In Those Moments of Clarity, We Find the World Is Not What It Seems. [NR][Luca or Invite]

It felt... good to be able to feel again; as weird as that was. For now, her meeting with Flynn had left her healed in many ways; burdens removed and a stability found that had been lacking for a very, very long time. She was sane for the time being; and that was a major improvement. The creeping tendrils of the darkness of her past, the depths of her mind where the broken shards of history and pain resided; they where kept at bay by the buoyant light cast by the discovery of her old friend; a kindred spirit that had been as lost as she. His suffering was at an end, finally; and that gave her hope that she might find an end to hers as well. It was a good time; for once.

The gift of her sanity; the clarity of thought that came with it; it was a welcome relief. However... something was amiss. Something... was strange, and almost wrong. As a High Blood Noble; she was able to feel the minds and spirits of her entire race all the time. It was normally nothing but a faint pulse in the back of her mind unless she focused on it; or rather, it had been, before the end. Now... emptiness... darkness. Nothing was there.

Only on those exceedingly rare occasions that she had come across a half or quarter blood of the Biskmatar line had she felt anything there; and those where... fuzzy, faint. Easily forgotten. The static of the madness destroyed the sense for her people; normally.

Now... a strong, steady prescience. Flynn; he was a soothing tone in what was once a dead zone of sound and feeling; strong and stable and steady. His daughter a smaller, higher note, complementing his deeper base and the start of a new music; for lack of a better explanation. The allegory worked well enough for her.

But this... it was... chaotic. Fluctuating. There was an undertone of deep, ancient stillness: like a sleeping beast in a storm. Overtop of that... fast paced, ever changing, so very wrong. It felt like a human mind; they lived such short lives that it was like they where constantly in fast forward, racing toward death at a speed that would shock most Elder Races. Duality of the tone, duality of the presence... it was a single mind. Maybe it was split? She would not know until she found the source.

It was something to do; for now. Hunt down the strangeness; figure it out while she could. Who knows... maybe it was another of their people... another that could be saved.

Ahh, the simple pleasures in life. A good cup of coffee, a giant cupcake, and a book. Well, a manga, really. The male was curled up on one of the lounge couches in the cafe, nose pressed into the pages of the manga. He'd been there for ever hours, not moving a muscule face for turning the pages, or taking a sip of coffee.

It was his 'retirement' so to speak. His days of fighting were done; todays ways of fighting were too impersonal; guns that could hit you from a mile away, strange contraptions called 'missles' that could take out whole cities without even breaking a sweat. Gone were they days of magic, where one like himself could make a fortune as a soldier.

He'd fought for many people, and he was known by many names: The Undying Soldier, The Eternal Walker, Abomination, to name a few He prefered his name to all of these, Kishaan. He wasnt one to brag about his abilities; he was a danger to the world, and certain Death to those he came across on the battlefield.

But this didnt matter. Nothing of that should matter when one no longer fought. It wasnt the money, no, he had no need for it. He required no food, the coffee and cupcakes were a long aquired taste, something he'd loved since before he could remember. He had no wish to bring harm to people. Besides, he would stand out like a thumb on the battle field; bullets that would curve away from him, explosion happening in midair, downing enemy planes? There was no explaining that, and it was not a headache he wished for. He had enough of those already.

So, the quiet life was his, calmly waiting for a death that would never come.

Thanatos had some fucking explaining to do.

Even in her worst moments; her mind had functioned on a primal level. She knew this city better then most; knew the paths of the light and the dark. Animals whispered the safest routes in the dark; humans showed the easiest. Wandering for... how long had she been there, really. Years... decades.... longer? She had no idea, really. She couldn't remember arriving; honestly. Maybe she had been there before the city. Maybe she had just stumbled upon it in a delirious fog. It was a safe enough place for a half insane wreck of nature to eek out a living.

For now; she would just enjoy the city for what it was... pretend the masses where something other then human while she focused on the task at hand. The source of a disturbance in her mind was not all that far off; only a few blocks. She couldn't be absolutely sure until she had outright found it; but given the area... likely in a cafe or shop. This was a commercial area; favored for food and drink; the few shops selling clothing and trinkets.

What was that bitterness in the air?

Oh.... coffee. That sludge her people had enjoyed highly towards the end. At least these monkeys had some sense of taste. She rarely partook of it; it never sat well and it was only worth to attention and energy boost if there was exactly zero other choice. Not even really then.

A coffee house then; glass walls breaking the monotony of the brick and stone and steel; the corner shop on the street. That... that seemed to be where she needed to look. Seemed being the key. For all she knew the person or being she sought was standing outside and she was wasting time by searching the sitting area.

Time she had in spades. Might as well; she had a few coins, some of the paper the humans used as money. Or rather, quiet a bit of it; stashed away safely in an inner pocket. It was surprisingly easy to come across the currency, if you just looked. Maybe they had some sort of tea, or even just some clean water for sale. She could use a good drink; it had been a while since she'd had; well, anything.

The door was opened easily; swinging mostly silently on it's supports; one of those damned self-closing glass models that tended to catch a tail or clothing if it wasn't calibrated properly. This one seemed to be, giving her ample time to enter. Bitterness stung her nose; the place was heavy with coffee, as was expected. A glance to the offerings; plastered in chalk and pretty lettering; coffees of all types, prices for the pastries on display; prices for the various bottled drinks and such in the decorative tubs. All in all; not a bad set up, if slightly crowded. Likely trying to intimate; but trying too hard and hitting busy. Oh well.

A glance around; nothing standing right out. Hmmm... maybe she was wrong, and she'd picked the wrong place.

And then her heart nearly exploded; sensing something that her eyes had missed.

Whoever it was... they where very, VERY close.

Whoever it was... they where someone she knew. Someone extremely close to her.

Byalltheoldgodsherhearthurtsobad.

A hand braced to a mostly empty spot on a counter; other raised to her chest to grasp at the clothing covering her chest; skin blanching further (now almost ghostly, really); eyes darting around wildly. She had to figure it out; which one was it? She had to know before she lost control; the pain was overriding her mind and if she didn't do something soon.... the place would cease to exist.

The madness was back.

This time, it brought a friend, several in fact. Pain, Anger, Fear.

The clock was ticking, and she wasn't sure she could beat it this time.

That feeling was back; the tugging at his heart, the urge to go in a certain direction. It was growing stronger and stronger yet for the moment, Kishaan ignored it. He'd been chasing the urge his whole life, and never found it. So for now?

Fuck it. His coffee was more important. His book was more interesting.

But that wouldnt stop the feeling. It grew, the tugging seizing his chest, the feeling of your heart wanting to explode outwards.The festering, writhing feeling of something, someone pulling at himself. His hands began shaking, unnatural things. He could barely hold his book...

The item was lowered, shaking hands reaching to wrap around his cup of coffee for the moment as red eyes peered about the room.

Too many people; the humans where always moving. How could she figure out who it was!? They all moved the same; smelled the same; looked the same. How these creatures could tell who was whom... so similar and yet they loved to fight over every difference.

Wait.... wait... something... a hint of power? Subdued, it was well hidden; relaxed, almost. No... not relaxed... suppressed. Blocked. So little was showing through; yet it was bounds ahead of anything a normal human could have. That... it was a clean energy; there was no taint of the 'divine' or 'demonic'; those damn words used to describe anything that the masses didn't understand properly. Polarization that served nothing but the spirits of war and strife.

Something... where... She couldn't focus properly; a sheen of sweat flushing her skin. The arm used for balance was starting to shake some; a supreme effort exerted to bring herself under control; to stand up and move.

Around she looked; forcing her mind to lock onto the details; to find the factor that was different; that would tell her who she was feeling...

And then she saw it; a book lowering, a shaking body. The energy.... it hung to the body like a mist; the aura of the man. Red eyes... clean energy...

Biskmatar... very, very old... or rather, extremely young. A pure blood; he had to be; pure blood and very young generation. Maybe even...

A explosion of pain in her head; memories locked away in the deepest depths where they where tolerable; where she could start to escape them. Memories of the faces, voices, personalities; the young biskmatar in the classrooms and courtyards; always learning and growing and so very perfect.

Red eyes...

They where perfect... they where glorious... they where her children, as lose as she had ever come to having...

Dark hair; pitch and raven and beautiful...

Then one; never the most special or the most powerful of the group, not at first. But so very special... the one she... she...

Luca...?

It couldn't... it couldn't... it couldn't...

Towards the male she threw herself; forcing her legs to move until she was standing before him; her face still but eyes screaming her pain and confusion; all the confusion in her mind. "You... You are.... him..."

Him.

You're him.

"I'm sorry, what?"

Red eyes locked into green emeralds as the male attempted to clam himself down. The feeling his chest was a burn now, threatening to split him to escape. Something stirred within him, like a child in a fitful sleep, attempting to outrun the monsters of his nightmares.

I need to leave.

"I'm sorry, you must be mistaken. Please, excuse me."

The cupcake was going to be left behind; shame. It was especially delicious. The coffee in shaking hand, his book tucked into a pocket. "Good day."

No... she couldn't be wrong; not this close. She could feel it; the feather in his chest. She could feel the power, the sleeping aura; all of it. This... it had to be him. It had to be. She couldn't be wrong. A single word; spoken with absolute certainty; a name, unheard for eons. Broadcast via her mind, her telepathic bond; if this was him, he would hear.

"Luca."

She reached for him, grabbing an arm to hold him, she wasn't letting him walk away. He didn't recognize her; not surprising given her somewhat modern clothing and changed appearance. She'd had nothing like a human form when they'd parted on that day... the day it all ended. He wouldn't; couldn't know who she was.

"My Lightbringer..."

Thoughts; tears; and so much pain; for an instant the weight of time was crushing; the knowledge that he didn't even know who she was... that was worse; far so.

"Come back to me, my child... Come back to me, and remember..."

And image, overlay onto the projection; it would reveal her for who and what she was; but only to him; only her to lost mate. No one else would see the form of the elder wolf; the snowy fur and brilliant wings; the eyes that shined as jewels in the light.

"I live, my precious one... and I have found you."

"Listen, lady, I don-"
~~~
Luca.

Mama..?

There it was again. That feeling, something stirring. The child stirred within, fitful; this was a bad dream. He wanted to wake up. He could feel her, nearby. The world around was dim, something was wrong. He couldnt move his body. Why wasnt it responding?

Panic.

~~~

Somthing was pulling. He could feel it. He was slowly losing himself into the swirling void within himself; the tidal wave of power; something he fought so hard to keep away from. His head was usually only barely above the waters; but now, a tsunami was coming..

Sink or swim.

Whoever this lady was, she had to be doing it. She had to be resposible for this. Rage brimmed within him, surging forth. But wait, rage was bad. Rage made the power harder to control; harder to swim. Calm.

It was hard to stay calm: he could feel himself going numb. He could no longer feel his body; was this a bad dream? Did he fall asleep while reading?
~~

My Lightbringer...

Where have you been, Mama...?

Lightbinger... his name. Luca meant Light, didn't it? Memories surfaced; burning him. Things he thought he'd lost.

A flare of light within him, pain. A thread was forming, reconnecting. He could see it: thing, nearly invisible amid the vibrant colors of this place, but it was there, winding around his body and that of the female holding him. As he watched, the thread thickened and multiplied, strengthening itself. With each new strand produced, came flares of pain; 'waking moments', his cries for her that went unheard, the grief and despair that manifested as pure destructive power.

It was happening again. The ground began to tremble. The skies darkened outside of the cafe...

~~

Drowning.

The wave had crashed down upon Kishaan, driving him down into the void. There was no way to fight. He'd never been driven this far down, so far below the surface. His body felt numb. He watched the world through eyes that no longer followed his commands. But for some reason, he was alright with this. He felt peaceful... like.. everything was going to be just fine.

Maybe he could rest for a bit, calm himself down, and try to get himself out..

Yea, that was a good idea...
~~~

Come back to me, my child... Come back to me, and remember...

....

Words could not describe his reaction as the disguise was lifted to him. Shock. Anger. Grief. With these emotions, one final thread was connected, and with it, the returned memories of that day. Panic, the confusion. So much of it, all returning to wash ove rhim, fill him again as he looked upon the face of the woman whom he loved.

I live, my precious one... and I have found you.

Tears streamed down his face, the pulling away turning into him pulling towards Snow, wrapping his arms around her and sobbing out loud.

Don't leave me again, Mama...