Them...

[Serenity]

It was late in the night when the explosion occurred, far from Wistvale. Yet, mighty it was that everyone who was still awake heard it and only those who slept like rocks stayed under their sheets. Those who went out to search for the source would find a plume of smoke in the distance floating from a fire.

People on the streets murmured and gossiped, whilst the Sentinels ascertained what it could be. A cart full of oils? A fire mage gone mad? A personal vendetta against trees? Before long the officials urged everyone back into their homes, leaving them all to ponder in bed before finally Wistvale went back to sleep.


The next day.


The town was up for its normal routine at the appropriate hour. The fishermen sailed in with the morning's catch, the Sentinels began their rounds, and the market was calling out specials.

Despite the norm, the explosion from last night was still on everyone's mind. When the people left their homes their eyes wondered in the direction where they saw the fire. It was there no more, and thankfully, so was the forest. Did the Sentinels go to put out the fire before it spread?

It was unclear who stopped the fire, but the main question on everyone's mind was what caused the event in the first place.

Perhaps it will remain a mystery forever, perhaps not.

[Where are you?]

[Zhara]

Noise was something the market was always full of with sellers calling for buyers and buyers haggling with sellers. Zhara walked through the market not looking at anything in particular. She was listening. With all the people and the interaction that went on, the market was the best place to glean information. At least, that was what the young girl thought.

While absentmindedly examining something on the stall closet to her, Zhara thought about last night. She was wide awake in her room at an inn when she heard people talking. The young made had looked out her window to see the smoke from afar.

What happened? She thought to herself. Zhara strained her ears to hear what the people were talking about.

[Serenity]

As Zhara walked through the market, she opened herself to try and take in as much knowledge as she could about the situation.

"Do you think we're at war with someone?" asked a stall lady.
"Hush, woman! If we were at war this town would be ruble, besides, who'd wage war on us?" replied her likely husband.
"I dunno, Highever? That Howle girl is might suspicious if I do say."
"Don't you have fish heads to chop?"


Zhara walked by a pair of friends, "I'm telling you, it must be trolls."
"You stupid sod, what would trolls be doin' exploding tings? Trolls don't have magic."
"Says you, have you seen how rampant they've been lately? My friend Barry told me just the other day he were getting acquainted with Lady Gaia when a tiny troll bugger jumped at 'im with his pants down."

And then two girls gossiping, "Did you know that Fran was with child?"
"Fran? Who gives a flarb about a working girl, didn't you hear the bloody explosion?"
"Sorry I meant to say she had a child with her, cloaked an' all."
"You're hopeless if you think a whore bein-wait she had a child with her? Did she steal one?"
"I dunno."


As Zhara is focused on getting tips, she accidentally bumps into something.

"Can I help you, citizen?" said a tall blonde Sentinel, "Wait, don't I know you from somewhere? I never forget a face..."

Indeed, if Zhara remembered, this was the Sentinel Gavin, whom she tried to throw mud at the other day.

[Zhara]

Well, sorting out true information from pure gossip is an art. Even though it might or it might not be useful, Zhara loved listening to the conversations. The girl laughed softly at the story of the trolls and shook her head slightly.

Ooof!

I've got to pay more attention to the things in front of me, the young girl told herself looking up. It was him. She could feel heat growing on her cheeks. Her brain seemed to have stopped working as she fumbled on what to say.

"Umm...sorry," She managed to say, "Er...I'm...well, kinda new here. Um...sorry."

The young girl mentally cursed herself. The other day she would have given a lot for a chance to talk to him. Now that he was here and talking to her, she got tongue-tied.

What is wrong with me? Zhara's mind echoed hopelessly.

[Serenity]

"New? That can't be right, I know I've seen you before. That's one of my best qualities, so I hear."

Gavin is a familiar and gentle face around Wistvale, among the most recognizable Sentinels in town, next to the former Captain. Then again, it wasn't hard to notice a blue woman with a hammer. His pleasant atmosphere would, normally, put people at ease. However, the young man couldn't help but notice he was having the opposite effect on Zhara.

"I'm sorry, miss, I didn't hurt you did I? I should have been watching where I was going," he stated most sincerely.

[Zhara]

Zhara laughed a little at his insistence that he had seen her. Well, no crime in letting him know, I guess, she tried to tell herself. The girl took a deep breath and told him,

"Well, I wandered around town a lot. Umm...I like to familiarize myself with the town when I'm new. Also, I was near, eh, one of the gate the other day....pretty early in the day too...you're one of the guard by the gate, right?...maybe that's where you saw me."

Zhara heart skipped a beat, and she felt a little hard to breath upon hearing his concern for her. Tall, blonde, handsome, and considerate. You're just too much. She flashed him one of her best smile trying to signify that she was fine.

"I'm alright. Thanks for asking. I was definitely not paying attention to where my feet were leading me so don't feel too bad. Actually, I should be apologizing. Sorry. I hope I'm not keeping you from something important."

[Serenity]

Gavin peeked at the sky for a moment, trying to remember, when it looked like he finally hit the bird. So to speak, I think.

"Ah yes, I think I'm starting to remember, and the Lady Howle was there too. I happened to be stationed at the gate that day, yes. I knew I couldn't have forgotten a face, especially one so lovely as yours," he began to say as Zhara was smiling.

That morning's talk still went on even if Zhara was currently in her own little world. Of course now some of the gossip revolved around what was going on in the middle of the street...

"Rounds can be terribly dull, so no, unless you know of a great peril you're not keeping me from anything. Although there is much talk about a fire isn't there? I sleep very soundly at night so I'm not aware of what this morning's ruckus is about. I don't suppose you'd know, miss...."

[Zhara]

Zhara couldn't help but stare at Gavin and admiring him as he tried to remember her. At the word "lovely", the girl felt herself turning into a tomato. However, when the talk went back to the fire, she was pull back to what she had set out to do this morning.

"I wasn't sleeping last night," Zhara told him laughing a little at the jab at his job, "so I saw smoke and fire from my window. It looked like it was outside of the city. The excitement of watching something burn wore out quickly so I went back to trying to sleep. That's about as much as I know..."

As she talked, Zhara suddenly realized something. She went red in the face again and then looked at the ground mumbling,

"...and the name's Zhara."

[Serenity]

Though the Sentinel wouldn't say it, lest the girl collapse from excitement, but Gavin thought it was adorable she would turn beat red from a simple compliment.

"Ms. Zhara? I've never heard the like, it fits you well I believe. I am Sentinel Gavin, my lady."

The guardsmen didn't consider himself a flirt, as he took his position very seriously, but his politeness had been known to be mistaken as such and in fact many ladies were quite fond of him.

"Aye, my comrades said as much when I walked into the barracks this morning. Strange we haven't sent anyone to investigate, at least. Or perhaps that-"

Before the Sentinel could continue, yet another explosion erupted somewhere within the city and debris could be seen launched several feet into the air before raining down on those nearby. Everyone in the market began to panic and headed indoors for safety.

"Damn, that sounded like it came from old town! Please, Ms. Zhara, get to safety!" he said whilst clasping his hands on her shoulders, and before running toward the destruction.

[Zhara]

Zhara didn't think she could get any redder, but with the way Sentinel Gavin talked, she could've melted right there in front of him. She was listening quite intently to him talk about the fire yesterday...it wasn't just because she found him rather attractive.

The explosion, however, shook her out of trance. Not heeding the advice she half heard from the Sentinel, Zhara took off behind him toward the direction of the explosion. As she made her way towards the chaos, the girl turned her head this way and that focusing on the people around her trying to see if anyone was hurt.

"Things are getting weird."

[Serenity]

As Zhara runs off after Gavin little bits of wood and other building material fall around her. It must have been quite the force given how far they were from wherever the explosion happened. It was one of these pieces of debris that made Zhara stop in her tracks, quite forcefully in fact.

She didn't know what it was that immediately hit her on the head, but it was hard enough to knock her on her romp. When she recovered from the sudden impact, Zhara would discover something that resembled a perfectly cut gem.

It was oval in shape, and small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. The colors shifted through the hues of a rainbow, constantly, from light to dark.

[Zhara]

Everything happened so fast. Zhara literally didn't know what hit her. Blinking furiously while massaging her head where she was hit, the girl moaned, "--the hell was that?"

Zhara looked around at the debris. She noticed something beside her. Thinking that this might be what hit her head, she picked it up to examine it.

[Serenity]

It was oval in shape, and small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. The colors shifted through the hues of a rainbow, constantly, from light to dark.

As soon as Zhara picked it up, a powerful and strange sensation overwhelmed her. She was stuck in place.

At first, it felt as if a warm poison had filled her veins, paralyzing her, and every time she struggled the stiffness only became worse. It was invasive, and she could feel something terribly powerful overcome her psyche. As if a creature she was not allowed to see came from behind and clawed at her skull until it got inside.

Zhara's environment was quickly dimming. The borders of her vision turned black and slowly enveloped her sight entirely. Sound became a muffle, and then Zhara heard indistinct noises that turned into whispers, then nothing. She could feel something clasp around her throat as she tried to speak, squeezing tighter every time she wanted to cry out for help. None could hear her, and she in turn couldn't feel the world anymore.

Was this death?

...
...
....

Then there was single light. Just a drop in the void that veiled her being. Then there was another, another, then 10, then 100, and thousands. There were stars innumerable, all around her, and not just stars. There were streams of color that mirrored the rainbow, explosions of massive energy that gave way to new forms, and great rays of light that pierced through the void and touched everything within the web of nothingness.

And there were so many voices, songs of life coming from all directions. Their tongues Zhara couldn't hope to recognize, but their voices counted as many nations as there were stars in the sky.

For one moment, Zhara took a glimpse at creation, and felt so small.

Her glance was then directed at another miracle, a small comet that made its way toward a giant blue orb Zhara can't believe she hadn't noticed yet. The blazing object was soaring straight into the massive jewel...



Then she came to, lying on the Wistvale street with the strange gem still in her grasp. As soon as Zhara opened her eyes, a powerful headache overcame her, as well as a memory fleeting. Every time Zhara tried to remember the vision, the headache became worse and it fled even farther away from her.

"Are you alright?" said Gavin who was lending the mage a hand, "I heard you collapse behind me and rushed back, did the debris hit you?"

[Zhara]

Still clutching the gem in one hand, Zhara massage her head with the other.

"What the hell happened?" She said softly to herself.

The girl blinked turning towards Gavin. She struggled to remember the man, but her head hurt every time she tried to think.

"Oh, something hit me alright," she looked around at all the debris, "However, the cause of this massive headache is a little unclear."

Zhara looked at Sentinel. "Don't you have somewhere to be? Thank you for helping me, but I think I'll be alright."

She shook her head and then tried to get up. Her legs were wobbly and her hand was still clutching her head. She still made a brave attempt at steadying herself on her feet.

[Serenity]

When it appeared as if Zhara was going to possibly collapse again, Gavin steadied her, "I got you, Zhara." He led her under a roof in case more debris was on its way down from the sky.

As soon as he saw that she was able to stand on her own, he let go, albeit a bit reluctantly, but she was right that he had to be somewhere. Other people could be hurt near the explosion site.

"You should see yourself to a healer and then to bed rest. I'll come to see you if I can." The Sentinel bolted afterward, trying to make up for lost time. The streets were nearly empty as people rushed into buildings or under cover just in case another similar event happened.