Forum Thread

*shoves them to the Sign-Up thread*

That should explain most of the stuff! :3

RULES

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1. All PH rules apply.

2. No godmodding.

3. No bunnying/power-playing.

4. No one liners, meaning no non-descriptive, boring, and typically useless posts that do nothing to advance the RP.

5. No Gary-Stus/Mary-Sues.

6. Please do proofread your words before posting them. Punctuation, grammar, and spelling are big things in roleplays. I'm not asking them to be perfect. All I'm asking is that you make an effort in correcting your mistakes.

7. If you go inactive for too long, the rest of us have the right to claim your characters and control them.

8. We reserve the right to kill off your character(s) if nobody wants them and you're inactive or you continuously break rules.

9. We also reserve the right to wipe your characters from existence if you're inactive or you continuously break rules.

10. Fill out the form correctly and completely.

11. Follow the rules, duhhh :3

12. You're permitted to ask for recaps on the Sign-Up thread.

13. Oh, this is refreshing, number 13. No killing people's characters without their permission .w. Feel free to severely wound/maim them though! Put in the number 7 somewhere in your form.

14. Wardens are almost invincible when in the Ruins. Please remember that if playing as a "bad guy." Just putting this out there.

15. One sphere of control per character, meaning you can't have two.

I'd like to note that it may seem too strict, but honestly it's not. I just specified some things that some don't put into the rules .w. Oh, and the Sign-Up is also kind of a planning/discussion thread. I like to keep the roleplay thread as clean of OOC convos as possible ouo.

MINI BIO LIST / MASTER LIST

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INVOLVED IN CURRENT TIME STREAM

Legend: Username linked form / Char. Name linked appearance / Age / Gender / Species / SoC (Sphere of Control, only for Chosen/Wardens) or abilities

I'll work on this 'morrow, need to sleep now. Sorry, bad pun :c

Eeveelution8 / Thiria Solita / 15 / Female / Unknown, Chosen (Future Warden) / Time

Omnia / Raeyn Wilmist / Unknown, looks 16 / Female / Unknown, Warden / Darkness

pretzel987 / Drake / 35 / Artificially created species, Warden / Space (Palkia space, not outer space)

Viper / Viper Redbird / 14 / Female / "Human," Chosen (Future Warden) / Night

Death / Amsel Verhoef Engel Mur / Several millennia like Raeyn / Female, Asexual / Piscean, Warden / Sound

Dakar / Darak / 97 / Female / Wyvern, Ally / Species-shift, superior physical strength

Neverlight / Liana / 121 / Female / Slendurian, Chosen / Fear (If becomes Warden), normal Slendurian abilities

IN DANGER OF DELETION/ADOPTION

glotilde2 / Sora / 12 / Female / Crystalion, Chosen (Future Warden) / Light

Reason: Violation of rules 7, 8, 9. If owner posts, will be withdrawn.

Tezio / Rucien Wyatton / 15 / Male / Human, Chosen (Future Warden) / Wind

Reason: Violation of rules 7, 8, 9. If owner posts, will be withdrawn.

iMakai / Kichirou / 15 / Male / Human, Chosen (Future Warden) / Undetermined

Reason: Violation of rules 7, 8, 9. If owner posts, will be withdrawn.

STORYLINE

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There are a lot of "Chosen." There are twelve people picked from different worlds every century and so-so, or when the Wardens slowly dying out.

Basically some cool celestial fading being brought the first twelve together, and they became Wardens of the original 12 artifacts, also using them as conduits of power. When about half of them died from attacks from treasure hunters and thieves and such, the being that brought them together roused from its sleep, using the remaining fragment of its power to create the Beacon of Valhalla.

The being completely faded, and the Beacon which is powered by the arcane magic of the dead being chooses people from different worlds to replace the previous Wardens that have died. Wardens can only die in combat when within the "Ruins of Morrow" and they occasionally die of magically induced diseases.

And since the Beacon's power emits throughout the worlds, it also attracts some uncool creepy monsters and evil people who learn about the artifacts eventually and want to use them for their own good. :3 The Wardens, basically, are Chosen beings from different worlds that accepted their destiny as a protector of the Ruins. Chosen people can actually decline this, but very few have done so, so yeah.

So in other words: Warden = Protector with a sphere of control (light, darkness, time, or something else like nature or whatever, you can pick whatever, etc.) have a conduit of power and an artifact they mainly guard. This doesn't limit them and they can also protect other artifacts if needed. All Wardens also guard the middle of the Ruins of Morrow, where at the base of the Beacon, is a kind of magical security vault that holds the other artifacts that haven't been claimed. Protecting the vault and the Beacon is what Wardens do additionally to guarding their main artifact and trying to keep their conduit of power from being destroyed.

Chosen = Possible Wardens. They hear the call of the Beacon like a lot of others, and follow it. Eventually they arrive at the Ruins, where they can choose to accept their destiny or not :3 No pressure though! huehue. They're also handpicked by the Beacon itself, and are usually found whenever they need more Wardens, aka every century and so so. If they accept their role as a Warden, they get taught how to do stuff and get their FAQs answered by the more experienced Wardens.

That's where we'll base off things ouo

And here you can see an epic fail of mine at attempting a map for the Ruins...If anyone would make one for the RP, I'll be eternally grateful.



Red = Magical wards and patrolled areas by Wardens. The wards, true to their name, ward off most weak evil beings, discouraging them from attempting to cross into the Ruins.

Green = Buildings and inanimate objects, such as rocks, charged with arcane magic. Though they do nothing unless crafted into something, they provide a great battlefield in the Ruins, giving the Wardens an advantage. East, west, and south are covered by the battlefield, containing labyrinths of rocks, dead artifacts, and they're basically a junkyard that the bad guys will have to cross into. Magical wards are placed upon these places, and often Wardens patrol these places, shooing away any stray thieves. and whatnot. Sadly, Chosen also will have to cross into these.

The Beacon of Valhalla is the source of the magic and thus it is green.

Blue = The buildings that the Chosen beings and Wardens reside in. It's basically a lot like Camp Half-blood, with houses for Wardens, training arenas, and stuff like that .w. This is like the Wardens' "base" where they eat, sleep, and drink to their leisure, as well as train. A dining pavilion is located near the Beacon, where the immense power of arcane magic and intersecting timelines conjure food and drinks from other worlds. Cool, huh? :3

Purple = See that color at the base of the Beacon? Right underneath the ground around the Beacon, a sort of protected cellar containing all the unclaimed artifacts rests. Being close to the Beacon gives the cellar unrivaled powerful shields that are almost impossible for any evil to pass through. It is here where the items the Chosen bring are stored, so they may become artifacts. This is also where a Chosen's sphere of control is determined, as any item from another world first brought into here is jumpstarted with arcane magic, momentarily giving it enough power to see through the Chosen's soul and determine their sphere of control/power. After that, the energy drains from the item, and it requires an entire century sitting in the cellar to become one of the artifacts.

FAQ AND STUFF LIKE THAT. READ IT, SHEESH.

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FAQ 1. Can I have a same sphere of control as an existing character?

Answer: In fact? Yes. But I'd really prefer if this was kept to a minimum. We don't need five Lights, or three Darknesses running around, just as an example.

FAQ 2. What's the difference between a Chosen and a Warden?

Answer: A Chosen is just a handpicked person with special "good" qualities that have the potential to wield the arcane magic of an artifact. Just the potential. They only gain their powers after choosing an artifact as a conduit of power and accepting their role as a protector of the Ruins, aka becoming a Warden.

A Warden is a former Chosen, who accepted their role as a protector. After their sphere of control is determined and their conduit of power is chosen, they gain their respective powers, and limited immortality. They can never die of old age, unless certain circumstances occur.

FAQ 3. How does a Chosen become a Warden?

Answer: Simple, really. They pledge their life to protecting the artifacts. Boom, Beacon grants them limited immortality and their powers respective to their sphere of control.

FAQ 4. How exactly do Wardens gain powers?

Answer: They just need to choose an artifact to use as a conduit of power (use the dictionary if you dunno what conduit means. .w.) After that, they eventually realize they have powers. It's not easy to control them at first though. It usually takes years for a Warden to completely not demolish something accidentally.

FAQ 5. Why even mention Chosens? Why not just put Wardens?

Answer: Because Chosen beings can still decide whether or not to become a Warden. This decision usually takes a fair bit of time. People can actually make Chosen chars that chose not to be a Warden.

FAQ 6. What's the difference between an artifact and a conduit of power?

Answer: An artifact is just an item charged with arcane magic. A conduit of power is an artifact that is used by Wardens for various reasons, such as weapons. Conduits of power, if destroyed, gravely weakens a Warden, enough to be able to kill them even within the Ruins of Morrow.

FAQ 7. How are artifacts created?

Answer: I already explained this twice, I believe. But anyway, an artifact is an item charged with arcane magic. Any item brought by a Chosen to the Ruins can become an artifact by sitting in our little magical cellar for a century. The item, now a fully charged artifact, can now be chosen as a conduit of power.

FAQ 8. Conduits of power? What? How does an artifact become one?

Answer: The artifact has to be chosen by a Warden to become a conduit of power. The artifact will then bond to the Warden, becoming their conduit of power.

FAQ 9. Hold up, if Wardens can be killed if their conduit of power is destroyed, then why do Wardens use them as weapons?

Answer: Because a conduit of power is basically the cannon shooting the cannonball. Sure, throwing the cannonball at the enemy is a bit effective, but putting it in a cannon makes it ten times more powerful and dangerous. Besides, conduits are only used as last resorts.

FAQ 10. Time out! Why do Wardens need conduits of power?

Answer: Because Wardens can't just have powers without a filter. Without a conduit, a Warden would spontaneously combust due to the fact the Beacon directly charges their magic.

FAQ 11. What about the 12 main artifacts? What are they?

Answer: That, my dear friend, is for you to choose.

FAQ 12. Can my character use one of the 12 main artifacts as a conduit of power?

Answer: That would depend on who you are, and your character form. I will only allow this for the best roleplayers, and the best developed characters.

~Saving this space, just in case~ Good game, rhyming!~

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sora sits down in the ruins meditating



"its peaceful today"


as some rocks moved and a white eye appeared in them

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Drake materialized inside the ruins, a few feet behind sora. Noticing her [its g girl right XD] meditating, he quickly distorted space around him to muffle the sound to not disturb her. Turning around, he returned to the job at hand.

As he approached another Warden, they turned around at him and glared. "You. is my delivery ready?
Drake sighed. After the last accident, this particular Warden, infuriated at the loss of his friend, almost refused to involve Drake in anything. Almost. Drake was still needed for his transport skills. "Yes, your package is ready."

Drake reached behind him into a folded pocket of space. This neat little contraption that he designed allowed him to hide anything he wanted to, without anyone noticing. Someone could literally walk through it and not noticed, which was useful when he had deliveries into the mortal sections of the land. He pulled out of the pocket a small, cylindrical box. Probably a collapsable staff or something. This Warden had a strange obsession with telescoping staves. He probably enjoyed the deadly factor if rapidly extended with a small blade attached to the end.

"Good. Take this letter, and return it to the craftsman. Get out of my sight.

The unsaid insult sailed straight over Drake's head. He was used to that. He knew that even wiping his memory and defecting from the enemy side, he would never be fully trusted. Even if they never said anything, it was clear in the was that they rarely placed him in combat. He examined the letter that the Warden gave to him. Either a thanks, or another special order. Probably the latter.

Drake sighed, put the letter into the pocket of space behind him, and blinked out of the room, traveling back to a remote city, where the craftsman lived his inconspicuous life. Drake thought that the man was lucky. He could live in the mortal world, have a family, enjoy his life, and not be constantly forced to run errands for others. He took pride in his work though, as the speed of his travel always allowed him to take detours, especially to a very specific forest and clearing...

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A bright white eye looked at drake



"hehehe" a voice said



"whats that?" said sora as she was interrupted from her meditation looking at the white eye

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[ummm drakes sorta not there right now XD he's on the other side of the world]

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[Just wanted to say that the mortal sections of the land would be nonexistent...'cause the Ruins of Morrow stand on the edge of multiple universes .w. so like, there would be multiple mortal sections 'cause yeah, universe crossing :3]

It was her turn to patrol the South Border.

Raeyn Wilmist opened her dark eyes, feeling the almost silent tremors the Beacon gave off. The cracked earth of the Ruins seemed more prominent in the light of the blazing sun - or should she say suns? They were, after all, standing on the cusp of a hundred different worlds, each one unique. She took one last lazy look out the window before shrugging on her coat, evidently ignoring the sunny weather.

Her boots, strangely, made no sound as she stepped out of the building that had sheltered her for millennia. Eyes were averted as the Lady of the Shadowed Light passed them, as silent as a shadow. Her own shadow twisted and wriggled even without her moving, seemingly having a life of its own.

Raeyn was one of the first Chosen, having lived longer than a few hundred years like most Wardens. Most of the other, newer Wardens tended to avoid her, for it was no doubt that the ancient teenager instilled fear even within the boldest hearts. Her mere presence caused blood to chill, shadows to stir, and the light to dim. A formidable opponent in battle, very few were bold enough to train with her.

This was fine with her. She despised forming any emotional link with anyone. She hadn't had a friend since...No, no use reminiscing. Raeyn shook her head, causing onlookers to immediately back away. She headed for the border, making no eye contact whatsoever with anyone, her boots blurring across the hard ground.

Her impatience caused the smallest of shadows to flicker like a dancing flame, and once she reached the tip of her destination, she let loose. Her shadow split into a thousand tendrils, firing into the air like missiles, dark energy spilling from her fingertips as she let out a laugh of pure delight. Out when she was patrolling was the only time she could ever truly use her power. People were always unnerved when she trained in the arena - so she trained out during patrol. Not that she needed it, arguably being one of the strongest Wardens.

It was out here that she could be herself. Not an outcast. Not feared by her own allies. Just her and the darkness. In broad daylight. Her shadow reverted to becoming a whole again, returning to its rightful place. The dark energy stopped flowing from her finger tips, and the sun's light returned to full strength. The rare smile on Raeyn's face wavered, and suddenly she was cold and emotionless once more. A sixteen year old girl, her midnight black hair pushed back by the wind, her scabbard at her hip, and the power of darkness at her fingertips. Yep, a typical day at the Ruins of Morrow.

Choosing a patch of ground shaded by a tall rock, a subtle flick of a wrist blanketed the hot, dry ground in a chilling blanket of darkness, which Raeyn promptly sat on, her legs crossed Indian style. Despite the fact that her complexion would never change, the Warden still preferred to sit in the shade, feeling more assured in the fact that another weapon was at hand. She usually was not scheduled to patrol in daylight, since she was more limited that way. However, Raeyn suspected that the other Wardens did not like how she could pretty much take on an entire army at night, when shadows overruled the light and Raeyn's power was ten times stronger. She didn't mind.

Flexing the slender fingers of her right hand, Raeyn had her left hand placed discretely near the hilt of her sword. In case there was an ambush - which was extremely unlikely - she was prepared.

Raeyn Wilmist had been prepared since the day she first accepted her role as a Warden. That was around nineteen millennia ago.

Blowing a piece of hair out of her eyes, Raeyn extracted herself from the memories, determinedly focusing on the task at hand. Her eyes scanned her surroundings in an almost languid manner, her right hand shrouded in solid darkness.

[This wasn't as long as I hoped it to be, but oh well.]

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''Listen to me now. I just brought you that vase, now tell me about the Artifacts!''
''N-no. I will not tell you anything. Those things are CURSED! They hold powers the humankind is not ready for. Don't go anywhere, unless you want to suffer an eternal meek!''
''Then get out of my sight. You can keep that piece of clay to yourself. Not going to listen to an old man.''

Kichirou, a popular treasure hunter, a thief, a marksman. He left a shop in a small village just a minute ago. He was looking for information about the legendary ''Artifacts''. Unfortunately, his search brought was useless. People seem to be very scared of those items.

After a long day of searching for information, and a bit of thievery, Kichirou decided to rest in a nearby Inn.

As he expected, the nightmares happened again. It showed a strange, bright orb, emitting light in a huge dome of darkness. Many items were floating around the orb, including the golden jeweled bracelet he was wearing. There was also a shady figure, watching the orb. It... controlled it. The figure raised it's hand and pointed at Kichirou. A bright flash of light lit up the entire dome, when suddenly...
The nightmare ended.

Kichirou woke up, swiftly readied yourself and walked out of the village.

''So... That's the pathway.'' - he spoke outside, making a small menacing smile.

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[oh so like, inter dimensional travel? cuz thats the point of my guy XD. Its like Camp Half-Blood. They still had suppliers, and exported strawberries, y'know. That sorta thing. Actually, the multidimensional travel would help a point I'm going to get to soon.]

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hello

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(pokemon137, please don't spam/post here. It's against the rules.)

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Thiria raced through the woods, her hair flying in the wind. As she finally settled into one of the high boughs of a tree, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of the wood. She picked up one of the fruits she had gathered earlier, her eyes narrowing as she felt something...foreign.

She braided her hair down her back, tying it off with one of the ribbons she had stolen from the shop nearby. She saw no harm in doing it, since the wind had just blown the ribbon out of the shop. These happenings occurred far more frequently how, she noticed. The week before, a crate of fresh fruit had been left carelessly by the side of the forest, where she normally went out foraging. Yesterday, she had found several dry and brittle twigs, perfect firewood for igniting a fire. Today had led to the discovery of bread and biscuits near carelessly left near the tree she currently resided in.

It wasn't pure coincidence, Thiria pondered, since she had to fetch them herself, and the fruits had been left in the closed crate for a day or two. It seemed way too much like...luck. Her eyebrows furrowed as she thought about the time she had been able to tell that one of the people she bumped into one day was an escaped convict. She hadn't been able to do it ever since, but that one incident had left her slightly traumatized. She gazed down at her hands somewhat forlornly, before a bird started singing above her.

Glancing up, her eyes widened as she caught sight of a golden four-leaf clover above her head. Her mind raced frantically, her heat stopping for one breath-stopping moment as she realized what the golden clover represented. A deity of luck, specifically the Roman Goddess of Luck, Fortuna.

She wondered how, the wind picking up and blowing her braid to the side as it increased in speed. As she started to contemplate adoption, a nerve-wracking pain hit her head. Biting her lip to contain her cry, a voice that sounded eons old started to speak in her head.

I'm sure, that in your short life, you've heard at least a few stories regarding the multiple myths that revolve around human culture.

Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Hindu, just to name a few.

But...as many wonder, could there be the slightest chance they were ever true?

I believe I may have the answer to that...


"Run!" The tall man yelled as he was overcome.

His students couldn't pause to mourn, for their attackers were already finishing off what used to be their teacher. They ran.

As time moved on, they ran. They ran and ran, only stopping when necessary. Their numbers dwindled as time passed. Eventually, twelve were left of the former fifty.

When they reached the end of the earth, the point where worlds met. Where worlds were born from a single spark, where they died and where they were reborn. It is here where the last twelve found refuge against their hunters.

However, it did come with a price.

Twelve people.

Twelve spheres of power.

Twelve main artifacts. Artifacts from different worlds, brought together to be protected by one fading celestial being, entrusting them to twelve survivors of war in exchange for power, and most importantly, shelter.

Which war, you might ask? Stories will claim many things, but I know for a fact that it wasn't just one war or one world.

But even the Twelve Wardens' numbers dwindled. There were too many enemies to defend the dangerous artifacts from, and there were too few of them. In one last attempt to keep the artifacts safe, the fading divinity summoned the last remnant of their power to create something...

The immortal created a beacon, powered by their arcane magic, calling to those who were deemed worthy to replace the fallen Wardens. The beacon was the last thing the being would ever create, as they finally faded to the depths of Chaos. It was an intricately made structure, sculpted perfectly to the last tiny detail. The beacon pulsed with the immortal's last fragment of magic, signaling beings from other worlds to come and defend the invaluable artifacts. Unfortunately, those good of heart were not the only ones drawn to the beacon's power.

Some sought to gain the artifacts and use them to satisfy their own ambition. But so far, none have managed to infiltrate the Ruins of Morrow and succeeded in taking the artifacts from their home. The Wardens, a mix of the first survivors and the chosen, made sure of that.

Oh ho, but how do I know this? How sure are you that I'm not lying?

What is my name?

My taken name is Raeyn Wilmist. I have long since forsaken my true name and pledged my life to become one of the Wardens and protect the interweb of worlds that stand so frail against their enemies.

And I'm pretty sure the only reason you're hearing my voice right now is because I'm speaking to you through the Beacon of Valhalla.

Meaning you're either one of the Chosen, one of the original survivors, or...something else.

Thiria started to breath heavily as her mind recovered from the mental assault. As her blue eyes met the horizon, she made a snap decision. Withdrawing the breath she had been holding, she leapt from branch to branch, nearly losing her balance as a portal grew in front of the next branch, swallowing her lithe figure whole.

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As drake popped into the dimension where his delivery was, he slightly grimaced with pain. Inter-universe travel was slightly harder than trans-universe travel, but he was improving. He remembered back when universe jumping was as natural as speech, but after undergoing the partial memory wipe, his powers had regressed slightly. He knew he was still a relatively new Warden, but he had been around for a while before. After all, he was artificial. His previous "owner" had a talent for breathing life into inanimate objects, until he disappeared...

Drake thought back to the deep past, once again wondering how old he really was. He had a stinking suspicion that he was even older than Raeyn, but he couldn't tell for sure until he found the man who made him. Which was why, after every job he did, he would spend a small bit of time exploring other universes, searching for that certain someone.

When he delivered the letter to the craftsman, he looked at it before responding to Drake "This is interesting…… There is another person, who this should be delivered to. He pulled out a large crate, and Drake's interest perked. He had seen this crate in this shop for many times, but never knew what was in it.
"Who should i deliver this to?"
you will know when you find them. They will be the only one able to open the crate…

[so im guessing this will be a plot device i just don't know what it is yet hence all the secrecy.]

Drake had just finished his last pending job, so besides from this strange crate hovering in the pocket of space behind him, he was free to go. He decided to return to the ruins the long way-hopping to a few new universes just to see if he could find anything of importance. On his fourth jump, he startled. There was a presence nearby, that almost appeared to be bending space. Wait no, bending time.

Drake scooted forward, masking his sounds with an air barrier. He saw a girl jumping from tree to tree, when suddenly a portal swallowed her. He ran up to the portal and put his hand to it, sensing that it led to a universe near the universe where the Wardens were. Universes were weird like that, they almost had "distances," where it was easier to create portals or personal travel (in Drake's case) the closer the universes were. Strange. He knew he hadn't accidentally created a portal. Did the high Wardens create it? If so, this girl was special.

[sorry if you consider that power playing. I just didn't really know where you were going with that, so i ad-libbed.]

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Sora went outside The ruins as she began To feel as if she was followed

She saw those White eyes again and said


"Hmmm...."

Some steps were Heard as if it was getting closer

An evil laugh was heard and something caused an earthquake

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Thiria had no idea what to expect when the portal swallowed her. Unfortunately, she found out what it did to her within seconds; she found herself hurtling towards the ground. She braced herself for impact, but she found herself shocked to find it never came. She was simply hovering in mid-air, several feet above the ground.

She frowned to herself. Fortuna didn't have any powers relating to freezing in mid-air. As her mind raced, she realized that the ground beneath her was littered with rocks and other debris. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she tried to move herself beyond the zone, but found herself unable to. Sighing dismally, she released herself from the hold she apparently had on the air.

She found herself free-falling, landing on her feet only due to the years of staying in the forest. She felt an ancient magic around the area, somewhat similar to the magic the voice which had called her here possessed. Her eyes flicked to the side, and she automatically twisted to avoid the blast of magic the...debris had sent at her.

Unconsciously, a blast of golden energy grew in her hands, and she blasted the rock with it. As an explosion rocked the area, and the arcane magic started to thrum, she made a break for it, agilely leaping from rock to rock, never staying long enough for them to blast her.

Stopping at the edge of the blast zone, she took a quick survey of the area, paling slightly as she realized most of the zone was littered with debris. She turned around, her jaw dropping slightly as she realized what it protected. Suddenly though, she felt drawn towards the beacon to the North. She walked towards it, her pendant starting to glow with energy as she did so.

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Rucien, who felt very, very bored, sat down in a forest clearing, clearly doing nothing in particular. His eyes were flickering black, and he felt like he needed..excitement. He stood up, satisfied by the scenery of the landscape, and he then went off, in the air. He had then thought of what to expect if he became a warden.

He simply couldn`t think of what was the point of guarding some thing, he never knew the concept of it. As he whined in his head, he noticed he had flown in a different area.
It looked abandoned to him, for that it had looked all ruined to him. He then flew down.

Rucien automatically thought he was going to get ambushed. He almost flinched as he thought he saw a shadow, but it was clearly nothing. Rucien reassured himself to not, whatever he does, not act like a coward.

He thought, there might`ve been people watching, for all he knew.

Rucien looked around nervously, then walked inside the place. As he had that little tour, he noticed there were particularly nothing around there, but he felt like something was watching.

Then again, Rucien thought, he was always inncorect, so then again, he reassured himself and kept on going.

[Glotilde: Chosen beings don't go "outside" the Ruins. Doing so would leave them vulnerable to any attacks from enemies. It doesn't help that you don't have powers when a Chosen. Going outside is literally suicide, plus the fact that going outside would also involve crossing through another world.]

Raeyn snapped to attention when the earth began to rumble. Leaping nimbly to her feet, she stared incredulously at the cracks steadily splitting the ground in front of her, widening like a snake unhinging its jaws, poised to strike.

They didn't strike fast enough.

By the time the cracks reached where the dark-haired girl had been standing, she was long gone. Hovering in mid-air, dark energy oozing from her body, a thousand shadowy knives were shot into the cracks. Squeals of pain cut through the air as whatever was causing the "earthquake" were silenced forever. Letting out a shaky breath, Raeyn lowered herself gently to the ground, eyes fixated on the cracks. She'd lived for so long, remembered so much, lost so much, and seen so much that the endless possibilities of what the creatures were named flowed through her thoughts.

A sound of an explosion caused her breath to hitch once more, and Raeyn's eyes easily followed the direction of the noise, her feet moving fast enough to leave her body behind. The enemies weren't foolish enough to stage two attacks in broad daylight, and especially not when she was on duty. Cursing inwardly, Raeyn recalled something about a Warden rewiring arcane magic into traps that set off at any kind of movement, cleverly disguising them in the midst of the debris that surrounded the Ruins. The Warden had argued that the magical wards weren't enough.

"Oh, we are definitely having a conversation," She growled, a primal sound emitting within her throat.

She deftly avoided the exact area, exiting the south border with an impatient blast of pure darkness, hurling her away. Landing with unerring grace and stealth on her boots, she paused to take a breath, just as her eyes locked on to a not too far away figure walking towards the Beacon.

Dark eyes narrowed, her right hand automatically becoming shrouded in solid darkness, she opened her mouth and spoke words to someone else after such a long time. "Halt! Who goes there?" She called out to the figure, her tone wary and cold.

---

Drake popped back into the ruins and saw that girl who fell into the portal. She looked like she was handling herself fine. He had been warned against interfering with things like this, so he moved on. He wandered over to a cabin that he lived in, and squeaked open the door. After checking that noone was in the cabin, he popped into the basement. He smiled to himself. Only someone with teleportation skill could get in here, let alone know is was there.

He walked over to a chest in the corner, unlocked it, and opened it. He reached in, and pulled out a Diary. He knew that this diary was important in some way, but he couldn't decipher it. He knew he had something to do with his past. When he came to in the ruins a century ago, he only knew three things: his memory had been wiped, he had powers over space, and the memory wipe was undergone by his own will. Not for the first time, he wondered what events occurred in his past that would force him to willingly remove his own memory. Only he knew how to do it, and only he knew how hard it was. A simple knock to the head wouldn't do it. No, his creator had been much more ingenious.

Wait.

Drake for a moment thought he remembered something. He strained his memory, but could not find what he was looking for. On that positive note, he sat down and opened the diary, hoping that maybe he could crack the code this time.

---

Thiria halted as her ears picked up a voice; the one that had brought her to this universe. Her eyes narrowed as she matched the voice to the person; a black-haired woman wearing a black trenchcoat. For that matter, everything about her was black. Perhaps something related to darkness?

She put the thought away in her mind away for later while she hesitated at the darkness that encompassed the woman's hand. She felt herself become one with..something, and her eyes flashed gold as an energy blast formed in her left hand.

"My name is Thiria," she answered. "I believe you know how I came here. You were the one who called me out, Ms. Wilmist."

Her mind raced again, as another voice sounded in her mind. 'Well done, my champion. You now know how to access your powers of luck at will. Your other powers will not be so easy, however. Choose the right path, and tread carefully,' the gentle, yet serious voice whispered.

Thiria felt herself grow slightly elated at the praise given, before she closed her eyes, turning around to face the sixteen-year-old as her pendant started to pulse on her collarbone, glowing rapidly as she stood there silently.

---

Intriguing. The girl didn't seem to be scared of her. And that energy blast in her hand...Raeyn almost missed the sudden flash of gold in the girl's eyes. There was something...off about her. Not exactly human, and not exactly something else either.

"My name is Thiria," she answered. "I believe you know how I came here. You were the one who called me out, Ms. Wilmist."

If it was possible, Raeyn's eyebrows shot up even higher. When she and the rest of the First Chosen had become the second generation of Wardens, they all had to do a recording to call even more Chosen. But that had happened eons ago. Was it even possible that the Beacon still remembered her voice?

Raeyn was shot out of her reverie when her eye caught a flash of light. The darkness enveloping her hand faded into the daylight as the owner hesitantly lowered her hand. Eyes locked on to the pendant on the other girl's necklace, Raeyn spoke, her voice almost inaudible as she realized what it meant.

"You're one of the Chosen," She stated, her eyes never leaving the pendant. "And your pendant is already being charged."

The last time a Chosen had arrived was around what? Several months ago? It was becoming more difficult to find a Chosen as the timelines spun on, and the Wardens' numbers were once again dwindling. It was a hard time for them. Attacks had been slowly, but surely increasing. Tension was high, and ambushes frequented the borders. Just last week four Wardens had perished in a midnight assault. Raeyn had been furious; they had not allowed her to patrol that night. If she had, she determinedly believed that she could have at least saved one. But no one wanted to trust in the Lady of the Shadowed Light. Not since...

"No!" Raeyn scolded herself mentally. "It was their choice to believe or not."

Even as she did so, she felt the loneliness wash over her, and for a moment, her thoughts went spinning out of control, the darkness pooling on the ground. Quickly forcing herself back to orbit, the shadows froze as Raeyn's eyes focused once more.

---

Thiria inhaled the oxygen in the air; her eyes never leaving Raeyn as she did so. Exhaling, her hand touched the pendant on her necklace, a burst of light surrounding her as she did so. Blinking, she found herself in a cellar, where her pendant's glow dimmed. A pocket watch floated up from the miscellaneous items that were scattered around the room. Entranced, her fingers reached out, meeting its chain.

'Welcome to my domain, Thiria,' a deep voice echoed.

'Who are you?'

'My name has no relevance. All you need to know is that I was the first warden of Time.'

'Why am I here?'

'You have been chosen by the beacon of Valhalla to be the next warden of time.'

'A colossal responsibility. Why?'

'It's the beacon's choice. If you accept, Raeyn will help you with the rest. If you decline, you are free to do anything you like.'

'I..accept.'

'Good, now repeat after me. I pledge my life to protecting the artifacts of the wardens of the beacon of Valhalla.'

'I pledge my life to protecting the artifacts of the wardens of the beacons of Valhalla.'

Thiria's eyes snapped open as she found the pocket watch nestled where her pendant previously was. She glanced around the room, her eyes widening as she saw her pendant in place of the pocket watch.

Giving her outfit a cursory glance, her eyes widened as she realized her jacket and trousers had morphed into a dark-gold jacket, dark-blue trousers and a cream short-sleeved shirt. Rolling the sleeves of the jacket up and adjusting the collar, Thiria closed her eyes again, feeling the power of her new domain.

Curiosity filling her, she attempted to turn time back slightly, to where she had suddenly appeared in the cellar, only to find herself staring at Raeyn. "You're one of the Chosen," she stated.

Thiria cursed inwardly for turning time too far back. A sheepish expression on her face, she gazed at Raeyn, awaiting her response.

---