At first Verial could feel the cold water washing up against his face in a rhythmic motion; it swayed back and forth against his cheeks trying to rouse him. And then it became apparent that he not only felt the frigid liquid against his face, but he could taste the salt against his lips and hear the melody of an ocean very close. His eyelids opened a bit hesitantly revealing his confused and odd colored eyes. Verial slowly lifted his head away from the sand and pushed himself up on his knees. It seemed he had been lying there for a while; wet sand had clung to his face and he rubbed at his cheeks which were rougher than normal with stubble. Just how long had he been lying there face down in the dirt?

It took a while, but Verial started to notice his surroundings. This was not the ocean that surrounded Aleris, but the crystal waters that flowed against Oneiro. A fine mist floated over the waves, but past a certain point the mist grew denser and it was difficult to see any land or ocean beyond a few feet of his vision. Verial couldn't see the waterfalls which were not far off from the ocean and the jagged cliffs he had once fallen from. So he sat for a while watching the gentle folding of the waves wondering why he was here out of all places?

The last thing he remembered, he had been helping Maxim in a fight against Lumine Ravenholm, the tyrant who had been holding the realm of Aleris prisoner. But Maxim was nowhere to be found and absently Verial wondered if he had been abandoned here. He turned his head to either side looking over both shoulders and seeing not a soul in sight. Verial then started digging around in the sand; he recalled that he got a cure from Lumine for Kyrian but that also had been lost.

Verial cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted out to anyone who might have been hiding from him, "Hello?"

His call was returned with an echo and for a while it seemed like no one would answer, that he would have to eventually get up and try and find his way out of here. He needed to get away from Oneiro again. Before he could position himself on his feet, a ghostly shape started to move out of the thick mist into the thinner parts. Verial squinted his eyes as the figure - which started to define itself as a person - floated towards him over the ocean.

His body became nervous and anxious as he moved to greet his new companion. However, as he rose to his full height, he saw that that the person stopped in their tracks and hovered above the water. For what seemed like hours, neither of the two made a move and then a soft voice came from the grayed person in front of him.

"Home..."

Verial woke up to a familiar face staring curiously down at him. His irises searched the room he was in, trying to familiarize himself as the person - a young boy - waited patiently for him to respond. When Verial's gaze finally returned back to the boy, he recognized him as Kyrian. Tilting his head to the side, Verial noticed two things had happened to his son while he was asleep. One, he was cured; Lumine's mysterious vial had worked. And two, Kyrian had aged somehow. No longer was he a boy of eight; he appeared to be around 12 or 14 now.

"Kyrian?"

"Dad..." Kyrian said starting to reach down to embrace his father. Something stopped him and he quickly turned towards the door of the bedroom and moved off of the bed, careful not to be too rough in his movement. "Hold on..." And then the raven haired boy was off, soft footsteps running out of the bedroom door down the hallway stairs.

He was in the Villa, and it had been sometime since he had lain on his bed at home. There was a gentle Fall breeze flowing in through the window and for a moment Verial was reminded of the ocean in his dream. If he only had a few more seconds, he might have known who the person in the mist was, but then again, that probably would have done him no good. He was where he needed to be although he found these surroundings just as confusing as the ones in his dreams.

Verial felt something against his bare skin, stretched across his stomach and reached beneath the blankets. Gingerly he felt around and found thick bandages wrapped expertly across his torso. That's right, he thought. Lumine had stabbed him quite good and he realize, laying awkwardly on his side, that part of his feathered wings had been damaged as well. He did not question by what methods he had managed to survive. It must have been because his mother drained all her energy to save his life.

The bandages were slightly damp and Verial cautioned himself not to move so much. He felt the wound was starting to scab up, but it was still not time to rejoice. Any sudden movement could have opened up the hole in his body that was slowly healing. Unfortunately, he would remain a prisoner in bed for a while and a grimace crossed his face, his lips tightening together at the thought. He smelled of sweat (he probably had a terrible fever at some point) and was trying to figure out how long it had been since he had a bath. Days? Weeks? Throughout this, he eventually remembered that Lumine had been defeated, he did not know if he was happy or not.

Steady footsteps could he heard climbing up the narrow stairway in the Villa. Verial turned his head as much as he could towards the open doorway and saw the familiar winged figure of his mother coming towards him. As she paused for before entering the room, he answered her thoughts knowing very well she was questioning why in the hell he got himself so banged up and almost killed that Maxim Redmont had to carry him back home.

"So... you'll never guess what I was doing."

If she could count on nothing else it was that when one of her own children were ill or mortally wounded in some way, that they would suddenly appear at her door. Her eldest born was an adventurer and her second a wanderer. Her only daughter...well, it was best said the young woman just kept her distance. Bansca's children were not that way though, they kept to their roots like the tall guardians of the forest that watched the Villa down in the Valley.

Kyrian had finally begun to start physically aging once again for the first time since Naime brought him back to her so long ago. Her little grandson was not the wee one anymore, but when she looked at him it was as if she were looking at her son as a boy all over again. There were obvious traces of his birth mother..gestures...expressions in Kyrians eyes. But it wasn't his mother that had raised him, or even his father. It had been for the better part his grandmother.

The night Verial suddenly appeared at her door, she could hardly recognize him for who he was. The grave expression of distress in her pale blue glass eyes could only speak for her where her tongue had failed her. There was a Redmont standing on her steps with the scent of her child's blood heavy and dripping from him. That Redmont was Maxim, who was an individual that she had been forced to keep civil acquaintance with in the past despite personal judgment. Maxim had a dark past of ruthless and arbitrary destruction that defined him in her eyes.

She was on her way back to her Son's bedroom when Kyrian came running up to her only to stop short with a most excited and anxious gleam in his odd eyes.

"I know darling, lets go take your Father some of this tea and bread" she smiled. Kyrian would only nod, taking the tray from the Angel he called 'grandmother'. Both entered Verial's room, but it was Sorvynia who sat down at Verial's side this time as she listened to his first waking words.

"Enlighten me..." she answered as she ran her fingers over his brow...motioning for Kyrian to offer the tea and bread. "but take some tea and bread...it will help you recover from your journey as well" she added knowingly.

Kyrian would look questioningly at his grandmother, for he was still too young to understand what she meant about his father having been on a journey. Sorvynia glanced at Kyrian, seeing the wonder in his eyes. "You were on a very long journey too once my son, with Naime. Only, you were much to young to understand or know. But you will learn..because you are a child of dreams and your parents were both explorers."

She turned her attention back to Verial and helped him to sit up comfortable, instructing him to take care in how he should move. "I cannot be too angry with you, Kyrian is well and I've recovered as well from keeping you from death."

For a while, Verial could not help himself from glancing in Kyrian's direction. It was strange to see his son in his 14 year old grown up state. It was as if Verial had been asleep for a long time and missed a huge portion of his son's life. Guiltily, Verial believed that even if he wasn't asleep, there probably would have been something keeping him from seeing his son grow anyway. It had mostly been Sorvynia who kept a close watch over the kin of Verial and Necia Akilara. Verial sometimes wondered how she had kept up, but he knew there was some nurturing part of her that did not allow abandonment and from that, her adoration for her family flowed silently into the air and surrounded them all. Hence, her willingness to take care of her eldest son after all of his dangerous quests.

The mention of food and drink awakened Verial's senses more and he soon felt the dryness of his throat. He was parched and let his mother guide him to a sitting position. Gently, he helped push himself up with one arm, trying not to bend forward so much as to not aggravate the still healing wound across his abdomen. Verial reached out to take some tea and found despite that he was able to sit up, his arms were shaking merely from holding the cup; he must have been weaker than he anticipated and for once, he quickly convinced himself to take it easy. He indulged in small sips and bites of the tea and bread that was brought to him, taking breaks to let it rest back on the tray so he would not spill anything.

After swallowing, he turned back towards his mother trying to only move his head. He had opened his mouth to speak, to tell her everything, but thought to choose his words carefully before he said anything. It was true he had been on a mission, but that mission was for Kyrian and Verial did not want his son thinking it was his fault that his father had been dangerously wounded and nearly left for dead. Verial began to wonder if Kyrian even remembered being sick, or if it had all been a blur and one day he woke up and was fine? Or had Sorvynia been the bearer of news and told Kyrian the truth of everything already?

Instead of lifting his hand to get more tea or bread, Verial rubbed his temples for a moment thinking of what exactly to say and then he remembered his dream he had upon waking up. "Recently... there was some one named Lumine Ravenholm who had started a war in Aleris and taken position of the throne. In his conquest...," Verial stopped to cough for a moment and his hand fell away from his forehead, "he had sent me a letter saying that if I helped bring him Maxim Redmont, he would let me know the secrets to Oneiro's destruction so that we might be able to recover the land. At first, I believed him but I knew it had been wrong to turn in Maxim, so instead together we fought Lumine and well... he's not King of Aleris any longer."

He sincerely hoped he had not just been caught in a lie, at least to Kyrian. He wished his son had not been told the truth and that his story he just fabricated could be upheld. Verial's odd colored eyes searched his mother's misty blue ones for a response, some confirmation that what he said was okay.

"Speaking on that subject, I'm not quite sure how I turned up here," Verial began, "but in any case, I'm glad you were at the Villa to help care for me and that you did not overexert yourself too much." Verial was being honest; for once he was pleased that she did not fully heal him and thought he rightfully deserved some of the pain and soreness that he was in now. He wanted badly to stretch out his body and hop from this bed, but he knew better than to do such a thing.

Verial looked around the room for a moment and breathed out softly. It came to his attention that the place was eerily quiet. He heard a soft whine from outside the window and realized it came from one of the dogs, but besides that he couldn't hear any other person roaming about. Usually the Villa was a haven for Sorvynia's children and family, the Dreamers, but it was quite desolate right now. Verial slowly turned back to her, laying a hand over his lap.

"What has happened to everyone?"

He assumed Bansca wasn't around at the moment because of his mother's love triangle with Moon. But what about all the other children? And Maiwen? Last he could remember, Maiwen had been trying to get along with Sorvynia, but their relationship had been strained to say the least and Verial tried to hold faith that it had not gotten worse. In any case, at least he was seeing the faces he needed to see the most right now.

The Angel's brow loft with a troubled expression in her eyes..when he spoke of secrets to Oneiro's destruction and the recovery of the land. It was a very sensitive subject, for them both. She wanted to take him by the shoulders and stare deeply into the memory of his eyes. Secrets? What Secrets could this...fallen Lumine have known? "BAH" she whispered beneath her breath.

There was only One secret..and it was not so much a secret. The key to such a recovery rest in only One thing. But there were many parts to that key....

Her son's explanation...she let it be for the most part while Kyrian was present. But in the end Perhaps the only things that mattered now was that he and his son lived. She sat still and observed him as he attempted to move, how he moved, and made certain that he took just enough tea and bread. He couldn't eat much less it turn his gut. Eating and drinking as normal would come back gradually.

As for the rest of the family, they were present, only they were in the main homestead and Verial was back in his own cottage not far. "You were brought back to your own cottage. I've kept Kyrian here for a while after he was cured. I isolated him to make sure that whatever illness that took hold would not re-manifest and infect the others. Kyrian has helped me nurse your wounds. I am sorry that I could not heal all the damage done to you this time son. It is the price I pay for choices made."

She glanced towards Kyrian and patted the bed so that he could take her place to sit with his father.."Mostly everyone is still here...saved for Maiwen. She is with...Moon..and I."

Kyrian had whisked her away after his fight with Raze, and Umbra. Were they running away from home? Most certainly not. They were going on an adventure and that's why he had whisked her away. Partially. The rest was to get her away from Raze and Umbra. Joshy had been disappointed about the fight, and was of course going to discipline the twins. He'd have to tell his parents too, and that wasn't going to be easy. She hadn't let Kyrian out of her sight and become a bit clingy, but it was out of extreme affection for her best friend. She had thought he was going to never awaken, never play with her again, never sing silly songs and rhymes, chase mud-puppies, tadpoles, and frogs with her, or play in the wading pool with her ever again.

How many hours had she spent praying and hoping there at his bedside? How many hours had she laid there beside him, curled up against him? For days she did everything under the sun, moon, and stars to entertain Kyrian while he was ill. She sang, danced, brought in frogs, toads, butterflies, the dogs, Kit, snails, bug of various sorts, and everything she thought would cheer him. She had talked to him, kept him cool by helping to keep a cloth on his forehead. She had surrounded him with sparkles and Dust, and always had held his hand when she was near him.

Never had she given up on him or left his side for long. She had been distraught for so long, she never wanted to feel that way again.

She had cried more tears than she ever thought was possible. She could've filled ten jars with her tears! His room was decorated with colored pages, crafts of all sorts. The Faery girl who appeared no older than maybe nine was indeed mentally older, and pretty smart, and through this very rough hardship in her young life, she had learned one important lesson; -Never- to give up, surrender, or to lose hope.

When he at last came to her, she had been asleep. But when she awoke, she had clung to him and cried joyous tears because she had waited so long for him to be well. Even though he had had a growth spurt, she wondered if she would have one as well or was she destined to always appear as a young child? Would she always appear Human? She wasn't sure about a lot of things, but she knew she was loved, and she had chosen a most wonderful family to be part of!

Their adventure had been fun at first, for they had arrived in a tavern. There they tried something that was not honey mead as they had expected, but it was definitely something her Pa drank on occassion. And then it turned scary when a portal opened and Kyrian drug her into it. There dead men, scary dark rooms, even a monster who tried to take Kyrian from her, but she and the others saved him from being eaten.

She hadn't really liked the woman in the group, she was mean. They had largely been left on their own, but she and Kyrian protected each other, so in the end, it turned out they got back to that inn and eventually home. But both were fearing the trouble they knew they'd be in. Just what kind of trouble would they be in? Would both kids be grounded for a year? Made to do some kind of community service? Not knowing was scary enough, but having to tell what they had done and where they were, that was going to be even tougher!

Thankfully he heard no objections about his made-up story from his mother. Verial suspected she ultimately knew the truth about the whole situation and how his injury came to be. Whether Maxim had told her or it was just some sort of mother's intuition that she so expertly carried with her, Verial was certainly positive that she was aware of what really happened, but was all the more glad that she did not make him into a liar in front of Kyrian. She knew the reason he made up stories and as he looked into her pale blue eyes, a silent understanding passed between mother and son.

However, he did hear some hesitation in her voice when she mentioned Maiwen. Then again, there was always a bit of questioning as to whether everyone was actually here or not. Verial imagined that to Sorvynia, his mother, the family was always with her even when not physically. Still, Verial thought rubbing his chin momentarily, he guessed it was a good thing that Maiwen was with Moon and Sorvynia, that there was some sort of peace in the family. Verial could not tell if the circumstances of their alliance were forced, so he let it go for now only mentioning that -

"I hope to see her again some time soon."

Verial closed his eyes for a moment and breathed out. The cool winds blowing through the window felt good on his skin, but the mere effort of trying to eat and drink had drained any energy he had upon waking. He was exhausted to say the least, and hadn't felt this way since he was plagued with vampirism as a child. Verial opened his mouth to say something - anything - but ultimately felt himself falling into slumber once more.


Verial had recovered for the most part and he was able to shift around, though his movements were slow and cautious. He had spent the next two weeks in his own cottage with the help of his mother and Kyrian. Both had been exceptionally attentive and he was appreciative of their help - more appreciative than he could express. His wound was starting to heal nicely, though a patchwork of scarred skin across his abdomen would replace the scabs. His body still felt sore - he was not used to laying down or being so still for this long - so he took the passing hours to do small stretches and keep himself as active as he could without bringing any further irritation to the healing process.

The days that passed were quiet and though Sorvynia had said people were still at the Villa, he had not seen hide nor hair of anyone. Save for Itarilde, who he watched Kyrian playing without outside one day. From Verial's vantage point looking out the window, he was reminded of himself and Necia many years ago, but he shrugged off the memory as quick as it had come.

Moving down one step at a time, Verial made his way downstairs and out the door towards his mother's cottage which was near his own. Her door was open and Verial could hear the breeze blowing against some wind chimes close by. He stopped on the porch to listen, but did not hear anyone roaming about. No footsteps, no singing or talking, no breathing. As his feet carried him forward into Sorvynia's kitchen, he wondered if she had gone out to see Moon?

He poked his head around the corner and looked in the living room where he found no one. Even as he called out, "Hello?" he heard no response from anyone who might have been present. Verial turned back towards the kitchen and his eyes were met with an open book on the table. Tilting his head to the side, he walked to the book on the table and briefly glanced at the parchment paper. Verial noticed the book to be his mother's diary and until then, he had never dared to read it. Many of the other kids had run off with it and read through its contents as a joke (although they did not understand it), but Verial had never felt the need to betray his mother's privacy.

However, Verial wondered why she had left the diary so open and welcoming. It was usually tucked away carefully on some shelf or in a dresser, but it was just there on the kitchen table for anyone who might want to fumble through the diary's parchment pages. Though Verial did not thumb through the book, he did find himself looking at the page it was turned to. There was some sort of symbol Soryvnia had sketched and the composition consisted of a moon, star and sun. Verial placed his fingertip gently on the drawing.

"Hmm..." he thought out loud, as if anyone else was there to answer his questioning mind.

Post originally by Character_Prophet

He touched the book.

And he wondered, which was a dangerous thing to do.

Even as he called out to the house there would be gathering clouds in the distance, beyond where the windows would easily see, there was a gathering presence that Verial could at least feel...an approach. The damage was done though, as it were.

He was there.

He came through the backdoor, stepping in through the rooms ignoring Verial for the moment as he was carrying a bundle of logs, freshly chopped. Setting them aside near the fireplace where they were settled for quick access before he passed by Verial again, moving towards the kitchen.

He wore nothing but a pair of overalls, his hair bundled behind him and under a denim hat as he gathered a bit of water into a pot, returning backover too the fireplace with it he would begin to set up the beginnings of tea...setting it to boil before returning to the kitchen once more and getting a rag. With it, he would dip it in the water and douse his head after taking off his hat, patting the sweat from his brow before he would start to cup the water and pour it over the back of his neck while he hung his head over the waterbowl.

"Well...?" he asked. He was, after all, called. Wether he knew it or not.

~M

~Kyrian~

The Dreamer's kin, all of them they with her blood that swam in their veins could boast the gift to easily tread the veil between the realm of the material and the dream. Dreaming awake as naturally as all others dream sleeping. Kyrian, first beget of Verial was born as a Prince under the amethyst sky of Oneiro. He would never know or claim this birthright, and such a thing would fall lost in the history book of his family. There was no dynasty anymore, there was no kingdom to rule. The Dreamers never seemed to be content in High places; they much prefer to be anything but rulers and it is hard to root them in place for they tend to be both at once masters of and slaves to restless ways.

Kyrian was now too old to be coddled like an infant but too young to be burdened like a Man. He was only just now growing out of the shoes of a boy but could not yet fill his father's boots yet. By all appearances he held that awkward gaze of self consciousness in the expression of his mis-matched eyes in replacement to that carefree wonder that complete innocence knows. Somehow his best friend that faery girl retained it and could even be seen in his grandmother's eyes at times. He noted this as he blinked to his reflection in the large mirror of his grandmother's bedroom. He was alone for the moment, waiting anxiously for one of his elders to chastise him for fighting with Joshua's children and running off with Ita. He was already contemplating telling Bansca that it wasn't Ita's fault and that he forced her to go. That way she wouldn't get in trouble too.

He was not even sure -where- they had been or what they had truly seen. The bruises he'd suffered were almost healed and in that he was grateful for the Angelic blood that both blessed and cursed him. Even diluted as it was, it was strong and divine. His reflection was still, but inwardly he was restless. It was in that moment that he heard the sound of his father's voice call out.

Father is up and about...! Kyrian lept from the bed and landed at the threshold of the bedroom door pausing, listening. He heard no one else immediately answer the call of his father nor did he hear the gentle pounding of footsteps on hardwood floors. Kyrian near slid down the banister silently then and stopped short on the landing when he heard the presence of another stirring. From where he stood behind the corner of a wall he could peek around and see his father...and hear someone stirring in the kitchen. There was a distinct aroma that he recognized from times when the Teacher was here with his grandmother, and so he watched and listened.

Verial lifted his fingertip from the book and tilted his head towards the window in the kitchen. From beyond the glass, he thought he saw something. A movement stirring within the trees, possibly the wind... possibly something else. His odd colored eyes watched the scenery for a moment, but not seeing anything, he became uninterested and turned from the window. As soon as he did so, he heard movement approaching the cottage's backdoor before the person had actually made their way in.

He wondered who had been careful to avoid the front door and rather come in the back way. When the footsteps made their way through the hall and to the kitchen, Verial found himself in the presence of Moon, his mother's... lover, teacher, whatever she liked to call him these days. A few good minutes of silence passed between them in which Moon went about the kitchen as if Verial were not there, and Verial watched raising a brow in question, although Moon was not particularly doing anything out of the ordinary. Moon set down some firewood, prepped tea and cooled the sweat from his body with water before initiating any sort of conversation.

When Moon finally spoke, the silence cracking open, his words were a mere one-liner and Verial did not know how to take it at first. His dark, arched brow lowered as he looked towards Moon, his mind mulling over the word, "Well." At first, Verial thought Moon might have continued on as if he were about to say something like, "Well... it sure is a mighty fine day outside," but it soon became apparent Moon was asking a question... to Verial. Opening his mouth, Sorvynia's son spoke.

"Well... what?" Verial replied.

Verial had never had many positive words for her past mother's husbands and boyfriends. And though he may have come off very short, Verial was rather neutral at the moment. He honestly did not know what Moon had expected him to say or do in return. Before he had time to think about it any longer, Verial became aware of another very familiar presence in one of the nearby rooms. Verial had inherited his father's good hearing, and despite not being around the Villa too often, he knew the sounds of Kyrian's footsteps. Though he was sure Kyrian was lurking around the corner, he did not call out to his son just yet.