Aeion in finding Dr. Vune (all ranks)

[melodysangel]

Letter to the reader from the author:

This is going to be FUN! Its also going to take a lot of time to write up, set up and draw up.

I plan on doing a combination of story telling and drawing for prompts. If I am successful, it should tell a story--his story, and you, the reader should be immersed into his point of view. What he sees, how he feels, how he reacts. His world.

It will be tricky--this character is a well developed OC from my own created universe...where everything YOU know and believe to be true gets thrown out the window. Will I be able to make it so that it plays well in the end and you aren't left scratching your head? Challenge accepted.

For now, sit back, relax, and don't mind the dust that is about to be thrown up into the air. Its about to get messy in here!

Hang tight and buckle up. Its going to be a bumpy ride!

<3
~MA

[melodysangel]

Intro:

Some links on interactions with Aeion:
How Aeion got to Ahket + tie in

A blurb on what happened after his fall

What happened earlier that day

Some basics:

~Appears in his late teens/early 20s. Fully grown yet is only actually a few (hyean) years old. Actual age not common knowledge.

~Can be abrupt and childish but can also be serious and successfully hold responsibility. Lacks the experience someone his age holds, however is forced with gatekeeping and other responsibilities as he is now 'of age' and is using what he was born with.

~Can appear spontaneous but there is always a reason for whatever action he is doing

~Quick learner but very stubborn. Holds respect for those he looks up to (Ao, Zuri, his parents), but also challenges them at times. If he doesn't understand something, he WILL make sure you know about it.

~All Hyeans are super sensitive to their surroundings. That means he can close his eyes and feel out if theres anything around him. Details vary with the person but its a common trait shared by all with that blood and essential for keeping themselves safe. They can also catch bullets with their hands.

~They can also, to a degree, communicate through their minds. Someone born with mind control is a master of this but someone that does not have that ability can use a weak link to varying degrees of skill--and those without the innate skil do have limitations.

~As with everyone born within the hyean world, hes an expert fighter and can run faster/jump higher/bend with greater agility (typically weapon-less but he does know how to use a sword and staff.) He isn't afraid to defend himself when needed.

~Hyeans are advanced and see creatures on earth not as inferior but undeveloped and prone to getting hurt or killed. Unable to defend themselves since earth beings are not born with these innate abilities. This typically means that most creatures from earth will have a next to impossible time taking down one--however they are not invisible, and as you can read in one of the links above, they can get hurt or disciplined by those of a higher power level then them.

They are typically level headed and will not attack without reason.

~Born innate abilities: control, manip and create different deadly gasses in different states. Because of this he is able to determine what is around him and is immune to most toxic gasses or vapors. Most of these are not ones that exist on earth and are lodged up in his veins. He can also warp through space (he has to have been somewhere to know how to get there.[This is why he is complaining about not being able to read the coordinates. Normally the process is instant but it lags if one is injured!] Can take anyone that he can hold with him. Can warp short distances or across dimensions. Can rip or close down a portal but does not use portals to warp. Gets thrown about against his will at random times into random places. Usually only goes to places within the world of Hyealia itself (all 7 dimensions, and all places within those dimensions). Can NOT warp through time (past or future).

Aeion is part of a pod that is a higher rank level and responsible for the inner portals around the 7 dimensions. He has vast knowledge of just about every place he has been to within Hyealia itself because..well, hes been there. He has a basic understanding of major events that have happened before his time due to the knowledge that was passed down from his pod leaders and superiors.

~In one of the prompts you will see that there is something about being wide awake, unable to sleep. The time difference between Hyealia and Earth are astronomical. One day in his home dimension is one month on earth. This means that at 5 days on earth, his body thinks its only been a few hours.






Warning:
Please be advised that these prompts WILL contain mild language. I received permission ahead of time however if a reader is sensitive to such language, please remember that it is there and intended for the character itself <3

Savvy? Yes? Kay! MA does not wish to hear complaints, Ye be warned^^



Now that we have the formalities out of the way....*shoves Aeion in*




Eeeppp! Run, MA!

*flees before he figures out what is going on*

[melodysangel]

Chapter 1.1: The message


Midnight. The sky was as dark as some of the deepest and most vast tar pits that lay beneathe the ocean floor. Shining stars seemed to hide their light well within its inky darkness, and only the brightest dare to show their glowing dots. The ominous moon was at its fullest stage and hung low over the vast horizon. It was twice the size it normally should have been, and had a slight tint of mandarin-infused amber.

The crisp cool breeze was unusual for this time of year. It was not at all comparable to the ambient arid fluxes this city would naturally receive. One quick snap of wind bent around the inner city corners and tunneled through the complexes of the great park, gaining immense speed and strength, eventually making its way straight inside the open building Aeion was in.

The young male-perhaps in is late teens or early twenties, was resting his back against the warmth of the sandstone wall. It had been only a few days since he had arrived into this city, and much had happened within that time. Perhaps he should have seen it coming. Something else to add onto his 'list of things that happened to me'. But no. While the male was clearly wide awake due to a major case of body clock malfunction, he did not intend for an abnormal assault to bombard his personal space!

Like a raging train, the icy jet of air funneled through, colliding with the males side straight on. Aeion sprang up from his downed position, his paws glowing a brilliant shade of orange. Thin wisps of that now soft orange glow circled the male as it entered an ethereal state, leaving his paws. It swirled on silent command, and it was clear the the ornery male had full and complete control of the lethal looking vapor. With his bright pools of chocolate wide from shock, he looked first around, then out into the distance. His orbs then quickly made contact with his inflamed side before cursing under his breath, his overworldly accent audible, but only just.

'Dammit!'

Still on high alert, he pressed the paw he was not using for defense onto the inflamed spot to make sure he did not further damage it, then looked back out towards the open space where the gust of cold wind originated. His side was JUST starting to heal; a priestess with a cat had offered help with the process earlier that day (She had called him 'Friend'), and so the male was far from pleased that the crushed side was pulsating in a throbbing pain.

His mind off of his injury once confirmed it would be relatively ok, Aeion turned to what just happened. No ordinary gust would move with that bit of forceful intent, and though he was still getting used to the local climate, he had a good grasp on weather effects within the area.

His one paw still hovered out in defense, he cautiously took a look around, being careful to not move. No one was around him or in the general facility. He would be able to feel out even the stealthiest of assassins stuck in the darkest of corners..most Hyeans naturally could. Still on alert, the crimson and amber male sighed, and as he did, a soft mandarin vent of vapour left his lungs and dissipated into the air around him. His voice was still soft and barely audible, as he was just talking to himself.

'That was not normal. Something or someone started that. But where did it start? And why?'

Aeion could not calm down--even though he really did try. Something-he didn't know what, was preventing that process from starting. Carefully and silently, he shifted and then moved from his position out to where he could get a better view of the night sky. He wasn't used to not seeing both of the familiar aqua and sage orbs hovering in the night sky, and the thought of home--and being unable to warp back there like he should just infuriated him. He missed his freedom. To do what he wanted, when. To not have to hold back because some local was scared or not used to what someone like him can do. He even missed his responsibilities. His Family. And his Pod--not like he would admit that!

Truthfully, he was still a child at heart. Referred to as 'Anigmeage'. Forced to grow before his time. He was technically both adult and child..and while he held responsibility well enough, he still felt the need to want to be insecure. To want to just hold onto his parents or superiors. Cuddle up in their arms and forget about the rest of the world. Where was the harm in that?

A dark swirling vortex out past the horizon brought him back into the present and ended his current thought train. He closed his eyes and focused. That thing was the portal some demon ripped at the start of one of the local festivals dedicated to cats. But something was off about it. It was growing slowly..silently. And Aeion could sense some cold dark and evil forces emanating through and to the inside of wherever that portal was leading to. It was kind of like the vortex was enveloping the city of which it was ripped to. Inviting--or perhaps forcing its denizens to join in on some kind of fight, war or battle trapped within the other side. Forcing someone that does not call the other side of that portal 'home' to fight their own battles. Disgusting.

Aeion did not like the sight of the portal increasing in size, or the aura it was giving off. He wanted desperately to just get the coordinates for this city and shut the stupid thing down! Perhaps hed gain his freedom back if the thing just went away.

Like clockwork, his head began to shift and ache in immense pain. It was as if someone had grabbed a hammer and whacked his forehead a half dozen times. To Aeion, it felt like something had come over one of his twin fathers, and he was using his power of mind control and manipulation to freeze mobility, invade his head and rip information out of him.

But his father was not there, nor did Aeion do anything to make the other react that way. Instead, after what seemed like eternity, an all too familiar presence funneled through the inside of his mind. It was someone that he knew well but did not interact with that often. Aeion fell to his knees and held his head. Shutting his eyes to focus out the surreal and intense pain, he attempted to finish the contact through his mind so he could end the pain and mentally communicate.

'Ao! Why?'

The others voice was clear and rang like a perfectly tuned bell through Aeions mind. It was loud enough for the male to hear but not so loud as to blow out his eardrums. The one that invaded his mind had perfect control and was well adapt to this particular ability, being in charge of the portals and who is to cross through to or from Hyelia and out on the other side. Ao was the main gate keeper. He needed to keep creatures from earth out and safe from those with a clear unfair advantage--or teleport those pure evil ones doomed to perish to the other world itself so its locals had something to play with.

Aeion heard a sigh ring through his head and he could tell the Ao was not amused.

'How long has it been, child? The web still shines its knots.'

Aeion blinked and make a disgruntled face before he put his paws back on his forehead and winced as his head started to throb.

'I was taking care of it. Nythi'on overtook my path. I fell where he stuck me. You know the rest.'

A small shift in the pressure inside of Aions head began, as if Ao was shifting his weight from one side to the other. He was still not amused, and did not relinquish his grasp of Aeions mind.

'That was 5 days ago, Aeion. I expect you to fufill the responsibility that is given to you!'

'And how could I return? You were pummeling Nythi'on soo hard that he couldn't heal me.'

He sighed.

'Im...still trying to recover.'

Aeion could literally feel Ao blink.

'Child, why did you not go to get help? You take after Scott too well and fail to look out for yourself all too often. Do you not know how upset your parents are right now?'

Aeion tried to physically turn away but could not. The locals didn't give HIM the time of day and he was certainly not a healer. He couldn't learn to trust people that did not care. That wasn't his job. Besides, there were some unsavory types darting around that had kept the male on near constant alert.

Ao's voice continued to ring inside of his head.

'Aeion, I can see what you are thinking. I am surprised the you haven't been able to sense out the coordinates yet.'

He sighed, and for that second in time, it felt like a protective parental vibe was emanating from his mind.

'Alright child. It does not matter. But I do need you to work up the physical strength to finish off what you started.'

'H-how?' He replied semi annoyed. 'Im still injured and Zuri said it was a lv. 5 anomaly. That thing would have killed me'

The pressure on Aeions mind began to wear off very slightly.

'Zuri'el has been watching its movements. Curious that the pocket you were tracking eventually decelerated in its track and landed a few blocks north of where you currently stand.'

'But..thats not possible. That's that stupid portal some inferior being ripped open'.

It then seemed to click.

'Wait...THAT thing lost enough power to side wind its way onto earth? Is that where that wind came from?!'

'Aeion, you may not have a lock down yet, but you will soon. You need to find the source of what is keeping that portal active. Go through it. Find the source. Stop it. Tear the anomaly down while it is still in its original state.'

'Once you are through to the other side, enter the main city and look for the glyphs--you will know them when you see them. You will need to find an unusual female named 'Rosemary.' She is a bit flamboyant but her intentions are...relatively harmless. It is believed that she will know more. But Aeion. You must start AND finish tonight, before the anomaly gains the strength to grow beyond its threshold.'

'And Aeion? If you are absolutely determined to eradicate what you see, wait until you are healed to do it.'

The male could feel Ao shake his head as the grip of his mind continued to loosen. He could also sense something when Ao mentioned this female being 'relatively harmless.' A chuckle maybe? And what did he mean by 'eradicate what you see', anyway? Aeion waited a few minutes for his mind to heal and his body to adjust. It was going to be a long night--but if that meant he could go home, well. You wouldn't have to tell him twice!



((tie in with prompt 1.2))

[melodysangel]

Chapter 1.2: The wind, the portal and the Animator.


Aeion waited a few minutes to normalize. He would not be particularly useful with a raging headache. He wouldn't really be as focused either. Just as things begun to settle in, another gust of icy wind funneled into the opening of the building where Aeion was standing and hit the male square in the face. It seemed to want to go through him with what he could feel was some form of ill intent, and the rapid breeze, while playing briefly with the folds in his clothing and the few strains of loose hair only seemed to last but a second. And then it dissipated into nothingness. All was eerily quiet once more.

The crimson males eyes locked onto the eerie portal in the distance, and in his heart he knew that the source of the abnormal wind was somewhere in or near there. Irked, filled with anger and determined, the male outsider began his cautious and swift walk through the city of Ahket to the raging portal north of the main entrance.

Aeion grumbled softly to himself while quietly but quickly walking through the great park that had been his very temporary home these past few days. He did not wish to grab the attention of anything that may be lurking in the shadows, but he was still ornery about having to use caution and walk instead of just running or warping there. In fact, he was still caught off guard by this wierd form. What did that priestess call it? A Sphinx? 'Im not some half animal' he thought to himself. 'Im Hyean. I don't shape shift. I stay a human. And that was fine by me, before this happened!' Besides..it was hard enough to adjust walking, let alone using these paws. It was his hope the change was only temporary, and once he was able to go home the process would revert and he would be his normal self.

The male had made it through to the other side of the park in record time, and was making his way into the main corridor and into the opening of the front gates. No one was around. The lights adorning both the inside and outside of the nearby buildings were not lit. Even the guard tower looming in the very near distance was as dark as the night itself. It was kind of odd. Didn't festivals last through all hours, too? At least, that was his understanding of how some earth related holidays were celebrated. There was nothing like that back home. Festivals were just 'froufrou fluff.' All one really needed was family. That and being safe really was all that should matter..not some crazy celebration.

As he continued to move into the arch of the entrance, a single small wrapped piece of oiled cloth and wood began to burn mere feet in front of him. Holding the makeshift torch was what appeared to be a young recruit that may have just started out. The male, shorter the Aeion and looking like he had seen a ghost noticed he was not alone and attempted to fumble for the weapon in its sheathe that was strapped onto his side. He was shaking too hard to pull the blade out in time and a confused and unamused Aeion closed the gap between them.

'Alright. What the heck is going on? Why are you the only guard here? And why light THAT thing right now?' He whispered in a hushed and rushed tone, his accent and irritability clearly visible to the freaked out guard. Aeion did not have time for sympathy, and he held no love for the types that just laughed and left him to suffer with his severe injury mere days before. But something was not right and he had a strange feeling that the poor excuse for a fighter in front of him held some information..and possibly answers that could help him out. Eyes wide and still unable to draw his blade, the terrified male took a step back and his foot hit the edge of the tower wall. 'W-what have ye done to me mates. Gone. D-dead!'

Aeion looked disgusted and was having none of it. He assertively put his paw onto the pathetic males shoulder and shook it. An almost growl like noise rumbled through his throat and his ears were pinned right back. Teeth were clenched and his voice was hushed as he eyed the other, annoyed.

'Snap-out of it! What on this earth do you think you are accomplishing? Get-your-pathetic-excuse-for-a-hide-together-right-now-and-answar-me!'

He paused and noticed that the guard, still unable to draw his weapon was just staring straight up at him. Perhaps he was confused, maybe too afraid..or maybe it was both. The skin, glowing from the ambient light of the torch he was holding was very pale, and beads of cold sweat were clearly visible along the edges of his not so defined features. Aeion did not care though, and did not back down. He continued to question the male, still very clearly annoyed.

'The others are gone? Fine. Where?'

The male, unable to do anything else fumbled for words to try to get the angry other off his back..and maybe spare his life in the process.

'y-you not one? N-no k-k-kill? E-enemy?'

'Enough! Spill it! Now!'

The male visibly gulped and his eyes continued to widen, locked into Aeions dark and angry but not evil orbs. Though his intimidating stare, the guard managed to start to speak.

'G-gone. Mmmmmonsters through ppp-portal. Entranced them. Took allies. Killed. Changed. J-just ghosts l-left. A-and d-dead moving. Walking again. I-I was up there..in the parapet. They did not see. Alone.'

Aeion released his grasp on the fumbling male and sighed. His ears were still pined back and his eyes showed that he was pissed.

'Great. So something is taking fighters from here? Through the portal? And they were killed but walking?'

'And you thought I was one of them?! Do I look like a goon to you?'

The guard let off a tiny squeaky whimper and just then the light of the torch was snuffed out as another gust of icy wind blew across it. It was then that Aeion knew that he had to book it. Time wasn't on his side.

He eyed the male one last time, his anger flaring. He didn't have time for this! His voice was still hushed as he spoke one final time.

'Look. Im NOT your babysitter and im not here to change your pants. You clearly are not up for your task so do what you will. But don't get in my way.'

Aeion didn't realize earlier that day just how foul his mood could get. What the heck were these defenseless beings playing at?

The cranky male made his way out of the outer city walls, and once free of the city walls, he darted in silent quick leaps towards the portal. It was a fair sized portal, four or five times the height of Aeion, and it spanned the same distance across as it did in height. Massive deep swirls of a deathly purple black slowly rotated inwards, alluring those inquisitive enough to come on through. Smaller wisps of a pale amethyst light swirled alongside the inky purple vortex, only the lighter rays seemed to move quicker. An optic illusion? Hardly. This wasn't Aeions first rodeo, and in response to it the light in his eyes hardened.

'Unnatural. Looks like some infant tried to dabble in something they didn't understand. But its here with intent. Cold. I don't like it.'

As he approached the gloomy vortex he paused. A sun kissed light briefly appeared on his forehead and his eyes flashed a rich purple. Before him, he saw flashing lights and bits of text encoded within his native language. Only he could see it, and his body seemed to register something innately. It only lasted half of a second, and when the light disappeared, the male let a soft smile and relieved sigh escape his features.

'Finally!' He whispered. 'Ive never gone this long without being somewhere and being unable to pick the coordinates up.'

Aeion closed his eyes for a second, relieved that things were starting to at least feel like that have begun to fall back into place. Determined, and with a bit more confidence (not that he didn't have an abundance of it prior!) he approached and willingly went through the portal.

Once inside, the male gauged the area, briefly closing his eyes. '..Ok. Looks like its way north of where I was. But something is clouding my senses. I cant warp in on my own.' He could tell that this time it was not a matter of not knowing the coordinates. It was his fight with the anomaly 5 days ago that did something to block him. No matter, once things follow though it should clear up. 'Well', he thought, 'At least I can warp within the area itself.'

As he opened his eyes, he noticed something trying to approach him. But to him, it was like the thing was crawling. What was that thing? Some kind of vampire? They sure weren't this stupid back home.

A bit wierded out, he dodged effortlessly out of the way and the creature missed him completely. Confused, the being looked up at him and then attempted to scramble into the shadows. Aeion was contemplating on just disposing of the thing..but it wasn't worth his time. He watched as the foul beast scrambled and make its way into the inky darkness.

'Pitiful' he whispered. 'Im sure the king and his allies could teach that creature a thing or ten. If he even bothered with the time of day.' Aeion smirked at the thought of the vampire kings possible reaction and then cautiously started his approach into the main city of Crux.

It didn't take him long--the portals exit was on the outskirts--and it surprisingly was relatively easy to start seeing clues on where he should go. Aqua glowing Hyean runes were placed around the city. To someone without Hyean blood, it may have just looked like normal ordinary stones. But to Aeion it was a personal clue system Ao seemed to have toyed with prior.

The male took a good look around. It seemed there were pieced together beings all over the place, acting normal doing their day to day thing. It was weird! The stones led him through the city to a woodland path and up towards a small mansion. A sign was nailed into the ground nearby, and the scrollwork was in a dialect that was slightly harder to read out: 'Rosemary the Animator. A monster for everyone'. 'Ok', he thought, 'I don't agree with disrespecting the dead but..this has to be the person I need.'

With a bit of a face, the male swiftly made his way to the front entrance. Almost instantly a cheery female voice beckoned for him to come in.

'Oh! Come innnnn! Help yourself dearie, ive been told you would arrive!'


The distinct aroma of blood and death wafted in the air and the female that soo happily welcomed him in was down a flight of stairs. It took her a minute to scurry on upstairs, and when she did, she removed her soiled mask and gloves, putting each on a nearby table. Still quite bubbly, she smiled and turned to Aeion, who was still by the door.

'Oh! Im sorry for not being with you sooner, dear. Had to tie in that one last knot, don't you know! Ohh..were you interested in a companion of your own? Im sure I can find the purrrfect monster for you once this business is settled! oh! Business! Of corse! Come in come in dear. Please, sit down!'

The female was kind of motherly and way too happy to be dealing with the dead. Still kind of confused, and wondering what Ao was on about, he put out his paw at the suggestion to go towards the center of the room and have a seat.

'Im fine standing. You..seem to know a lot more then I do. Mind filling me in?'

The cheery female was not at all offended towards the males comment. She knew that his type were stand offish--and that was ok! But her scatterbrain led her multiple places and it took the male mentioning something to pull her back into the thought.

'Yes! yes yes, much to talk about, little time to spare. Ohh..soo happy you are here!'

Her tail swung back and forth at an excited pace and she eagerly looked at the male.

'Now now..where do we start? You were sent to...deal with something forbidden? Yes? I have a side mission I think involves the same thing. You are interested, yes?'

Aeion's ears perked slightly at the word 'forbidden'. He was not as happy to hear about a side mission..but if the paths align exactly, he didn't care either way. As long as he clears stuff up on his end before the night is over, all should be good.

The female smiled slightly noticing the males interest and she sat down on a lush red velvet couch. 'Well! My father, Dr. Edrick Vune, vaporized something very precious from me. My first baby, in fact. Killed her right before my eyes! Gone. Poof. Forever! There was nothing left to work with! For his act, I would like to see him suffer. In public. Not even HIS corpse is worthy of reincarnation.'

She sighed softly.

'But! We need a bit of information first! Particularly where his dirty rats nest of a rear is hiding.' She said the last few words in an angry tone, clearly upset. She then sprang back to bubbles when another thought crossed her mind.

'Oh! Don't you go, dear! The part you are here for! I have not seen my 'father' in years. But! I have heard through some of my babieesss that he is working on something. Its nothing any of us have seen before, but it is something I know your kind sees as dangerous. For everyone. My dear baby said she overheard one of his grunts call it...forbidden.'

'Too bad she couldn't follow. Oh! yes, you are interested, correct? If my father is working on what you are looking for, you need to go there anyways.'

She smiled softly and looked up at Aeion, who shook his head. 'I cant guarantee ill run into this male. And if I do, I cant guarantee I wont strike him down myself. But if it is as you say, ill look into it. As long as your issue doesn't get in my way.'

The female giggled at the response. 'OH! Your type is always soo moody! Ill take that as a yes! Now here, this is all I know. He used to hang out in his hoity toity mansion in the center of this city. Hes not there now, but you may find something! Everyone I have asked has been wayyyyy too scared to try!!' She pouted. 'Other then that, he mayyy have some kind of hidden lab? Id assume that it would be near the city! Perhaps even connected somehow to the mansion? I have never seen it, but there are rumors milling about!' She cheerfully looked back over at the male. 'Now! If you find anything, please a dear and come back to let me know? I can then get the city watch to haul his sorry rump and pay for what he has done!'

She smiled happily.

'Public execution. The only thing good enough for him! Isnt it wonderful! Oh! But ive wasted too much of your time! go on now, hurry along!'

With that, she escorted the male out to the front gate and waved happily as she closed the door.

'well now' Aeion thought, 'This just got complicated.'

He mulled over his options while walking back towards the city proper and this mansion.

[melodysangel]

Chapter 1.3 The 'dead' end and the hidden alcove



Once at the mansion, Aeion opened the old creaky door to find the home a dumping ground. Clean picked skeletal remains littered the entire floor and were stacked to the ceiling. Broken glass scattered what little floor space remained, and eerie like spirits were shackled to the walls, the shackles clearly being magic based as it was attatched to the ethereal beings. The spirits hovered, still 'alive' but unable to do anything. Aeion was unable to set foot in the space before him as there was nowhere to go. He stepped back and his paw hit a lever tucked away in the corner. Through the broken glass of the window--where a tree had claimed its space--the floor began to rumble and just outside Aeion could see ground shift. A little alcove had appeared where nothing once was. He would have to see where it led to after finding out what bombshell bombarded what was before his eyes.

[melodysangel]

Chapter 1.4 and 1.5: Into the mind of the doctor

((Im going to be bleeding this since its going to run from explanation of the picture in 1.3))

Aeion was dumbfounded. What in the world was going on? It looked like some idiot just haphazardly threw whoevers remains inside to hide or get rid of them. This was NOT an acceptable method of putting the dead to rest..and if whoever had done this is not careful, some of those beings may find the freedom to go after that fool.

Eyes glowing slightly in a soft deep purple, he tried to see if there was any place within the inside of the area he could warp to. The building reeked of decay, and the bones--some chipped or broken, others distorted beyond recognition-- were just piled too high up. In his attempt to find a place to safely go to inside, one of the chained and bound ethereal beings turned its head towards him. It hovered and then violently tried to go after him, but fell short due to the chains. Unfazed but confused and wishing he had his father with him, Aeion stopped trying to pin a location and focused on the ethereal thing that tried to attack him with a gauge. Dehierah could use his mind manipulation abilities to gain information from anyone he wanted-dead or alive. Aeion did not quite have that ability, but if he focused he could still nail down an attempt and perhaps open up some kind of communication link. It all really depended on the ethereal being and if it was smart enough, willing (yes, he needed permission!) or capable.

Closing his eyes, Aeion focused, and almost immediately the being that tried to previously attack him stopped and calmed down. It caulked its head, and then rough images or memories began to flood Aeions mind. They were...very basic and rudimentary. But at least it was something.

From what Aeion could interpret, The Doctor did indeed used to live here. He abandoned this place when some kind of suspicions activity got leaked out. He sensed fear. Arrogance. Greed. He saw weird creatures...monsters? that were stitched together and acting like zombies.. carrying bone with no skin muscle or clothing attached and skeletons of some dead creature or creatures. He saw the monstrosity just throwing them inside without thought or care and then slamming the door.

'So. This was a dumping ground'

The flashbacks from the ethereal being continued. He could see a quick image of the doctor and what he gathered was what this being used to look like when it was still alive. It was shackled or bound to something hard. The floor? A board? Aeion could feel fight, determination but also fear. He heard the words 'not good enough. Kill it.' Then some thrashing and panic. Then what he assumed was the doctor speaking again: 'This one suffers. Make him a guard instead of striping it clean. Bind him forever' then a sharp sensation over its side before it briefly shifted to black. Hovered he saw the being's dead body tied up and some kind of monster forcing shackles onto the ties then grunting out some orders. 'let no one pass?' A blue light flashed and the corpse vaporized. All that was left was the ethereal being--now merged into one essence.

He looked back over the being, who was starting to fade. Did it take all of its energy to pass down those memories? 'Moonnster. Meeeee. Themmmmmm. Prisonnnerrr. Rejecttt. Nooot for plannnn. Hommmmeeee. Heerrreeee.' It pointed to the bone pile at the word 'them' and then the alcove that had appeared moments before. It then faded to nothing, the shackles that had held it in place dropping to the ground with a thump, and the bones in the way snapping with a vicious crack.

Aeion felt slightly ill. If he was piecing things together right, this doctor was taking these..what? Sphinxes? Monsters? against their will, doing something for whatever reason and killing off ones he either doesn't need or don't work out. One common thing he noticed..they are all bones. No decomposition. No rotting flesh. What kind of sick bastard was he dealing with? And what is this plan?

Aeion put out his paw towards the empty shackles and said something in his native tongue. It translated roughly to 'rest well' and was a long overdue sign of respect. His attention then shifted to the area just outside of building past the tree that had begun to grow through one of the windows. 'Something shifted out there' he whispered, 'This might be what I need.'

Taking one last look at the massive pile of remains, he gently shut the door and cautiously made his way to the side. It was extremely quiet; no one was around as the mansion itself was on top of a massive hill within the center but still separated from the city. If his pools of chocolate did not shift below the horizon, it would feel like he was in the country side and not in the direct center of a main city.

Aeion took a quick look at the sky. The orange-hued moon was incredibly bright, and its position had only shifted slightly. He had gotten much done yet only perhaps a 20 minutes had passed.

Continuing onto the side of the building, past the overgrown tree, it looked as though the ground had shifted up. Backed in a corner and hidden by some overgrown vines and ivy there was a small indent made from a similar deep hued marbled stone as the mansion itself. In any other setting, it would have felt like a quaint and charming little alcove. A garden hide a way free from the hustle and bustle of a major city. But this was creepy and out of place. It looked worn down but intact and Aeion was not sure if being in the ground for who knows how long messed with the integrity of the structure. If it was going to collapse on him if he went inside.

Making a slight face, he crept as close as he could go without disturbing the ground and touching the crumbling rubble, stone or various overgrown plants. Able to get a better view from a closer vantage point, he could now see that there was a clear indent for a hatch to a trap door in the center. Was this the 'home' the ethereal being referred to? A second home? A hideaway? Or something secret? Determined to find out, Aeions eyes briefly glowed and he effortlessly warped to the center of the alcove. He looked up quickly and took a gauge of his surroundings. Thankfully, nothing began to fall in from ontop of him and things were still in good standing. Perhaps this structure was stronger then it first appeared to be? Or maybe there is another force acting on it to keep it from crumbling apart. He doubted the later and quickly dismissed the idea. He should be able of feel if anything unusual was active as he was incredibly sensitive to that kind of thing.

Looking down at the hatch beneath him, he figured that it probably was a pull and move door. The stone covering it was similar to the blocks around it, but it seemed to be made out of one solid piece. He couldn't see anything hinged and it would not make sense if the door was made from solid stone. It would be soo heavy it would break whatever hinge was attached to it. Gently taking the corner, he attempted to pry the door without making any noise. Surprisingly, it was not as heavy as it appeared to initially be, and the block of rough stone shifted with general ease.

A small plume of dust or dirt rose to the air and Aeion smirked at the thought of this doctor having to have a lighter block of stone as he moved the stone in question just enough so he could see what was beneath it. Of corse, Aeion himself was no bodybuilder, but his training and knowledge of fighting allowed it so he could at least lift up a small piece of stone. When he did look down at the opening, it looked like some rackety stairs or ladder was attached to the dirt and cobblestone side, and he could just make out something pale at the bottom.

Making a few mental calculations, Aeion determined that he would be unable to drop down without making some kind of noise so unwillingly took grasp of the rope that served as the rails of the ladder. It was old and worn with the strands beginning to unravel, and the steps of the ladder were hard and pale but porous and frail. What was he stepping on? The male slowly and carefully descended down. It was about the half way point where the tunnel funneled out and opened up into a still confined but larger space. With the little rays of light that bounced from surface to surface, and Aeions eyes adjusting, he could just make out that the ladder he was descending from was partially made out of old dry bones. The pale area down below, now visible in the dimmed light was some kind of pit full of skulls. Disgusted but relieved that he was down far enough, the male silently leapt off of the bone plank and rope ladder and gracefully landed just outside the pit of skulls with a soft thump. Dust circled his paws as it was stirred up from the drop and began to float through the air. Aeion wondered just what he was breathing in but pushed the through aside as he looked around.

The room he was in was small and contained the way up and a pool of a pit. Was there some kind of trap? There were only skulls in the pit--someone intentionally threw or otherwise placed them down there. It couldn't have been someone falling from above.

A cold snap of wind then funneled through and past him. It was the same wind that had been blowing through the streets of Ahket and through the portal, only he was now below ground. Was he close to its source? It sure brought him back to looking around! As he did he saw some very dimly lit lights in through a tunnel way connecting to this chamber. The lights were like glow bugs; imbedded into the walls and ceiling and sparkling a faint aqua blue hue, like a patch of some weirdly lit glowing stars. It was enough light to see that there was a fork or crossway on the other side of the hall, then the glow of a light that looked as if it could be much bigger and brighter then these underground glow stars.

With only one way to go, Aeion carefully made his way to around the last third of the hallway. Something was not right. He decided to warp the rest of the distance to the point where he could just see what was around the bend. From his new vantage point he could see some small holes in the floor over the area he warped across. If it was some kind of trap, Aeion could disable it. If he was in front of the control panel. The fighter's way: with one swift kick! But if this thing was some kind of trap, he could not see any such device.

Leaving a mental note of the area, the crimson male silently turned back around and looked into the forked hallway. It split into two paths. One looked to be heading into a smaller alcove and the other had some kind of fabric draped on an entrance with a brighter amber light that shone through the bottom; its rays hitting the edge where Aeion was.

While visually examining the cloth room from where he was, his back was hit with another frigid wisp of wind, and Aeion knew he had to check the other room first.

Turning around, he made his way over to the smaller room. It had no door or fabric piece and was just open from the hall before it. Inside it was circular in shape with no living beings present. The lights were small and sphere in shape and gave off a soft pale buttery yellow light. It was enough light to illuminate the room without being too bright. Aeion looked up first. The celling was painted a rich cobalt blue with directional symbols and stars. The glow bugs in the earlier hall were not here but the positioning of the stars on the celling was something the male instantly recognized.

'This looks a lot like the third dimension inside Hyelia's realm, before Aros, our light giver decided to destroy its core planetary system. What is this doing here?'

His gaze bounced from the ceiling to the middle of the room. A large spherical type mirror was stationed there, elaborately decorated with random Hyean runes and a multitude of different crystals. Aeion walked a bit closer and shook his head when he read the runes. 'That doesn't even make sense. Who thought it was a good idea to scramble up random power words?' He noticed a small flickering pale blue light in the center of the mirror as a tiny cold wisp of air formed and darted past him. He dodged the blast and blinked.

'Ok, so some infant is trying to create something-but clearly they don't even know what they are messing with. Everything just seems mixed up' It did not take much to figure out that something was powering up the mirror to make the wisp appear, but the wisp itself seemed incomplete. It was the same as what he experienced but nowhere near as strong. His eyes now slightly cautious, he took in the rest of his surroundings. Around the mirror it looked as if an alter had been set up, with many candles, jars, pieces of metal, glass, crystals, containers..and bones. Inside some of the containers it looked like someone had managed to trap some kind of coloured gas. Inquisitive, Aeion bent down to touch the jar and find out what was lodged inside. He blinked and let go of it just as soon as he placed his paw on the surface. 'That cant be right' he whispered. Turning around after getting up from the kneeling position, he saw a curved desk with all sorts of papers and jars and books. Drawings and sketches were sprawled over some bits of the desk, while others were crumpled up and thrown aside.

Aeion took a careful look at what was on some of these pages. It looked like incomplete and inaccurate renderings of the sky in different sections of the seven dimensions. Random Hyean power words were hastily sketched out on multiple sheets, and the books were mainly incomplete journal entries that Aeion could barely read due to the ink fading soo much due to age. What did catch his attention were a few extremely faded scribbles of basic portal functions. but it was something a select few could fully comprehend. Seeing the notes just upset the male. He bent down to pick the note up and placed it securely in a pocket. 'Zuri will want to see this. I cant believe someone was trying to understand this.'

Turning to look back at the glass jar of 'gas' that had shaken him up soo quickly, he shook his head, and after making sure nothing else of importance was inside the alcove, he left it and slowly made his way to the opening with the piece of fabric over the entrance and the brighter light.

Being careful in the event of running into something, Aeion quietly peeked over the curtains edge at the side and then took a second to gauge to see if he could feel safe. 'Well, there is definitely something here' he thought 'I don't know what it is though.' Now being on constant alert, the male quietly moved past the curtain and into the room. It looked like he had stumbled into someone's sleeping quarters. A dusty small wooden bed was tucked away in the corner and a desk with the bright light hugged the opposite wall. Papers and scrolls were scattered everywhere, littering the whole of the floor. It looked like some pieces were trampled over, like something was moving quickly or did not care.

Aeion took a look at some of the pages. The ink was faded--most likely due to age and possibly the light that was left on, but he could make out some scribbles on the biology of the creatures here. Some pages went into grim and cruel detail on different ways to die. A page crumpled to the side caught his attention. It depicted the body in different cycles. Whole, muscle, bone and a last stage that made the hair on the back of Aeions neck stand on end. 'That jar. It was not a gas. It had some creatures live essence in it. This has to be it' He closed his eyes. 'You do not tinker with someones spirit like that. They will avenge themselves and go after you in the end.' He paused. 'This creature would not be able to get away with this back home. The dead still have their abilities..and if you get on their bad side they can make your living days hell.'

In silent awe, he scanned the otherwise empty room one last time before moving onto the single exit to the west side.

It was a small bathroom and Aeion wondered how it operated underground. By the shelves and on the counter sink, he saw quite the collection of strange glasses and concoctions that were held within them. Was that blood? And what is a scalpel doing in the bathroom? No other real objects were seen but Aeion did wonder what the bathrooms true purpose was. He did not wish to let his imagination run wild and so focused on entering the chamber exiting the bathroom.

Aeion had finally entered what looked like an actual lab. There was one final entrance to another room on the opposite side that he first saw, but he decided to check this room out before going over to that opening. The room itself was the biggest one yet, and held many tables and weird contraptions. The floor was covered in some kond of metal and he could make out clear blood spatters across the entirety of it. The walls were also coated in some kind of metal and housed an abundance of bookshelves and cabinets. Tables and work desks. Holders and containers. And weird devices that Aeion had never before seen.


The amount of glass jars and beakers were soo abundant that it would be impossible to count them all. Many housed odd and eerie liquids and vapors. In the center of the lab there was a restraining platform and then Aeion realized that it was identical to the flashback the ethereal being gave to him. The doctor must have used that device to restrain and experiment on the creatures.

The restraining bench itself was made of sturdy wood with thick leather and rope chord, and the amount of dried blood stained within the table itself made Aeion sick. By the restraining table was a larger square table and it haphazardly housed a multitude of barbaric and grim looking weapons. From what he could see, there were no less then 10 different types and styles of saws, a staggering amount of knives--some think like that of a butchers knife, and others thin, long and able to be bent. Needles and eyedroppers of all different shapes and sizes lay scattered across the desk, and even on the floor. Twine and a few different other types of chord were also visible, as well as a few different types of plungers and injectors.


'What didn't this guy have? the kitchen sink?'

Gloves, masks and other protective gear seemed to be hidden from view, though Aeion thought that they were perhaps inside of one of the dwarves.

It was clear that this doctor was the hack and whack type. Get rid of this leg and attach another one. But something drew Aeion back to the containers. Reluctantly he began to touch the outside of some of them to see what it was composed of.

Inside some were highly corrosive acids and preservers. Things to eat away at flesh or make things clean. In others were bits and pieces of different cells and parts of a body. Irises in one, placenta cells in another. Aeion supposed it was 'normal' to house such things..for a weird doctor, but what caught his attention were the non normal things. Again, some jars held essences of some being that used to be alive. But these were slightly different from the one he had seen in the first room. Like it was stronger. Evolved. Mutated.

'Strange.'

Upset but determined, he moved his attention from the containers to the many books and notes off tot he one side. There were other beakers and containers here too, but in different states. There was also some kind of contraption next to the desk.

Opening up one of the books on the desk, Aeion quickly learnt that it was some kind of log for a cloning and mutation device. The log read that through gene manipulation, this person was able to make a stronger, better more perfect clone. It also said that the process was not yet fully tested and that he would need many more bodies to fulfill perfection.

Aeion made an unamused face. 'This must be some kind of prototype. That means there might be another one out there. Is this what Rosemary meant by taking her baby way beyond repair?'

He put the log down and picked another one up. This one again was about perfection and read something about creating and managing his own portal.

'Don't play with fire' Aeion softly but angrily hissed.

Putting the book back down, he took another look around before heading to the open area that was directly across from the 'bathroom'

Aeion had just walked into some kind of holding cell. The smell of stale formaldehyde waffled through the air and the temperature of the room was noticeably cooler then the lab he had been in mere second before. Many half-built monsters and beings were stacked and placed around the diameter of the area, and there were even a few strange restraining tables with creatures still strapped inside.

Were they even alive?

Cautiously he continued to look around. It was a dead end but he noticed that there were many bookshelves here as well as experiments. This doctor seemed to really like to leave notes. Aeion was thankful for the paper trail.

With no one physically here--at least no one able to walk or talk, Aeion spent the next little bit looking through some of the notes and books, and even some of the half created creatures to see if he could find anything else out. The doctor was not home. Did he just miss his visit? Or was this abandoned too?














1-20·1-20psxpn9VO

[melodysangel]

Chapter 2.1: The island and the mechanical girl.

Aeion may have walked into a small room, but the many bookshelves and odd half created experiments housed inside the confined space meant he had a lot of looking and researching to do. Ears slightly pinned back and his nostrils only now getting used to the stale and aggravating scent of the deadly preservatives that filled the room, the male sighed and decided to start at the very back and work his way up. All sorts of odd and unusual creatures were stuffed and held in many capsule like coffins of glass. Too many to count. There was some kind of liquid inside surrounding each creature inside of its tube. Some of the liquid in select capsules was clear and transparent; others coloured with varying shades of an endless array of sickly hues. Others still clouded in some kind of murky glow. Aeion wondered what each liquid was or represented. He did not like to dabble in physical biology, but it did not make sense to have different types of liquids in different containers if it was meant to do the same thing. The 'gas' trapped bottle in the lab room was an advanced form of the first one he had come across in the smaller spherical room with the mirror, alter and mismatched scripts and runes. Was it some kind of abnormal system of organization or coding? The tubes and containers seemed to hold some kind of basic patterning in that like colours were grouped together..even though their hues and clarity were different.

Did this doctor even have basic organization skills? That last room looked as if a whirlwind had somehow found its way underground and tore in to anything and everything that was not bound or strapped in to place.

Shaking his head, Aeion continued to study the different capsules. He was a little bit off put that someone could take different parts of different creatures, stitch them together, and make the monstrosity that was created come to life. In the holder tube he was currently looking at for example, it looked like a tiny child that had stitched on ears of a black bat, a nose of a dog or other canine creature, eyelids that had belonged to something had blue fur (the rest of the face appeared human), and at least two types of hair. The scalp was clearly stitched in two alternating sections; it was not like the different colours of hair were naturally occurring like that of his parents or sister. Continuing down, Aeion could see both bat like and bird like wings attached to the tiny body, and two different types of limbs. The grouping around it contained shades of green liquid within their tubes. This one was semi transparent with a mid tonal hue and held a small odd glow. Many of the holding containers seemed to hold similar disturbing combinations of bits and pieces stitched together; this one was just different in that the creature it contained was small.


Eyes shifting from the child in the holding container to another vessel close by, he noticed that there were some kind of restraint on a few limb like features, and chords of different shapes, sizes and materials were somehow attached in different areas of whatever was brewing or being held in a stasis inside (Honestly, Aeion didn't know if it even was a stasis. He just assumed it would be the most likely case). Were those different tubes meant to sustain some kind of life? To keep the thing in the tube from being unable to float off to touch the edge of the glass? Or something else? Trying to get a closer look, some of the restraints looked kind of see through like, and others solid but made from a coiled metal like structure. What purpose did these serve?

Behind the main fluid filled containers that were housing actual beings, a smaller set of different shaped containers were hidden along the back row. These ones, while varying in opacity, structure and size, did not have what appeared to be a half completed experiment. They each contained one element or piece of a different creature in what Aeion assumed to be a stasis. The container closest to him contained the paw of something with some very long and pointed claws. Was this one of the qualities the doctor was looking for? Was this an element of his view of what perfection was supposed to be?


With his eyes locked on the smaller set of containers on the back wall, He had noticed and come to the realization that the décor in this room was different from that of the lab that it was connected to. The much grander lab had brighter blue hued lights, and panels of some kind of silver toned metal installed onto both the floor and walls. Bodily liquids--mainly blood were in abundance and most of the liquid was caked on in a dry murky brown pile. Splatters were also in abundance, mainly on the floor and on the massive work bench near the center of the room, housing many of the rustic and barbaric weapons and tools Aeion had seen.

This room, in comparison, held dimmed amber toned lights through sconces on the walls, and mainly had wood on the walls in a deep stained hue, though much of the wall could not be seen due to the array of holding containers filled with different bits and pieces of who knew what, as well as shelving and cases packed with rugged and ornate looking books, binders, loose papers and scrolls. The floor looked to be of some kind of flat pieced together slate in deep tones of grey. Like cobblestones, only much bigger. The holding apparatuses were seemingly securely shackled into the floor itself, and Aeion could just see a small prison like holding cell semi hidden from the rest of the room, with deep rusted metal bars protruding from the top into the bottom and through the floor. Nothing could really be seen inside of the cell as there were no lights in that corner, though there were a few intact skeletons off on the edge, perhaps with some kind of restraint but due to the lack of light it was too dark for Aeion to get a detailed look.

The celling was rough and unfinished. Dirt and rock were spattered together to form some kind of strong bond, and the roots of a tree weaved through the entangled space. Aeion supposed that, for a holding cell, the doctor did not care about the condition of what was above his half worked on experiments. Were they not still dead? Not like they could escape by digging their way out.

By now, Aeion had slowly made his way to almost the center of the room. There were still holding containers he had yet to take a closer look at, but the center held something different. These half completed creatures were not inside liquid filled containers. They instead were strapped down onto a thick rugged holding bench or table with a multitude of worn old pieces of leather. Old blood splatters were clearly visible, though it paled in comparison to the same marks on the tables in the lab next door. The creature on this restraint table was quite unique. It did not have many elements that were stitched together. Instead, a good portion of this creatures face lacked skin. The muscles underneath were clearly visible and carefully carved out into their separate sections, some being dyed or tinted a shade of blue, potentially for clarity. Veins seemed to be double the normal size of its natural counterpart, and tendons, like the muscles were separated. The paws did look to be intact, however some of the digits were reduced to bone. Through the side of this creature there was a big coiled metal tube with a smaller clear tube running in the center. It looked to either be pumping something in or draining something out and was firmly and potentially permanently imbedded into the creature, spanning all the way to under the table block. It also looked quite fragile, like it could easily snap near the center. For all the outsider male knew, the tubing may have fused with creature itself. Just seeing it made is injured side hurt!

The creature kind of reminded him of Rosemary. He was not really sure why, but with the little skin or fur that still remained, there kind of sort of was a small resemblance. Shivering slightly, he began to walk away from the weird restrained creature and towards another object. Just as he began to move, the creature opened its skinless eyelids and revealed two different types of eyes. One looking original to the creatures head, and one clearly imbedded with some kind of odd brass metal.

Aeion jamp back and small amber wisps began to hover from his paws. 'What the.. What are you?'

The monstrosity did not seem to be aware that the male was there. It caulked its head one way, and then the other in some kind of mechanical orientation. The beast did not attempt to pry itself free of its restraints. It looked as if it did not realize that it would be unable to move anything past its head. The twisting mechanical motion alone made Aeion wonder if it could turn its neck all the way around. That thought disturbed him.

Startling the male who was in thought, it began to speak, at the same time it was still looking around and still oblivious to Aeions presence. In response, the wisps around Aeions paws intensified.

'Doc-tor mommy? Doc-tor! Why are we not go-ing to I-iii-iiiiiiland?'

Its voice was clearly not natural and held some kind of mechanic clockwork tone. It turned its head quickly from side to side.

'Mo-mmy? Are w-ww-wwwe go-ing to island s-ss-sooon?'

It twisted its head again in quick successive movements and then closed its eyes as if going back to some kind of twisted sleep--or shutting down.

Aeion dismissed the mandarin wisps and poked the being a few times with the tip of his paw. It did not move. He eyed the main tube and shifted slightly. Keeping his distance, he used one swift kick to connect his paw with the center of the tube to attempt to disconnect it from the creature. Successful, the tube snapped with a fragile bone shaking crack. He hoped to end this things cruel misery. Nothing deserved that amount of punishment. Nothing from Earth anyway.

A stream of semi transparent blue liquid began to spill out of the broken tube. It seemed as though the stale air caused some kind of chemical reaction and the liquid boiled and semi solidified. It was kind of like a domino effect and the colour of the creature began to fade from a deeper hue to something more pale. White frost like patterns began to come up to the surface. Within minutes, the frost like fungus enveloped the entirety of the creature, and then in a sudden shift, the body turned to dust. A few mechanical wires, screws and cogs were all that remained.

'How long had this thing been in stasis for?' he whispered in awe. 'If anything reacts like that, it should have been dead seasons ago.' The thought of this place just being abandoned suddenly crossed his mind. It would have been a bit ago that it would have happened.

'That thing said something about an island', he thought. 'There has to be some kind of information about that somewhere.'

he eyed first the desk with the books and papers scattered throughout, and then the series of bookshelves. The male smirked. This doctor had left quite the paper trail before. What was to say that he would not continue the kind and hospitable gesture?

[melodysangel]

Chapter 2.2 and 2.3(.5): The big red button and the intact blue prints

((this is another bleed in. Half of 2.3 in this prompt, the other half in the next because that's how it looks like it wants to flow))

Aeion scanned the room that he was currently standing in. The amount of bookshelves filled with old dusty rotting books was staggering. It was like someone was just looking for space to cram in 'one more book' and then put in one too many. The shelves were made from a thick dark stained wood and spanned from the ground to the ceiling, and the shelves themselves were linked to span most of the surface area of the wall. Many of the half competed experiments that were contained in the different tubes of glass either were bolted between bookshelves in an assortment of combinations, on the bookshelves themselves (crammed between books or sitting at the top), or in front of the bookshelves on top of posts and pedestals that were also made out of a dark stained wood, as well as a tarnished rusted metal.

It was not just the shelves that housed potential information, either. The male could see many different types of unbound scrolls and sheets of paper. Some were haphazardly thrown about, others in perfectly organized piles. This was on the border of information overload. Where was he going to start? For all he knew this information may not even be in this room or on this property.

'If I was an evil half brained klutz of a lead-hearted freak' he thought to himself, 'Where would I keep information on my hideouts or safe zones? My upcoming plans?'

His eyes continued to look around the room. The shelves seemed unlikely. Why would someone put information they were currently working on in a place they could not easily access? That and it looked as if some of the bound books were just going to fall apart at the slightest touch or drop of a hat. The pages were probably too frail to handle. Even the documents and bound sheets near ground level seemed unlikely. There was a huge amount of liquid and dust that could access those pages potentially. If for example these half experiment things either woke up or were broken out of their liquid filled tubes, what was to say that the creature would not destroy whatever was in sight? Or the liquid spill onto the pages? Some of the containers that held and housed these things were in the direct path of a multitude of books and pages if the glass were to crack or shatter.

'That liquid in those containers' he thought to himself, 'I wonder if it has similar properties to the liquid that was being pumped through that thing that woke up.' He turned around and looked at the bench where the tortured monster thing used to be. The tube that Aeion had snapped cleanly in half was no longer draining the blue liquid that used to flow freely inside. The air within the room had turned the open end into a solid looking off white plug of what looked like some kind of mossy or fuzzy foam. Though that 'foam' was probably more then likely toxic or harmful in one way or another. At least to someone that was still originally intact.

The other side of the tube--the piece that used to be embedded into that mechanical fused monster thing rested flat on the bench, its one restraint still holding it in place to prevent it from falling. The end of the tube was spiked with sharp and long looking jagged teeth cut through it all around the perimeter. The barbaric looking 'teeth' were cut at least 4 inches into the side of the tube. Aeion again winced seeing that, knowing it was probably unwillingly forced into the beings side. It was even probable that the creature thing was still semi normal and awake. He could not remember seeing these bladed teeth cut in the tube before he snapped it in half so that whole thing must have been embedded completely and entirely at least up to that point.

Of corse, the tube was now free because the creature it was attached to was now nothing more then both a sickly ash coloured pile of dust and a few metal cogs, screws, bolts and wire. Well, they were underground. As long as he did not go near that pile of dust, his lungs should be ok. And the creature was now no longer in pain. It was technically free.

That creature thing gave him a vital clue. It was the least he could have done for it.

'The island,' he thought 'When are we going to the island?' The most logical thing Aeion could think of was to start at the desk embedded in the wall with the stack of bookshelves. His most resent logs or findings should technically be there, should they not?

The male slowly stretched and cracked the joints in his hind quarters, and then his neck before slowly making his way over to the desk, being careful not to disturb anything along the way. The many glass containers and vessels on the side were a challenge but the male managed to avoid contact by just sweeping past each one in a slow thought out manner. He steered clear of the center restraining tables, walking along the perimeter of the crowded room as space would allow. Unlike some cold hearted bastard, He held some respect for those no longer walking along the living. Those that were innocent. Had a life to live. And had that life stripped from them in what probably was an unwilling and torturous fashion. Respect to him meant keeping his distance. Leaving the dead where they lie, undisturbed.

As he began his slow approach to the desk, scraps of paper that were faded and torn tumbled across his paws. It looked as though it was a thought or idea that the author of sorts later on rejected. Aeion carefully went to bend down to pick up one of the crumbled and stained pieces of paper. Straightening himself, he slowly opened up the sheet. The ink was indeed faded, and many chemical types of splotches had either discoloured or burnt through sections of the sheet. From what Aeion could see, multiple equations had been scribbled down, crossed out and restarted. He took a closer look to see what this creature was trying to write out. While he was no biologist, Aeion's innate abilities somewhat relied on physics so complex equations were natural to understand for him.

'Ok, you crazy freak', he whispered, 'what were you up to?'

The page was delicate, and he had to be careful. Taking a closer look at the faded ink of the equations, Aeion could just make out the formulas for calculating space and time. Only it did not look like the being that wrote these down was very accurate. The solution was not the correct one.

'Well, you cant get far if you fumble up half way through. But I guess you realized that if all of these scribbles and cross outs have anything to say about it'.

He gently put the old crumbled sheet of paper down and examined the desk that he was now in front of. The desk itself had three..no four different books haphazardly piled on top of it, as well as an old dry ink well and a long dirty feather or quill. Tiny splatters of dark blue ink stained sections of desk, and brittle frail pieces of blank parchment lay near the edge facing the wall. The parchment had an even tan along the entire perimeter, and sections were still tightly coiled up. As Aeion went to go retrieve one of the rolled up stacks, the paper began to crumble in his paws.

It was a good thing this one was empty. Free of any ink strokes. It would have been awful if it had contained information that he needed. He made a few quick successive sweeping motions with his paws to clean himself of the crumbled pieces of parchment before replacing what was still intact to its original location. He looked then to the other side of the desk.

Blood spatters--or rust, Aeion was not sure what--were clearly present on the top surface of the desk, where it was free of paper or other documentation. It was strange seeing those odd stains on a place that was clearly used to write, read and log notes or entries. Maybe the cold hearted doctor had brought pieces of his experiments to the table for closer study? Why else would these be here?

'Ok,' he thought, 'looks like its just these four bound books. At least its a start.'

Aeion slowly went to pick up the closest book. It had a worn rusted brown leather cover and the pages that were bound inside had clear signs of usage. He Opened the tired looking pages and stopped at a readable section.

Log 32-A. Day of Mourning. Section B, date 15.

The sun is finally down and Esmeralda is now tall enough to initiate my grand plan. I have told her that she will only be helping me by giving me her genes. She can then run off to that no good ex student of mine.

Like an obedient mouse of a child, the toddler has no idea what is truly in store and is happy to lend me a paw. This will be like stealing a piece of sugarcane from an infant! I cannot wait!

Aeion turned the page. It was blank but it looked as if something had been there. He kept on turning the pages until he saw another entry.

Log 32-A. Day of Ra. Section F, date 10

After much tinkering I have succeeded. The chaos infusions did not quite work as intended though, and Esmeralda let off quite the unnecessary scream as her body vaporized. I may need to add a knock out agent next time. This skeleton is no longer useful. I shall have to find a place to dispose of it.

Log note: Continue research on plan 'Immortality'.

Aeion blinked. 'What the hell are you playing at, you jerk?! You don't even sound like you cared!' Ornery, the male continued to flip through the pages until he found one last entry. It seemed as though a few months had passed between these logs. It was strange that daily notes were not kept. He slowly read the log.

Log 32-A. Day of Summoning. Section M, date 3

The gene essence has successfully proven to be more potent then the original source. It also proved to be frail. An unexpected set back. But a fixable one.

I will continue to clone this DNA and test the results to make sure it gain an exponential increase in potency with every generation.


Soon, my log. Soon I will be able to use the fruits of my labor for its true and brilliant purpose. I can not wait.

His mood fowled, Aeion threw the log onto the table. Stagnant dust flew into the air and cleared a section of desk Aeion did not see. It look like some kind of...button? It had signs of constant wear from use and was beginning to rust on the edges of the perimeter. Was this what he was looking for?

Still upset from the previous log, the male did not care and hit the rather large ruby hued button. It took a few seconds to activate, but a slight shift in the floor made Aeion turn around, and a small closet like space with a different table was just starting to pop in from some kind of hidden alcove.

'Huh. A hidden space. I think I just hit the jackpot.'

He eyed the desk he was at and scowled before slowly making his way over to the new area, again, being careful not to disturb his surroundings. This new desk looked to be in better shape then the last, and it held a container with neatly stacked scrolls by the corners along the edge. Blueprints of something were sprawled on the top, with two separate books holding the prints in place.

A small amber light flicked on in the closet like space and it was obvious that it was activated by the red button Aeion had initially pressed. It was also obvious that whatever had made the things in the bigger room frail was not present here. From what he could see, the sheets and paper were well preserved.

It did not take much for Aeion to see what the blueprints were. He was still visibly upset but this..this helped to relieve some of that. Just a bit.

'The island. This..goes into detail. Let me see what we have here.'

It looked like there was a huge forest and maze of some sort, and a grand castle at the back of a floating piece of rock. It would take a little to gather all of the details, and so Aeion took the blueprints and carefully rolled the sheets, placing them securely on his person, away from visible sight.

Before he left, Aeion went to pick up the two books. One looked to be a log of preparations to this island and its defenses. After speed reading through it, he also placed this book on his person, as it contained valuable information he could interpret better while he was outside.

The second book was much like the initial book Aeion had read on the other desk with that red button. Some log on what was behind that sick bastards mind.

Gazing quickly through it, Aeion could determine that all of the bones he had run across..were all rejects of experiments the doctor was trying to perfect. Like the first log, it seemed as if these 'hosts' as he had called them were somehow here against their will. The doctor had used the terms 'Operation immortality' and 'The anomaly' a few times, and there was one tiny log about attempting to study 'perfect' signs to power something up for his benefit.

'Ok,' he thought, 'and how many skeletons and bones did I come across? How many souls did you rip away? That dumping ground up above, let alone the pit! And what on this Earth are you toying at? Immortality..perfect symbols. The mismatched Hyean power words in that other room? Those are not perfect, and certainly not meant to be used by those that do not understand them!'

He huffed, displeased.

'Anomaly...power up the anomaly. What is this anomaly?'

There were still clearly a few missing pieces of the puzzle but Aeion had what he needed for now to continue on and he was sure this island contained more information. More answers. He took one last look around, and fluidly left the room in a state of both anger and deep thought.

[melodysangel]

Chapter 2.3.5, 2.4 and 2.5: The welcome brigade

(another tie in, including the second half of 2.3..cause that is how it rolled!)

Aeion was in no mood to concentrate on his surroundings. His deep chocolate orbs began to glow a medium shade of violet and little blurbs of crimson and purple briefly whizzed by as he made short leaps and hops through each compartment of space. When he reached the curtain covering the room to the sleeping quarters, the male carefully shifted around and to the other side, and then made an actual local warp (without blurbs) to skip past the possible trapped corridor and to the room that housed the pit full of what Aeion now knew were victims of this insane doctor. He eyed the ladder made from old dry bones and worn down rope. It honestly appeared that the rope would not hold much longer, and the male shook his head in disbelief.

'I don't have time for this, and I don't have time to fish myself out of some hole filled with skulls!'

Anxious, he turned his head to gaze at the ceiling. Normally Aeion could just warp out to anywhere with a general area that he had been to without looking directly at the location he wanted to go to. But something was toying at him. Ever since entering this fowl place, things have not been quite right. Aeion had a weird feeling that whatever this doctor was up to, it may be effecting him, and he scowled. The one room with that mirror was proof enough of that.

The opening to the cavern was not really visible from his vantage point, but Aeion attempted a warp anyway. He did not wish to even go near that ladder! Closing his eyes to concentrate, the male took a few seconds to actually settle on the location--just outside the alcove with the overgrown plants-- and he disappeared from the bone pit room and to where he intended to go. With a bruised shoulder.

'Ack! How did I..!?' The male quickly looked around to see if anything was around him before taking a look at the shoulder in question. This was not something that normally happened. Did he bang onto something while warping out? That should not be possible. Actually, it was not possible. None of his pod members were altering his path--he WOULD have known if that was the case. What the heck was going on?!

The confused male slowly rotated his arm in different slow and controlled movements. Nothing was broken. Just bruised. It was not something that should hold him down or back. He figured he would be ok and left it be.

Aeion slowly began to walk away from the old mansion dumping ground and sat down on a hill of tall grass. It still felt like he was in some kind of country side instead of a main city, and he could clearly see the entirety of the city from his vantage point. He was far enough away from anything and everything so he figured it would be safe to take a better look at the log and blue prints. Under the light of the supersized moon.

The moon still held some kind of pale orange glow, and when he went to take a look, it had only slightly shifted in the sky. 'I gather it is maybe 1am right now', he spoke softly, 'I still have time before it sets for the night.'

He did have to keep an eye on the moon, though. It still felt like only hours had passed since he unceremoniously crashed into the side of a sand dune. His body clock was not meant to adjust to something like this. Even if he had family on the other side of this planet, Aeion never spent this much time on Earth in one go.

Shaking his head to clear it, Aeion carefully took out the log book that was on top of the blue prints on the hidden desk. While the blue prints contained information on what was inside of the island and apparently castle that was supposedly built on top of it, it would not have information on where the location of this island was.

He carefully flipped through the pages, satisfied that the ink between them was not as faded as the ink in some of the other logs. Eventually he came across a hopeful entry.

Aeion was right to take things outside. It was much easier to read this book of sorts under moonlight instead of that dimmed amber bulb. Easier on his eyes. 'Ok, what do we have here?'

He began to softly read the entry.

'I have managed to secure some private property out in the east end off the docks of the city of Crux. It is far enough away from the city to not be visible from the port, and is close enough to cross without any interference.'

'It took some time, but I finally obtained a grunt with skills in magic and manipulation. With some tinkering I was able to...persuade him to enchant the entire area to only appear under mist on a full moon.'

Aeion paused. He 'made' someone do that? How? By injecting some goo into them while being restrained? Making a slight face, he continued reading.

'Of corse, it will be available to me at any time with this locket I ripped off of his dead body, but the lackey could not make it fool proof. This island should not be obtainable to anyone but me. I will have to dispose of him for that, and never mention my island to that annoying ex student of mine. She still thinks her brat is alive! Only through my clones..and then me! My minions will be able to get rid of his bones and then it will be settled. Perhaps my old mansion will be adequate. I am beginning to run out of space over here.'

'I feel I will need to move in soon. The pesky rodent has not stopped her interference and she may soon catch on that something may be aloof. I must prepare my grunts for the transport. Immediately!'

The words 'sick bastard' instantly came from the males mouth. After reading that piece of work, it was well justified!

Well. The moon WAS full, maybe that was partly why Ao said that this had to be done tonight. Other then gaining strength from...clones? Something. If this entry was true then... The male closed his eyes and focused on the eastern area past the docks. He did not warp there. He only wanted to confirm the entry. And confirm he did. There was indeed some rock formation there, considerable in size and in around the area that was listed in the log.

Eyes twinkling in the moonlight, Aeion smirked. 'Glad I don't have that allergy dad does with water', he said in a soft almost maniacal tone, 'Looks like I am the cat. And you are the mouse.'

A smirk still present on his face, the male put the log back safely on his person and pulled out the blue prints to study. There were three separate ones: One for the entirety of the outside of the island, and two for inside the castle. It looked like the interior ones were separated into the different floors, and the doctor did not have enough parchment to incorporate it all onto one piece.

He took a look at the exterior one first.

'So, it looks like the only physical way onto this island is through the south west side, on the coast with this beach. Everything else looks to be on some kind of steep cliff.'

He traced his paw a few ways with possible directions and ways to go.

'There looks to be some kind of dense space. A forest? That will be fun to get through if the canopy is not open. Its exist is north east of the beach.'

'Is..that a maze? Who the hell would add in a manicured maze at the end of some kind of dense uncontrolled greenery? I wonder if these blue prints are accurate enough to stay true to the solution.'

Continuing with the soft trace, Aeion noticed that if this held true, he would only need to make 3 right turns to clear the maze. He spent a few minutes memorizing the path, noticing that the maze seemed to cover the entire horizontal area; there was no way to skip it or go around.

His eyes shifted to the maze exit. It looked like some kind of unneeded bridge and courtyard area. Not much room to dodge, and no alternate paths. Was this doctor so cocky that he felt he did not need alternate ways to get out?

The castle grounds took up the entirety of the rest of the area. There was no more space left for anything else.

Shaking his head, he went to put the exterior print away and replace it with the bottom and main levels of the castle. Mapping out each chamber, he took note of the more interesting areas.

'That entire basement looks like its separated into a lab and a main room in the center that spans through all levels. If something was built to span those levels, it must be pretty important.'

He took a closer look at the lab and scowled.

'Typical! How big of a dungeon is needed!?'

He then stopped and it occurred to him that this doctor may be using that space as a holding area for his 'operation immortality'. Cloning but needing other 'hosts'? Maybe it was his new dumping ground...or maybe he just tossed things he no longer needed into the water off the cliff.

He would know soon enough.

His eyes shifting to the last of the blue prints, Aeion saw that the floor level with the main door had many smaller rooms inside. Many research or library rooms. A kitchen and dining area. A few lounge areas. And that circular center area that spanned through all floors.

The floor on top of that looked to mainly be for sleeping or research. There was one last floor above it, and the blue print only showed it as some kind of circular dome, presumably from that center main room.

Aeion took note of where the rooms of interest were and how to get there. How they were connected, and if there was only one way to access them. It was odd that there were no exterior doors present on the blue print other then the front one, though there seemed to be many windows starting on the second floor.

'One way in. One way out. I guess that means I will have to say hi instead of letting myself in.'

He sighed and put the blue prints back on his person before looking out to the east end of the water. He needed to get to the port to get a more accurate reading, and possibly more of an idea of how he would go about doing this.

He supposedly needed this doctor alive. He couldn't just take him out at the door. And he needed to know where the power source was (Aeion was suspecting this central room), so he could shut it down. Even then, he needed more information on why some things were happening. Could he get the doctor to talk?

Stretching his neck, the outsider slowly went to get up off the grass and on his feet. He then made his way off of the hill and into the city proper before heading to the port.

The water did not seem to hold a reflection tonight, and off into the distance, the wind was playing with some mist that had formed. Aeion made sure that he was not being watched, and crept onto the very edge to be sure before warping to the field of rock he had scouted out before.

'Ooofff!'

The mist was deep, the rocks wet and slippery, and the male ornery. One again, Aeion had warped to where he intended to go, and once again, he had hit something on the way there..or in this case, perhaps as he was completing the warp. The same shoulder that he injured just minutes before had made contact with the blunt side of one of the many onyx coloured tall and jagged rocks covering this beach, and it was incredibly sore. It did not break or crack, but it did hit the rock face hard enough to start to slowly bleed in the central location. Wincing slightly, Aeion sat down to look it over and mentally recover. He was in disbelief.

What was going on? Why?

As he got back up, he did notice that he was feeling kind of strange. Air headed? Not dizzy, just...pressure. He was perfectly fine before...maybe the environment was messing with him? The beach he was on was filled with rocks and was small but gloomy. Even the jagged dark sand that littered the area--presumably from eroded local rocks-- was odd.

While holding that thought, he heard a few grunts and snorts and so turned around to see where it was coming from. Five weird sphinx animal monster hybrid things were out on the edge of this dreary looking beach and what Aeion could now confirm was a forest, sitting on a red and white checkered blanket...sipping from a tea cup? Were his eyes deceiving him?! Whether or not he was seeing things, those five creatures sure did not know he was there. Dumbfounded, the male stayed where he was to just watch. See if he could learn anything from these bizarre creatures. And see if he could find a way past them.

The creatures, sitting equidistant from each other in a circle on the blanket each had something unique about them. One had the head of a rat, another the tail of a monkey with shark fins. Another still looked like it was part lion, part giraffe and part pig? The last two did look sort of like Frankenstein sphinxes with different interchanged parts, but they both housed different animal wings.

Aeion could not hear them speak. At least not in common or the other native language the locals normally used. It was just a series of grunts, snorts and squeals. And it looked like all of the sitting monster hybrids could understand each other. The weird thing was that they seemed to all have etiquette. Manners. Like this was some posh upscale tea party or picnic. At one in the morning?

Just when Aeion thought he had seen it all, two more equally weird hybrid things appeared with baskets from the forest clearing. One had the head of a pig with the body of a chicken and the legs of a loin, the other a 'normal' Frankenstein being with 5 different types of paws, two heads (one of a cat, the other of a dog), and the tail of a beaver. Both were smiling from ear to ear and both seemed to know the other monsters sitting down. They each presented their baskets which contained small berries and some other kind of fruit, and so the tea party continued.

Just then a huge gust of that eerie familiar wind ripped through the blanket, tossing anything loose up into the air. Aeion shivered. He could tell that he was really close to the source of these harsh winds. And by the reaction of these monsters, he could see that it was some kind of unwelcomed party crasher. One of the monsters started to grunt and squeal while another flailed its arms in the air. Three others began to squeal and scream, trying to desperately gather their loose belongings. When the wind passed through, the monsters all looked at each other and neatly packed away their belongings, leaving anything broken where it lay. They then, in single file, began to head into the forest, some still clearly distraught, scared...or perhaps sad.

Strange and fierce howlings protruded from the forest and it nearly shoock up the file of monsters. Some held onto each other, and then they continued on deeper in.

'Well ill be darned' Aeion blinked in shock, 'Noone will ever believe this. But now I should be able to head in.'

Keeping his distance from the weird creatures, Aeion took his time through the forest. There were many strange and vicious beings lurking in the shadows, and many different howls and calls. The male, in response, just flared out his arms, ready in the event of having to fight. Cautiously he continued, testing to see just how accurate the blue prints he had studied earlier were. One thing was for sure--the canopy was dense and he could not see the sky above him. That meant that it was incredibly dark and hard to see. Slowly, he continued on, and slowly, he caught up within distance of the seven monsters, who, while were still huddling each other and potentially scared to the bone, were just making their way out of the forest and into the maze.

Another dangerous sounding howl and the group of monsters in front of Aeion stopped walking and huddled closer, shaking. It was only a wolf, Aeion thought, why are these things soo afraid? Shaking his head he grumbled slightly, and, realizing that he would be unable to pass the scared group in front without being seen, Aeion decided to test his luck and see if those blue prints would hold up with the accuracy.

Staring at his shoulder and taking a deep breath to calm his doubts, the male focused on the pattern of the maze on the blue prints. There were supposed to be three right turns. All were near the center of the maze. Playing it safe, he warped to where the first turn should be, and then second, and then the last. Luckily his ability seemed to normalize and he did not find himself banging into something along the way. But something felt a bit different. Like he was trying to push through a semi solid instead of air. Like he had to actually focus and concentrate instead of innately just doing what he normally does. It did not bode well for the inner feelings of the male.

Aside from a few growth spouts here and there, the maze was relatively accurate. He wanted to walk the rest of the distance to make sure, as he knew that he should be far enough away from the group of weird creatures. It would be useful to confirm the prints in the event he would somehow be unable to just warp back to the port. Though that thought kind of scared him. It was not normal. He kind of wished he was not alone.

The exit of the maze was before him, and a vast courtyard with four large statues of what Aeion thought were supposed to be intimidating looking gargoyles sat by two well placed positions. Two were by the bridge entrance (why a bridge was there was beyond him!) The other set positioned just outside the first two. As Aeion stepped out of the maze, the onyx coloured statures began to move.

'Wait, what the...?'

Eyes flaring, Aeion assumed a defensive position and willed those wisps of amber to rotate around him. He was not sure if he could poison something made from stone, but he could try. And if that failed, there were always focused blasts. Shifting their wings, each of the four gargoyles turned to face Aeion, eyes glowing a bright yellow. He was semi surprised that they were somewhat quick--for stone--but he was faster.

Focusing on his abilities, Aeion willed the amber wisps into a haze and sent it straight into the pack of four. Un phased, they leapt towards the male. Aeion warped out and in behind the pack, then curved his paws inward, concentrating his energy into a vicious beam. It connected with two of the four gargoyles and they both exploded into tiny fragments, the yellow glow disappearing from their eyes. The last two made another sweep towards the male and he dodged out of the way, gracefully flipping back and over the heads of the flying creatures. Again focusing, he spun in the air with a high jumping kick to create distance between him when one of the sculptures got too close, then let out a second beam of amber energy, smashing the last two gargoyles into the pile of rubble that they were.

Out of danger, Aeion noticed some barely visible wisps coming from the two rubble piles. A sharp shriek tore through his ears before the wisps floated up to the sky.

he dropped to his knees and tried to catch his breath, then held onto his injured side. What was wrong with him? That fight should not had phased him. But again, it was like fighting through molasses. It took at least twenty times the amount of focus or visible energy for him to pull something off. Why?

He took his paw off his injured side and focused on his powers when he felt eyes on him. Turning around, he saw that the set of seven monsters had caught up with him. They were huddled, in a pile, shaking like they had seen the end of the world. Assessing them, he could see that they posed no threat and wanting to conserve his energy, the wisps of amber faded from his paw.

He eyed the lot with a hard gaze.

'Can you understand me? What the hell is going on?'

The one monster with the duo heads make a grunt then scared squeal. Still huddled and firmly holding onto the others, it looked up at the male and started to grunt again.

'Grunt grunt squeeeeal! Grunt Don't...grunt grunt grunt hurttt ussss! grunt grunt!'

Another of the pack kind of tried to look up at Aeion, but with that gaze, it just shoved its head back into the grouping. It did try to speak and Aeion had a semi hard time hearing it.

'M-m-masters plan. Make others give up. g-g-g-enes. Shiiiiny thing. T-t-t-there. In c-c-center. For power.'

Aeion looked up and could clearly see the dome that was in the blue prints. It was prominent. A familiar blue light was glowing from it, and it was then clear that it held some connection to the wind.

'Wait...that shine looks like a bigger version of that mirror'

He eyed the still shaking group.

'Are you telling me that thing is trying to absorb me?'

The monster with the tail of a monkey shivered.

'Grunt grunt...m-most not like you..grunt grunt. M-m-most go in...shine. B-but not out. Grunt grunt Squeal!'

'So, that thing lures beings in and shine...what? Vaporized?'

His eyes widened and the lot before him shook more violently, clearly terrified.

'And what is different with ME?'

The two headed monster just looked up.

'Y-you fight...d-d-d-different. Master w-w-w-want like -y-y-you! *squeal!* 'N-no hurt uss? W-we no want t-t-troubleee?'

'Great. So your master somehow wants to do what I can do, so thinks hes got some right to take it away from me. Am I right?'

The group shivered in unison.

Well. Aeion was in the right place! Looked to him like whatever was in the center was what he needed to shut down. Though he was still piecing things together.

He eyed the shaking monsters one last time, unsure what to do with them.

'And how can I trust you lot from not stabbing me in the back?'

Slowly, the lot of them raised their equivalent of arms.

'W-we no hurt! We no hurt! *squeal!*'

His eyes narrowed.

'those sculptures were made from stone. They resisted my toxins. You cant. Do not get in my way.'

The group shook their heads in unison and Aeion could tell that they were way more scared of him then betraying their master. He saw each of them quickly dart back into the maze and could tell that they would keep that promise.


Turning back to the castle grounds, Aeion just warped past the bridge to the start of the gate. He looked back and saw that part of the bridge was run down and right now he was too annoyed to problem solve. He did NOT like having to work harder for something that should come to him. The sooner he could kill this plan, the sooner he could go back home.

As he approached the only door on the complex, the weather shifted. The moon was still out but it began to mist and a thin fog was forming. A soft drizzle of rain poured through the mist, and Aeion could see some weird moon bow where the light met the refracted particles inside the droplets of mist and rain.

The celling orb was huge and dominant. It loomed out on top of him. He could see eerie blue lights coming from inside that glass and another wind gust kicking up, starting form inside that room, passing through the celling orb, and rushing out.

It creped him out. He could almost feel something dead, and then alive within that gust. It was not normal. And he hated it.

With one more step, he approached the door and wondered how he should continue.

[melodysangel]

Chapter 3.1: An unexpected welcome.



Aeion did not have to do anything. He didn't even have to knock. The door swung open and a very happy and excited doctor came to greet him.

Come in! Come in! Please, make yourself at home. Come in, before you catch a cold from this dreary rain!'

((MA note: Please excuse the anatomy on the doctor. It WAS fine but between his poufy hair, extra long tail (both of these are intended) and the hard shading (its night, and the only light source is comming from inside the castle..though I screwed up and used the wrong kind of shading) details got lost. I realize things like his paw tips and hairband look weird. Its because I had to add some kind of unrealistic highlight to make them viable. /artist rant >>))

[melodysangel]

Chapter 3.2 and 3.3: Wont you stay for tea?

Aeion was 'slightly' caught off guard by the exuberant male before him and was not expecting someone to happily usher him through the door. He was almost as 'cheery' as Rosemery, and he could see subtle similarities in both personality and appearance. As the door swung open the wind picked up to a gale force of a monstrosity, and the hazy mist began to turn into an unnatural heavy downpour. By the time Aeion had retreated to just under the door frame in the hopes of avoiding to get soaked though, the visibility outside was gone. It was a solid wall of fast moving rain.

He turned to the over joyful male and noticed that he had a few unusual features about him, like that long silky tail that covered the surrounding floor, and a pocket watch that the male seemed to subconsciously fumble with. He eyed him, brow raised. It would not take much to see that Aeion did not trust the male in the slightest, and his voice was a low clenched growl.

'Don't-go near me. What was that for?'

The male behind him merely smiled innocently as he shut the door to keep the water out. He seemed un phased by the harshness in Aeions voice. It may not have registered at all. 'Oh, my dear boy. No need for thanks! Soo glad to have saved you from that dreary rain. Do stay while the weather misbehaves. It would be awfulto catch your death of cold!'

The elder male put prominence in the words 'awful' and 'death'. Aeion suddenly wondered if this madman had somehow rigged...SOMETHING together to create that unnatural block of rain and strong winds, and his mind turned to the set of seven creatures huddled up in the maze. If that was the case, was this doctor punishing them? How would he even know? And did he have some kind of contraption TO control the weather on a dime, or did he rip that out of someone?

Something suddenly physically hit him. Not from the elder male in front of him--he did keep a bit of a distance away from Aeion--but it was like he had entered into some kind of invisible aura coming from one of the rooms upstairs. It was ironic that he had noticed it on the thought of potentially ripping a power out. Aeion felt like he had an elephant on his shoulders. Like the veins inside of him were clenched. His abilities, while not completely suppressed, were now to the point where he would have to limit what he does to when he would absolutely need it.

Noticing the subtle change in Aeion, the doctor frowned.

'Oh my my, did that awful rain get to you? Come now dear boy, let us head to the grand room. A nice hot cup of tea should do the trick. You will stay for that, yes? What am I saying? Of corse you will! The rain! Now now, dear boy, follow along!'

Aeion just eyed the male with a clear 'im not going anywhere' look in his hardened orbs. But then he noticed something coming from within the hall to the right hand side. Many somethings. There were tens upon tens of the same type of mismatched monster making their way towards both him and the doctor. Behind those identical creatures were monsters similar to the ones that he had seen outside. Mismatched sphinxes with very strange hybrid animal traits. They all seemed to have some kind of task, and it looked as if the doctor had separated a few to be his personal servants.

Something about those clones made him want to investigate further. They were different from the one that was strapped down in his underground housing facility. And much stronger then those bottled auras. It looked like perhaps many 'generations' had gone by. No--they had. As the clones got closer Aeion could feel the potential threat coming off of them. If they went hostile. It was much more potent then what he had soo far come across. And the sheer amount of them plus feeling limited made for one majorly ornery male.

It was too soon to fight. He had to bide his time. And get these invisible elephants off of him!

One thing Aeion did notice. These clones were all female. Was it not the doctors daughter they were modeled after? Were?

The doctor paused and happily greeted the clones as they walked past. 'Wonderful! My dears, we have a guest! Do be sure he is most comfortable.' He then turned to one of the butler looking hybrids. 'Set the grand room up for tea.'

The butler let out a few grunts and the doctor beamed.

'Done already? Wonderful!'

He then turned to one of the clones.

'Now now dear, let us make our guest at home. You know that company prefers not to be ignored. Do be sure comfort is adequate!'

He petted the clone on the head and there was some kind of mechanical looking smile on her face. Like it realized it was being praised.

What was he on about?! Company preferring to not be alone?

His internal question quickly got answered as the smiling clone nimbly walked over to Aeion, bounding beside him. She had a softer voice but he could still pick up something mechanical within it.

'Please. Come with me. The-Doctor has requested that I be your personal-attendant during your stay.'

Aeion let off a brow raise and then two other clones came up to him. One stopped behind and one to his other side. The three then spoke in unison.

'Me and I will make you feel at-home. This-way!'

While he felt weakened, he knew it would be a hard task to fight all three clones at once. They did respect his personal space, and they were not attacking him. Yet. He slowly followed the others down the hall and into what the doctor had called the 'grand room.'

The room itself was enormous and had a similar colour palette to the front foyer. The walls were adorned in a rusted red matt paint, and there were sconces with lit flames every few feet on those walls. The ruby red carpet housed some kind of brocade pattern and matched most other golden accents in the room. Golden tassels adorned thick red velvet drapery, and a matching velvet runner spanned the entirety of the grand dark stained table. Each dark stained dining chair housed an elaborate carved design detailed in gold foil, and each had a matching crushed red velvet cushion and back rest. The table itself looked as if it could seat at least 30 creatures, and each place was perfectly set with fine golden cutlery, chargers and goblets.

A small coffee table with chairs and roaring fireplace capped the back of the room, matching the dark wood of the grand table and dining chairs. Crystal chandeliers elegantly hung from the vaulted ceilings in sets of three, their glow accented by tens of dozens of lit candles.

On the table itself, many champagne candles of all sorts of sizes, heights and widths were grouped in sets of three spanning the entirety of the length of the table. Each candle was lit, and the soft light bounced off of the crystal accents by the candles on the table as well as the crystal candle holders. The light that shone through the crystal danced into an array of sparkle and colour.

Adorning the center of the table a massive arrangement of some very strange flowers inside of a golden urn proudly held its place as the non-living center of attention. The blooms were massive and the neural colouring played well with the dramatic ruby and gold scheme of the room.

A row of 5 hybrid butlers began to delicately place piping hot tea kettles on chargers on the perfectly set table. While the tea kettles were expertly being arranged, an ornate box of loose leaf teas were also being placed by the kettles. Other butlers began to bring out small tea time snacks. A variety of biscuits and cookies, some pastries and some delicate cucumber sandwiches. Aeion was surprised to see 'normal' fair and he did a quick curious gauge. Nothing seemed poisoned or altered with. Though he did have a slight headache from the pressure in his veins. At least he could attempt something, if he absolutely had to.

He noticed that the weird hybrids were wrapping up. When they were done setting the table, each of the butlers exited the room in single file. Like an obedient dog.

Aeion looked around before his eyes stopped on the doctor. Someone had expensive taste. How could he even afford this? The doctor beamed at him and gestured to take a seat. At that gesture, all of the clones began to sit down. The three clones designated to 'Make Aeion feel at home' pulled a chair out by the doctor in unison, and he had little choice but to sit down. The three clones beamed, and each sat next to him.

Aeions eyes were still hard as he focused on the doctor. 'Im confused. This setting does not match what is seen outdoors.'

The doctor had just finished wiggling himself into his grand chair. The long silver locks had somehow become stuck and so Aeion supposed it took a few seconds to regain movement.

He again was oblivious to the harshness of the male before him. Free of his trapped hair, the doctor went to reach out towards the ornate box and wiggled his fingers. 'Such difficulties choosing. Such variety! Oh! the classic mint it shall be today I think!' The elder gingerly took a scoop of tea from a small section inside the box, and then a piece of cheesecloth. He then motioned for one of his clones to pour some piping hot water into the golden goblet with the fabric and tea before allowing it to steep.

'Wonderful, isn't it?' He replied. 'My Grande entrance. My home. Not everything is the same on the outside compared to what is within! But of corse you knew that.'

Aeion silently agreed. He was right. Not everything is always how its made out to be. One could be a hospitable sweet grandpa on the outside, and a demented evil bastard on the inside. His thought process was interrupted by one of the clones beside him.

'There are many varieties of tea to choose-from. Please. Let us know which type you will like!' Aeion put his paw up in a no thank you fashion but before he could finish the maneuver one of the clones very gently pressed her paw on his shoulder. 'You-are our guest. Do-not feel embarrassed. We-are happy to prepare your tea for-you.' Realizing that he would not get anywhere, and scouting out the safety of the things on the table ahead of time, Aeion sighed. His voice was low and soft. 'You aren't going to let me do anything, are you?' The clone beamed innocently in response and he could tell that she held a bit of knowledge on insecurity. 'For-you it-may be ok any-other day. But to-day we are honored to assist. Do not worry. Re-lax and enjoy-your stay.'

He was not going to win. Atleast the clones were not hostile.

Aeion looked over and chose the safest looking tea. He then looked back up to the doctor, who was busy piling his place with all of the food items and stuffing his face with a cucumber sandwich.

'You know, ive heard you have quite the reputation under your belt. Im surprised to see you enjoy foods like these.'

The doctor finished his mouthful of sandwich and took a sip of his tea. He then happily smiled.

'Why yes, dear boy! I am so very proud to have that reputation. It is wonderful, my work. Much to accomplish. Are they not beautiful?' He motioned to the clones, who he was clearly referring to as one of his life works, and Aeion could see a happy parental like tear start to form in the one eye with the monocle. This doctor really DID think that he was somehow doing good. He also wondered how many times the doctor had said the word 'wonderful' within the past five minutes.

The doctor continued to beam, happy while munching away. His one paw seemed to always be under the table and Aeion could tell he was looking at his pocket watch now and again. He was about to ask about that when the ground shook and a massive bag reverberated through the walls. Something had clearly exploded in one of the rooms up ahead.

The clones were clearly distraught and the lot of them went to get up, their composure compromised and duty forgotten. 'Oh! Doctor-daddy! A boom!' The doctors face was that of worry and he immediately went to get up, motioning his clones to retire downstairs. They all nodded in unison and scrambled for the stairs. They were all out of the room within a matter of seconds.

The doctor, an apologetic frown on his face, then turned to his guest.

'Oh dear dear, one of my accomplishments must have malfunctioned. Due pardon me, dear boy, for I must see from where that nasty and horrendous explosion originated! Very sorry to leave in such a state, but it is critical, don't you know? Oh my!' With that, the concerned doctor hurriedly darted out of the grand room and through the door on the right hand side, his long silky tail nearly getting caught in the process.

Aeion was now alone. And he didn't even get to touch his tea.

'So much for hospitality. What the heck exploded?' He softly said to himself. 'I wonder if this island is in danger due to this 'life work' of his.'

He looked around, focusing on the entirety of the room. Once pristinely placed goblets were thrashed about, some toppled over, with tea still spilling from the side. Chairs haphazardly placed. And crumbs on the floor.

He truly was alone. Perhaps that was a blessing in disguise.

With no one on his back, he could investigate. And if he got caught, all he would have to say was that he heard an explosion.


On that thought, Aeion went to slowly and silently get up. He then headed through the opposite door the doctor had gone through. He figured he would start below and work his way up.

[melodysangel]

Chapter 3.4: The reveal

It was not difficult to find the way down to what should be the lowest level. Aeion had meticulously watched what was happening and so noted which door was for down and which was for staying on this floor. What he assumed was the second level.

Carefully, he checked the door to make sure he was alone and that no one was on the other side. Once he was sure it was clear, Aeion gently opened the door wide enough to get through before closing it softly behind him.

The door had led to a small and very dark area with a rich dim amber light coming from the bottom. Aeion could just make out from the little light there that there was a spiral staircase right in front of him, made out of some kind of dull rusted metal and wood. Big metal rivets kept it in place and multiple stains were on sections of metal. The stains, while sporadic and spread out, seemed to be reminiscent of old blood and some kind of acid that had need neutralized. Aeion did not know for sure due to the limit of what he could see while still in darkness.


A soft and steady hum could be heard from below. Something reliable. Mechanical. Everything else was silent. Slowly, he approached the top of the stairs. 'This..looks flimsy' he stated quietly, 'But I shouldn't waste my energy on a port down while this thing is acting on me.'

With a small silent sigh Aeion very carefully crept down the spiral staircase, making sure he was dead quiet. When he got to the half way point, he could see what was below. This was clearly a massive lab. Perhaps the main one. The floors, walls and even the ceiling were covered in a metallic steel tile, though the floor looked like some areas had been worn out, patched up or still had staining. Amber sconces adorned sections of the walls, all equidistant from each other. These lights, however, we not at all fancy or ornate. The fixtures were metal based and almost rustic or barbaric. The light was in the form of massive spherical shaped glass orbs connected to the base with wire.

Multiple containers, machines and tables were neatly placed in rows, taking up the majority of the space on the floor, though there was an area off to the far corner that was too dark for Aeion to tell what it could be.

The very center was blocked off in a dome but it did not interfere with the layout. Tables for examination were just surrounding the central wall. One could still see the other side. It was like it was just one massive room sized pillar.

To the other end of this floor, past the center room pillar, something glimmered under the amber light.

Aeion very cautiously continued his way down the rest of the steps and decided to work his way from one end to the other. No one was working here right now. And he could easily play stupid if he had to.

He was closest to the glimmer on the one wall and so very carefully made his way closer. There were no tables but something instead encased on the entire side of the wall. Shimmering transparent cases were neatly lined in a vertical alignment, one connected to another. The cut corners and beveled edges worked like some kind of prism with the amber light dispersing it into different facets of colour that bounced in the room, and it was this that Aeion had seen from half way up the spiral staircase. But it was not the shimmering containers that had his attention. It was what was inside.

Every single crystal like coffin shaped container housed one of the clones--just like the ones that the doctor had dismissed earlier to go to sleep. And sleep, they were. Eyes closed, arms crossed, not moving. Aeion took a wide berth and calculated that there must be at least 60 coffins on the one wall. Ad he was not even sure he was in front of all of them. How much of a mindless beast can this doctor be? He did not appear to care for them. They were just obedient rats awaiting his every beck and call. And what would happen when he no longer needed his pets?

He shut his eyes and moved his head to the side, disgusted. As he did, he noticed that some of the machienes nearby looked like more advanced forms of that cloning device he had seen in the underground lab.

'I..guess that makes sense' he whispered, and Aeion took a step in that direction to check the trio out.

He did not take more then one step though. He suddenly did not feel soo safe and he whipped around to just witness one single clone near the middle of the wall with her eyes bloodshot and open wider then what should normally be possible. With motions that looked like it may have been against her will, she attempted to fight the hovering movement while inside of her cell and there was a purple black mist circling her. Enclosing her. It did not look like she had control of herself as she let out one loud and horrible ear bursting scream, and then silence as a white light overtook her body. When the light faded, she was gone. All that remained was mist. And even that was very slowly dissipating.

Aeions hands flared out in defense but no one else had awoken. It was as if something like this was normal. He no longer felt threatened and he just stared at the now empty coffin, mentally dissecting what the heck just happened.

The clones on each side of the effected coffin were still sound asleep, unhindered. The only thing Aeion could see within the almost gone mist was an image of a purple glowing watch like rune. It had just appeared briefly inside the now empty coffin before vaporizing into thin air. The image reminded Aeion of the doctor. But he could not pin point why. It really upset him to think about it and so after determining there was no immediate threat he turned to go and view the cloning machines that had caught his eye moments before. Perhaps it would take his mind off of what he was just realizing was the death...vaporization of a being in its sleep.

There were three machines visible when he did silently make his way over to the point of interest. All were different in design and one was glowing slightly with a soft non organic hum emanating from within. He peered inside. A small glowing ball of white was all that he could see from the small clear opening inside.

'Something brewing', he thought. 'But why is it just this one? The other two things are off.'

His answer came from the differences in how each machine looked. On closer inspection, the two inactive ones looked aged. Almost redundant. The one with the glowing thing inside was much more advanced. How far along did this lunatic get with his progress on 'perfection'?

As Aeion was mulling over the physical differences of the machines, his eyes turned and he noticed there was a small table next to the active one with one single log book on top. The doctor sure loved to leave him paper trails! Eagerly getting up, he carefully made his way to the desk, which looked to have a small stained stool just underneath of it.

The desk was nothing special. It was wooden and faded with wear; small in size and neatly tucked away in the corner. Aeion thought that perhaps he just used it to scribble thoughts or notes down as he had them. Considering where he was within the castle--or within the lab for that matter-- it was an ideal location to have something to conveniently write things down on. Especially if it was dealing with one of his 'life works' as he soo passionately called them back when it was 'tea time'.

Avoiding the creepy stool underneath the desk, he cautiously went to pick up the book. While the pages were intact, the scribbles were near unreadable. Aeion had to squint to make out sections--and he had perfect eyesight! Pressing a free paw to his head to temper the headache he was receiving from the strain on his eyes, the male continued to look for readable sections to see what he could learn.

'Let me see. How can anyone write so messily? These are not even in the same log format. Ok.' Flipping the page and finding something a bit less strain worthy, he started to read very softly to himself. 'It has been generations of manipulation strengthening and my project has finally gotten to the point where it is stable enough to integrate the time locket. Once it is encoded into the DNA I should have complete control of future generations.'

'Time locket...that pocket watch he was fumbling around with?'

Aeion continued to silently read on.

'Of curse, this means that spontaneous internal combustion is now controllable to when the current generation has spent its usefulness, and my project will no longer need an external life support system. I should just be able to kill the expended generation off with one click and gather the genetics needed for future strengthening.'

Aeion stopped reading, an ornery look on his face. Those creatures were derived from your DNA. How could someone be soo heartless?!

There was one last section Aeion was able to read, and he quickly noticed a scribble of a drawing of what looked like the purple rune he had seen inside the crystal coffin when the one clone 'died'. It was near identical.

'Finally. After tinkering with the perfect world runes I have been able to alter one to sync to the time locket I ripped from a high mage. With it, I can collect the DNA from where I am at instead of having to extract it manually. Less clean up for me, and less space needed to dispose of the corpse.

Here is the design. If I interpret it correctly it should attach to the DNA within the clone when activated, vaporizing any non essential data along the way. Brilliant!'

Aeion blinked. Perfect world runes? Hyean runes? Was he yet again tinkering with something that he did not understand?! Those are NOT meant to be toyed with!

If he was his father, steam would be coming up from his body he was soo upset. Aeion slammed the log closed and threw it back on the table with a huff then turned around.

The glow in the active device in front of him was much brighter then it had been beforehand. The motion of slamming the log book must have activated something, as the humming got slightly louder and the light inside near blinding. The tiny compartment opened just then and Aeion looked inside. Once the light had dimmed he could see a tiny toddler slowly opening her eyes. She blinked and looked up at the male, and then smiled happily, going to reach up in a motion that suggested she wanted to be held. Aeion head tilted and then blinked. His necklace began to glow and he could feel a kind of bond link with the toddler. He realized at that second that his own DNA overrode whatever the doctor had done within the girls genetic code. He no longer had access to controlling the child, and Aeion could feel that the doctor was not even aware that she had woken up.

It must have been because he WAS a true blood Hyean. And whatever the doctor was toying with, if it was Hyean in nature there was a good chance Aeion would know what it was or how to deal with it.

'Well,' he thought, 'This confirms that someone is definitely toying with something they cant mess with.'

He eyed the little girl inside the device. She had super long white curly hair, light pink silky ears and tail, and bright yellow-green eyes. She looked a lot like Rosemary and her energy signature confirmed that the doctor was indeed trying to strengthen genes compatible to him to get stronger somehow. He could sense a fragment of Hyean essence in the girl but, as potent as his worlds blood was it was not nearly enough to convert her to be like Aeion.

He could tell that the child posed no hazard to him. She technically saw him as 'dad'. And Aeion realized he had one more priority to handle.

'There is no way I am letting that bastard get a hold of you. You are going to your technical mom.' He gently lifted the girl up and into his arms and the girl happily held onto him in a hug. She giggled and cooed, her grip not at all fading, and Aeion had to find a way to carry her in this awkward sphinx form. Having four legs was SO inconvenient! Looking around, he found a few scraps of linen fabric, and so used it to make a hammock like thing he could attach to his chest.

With the girl asleep, safely attached and out of the way of hindering his movements, Aeion went to check the other end of the room on the other side of the central room pillar.

He gazed over the tables surrounding the pillar but there was nothing of real interest. The globes and jars were things he had seen before, only there was not quite as much gunk on the floor. Someone made an effort to keep the area at least somewhat clean. He could hear a shackle kind of noise coming from the dark end of the room and so cautiously went to see what the noise was.

The little girl scrunched her face slightly as he got within range. A group of nine different normal looking sphinxes were gaged and bound to the wall with metal chains. Each had their eyes covered and it looked as if some kind of trauma had been brutally enforced into each one.

Taking a closer look, he recognized some of the clothing on a few of them. These were once part of the city guard! That recruit had said something about the others going in..but the beings in front of Aeion did not look to be dead. At least, not physically. And that was something the recruit was babbling about. What was going on?

As he took a step closer the little girl began to cry and five out of the nine sphinxes began to choke on the gags that were in their mouths. He could hear muffled screaming and then felt an all too familiar thing originate from the soldiers in question. Aeions eyes widened as he witnessed their life being ripped from them and that cold harsh wind forming from it, then shifting up. But the wind did not get too far before exploding into the air around it. Aeion then blinked as the five sphinxes vaporized in front of him.

With the wind gone the child began to calm down, though Aeion was far from calm. He went over to the four remaining sphinxes and took off the blindfold on the closest one. The eyes on the sphinx in front of him were wide and pale. There but unmoving. It was then when the outsider male realized that if he could have dome something, it was too late. He dropped the blindfold and took a step back. As he did he felt another gust of wind form within the four remaining soldiers and he braced himself for impact. But instead of getting hit, the wind that was formed just exploded like it had before. And like before, the remaining bodies vaporized into a pile of blue dust.

It took a few seconds for Aeion to wrap his head around things. So, he had witnessed how this wind formed, and had a feeling that this wind was somehow connected to his power being restrained. He also had a feeling that this wind was going to another room...maybe with another mirror. But he had never seen it explode--when it ripped through him it had been stable. Was it in response to the emergency the doctor had to run too? The toddler had reacted to it. Maybe it is a danger to these clones.

Seeing enough of the basement, Aeion shuffled his weight to get a better grip on the toddler before accessing the main floor once again.

Remembering the orientation of the blueprints, Aeion went from room to room. To his surprise, there was silence. He did not run into anyone. It was strange, not even a butler-hybrid-thing was here. But that was fine by him. There were a few rooms that held some interest, but Aeion only found one with some possible useful information. It was the main library. And for a small area on the blue prints, it looked huge!

Aeion took a second to look around. How was he going to weed through all of these books? Shelves in a dark stained wood were packed with books from top to bottom, and there were massive windows on the one wall. From the quick look he had sniped, it was still a wall of rain in the pitch black of the night, and some areas looked to have flooded. He shook his head and focused. His gut instinct told him to look for anything that may had been a log or journal. Luckily there were only a few that looked like they were meant to be written into. And so he spent the next few minutes to gather and dissect what information he could get under the pale amber light of the sconces.

What he found had appeared to be more information on these clones... specifically a journal of sorts. He quickly flipped through the pages. '..So, the perfect project involved mating with a female with similar genes for compatibility. For what? injection into self once the project was over? ....He used the resulting kid to start the process of what he thought was perfection. Kickstart....'To start the experiment and find a way to simulate and increase....'' Aeion blinked and looked at the page he was reading. There was a burn hole that had destroyed the rest of the page.

What was he on about?

Aeion flipped through the rest of the pages and found a small section boasting on pride. The doctor had no respect or care for his apparent daughter Rosemary or their kid..using them like mutts. Using different forms of cloning--Of torture-- to find what worked best for him. It looked like the kid was tricked into helping her dad out, and he vaporized her into a skeleton. Early experiments. Where the skeleton stayed intact. He cloned her DNA for his own benefit.

The kid was apparently three when it happened. Around the same age as the toddler in Aeions arms.

He held onto her protectively and went to place the book on his person to throw at Rosemary later on. Only one other log remained, and most of the pages were burnt out. The only information Aeion could gather was that the doctor had successfully made the DNA more powerful or concentrated with each generation, and a recent dated entry had confirmed that he was near the final stages of the clone manipulation project.

What would have happened to all of the other clones once it was complete? Would there be one mass kill fest?

Grouchy, Aeion went to get back up and moved on. There was nothing else in this room. And it was the second last room on this floor he had been to (the last room was the very center one spanning all four floors and difficult to access from this level). He had to head on up to the next floor.

The stairway to the floor was in the glitzy front foyer, and again, Aeion did not come across anyone on the way over and through the point to get upstairs. The floor above had mainly consisted of bedrooms and baths, and he went to investigate each without any luck. One last room of interest was what was labeled as 'den' on the blue prints. And it was the only access to the floor above it. But it was locked. Aeion would have to either make like a rogue, break the door down...or warp in.

He considered each option. Aeion had nothing to pick with and did not think that his aura could just unlock a door that was not situated in the world he was from. Knocking the door down was not a smart option either. He could injure or wake up the toddler he was carrying. He cloud make too much of a noise and potentially alert something. Or the door could have some kind of alarm system in place. Of corse, something could be inside too but with that explosion noise that had happened, Aeion doubted it would be the case. He was eager to access the area the doctor probably was in, but one of the only ways TO access it was through this room. The other floors had strange chambers that were too complicated to access when he needed speed.

The last option was probably his only option. And he hated it. Not the thought itself but the fact that he felt soo restrained. He had no idea how much effort it would take, or if he would even be able to stand after the fact. The clamping in his veins was only getting stronger as he got closer to its source.

Aeion sighed and made the warp past the door, holding onto the toddler securely. He landed on the other side intact, but his veins were burning and he had to sit down to cope with the pain.

He cautiously took a look around. There was no one in this small room but there were quite a few objects of interest, as well as a clear stairway in the opposite corner heading up. The one thing that grabbed his immediate attention was this rooms only light source--what appeared to be a tiny six inch portal hovering on the corner of a desk piled with books. It felt cold. Like it was made from the very essence of sorrow, pain, or hate. Its eerie purple light was also strong enough for the male to see enough to get by. Aeion slowly got back up and approached the desk, still feeling like he was burning on the inside. He did not have to touch the thing to realize what it really was. Eyes widened, the male let off a small gasp and the child in his arms began to cry. He looked back down at the toddler, and then the portal. It was pure energy. The energy of everything that lunatic ever murdered. Trapped. Forced into an eternal restraint that was this swirling stable mini vortex.

Even the energy of every single dead clone was trapped within, and Aeion had a feeling that the crying child could feel it.

He gazed down at the toddler and tried to soothe her best he could, but he winced as his veins popped with burning pain. The child, noticing his reaction looked up with tears in her eyes and a puzzled expression. She then held onto his arm. The popping burning pain was still there but now it was somewhat tolerable.

Looking back down, he blinked and brushed the tears away from her tiny face. 'That must be the result of all of those condensed tests' he said softly. 'I think we are close now. That set of stairs should lead to where I want to go...but this portal...'

He turned back towards the cold ball of evil and noticed that one of the books by it had opened, presumably from the tiny amount of wind the portal was giving off. He was able to make the writing out under the eerie purple light. It was composed of random thoughts and scribbles. Results from some tests. Stabilizing a portal meant having to constantly feed it. Creating one far away needed more energy. The wind and the mirrors...

'Here it is. It..is activated when someone under some kind of influence dies. Its what powers up and stabilizes these portals. Gets shifted from the host to the mirror and concentrated before the mirror shoots it back out towards its destination. But the ones I saw exploded..did the mirror and wind connection go offline?'

He continued reading.

..'You bastard. Using it to entrance..hypnotize whoever is near the portal. To die and become hosts to power this thing up. They don't have a choice if under that influence..they would just go through and get trapped without their mind.'

He paused.

'That must be why the doctor was overjoyed when I came here. He must have wanted my energy. Was he aware that im not here? It must be prized if his entrance failed to work on me.'

He turned the page.


'...My grand experiment, the anomaly is making quick progress. I have continued to lure in victims...hosts and rejects to my island to power it up with their life force energy. Last nights Ahket experiment went out without a hitch. The portal was on the small side but stable and in my control due to the constant flow of energy. I will soon have more hosts from far off lands to sacrifice. To stabilize and keep it running. Permanently. To progress to the final and long awaited stage. To sync up with project immortality and create a massive and beautiful portal to the glorious otherworld. To become invincible. I WILL overpower, invade, and absorb the power of the perfect seven sided world. All of the cloning to simulate that ability will not go to waste. I will kill and rip the abilities of those perfected humans right from them! It will be mine. Their power and their world.'

Aeion was fuming. That level five anomaly was THIS. He had made an attempt but it had to have backfired. Something must have happened on his end, as well as with Ao or Zuri. It could have imploded when Aeion tried to disable it.

He had no time left to keep on with the research. Aeion had more then enough of it to make his move. That explosion meant that the doctor is probably trying to fix something. Maybe he was making another attempt. And he needed to stop it.

Still very full of rage, Aeion ran to the staircase on the other side of the room and quickly made his way up...right to the top of the room in the very center of the castle.

He had made his way to the spiraling chamber. And four floors below him a frantic doctor was very clearly visible, working on what looked like a bigger version of the runed mirror he had seen in the underground room.

It was payback time. And while he was still in a good amount of pain (both from his side/shoulder, and from the now insane compression of his veins), Aeion was more then ready to take on the challenge.

That central conduit of a mirror gets destroyed. Now.

[melodysangel]

Chapter 3.5: The spiraling chamber

Aeion took a second to take a quick look around and grab his bearings. He was at the very top of the four story room on the very side of a spiral case leading to each floor below him. The mirror down below was massive and it took up most of the floor space. He could clearly see four electric blue glowing runes on its beautifully carved ornate exterior frame. Those runes were pulsing with an odd aura of instability and it looked as if they were what the doctor was trying to frantically fix. The mirror was in direct alignment to the big pale blue glass dome just over Aeions head, and he shivered as he could innately sense the purpose of the multiple angles within it.

The room itself was clad almost entirely in a brilliant burnished gold leaf and the lighting was very bright. Many white orbs were hung from the non glass portion of the ceiling, and other smaller orbs were floating at each separate floor. Some were mounted on the side of the exterior spiral, but the basic shape and function were all the same. Every detail could easily be seen thanks to these lights, including the outer core of the room shifting and turning slowly, and the stairs between the outer moving wall with the pillars supporting every floor of the castle. The movement was incredibly specific. It was a slow moving stabilizing gyro force...supposedly for the central mirror or protection for the job or function that mirror had to do.

The massive mirror--Aeion's priority target to annihilate--did not appear cracked or broken from the distance he was at, but it was clear from where he was that an obvious explosion had happened inside or near it. Areas on the frame were burnt straight through or stained in a smoky black film. Maybe something backfired. Or maybe it overheated. The doctor's control of the portal must have been disabled while the mirror was offline. Perhaps that was why he did not notice the male almost directly overtop of him.

Holding tightly onto the now awake and very cranky female child to protect her, Aeion effortlessly leapt off of the side rail and landed on his feet four floors below where he started. He was uninjured from the fall but still in a load of pain from the cramping in his veins and his side. He took one hard and upset gaze at the very surprised doctor and forcefully kicked him away from the half broken mirror without a word spoken. The doctor was now on his poor excuse for a bottom end and out of the way on the far opposite side of the room. That was when Aeion turned and attempted another hard and swift kick to break the mirror completely. It was clear standing next to it, that it was the source of the weight inside of him. He couldn't warp out of this region, and he had a difficult time to make the gap between smaller distance properly. All because of THIS. And that just upset him further. He absolutely and completely loathed the fact that someone without proper authority was able to manipulate him! Who could blame him?

The mirror wobbled like jelly when his foot made direct contact, but it did not break. The runes were some how keeping it in place, like a secondary life support for the mirror itself. Eyes now on them, he angrily sighed. Aeion could clearly read them. He could 'hear' them too. Being forced in an inappropriate manner made it so that the runes were giving off the faint sound of a grinding and screechy wheel. These runes in this format made no sense. And that was further proven by the fact that they were forcibly linked to other runes within the room to even activate. Aeion very quickly realized that he had to shut those down first to brake that link. He saw the links like tiny ethereal rays of light. There was a hidden panel on each floor of this room that had its matching rune set. And they had to be disabled from the ground up.

Four and four..but some of the runes on the edge of the mirror were not lit. They were slightly bigger and of a different nature. He would be able to destroy the links, but their matching panels were far away from here. It was a backup. A fail safe. They had to be disabled before the mirror would be permanently rendered completely unfixable and unusable. Utterly and absolutely useless. Like the piles of dust all of those hosts ended up being. A fitting end.

Cursing under his breathe, Aeion started to run up to the panel on the floor he was on. As he began to move, the child in his arms began to scream in fear and Aeion turned his head to see that the still surprised doctor had attempted to get himself off the floor. Somehow the screaming from the child made him fall back down. While Aeion had no idea why it was happening, it bought him enough time to close the gap between him and the first rune set located on the opposite wall.

In front of the male it looked like a golden stone wall. But the texture on one of the panels was slightly different, and the beam coming from one of the runes on the mirror shot off its ray of ethereal light in and through that panel. Aeion shifted his weight to support the crying child and then pressed his paw down into the tiny grove in the odd panel. A small mandala appeared directly in front of the wall. In the center there were a few Hyean words. Aeion spoke them in his native language and the mandala blinked three times before disappearing. The wall shook and began to slowly open up wide enough to reveal the first rune match. With a cold gaze, he put his paw on top of it, sinking it through the wall. It was his mental connection that disabled this rune. Aeion didn't feel like attacking a solid wall. He was in enough pain as it was, and there was a possible chance he would still need to fight.

The first rune on the mirror blinked and then disappeared. Three runes remained.

Aeion's gaze shifted to the next beam of light. It was directly over him on the next floor. He began to dart over to the start of the spiral staircase when the frustrated doctor grabbed something from inside his long white locks of hair. Taking off a clear cap by biting down on it, he aimed and threw it right at Aeion. The child was very observant and she started to cry and scream in response. Aeion was well aware of the thing in mid flight but did not have enough time while burdened to dodge out of the way. Instead, he had to warp up and to the second rune set.

The male managed to avoid whatever was thrown at him, and he made it intact. But he let off a short strong yelp of pain as his veins flared up. He was under soo much physical pressure that it could be equated to walking underneath the deepest sections of ocean. It tore and ripped at him from both the inside of his veins, and the outside through the weight on top of him.

Aeion unceremoniously fell to his knees and the eyes on the child widened with fear. She began to cry louder as what she thought was her 'dad' was loosing against a big scary thing out to hurt him. She screamed again as she noticed that big scary lump of a doctor get up. As she did, he fell backwards and his left leg flared up and over him, getting caught and securely pinned down under a heavy piece of metal. As the child yelled, the rune on the other side of the wall they were up against shattered and the second rune on the mirror disappeared.

Aeion was catching his breath. He could instantly feel when the second link broke and he stared at the child inquisitively. She looked up at him with big eyes and just held on, deeply afraid. He did not know how but somehow this child was capable of her own set of defenses. It was mundane in comparison to what a typical Hyean child could do, and it was almost barbaric in nature. But right now, he would take it.

Noticing that the doctor was at his own disadvantage, he slowly got up and again warped to next location. He fully expected what was coming to him, so he braced for the pain train, holding onto the child.

It was like getting hit with a crane and a massive wrecking ball made from solid mercury. Instead of yelping, he kept his eyes shut and just silently tried to endure the increasing pain and pressure being exerted on him. He held onto the child tightly in a protective manner, and when he was able to just endure the intense pain, he slowly got up from his knees and leaned against the wall. The doctor down below was still pinned down, and was thrashing about in an attempt to free himself. Aeion did not have to open his eyes to realize that--the noise the other was making was enough of a hint on its own. Without help, it may be awhile. He certainly did not look like he had very much physical strength, and it seemed like he had always told his pet rats to do any heavy lifting.

It bought Aeion time. Slowly, he cracked his eyes open, and then repeated the process of disabling the link between the rune set like he had on the bottom floor.

It took twice as long. Aeion had never been in this amount of pain. But when he completed the final action, it was a success and the third rune on the mirror disappeared.

The doctor, still thrashing down below was now wide eyed. While he could not move, he could see the mirror as it was pretty much in front of him. Aeion could just make out some staggering words coming from the lunatic himself.

'N-no! my life work. Disappearing...NO! Stop that this instant! you..will ruin it. Stop I say!'

'And where were you when you mercilessly killed your own kid like she was nothing but a rag doll?' He murmured under his breath. The child in his arms looked up at him with a confused expression on her tiny face. He opened his eyes slightly and looked back down at what he saw was just innocence. Something that got stuck in the middle. Something that should never had happened. He managed a small smile and shook his head. 'That thing down below is the definition of pure evil. But don't worry. It is almost over.' Aeion was still very clearly in pain and his voice was a soft whisper. The female seemed to somewhat understand and held onto him tightly in a hug, her long curly snow white locks bouncing as she shifted her head. Mercy did not come to those that did not deserve it. Aeion was there to make sure of that.

He gazed down below to made sure the doctor was still pinned down and then made a small slow hobble over to the staircase. This time he was lucky. The outer portion that was spinning was in perfect alignment with where he needed to go. It would literally take him there without having to move. And it would be faster then having to dart up there himself, given the circumstances.

Five seconds passed, and then ten. As the wall in question got closer, the male prepared to walk off of the moving portion. He jerked his one leg a bit too slow and his shoulder slammed against the wall. He flinched at the pain. But he was there.

Aeion shut his eyes and winced at the pain, trying to endure it. He could feel a small soft paw on his arm, and when he cracked his eyes open a touch to look down, he could see the concerned child poking it. She looked up at him and wiggled a bit, then hugged him and pointed to the wall. Tilting his head, Aeions gaze went from her, to the wall then back at her. 'You know how to do it?' He inquired. It was not like he had time to let the child experiment but he could intervene if he had to. That and he was genuinely curious to see just how far along this gene manipulation project had gotten. What WAS the extent of what she could do?

He nodded slightly, giving the child permission to try while carefully watching her actions. She squeed happily and looked at the wall. A small white light came from her one extended paw and it went from that paw into the wall. She nuzzled her head into Aeions arm while the light disappeared. Soon after, the rune on the other side shattered and the last lit rune on the mirror disappeared.

Aeion blinked then looked down. The child had somehow found a way to mimic his actions through her own energy. That white light. It was like using a recording device, and then hitting replay. It was an odd thing to see and surreal to the outsider male. Like a very basic form of energy. But it did work.

It confirmed that he, and possibly a few others would have to keep an eye on her once custody was passed down to Rosemary. There would be no way to completely convert her blood but she had enough of an understanding to cause some serious interest. They had to make sure whatever did develop, she would use it with a level head.

It took a few seconds, but after the last rune set was broken Aeion crashed to the side of the wall he was leaning on. The pressure surrounding him had just doubled. He could barely move or breathe. But the mirror should now be breakable. Vulnerable. And that was all that mattered right now.

The child in his arms looked up at him with her big green eyes, worried. It was clear she hated seeing Aeion hurt. And she was flat out terrified of the big scary thing that was still under the heavy sheet of metal. He was still trying to wiggle himself free. Aeion tried to calm her down slightly and then found the strength to make small quick darts down the spiraling staircase and to the mirror.

The frantic doctor was now clearly visible. The child had done a number on him, and he was very deeply embedded under the metal sheet. But as he stared at Aeion, he very slowly began to laugh.

'Oh. ho. ho ho hohohohohohohohohohoho! You are one of them, aren't you? You are pitiful, unable to use that perfect power in the presence of my superiority. Admit it! You have failed. Lost. And I will win. You cannot do anything!! I will fix your little rampage and go on to take control of your people. Your world. I will strip them right down. It will be mine! All mine! I will be invincible!!'

Aeions hard gaze was shot straight at the babbling buffoon still trapped under the heavy pile. His blatant stare could cut through a solid block of ice. Still under extreme physical pressure, he found the strength through anger and took one pronounced step closer to the mirror. Aeion was now in range of destroying it.

His eyes did not shift and were locked on to the doctor. He held onto the girl in his arms protectively and it seemed as if it was only at that point in time the doctor noticed something was even in Aeions arms.

His voice was cold. Hard. Knowing. Slow and soft but prominent. 'Any idiot who is twisted enough to believe that killing countless beings for personal gain will make him strong enough to succeed is delusional. You will NEVER be able to wrap your corrupted mind around what it takes to wield our innate abilities. Access our world. Our people. Never.'

The tiny child clung onto Aeion tighter, scared. She peeked through her curly hair at the doctor, and when he met his gaze with her she quickly turned the other way, crying. It was then that Aeion aimed and took one last swing at the mirror in front of him, mentally forcing the thought of the intense amount of pain away from his legs.

The mirror shattered on contact. Thousands of pieces and shards scattered in all directions. As some pieces hit the light, they began to glow blue. Aeion realized that he had a bit of a buffer to deactivate the final two runes before the mirror would piece itself back together, reforming into one. It was not much of a buffer but it was enough to comfortably look in that general direction. And he had a feeling he knew where they were.

The doctors eyes widened in shock and he fumbled to access his pocket watch as quick as he could. It was difficult to reach it, given the circumstances, but he did manage to get a paw around it. He quickly pulled the watch up so he could see it and fumbled with the lever to open it. The instant he tried to manipulate something, the watch vaporized in his paws. The dark purple smoke that remained hovered before sinking into the doctor. It was the essence of every single being he had destroyed. And it was draining every single thing that he took away. That he stole. That was concentrated. Including the 'superior' and 'perfect' energy he had coveted for soo long.

Within seconds, the doctor, now sprawled out, was powerless and back to where he was before he began his massive project. The first pieces of glass had then just started to hit the floor. They shattered into smaller pieces, releasing a white light that could have been the inverse of the wind. Aeion could instantly feel the pressure decreasing on his body, and as more pieces hit the floor, the light increased and the pressure decreased. By the time the final piece landed, Aeion was back to normal. He felt refreshed. Relieved. Rejuvenated. After soo long he was finally able to do what he could normally do. It was a welcome feeling and his mind instantly turned to where he had to go to completely debunk and destroy this 'anomaly.'

Not willing to give up, the doctor grabbed another needle from his long hair and aimed it towards Aeion's leg. The child noticed very quickly and widened her eyes as she screamed in fear. Aeion had noticed too and held onto the child protectively giving the doctor one last cold stare. Before the doctor could pull out the top and inject what was inside, the outsider male was gone, child in tow.

[melodysangel]

The end: A fitting conclusion

The warp lasted less then a second. Aeion was at his destination: the end of the winding path that led to Rosemary's living quarters. The child in his arms was still very much afraid, and she peeked again from under her long white curly hair. When she realized they were no longer in the room with the scary big thing that was trying to hurt them, she looked up at Aeion. Her eyes were still wide but she was confused. Her gaze drifted from the male holding onto her, to her surroundings, and back again. This was not that scary place. This was somewhere new. The female eventually looked back up at Aeion and blinked. A small tear caught the edge of her eye from the crying she had done just moments before.

The male looked down and shook his head. His voice was soft and subtle. 'Its over. That lunatic is not going to harm you anymore.' She head tilted in response and clung onto him in a tight grip.

Aeion really did wish that he could just go home and do that exact same thing. He WAS still technically a kid. And he didn't want to organize tasks right now. He was tired. And just wanted to be around familiar people.

He sighed and then realized that it was not raining. And he was outside. Aeion took a look up into the sky. There were no clouds to speak of, and there was no wind. The moon was bright. Its movements overhead suggested that it was around three AM.

Had it really taken two hours?

The frightened female was starting to nod off, shaking very slightly. That buffer zone would not last forever. He could feel the panels were close and it pretty much confirmed Aeions theory of a fail safe. Why would rosemary suspect the doctor hiding some panels that she couldn't even see?

He darted up to the front door. Rosemary let him in briefly after. It looked as if she had been asleep. Her hair was rolled in curlers and there was some kind of mud mask on her face. She looked over at him once she shut the door, both surprised and sleepily excited.

'Oh! was not expecting it to go off soo soon! Tell me, what did you find?'

He looked over his shoulder and raised his paw. 'In a second. Do you know of anything that father of yours built around here?'

He started to look around. He could make out some very faint rays of light but it was muffled.

'Built?' She inquired, 'No, he was never a builder of physical objects.'

He looked towards her and then went further into the room. The light was stronger on the back wall.

'Well he did something behind your back. And I need to access it to stop his madness.'

She headtilted.

'madness? Oh, you did see him! Tell me what you found.'

'This is time sensitive,' he started, 'Sit down. You will know when this is done.'

Aeion was now on the back wall. He tapped it gently and the sound in one of the sections was hollow.

'This wall have an access panel?' He asked.

Rosemary thought about it then lit up.

'Goodness, yes! It was an escape route in the event of a burn out. Is what you are looking for in there?'

He nodded slightly and the female jamp up from her seat. She showed Aeion to the other side of the wall and removed one of the desks in the way. A small panel was cut through the floor and into the wall.

Aeion opened the panel and out popped two stones. He touched them and they grew to the size of a small watermelon.

'You bastard.' He started. 'These are forbidden.'

Rosemary just head tilted. To her, he was looking at two ordinary pieces of apparently forbidden rock. Aeion spoke a few words in his native language. The ears on the tiny female in his arms twitched at those words and she opened one of her eyes. As she did the two rocks began to glow and then they disappeared.

'That's done. Soo greedy. Wanting to make sure something would always be up incase the main one failed.'

The child opened her other eye and yawned, looking up. Rosemary hurried over towards him. 'So, your big time sensitive thing is done? Is it safe to talk about the information now?'

He closed his eyes. The link had indeed been disconnected and he could feel a kind of backlash aura off in the far distance. The portal leading to Ahket was still there..but it was now just a normal portal. No one had control of it. And no one would be lured into it. No more hosts. No more draw ins. It would naturally collapse within the next day and Aeion felt like he did not have to rip it closed after all.


He looked over at the excited female and nodded, walking over to a main desk.

'Where do I start? Yes I found him, yes I agree he needs to die, and yes you are lucky I did not do it myself.'

The child shifted in his arms and looked up. Aeion looked down at her and then to Rosemary.

'Do you recognize this one?'

Rosemary look a look and shook her head. 'Dear, no. Did my 'father' keep her captive?'

He sighed. 'That is an understatement. Take a look at these logs. They should explain the insanity of that...thing.' Aeion took all of the logs from his person and put them on the table. One by one, Rosemary took a look. Her eyes are wide from shock and clearly livid. But she did not explode.

'Perfect. This..is perfect. The council will have no reason not to execute him. But that girl?' The tiny female clung onto Aeion and peeked through her hair again towards Rosemary. She then yawned, sleepy.

'The final link in 'operation immortality.' Or one of the last few. I saw what he did to the others when he no longer had a need for them. I cant count how many beings have passed due to his greed.'

He looked back down at the little girl.

'I guess the manipulation had gone on soo long that over generations the appearance of the clone no longer took a likeness to the original. But I need you to care for her as if she was your own. Away from that monster. Even if he will no longer be an issue soon'

Tears began to roll from Rosemary's face and she gave a genuine nod. This was NOT her Esmeralda. But she was her baby's ghost. It would be the closest thing she will ever get. And she knew it.

The child headtilted and stared back up at Aeion, who reassured her it would be ok. He then passed her over with a warning.

'We will be checking up, and you will not harm or 'improve' her. I do not want to see her go into the 'family business either.'

Now securely holding onto the little girl, Rosemary blinked. 'Oh, creation is wonderful though..'

'Yes, and look where that got her.'

'Oh dear. well, I suppose she can help but if you truly believe it will impact her in a bad way, I guess she can find her own calling.'

'I will hold you to that. No alterations. No influences.'

She nodded and Aeion could tell that she was not going to back peddle. He was serious though. Others will be watching.

He was a bit off put but went to go lean up against the nearby wall.

'That gem was found in a hidden lab beside his abandoned mansion..along with his earlier...experiments.'

He closed his eyes.

'That lunatic is currently on his private island. Ill leave the coordinates here but you may only be able to access it on a full moon, like tonight. I left that jerk under a pile of metal in the central room. Go upstairs to access it.'

'And keep 'my kind' updated. If you don't act fast enough we may.'

He smirked and leaned off the wall. The child was now fast asleep in the females arms and Rosemary went to go get a small pouch.

'Oh, you can count on that! For your troubles. Take it..even though your type generally avoids this kind of payment.' He sighed and swiped the pouch. He had no use for it but he just wanted to end this insanity. Maybe he could unload it on a trinket before going back home. His sister may enjoy that or find it interesting.

Securing the pouch on his person, he made sure the child was ok and scribbled down the coordinates before warping out just past the portal on the Ahket side. It was just as he had felt. A normal portal that will be collapsing on its own within the next day. No evil influence...and no wind! Slowly, he went back to where he was resting before. Deciding to wait for day to gather whatever trinket piqued his interest before heading home.