Family Matters

[Flamebird]

Felicity had sensed dark magic before. The Tenebraen powers that burned inside Lord Osiris like potent acid; the sickening smog of the corrupted familiars of Arius. Yet all of that paled in comparison to the wretched creature before her. The vast majority of Thayne she sensed were neutral in magical energy, but the evil alignment in this one was obvious as a burning summer day. And when Gwenael spoke her name, Felicity knew why… This was N’jal! The Fallen Forsaken. The dark Thayne who fell from the Pantheon, dedicated to the destruction of all that was good in Althanas! The Thayne of Death. Her magical energy was one of the most horrific things she ever felt. Pain seared her as she clung to Gwenael, light headed as nausea flooded her.

She fell to her knees regurgitating her stomach’s contents as the dark one asked of her presence. It was a voice similar to Gwenael’s, distant echoes yet clear in her mind. Felicity looked up, panting as the pain still bolted through her like lightning. Gwenael stepped forward, his sturdy talons gripping the dirt as his wings fluffed. “She teleported with me.” He explained, his voice loud and bold, “What do you want?”

Felicity noticed the slight twitch of one of his wings.

N’jal laughed, “Of course the mortal crumples to her feet when she sees me!”

Felicity’s face exploded in heat. Her face went red as her chest tightened in embarrassment. Gwenael spoke as she looked down, unable to control how the magical energies made her flinch.

“Stop. Just tell me what you want.”

N’jal’s voice was slightly lower, “What do I want? Dear brother, after all these years I have finally met you.”

Anger flared in Gwenael’s voice. Felicity looked down to the grasses below, struggling not to cry from the pain. “Leave me alone, Fallen! Jomil told me all about you!”

“Jomil!” N’jal spat. Felicity turned her head away. The pain kept her on the ground, but hearing the venom in her voice. “The wretch lies! Boy, allow me to show you the truth. Not about me, however. No, about you!”

Suddenly, the magical energy dissipated. Felicity gasped, the pain gone and her own energy returning at rapid speeds. For the moment, she was relieved. Able to breathe well, however, Felicity realized with a jolt why she was at peace.

She looked up. They were gone. Felicity leapt to her feet, panic rising as she looked around the rocky landscape. They were gone. N’jal was gone. Gwenael was gone.

“Gwenael?” Felicity muttered. Flashes of memory invaded her mind. Her cousin's death. The news of her uncle’s passing. Even the terrifying moment Shinsou was sucked into a portal to hell… They were gone. Gwenael was gone… he…

“No!” She subconsciously hugged herself. Her legs shifted as she shook her head. “No, no, no…”

A single scream erupted from the quiet island landscape. “Not again!”

[Flamebird]

The moonlit world around her was blurred and far away. Panting, Felicity grasped her chest as she tried to think clearly.

Calm down! You can work through this!

Even then, the memory of Shinsou being robbed from her by Arius replayed in her mind. Memories even further back, of her uncle and cousin's deaths, also rolled. And she saw Gwenael's face in her mind; the fragile Lesser Thayne with frustrations and doubts.

She shook her head. Heart pounding. He can take care of himself, Fel! He's still a Thayne!

But against the Forgotten One?

She bit her lip, struggling. Beyond Gwenael, what about her? She had no idea where she was and how to get back. Shinsou and the Brotherhood flickered in her mind. She bit down, making her lip bleed.

The grasses at her feet began to wilt as she accidentally activated her nuclear powers. Anger exploded. She turned and balled her fist. She stalked a couple paces to one of the boulders and slammed her fist into it. The rock cracked, a solid puncture appearing similar to an asteroid hit on the earth. Felicity barked a curse, her anxiety soaring. She gritted her teeth.

"Why am I so useless!"