Unto Black

[21:41] Calael was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed across his chest, though when he spotted the smoke coming from his niece's lips and the fractured state he was in, his arms fell to his side and he took a step closer to the table.

While Thalia's heat was oppressive, dangerous, and brought about by whatever was wrong with her, Calael's contended with it, two blankets of temperature meeting one another, like a gust of wind attempting to lightly push the other along. As usual, the Starkeeper's brand of pyromantic aura was without the singing air and the anger that built up so many others of that art. It was kind, comforting. It was the kind of warmth one would otherwise feel in their hearts or in the arms of a loved one.

Though they had come down here to discuss the Oscuri and his green-lines, Calael had taken note of Thalia's instability, and while he would not pry within her memories to discover what it was that Leahad bore witness to, he was still there offering some help.

"Your cousin is... one of the kindest of all of us. And she understands much of the pain others experience. I know you don't need me to tell you as much... but I would advise you to meet with her again, if only to talk about what it is that's bubbling up within."

Carefully, he placed a hand atop the table, his fingers tenting it there for a second. "...and I am available to speak with as well, though my advice is likely subpar to Lea's. I am old. You are young... but I once told you we cannot let our fires lose control. And I sense yours is boiling..."

"Letting off some steam, so to speak, helps. Speaking our problems aloud often times... are the best way to do that."

The demiangel gave hera nod before turning now to Ilui and Ascalon.

"Now we may begin."

Cal moved off to the side and dragged a crate over. "I don't know what Lea told you, Ascalon, but the Summit deemed it unnecessary and dangerous for Levengard to permit you your Rieka lines. I told you as much at the meeting's close, and then left to deliver the same news to Loretta, who has been resting ever since."

"From my understanding, Eiphraem was to issue some rehabilitation to you alongside my niece in order to urge you away from your faith... and that is the only reason I have not visited you myself to ensure the black-lining was finished. Given... that is not the case, we will have to move onto the next step that the others had planned."

Tyrium rings were pulled from the crate, ones large enough to place around biceps and wrists like bangles. They varied in size even still, capable of being placed all around the body's limbs, and one resembled a collar in structure. Small runes were cut into the sides of the larger ones, and Cal laid them out for Ascalon to see.

"These Tyrium instruments will do it for you, you see. They will turn your Green Rieka lines black. We had them made for just this purpose... if you did not make the effort yourself. I don't wish to threaten you with the ultimatum you have been given by my nephew, but we cannot continue on with the Rieka glowing."

Cal held the collar one up first. "I am asking that you consider your family in this, Ascalon. That you keep your wife in mind, along with your children. With your black-lines, you can live safely here, especially given Ultovex is still on the prowl. So I ask; will you accept these tyrium bands upon your body?"
(Calael E. Kang)
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[21:50] Shifting a bit in his seat, a certain look was flashed his wife's way.

It's hard to actually describe the look, or even understand what it meant from first glance. There's a strange mixture of emotions there; a bit of agitation mixed in alongside a bit of remorse. Some sadness, some uncertainty. A strange cocktail that's surfaced onto his features.

Perhaps it's because he doesn't know what to do to help her. Or maybe because he's not equipped to actually deal with it himself, in all honesty. Yet, at the mention of the Oscuri, his attention finally drifted back over towards the red-haired man.

A soft hum being heard, his fingers drumming away at the armrest of his chair.

"You should pick quick, hm? Trust me."

There's a slight pause, his lips curling up into a smirk,

".. I won't be giving you a second chance on this."
(Ilui Elisheva)
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[21:59] The former Paladin of Dawn had followed into the depths of the fortress. They knew death was the most likely outcome within the stone walls. It was Levengard after all, executions had happened in more frequency than Dawn ever could.

Then, why would an Oscuri perhaps the last Oscuri. Follow the demi-angels into the pit? For the Zanders the easies answer was that his children had been out on that plain. Would he force them to watch their father slain? No, if it was to happen it'd be better to take place within the depths and darkness.

In the shadows where scars could fade in time. Though, they'd noticed the struggle between Calael's soothing aura and the fiery aura of Thalia. The Oscuri pondered for a brief moment if the demi-angels suffered from insanity as the Oscuri. It would explain why so many had grown so vicious.

There was a few moments as the Oscuri listened to Calael. Hearing the words spoken, though at the mention of Lea againthe man would shake his head. "What I said of Lea was a misunderstanding between you and I. I'd meant we had a talk, about the re-lining time-frame."

As the Oscuri spoke they'd shift their gaze to the bands. They had developed something that could simpe rip away what one was? The Oscuri blinked, before a smirk touched his lips. It did exactly what they'd claimed Necromancy did for so long. Just another form of enslavement.

There was a half glance towards Ilui as they spoke. The Oscuri listened to them, before giving them a nod. "You can stop with the threats. I understand how the world is." The man's voice was calm as he spoke. They'd had a long time to think about what would happen here.

Had they wasted those two years? They'd not thought so. It was two years they'd gotten tolearn and grow in ways they'd never had the chance in Dawn. Yet, the city was just as terrible as the rumors had made it out to be. A beacon of hope is what the original founders had wanted it to be. Yet... Was it?

"Have you... Tested these bands before? How do you know they'd do what you say?" The question was simple, but it was one that they'd felt needed asked.

Thanks to their conversation with Eiphraem the Oscuri knew the state of Azrael. Knew what Levengards eventual goals where, or at the least thought he knew. Perhaps it'd been a deception to keep the Oscuri from joining those upon the mountain and wreaking havoc upon the lands.

(Ascalon Zanders)
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[22:11] Sadly, for her, it wasn't insanity. It was knowing who one's lineage was that drove her to the depths that she had fallen to. All things that were synonymous with Dawn brought her immeasurable pain, it made her recall those binding chains of Ixchel that her 'mother' had been so keen to deny. Even then, she would lean there against the wall as she silently found her center. As she cleared her mind of what was and what could have been.

Still, though, she waited for what was to come. The eventuality was that Azraelism would be extinct upon these lands. None would carry it forward. She wouldn't allow it.

Not when she knew Akasha's connection to the foul angel. Not when she knew her mother practiced his awful art.

"Mmn."
(Thalia Elisheva)
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[22:12] "The timeframe was longer before the summit. After the meeting, it was decided you and Loretta would be dealt with immediately. The only reason so much time has past is because we have had to deal with everything else that comes with running a city." Cal lowered the collar, and let Ascalon and Ilui go back and forth.

Ilui was to say his threats, and Ascalon knew very much what would happen here if things went a certain direction. Gehenna's Chieftains, Huangzhou, Levengard, and even Briarlocke had called for the Oscuri's end. Hands were tied in this instance, no matter what Calael wished to do.

"We've never had the chance to test them, no. And we don't have the time for tests, so consider this our trial and final run of this. These rings will dampen your mana, your magic, and then the Rieka as well. Your connection to Azrael will be severed by their attachment, and... then things will be done."

"We will remove them afterward and you will bear your new, empty lines in Levengard. Your children will grow up with their father and you will be here with Arlei. It's... a simple solution, if I do say so myself... so long as we don't complicate it anymore than we already have?"

Calael unclicked a hinge on the 'collar'. It wasn't a prisoner collar, just a metal, tyrium band. "I will charge some magic through them so that they flow correctly, and then all will be finished. After you have your black-lines, Eiphraem and Lea are free to work with you on reigniting them with some new source that isn't Azrael down the road."

Cal paused.

"So... ready?"
(Calael E. Kang)
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[22:19] The Oscuri looked upon the bands for a few moments. They really didn't know what to say about it. It'd just a good chance to snuff out his mana fully based upon the Demi-angel's words. After-all such a thing had happened to Laddie.

Yet, there was no real options left. Even if he'd escaped Azrael had lost his footing upon Agartha. One Oscuri couldn't change that. Yet, he could help bring something new to the world and raise his children.

Something his father had never gotten the chance to do. Leaving the young Zanders alone for most of his life. Death may be a gateway, but it wasn't one the former Paladin of the Dawn was ready to traverse. Not yet.

"Place the bands Calael."
(Ascalon Zanders)
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[22:27] Cal nodded, and he went to work fastening the rings and bands onto Ascalon. Three were placed on the arms, at the wrist, elbow, and bicep, while two were on each leg at the ankle and thigh. Their inscripted runes sat there, dull and without glow while the demiangel finally moved forward with the collar that he placed around Ascalon's neck.

With a close of his eyes and an exhale, the Virtue's glow filled the room a second time, though it was far more concentrated than it had been before. Ascalon would feel Calael peering through his mind, reading memories and assessing how much power might need to be put forth here in order to weaken and extinguish the mana.

He wondered if it would even work, given there hadn't been any previous tests.

Once that was finished, the oppressive divine magic was not let up on, and Cal placed a gloved hand atop one of the tyrium rings on Ascalon's arm. The weight of the metal was greater than other materials that might have been used, and after several minutes of bearing tyrium so closely to his body, Ascalon would feel them pulling at the magic and mana within. Magi were capable of so much, their circuits and connection to magic setting them apart from the normal population of the world.

Tyrium and its functions, however, were a direct counter to that. The metal sucked magic out of sources, it was known for a nearly vampiric trait. The demiangel had watched a man walk about in armor made of tyrium in his youth and knew that if it wasn't used correctly, it could even be dangerous.

A surge of heat was given to the ring Calael held, and then those runes began to glow with holy light. The magic was diverted to each ring, hitting one at a time to give them an exorcist's touch.

The longer they rested on him, the more they pulled, and the weaker Ascalon would feel. Casting magic like this would be difficult, and his circuits were surely beginning to fail.

More and more mana was taken away as the demiangel watched the Rieka lines with eager interest in order to see if Eiphraem's solution would actually work...
(Calael E. Kang)
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[22:40] The bands where put into place, immediately the metal seared the Oscuri's flesh. Tyrium wasn't something that'd ever meant to be exposed to a magi. Not without pain at the least.

Though for the Virtue's insight, trailing through the Oscuri's mind. Searching through the memories that the Oscuri had upon his divine patron. They'd find the connection had been strong once.

Almost unbreakable in the Zanders youth. Yet, as they'd aged and seen defeat after defeat of the forces of Azraelism. The lighthouse glow shining ever stronger and the lose of those great champions of the angel of death fall.

That faith had became shaky after years of watching those who'd claimed to fight in the Morning Lords name. Commit atrocity after atrocity against their own people. Years of contention over his beliefs with Arlei, and then Eiphraem, and Lea had weakened them even further.

The bond was not something that'd be easily broken but it wasn't as strong as it could have been. Perhaps the man had been growing closer and closer as time within Levengard continued on and on?

Not that it mattered now, the bands where doing what they'd designed. Claimping down on the nodes that'd allowed the Oscuri's mana to course so strongly. Forcing a chokehold upon the reiki's flow.

Asclaon for his part grew paler and paler as he'd struggle to remain upright. A life-time of war had left the Paladin resistant to pains that'd put down weaker magi. Yet, what could one do when the very source of their strength was being stolen?

Those lines, slowly flickered a darker and darker shade of green. As if the bright flush was weakening, draining. The man's knees buckled at that point. The ground came fast upon him as he dropped. Striking the olden stones hard, at the same time his line's would drain away.
(Ascalon Zanders)
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[22:46] And so, it finally came to be..

Shifting around in his seat a bit, a frown found its way onto the Dryad's features once the rings were brought out. A bit of disappointment rising within him. There was only a single Oscuri left, and honestly, he wanted to be the one to have the honors of turning his lines black with his own two hands.

.. Being the person who got rid of the final one.

The death of an entire being of people.

And yet, despite the fact that he wasn't able to do it himself; the Dryad still found joy in watching the man drop to the ground. That frown of his turning upside down, grinning just about as long as life as he watched those green lines slowly fade away. Before finally draining away completely.

Even though he was only able to watch, he was there. Given the honor of watching the last of his kind fade away.
(Ilui Elisheva)
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[22:48] Calael took a step back to give Ascalon his moment of potential loss. After witnessing those memories and the lifetime as a soldier in Dawn's army, he knew everything was going to fall into place right after. The weakening faith over time just needed a final push that one was not capable of making on their own.

And yet, even knowing how this would end, Cal's wings fluttered anxiously, and he waited, with baited breath, until the Rieka had darkened entirely. After a few seconds of Ascalon remaining on the ground without his connection to his deity of choice, Cal moved ahead to help the man back upright and began to unfasten the rings.

"...it worked." Calael said almost in a whisper as he helped Ascalon back into the cushioned seat. He could barely believe it himself, given the lack of testing, and yet?

"You are free to return to yourfamily, Ascalon Zanders. Do give Arlei my regards." It wasn't a time for excitement or celebrating for Ascalon, and Cal knew that, so for the moment he was keeping himself contained. But the other Elishevas in the room, the ones who had grown up seeing their uncle go through bits of happiness and depression and all things in between throughout their life would be able to tell he was absolutely ecstatic.

For once, if only once, something had gone right.
(Calael E. Kang)
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[22:59] That helping hand, was appreciated as the now-reikaless Oscuri was sat in the chair. The color in their features where gone, their was no vigor to be seen. They were just worn down and drained.

They barely heard what Calael was saying, shifting their features to the man. There was a look of fatigue that delved deeper than the physical. The Zanders simply looked tired, barely able to keep their eyes open.

The pale man uttered a single word in confusion. "Huh?" They'd seem confused, disorientated on what was happening. They'd just had one of those things which made them whole... Taken.

It left a weakened man who'd trouble realizing where they where. Let alone fully being able to get up and leave themselves. Like a patient in the clinic who'd been fighting a wasting illness. They Oscuri simply seemed out of it.

"Did it work?"
(Ascalon Zanders)
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[23:01] Calael E. Kang says, "It appears so."
[23:02] Calael E. Kang says, "We... are finished here. I... am sure your family is worried and waiting for you outside, Ascalon."
[23:02] Calael starts packing up the tyrium rings back into their crate.
(Calael E. Kang)
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[23:03] Ascalon picked himself up, more through willpower than strength left in his body. The Oscuri would depart the prison, leaving and making their way bake to their House.
(Ascalon Zanders)
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[23:03] Calael E. Kang says, "..."