Here's my entry; a story rather than a personality. A bit...Dark. I know. I actually started writing, and just...Couldn't stop. It kind of may explain why her children get those odd quirks and traits, as she...Well, you'll have to see how she gets her own self back and to be the way she is (Or might be. -Shrugs- I just went where the story took me.) I actually based it upon her being a type of Fallen Angel, whose very being was taken away. The demon (A Kasuga, who is a servant of Xai're) asks for her as well as 'those who come after' meaning her children, to be his. It explains why they seem to have unnatural powers or quirks, as he decides what they get and do not get. I basically put this as her serving under Zu'hai, the god of creation.
Erdeis has betrayed her god, by giving life to a creature that did not deserve it (Even though it never really happened. I guess you could say one of the newest creatures. -Kasuga or somethin'- Just roll with me, here.) Selkat'aris, Keeper of the Silence, who gave her the power (which she was assigned to do by Zu'hai) as well as making her a kind of angel (Yeah, fallen angel thing) was sent to punish her by Zu'hai, and take everything away that had been given to her (priestess status, -since they serve under the God/demigod- and the wings that were gifted by Zu'hai as a mark of what she was).
She was favored because of her father's position as the rebel leader, as well as his psychic powers, and that was how she got the position in the first place. However, after her betrayal, she was cast out of the temple, and left to die, when she was pursued and hounded by a disembodied voice, that chased her (Her father's enemies chased her as well) and basically all but killed her. Here's how it goes.
Warning: It's...slightly graphic. Just a lot of blood and stuff.
How many will die before the Lord Baal is sated? How many have had to sacrifice everything they are to appease him? Too many. The rebellion was a necessity. It was essential. There was simply no way they could survive any longer, living like rats in a sewer, under his reign. Things had been set into motion, things that were far bigger than her young mind could comprehend. There was so much going on around her, things she could not sense or know, and so, more often than not, she felt completely alone and in the dark. A cold shudder ran down her spine, paralyzing her where she lay. It did not matter. She would not get up and run away again. Even if she wanted to, she could not. They had chased her to the ends of the earth, those who rebelled against the rebellion, and she no longer had the will to fight.
Her legs ached horribly, and her lungs burned as she sucked in what little air she could manage. Her body heaved silently, and she felt as though the life might drain out of her then and there. It would be a sweet release, she decided, if she could simply give up and go no further. The fear and adrenaline that had pushed her this far had worn off long ago, and she ran now, on pure instinct. But her energy was spent, and she could run no longer. She found her soft, violet eyes closing, and the night no longer seemed so cruel for a moment. And in that brief second, she imagined that she was free. Free from the pain and the torment that her father had once called 'life.' The broken and shattered existence she now lived, and the hurt and destruction that surrounded her. Her breathing slowed, and she imagined that she might die soon. It was a comforting thought. For she now had nothing to live for. Why continue on when there was no reward at the end of the race?
Nazuna, her father, always said not to take life too seriously. No one ever got out alive anyways. Father was always right. She should have listened to her father, should have done as she was told. Father was a sort of God, in his own right. He knew everything. But now her foolishness would cost her, and she would pay dearly. Her eyes opened slowly, and she thought she heard the sound of footsteps. But no, it was only her imagination. Who would come here, to a place so desolate and forgotten? But then, did she not come here as well? Yes, she reminded herself. But only to die.
Her eyes opened and she could see once more. A thin haze surrounded her vision, but she pressed on, and looked through the fog and the mists to see one long, dark leg stretched out before her. Her leg. Reaching, clutching desperately for something it could not attain. A soft moan escaped her lips as she turned her head, wet fur falling across her battered and bruised face. Fresh blood oozed from her split lip at the tip of her muzzle and nose, and it smeared across the blackness of the ground beneath her, to become nothing more than another shadow she could not see. Her body felt like it was on fire, despite the pouring rain that fell around her.
Everything hurt. Her legs, her feet, her head and body. She could hardly move. But she tried anyway. Her paw inched forward, and a jolt of searing pain raced down her spine. It was then that she felt them, their presence. The things that had been welded to her back since her creation and acceptance. Since she had become a servant of Zu'hai. She tried to move them, as though, perhaps, they were not a part of her like her paw, or her arm. But they too, burned with pain. And she found that all she could do was keep her back straight, her wings tense, sheltering her from the downpour as best they could. It was a pitiful sight.
Her broken and battered form lay crumpled beneath the treetops, fallen and destroyed. Her dark fur and wings were spattered with mud and crimson, and she felt filthy and disgusting. What she would not give for warm water, and a cloth to cleanse her body of this horrible filth. She lifted her lip and bared her teeth in a near smile at the ironic situation she had been presented. Her kind were noted for their beauty, their cleanliness, their absolute perfection. And here she was, lying in the dirt and the mud, soaked to the bone, her wings, a gift of God, raised high upon her back and crusted with blood and filth. Her face crushed to the ground and body broken and destroyed. She was a sight, indeed.
She sucked in a breath as she clenched her body, muscles tightening painfully. Even the very action of moving the tiniest of bones caused enormous pain for this ethereal, broken creature. But she bore it, with a pride and an absolute dignity that would have stunned a lesser being. Tears sprung to her eyes as she struggled into a sitting position, leaning upon both forelegs for support. Her breath came in huge gasps and she gulped down air to try and maintain her heart and lungs. Her tails twitched feebly behind her body, and she bit her lips hard enough to draw blood as a scorching pain raced through her shoulder blades. It hurt, God, it hurt so much. But...Death would welcome her, wouldn't it? She should let herself collapse again, fall to the earth and lay there in the mud, letting her life finally drain away from her in one fell swoop.
"Giving up, my precious little bird?"Then there it was. The voice so dark, it hurt worse than any earthly pain she might bear. A vile, evil hiss, one that was everywhere, and nowhere all at once. The voice that had chased her, the voice that would not let her sleep...Her invisible tormentor. Well, she reflected grimly, soon he'd have nothing to torment. She whipped her head wildly about, sopping fur falling with great slaps about her muzzle and neck. It hurt badly, but she had to ascertain the owner of that voice. Where was he? Her eyes strained against the darkness, but it yielded up no secrets.
"Looking for me? Oh, but my dear. We have only begun to play. Do not give out on me so soon and spoil the game. You are quite fun, I must say. Don't let the darkness take you...Yet." She shuddered, and nearly fell back to the earth in a broken heap. Then, there was suddenly cold steel pressed against her flesh, and she looked up in horror, only to find that there was nothing there. Had she imagined it? Had it been but a trick of the mind? She dearly hoped so, she so dearly hoped so. Easing her back legs beneath her, she ground her teeth together to keep from crying out in frustration and pain.
Her muscles were cramping, and it hurt. A lot. When humans complained of aches and pains, she had not thought they would hurt so very badly. She had not thought that such pain was possible. But she had to be strong, had to ignore it, if she could. And so, she stood, slowly, painfully, she stood. Her eyes closed tightly as she tried to overcome the sudden and overwhelming fear that clutched at her stomach. Something, or someone was watching her. "So, my precious little bird can stand. Can you fly? I don't think so. Your wings are broken. It's what you get when you try to play God, and you are only his messenger. Such a naughty underling. Zu'hai is most displeased. Not an easy thing to do, my little bird. What were you thinking, giving life to something that was dead? Oh...So unwise..."
Cold dread swept over her, and sweat broke out on her fur, despite the chill of the night air, and the rain hammering down upon her battered form. "I have sinned,"she murmured to the darkness, and was rewarded with laughter. It froze her to the spot, and she could not move. He knew...About her betrayal to her God. She gasped and reared back, her body protesting as the words of Erdeis were screamed into her ear over and over again, a painful reminder of the wrongs she had committed. "Be gone, insolent creature! How dare you deceive and undermine your God?! Disgusting fleshling! No mortal should have been gifted such Godly powers! Zu'hai was mistaken when he chose you! You are not worthy!"
Her lungs constricted, and she felt that horrible, bone jarring crunch as she hit the ground all over again. She felt the limbs of the trees tear into her flesh, and saw the ground rushing up to meet her. With a sickening crack, she hit the dirt, and she felt as though she had died all over again. And then she gasped, and opened her eyes. She still stood, she was still here. There was no fall, no decent into the darkness below, with no knowledge of what awaited her. "You have sinned."A stronger, louder voice, mimicking her own, a joyous cackle in the endless depths of shadows. Her eyes grew wide, and darted about wildly. She felt, rather than saw the darkness closing in.
She clutched at her chest, and was suddenly afraid. For what, she did not know. Her life? No, there was nothing left of that. What then? What caused her to fear so? And then she felt the soft caress of a hand against her neck, felt the knife as it slid across her throat. And then those eyes. Golden, glowing, and as cold as ice. She trembled, and stepped back, and there was a cackle of laughter that shook her to the core. "Oh, my little winged one. Do you fear me?" Deftly, she nodded, but no words escaped her lips. She was too proud for that. "You should not fear me. I am here to help you."
A dark hiss, a cold promise that lasted into the night. She felt the pain of the blade as it cut her tender skin, saw the blood trickle down her chest, and felt the sting of metal upon flesh before it disappeared without a trace. "Help me?"she rasped, and her voice sounded as broken as she was herself. "How can you help me? I have committed a sin. I have wronged my Lord. How can you, a creature of darkness who knows nothing of faith, help me?"
Her last words were condescending, and disbelieving. The creature sullied forth into the light, or what little there was, and gave her a mocking smile. He had fair colored fur, and handsome features. His eyes shone red for a moment, before they flashed into an iridescent blue. Trickery, lies, deceptions, empty promises... Her mind screamed at her to run. But she could not turn away. She found that she was in awe of his beauty, and overcome by the tenderness in which he took her chin in his paw. "My dear. I know more of faith than you could ever understand. My faith, however, lies with a different allegiance. A different...God."
Xai're...
He cocked his head to the side, and silver fur fell from behind his ears, framing his beauty of a face, and sending her heart into tiny spasms. She could melt into his embrace, she thought sadly. But what creature would want something as hideous and broken as she? And then, as his fingers touched her cheek, she felt the pain in her body melt away, as though it was never there. She gasped softly, and her eyes flew to his face. "How...? Why...?"The unreal being chortled softly, and his face came closer to her own.
"I can do that and so much more, my lovely little creature. All I ask in return is that you and those that come after be mine." She seemed confused, for her eyes shone dimly in the light, and there was naught but misunderstanding and curiosity alight within them. "Those that come after? Be yours? Is that all you want from me? What must I do?"She grew more and more excited by the moment, and her voice rose and fell with her changing temperament. Her lyrics were sweet, beautiful and quite charming, when only moments ago they had been nothing but broken, hoarse whispers of a moan. A deal with the devil? She would lose what she once was. But what was left of her former life? Nothing. What use had anyone of her? Could this creature truly still want her?
The handsome being smiled, and leaned forward to seal her lips with his, in a thoughtful, passionate kiss. He pulled away abruptly, and she suddenly felt cold and alone once more. She found herself drifting towards him, as though some unseen force tugged her closer. "Patience my dear. You will know, in time. I am sure," he murmured into her ear. "That you misunderstand what I have asked of you. But no matter. You will learn...Yes, you will learn...Do we have a deal, my sweet one?" Without thought, she nodded. "Good, very good. Thank you for doing business with me."
And then she screamed, for the handsome, godly figure she had seen only seconds before, the creature she had kissed and wanted more of, had transformed into an ugly, frightful beast. It's skull-like head swung towards her, and it let out an ungodly roar, red eyes boring holes into her own soft violet ones. It's teeth fell from gleaming lips, saliva dripping from each finely crafted fang. An unreal flame sprouted from it's legs, and seemed to engulf it's rotting corpse of a body. It reached out for her, cackling like mad, and she saw only darkness as it's flames devoured her body and set her afire. She shrieked, and tumbled backward, falling to the ground with a sickening thud. What had she done? What had she done?!
"Your...Soul..." the creature rasped, and it's unearthly voice made her shudder, tremble, and quake with absolute fear. Here was not some handsome, beautiful face. But a demon, a creature of darkness and flames. The creature she herself had given life to! What had he become!? What had she done?! The thing lunged for her, and she screamed, shielding her face pathetically with her wings. But there was no contact, there was no painful clash of heaven and hell. No, the thing seemed to pass right through her, and then disappeared. All she could hear was it's dark, cold voice, haunting her, frightening her...And she felt alone, not for the first time in her life. She felt truly alone.
There was a crack, and a bright light engulfed her entire body. She screamed insanely then, and writhed uncontrollably. Her back arched in agony, and a white hot light split her skin in two, showering her in a mountain of feathers as her wings melted away into nothingness. She cried out as her skin seemed to split again, and five strange blades reared from her back, marking her for eternity. A mortal...The pain engulfed her body again, and she screamed. It felt as though her heart was being ripped out, and it tore through her, to her very core. It was not her heart. It was worse, and she knew, deep down, she knew.
She had just lost her soul to a demon.
The light faded, and she found herself upon the harsh, unforgiving earth once more. Her tails folded pathetically about her bedraggled form, and she wept. The feathers set upon her wings continued to flutter down, showering her in a rain of grays and browns. She felt them fall across her fur, and her face, and her shoulders shook mightily as she was overcome and wracked with uncontrollable sobs. The rain beat down once more upon her broken and battered form. A cold shudder ran down her spine, paralyzing her where she lay. It did not matter. She would not get up and run away again. Even if she wanted to, she could not. She should have listened to her father. She should have known. "What have I done...?"
If the darkness had an answer, it never gave her one...
</center></center>
</center>
