[Solo] The Cycle completed...

[Nosdyn]

That night...

He'd consulted with The Undead folks in his Guild for a long time since Illsandra's death. The Priesthood had agreed to become guidance counselors of sorts for Nosdyn. He'd spoken to them often at that point. He always told his wife where he was going. She'd been present for some of the sessions. This was necessary for him to heal as well. Nosdyn found The Priesthood very accommodating in what he needed. What they all needed. The Priests had a way of doing things that reflected how far they'd also come because of Nosdyn. They also gave very good advice, said things he needed to hear. "I'm sorry it has been so long since last session." Nosdyn said quietly.

The Male Priest looked at Nosdyn, he had a soft smile on his face for his friend, his leader. "You have a little one to care for now...it's all right. We are always here anyway, you once said this was how we spend Eternity." The Priest chuckled at that softly, Nosdyn had not been terribly off base in that observation either. "What troubles you, My Lord?" He asked quietly.

"Lancaster is dying." Nosdyn said calmly. He'd often taken it upon himself at that point to help others with their own troubles and burdens in life.

The Priest nodded. "It is the natural cycle of life. Eventually, all things die." It was a profound statement, but an honest one. "You will be required to attend the funeral will you not?" He asked.

Nosdyn nodded. "Yes...it would be my sworn duty to do so."


The Priest thought of something just then. "My Lord...it has been a privilege watching how far they've changed you." He stated his feeling on the matter very carefully so as not to offend.

Nosdyn nodded. "I miss her." He admitted quietly, even then...always he would miss her. "But my pain and suffering is no longer about me. There were others affected by her passing."

Quietly, The Priest stood up and placed his hand on Nosdyn's shoulder. "Listen to me, My Lord. I swore once to you...you would never have to endure this suffering alone. I meant that...for everything you've done for us. Helping you heal, cope...it is the least I can do to help you find your way. We know lost souls, My Lord...and for a long time...you were a lost soul. Xyllea is doing the best she can, but now you have to be stronger than pain...for your son's sake." The Priest spoke the truth.

Nosdyn nodded quietly to the man. They would speak a while longer that night, he had a profound amount of trust for that man he also considered to be a Brother.

***

Later that night, Tharak, their son was in the crib asleep.

Nosdyn held his wife tightly in his arms. Something The Priest told him, made him realize a matter. He woke his wife up at that point. "My Lady, there is something I wish to tell you." He said carefully to her.

She stirred, and woke up shortly there after looking at her husband. "What is it?" She quietly asked.

He nodded to her. "I love you." He told her plainly, truthfully. In his way of speaking, his honest way of stating things. "You dealt with a lot from me...when she died. Nobody obligated you to do so...you stayed. And for that I will always love you." He was trying to state how he truly felt, to make up for that time his lost loved one rejected him and everything went downhill after that. "Because of her, I swore I would never fail again."

Xyllea carefully considered what she was hearing. There was no desperation in this, no malice just the honest truth. Something he'd been trying to tell her for a long time and he'd only then found the courage to do so. There, in their own bed...they were just a man and a woman who loved each other. Their races did not matter. "I love you too." She said quietly in response. She knew his pain would always be there...but she also knew...he was sincerely putting a gods forsaken effort to heal from that pain. She admired him for that...she always would.

[Nosdyn]

A month later...

He'd awoken in a cell. The woman who claimed she was Illsandra's Sister was looking at him, that same malice was there. Nosdyn's whole body hurt, he had no idea how long he'd been out for. His visioned focused and he looked at her.

She nodded. "You're awake now." She folded her arms across her chest. "You're going to be held responsible for my Sister's death."

Nosdyn narrowed his eyes. "Did you not listen? She killed herself." At that point, he was starting to become very angry...but he found himself holding back because of everything that had transpired.

She looked at him, that malice was there. "You're a Demon. Son of the Tular Plains. Did you really think you could kill my Sister and get away with it?"

He was confused by that point, he had no idea why any of this shit was even happening. But hatreds, racism...that he did understand. He suddenly understood what that, in particular, was about. "Because of what I am...you would turn a blind eye to the truth?" Everything he had worked so hard to build, to recover some of his humanity back...it was all going to shit because of her. He accepted his fate at that point.

She suddenly hit him very hard, across the face she had a similar augmented object to what that guard hit him with. "You don't belong here, Demon." She said and on top of the malice, there was hatred in her voice at that point.

Nosdyn, used to dealing with incredible amounts of pain...submitted to his fate.

[Nosdyn]

"Fight back!" She yelled at him "You killed my Sister but now don't want to fight back against me?" She laughed at that point.

Days. It had been days. He held back because of Illsandra and Xyllea. Everything they'd taught him. If...this was his fate he had accepted it would be so. He'd stopped talking days ago. He knew hatreds, he knew racism...if this was going to be his end he accepted it. He'd grown numb at that point. .

"If you will not defend yourself, the next time you wake up will be at your execution." She threatened and knocked him out with the same augmented object.

***

While he was under...he saw her. He saw Illsandra's ghost. She walked up to him. "Be strong." She said softly to him.

When he became aware again...he was at a gallows. No audience present...no friends...nobody would come to save him. He'd die that day...a dog's death. A traitor's death. Illsandra's sister was present along with a single Executioner, and a Priest. Likely to read him his last rites. He sighed. Father...I failed us. He thought quietly to himself, completely defeated. He would not look away from his fate, he would not shy away from the fact he was going to die.

She walked up to the gallows and looked up towards him. "You are going to be held responsible for her death, this I swear."

Nosdyn didn't care anymore. He just nodded quietly his will to fight was gone at that point. He'd been defeated by racism, not on the field of battle in a distant land. It was cold, angry racism. It wasn't The Champion's death his Father always promised him. The thought repeated itself in his head. Father...I have failed.

The Executioner prepared to swing his weapon. Nosdyn made sure to not look away from it, he would allow himself this one final act of bravery and courage. Then something happened...the axe like weapon broke in half on Nosdyn's skin. The blade portion slid to the ground Nosdyn barely felt the crack against his strong flesh.

Illsandra's sister was incredulous as she saw what happened. "What the fuck?" She looked at the Executioner.

"It broke..." He was too stunned to believe what he had just seen.

Just then...a group of people showed up on the gallow grounds. One of the men, Nosdyn recognized as being one of Lancaster's allies. "This ends right now." The man commanded. Everyone turned to look at the newcomers. "You red taped this operation...illegally I might add. Took us a bit of time to find this location." The man walked over towards Nosdyn's position. "Forgive us my lord." The man himself, removed Nosdyn's bonds.

The men were going to arrest Illsandra's Sister. But just then...

Nosdyn walked over towards her. "Her reasons were misguided but she was also hurt by Illsandra's death." Nosdyn said calmly.

Her Sister, stunned by what she was hearing looked at him. "Mercy it will be now?'

Nosdyn sighed. "You might never fully understand what me and your Sister had. But I hope someday you do...and can find peace with yourself as I have."

***

Nosdyn was taken home that day.

Xyllea was at the front of The Safe House waiting for him, she ran towards him. "Nosdyn!" She called her husband. "By Lloth,I was so worried, I was so scared."

Nosdyn nodded. "It's over now. I'm home." He was in a lot of pain.

"What did they do to you?" She asked, tears flowed from her eyes.

"She was going to kill me. It was one of Illsandra's Sisters. She was saying I killed her myself." Nosdyn sighed, never had he so completely accepted his fate. He was tired, tired of it all at that point. "I'm really hurt." He meant that more physically than anything else.

"The Lancaster people told me what happened. It had been over a month since you went missing..." She sighed. "I'm just glad you're home now."

"Xyllea....she blamed ME for what happened." At that point, he could not hold it in anymore, in front of his wife...he cried.

[Nosdyn]

That night...

"Xyllea...it was one of the worst things I ever went through." Nosdyn said to her quietly, trying to explain to her the severity of the situation.

She nodded quietly to her husband, they were alone in their bedroom. "She opened up the injury again did she not?" Xyllea had been crying since he first vanished from The Academy grounds. "I...I'm so sorry about this." Xyllea said quietly.

"Because of our son, because of you. I want to be strong for both of you." Nosdyn said calmly. "Llukai might never understand why had to quit."

She nodded calmly. "It's for the best...if she's going to be at The Academy and try to intimidate you periodically...it's probably for the best."

Nosdyn looked at his son, sleeping peacefully on his lap. "They used a Weapon I had no knowledge of." He told her that point.

Xyllea raised her eyebrow. "You mentioned something like that earlier...what sort of a Weapon?"

He explained it to the best of his capacity. "It was a relic or a device that could knock me out...not right away...but it would cause exceeding pain."

Xyllea was in thought. "That's...troubling." She said quietly.

"I actually thought so too. Such magics are usually N'Jals." Nosdyn said calmly. "But this particular kind...did not feel like something N'Jal's followers would use."

Xyllea nodded. "There are many mysteries in this world...but I will keep an eye out for researching pertaining to this weapon."

"Xyllea..." He said calmly. "I tried...really hard not to fight back." He had a sincere expression on his face.

She nodded calmly. "It must have been very difficult for you."

He nodded. "I remember the teachings of your people." That would have been the first time he'd called Dark Elf's "your people" instead of our people. "I didn't know what faction or group she was from...only that she had acted against me."

Xyllea noticed that interaction...what it meant. He'd been set back...the long healing and recovery process had been reset by this single, selfish woman. "You did the best you could." Xyllea was deeply concerned for her husband at that point. She would have to carefully observe him in the next few moons to see how far, that idiot, had in fact set him back...

Nosdyn kissed his son that night, and put him in the crib himself. He looked towards Xyllea. "Tomorrow...we have a promise to keep." He said calmly and slid into their bed with her.

But that worry was there in Xyllea's heart. Gods...what did that fucking woman do to him? She knew...Illsandra's sister had set him back...for gods knew how long.

[Nosdyn]

The Day of the funeral...

As he had promised, Xyllea and Nosdyn would be present at Lancsater's funeral. The funeral rites would have been in accordance to Lloth burial rites. Something happened in Nosdyn's head...he saw flashes of the day of Illsandra's funeral. He kept that inside though. He knew during the funeral proceedings themselves nobody would be allowed to speak anyway. Except the Priesthood of Lloth.

One the proceedings were over, Llukai walked over towards his Uncle. "I was told what happened." He said quietly. "Uncle...you were hurt." He said to Nosdyn.

Nosdyn nodded. "It was dealt with." He said calmly. "But yes, Llukai your Father is at peace now." Nosdyn felt numb for other reasons, but he was trying to be strong for the boy. He knew Llukai would be able to see it in his eyes that he was suffering anyway. but out of respect he said nothing.

"Thank you both for being present." Llukai said to Nosdyn and Xyllea. He walked off to talk to other family members and loved ones of The Lancaster Estate.

Nosdyn looked at Xyllea. "We should probably go home now." He said calmly.

Xyllea looked at her husband. "I have one matter to take care of first, so you go back to The Safe House first. I will be here shortly." Xyllea promised.

***

She stormed towards her office. Xyllea was angry...her husband had forced himself to hold back despite being heavily tortured. But she would not. She kicked the door in with her Psionic's power and Illsandra's Sister looked up stunned at the outburst. "You fucking idiot." Xyllea said, she was angry at the woman...she would not have to hold back as her Husband had.

"Come again?" She asked.

"Me and Illsandra...we were healing him...you have no idea what you did to him do you?" She grabbed the woman's shirt collar at that point. "I want you to listen and understand very carefully what I am about to tell you." She had not been so angry in a very long time. "If you EVER attempt to harm my Husband again...you will hear from me. He held back out of respect for our culture, you dirty cunt." At that point, she did strike Illsandra's sister with a hard smack across the face that knocked her off her chair. "It's different when someone can fight back, is it not? You better pay close attention to what I've told you today." Xyllea took her leave at that point.

***

That night...

Xyllea looked at Nosdyn. "I saw her today." She said to him. No secrets...ever.

Nosdyn raised an eyebrow. "Who specifically do you mean?"

"Her Sister. I spoke to her...there was something I needed to tell her." Xyllea said truthfully.

For some reason...that did something to Nosdyn. He saw the look of concern on her face, his chest raised with excitement. Xyllea's sincere concern for him...turned him on at that point. "You were probably able to act against her since I could not." Nosdyn responded sincerely.

"I did...hopefully what I did is enough. If she got the hint she will never bother you again." She noticed his excitement, his chest rising up with hunger. She noticed the bulge in his pants. She smiled at that. "Welcome back My Lord." And she kissed him deeply and hungrily, there was no need to hold back anything anymore.

[Nosdyn]

The next day was for him and his family, Xyllea and Tharak. Xyllea and Nosdyn enjoyed physical union that night...the entire night. Without rest or need for pausing, he gave himself fully to her. That single act of kindness Xyllea had given him, saved Nosdyn. He was on the verge of insanity after Illsandra's Sister tortured him. Nosdyn held Xyllea in his arms. He looked at her carefully. "You were able to act where I could not." He told her.

"I said to her...you held back out of respect for our people. That part of it she would never have known about." Xyllea said. "I have no idea what she did to you...but I made her pay for it."

Nosdyn nodded softly. "The entire month I was in the cell...I was tortured by that Weapon." Nosdyn explained. "To say the fucking thing hurts is not accurate enough. It simply just...causes pain." He told her he wanted her to understand what he had been through.

Xyllea understood, sort of. The Psionic Guild had such devices, but what he was describing sounded far more sinister than that. Xyllea was just glad...that time that she had reached him somehow. "I was so scared you would be gone forever." Xyllea said calmly.

"I know Xyllea...for that I am sorry...had I been more careful it might have not occurred." He said to her.

"She was looking to hurt you. There was no way you would have known." She sighed, holding her Demon in her arms happily. "Let's just rest today and help the little one as well."

Nosdyn nodded, he actually got up at that point, skyclad as he normally slept and went to go get their son. The little one would sleep with them together...

Xyllea observed. You would have been proud Illsandra. And slept silently with the three of them in the same bed...