The Forgotten Zodiac

"I don't mind who comes and who is absent. Come if you'd like. I only request that you make a tombstone for her. And perhaps some flowers..." Obelisk sighed. "I'll bury her immediately. Thank you, Galai." He turned and walked out, but not before picking Malice up and carrying him away.

"Her death will affect him greatly. I wonder why he's allowing the Divine access to his mind, whereas years ago he refused to give a single memory..." Titus murmured.

"It's because he wants the Divine to understand loss...before the Divine loses someone of its own." Cyprus murmured from beside the thrones. "Hello, cousin Galai. Cousin Titus." He bowed slightly, smiling. "When...when I felt that Naybrin passed, I had to come see...he did something he probably shouldn't have, you know."

"Like?" Titus raised a brow.

"Bringing someone back from the dead." Cyprus was awfully blunt about it, and silence rang out after he said it.

"Back from the dead?" Galai said, blinking in stunned shock. "He gave himself up...but for who? Surely he wouldn't return his mate to life while he goes on..." She sighed and sat back down in her throne, taking up her praying once more in respect for Naybrin's lost soul.

((Shorter post, as I don't have any other characters here. xD))

"Not his mate. He's with her now. But..." Cyprus trailed off as the doors burst open again.

"Galai! Galai, Naybrin did something incredible, you should have seen it!" Werr exclaimed loudly. Nate was behind him, carrying their youngest brother. "Look! Look who's here, Galai, just look at him," He ran to her, throwing his arms around her in a hug. He was crying, but he was the opposite of sad at the moment.

Galai gave a small gasp, feeling her mouth stretch into a smile as Welk lolled his head back against Nate's shoulder, blinking wearily up at them. He was extremely dazed and confused; for him, it was like waking from a long, dark coma. He hadn't even spoken yet, his voice unable to rise further than a squeak or a moan.

Galai hugged Werr tightly, saying "Oh Werr, I'm so happy for you! Naybrin sacrificed much to give you this..."

((So he doesn't remember the Goddess? A good thing. Zex remembers her and desperately wants to die again. We should go back to them soon, I want to see Luna's reaction to Ink and Riordan. xDD Also, Luna will be allowed to wander the castle, which would probably be how she discovers the dragon dude.))

"I know...but he wouldn't have wanted anything different. He was...old. He wanted to be with his mate, I know he did." Werr sighed heavily. "He's still here, after all...in our memories. And he's watching us now, I just know he is."

"Hold still, Welk," Nate smiled, also looking pleased. "Did you see Allie on our way here, Werr? I believe Naybrin returned her legs to her..."

"Yeah," Werr nodded. "Have you seen Cynyr lately, Galai? We can't seem to find him...he needs to know that Welk is alive,"

((Okeydokey.))

Hooves thundered outside the window suddenly, and Galai smiled. Luen raced past in deer form with Allie on his back, no longer because she had to ride there; now merely because she could. "I can't believe it!" he shouted joyfully as they disappeared, his voice fading from listening distance as he charged off.

Galai looked back at Werr, saying "I believe Cynyr is in his room. But first, allow me to bestow some energy to Welk. It will take effect soon." She closed her eyes and a soft tendril of light flowed from her, seeping into Welk, who sighed and closed his eyes, dozing off without a care against Nate. He hadn't quite returned completely yet.

Werr was looking forward to it the most.

"Thanks, Galai," Werr smiled. Nate dipped his head in his own thanks, ever the nobleman. He followed Werr as the human king practically skipped off to find Cynyr.

But of course, he remembered to knock. "Cynyr? Cynyr, you've gotta get out here, you've gotta see this," He said, knocking persistently. "Cynyr, come on out, you really have to see this!"

There was a groan from inside, and the sound of furniture being pushed away. "Werr?" came the slightly-scratchy, familiar voice, but the panther somehow sounded...different. They heard him stumble towards the door, but he paused before it reached it. He must've been looking in a mirror or something, because a moment later, there was the smashing sound of glass breaking followed by him screaming "What happened to me?!" He raced to the door and there was the sharp click of the lock as he undid it, then he threw it open so hard that it nearly came off its hinges.

All of the scars on his face and body that he had recieved at his time in the cruel organization had been removed, and his empty nose had filled in. He was still obviously on the maimed side, as none of the scars he had gotten since that time were gone, but his face was no longer just a mass of scars. He was still missing one eye and the tip of an ear, and he had a few long, lethal looking scars trailing his body, but it was nothing compared to the old look. Now, he had real, pale white skin on his face.

"I...what is this?!" he exclaimed in shock, feeling his face.

Werr stared at him for a long moment, then grinned. "Cynyr...Naybrin gave his life for...for Welk. He gave us Welk back. He gave Lexi her legs back, and your face...some of it back, at least. It's better, Cynyr! You have a nose now!" He leapt forward and tackled Cynyr in a tight hug, then pulled away and pushed him towards Nate. "Look! Look, Cynyr, it's Welk...our little brother, here, in the flesh...Galai said he'll wake up soon, too. He'll...come back to us..." He started to cry again, once more out of happiness and sheer joy than anything. "And I think...I think the Blood Bond I had with Naybrin is on Welk now. That'll be dangerous...I'll have to teach him to talk through it, so it can be a little helpful, at least. But Cynyr...it's WELK!" He was like a five year old on Christmas day. And it was fitting; this was the greatest gift he had ever gotten, after all. The greatest gift he ever would get.

((I gave my previous post an edit, so you might want to look at eet. I made it so Cynyr had all the scars from his childhood time in dat place removed. xD It's much bigger than what I had given him originally. Werr might have a difference reaction.))

The panther, with one hand still clasped to his face as if afraid that this was all some terrible joke, stared down at Welk, his single yellow eye flashing. "What...what is this?" he said weakly, and Werr felt him sag backwards. The wind mage sank into a sitting position on the ground, staring at Welk and feeling his face at the same time. It was so odd to move his arms and not feel the now-familiar sensation of his scars catching the fabric. It was just...gone.

((Nah. 936 Werr's too distracted by their youngest brother.))

Werr knelt in front of Cynyr, taking the older man by the shoulders and shaking him gently. "It's a gift, Cynyr. It's the greatest gift anyone could ever give us. You have your face, and we...we have Welk, Cynyr, Welk came back to us! It's not a dream, or an illusion. Naybrin made this possible." He smiled slightly, gently touching Cynyr's scar-less cheek.

((X'D Okey.))

The panther gave a slight flinch, amazing by the simple feeling of Werr's fingers against his cheek. Tears began dripping down his cheeks as he stared from Werr to Welk, completely dazed. He hesitantly hugged Werr, still not sure if this was real or not. He was just waiting to wake up or have someone pinch him.

He thought this until Seria rounded a corner and screamed at the sight of him, her hands clasped over her mouth. "Cynyr?!" she exclaimed, staring at his whole, only-slightly-scarred face. "Oh...Skies Above! What happened?!"

He wordlessly pointed at Welk, who was starting to wake up.

Werr explained hurriedly, pulling Welk out of Nate's arms and setting him down between himself and Cynyr. "Welk," He put his hand on Welk's chest, as if not sure if the half-cat's heart really was beating. "You waking up now, Welk?" He questioned, tilting his head so he could get a better look at his dear friend.

"You're gonna want to wake up, furball," Nate knelt beside them, his own smile almost as teary as Werr's.

((Also, poop. I just realized that Cynyr isn't supposed to be able to talk. xD))

Slowly, the crimson eyes opened. Welk's gaze was clearly foggy and weak, but it slowly strengthened, taking in the people leaning over him. He blinked, his eyes moving slowly from Nate to Cynyr, and finally, to rest on Werr. When he spoke, his voice was thin and scratchy, but it was the warm tone Werr had come to love.

"Okay...what...did I do...this time?"

((HE CAN NOW

HAHAHA.))

Werr shook his head, pulled Welk up into a tight hug. "Welk...thank goodness. No, thank the Goddess..." He shook his head, sniffing a bit. Then he pulled away. "Do you feel okay? Can you feel your fingers, your toes? Look, your tail is whole again," He picked up the scruffy end, smiling.

"Good to have you back, Welk." Nate smiled brightly.

((NO I CHANGED IT xD))

"Did I leave?" he asked, allowing Werr to pull him back for another tight hug. He didn't seem to notice his regrown tail yet, even when Werr pointed it out. He was still quite out of it, and understandably so. "All I remember is...is fire...and pain...and then...it was dark." He closed his eyes, exhaling heavily, then opened them and said "It felt like I was gone...for a long time."

Welk gaped at him, struggling to take in what he had just learned. "I...I was...dead?" he said, utterly confused. He tried to send Werr a thought, but he couldn't muster the strength yet. He glanced around, tilting his head back to look up at Cynyr. "What...have I missed?" he asked, looking dizzy. Then he asked something that made them all go cold.

"Isslia...where's Isslia?"

Werr blinked at him, then sighed heavily. "She...she's not here. After you died, she...left. She had no reason to stay with us, so she decided to go her own way. But it's okay," Werr added quickly. "We can find her again. We have Spy, after all." He smiled weakly, then started to explain to Welk what all had happened. He told everything, leaving nothing out. Not even his own miserable and shameful doings and experiences. And then he told about the sudden takeover by the Gossain group, though he hesitated to tell Welk he was poisoned. But hiding the truth wasn't a good idea; Werr wanted Welk to know everything.

And he told all this through the bond. He transferred the memories directly; it was much faster than flat-out telling him, and much easier on Welk's mind. "There," Werr nodded when he finished. "Hey, I didn't know I could do that...cool. Did you get all that, Welk?"

((Soul bond emerging. 9u9

I've decided that along with the thought transfer, as we can see here, memories can be transferred as well. And if Welk really, REALLY tries, maybe some of his powers. Only in very tight situations, and it would obviously return to Welk after a couple of minutes. But along with that, the Blood Bond is boosted, too; wounds one gains is gained by the other. Bu-ut, one member of the bond can pull the other's wounds onto themselves, but doing so prevents the wound from being healed through magical means, and it's very, very taxing on both mind and body. So it can be fatal if used recklessly.))

((Oh dear. Okay.))

"Y-yeah, but...we have to go! Y-you're poisoned!" Welk stammered, looking alarmed. "And I-Isslia! I need to...to find her, now! S-she could get h-hurt, I h-have to p-protect her, I love h-her..." He attempted to get up, surging away from Werr and Nate's protective grasps, only to fall flat on the floor with a yelp. He could hardly walk more than a few steps, his body shaking badly.