Log:The Regent's Legacy

Time to say Good-Bye 2014/07/06 Paragon

3

Third stares in the mirror as she brushes her teeth. It's been a long, draining day, and all she wants is to get some rest. After rinsing out her mouth, she shuts off the lights and climbs into bed. It doesn't take much time at all before she drifts off to sleep.

It is hot...very hot, but yet as hot as it is, you cannot remember it ever being anything but hot.

"Get up!" shouts a familiar voice...

Father? you think to yourself...it's too early to start training...

Third peels open an eye in the dream. What's happening? She feels strangely refreshed as she sits up and looks around.

A swords slaps you across the face. "Get off your arse boy!" shouts a form which can only be called a living flame in the form of a man. "I knocked you out, so what? Ain't no time for lazying around,"

Third winces and rubs the side of her stinging cheek, staring up at the flaming man. Bizarre and strange. What's he supposed to represent? Wait, is this...? She clambers to her feet and looks around, trying to orient herself.

You are in a cave.. cave with no exits. The floor is a cracked field of lava, with magma that can be seen below it. The ceiling is over a hundred feet above you and you can see that you are also a fiery being...

A sword lies on the ground beside you.

"What is it time for?" Third hazards to ask after taking in her enclosed surroundings. This must be some sort of proving or training ground. She looks over her fiery hands, waving her fingers slightly. Wild dreams she's been having lately. As she adjusts, she leans down and picks up the sword, keeping her eyes on her trainer warily.

"Boy! The Regent is dead and you give me the smart mouth!?" He swings to cuff you in the head again...

The backhand slams into the side of your head sending sparks flying...literally. "Do you want to die, boy? Just keep playing the fool. They will come for you. Sooner or later they will come."

Third sees stars...no wait, sparks. "No. I want to live. I'm ready now." She still doesn't know what's going on or who 'they' are, but she bites her tongue to avoid getting smacked again. Time to play her part in this strange dream.

With out warning he comes again with a high overhand swing...

Third is ready this time, and an overhand swing is one of the simpler maneuvers to block. She's used to using her on body to block, but what is a sword if not an extension of your body? She raises her blade up to block the blow.

The blow is blocked, but the following front thrust kick is not, and it sends you flying into the wall behind you.

Third grunts and doubles over after she hits the wall, favoring her stomach after the kick. He's fast. She tries to recover and pushes off, thrusting her blade forward in a lunge to make up lost distance.

The trainer twists, leaving the lunge to miss narrowly, the extended nature of the lunge leave you open to wrist lock that he takes advantage of, he twists your sword arm mercilessly...

Third cries out a bit, but she cuts it off by gritting her teeth. She's used to overpowering others with her strength and reflexively makes an attempt to untwist her arm with sheer strength before she loses her grip in the sword.

Unfortunately for her, this body does not have the strength that she normally would, and when she attempts to muscle an escape, she hears her shoulder pop and her wrist breaks.

"Boy! What are you doing!" shouts the other being...

"Auughh!" Third cries out as her wrist breaks, causing her to drop her sword. She clenches her jaw against the pain. "I..Nnnn...was trying to break out," she strains to speak.

The man grabs your arm roughly and shoves it into the burning magma below.

Third's eyes widen. "W-wait!" she struggles, expecting the magma to burn away her hand. She's still used to being herself. Albeit a currently powerful version of herself. But even with her strength, the magma would sear away her flesh without her armor. But...she -is- made of flame currently. After her hand is shoved into the magma, she tries to pull it out as soon as she's able to.

Instead of burning, it soothes your arm, making it whole once more. "We have practiced this hundreds of times. What is wrong with you, son?" Finally, a softer side comes out and your trainer relents backing away eyeing you.

The flames die away from the mans body. Without the flames is an even more striking appearance. He is made of lava, his skin barely cooled and the burning magma seethes just below the surface.

Third blinks as her arm feels better. She rubs her wrist carefully while rotating her hand. "I'm...distracted. What's all this training for? Who's coming for me? Why?" She hopes directly asking the dream will grant her the answers she seeks.

"I know you are thick but are you not even listening to what i have said?!?" Flames erupt from his eyes as he says this again. "If only your mother were here. I would give her to you for coddling..."

"Where is my mother, anyway?" Third asks as she leans down to scoop up her sword again. Swords aren't really her expertise. "And what does it matter to me if the Regent is dead?" Who is she supposed to be, anyway? This looks nothing like Gaia's realm.

The man flies at you, anger literally burning in his eyes. If not for your protective layer of flames, he would have likely put a hole in your chest. "I know you are not the blood child of your mother and I, but do not sully her memory. She still bore you and for reasons even Pele probably doesn't understand; still loved you." He seethes, but speaking about his wife seems to deflate that anger. "You are a child of the Regent. I would have died for him. He and I fought side by side for a hundred years on four different realms. I am sorry you are here...in danger now because of my bond to him."

"He and I were like brothers, Arage, and while you may be different, you are still my son. You must be the one to survive."

Third staggers back from the man's anger, arm raised defensively. She holds her breath, but an attack doesn't come. She waits and listens, still expecting a surprise attack as a lesson. o O (Another child of the Regent? Strange...how many did he have? If what Gaia said in the dream really worked that way, he could have...well, lots, if he lived for so long. Arage...hm.) "But -why-? Why am I in danger just because I'm a child of the Regent? I don't blame you."

He releases you and says, "Stand down. This session is over." He sits down as lightly as someone made of flaming rock can and says, "I will explain this only one more time...sit down..and listen this time."

Third lowers her sword and sits down carefully before her trainer, and father figure, listening respectfully.

"Son..stand down.." he says again...

Third sets her sword on the ground beside her and remains seated. She looks down at herself and tries to will the flames to die down like her trainer did, but she isn't quite sure how to do it. . o O (Ummm. Flame off?)

The flames die down and unlike your father, you seem to have skin like that of a human. strong hands lead to well formed arms and you wear an outfit which consists of a loin cloth and boots.

Third studies herself for a moment before looking up at her adoptive father. So -what's- what he meant by different. She settles back and pays attention to the trainer, hoping this is what he meant. "I'm sorry," she says for taking a while to comply.

Your father nods. "Listen to me, I shall try to explain it as our goddess Pele explained it to your mother and I. The Regent can form a bond with people. When he is on the elemental realms if he creates a bond with someone, a piece of his soul remains with that person. The person must also have the same bond with the Regent; it is never a one way connection. He and I had that bond. We fought together for a very long time. He saved my life more times than i can remember. I saved his as well. We fought shoulder to shoulder sometimes I do not even fathom how we survived. 15 years ago, your mother conceived you. Magmamen are not born from parents, we are born from the very fires of the plane, but you..you were born from your mother. Pele explained that you had the soul of the Regent...and of mine, and that your mother was simply the carrier of the unified soul that we had developed over the years. That you were his soul child." He pauses. "Your mother knew this, and while your ugliness made others laugh at us, we never told your secret, and she never stopped loving you. Even on the day that the shadow assassin came and took your mother's life. I arrived only in time to save you. I know you were very small, but you must try to keep her memory near."

He continues, "The assassin was not there for her, he was there for you. You are an heir to Regent's legacy, but of all of his children there can only be one inheritor. All others must be eliminated for the legacy to pass on. Someone sent the assassin to make certain a different child would inherit the legacy."

"You survived that day. They will return. When they do, you must be ready. I promised your mother I would watch over you when she died. I will not break that promise."

Third listens attentively and nods softly. . o O (Another soul child? Just like Arianna. And he's in danger. This all has to be happening now, or recently, since the Regent just died.) "So...all the other inheritors. Do they have to die, just to carry on some legacy? Can't we all just live and let live?" she questions in hopes that there's a peaceful solution.

He looks at you with soft strange eyes, "My son..if that were the case, I would not have left Pele's army to train you. The seers say that when the legacy of The Regents return, only one of his children may inherit them. Until the legacy is received his power shall be split and unwhole amongst his children."

"Even if if this is untrue, dark forces have already sent assassins against you. I must keep my promise"

Third frowns slightly. "So then...forget the legacy. It's not worth it if children have to die to preserve it!" she speaks as herself, not Arage. Her hands tighten into fists. "Nothing is worth that...The Regent had friends on Earth. They can help!" Perhaps this isn't a dream or a vision. If there's some way for her to communicate across planes of existence due to her contact with the Regent, perhaps she can actually help instead of just witness.

"Child!" Arage's father says angrily, "What know you of the Regent? Of his home? Of the legacy itself! You will train, you will destroy any who would deny you, for they will only do the same to you!"

Third says firmly, her voice not giving in to anger. "I know that the sacrifice of others isn't worth the power promised from his Legacy. And that's all I need to know. Why would the other children want to kill me or anyone else, unless they were told and trained to by their parents? Is that what the Regent would've wanted?"

Arage's father growls "What the Regent wants is irrelevant. This is what he has left behind. There are forces at work here that are beyond you and I. Forces on the level of Pele and the Greater gods that would position to see the heir in their plane inherit. Already the planes of earth and of water have lost their heirs. One to war, the other to accident at birth, or as it was reported. They will come, and you will defend yourself."

Third bows her head softly, staring at her lap and thinking. "How many heirs are left, then?"

Arage's father sighs, "4…Air, Light, Shadow, and Yourself." He pauses. "Why all of this concern now? You have understood the necessity and never had any questions or problems with them?"

"Because, I..." Third pauses and thinks on how to word things. "I've had more time to think about and consider another option. The Regent was a hero. I don't think killing the other heirs make me worthy of his legacy. Did he kill the other heirs to gain his power?"

Arage's father shakes his head. "No, he did not believe in killing at all. And he did not have to kill anyone. There were no others but he is also from earth, his home plane. His family is doomed to have few inheritors, an only child per generation. thus even on the elemental planes, there is ever only one such child of his soul. As the only child on earth, he was the only one to inherit.

Arage's father looks upon you with a different eye..a loving father's eye. "My reasons for you to do this are simple and selfish. I do not want to lose you."

Third is at a loss. She wants to figure out a way to save all the children, but this isn't her area of expertise. More time is needed to figure things out, but there seems to be so little. "I'll do my best to survive, father," she says solemnly. "Is there no way to gather allies? Do we have any idea who sent the assassins that killed Mother?"

Arage's father shakes his head once more. "We speculate but we do not know. The lords dare not get involved lest there be another war of the realms. Allies we do have, but answers we do not. Perhaps...it is time to send you elsewhere where you may hide while we continue to gather our information."

Third nods slowly as she considers that option. "Where can I hide that would be safe? Perhaps Earth?"

Arage's father nods. "I must speak with Madam Pele." He ruffles your hair. "Now be off with you..else we go another round.."

Third smiles a little has her hair, well, Arage's hair, gets ruffled. "Alright, father." She rises to her feet and picks up her sword to take with her, but then she looks around. There's no exit. Uh oh.

The ground seems to swallow you whole..at least that's the sensation except that you feel as if you are falling..and you no longer feel the weight of Arage's body upon you. you feel yourself slip into your own body. This time no confusion..

Third blinks her eyes open, with new understanding of what the previous dream meant, and about Regent's inheritance. She sits up and rubs her eyes, trying to figure out what could be done. Time to track down some people who knew Regent, or know something about these other planes of existence.