The Forgotten Zodiac

Titus was there, of course. He looked...angry. "Luen Faolin and Diana Hartlet. Why am I not surprised?" He said quietly. "And why am I not surprised to find that Forin has died? At his own hands, at that. I hope you realize that. He meant for himself to die, Luen. Finding and retrieving his soul will be a difficult task for you."

He leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes for a moment. "Toroph Rola, why are you here?"

"Uh..." Toro blinked, wondering how this...man...knew his name. "I was just...following them...I-I--"

"Curiosity killed the rabbit. If you are not going to assist Luen and Diana in finding and returning Forin's soul, then I suggest you return to Amnarius."

"U-um..." Toro bit his lip, rubbing his arms nervously. He turned to the door, but Titus suddenly stopped him. Shadows wrapped around the Rabbitzen, reaching into his pocket; they grabbed the pearl (still glowing with Galai's magic) and brought it to Titus; he took it at once and brought it up to where he could see it.

"Leave," Titus ordered the Rabbitzen, his shadows pushing the young one out without a second thought. "Now then, Luen...are you sure you want to do this, in the state you are in? You're wise, coming this soon after his death, but you have a limited amount of time before he passes on to the other life."

"Don't care," the kirin said softly, blinking up at the king with desperation in his eyes. "I don't care what you'll have me do. Just do it. I want...no...I need him back. I was refused friendship my entire life; Nelu never let me have any friends while we were growing up, and then there was my time under Asmodius and Obelisk. Then Forin came along and...I just can't let him go." He dropped to his knees and pressed his forehead to the floor, placing himself in a position that was humliliating to pride. "Please..." he begged. "...I'll do anything. I beg of you, your Majesty. I'll do anything you want."

"Luen," Titus snorted. "Stand up. I don't want anything. For once in a very long time, I don't care what you do. Because I cannot lift a finger, solely because Forin killed himself. It is forbidden by the old laws for me to even touch a soul that was released of the owner's own accord. I will tell you, however, where his soul is. And I will take this as payment," He indicated the small gem he had gotten from Toro.

"His soul has fallen to the bottom of the Eye of Ka'ael. There are two ways you could get down there; jump, for one. But it is so deep, and the curtain of fire at that entrance would kill you at once. The other method is through my passage way; the center of the Eye is a place where a good friend of mine resides. I, however, have no influence over him. You'll have to talk to him yourself if you want your friend back. Do hurry, though...the eater of souls is not a patient being, especially as it's been so long since his last meal."

Luen pushed himself up and nodded once, then turned to Diana and said "Diana, you need to wait here with Forin's body, okay? I promise you won't be waiting long." He hugged her gently, then murmured "I know you're in there, dear miss Diana. I'm sorry this happened, but I promise I won't stop until you're happy once again." He pulled back and stood tall, then said "Just show me where to go, your Majesty."

"Indeed." Titus sighed, then slowly stood. He moved wearily, as though his age was showing; it wasn't, of course, or he wouldn't exactly be moving, but he moved slower than normal. He used his wings to push himself to a side door in the room, glancing back as Diana sat down and silently pulled Forin's head into her lap.

"This way," Titus said quietly, heading off. He led the way down into what appeared to be his dungeons of sorts; they teemed with monsters of his own creations, as well as a few criminals who had been condemned to remain here for life. Even here, things were utterly silent. They stopped after awhile, and Titus and Luen only passed empty cells. And then the cells turned into just stone walls, slanting downwards with steep stairs. "This is as far as I wish to take you. And be warned, Luen; Zee is unlike anything you've seen before. The Divine was awe-striking for you, I'm sure, but Zee is more of a...horror."

"Good luck." He said, then Titus was gone, leaving to wait with Diana in the throne room.

Luen watched Titus go with a distracted air, not really caring. He glanced down at the rest of the hallway he had to go, sighing quietly as he started walking. He kept going, not giving his body time to complain to his brain about how weary and tired it was. He just kept walking, his slitted eyes focused on the steps ahead of him. On and on and on, until he decided he had passed into eternity.

By then, it was so dark, that Luen didn't even see the next step. There wasn't one; the floor finally leveled out, leading into a large cavern with only one speck of light visible. Way above Luen, there was a tiny line of what looked like flickering light. Probably the curtain of fire Titus spoke of.

But Luen was not alone here. The further Luen walked, the room he was in slowly obtained a sort of ambient light created by small lines - perhaps bugs of some kind - that glowed green and slowly hovered about, following Luen in silence. Then a sound; drip, drip, drip. Around a corner, and a glowing blue pool of some kind stood before him. More like a lake, really. The cave was more visible here. Luen touched the water by accident; just a toe in the tide, but the effect was enough. The lake slowly turned to glow red, spreading out from the spot Luen had touched.

"You are not intended to be here, Luen Faolin. Living ground-treader. While breath fills your lungs, this is not a place for your eyes." Something covered his eyes, someone's hands. They weren't cold and dead, they were definitely warm... The voice was neither male nor female, or perhaps both at the same time. It was impossible to explain. "You have stumbled into my realm, whether by choice or mistake. So, tell me...or rather, don't. I see it all in your recent past. Telling me why you are here would merely be redundant and terribly boring. But for all my insight into your mind and...delightful looking soul, I cannot fathom what makes Forin Dulce such an incredible inspiration that you would risk not only your life, but the lives of all of your friends by coming down here."

"You see, once I know someone, I know everyone around them. And as easy as breaking a piece of thread, I can kill someone. So...if you walk out of here and I am upset with you...it is not you who will pay the price. It will be Diana Hartlet, first. Then perhaps Nate Furhblast? Yes, indeed...Werr, Cynyr, the cursed Welk...I will have all of their souls if you aren't careful. Or perhaps I'm lying to you, and I cannot do such a thing. But I'm willing to bet that you don't wish to find out, hmm?" The hands over Luen's eyes pulled him back and away, only releasing him when there was nothing but the light of the glowing lines left again. When Luen turned around, there was nothing. No one. "Go on then," The voice came from nowhere. "Press forward. Come to my chambers, weak one. We shall see how long it takes for you to break down in tears."

Luen walked on, not seeming too fazed by the voice's words. "Do you wish for me to cry?" he asked, his voice thin and haunted. "I'll break down into tears right this very second. Do you want my blood? I'll slit my arm open and let it bleed for hours. You want my soul? It's yours to consume on the very day I die. I just...need him back. For the remaining time of a life I might not have much longer." He sighed, walking quietly along.

"I don't want you to cry, weak one. But everyone does. I am everything one sees as evil; what they fear, that is my embodiment. Which is easily annoying; I merely want some intelligible conversation from time to time. Not blood, tears or...well, I do want your soul, but I cannot take that from a living being. Oh...did I just call my own bluff? Oh well." Zee snorted.

His room was almost as dark as the rest of the caves. Sitting on what seemed to be a stool of some kind was none other than Nelu. It was not actually Nelu, naturally; it was Zee. Nelu was just what Luen saw. "Good morning to you, weak one. So, you came for the Tartaran's soul, did you?" She raised her hand, a dark gray, softy glowing orb formed in her hand. "He looks so...tasty, though. Absolutely incredible." She suddenly stood and advanced on Luen, jabbing him right in the gut with his finger. "What can you do to stop me from eating him, hmm? Do tell!"

His breathing grew pained and thick with barely held-back sobs when he saw Nelu, wishing he could hug her. She was, after all she had done, his sibling still. Though he feared her more than any being alive, he loved her dearly. He closed his eyes, then came to a decision and lifted his head. "I'll kill my sister for him," he answered. "I fear and love her...so much...but Forin...he means more to me. Nelu's hurt me so much that I can't really call her a sibling anymore, but...I still love her a lot. But I'll end her myself...for him." He swallowed hard, his hands shaking. "I'll kill my own sister for the Tartaran, Forin Dulce," he said, his voice about to break with heartache. Again.

"You would kill to have his soul back? Forin...he means more to you than your own sister." Zee sighed. "I change my mind about the intelligible conversation, then. I have no idea what you're rambling on about. But as you say, Forin means more...so how about this?" He snapped his fingers. He was still Nelu, of course, but suddenly, a moving, breathing Forin was chained to the wall nearby. A peacefully sleeping Diana lay at Luen's feet. And a knife was in Luen's hand.

"Harm her, and his soul will be yours to take back to the surface world. But if you do not, if you fail this, I'll eat this soul right here in front of you." Zee licked his lips. "A simple task, isn't it? She isn't even real. He's certainly not." She jabbed a thumb at Forin, who snapped his head up.

"L-Luen? Put...put the knife down, Luen...please..." Forin said desperately.

"Simple. You don't even have to kill her! Just a wound would suffice...make her scream, that's all."

((I only do this because I trust that isn't the real Diana. If it was, Luen would never want to hold or touch her again ever, which would make him suicidal and YEAH. FUN.

-not that he won't be after this, but you know, Forin/Nate would stop him in time, yeah-))

Luen's jaw dropped open and he started shaking, his eyes open fearfully wide. "N-no..." he murmured. "D...Diana..." He started shaking worse, his eyes wide and full of agony. Finally, he took a deep, shuddering breath and bent down next to the little girl, scooping her up into his free arm. "Diana, I'm sorry," he whispered softly into her ear. "Forgive me for what I'm about to do. It's to get Forin back. You need him as much as I do, if not more. I'm so...deeply...sorry..." He bit back on his sobs and flicked the knife in his hand, then closed his eyes tightly and forced himself to ram the knife into the girl's arm.

His heart was made to break again.

((Totally. -immediately changes mind about having it be the real Diana-

-coughcough- That's too easy though...))

Diana jerked awake and let out a panicked scream. She vanished instantly (along with the Forin off to the side), and things were quiet again in an instant. "That seemed far too easy for you..." Zee sighed through his nose. "I have to keep my word, though. Here you are. I'll leave you to decide what to do with this." He, still in Nelu's form, stalked forward and pushed the soul into Luen's hand. "Goodness me, the first ground-treader I see in ages, and they beat my challenge by a mile in mere seconds. Either I'm losing my touch, or I underestimated you, Luen Faolin. Well," He sighed, moving back to his chair. "May we never see each other again. And when you leave here, whatever you do, don't look back."

((Eh, it can be the real one if you want. I'm sure Nate/Forin could convince Luen not to kill himself afterwards. I has ideas.

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAEVIL- *cough*

.3.))

Luen clutched the orb close to himself and fled from the room, panting as he ran. He was scared beyond wits end and horrified with himself, but he kept running. He tried hard not to think of poor little Diana or the being who's soul was in the orb he was holding. What would they think of him now?

He almost didn't want to know.

So he just kept running, on and on, until he reached the surface once more.

((Well, if Luen 'never touches her again', then she'll neverever be happy again. :T So I'll say that Forin saw it, but Daina thought it was a dream and there was no physical damage to her person. .3.))

Titus, Diana, and Forin's lifeless body awaited him. Diana was sleeping away, but apparently her dream was troubled. "Congratulations. I was watching." Titus sighed. "Surprising, how quickly you adhered to his violent whims. Forin is yours to return to life; but only this once. If he is to die again, I cannot permit you to take back his soul."

"Go on then," Titus nodded once. "Bring the soul closer to his body. It should return to its body without prompting."

((He would get over it. But oh well.))

Luen carted the orb back over to the corpse of his best friend, watching as the orb slowly lifted from his hand and floated over to Forin's body. It sunk into his chest and disappeared. Luen flopped down to the ground, panting, then looked up to Titus and said "If there's anything else...you want me to do...to prove...how much I need him...then I'll do it." He brushed some tears from his eyes, sniffling quietly.

"No. I only ask that you take this to Galai," Titus twitched his finger. A black pearl twisted itelf into reality, dropping into Luen's hand. It radiated with shadowy power; it would have a calming effect over Galai, just as the light-magic infused pearl had done for him. "Now leave. And do try your best to stay away this time."

Luen nodded hesitantly, then tucked the pearl gently into his pocket and took deer form, slowly moving over and pulling Forin onto his back. He moved back over and picked up Diana by her collar, then set her on his back with the Tartaran. He seemed desolate, weary, and just...empty. He bowed lightly to Titus, then walked out, his hooves clicking lightly across the ground. He walked on, until they reached the place between worlds. There he paused, looking out over the great, black expance. He blinked his emerald eyes once, staring out over the darkness and wondering how much he had in his own heart.

Obelisk was sitting nearby. He had been here, in the place between worlds, since he left for Nate's wedding. "I see you obtained Forin's soul back. Did you enjoy meeting the Eater of Souls? I know Zee from when he tread on your world. He was one of the ones who fought with the fairies to lock me away. I...do not like him very much, but I see you bargained with him just fine. Forin will be alright within the hour, but I suggest you get him to Amnarius. His transition from death back to life will not be a pretty thing." Obelisk suggested, walking beside him.

Luen nodded once, slowly turning away from the gaping abyss below the bridge to stare at Obelisk. He blinked once and realized that his eyes were hurting him severely bad; he needed to rest. He sighed and shook it off, however, and instead slowly walked over to Obelisk. He very carefully extented his muzzle and touched the side of the dark lord's face, just to the side of his eye. He nuzzled Obelisk softly, then turned and walked towards Amnairus, his steps heavy and slow.