The crisp night provided the perfect climate for his plans. Walking slowly down a marble entranceway, a man dressed from head to toe in iron armor gently pushed open the door of small bedroom. The white sheets provided were much too innocent for his cause, he was not about to be a good soldier this night. Yanking the sheets off the bed in one sweep, the man drew a shimmering knife from his boot. Shards of goose feather flew up around the room as the soldier haphazardly slashed through the bare mattress. A perfect place to hide something large.

Slowly picking up each solitary goose feather, the man made sure that the bedroom was as neat as he had found it, excluding the ripped mattress and the bundle of white sheets tossed in the corner. Inwardly, he wished that the sheets had been red, a dark red at that. A smirk crossed the man's face as he walked through the shadows of the room and back out the door.

Ah, perfect weather, he thought. The man had quickened his pace out of the room as to make sure that none of the palace maids would come into the room and discover the bed. A black cloak trailed behind him decorated elaborately with intricate patterns in gold weave. The click of his shoes made a pleasant sound on the gray marble as he walked out into a blooming courtyard, highlighted by the pale light of the waning moon. He quickly cut across it and made his way to an open room decorated with columns and marble figures around a main path. Sculptures of great emperors and ambassadors seemed to be staring directly at him, as if scolding him for his future sins. He would laugh at them when they were nothing but shards of stone under a cracked, fallen column or two.

He came to a fountain in the middle of the path. It spouted a clear, sparkling water, reflecting the image of the silver faerie releasing it. The calm sounds of the water splashing into the small pool below sent chills up the man's spine. Peace always made him edgy. He skirted past the frightening fountain and continued on until he reached a set of thick, brass doors. Carved in them were symbols and images of what was held inside. A small stone was carved at the bottom of the door, sitting on a column that came up to about his waist. Around it, wispy clouds shot from the center of the door and were carved randomly around the inner area. Symbols were written along the outer edges, continuing all around the frame. Written in Old Aryne, he was not able to translate them, but he didn't need to. He already was aware of what lay behind these large barriers.

Gently pressing on the doors with his hands, the man closed his eyes while a black glow formed around his body. Slowly, the doors opened moving moment by moment. He opened his eyes as the glow faded around him and became obsolete. The entire room itself made him tremble as he took a step forward. Large, ornate windows lined every wall letting the pale moonlight shine through them. The floor, lightened by the moon, was unerring and reflected everything above it. In the center of the room sat a pedestal elaborately decorated and carved with symbols similar to those on the door. Atop it, a black stone awaited. Its luster was unimaginable and the smooth surface just beckoned his childish soul to go retrieve it. Without the help of the moonlight, it seemed to glow on its own. Just seeing it brought his restless mind to extreme calm.

Standing at the window, an aged man stared at the one dressed in iron. His white robes told of his high status at the Palace of Aryne, he was a wizard no doubt. His dark eyes seemed to know his fate and he wrinkled his brow as he stared at the intruder who had entered his place of solitude.

"Who might you be young man?" The wizard's tunic fluttered in a wind that had no origin. An increased intensity raged in his eyes, though his tone showed no signs of emotion.

A believable smile crossed his lips, "Oh, dear wizard, I am of no harm to you. I just came to look at the wondrous Orb. I do hope you think of me as no threat." Another grin passed his face as he stepped closer to the pedestal in the center of the room.

"The Orb of Crimson Tears is not for your eyes, nor those of a non-wizard, to see! Now, exit this sanctuary before I remove you myself. I do not play games, young man."

The grin quickly turned to a dark scowl, "No, old man. I believe it is you who will be removed from this sanctuary as you call it." Within a blink, the silver knife was in his hands once more. Running his finger along the edge of the blade, he took the weapon and held it with extreme care, "I will not fail to do my duty this night. But consider yourself lucky that you will not survive to see the results of what I do here." Looking down at his now gushing finger, the soldier took his hand and placed it between his lips as he drank the scarlet liquid. A blood stained smile crept across his shadowed face.

Stepping back in both disgust and fear, the wizard held out his hands. Between them, a white ball of energy began to form and grow with extreme speed. The wizard breathed heavily as his face became lit by the orb. Magic danced in his eyes as he opened them wide with rage. When the ball of light had grown to about the size of his body, the wizard released the energy with extreme force. It flashed brightly as it raced towards the ironclad man, nonchalantly standing in the doorway. A smile crossed his face as the ball stopped a few steps away from him, then dissolved into the darkness of the room.

"What? How… what did you… what are you?" The wizard backed against one of the windows, paralyzed with fear.

"I, my dear friend, am something you do not want to cross paths with." Effortlessly, the man in armor shot a ball of dark matter towards the crouching wizard, hitting him with great force. The impact made him stumble back a few paces, as a hard wind rushed through the room. When the light disappeared, the dark eyes became white, the body mangled and disfigured.

Chuckling, the soldier walked up to the man and spit on his skinless face, "Heh. I told you it would be yourself who was destroyed." Walking over to the pedestal, the man's eyes filled with greed. He clasped the stone in his hands, laughing ecstatically as he held it up in his arms. The man grinned at what he had done, destroyed a wizard and retrieved the Stone of Crimson Tears. Drawing his hands around the stone, he held it and touched its wonderful surface. Finally, he placed it back down on the pedestal, covering it with his hands.

"Stone of the Dark, open your core to me! Show those who foolishly sided with the Light what Ultimate Darkness can really do. Let the world behold your wonderment, your darkness. Stone of Crimson Tears, you will be the birth of their death!"

Shots of black light flashed from the stone, cutting through the air itself. Places where the rays had touched now were nothing but black. Columns tumbled as their bases dissolved right below them. Blocks of marble fell with the screeching of the stone, vibrating the room. Wind erupted and swept around the chamber, frost formed on the windows. Shadows floated from within the stone as its dark luster was replaced by a translucent shade of scarlet. Laughing, the man stood by the stone, the ebony glow once again surrounding him.

"Yes! The end has begun!"

The shadows increased around him. The look of joy was wiped from his face and was replaced by one of sheer terror. Grasping the stone, the man looked at himself to find half of his body nothing but skeletal.

"No! You cannot do this! Plitus, how could you do this to me? I served you! Why?" The darkness grew, and with a quick sweep, engulfed his body, leaving a pile of bones rotting in the explosion of night.

***

"I don't understand what you're saying."

It had been almost half a day since Cira had last opened her eyes. When she awoke in the destroyed sacrifice room as she had been told, the only thing she saw at first was the ashy smoke flowing in from the vast gaps in the walls. Although to her, she thought that the cold floor had woken her up in the first place, the older man she was talking to claimed otherwise.

"What I'm saying is that I found you here unconscious. Your breath was shallow and I thought you dead at first. There wasn't anyone in here with you."

"That's impossible! I'm supposed to have at least one Mistress looking after me at all times! Mistress Anne has to be here somewhere. Mistress Clarice as well!"

The older man placed a wrinkled hand over his mouth, almost as if in shock, "Dear child, Mistress Anne is…"

"Is what?"

"She is with the spirits now. With our dear Creator of Life."

Cira's eyes widened in both shock and disbelief as she stared at the bearded man who couldn't bear to look at her anymore, "That cannot be true. Mistress Anne cannot die, she's invincible! She's… she cannot die, she just can't." Cira held back the enormous wave of tears that had been growing inside of her. She knew that crying would show weakness, she had to hold the tears in.

The old man placed a palm on her back, rubbing gently as if she were nothing but a delicate piece of glass, "No one is invincible, child. Ribatus needs her with him now, she can die. All life is exhaustible, mine, Anne's, Clarice's… nobody lives forever."

Choking on her own breath, Cira looked up at the man once more, staring into his green eyes, "And Clarice? She is dead as well?"

The man shifted his glance to the outskirts of the room, focusing on a large void in the wall leading out into the mists of the world outside. His voice was distant as he spoke, "We could not find Clarice's body in the area. We don't know where she is, but it is assumed that she is also gone." The man looked back at Cira as if expecting to see tears. None came.

Standing up, Cira lowered her head and looked down at the man, "Wizard Li, I am at your command to protect, to rule, to serve. I hereby give my oath of loyalty to yourself until the day your bones rot in the gates of the underworld."

An extreme silence waited, hovering over the two. Cira looked only at the floor, using her powers of concentration to focus on nothing but the cracks in the stone. Fiddling with his white robes, Li almost seemed to be searching for what to say to the young girl. Thunder outside barked at them, as if trying to chase them into speech.

The wizard snatched Cira back down the floor, holding her hand with extreme strength. His voice was nothing more than a malicious hiss, "I am not going to command you. You are neither my servant, nor any of the Mistresses' any longer. Now, listen to me. The Palace is no longer a safe place to stay. I believe that the soldiers from Erole are still here, in which case we must leave, now. I'm going to take you to the Palace of Aryne and I need you to be quiet as we try to leave. Do you understand?"

In shock, Cira nodded her head in agreement. She was going to leave Varulami? How could she? The entire world for her was inexperienced, she didn't even know what a cloud really was.

"Good. Very good, Cira. Now, We're going to have to go through that gap in the wall. Stay as low to the ground as possible. I don't know if there are soldiers out there right now, but we want to give them little opportunity to see or catch us. Now, follow me out."

Clouds of dust erupted as the two moved throughout the indistinguishable rubble. Bodies were scattered here and there, all of them innocent people torn to mere scraps of meat as if being fed to wolves. The site was almost too much for Cira to bear and more than once, she found herself turning away and covering her mouth in disgust. The wizard seemed to give the dead no mind as he nonchalantly passed over their corpses. His white robe fluttered in the slight wind swimming through the chasms in the wall, giving him the appearance of a dancing angel walking through the realm of the dead.

Cira could think of nothing but her Mistress. She couldn't comprehend the concept of death, especially not the death of one she had loved like a mother. The emotion hit her heart as if Anne had betrayed her, left her alone in a world where all was anew, everything left untouched by her delicate hands. Her small world in her room was puzzling enough, but now it seemed that every stone wall collapsed on her, opening up doors she hadn't even known existed. Cira was scared to finally have her freedom.

Another burst of thunder crashed into the air. Lightning flashed, lighting the damp, green fields outside, usually darkened by the merciless night. Only when the sky lit up could Cira see the thousands of men standing stiffly, spears in their hands, swords at their hips. Iron armor glinted in the slithers of moonlight that managed to break through the blankets of blackened clouds. Capes slapped against their backs as sheets of rain pressed down on their worn faces, weary of battles that had not yet begun.

The wizard turned back and looked at Cira. His eyes revealed no emotions, the green orbs simply stared, glazed over as if hiding something. Wrinkles lined his forehead, white whiskers forming in the corners of his mouth. His features, changing his appearance from an expression of kindness to one of abstruseness, shadowed his face.

"Cira, I need you to trust me right now. I'm going to try and shadow you, this way you will be able to escape here."

Cira brought her tone down to nothing more than a whisper just as the wizard did, "You are coming too, aren't you?"

A glint of emotion flashed in the man's eyes and it was not something Cira was ready or willing to see, "I am not a strong wizard, child. I only have enough magic to shield one of us, you must go on your own."

Cira clutched the wizard's robes, anger flashing haphazardly in her eyes, "You cannot leave me in this world alone. I don't know anything, I won't make it more than a few steps!" Her voice was strangled as the girl searched the man's face, fear growing inside of her.

Gently, the man released the fingers from his robe, staring at her intently, focused completely on her, "If I could do it any other way, I would, but child, there is nothing I can do now. You have to get out of here and travel to the Palace of Aryne, only then will you be safe."

"Wizard Li, there is no way I can leave you here! I can't do it by myself… I can't leave here to let you die."

"I can't shield us both, Cira. I'm going to try to run just as you will, I don’t give up without a fight. There is slim chance I will make it though. You can see for yourself how many soldiers are lined up there, I cannot hide from all of them. Just do as I say, you'll be fine. Hold still Cira while I do this."

The only thing Cira was willing to do was fall limply into the wizard's arms. She could not bear another person leaving her alone, the day had been filled to the rim with losses. The only thing she could do to hold back from crying was bite her lip furiously. Her eyes carefully watched the wizard as he placed his hands atop her head.

He began to chant, swaying back and forth, his eyes closed. She could feel his hands trembling as the words began to become more hallow, alien. She could feel a white light coursing through her veins, spreading like fires on dried leaves. Warmth surged through her as she moaned in rapture. The light became brighter, more enjoyable. Cira felt drunk with the magic inside of her, she felt out of body. When she opened her eyes once again, the magic began to cool, although its presence was detectable. She felt like she had just been soaked with the very essence of life, rejuvenated in every aspect.

The wizard was breathing quickly. He looked to have just run from the infinite amount troops that sat outside. Cira quickly placed a hand behind his back as his body arched in a way that seemed to be impossible. The breathing was heavy and was even audible over the slamming of the rain.

"You have to rest before we run."

Panting, Li glanced up at the girl, the green tint in his eyes faded, "We… don't have the time. If we leave at all… we have to go now."

More claps of thunder and lighting banged against the sky, building up a rage that was heavy in the air. The two were silent, staring out at the field saturated with soldiers. Cira looked out into the blackened sky, it seemed like infinity to her. The heavy weight of the man in her arms burdened her mind with guilt. She couldn't just leave him here and he couldn't travel this way. He barely stood a chance healthy and robust, but now with his waning strength, the chance of his survival was as small as the wisps of smoke that fluttered through the night air.

Cira couldn't decide what she would do. If she were to leave now, she would risk the chance of having the one person she knew die in a fight where the only blades that would be drawn were those of the enemy. She was risking her life if she stayed, not to mention Li's as well.

The distinct ring of sword against sword was heard through the air as claps of thunder exploded into the night, echoed by the sound of the sheets of rain. By the bursts of lightning and the thin laces of the moonlight, the silhouettes of the soldiers moved back and forth striking sword against armor, sword against sword. The grunts of determination floated from the men's mouths as they sparred with each other, dancing with death.

With an extreme effort, the wizard was able to bring himself to an upright position, although, not without the help of Cira's shoulder to keep him that way. Cira couldn't take her eyes off the sea of green that lay before her, the endless night. She would soon be part of that sea of green, possible even a sea of red once the night was over. Li gave her shoulder a tight squeeze, not one of fear or panic, but one of comfort and certainty. What made this man confident, she did not know, but she did know that her once dormant legs were taking their own steps forward into the soaking black world outside of Varulami's walls.

She bit her lip furiously. All she wanted to do was sit in the palace of the dead and cry, sulk. Cira was not ready to leave her home. No, it was her prison. Anne and Clarice were her wardens, but loving, caring people just the same. They cared no more for her.

Over a short period of time, Li's breath had slowed to its habitual speed. The imprints of his worn hand were still embedded in Cira's soldiers as she walked to the disintegrated, stone walls, staring out in anxiety at the task that lay before her. She could turn back, run back up to her dust filled room, lie on her putrid mattress of straw, think, and cry. She could just turn around and lock the doors that were open. She could do it, she just had to take the steps.

Turning around, Cira caught the wizard's green eyes in hers. Her legs continued to move out towards the walls, away from her room, away from Varulami. She wasn't sure if it was magic or if it was her own morals pulling her away. Raindrops slammed her face as she crawled from the gaping hole in the wall to a small, arched niche. Li crawled right behind her, his white robes soaked with the pouring rain, his hair matted down across his wrinkled face. There was nowhere else to go but forward from now on.

The sparring soldiers' grunts were crisp in the two's ears. Sounds of "hai"'s and exasperated breaths were shrieking above the hiss of the rain. More droplets hit Cira in the face as she looked out into the men, trying to determine which way to proceed. Li gently shuffled the confused girl aside and hinted to a gap in the sea of men. Nodding, Cira followed the wizard trough the eye of the hurricane yet to come.

Before, her wrapped feet had only felt the touch of the damp, slippery gray stone. Now, the tan cloth that served as a 'shoe' for her feet was drenched in muddy water, soaking through it completely, chilling her toes. In an effort to run, Cira kicked up large amounts of water and liquid dirt as she furiously tried to keep up with the wizard ahead of her. From his appearance beforehand, it didn’t even seem like he was able to move as fast as he was, like flashes of light on a metal sword, he moved in swift grace, seeming as natural as one could be.

Cira however, gave the appearance of a cubed wheel. Her grace was as scarce as dry land was during this rainstorm. Fumbling with her dress and the wet, blond hair that stuck to her face, always across her eyes, proved to be much harder of a task to keep in control than expected. It never struck her as to why she wasn't discovered between the sparring soldiers, as more often than not, cries shot from her mouth when she tripped and landed face first in the murky water below her. The wizard would turn at the sound, although he seemed to search for her despite the fact she was but a mere few steps behind him.

It was the first rain drops she had ever felt. In a sudden realization, Cira discovered that this was the first time she had ever really seen the sky. She was outside of her walls! Her cage! Suddenly, the rain that stung her face, the air that was so cold that it burned the insides of her nose, the wet ground that bit at her feet, suddenly, all of it was warmth. Warmth and light like swimming in pools of sunshine. The smells outside were incredible. She wasn't used to the absence of the putrid hay or the urine so all the time she was out in the rain, Cira had held her nose tightly shut in her mind, blocking all smell. When she opened up her sense again, the scent of the fresh rain brought tears to her eyes, mixing in with the water of the rain. She and the drops of water were now one.

Before she could even grasp what was happening, Cira was laughing. Laughing out in a field like a small child, playing and splashing in the puddles of the rain. Cira couldn't help but look up at the gray sky, thundering and booming with lightning. The rain splashed in her mouth, her eyes, her hair. It was wonderful. Who cared about the soldiers that lay but not three steps away from her? Who really cared about the destroyed palace behind her? Cira was free now, free and laughing. Her skin was soaking, her bones freezing, her hair stuck to her face, but she was laughing, and it was the happiest time of her life.