Welcome to Gaia! ::

Shale walked into the throne room to inspect the seat of his dead rival. There was something about Ilea's memories of it...

He didn't notice anything at first inspection. After all, his powers had already eliminated everything of Goh's creations and traps that could be a threat to Ilea. So the fact that the throne remained said that it wasn't a threat to his Ilea or one of Goh's creations. But what was it about this chair that carried a threat...

He finally moved up the stairs of the dais to approach it.

But he wasn't cautious enough, apparently...

The throne turned out to be an ancient life form. Goh had found it while he was still a deity. This creature of pure bone was the last of its race and was completely devoted to Goh.

Now it moved for the first time in thousands of years. It was incredibly fast as it moved into a different form and stabbed six sharp bones through Shale's body and sent a power made of pure evil through his body. He didn't even have time to scream...



Ilea was walking through to meet up with Shale to tell him about the information she'd found on Goh's plots. She'd already arranged for a collection of the information to be sent to Cynthia in the Demon Realm. Hopefully the Rattle wasn't destroyed in the process...

But on her way through, Shale was attacked. It was bad enough that Ilea collapsed, going into the death-like stasis that meant that Shale was dead.

From here, Ilea could be claimed by someone else.

Unless a miracle happened, Shale was dead and Ilea, and Darkness Abounds, were up for grabs....

Nalyne stepped out of the portal then waited for Nathaniel to follow him through. He deliberately didn't pay any attention when the boy stumbled, knowing that he'd get used to portal travel at some point. Instead, he focused on Ilea as one of the Rattles moved around to settle her hair behind her in a movement that would have been tender if it had been done by something other than a walking skeleton.

After a moment for Nate to get himself settled, Nalyne moved forward, "Don't go into the Throne Room unless you're certain that you can deal with the creature in there. It's the last of it's race. How Goh managed to tame it, I have no idea. Damned creature doesn't have a name any more. The thing is what killed Shale and dropped her into stasis. That stasis is a part of her DNA. I cannot change that. Goh trapped her into that loop of hell," he started, pointing out the door to the throne room.

Instead, he allowed Nate to look at Ilea then pointed out another room off to the side of the staircase, "That's the Study. It's Goh's private library. In there, you'll find the books you want as well as the story of Ilea's life under Goh. I'll admit that she went through a living nightmare under the b*****d. Shale was just starting to turn her from several lifetimes of bad habits and abuse. But Shale's dead now, so we have no choice but to wait for someone else to take on the Master/Servant Bond and claim her. She won't wake until then. Again, it's part of her DNA," he added then gestured towards the staircase.

"Choose a room for yourself. The Rattles will see to setting it up for you. I've already spelled the kitchen and storerooms to have plenty of food and drinks. If you want something different supplied, just note it on the kitchen list and it'll appear for you," he pointed to the main doors, "That's the Courtyard. There are ten very interesting undead out there. Ilea raised them when she had her temper tantrum. They're still out there waiting for her to wake up. You may find them disturbingly interesting to study. But if you plan on leaving the castle, you'll have to use a portal. I surrounded the castle with a nasty version of a fairy tale. If anyone plans to claim her, they'll have to prove that they're worthy of it," he continued as he moved over to check on Ilea personally.

He paused there and gently moved a lock of her hair out of her face then pulled the sheet further up about half an inch. For what she'd gone through...

Well... He was beyond glad that Goh was very dead now...

He backed up a step and rested a hand on his sword, his grip tightening briefly before releasing it with a soft sigh. He wouldn't be using it for that purpose now...

Instead... Well..

He turned to Nate and held out his hand, watching the boy as the shadows began to pool in his palm until it formed a sphere about the size of a tennis ball, though the shadows carried a hint of crimson to the edge of the sphere, "Come and touch it. You'll receive what I promised once you do. Just remember my warning before: I don't do healing. I fix problems," he said simply, a hint of steel to his voice this time.

He knew that the shadows would spread out over Nate, stinging as if he'd stepped in a fire ant nest before sinking into his skin and giving him the promised healing, portaling ability, and taking care of the other growing problem he'd been dealing with. For the rest, there was the Study....

Nalyne wasn't bothered by the contact and held on to the boy's hand in return as he waited for the pain to subside to a dull roar instead of a raging inferno. He really hadn't bothered to hide much up to this point but he hadn't revealed everything either. He never would but that was beside the point. Still, he watched the boy take the spiritual slap like a trooper and finally gave him a nod of approval. He liked this one, he decided, more than he'd expected to.

When Nate pulled away on his own, Nalyne simply gave him another nod then looked towards the Study for a moment. He didn't like the journals about Ilea's life but they were useful in understanding her. He knew that. Still...

He shook his head and refocused on Nate. If Ilea doesn't mind the journals, he had no room to complain about them. If she didn't flinch about them then no one else had a right to. Those journals were the story of her life read: torture under Goh. Each journal covered about a week with a few here and there covering just a couple of days. Goh had meticulous about those journals, detailing everything he'd taught her as well as each time he'd tried to block her abilities and how he'd felt about her. He'd actually gotten more and more cruel over time. Not that Goh had been anything but cruel. It's just that the journals had gotten worse over time.

He finally shook his head and looked at Ilea again, considering her carefully before making another offer to Nate, "There's a very slim chance I might be able to wake her for short periods of time. I'm not sure how far I can bypass what Goh did to her. Like I said, he limited her to three months without someone holding that Bond to keep her awake. I'm limited in what I can do with her. Every deity has limits, it's just that some of us decide to violate those limits and then someone has to clean up the mess. Goh violated more than that. It's why he was kicked out. Now I've been sent to deal with the mess he made," he started but had to pause again.

He gently reached out to caress Ilea's forehead in a gesture that probably seemed like a personal flashback for Nate, since the boy had done the same thing countless times to his sisters. For Nalyne, though.

He gave a soft sigh and straightened, "No matter the consequences, she's essentially my niece now. I've spent the last few weeks arguing that point to my family and I finally won that argument. She's basically family now. And she deserves some of what comes with that. More, in my opinion, but I'm not in charge of that part of things. I cannot change what she's been through but I do hope to change her future. You are now part of that. Meaning that if you're taking her on as family, that'll include me as an Uncle," he paused there and turned a wry look to Nate, "Congratulations," he finished that part of it with a tone that could only be described as ironically sardonic.

Yes, he understood the humor of the situation all the way around. Yes, he knew that Nate didn't particularly like him.

Then again, did one ever particularly like all their family?

He turned back to Ilea and hesitated, "The only problem is that she'd come to truly love Shale... The loss will be... difficult... for her..." he offered, not sure of how Nate would take his kindness towards the woman but not really caring a whole lot about that.

If he could make one tiny piece of her life better, easier, not horrible... She deserved more than she'd been given...

Then again... Maybe there was a way around things for them all...

He was supposed to fix this entire mess.

Okay, okay, he was supposed to fix the Xig'dramoth mess, not this one...

But Ilea awake fixed some of that mess, right? If she was awake, she could deal with it. Asleep, nothing happened.

He was supposed to fix the mess with Nate. Closing the 'door' the slavers had used was only part of it. Nate wasn't supposed to be here to begin with. He couldn't outright send him home and leave him with the problems that came with that. No. The problem had to be fixed. Giving him the deal was only part of it. Now, Nalyne was in debt unless he finished meeting his end of things.

Ilea was the best Necromancer he'd ever come across. Better than any death deity he'd ever met. Who better to teach Nate than the best there was? It would only fix everything, wouldn't it?

Was that the right way to fix this? Or did he give Nate more time?

"I can give you more time to think about everything, more time to learn the castle at the least. I'll leave the decision of waking her up to you. If you think she should stay in stasis, I'll leave her be. If you think she should wake, for however long it lasts, I'll try it," he offered the choice to the boy, not entirely sure which direction he'd take, "I'll leave the protections in place around the castle. Until she's claimed and the Realm has a new Ruler, neither of you is truly safe here. No one is. This place must have someone to rule it. Only the person that can claim her can rule the realm. Goh's setups are screwed up but often reflect his screwed up thinking," he shook his head over the last bit but left it alone. There was no changing any of it. It was what it was and they'd all have to deal with it.

"By the way... Remember that Ilea is no innocent flower. She's just as ruthless and can be even more evil than that creature inside of you. But if anyone can teach you... It would be her... She's the best Necromancer I've ever seen... You would do well to remember that much when dealing with her. As well as the fact that she never learned to properly deal with emotions. As demonstrated by her only temper tantrum to date that you so lovingly call the Purge..." he pointed out, feeling that the reminder might be helpful...

"She's not going to kill you," came Nalyne's voice from the dining room behind him. Turning found Nalyne dressed as usual but sitting at the table with a full meal sitting in front of him for them both, "This time, I brought the food. I can't cook, but I can dish the food out," he offered, knowing that the food from the Demon Realm would be different but very good. There were even some of the spiced meat rolls that the former demon king favored.

He dished up food for them both then gestured to the seat next to him and continued on his first statement, "She won't kill you. She might be annoyed at you spoiling the Rattles, but she won't kill you. She'll be interested in you enough to not even damage you. The cat will throw her off a bit. She was never allowed a pet, as you know. She won't know what to do with it," he explained to him as he poured them both a bit of light ale. This was, thankfully, much more drinkable than anything in the village.

He'd given him plenty of time to in the castle to figure things out, as well as . researching Ilea. While her life under Goh had been worse than a nightmare, her time with Shale had changed her. How much was the question...

Still, Nalyne felt that having Nate in her life would ground her and give her something to live for. It had already given Nate something to live for, so the positives outweighed the negatives.

As they ate, he had something to reveal. He had a feeling that today was the day. It was time to wake her. Or at least try to.

"I finished my own research. I think I can wake her. I might even be able to give her the ability to stay awake past the three month mark. It's going to be interesting to see how it goes. I'll need the urns of her blood from that office Shale made for her. I can set up a bath of sorts and do a little bit of magic to it. It'll help her stay awake longer. She'll still need someone to eventually take on the Bond with her, but we should be able to buy her some time for it," he explained, not bothering to hide anything about what he was planning for Ilea.

Instead, he was open with everything. He'd even helped Nate with finding a few books that were not in the Study. He gave the boy everything he could.

Immediately after Nate had brought the kitten, Food, litter box, and scratching posts/cat trees showed up. Toys and other items had shown up here and there as well. Nalyne hadn't been obvious about bringing the items, but he'd simply dropped them off then let Nate do with them as he wished.

For now, though, they needed the right place to set up the blood-pool for Ilea. It would have to stay in place and she'd have to bathe in it regularly, but it would be worth it in the end.

"Have any questions for me? I've been away a few weeks this time. You can ask me anything, you know. If I can't answer, I'll at least tell you so," he offered, wanting the boy to open up a bit more with him. Questions were a good start...

Nalyne raised an elegant eyebrow in an almost snobbish expression, "I'll have you know that I'm spoiling my nephew, not that little beast," was all he said about the kitten. Despite the fact that he obviously spoiled the kitten.

Well, the point was to make Nate laugh...

After a moment, Nalyne sobered up a bit and moved on to the main issue, "As for the pool for her, we should allow Ilea to choose when she wakes up. I'll set it up once she makes her decision on it. Until then, we need to concentrate on waking her up and seeing what happens," he offered, knowing that Ilea would need to be able to make a choice about her life. She'd been denied so many choices over her life, so it was needed in his opinion.

He paused there and considered something else he'd found out about and wondered about telling Nate about it. In the end, he decided to abide by his decision to not hide anything from him where he could.

"I found out why she ran from the b*****d... I had one of my own servants manage a spell about a week ago... It's why there was so much of her blood for Shale to use to create that office out of Goh's old chambers..." he said softly then ran a hand over his face.

Why had no one ever invented brain bleach? How was he going to get those moments of his life back? How did he wipe that horror out of his mind?

"It's the one thing she was embarrased about Shale finding out about... That woman isn't embarrassed about anything. But that? Stars above... I really want to wipe those images out of my mind..." he murmured softly, unable to hide the horror of it from his tone.

It was where Goh's journals stopped. He'd gone insane over losing having Cynthia on his torture table in the dungeon below. He'd really gone insane. And considering the things Goh had done, that said something major...

"If I ever wanted to fix things for her before, now..." he finally wiped at his face again and shook his head, unable to hide the horror from his dark eyes as he tried to move on, "Well... It's in the past... If she wants to move on from it then I'll ignore it. Incidentally, I read the journals before I went to get you so there's no need to try to hide it from me. I also have the ability to replay every single scene in my mind. I've done it for some of them. I had to see it... I knew he was insane but..." he paused again to reflect on the memories then shook his head and got to his feet to start leading Nate back to Ilea.

"You know... She was the only one to ever see his face without that mask of his on? He wasn't scarred or anything. There was nothing wrong with his face. But she was the only one to ever see that damned mask come off. He managed to block it even from my Sight. But that last few weeks... She learned to fear him on a whole different level... So much so that she actually ran from him... It's how she wound up with Shale. That one act of terror for her led to something that helped free her from that nightmare. He taught her that she had worth. He made her want to live, not just exist. Then Goh took that away from her again," he said softly as he gently caressed her cheek then moved to stand at her feet.

"I know there have been a few attempts on the vines. Thankfully they're still doing their job. You'll have to watch for the ones that actually get into the castle. Do it however you want, but make sure that they are worthy of her..." he finally said in a firmer tone as he started preparing the 'magic' he'd need to wake her up.

Then... Of course... The cat jumped up and settled on Ilea's chest... The beast got very comfortable and even started to purr...

Of course...

Nalyne gave a soft gasp of incredulity over it, "Really?!" he said softly, wondering how the beast intended to derail this whole thing...

Then again, perhaps he should tell Nate that what he'd adopted wasn't just a simple cat... Nah... Let him figure it out on his own... More entertaining that way....

Nalyne finally gave Nate a simple nod. It wasn't much, but it said volumes.

Thank you for protecting Ilea.
Thank you for understanding.
Thank you for treating me like a person.
Thank you for being the lethal killer I know you to be.
Thank you for not judging me for being what I am.
Thank you for just being here.

He looked at the cat again and gave a sigh, "Okay. Grab the Yozun and let me get started," he said then watched as Nate grabbed the cat and backed away again. That done, he walked to Ilea's side and placed a hand on her forehead and the other over her heart then closed his eyes.

A soft light started to flicker under his hands for a moment and he gave a frown as he opened his eyes to look down at Ilea, "Damned b*****d..." he muttered with a low growl then raised his hands about an inch, "I won't let him beat me at this one," he growled again and tried again.

This time, the amount of power he used was enough to nearly choke on as it filled the room. Nalyne seemed to grow in size until he seemed too large for the building, yet his size never actually changed. But his presence changed enough that it was obvious that he was never mortal, that he was something too large to fit in the skin he wore so casually.

The light from his hands changed to a dark violet and seemed to shift into a glowing mist that moved into Ilea's skin. The his hand moved down to rest on her heart and sent a jolt of pure power through her.

It took a brief moment and then it happened.

Ilea's crimson eyes flew open and she sucked in a deep breath as her back arched. As she dropped back down, Nalyne took her hand in his and met her eyes while she gasped for air. He cupped her cheek as she barely whispered, "Shale?"

When he shook his head silently, she closed her eyes and shed a couple of bloody tears that moved over her pale skin and into her dark hair.

Then the castle shook briefly enough to send a cloud of dust falling around them. Around the castle the dead began to rise. Row upon row of them. All of the graveyards emptied. The skeletons inside the castle made their way into the room and knelt in front of Ilea.

That was a show of power that made Nalyne take a step back from her. He'd known that her necromancy had been growing after Goh died since the b*****d had spent over a thousand years suppressing her abilities. But this was something else...

After a moment, she took in a deep breath that shook but firmed up as she sat up and looked at the skeletons for a moment. She tilted her head at them then turned to look Nate, silently assessing him before getting off of the stone alter she'd been laying on.

As she moved, the blanket that had been covering her changed. It wrapped around her on it's own until it settled into a new outfit of crimson leather; pants, full bodice, and heeled knee boots. She pushed her hair back over her shoulder and approached Nate.

Nalyne started to approach her but paused when she held up a hand as she kept her crimson eyes on Nate. Behind her, another skeleton walked in with a thin box and offered it to her. She took it and nodded, seemingly ordering the skeletons without a word spoken.

"You do good work. But you can do better. Your next lesson is this," she told him simply and offered him the box. Inside was a book that was older than Nalyne. Even the skeletons knew that this was the first book Goh had given to her for her necromancy lessons.

She turned to Nalyne, "I will need to know how I'm awake without a Master. For now... Would someone please explain why there is a Yozun in the castle? And why no one has killed the Throne yet?" she asked, gesturing to the cat before she left to head towards the Throne Room.

She seemed to completely ignore the undead in and around the castle. But Nate would be able to understand that she was connected to the undead on a level that required no speaking. She simply thought it and it was done.

The creature in the throne room gave an audible whimper...

Ilea did not visibly show any emotion right now. She felt it, as evidenced by the rising of the dead and their fear of her. This was the Ilea that had survived Goh. Cautious, careful, limiting the emotions she showed, taking care of what needed done, serving her master completely and totally, and yet...

Well, Nate would probably understand that Ilea was absolutely terrified and felt like her heart had torn from her chest. And after reading the journals, both men knew that Goh had done that to her several times so she fully understood the comparison in ways that they never would.

The cat, however, just meowed and, apparently, decided to lead the way.

Nalyne gave another nod and slapped Nate's shoulder as he started to follow her, "I told you she wouldn't kill you," he told him simply then left him to follow as he pleased.

Nalyne shook his head at Nate with a small smile. He knew Ilea wouldn't hurt him. If she hadn't by now, she wouldn't do it without provocation. She was, in fact, the best person to help the boy in all the realms.

Ilea watched the fluffy orange ball trot ahead of her and gave a sardonic shake to her head, "Whatever you named it, it's claimed you. Trying to dislodge the beast would be pointless now. He claims that he's your Familiar now. Good luck with that, by the way. It's like taming a feral dragon addicted to cocaine. Lottie, as you named him, is a Yozun. Yozun is his species. You just gave him a cute name," she said simply, a hint of humor in her beautiful voice.

At the door to the throne room, she paused, "As for a mess... The Throne is a creature made entirely of bone. The worst we'd have to deal with is bone dust. But I'll give you a couple of options," she paused and looked at Nalyne with a raised eyebrow.

"Nathaniel. Nate for short. He's adopted you as a sister. I thought you would be the best expert to help him with his issue as well as his training. And he can help you until someone worthy of the Bond comes along. I might be able to set up a restorative bath for you that will keep you awake. I'll just need some of your stored blood for it and a suitable place for the bath to be set up," he started with the explanation there but paused as she turned back to the boy.

"Well, Nate then... Your options: the Throne can stay alive but it will be your new pet. I can supply you the information on the creature and you can see if that helps you with it. Second, you can see your Familiar at work as he takes care of it. Or Third, I destroy the Throne and we let the Rattles sweep up the mess," she watched his face as she gave him something she was never given in this building: choices.

Nalyne interrupted again to let the boy consider his options, " I was hoping that you also help answer a question: What is he? I know he was turning into a lich when he came here. But he's evolving into something I've never seen before. If you could help with that..." he trailed off when she held up a hand to him, her crimson eyes still on the boys face.

"I will answer that when he is ready for me to answer it. Nathaniel... I'm not as destructive as I may seem. I punish as necessary. Darkness Abounds is a violent realm, just as evil as its creator. It requires a firm hand and frequent displays of force to keep the population in order. I personally have tried to never act without cause. I'm not saying I'm not violent, evil, sadistic, and very talented with some very questionable skills. But I have only lost control twice in all of my life. The first time I paid with my blood. The second time I thought I was defending one I gave my shattered soul to. I am a broken creature. Torn asunder in ways that defy imagination. I will tell you that there were things that even Goh did not write down in those journals. But I do not act without cause. I will teach you willingly," she said softly to him, her gaze never wavering.

"But you will have to teach me as well. I have only had one healthy relationship in my life. One. I don't know what it means to be a sister or part of a family. You will have to teach me that," she added in a softer tone that spoke to a vulnerability that she was uncertain on how to handle.

But she was trying...

Goh had created her to be beautiful, seductive, enticing, deadly and obedient. She had tried to defy him, had actually fought him in combat. He'd defeated her bloodily and nearly killed her. Only Shale had kept her from dying but it was a close thing. She had still faced down her nightmare and survived it.

Now, she was facing something completely unknown to her: family... She had no knowledge of what to do with it. She'd never had a family. She'd never had a mother. Siblings were a foreign concept.

Nate would have to teach her everything. In that, he was the expert...



Of course, they all should paid attention to the small orange fluffball that managed to slip through the cracked door while they were distracted....

Nalyne held his breath as Nate hugged Ilea, not sure how she would react to it. But her reaction did say a lot.

She moved into it with a relaxed body but there was a miniscule flinching around her eyes. She'd learned long ago that flinching brought more pain. And relaxing before a hit kept her from more soreness later. It was a very old habit she'd developed. It was more muscle memory than anything she thought about.

But as she caught his scent, she relaxed more. She could feel the lich seed inside of him giving a relaxed pleased reaction to her proximity. But it was the scent he naturally carried that let her relax. To her, he smelled like graveyard dust and freshly turned earth.

After a brief hesitation, she put her hands at his waist, as if testing his reaction. Then her hands moved around him and she hugged him back.

Nalyne was afraid to react at all. He didn't want to disturb this moment. He knew what it meant even if Nate didn't.

In thousands of years of abuse, only one person had shown her kindness. Until now. Shale was slowly tearing down the walls she'd built up but he'd had the added benefit of the Bond to help him with her. This... This was different... This was true kindness that she didn't really understand but was accepting because she wanted to learn what it meant to be in a family.

Hells... He was tempted to join in but held back because he did know what reaction he would get...

After another moment she finally pulled back and looked up into Nate's eyes for a brief moment then nodded to him.

He was easily seven inches taller than she was but it wasn't really noticeable until now. She carried so much power and presence that she seemed taller. But Nate and Nalyne both towered over her smaller frame.

She opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by a whimper from the throne room that made her frown. That was fear of something within the room...

She looked around and noticed the cracked door as well as the missing ball of orange fluff, "Of course..." she said softly then pushed the door open the rest of the way.

They didn't need to go inside. The cat reached up to bat at one of the bones and what appeared to be a skeletal dog whimpered again as it crouched down then skuttled around all three of them until it could press it's face to the ground in front of Nate. Standing, the thing could look just over his head. So it was a sizable beast.

Ilea gave a sigh and looked down at the cat, "I'm guessing that you him to keep it?" she asked then nodded at the meow she was given, "So be it. You're right that he'll need a mount at some point," she said with a shrug of one shoulder before looking back at Nate, "Your familiar has decided for you, it seems. There is a book on the creature in the Study somewhere. Apparently the fluffball thought the dog shape would be funny. But the Throne can take on any form you choose. Goh frequently used it as a skeletal horse," at the mention of Goh, the Throne gave a bone-rattling shiver of fear.

Ilea ignored that. Instead she looked at Nalyne for a moment then rolled her eyes and looked back at Nate, "Fine... Eventually, you will turn into a Divine Lich. Your nature has been changed because you made a Deal with a Deity. Your full nature will be influenced by that deal and the kind of deity you made the deal with. Since Nalyne is about as neutral as they come, take that I to consideration," she explained then looked at Nalyne, "You don't have to do much until after he finishes evolving. Then you just have to give a purpose. For now, learning and the occasional job are all he needs," she finished the explanation with a wry look.

Nalyne actually looked a little guilty over it as he looked at Nate, "I didn't expect that... I've never had a follower of any kind. I'm not that kind of deity," he started but stopped when she held up a hand to him.

"Apologies are useless at this point. It's done. For now, a bath and maybe a meal. I don't really need to eat but Shale was..." she hesitated there because she wasn't sure if she wanted to talk about that right now. It might have been almost a year for them, but it had been mere minutes for her.

Nalyne nodded to her, "Understandable. Why don't you go bathe. Nate wanted to cook you a meal anyway. While you two are busy with that, I can set up that bath for you, if you have a location for it," she nodded to him and cleared her throat before talking.

"The room next mine will work. The tub in there can hold enchantments easily," she suggested then gave them both a nod before moving to head up the stairs.

In truth, she wanted to grieve alone. She'd always cried in private and she wasn't changing that habit any time soon.

Nalyne turned to Nate, fully expecting for him to be upset with him. So he offered a half-smile and shrugged, "Well it looks like you have a new pet," he offered, hoping to difuse the impending explosion.

The cat just meowed again as he sat and groomed his face with one paw...