes that were once normal, changed into black daunting sockets. He had finally consumed to shadow. His teeth were jagged, baring a crooked smile to Trydian. His mind totally relying on his shadow sense.

The people would gawk at the magic and the monster he was becoming. He could not use magick with his arm, but he could conjure something to aid him. From the mass of his own shadow, he created an ebony staff, bound by the shadow. The shadow staff would reveal a hollow top, used to channel his energy. It would be a relief for Soren, knowing that he could not directly cast with his arm. He could easily channel the energy and minimize pain, while unleashing a deadly force.

The new creature growled at his brother, shadow circled around his form and imbedded into the staff. He had become something new: reborn in a physical sense. It had taken Sebilla to awaken that force in him.

He formed his own circle, one that had been called through the staff of his shadow weaving. It manipulated the ground, making it appear as though a massive hole were there. Suddenly, he disappeared through it - it was the use of his own traveling ability. He appeared behind Trydian, knowing that his brother was half expecting it. He chuckled, wondering if this had been his plan.

Soren gently placed the point of the staff at his brothers back. With absolute concentration, the shadow left his body as if it no longer needed its host. It heard its master call a command: to wrap around the form of Trydian. This would disable Trydians movement. He would be completely stunned, locked into place.

The true question was, what would Soren do from here?