Waking The Fires Within ((Open))

[Emiryal ♕]

Tera Erde Neue

Don't cry,destroy these imprisoned illusions
Just once, rise above your demise

Tera in truth was glad to see the other guardians. While she held Ender in some fear it wasn't particularly of the guardian himself but his realm. The incident so long ago when she'd been pulled into the Nether had been terrifying for her and had left her powerless and weakened for a time. If it hadn't been for Ender she would've perished. Those memories still haunted her to some degree but at the same time from that time she had gained a lot of respect and trust in Ender. She seldom spoke of it knowing it was not a topic either of them enjoyed.

At the news of the physic citadel's state her ears flicked down in sympathy. "It was quite a war. I think your citadel was hit the worst from within it's own. It will take time perhaps your riders can find a new beauty for it," she said. "The earth citadel was only ravaged by time but is restored now. I'd help you with yours if I could." Even if she were to venture into the Nether willingly she wold have no powers nor was there nature there for her to command. She caught his glance at the sky and little signs of worry. "The wind goes were it will and still sways my trees. I'm sure she'll join us in due time," she said.

[Silver]

Ender smiled at Tera and nodded “The war was devastating for my branch, but after the branches were formed again I have the hope of see a new era of peace and glory for everyone, this time I’ll be more careful around my riders and watch their progress closely, I really don’t want any of them get seduced by power again” Ender shuffled his front paws lightly while talking, memories of the ancient war and the corrupted riders flooded his mind suddenly, and even though he knew it wasn’t fully his fault he couldn’t help but feel like if he could had done something to avoid such terrible events to happen if he had taken more care on watching the growing ambition that flourished in the hearts of riders and dragons alike. He looked at Tera again, pushing those thought away from his mind, since he couldn’t change the past and the thought of what could had been only tortured him “I appreciate your care and your wish of help, I’ll tell you the advances of my branch each time I can” Ender looked at the sky once more, feeling the cool breeze while listening to the words of Tera “I know, it’s just that it had been so long since we saw each other for last time and the thought of being all five here again makes me get impatient for first time since the branches fell” He took a deep breath to relax and looked at the other three guardians “How’s everything going with your own branches and the new riders?” He asked at them.

[Aelodil]

Riptide's eyes saddened as they asked of the state of his branches."The riders are doing well but the citadel and ocean are doing poorly. The humans violate the waters and are torturing it with their filth. They dump any of their wastes into it and don't care. The citadel itself is barely touched as after I was ready to go into a half consciousness, I placed the same barriers that surround my own cove around the citadel. It was taxing with around half my conscious asleep but it was what I had to do." he responded. In fact, his citadel along with the Earth Citadel were among the few that were barely disrupted. He did not know about what had happened to the Fire citadel and had assumed it was already burned after the wards the old Elder placed on it crumbled but he knew naught as he rarely visited the Fire citadel to attempt to avoid disasters.

As they all seemed worried about the Air Guardian, Riptide neighed nervously and said,"I wouldn't know what would hold her up. Usually we'd find her waiting for us rather than us waiting for her. If I were to speak truthfully, I'm not exactly alarmed about it. There is not much a force that could reckon with any of us other than each other. And hopefully we will never come to blows, for we are brothers and sisters despite our many differences." said the ever loyal Riptide.

[Brenton]

Inferno rumbled in agreement as he folded his wings and looked right at Tera Nova who was asking about the Fire Citadel. In the time right before his sleep, Inferno had gone to the trouble of lowering the lava ever so slightly so the structure would not burn as easily. It had not entirely saved the Citadel but the guardian had tried his best. In the time I slumbered the Fire Citadel crumbled and burned until it was just a pile of charred materials with a few walls still intact. If not for my lowering the lava then it would've been gone completely. I plan on meeting with the elder of my branch and giving my knowledge on how the Citadel was once built. Right now the riders are collecting materials, though, and I am content with allowing that to happen.

[Emiryal ♕]

Tera Erde Neue

Don't cry,destroy these imprisoned illusions
Just once, rise above your demise

Tera nodded slightly as Ender spoke. "I hope it will always be good news you have to tell then," she said. "But perhaps this was meant to be, for us to have been sealed away. The world wasn't ready for the branches then, maybe it is now."

The fox like creature listened as the others spoke their voices loud to her ears. "I'm sorry to hear of your citadel Inferno, I'm sure your riders can rebuild it," she said. "The earth citadel is fine, I restored it upon awakening, but then the wars never reached it. I'm sorry to hear the state of the sea Riptide. The land has similar problems, only the elves seem to care for the land any more. maybe one day others will come to realize the importance as the elves do."

[Quetzal]

Over a group of floating islands holding the ruins of the Air Citadel, the air drew itself to one spot as if taking in a deep breath. On this spot, a form grew out of the air. Snow white wings extended. Slowly, a head crowned in windswept softly coloured feathers lifted itself and sharp bright yellow-white eyes opened to look upon the world after more than a century of forced slumber. The Air Guardian took in a breath of the cold thin air and smiled with her eyes, her beak limiting other forms of expression. So it had happened. The Branches must have been unsealed; why else would she exist again? Below her was the world. Higher than the Beor Mountains beneath, she could see them stretch for miles in all directions before giving way to flatter land on the horizon. Grass and desert and forest could be seen in the distance, and to her delight small settlements with smoke drifting from chimneys that were human in design. The humans had survived in her absence, however long that had been. That was something. Closer to her lay the great dwarven cities. They did not look like much from here, but she knew that underground they would sprawl over great distances and depths. Humans were not the only ones still here. Excellent. Despite weakening underground where the air was not free, Aether always had had a soft spot for the dwarves, the first humanoid race in Alagaesia. Dwarves and elves were more Tera's department, the urgals too keen on war for her liking, and the humans had no special connection to the air, but she loved all these mortals. The creatures that she was connected with were those of the air, the birds, and the dragons. Especially the dragons; the first truly sentient and intelligent being in Alagaesia along with the dwarves, the skies were as much their home as the ground. The dragons were a race she watched over carefully, and she felt closer to them and other flying creatures than the other species. What had happened to them?

Dropping straight downwards from her place she had been reborn (and born in the first place), the air cushioned her fall, allowing her to land softly on the exact centre of the largest floating island. Dismay filled her. The buildings that had once made this great citadel had crumbled. Several were charred from being struck by lightning. All were ripped apart by vicious winds in storms she had not been there to protect against. Surely Riders would have been able to hold them off? The Citadel must have fallen into disuse after the sealing of the Branches. Her eyes studied the area closely. Where were the dragons? The Branches must have been restored. So where were they? The Beor Mountains used to be a haven for them, filled with food and a great place to fly. It was also close to the lands beyond Alagaesia where few people went; that was an all-you-can-eat buffet for dragons, and they had often hunted their to preserve Alagaesia's ecosystems. They had to exist. There had to be at least five for the Branches to be reformed. But... were there just five? How long had she been gone for? The dwarves and humans were still here, but how was their relationship with dragons, and what of the urgals, elves, werecats, dragon spirits, grey folk, giant rocs, and even the cruel intelligent races, the werewolves, Shades, Ra'zac and Lethrblaka? What of the Riders? There were so many questions.

If the Branches had been unsealed, Riders would soon be making their way back to the Air Citadel. She should stay and help, but she did not want to reveal herself quite yet. She needed to get her bearings first before she could weigh herself down with the stresses of being a Guardian in a world that had moved on to an unknown extent. She was not a sociable creature and could not cope with meeting however many Air Riders there were, all of them strangers. Instead, she wished to find some answers. The best hope would be to find the other Guardians. They might know something, and they could learn together. Stretching out her wings again, she took off from the Citadel and flew for the first time in years.

She did not head straight for the other Guardians, as she did not know where they were or even that they were all still alive. In the past their minds had been easy to find even when they had no idea where each other was, but it was harder to find them now. The barriers had before presented no problem in just recognising their minds, but now she could not even do that. It must be all the time they had been apart. The wind carried her quickly to the ground, where she concentrated and decreased in size until she was the size of a blackbird. Her general appearance was the same, but she could at least pass as an ordinary but rare and unusual bird. She flitted through the trees until she found a few dwarves. Pausing to listen to their conversation, she heard nothing of interest. Just talk about the design of a tunnel they were repairing. There was no national news to be heard here, so she took off again, growing back to her normal size once she was far away enough. Eagles joined her, filled with an urge to fly with her for reasons they did not quite understand. This made her happy, and she slowed to let them follow for a while before increasing in speed and altitude. If she had returned at her Citadel, maybe the same was true of the other Guardians. Ender's Citadel was hard to get to, so she would try other places first. Underwater was not an attractive idea, as was underground. Fire Citadel it was, then, or at least above it.

The wind and her wingtips seemed to merge as the air carried her as much as her wings did towards the place where the other Guardians had reunited. Her flight was faster the more she merged with the wind. By the time Inferno and Ender came into view resting on the volcano, she had scarcely any substance, becoming somewhat transparent. Like a bullet she shot for the sight of the familiar creatures that filed her with relief. Upon arrival, her eyes twinkled with joy. Ender, Inferno, Tera, Riptide... they were all here. "Hello, sister, brothers. I appear to be the last one here. I was trying to learn about what had happened while we were gone, but all I can tell for certain is that the humans and dwarves are still here, the land is similar to how it was, and my Citadel has been torn apart while unprotected from storms," she greeted her oldest and closest friends.

She folded her wings and landed on a cushion of air rather than the hot ground, looking for a long time at each of the other Guardians. "It's so good to see you all again. Do any of you know why the Branches were unsealed? I fear something may have happened to the Riders and dragons. The Beor Mountains are empty of dragons, as are the lands beyond Alagaesia," she asked sadly. She hoped she had not interrupted anything.

[Emiryal ♕]

Tera Erde Neue

Don't cry,destroy these imprisoned illusions
Just once, rise above your demise

Tera was pleasantly surprised catching slight of the air guardian, feeling her arrival more than anything as the wind lightly buffeted the trees. "Aether, it's good to see you," she said. "Much has changed since we were last awake, too much to recount and none of much importance," she said. Through the trees and animals she could learn much of what had happened while they were asleep and sealed away but very little held real significance.

"The dwarves are not as numerous as they once were but yes they are still here as are the elves. Many of the citadels are in disrepair. From what I know the riders we once knew fell long ago after we were sealed. Even without the influence of the Physic Branch's corruption and war. There are few of them left. My branch has but one rider. The branches were unsealed by the golden dragon Glaedr, I do not know his reasons for doing so," she explained.

[Emiryal ♕]

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