The Forgotten Zodiac

Yemara chortled, then held her hands above Isslia, attempting to push her spirit in; shimmering purple light flowed down from her hands, and her smoky form started disapating. By the time she realized something was up, her ghostly shell was all but gone, her spirit forming a pile of light over Isslia, unable to enter the body due to the fact that Isslia's own spirit was still there.

"Now, Naybrin!" Cyprus materialized on the first king's head, and Yemara let out a screech of annoyance.

"What are you doing here?!" Her voice echoed off the walls and high ceiling. This temple had once been grand, but now it was little more than an ancient relic.

"Putting an end to all this! Stopping the suffering that you keep causing!" He slid down and stood next to the altar, nodding once at Naybrin.

"This is foolish, Cyprus, it will only kill us both!" Yemara seemed to know what they were doing.

Naybrin bellowed a great roar that shook the building, then bent his head and sent a stream of magic out at Yemara that was so powerful that the ground underneath its course burned and grew black. The temple shook and groaned under the force of the magical blast, and it suddenly occured to them that perhaps Naybrin hadn't shared the true extent of his powers with them. How powerfully was he really?

They seemed to be finding out.

The blast hit Yemara head-on.

Yemara's scream shook the temple viciously. The shimmering light was thrown off of Isslia, straight into Cyprus; he started absorbing it, dragging Yemara's spirit and magic into himself. It hurt, but once he started, it was impossible to stop. And once Yemara realized that it hurt him, she started making it worse.

Basically, within a timeframe of about three seconds, Cyprus was writhing on the floor, hugging his chest and trying desperately to finish the job quickly. Naybrin couldn't help him with this.

"Naybrin, Welk's wrist," Werr moved forward at once, pulling his friend off of Isslia and holding the half-cat's bleeding wrist out to Naybrin. If it wasn't healed soon, Welk would bleed out. If that wasn't obvious from the amount of blood there was now.

"N-No, we've g-gotta get...outta-a here..." the half-cat stammered, already pale, his fingers dripping great drops of blood. Naybrin bent his head and pressed his tongue to the wound, closing it softly, then pulled back and shook his head at the taste of Welk's blood.

Welk held his sore wrist close, shaking some of the blood off, then ran back to Isslia and scooped her up into his arms, saying "C'mon, Werr, let's go."

Naybrin bent over Cyprus, saying "Try harder, my dear fellow. We both know you can do it."

Isslia immediately wrapped her arms around Welk, making it easier for him to carry her. "Right. Naybrin and Cyprus will have to deal with the rest," Werr nodded, standing behind Welk and holding onto his shoulder in order to lead him out.

"I-it-it...hu...hurts..." Cyprus gasped, but he didn't stop for a second. His ever-changing eyes settled on a black tint. He was supressing his own defensive magics, keeping himself from absorbing lifeforce and focusing that energy on merging his own spirit with Yemara's.

It took a few long, painful minutes more, but Cyprus finally went limp, panting heavily. He tried to crawl back to his feet, but he only managed to crawl into Naybrin's hands. He curled up there, starting to cry. This was less due to the pain and more due to the fact that...well, he had practically devoured his own half-sister. And over the next eon, he'd be sorting through memories, magic, and soul alike. Painful memories, almost evil magic, and a corrupt, wayward soul.

Naybrin cradled him close, murmuring to him, then turned and followed after the others, aware of Cynyr jumping up onto his back as he moved. They headed off towards the inn the others had gone to, each mostly keeping to their own thoughts.

Welk was wondering if they had really just gotten off so easily. Yemara was gone? Isslia was still alive? A flush of emotion ran through Welk, though that might've been from blood loss. He felt pretty faint. Apparently, wrists bled pretty hard. He glanced down and saw that his arms were still covered in blood, then held Isslia a little closer and looked down at her. "Are you okay?" he asked softly.

(("Yemara was gone?"

Haha...HAHA. She's not gone. She'll still be capable of meddling about. Hurting Cyprus in the process. >:3))

Isslia blinked at him, looking down at his arms, then back up at him. "Yeah...I'm okay. I'm more worried about you than myself, though...you need to rest." She slid out of his arms, walking beside him rather than making him carry her. She immediately regretted it as Yemara's voice sounded from behind them, though there was no one there.

"I'm still here, little kiddies. I can't do anything yet, but soon...oh yes, soon..." She chortled before her voice faded away with the wind.

"Skies above, we'll never be catching a break, will we?" Werr snorted unhappily.

((We should probably be switching back to Diana/Luen soon.

Forin has already gone off on an overemotional rampage. xDD))

((Boooo.

Poor Forin. But this means Diana is okay now, right?

Alsoghostpack.))

Welk gave a half-hearted chuckle, still shivering feebly from the loss of blood. "Well...at least we got a bit of a buffer, now..." he said, then stumbled. Cynyr lunged off of Naybrin and landed next to him, saying "Welk? You okay?"

"Get off me, Cynyr, I'm fine," the half-cat said, pulling a face and pushing his brother away. "C'mon. I've lost worse things than blood before. Give me a break." He flicked his tail in a reminder, then kept walking steadiliy onwards.

((Yaaay.

Yes, Cyprus will remember to break the curse riiiight now.

AlsoForinwilldestroythem.))

Werr grimaced, continuing to lead Welk onwards regardless. Before long, they found themselves at the 'Green Dragon', wherein Werr immediately made Welk go to their room and sit on the bed. Werr then left him and Isslia alone, to make sure Cyprus removed the curse.

Diana slowly opened her eyes, watching the sunset filter in through the cave's partly blocked entrance. She shivered, pressing a little closer to Forin--or rather, the empty space where he had been before. His bag was left behind, that was all. Diana sighed, knowing that Forin would be back eventually. She rubbed her forehead, expecting to feel the brand that was slowly killing her.

Nothing but smooth skin met her fingers. She rubbed it a little more firmly, feeling...nothing. Immediately, she reached into Forin's back and brought out a small mirror, looking at her forehead carefully. No mark. Diana almost cried with relief, but she was dehydrated. She found Forin's water flask and downed about half of that, muching on some jerky as well.

Refreshed, she poked her head out of the cave, crawling out after seeing no one. Finally, she spotted him; Forin was in that odd...crystal form again. But it was definitely Forin. He was curled up under the tree close to the cave, and he seemed to be crying. Diana climbed up to him and sat down next to him, watching the sunset. "Why are you crying?" She asked after a few minutes. Forin jerked and looked up at her, but looked down again.

"Y-you're dead..." He muttered, his shining red tears still falling. "Y-you sa...said...you were going to go see your parents. You told me to be happy. Then you...fell asleep. And you were gone..." He laughed a bit. "Look at me, talking to hallucinations..."

"Oh, Forin..." Diana hugged him tightly, smiling a bit. "I'm not a hallucination. I'm right here." She slid into his lap, cuddling up against him. "Flesh and bone. I'm real."

"I...I see...I thought they were too late..." Forin blinked at her in confusion.

"They were. But I dreamed...I was flying. But Cyprus, that silly man who's always saying 'mememe', he met me in the sky and led me back here. And I woke up, and here we are." She giggled a bit.

"Oh. We must thank him, then. After...after we get Luen better..."

"Right. Now go back to normal, please?" She touched his crystal-like face, smiling still.

Forin paused. "I...it hurts. I don't want to..."

"That's fine then. You don't have to. Just don't leave, that's all." She shrugged, curling up against him again.

There was shifting from inside the cave, then Luen slowly stepped out, blinking softly at the sunlight. He still looked like a werebeast, but Forin could see some changes happening. The first was that he had been smart enough to carefully cut Vorpal's cords from his muzzle. A few others were the fact that he looked over at them and merely blinked, instead of roaring and charging frantically.

He seemed to wilt at the sight of Forin, hesitantly backing up and disappearing inside. He had said not a word.

"Come along, Diana. Let's head back inside before it gets dark." Forin picked her up effortlessly, surprised at how weightless she felt in his arms. But then...not really surprised. This power had lent him strength in more ways than one. He could still go back, but...he didn't want to. His other body was weak. This was much better...

"Luen? Don't run away from us, Luen." Forin said quietly upon entering the cave again, crawling through the gap and helping Diana through when he was done.

"Lu-eeeen~," Diana sang in a tiny voice, walking towards him happily. "Remember me, Luen? You remember. Of course you do." She buried her face in his thick fur. "You kept me warm while I was sleeping."

The werebeast, who had curled up in the corner, slowly lifted his head and sniffed Diana, his nose quivering. He touched her cheek gently with his nose, closing his eyes half-way as he did so, then looked over at Forin and grew still. His emerald eyes, which had steadily been regaining light, immediately rimmed in white; a sign of fear. He sniffed once, as if trying to determine Forin's scent, then slowly said "Fo...rin? That...y-you?"

"Of course it's me." Forin moved forward, holding a hand out. He didn't pet Luen yet, though. He waited. His friend...was afraid of him. That was somewhat upsetting. Perhaps it was just his current form... "It's me, Forin. Vorpal is here too," He concentrated, returning the bracer to his original sword form. "He's being quiet, but he's here. If you needed proof." He smiled a bit.

Luen leaned back, away from Forin's hand, almost barking once in fear. When Forin didn't pursue petting or touching him, he slowly lowered his head again. "Vor...pal?" Luen said slowly, his speech broken and full of pauses. He watched the sword, who was sleeping right now (he was exhausted), then looked back up at Forin and whimpered. "You...not...Forin," he said quietly. "Forin...d...does...is not...um..." He couldn't seem to remember the words he wanted to say, so he started over, much more simpler. "Power. Forin...not...need to...have it. He is...h...ha...happy...with...out."

Tears budded in his eyes, then he stared into Forin's eyes and spoke without a single hitch or stutter.

"What have you done with Forin?"

Forin frowned at him. "What are you saying, Luen? I am happy, and I am Forin. I have more power, yes...and I like it. I wanted more power...I wanted to be able to fight...s-so that I would never lose my friends. And this is what came to me. I need this, Luen, I...I'd be dead now without it." He sighed, then shrugged. "Fine. I'll go back to normal. However much it hurts...however weak it is. You need me to, so...I'll do it." He concentrated for a very long moment, then there was a flash of light. Forin was back, brushing himself off. He sheathed Vorpal, reaching out towards Luen again. "See? It really is me."

Luen threw his head back with a snarl, clearly not wanting to be touched. He stared at Forin for a long moment through one eye, the white edge slowly leaving it, then he turned his head down and stared right into Forin's eyes. He slowly lifted a large, dangerously-sharp clawed paw and moved it out, resting it on the ground just to the side of Forin. He sniffed once, bringing his face ever closer, and Forin saw the wet patches of fur in lines down his cheeks. He was crying, his tears lost in his thick white fur.

Forin lowered his hand and held still. "I'm sorry, my friend...I'm sorry I had to hurt you. But I would rather you fear me and run away from me than...than you being lost to us forever." Diana was still petting Luen, but it didn't seem to have any effect. He was basically ignoring her for now. Forin looked down. "And...well, I don't really have anything else to say. I'm sorry..."

Luen let out a hoarse whimpering sound, then straightened and moved his paw up in a fluid motion, taking Forin from behind and pulling him forward, right against the were-kirin's furry chest. He scooped Diana up too, holding them both to him as gently as he could, which they both felt. The insane strength he had, even with only one arm, was enough to crush their spines into dust.

But he was tender and gentle with them.

They were immersed in that soft, soft white fur as Luen curled his head down, keeping them as close as he possibly could.

"I love you..." he said quietly, tears leaking from his closed eyes. "I love...you both...so much..."

"We love you too, Luen." Diana giggled, hugging him tightly.

"Yeah...of course we do. You're the closest thing I have to a brother. You all...you, Diana, Luna...you're my family. I've said it before, haven't I? And I'll do anything for family. No matter what it costs." Forin murmured, hugging his dear friend Luen. "In the meantime...we should get you back to Allie. That girl...since you ran off, she looked nothing short of upset." Forin smiled a bit, scratching his friend behind the ear. "And I have your mechanical arm, so once you're back to a normal size..."

Luen let out another very soft, hoarse whimpering sound, pushing his nose against the small of Forin's back and passing his tongue gently along Diana's elbow. He knew he couldn't live without them. They were all he had left in the world. In his world...and his world was a sad, sad thing indeed. Full of weeds and cracks, and everything was dark and crumbling. But now...his world was bright and full of life, and it included the living statues of Forin, Diana, Nate, Luna, and now, Allie. There were some broken statues on the ground, of course. His mother, his sister Nelu, Jewel... Those statues could never rise again. But the ones that were alive and here...he knew he would always be okay, so long as they stayed with him.

He attempted to kiss Diana's forehead, but it came out as a sort of snuffling, wet half-lick.