Toxic Recipes

[Brenton]

Another night of dusty books and flickering candlelight as the sound of a quill scratched over the thick parchment with names of various shops to get plants or small amounts of dragon blood. Even shade blood was on the list and the cracked shell of a dead dragon. All of this just for a guaranteed toxin to kill dragon spirits, her prize goal. For behind the ink well and table of tomes sat a woman garbed in flowing red cloaks with a purple sash and a simple purple hair band tying back her reddish brown hair that normally would've fallen in curtains around her soft featured face. The bottom pink lip was between white teeth as the woman's sea green eyes scanned the parchment.

"M'lady, Clarissa, there's a captive to torture today and his Majesty would like it done soon." The pale faced boy ran in and delivered his message just before running out again in fear of angering any child of Galbatorix. Oh if only Reru were here to look this over. It lacks something but...what? Clarissa spoke softly about the toxin recipe.

[Emiryal ♕]

The boy who had delivered the message to Clarissa nearly ran into Reru as he ran down the hall. He muttered an apology quickly and Reru waved him off. He wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone right now, he wanted to talk to someone he could trust. Someone who understood him. He entered the study and his eyes fell on his younger half sister. She was the only one really left in his life that might understand him. He walked in and sat down in a chair across from her without saying anything. He set a black bag next to the paper she was writing on, as he set it down it sounded like broken glass or something similar was in the bag. Inside was the shell of the baby dragon he'd killed to revive Avendel, surely Clarissa could find some use for it. As for the body he'd given it a proper burial after being berated by Ender for killing it.

He didn't say anything but seemed to be a million miles away staring at the wall. He'd lost Avendel, after all this work and sacrifice to get her back she had refused him. He didn't even have Kami now. He was lost and alone, and unable to cry or undo it.

[Brenton]

A pain dwelled upon can kill even those with a cruxis-crystal such as you. Reru, I told you once of a magic that could undo that process but you had just lost Avendel. Now I will tell you again because I believe even you deserve a second chance. Brother, in Utgard there once rested a forge used by Dragon Spirits where they crafted blades. From that mountain ringing was constant but comforting to the commoners. Well one Wizard discovered a cruxis-crystal that he feared and so he used the Twisting Nether over it just before bringing an enchanted weapon down upon it.

The process ended when the spirit was released and returned to the body but it was painful. Now there is no guarantee but I think Avendel will accept you again if you do this process. On a lighter note, this toxin is meant to kill a dragon spirit but it misses an ingredient. Can you figure it out? Clarissa slid the parchment over to Reru to wait for a response.

[Emiryal ♕]

Reru seemed almost dead to her words and perhaps he hadn't actually heard her. Or that's what it seemed like as he didn't reply for a few moments after she finished. Finally he turned his gaze to his half sister, there was nothing warm or kind in his gaze, if anything it was empty. "I haven't felt pain in many decades, it's not something I wish to experience again, creating the cruxis-crystal was painful enough for me, undoing it would be tenfold. It hurts enough to not have Avendel, let alone feeling pain. If I did do it and Avendel still rejected me, then what?" he said.

He took the parchment from her glancing over it. "The Maiden's Tear," he said. "Or that'd be my guess." The Maiden's Tear he referred to was a cursed flower on Vroengard. It was known to intensify effects of other ingredients by at least three times. It was a rare blue flower hard to find even on Vroengard, Reru had used it himself when creating the cruix-crystal. "Without something to enhance this there is no way it would harm a dragon spirit," he said.

[Brenton]

Clarissa flipped open a tome of botanist information and thumbed through the yellowed pages quickly, knowing something. The Maiden's Tear was a blue flower found on Vroengard that few people could ever get to but there had been a reason she had passed it over. The page was in front of her suddenly and Clarissa stopped long enough to read the information. The Maiden's Tear is cursed and rarely works in toxins plus the dragon spirits used to be near the flower constantly. It is a stretch but I'm not sure it's one that would work without a counter catalyst much like how the Varden give father reason to find the Name. Clarissa decided to ignore the fact that Reru was unwilling to destroy his cruxis-crystal. She was used to him saying no by now.

[Emiryal ♕]

Reru nodded as he glanced at the page she was looking at. There had once been a time he'd read as many of the books as he could, both common and the rare old ones locked in the treasury. He'd been searching for a way to bring Avendel back, since then he hadn't really had a reason to look at the books. "Counter Catalyst? I wonder if one would work with it. Hm, few plants are as potent as The Maiden's Tear," he said. Finding another plant or component with similar attributes would be difficult. The rare flower was prized for a reason.

He was glad his sister had let the matter drop about his cruxis-crystal. He didn't like the idea of destroying it. He didn't want to face the pain and tears he knew should've been there at loosing Avendel again. It had hurt enough the first time let alone a second time. If he did destroy it and Avendel still would not return it would break him. He was already on a fragile line as it was. he took off the crystal and held it in his hand looking at it seeming to forget about his half sister for a moment. Though his sister had dropped the topic he brought it up again. "Sis...I don't think I'd survive the process of destroying this," he said honestly. "My crystal is entering the third stage..."

The knowledge of the crystals was hard enough to come by but he knew enough. The first stage was forming the cyrstal out of suffering, pain and loss. The second stage was where most crystals stayed, it gave the abilities Reru had. But after facing the Hero and pulling massive amounts of energy from Ender, the crystal didn't seem quite the same. It was cold to the touch, not that Reru could feel that. He wasn't sure what triggered the third stage, beyond the second stage he knew almost nothing. He wasn't sure what the third stage was, almost no books or scrolls mentioned it. The story Clarissa had mentioned was someone who's crystal had been in the second stage. There were no accounts of anyone doing it in the third stage.

[Brenton]

Reru, most people have heartache they must get through at some point or another through some means. Do you really think it doesn't pain me that the king wants me in the background and barely speaks to me or that eggs won't hatch for me when my family is a rider family? I hide away and research for what I deem important, looking through tomes that should be burned, while gathering ingredients for a toxin that no one believes exists. It is my goal to create the venom that kills a dragon spirit because they are too powerful, being a dragon and mortal.

Clarissa sighed and pushed the parchment and books to the side before standing up and moving her blonde hair behind her ear. She looked at Rerukusu and thought carefully about what he had said again, missing some important detail. What's the third stage of a cruxis-crystal? I know of two but you said third stage.

[Emiryal ♕]

Reru almost wanted to offer help. There were ways to force the rider bond even if the egg wouldn't hatch, he knew how to do it as he'd done it to get Kami. But he decided against staying it, deep down he knew it was wrong and after what he'd done he was lucky Ender and Avendel had let him live. Doing something like that might just be a move to far.

"Being a Rider in this family, isn't all that wonderful. You are lucky father ignores you more," he said. Before he'd gotten his crystal Galbatorix had been rather rough if not cruel in his training, and there had been times Reru had thought the king would kill him. After he'd gotten his crystal his life had become much more bearable, he couldn't feel the pain his father inflicted on him. Though that had not been the reason he'd made the crystal. "If anyone can find such a toxin though, I know it will be you," he said encouragingly or attempting to. His words were often void of the emotions they should've carried.

He glanced away as Clarissa stood and spoke. He stood as well now and held up his crystal between them for her to see. "When I researched how to make this, I found one old account that mentioned a third stage of the crystal. The entry was vague mentioning two who had gone through it, one of them dying from it but otherwise it really didn't say much, I didn't think much of it at the time and never found any more information on it. I have no idea what is going to happen to me, but I can feel it is different now, changing."

[Brenton]

Clarissa brushed her reddish brown hair aside and swept the red cloak to the side so it was out of her way, revealing a slim figure garbed in soft cotton shirt with tight denim leggings and leather boots as well as a slim leather belt with a silver buckle. Her eyes gleamed slightly as she smiled just barely and walked to a wall, pulling free a hidden drawer that held ingredients for antitoxins an toxins alike. Inside were dragon's scales, the skin of a werewolf, actual dragon spirit blood, and even some water from the coveted fountain of youth. She pulled out some of the water, a piece of werewolf skin and a dropper full of dragon spirit's blood. Instantly she started mixing the ingredients in a bowl with a small muttered curse as she almost missed the telltale sign of smoke that rose. After, Clarissa poured the mixture into a vial and put it on the table where she had been while she took a little of it and mixed it into her antitoxins case.

Hidden in the mountains of the dwarves lies a fountain said to grant youth if you let the water touch your lips and it heals wounds just by drinking all of it. Dragon spirit blood is to be impervious to toxin and can often times heal if mixed properly. Werewolf skin is the only part of a werewolf that protects them from attacks and therefore would be perfect for antitoxins. Mixing the three together causes it to enhance the healing factors and will be fought for since few know how to make such an antitoxin. Actually it was only mentioned in an ancient text from when the world was young and people thought that humans were strongest. Still, it should help somewhat in your situation but you would have to take the mixture three times spaced out for it to actually work fully.

[Emiryal ♕]

Reru watched her gather ingredients and mix them. He said nothing as she worked not wanting to make her loose concentration or distract her. Nor did he have much to say about it. Mixing herbs and the like was really not an area of expertise for him. He looked at the mixture as she spoke a look of fear flashed across his face as she spoke. Did she mean for him to destroy his crystal and have this help him endure the pain? Surely it couldn't revert his crystal back to the former stage, it wasn't broken so it couldn't be healed and it was an inanimate object. He said nothing for a moment then drew his sword. It wasn't his rider blade, he rarely used that. It was an old sword the king had given him. "Ueyato," he said indicating his blade. That was it's name. "You mean for me to break my crystal don't you. Ueyato is perhaps one of the most enchanted blades I know of, I still haven't figured out all the enchantments that are on it. This could break my crystal. It's not really something I'm sure about doing, but I might die if I don't. I don't know what the third stage will do. Should I take that mixture before or after I do it?" he asked. His voice was taunt with fear.

He had no idea what would happen but surly it would be difficult for him if he survived. He wasn't even sure if his crystal could be broken now that it was on the third stage. He wished there had been more written about it, he was walking into the unknown. An unknown that might kill him if he did something or if he didn't. He only hoped Avendel would come back.

[Brenton]

Clarissa looked at Ueyato and thought about it carefully before she looked at the cruxis crystal that she could see and was apparently different somehow. She was going on knowledge about different subjects but most of them were for healing any ailment and she was sure it would be able to heal Reru after the process was complete. If that is so far advanced to where we know little about it then it is a danger to you more than it is something that will help you in the future. Once you leave I will try and contact Avendel if you wish me to so that she will know you agreed to complete this task and she will think about it some more. Still after the cruxis crystal is destroyed it may leave you injured because it is advanced past the second stage which means you should take this after the process. To be completely sure take one swallow before and save the rest for after you finish. It should work but it is unknown to us all because it is rare, Reru. Brother, I only wish to help you, not hurt you in any way right now or ever.

[Emiryal ♕]

Reru held Ueyato flat on his lap but his eyes were focused on his sister. He reached out a hand and ran it through her hair until his hand came to rest on her shoulder. "I know you wouldn't hurt me. Besides Avendel you are the only other I trust," he said sincerely. If Clarissa were killed he knew he'd hurt as much as when Avendel had been killed. He knew he would've done the same for Clarissa as he had Avendel trying to bring her back. Hindsight now, he wasn't sure if he would do so now, again. The consequences were to great.

"For you and for Avendel I will try. Leaving me injured is probably and understatement considering most in stage two died trying to do this. Please do contact Avendel, tell her I'm sorry I never meant to hurt her like this and if...I don't survive look after her for me. Even though Avendel rejects me I still worry about her," he said. He wanted to have Clarissa there when he tried to destroy the crystal, but if it went wrong he didn't want her to see him die. He couldn't do it knowing that might be the last memory she had of him. "I need to make preparations, I will attempt it soon," he said standing and sheathing his sword. Determination marked his face but concern and fear as well. "Please don't come Clarissa, I'll instruct one of my servants to fetch you after regardless of the outcome when it's over," he added.

[Brenton]

Clarissa felt tears come to her eyes as she listened to Reru talk about how he trusted her even though he trusted no one. Almost no one cared about her that much and that was why she was going to so much trouble to protect her brother because he was the only one who had been there for her. Even when she had secluded herself it wasn't like she was angry at anyone, just that she wanted to be perfect and show she was useful in some way. Maybe this would be that way if this worked and Reru survived the attempt to destroy the cruxis crystal. I won't follow you Reru. Clarissa had to look away because she knew that in her heart she would follow just not in the way that most would consider following. She would keep her mind cast out to that anvil and forge in Ristvak'baen for it was the only way she would be able to be there. It wouldn't help her in any way if Reru died but she had to be there somehow and that meant that she had to lie to him now even though she was telling the truth in part.

[Emiryal ♕]

[hehe sorry super long post. It was fun. I just had a lot to write if Reru was going to do that.]

Reru couldn't cry, the changes from the cruxis crystal make it impossible. If this worked maybe he could again, then again he wasn't sure how much he could reverse the damage the crystal had done to him. He was glad Clarissa said she wouldn't follow him, he didn't want her to have to see it. He wasn't sure what exactly just that he didn't want her to see it. He pulled Clarissa into a hug for a moment before letting her go and with a final glance at her left the room.

He went directly to his own quarters and took a crystal out of a drawer. There were a few of them in there but he only needed one, they were fragile and could be broken quite easily. He'd cast spells on them to transport the holder to a predetermined location. This one would send whoever broke the crystal back here. He glanced at the boy putting some freshly washed clothes away, his name was Ilm and was often Reru's main servant. Though he didn't often ask him to do anything out of the ordinary he trusted the boy and knew he'd follow though. "Ilm leave that. I have something I need you to do," he said. "I need you to come with me. I...I'm going to be attempting something very dangerous, though you shouldn't be in any danger when I do it. I'm not sure what is going to happen but I want you there, once it's over break this crystal it will bring you back here. Then go get my sister and tell her what happened. No matter what you see or what happens to me, do it even if it means abandoning me, understood?"

Ilm nodded. "Yes, of course Prince Reru," he said accepting the crystal. He looked a bit worried but Reru knew he'd do as was asked. "Wait for me outside my door," he added and the boy complied leaving the room and leaving Reru alone. Reru sat down on his bed his head in his hands. Was he really going through with this? Part of him still resisted but if it might get Avendel back it was worth it besides what other choice did he have? He might die if he didn't do it. At least this was a chance and he knew more about it than the third stage. He sat on his bed for a while mentally preparing himself for it, he couldn't hesitate when the moment came to strike.

Finally he stood up, it was time. He hoped Clarissa had contacted Avendel by now. He would've himself but he knew she would not answer him. He didn't even know where she was, their bond had grown weak something he didn't know was possible but even when she was near he could barely feel her and his insignia had grown dull. "Ilm lets go," he said walking out of his room and taking the boy's hand as he spread his wings of light behind him. Ilm stared at him in wonder but said nothing. "Grant me passage," he said swinging his free arm in front of him in an arc. Where his hand touched the world seemed to tear as a rift in the Nether was formed, it opened quickly for him and he jumped into it dragging Ilm with him. As soon as he was through the portal closed as though it had never been there.

Reru's wings were the only light here, but he knew the way and didn't seem bothered by the unnatural lack of light. Ilm clung to him to startled to speak. It seemed like only seconds before Reru tore another rift but this time they were in a dark cave like place. Reru picked up a stone on the floor and lit it with magic and handed it to Ilm. "If I die it will pull the energy from you to light it as long as you hold it. Drop it as soon as you are back at the palace or you are likely to faint," he said. The boy wouldn't have near the same stamina as he did to keep a spell going. "Die, sir?" Ilm repeated, why would Reru die. "Just do what I told you to, no more questions," he said. "Stay here," he added walking forward leaving the boy holding the glowing stone.

The forge had been abandoned for quite some time and Reru wasn't sure if there was a way in any more that didn't require magic. "Brisingr," he said pointing at one of the furnaces. A fire exploded inside it, igniting the heart of it. There was no fuel so the fire burned Reru's magic instead. As he watched the fire spread along the pour spouts and to the other furnaces until the whole cave glowed red. Half of the room had collapsed but what he needed was still here. Shoving stones that had fallen off, he uncovered an anvil on a stone table. The sight made him pause for a moment before he withdrew his crystal and set it on the anvil in the center, it glinted in the fire light.

Reru took out the mixture Clarissa had given him and drank some of it. The rest he set aside on a stone. "I hope she's right about that stuff," he said to himself drawing Ueyato. He took a deep breath than pulled on energy from the Nether putting it into the blade until it blazed a brilliant hot white. The fires in the room reacted to the increase as well, burning hotter and higher, some of it catching remains of burnable materials on fire. Reru stood still holding the blade in front of his face and closed his eyes. "Avendel...Clarissa, I only do this for you," he said to himself. He raised the sword paused only a moment then brought it down on the crystal.

Instantly Reru collapsed to the ground in more agony than he knew was possible to feel. Pain that he hadn't felt in decades, he hadn't known it was possible to feel pain and after so long of not feeling it, the effect was all the worse. It felt like crystals shot through his veins cutting him from the inside with a hot burning. The pain was everywhere, not a single part of him was not in pain. He screamed and writhed on the floor in the darkness as all the fires went out not being able to draw on Reru's energy to burn. His screams echoed off the walls of the cavern.

Ilm took a step back alarmed by what had happened. He had the stone that was glowing still as it was drawing from him now, but he couldn't see Reru from where he was. He took a few steps closer holding the stone high trying to get a glimpse of the Prince, but he saw nothing only heard the screams. He lowered his arm as he started feeling tired. This must have been what Reru had mentioned before. If he fainted here he couldn't deliver any message and he didn't exactly want to stay here and didn't know how staying would do any good. Besides Reru had given him an order. Stone in hand he set the crystal down and smashed it. He felt a strange sensation as the stone's locked power released and went after him transporting him back to the palace, specifically Reru's room. He dropped the glowing stone like it was poison and it instantly stopped glowing. He bolted from the room and down the hall to Clarissa's study. He pounded on the door a little harder than he intended. "Lady Clarissa!" he said his voice a bit shrill with panic.

Reru lay in agony, he'd cut himself on his sword when he'd fallen to the ground but he hardly noticed through the pain. The cut from the sword was deep but no blood flowed from it because of his cursed state and influence of the crystal. Was this all just pain? It took great effort but he clung to the anvil and pulled himself up casting a light spell. The crystal was still there, it had been cracked but was still intact. Reru gripped the anvil tighter as a fresh wave of pain hit him. Shaking he reached for his sword, the effort extremely difficult through the pain. He swung again at the crystal and heard a resounding crack from it. He fell backwards landing hard on the ground unsure if the crystal or his sword had broken causing the crack. The pain more intense than before now, if that was possible. Reru was completely immobile from the pain. If Clarissa's remedy was doing anything he couldn't tell. His breathing grew shallow but the pain subsided somewhat. Everything around him was growing cold, it took him a few minutes to realize there was ice on the ground coming from his crystal. It engulfed him slightly holding him in place and slowly growing over him to encase him in ice. What happened next he wasn't sure as he lost consciousness unable to fight the pain any longer. "Avendel...help me," he thought just before blacking out.

[Brenton]

As soon as Reru left the room, Clarissa had gone to the same wall where she had pulled ingredients from, this time withdrawing a small scale and piece of egg that were the same color as Avendel was before she died when Reru fought Brom. A muttered sorcerous incantation and the artifacts began to glow before the daughter of Galbatorix reached out and touched them. A mind was against hers, brushing lightly as if it didn't belong, and she knew that the spell would eat through the scale and egg within five minutes so that were her time to tell Avendel of what had transpired. Quickly she identified herself and then spoke to the dragon with rushed thoughts, using images as well as words, about how Reru had agreed to go destroy his cruxis crystal. The last part was how he had said that he only cared about her and Avendel and that he was doing this because he was truly believing he should have moved past the hurt and accepted it. It had been five minutes and the last of the shell and scale dissolved as did the connection with Avendel just as she said that she was sorry.

Clarissa sat down on the chair and closed her eyes while she pulled the cowl up over her reddish brown hair to block out the light. Instantly she cast her mind to the cave and felt a presence there as well as another that was getting ready to do something major. The one was Rerukusu and so she paid attention to that mind, feeling the pain as he swung the blade down and it hit the crystal just before he seemed to disappear. She couldn't feel him anymore but why was that? He wasn't dead was he? Clarissa snapped her eyes open to feel tears moistening the lashes there and she bit her bottom lip before standing up and throwing a quill at the door just before knocking echoed. The quill sank into the wood and she screamed in anger at herself for having sent her brother to what was quite possibly his death. Without thinking, Clarissa grabbed her weapons and stormed out of the room, shoving past Ilm who was trying to get her attention.

She was going to see him even if she had promised not to follow and that was final! It didn't matter if she was too weak to get back or not as long as she was able to get in the cave in the first place. As soon as Clarissa stepped past Ilm her mind went clear and all her anger was channeled into energy to cast the dark incantation to open a rift into the cave. Cold air and then shadows just before Clarissa yanked a torch from the wall and stepped through the rift, feeling it close behind her. She was here now where was her brother who couldn't finish the job and keep himself alive?

Clarissa walked over to the anvil and saw the cruxis crystal was still slightly intact in most places but she couldn't tell if it had been broken partially or not. Then she saw that her idiot brother hadn't finished the antitoxin and so he was dying because of that. Like hell he was! BRISINGR! The ice broke and melted just as Clarissa took the antitoxin and dumped the rest of it down Reru's throat, using magic to make it go down. Just after, Clarissa passed out and she couldn't figure out why her body felt so heavy or why she was tired all of a sudden.

[Emiryal ♕]

"Lady Clarissa! Please Reru sent me to tell you. He is-" Ilm tried to explain in a rush of words chasing after Clarissa. Before he got much in she was gone. When the rift had opened he stumbled back not wanting to go in, the experience with Reru though something like that had been quite frightening and he didn't want to repeat it. He sank to the floor unsure what to do now.

Avendel was surprised when a mind touched hers. She half expected it to be Ender, he was the only one with the ability to speak to her so far away without aid of any magic. Clarissa? She listened as she spoke, not commenting hardly at all except to acknowledge she had heard it. The news hit her hard, Reru was doing that for her? Had he changed. It wasn't the crystal exactly that bothered her about him, it was his actions more than anything. But deep down she didn't want him to die, she never had wanted that and destroying his crystal was one of the most dangerous things he could do. She didn't know much about it or the crystal but she knew enough to know this wasn't good. She was perched on one of the floating chucks in the Nether and roared out  in grief when Clarissa's connection to her had ended. She jumped into the air angry that she could not get to Reru, for the first time since being brought back she wanted to find him,  to stop him. Then she felt a faint link of pain through her bond with Reru. NO! She roared again and willed the Nether to let her out. She roared again and again. Then miraculously it opened for her into the cave Reru was in. Without hesitation she flew in. She landed on top of a nearby furnace looking a bit confused as she watched Clarissa pour something into Reru's mouth.

Reru offered no resistance as Clarissa dumped the rest of the antitoxin down his throat. He remained unconscious and only barely alive. Avendel carefully walked over when Clarissa passed out. "You fool! You risk everything including your own life? ...Reru," she thought curling up around him and Clarissa. Tears falling from her face. What could she do? She leaned a little closer nudging Reru's still form with her snout. He didn't react. Being close to him she could feel what remained of their bond, and she knew he was slipping away, she wasn't sure if the stuff Clarissa had given him was going to help or do anything. She glanced at the anvil where the cruxis crystal was. It looked like it had been damaged but hadn't been completely destroyed. Her heart sank, that crystal was like a dragon's Eldunari, without it a dragon would die. Without it would Reru die? She didn't want to loose him, not again. She flicked her tail to touch the end of it to the crystal, it glowed briefly and she felt a wave of energy taken from her as the crystal reformed itself healing the damage. Would that be enough to save him? There wasn't anything more she could do. She laid her head down and waited.

It seemed like hours, but in the dark it was impossible to tell and there was no way for Avendel to get out. But a sound caught her attention, it was Reru. His breathing had grown more steady now but the sound that had caught her notice was a groan from him. He opened his eyes staring at Avendel. "Little one," she said happily. "Clarissa..." he said his voice hoarse. turning his head just slightly to see her near him. Why was she here? He reached his hand towards her only then noticing the crystals on his  wrist. It was the same color as his cruxis crystal and looked like a bracelet. As far as he knew that wasn't supposed to happen, but he was more worried about Clarissa. His hands were ice cold, there was no warmth left in them. Was she hurt? He felt like he'd been stepped on by a dragon as the dull ache resumed from the earlier pain. He couldn't do anything more than lay there, he knew somehow all that pain had injured him and he didn't have the strength to heal it with magic.

[Brenton]

It had to have been a couple hours by the time Clarissa opened her eyes and took several short gasping breaths as her body realized just how much pain she'd put it through by walking through a rift that never should have opened. Sorcerers had some serious power if they could do more than one of these spells on ne occasion but then again she had done the spell to contact Avendel then the spell to get to the cave and then to get the liquid down Reru's throat. Shuddering, heaving sobs escaped Clarissa's small frame as she curled up and tried to block out all of the world because she had failed and it had cost her Reru. Of course he was alive and next to her but that didn't reach her pain filled mind for she was too far gone by now as was.

I...failed. I failed and now Reru's...gone. Clarissa tucked her knees close to her chest and the world seemed to spin as her agony and sorrow built until she thought that maybe she would have to find a way to reverse this situation. There had to be a way to reverse time somehow.

[Emiryal ♕]

Reru had closed his eyes tired and hurt. As he heard Clarissa wake he turned his head to look at her, seeing her like that hurt more than his pain. He couldn't help but wonder if he really was dead if she was grieving for him. Avendel had spoken to him though, and where was she? He glanced up to where he'd seen her before but she was gone. Maybe she had just gone somewhere else? Or maybe it had been a dream and he was dead. He focused back on Clarissa and struggled to roll over before pushing himself up slightly into a crouch. The pain was gone now, almost completely and while he felt the lack of energy to do something as simple as this he didn't feel any pain from it. Either he was dead or his crystal was still intact.

He reached out a hand towards Clarissa touching her arm with his ice cold hand. Much to his shock his hand went right through her arm as though he didn't exist. But a faint glow when he had tried to touch her shimmered and he felt his energy drain as he'd given some to Clarissa. "Wha-" he said as he collapsed to the ground. He'd had little energy to start with and accidentally giving her some hadn't helped. But it didn't matter. "Clarissa! Clarissa!" he said his voice growing a bit stronger in his desperation to rouse her from her grief.

[Brenton]

Strength filled Clarissa just enough for her to look up with blood shot eyes and look around until her eyes fell on Reru who was next to her but he seemed different, almost insubstantial. The girl gave a small gasp and went to hug her brother but fell through him which was the last straw for her before she snapped completely. With an anguished cry, energy filled the small frame of Clarissa and she hovered in the air while the room began to fall apart with violent quakes. She screamed in anger and her eyes filled with more tears as Clarissa looked at the ceiling and her mouth opened, emitting dark harsh words of the Nether that twisted her and if she continued would turn her into a Nether Shade to give her power. She needed power! Power would help this girl in this situation more that anything else would! Clarissa would need power more than anything else to reverse time and get Reru back from whatever happened to him and she would get him back because he was her brother and she couldn't bear to lose him no matter what. Clarissa felt tears begin to fall, glistening bright silver.

[Emiryal ♕]

As the room began to fall apart a roar echoed across the room as Avendel flew back to them as fast as she could. She'd been looking for a way out of here. Unable to use magic like Clarissa or Reru she had hoped to find an opening so she could take them out since last she knew they'd been unconscious. "What is going on!"[/b] she asked landing near them trying to protect them from falling debris.

NO! Reru thought seeing his sister. His heart ached realizing what she was doing. She was making the same mistake he'd done so long ago when he'd lost Avendel. Surely she would come to regret it. Desperate he drew on the energy of the Nether himself to give him strength as he stood up. "Clarissa! NO! STOP THIS NOW! PLEASE FOR ME STOP!" he pleaded taking a few steps towards her and unfurling his wings of light to float in front of her as he extended a hand towards her again, willing his hand to actually touch her instead of go through her. Much to his surprise and relief his hand made contact with her. He instantly reached out with his other hand to try and pull her into a hug. "Clarissa, stop," he whispered. "Energy of the Nether, by Ender's might I seal you!" he said commanding the flow of the Nether to cease. He had to stop her from making a mistake and the only way he saw how was to sever her link. His link to the Nether was quite powerful being connected to Ender and the Elder of the physic branch. He wasn't sure why he could touch her now, but he wasn't about to stop and figure it out right now.