A Cake Walk [Closed]

[Ayvriel]

Ayvriel Leviasi ia Saiph
Location | Forest near the outskirts of the city formerly known as Anebrilith, Raiaera

Even as her brother suffered through the forest, a certain oblivious elf continued on with her merry meandering.

Alone and without a need for haste, Ayvriel ambled along at a gentle pace, her footfalls dainty and wary as she made her way through the forest. And perhaps it would have taken someone determined less than a day’s journey to reach her desired destination, but the fledgling spellsinger was satisfied with her headway.

With Hanya’ye in the care of the kind old lady who has given her shelter two nights prior, the elven maiden has wandered away from the safety of the sleepy village on her own, her leather bag containing her belongings swaying at her side. As she has always travelled with an escort, be it with a coterie of retainers or the presence of a protector, Ayvriel has never had to worry about the dangers that may lurk in the shadows. So when she had left for the northwest a day ago, the only matter that was on the her mind was the direction of the once city of Anebrilith.

Even as she stepped away from the dirt path and vanished amongst the verdant foliage, she knew not of the rumours that there were sighting of the undead hiding within the peaceful woods.

Her first day was quiet, with only the humming of insects and the whispers of leaves as her companions. When the silence became too much to bear, the elven maiden sang nonsensical ditties to herself, even as she wondered if she would ever grow familiar with the echo of loneliness that haunted her steps. It was during these moments between that she found it the thrums of melancholy and doubt stirring within her heart.

I miss papa and mama…

Am I truly ready?

It has only been a few days since she had left the gates of Tor Elythis, yet she was already yearning for home.

Perhaps it was the true reason as to why she was pursuing what her papa would call a fool’s errand. Ayvriel wanted to see for herself if their villa in Anebrilith was still standing… and if the music box she had forgotten could be found lying right where she left it, beneath the pile of pillows on her bed. Her mind told her that it was silly to even contemplate that something as delicate as a music box would remain untouched in the chaos that was the Corpse War. Her heart continued to hold a flicker of hope, borne from an unwavering wish that there was a faint chance that it may have remained unspoiled despite the war, despite the elements, despite scavengers.

Even if not, all she wanted was a piece of it.

After all, the music box was a gift, the final one that was given to her by Mika… and La’el.

So even with her trepidation and the realisation that she would have to endure much hardship, Ayvriel persisted on her course.

But even possessing the knowledge required for such an endeavour, with her lack of familiarity, the elven maiden used twice the time another being would have needed. She had spent the night at an abandoned encampment, amongst the decaying stockades and vine obscured hollows and rusted weaponries as she whispered old lessons learned under the bright moon, her eyes flickering towards any strange sounds.

Weary, but determined, Ayvriel had continued on her journey once dawn has arrived. The anticipation that she was close to the boundaries of the land that belonged to House Leviasi ia Saiph was the only reason she found the strength to quicken her steps. Though worn and frayed, the magic of their family sang to the fledgling spellsinger, welcoming her as she stepped across the imperceptible barrier.

She was home.

Back to the place of halcyon days, before they were all touched by the pain and suffering wrought by war.

Back to the place of joyful memories, where their only worries were staining their clothing with the juice of summer berries.

[Mikael]

Mikael Leviasi ia Saiph
Location: Forest Regions near the City of Anebrilith

Spirited by an uneasiness, Mikael continued his sprint only following this vague notion he was heading in the correct direction. His body flowed like the very wind moving through the forest, his hands and feet pushing off from either the ground, trees and branches, the Elven noble despite himself, enjoyed the run. No stone walls or floors, no delicate statues or regulated gardens that must not ever be touched, no rules but simply the freedom to run to his heart’s content.

The single mindedness of the act was a breath of fresh air to Mikael, his brained had buzzed with thoughts and issues that only persisted to drive the young Elf insane. But for the time being, his body kept his mind at bay with his sprint through the forest. His breathing slowly turned heavier, and when Mikael realized he was laboring for his next intake of air he finally slowed to a walking pace. His hands folded behind the back of his head, expanding his chest to allow as much air as possible into his lungs. Mikael enjoyed the minute of relaxation before he finally stopped moving.

His breathing returned to normal, but there was a sense in the air, a certain magic any Elf would notice if they were sensitive to the world around them. A sensitivity that Mikael only acquired after his long run and pushing away the noise of all his problems, Mikael listened intently, it was something he remembered or rather something he should have remembered. A memory that Mikael wasn’t sure if it was either from a dream or a memory buried so deep into his past it might as well never had happened.

Mikael put his hand up and felt the wind rush through his parted fingers and with but a second later he followed and the direction of the wind. He knew of this forest and its surrounding location, but he had not ever remembered being here before but his body felt strangely confident that at least subconsciously he knew where he was headed. His eyes tracked the leaves slowly jostling with the wind, even his hair dared to misbehave and Mikael constantly had to push his hair away from his eyes.

The forest continued to grow ever expansive, and for a brief moment, Mikael grew worried. Nonsense for the most part, he figured that finding Ayvriel would not take long or much effort but the entire day seemed to go against such a notion. Nothing in his life could be easy, Mikael wondered about such claim and sighed softly. He knew he had no right to complain about the difficulties of his life, no reason at all and Mikael silently continued his brisk walk.

The hours passed by and finally Mikael found something, a pathway that was lined with evenly cut rock. Such effort made Mikael curious, he had no memory of some sort of village nearby, and military encampments would have made their paths with all stone to make their charts easier to roll. And there wouldn’t be so many trees, they wouldn’t waste time curving the path when they could knock them all down.
Similar with villagers, their pathways would be far more direct and not keen on keeping the trees that would ruin an easier direct path.

Mikael continued down the path and slowly something within his mind cropped up images of when he was a child. His hand reached outward to a nearby tree, with a gentle caress before continuing forward. The path led him to a large house, water surrounding much of the building and only a few direct paths led to the main building. Most importantly was the architecture, the iconic white stone that bore into Mikael’s memory back home. This was his family’s home, from when they would travel and get away from the bustle of the city or the heavy rainstorms that would follow the cold winter. I crossed the barrier without knowing? Mikael stood aback for a moment, No, I would have felt it but- Mikael frowned at the terrible implication.

This time he focused solely on the magic, even though it was old and nearly decades since it was last felt Mikael refused to believe he could simply miss it all together. The seals and the layer of magic was there, he could feel his family’s ancient magic through it all and with a small sigh Mikael looked around the area. He guessed this was where his sister had ran off to, and wondered how long she’s been here for Especially since she must’ve known where this place was exactly.

“Ayvriel!” Mikael shouted, “Ayvriel! Are you here?” Mikael asked as he drew closer to the door, oddly it was not locked and Mikael stepped inside. A soft laughter entered his mind as he remembered his brother and he running through the main living space for some reason or the other. A shake of his head Mikael focused on the collection of dust that littered the entire room and table space.

Old books, the fireplace to even the furnishing itself, it all held this sense of timelessness to it and if it weren’t for the fact it was coated with dust Mikael would have guessed nothing changed since he was a child. My Family’s magic is powerful indeed. Mikael realized, that despite the passage of time and all the chaos that had embroiled their homeland for decades, their family home remained near perfect, aside from all the dust. And I’m supposed to lead and wield our family, carve a path for us all in the future. Mikael continued to walk down the hall and search for his sister, if anything he figured he could simply wait for her here if he had somehow managed to get here before her.

“Ayvriel? By Aurient, grant me strength.” Mikael sighed as he called out for his sister yet again.