From being an Abandoned who had rarely left the Hollowed Grounds, to embracing the call of adventure, to dying and being reborn first as an Ascended and then as an Ancient, Maea has gone through quite the amount of changes in her life. One thing remains common, though, in her attempts to find out just where she belongs; she’s always had a craving for knowledge which has brought her to so many places and to meet so many people here in Caido. We can’t wait to see what else is in store for her!
Congratulations, Maea!
Credits
Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
Skinning and hosting by the epically talented Kaons, and functionality fanciness by the coding magic of Neowulf. If you ever see either of them around, make sure to show them some love!
The Sun and the Moon
In an endless game of hide and seek
Anden and his sister rarely fought. In all honesty before now, he could only recall one other time when they argued. Sir. Fluffster, a plush squirrel one of the guests left at their inn when they were kids. For weeks they fought over who would get to sleep it. It drove their parents mad watching their twins give each other the silent treatment. The feud came to an end when Sir. Fluffster was brutally murdered by a traveler's pet dog. Looking back that's probably when his fear of dogs came to fruition.
He thought that Eloise would be happy for him. It was his first kiss after all - but as close as they were, she didn't take it quite as well. Instead he was tracking her muddy footprints through the Evergreen Forest. For Anden this was a place of tranquility. His hideaway from their everyday life. Ever since he could walk he explored the branching paths of the forest, but for Eloise it was a labyrinth. The Moon had already begun it's ascent into the sky, taking its place on the throne from the Sun. It wouldn't be long before even Anden would have trouble navigating through the thick forest.
It's the shimmer that caught his eye. Did Eloise drop something? As his fingertips brushed against the glimmer his world flashed to white.
When he awake his breath was taken away. For years his parents joked that he was the moon, but from their small tavern at the edge of the Evergreen Forest, the stars were felt so far away, and rarely could he see them through the treetops. Everywhere he looked though he could see the stars, hundreds if not thousands of stars shining down on him.
And just like that he came to the realization. For the first time in his life he couldn't see the Evergreen Forest. The fresh fragrance of the trees wasn't in the air. This was someplace different. Someplace new. A million questions filled his mind. One question pushed its way to the top of his mind though.
"Eloise!" Anden shouted like he had never shouted before.
Eloise! The name of his twin echoed across the world.
"Eloise." Anden fell to his knees, "Where are you?" He whispered, knowing it wouldn't change anything. Wherever he was, whatever Hell he had been brought to, Eloise was long gone.
He stayed on his knees for what felt like an hour before he came to his second conclusion. It wasn't the skyline and the stars that took his breath away. He no longer had to breath. With a hand over his heart Anden confirmed his hypothesis. He was dead - and this was his personal Hell.
The Sun and the Moon
In an endless game of hide and seek
Oliver had just been leaving Torchline: a very short trip and one for him to simply reflect and think back on life. He had exited through the portal and had only made it a few feet before he saw a figure, kneeling down on the ground.
Eyes skated down the body and Oliver slowly lifted up a hand but made no move to make any steps closer nor actually reach out to touch him. "Hello? Are you alright?" He made sure to maintain a calm voice, but in actuality, his heart was racing. His back was stiff and he was more than prepared to grab for a knife should something go wrong. This could easily be a trick- a new monster waiting to attack him. It could also be a trap or maybe the man was ill and would lash out.
Slowly, he started to walk around the man, making sure his movements were obvious. He made sure to stay a few feet away from him, allowing both of them to hopefully feel safe. "I'm Oliver... is there anything you need? Are you lost or hurt?" The man was so close to the portal and there were a number of reasons why he'd be like this. Maybe he was a new arrival, but nobody had come in so long, at least, not to the Grounds.
smile for the camera, it's just a shot in the dark
The Sun and the Moon
In an endless game of hide and seek
Everything was a blur. Trying to think back to what happened, to how he ended up in Hell left Anden with more questions than answers. He couldn't recall dying, but that could just be his mind playing tricks on him.
"Hello? Are you alright?"
Anden tilted his head slightly, casting a glance at whoever spoke. The accent was different than anything he had ever heard. Mother used to warn him that Hell was a place filled with tricksters and to not allow yourself to be deceived. It was the final test before you could find your peace in the afterlife. "I'm Oliver... is there anything you need? Are you lost or hurt?"
The man didn't seem to be a threat. Moreso than anything he looked innocent, almost as if he was afraid of Anden. "Do you know how I died?" Anden asked. "Is Eloise safe? Is she still alive?" His question was more of a demand. He would be alright with dying if it meant that Eloise was still alive. She was always the one who was going to end up going places.
The Sun and the Moon
In an endless game of hide and seek
The moment he hears the man speak, everything is explained. His eyes grow soft and his shoulders relax. While he is still prepared for the man to attack, he already understands exactly why he was found like this. He just arrived. Fuck.
It was never a fun thing to explain. Everyone always seemed to arrive at the exact wrong moment. It was a terrifying experience that Oliver could hardly relate to, but he knew he had to do something. This worked twice before so... let's hope it does the same this go around.
"You are not dead, trust me... why do you think you are?" There is a raise of his eyebrow and Oliver crouches down, allowing the man to get a better look at him. It was better to be on equal ground than staring at the man like a vulture. "Can you describe to me what happened before you came here? If Eloise was fine before you came then I can assure you: she is absolutely okay." That much would hopefully help the man to settle down, but obviously, Oliver hadn't answered the most important question.
It may be rushing, but hopefully, it'd be the right move. "You were brought through a portal to Caido."
smile for the camera, it's just a shot in the dark
The Sun and the Moon
In an endless game of hide and seek
He wasn't sure why now of all times he thought about the travelers who stayed at his family's inn. They would venture into the Evergreen Forest, not knowing what waited for them on the other side. Not certain they would even make it out alive. They were the reason he started exploring the forests in the first place. They were brave. They were strong willed, and they wanted to find somewhere safer for their families. Anden always dreamt of taking Eloise with him through the forest one day, to a world safer than the one they lived in. Far from the kingdoms grip.
"You are not dead, trust me... why do you think you are?"
Not dead? Anden paused. The tales were clear, there would be people who would try to deceive you in the afterlife. If you wanted to find peace you had to be true to yourself and trust your instincts. Everything about this man seemed... safe. Maybe that was the problem for Anden. Nothing was ever safe. Even back home at the Inn, they were trapped between the kingdom's reach and the darkness within the forest.
"I'm not breathing." Anden offered. "Only the dead have no need for air." He stood up, his height towering over the man. Were all the demons in the afterlife this short? Shouldn't they be more... scary?
"Can you describe to me what happened before you came here? If Eloise was fine before you came then I can assure you: she is absolutely okay." The man... Demon? Anden still wasn't certain who or what he was continued to talk. It took all of Anden's ability to concentrate on his words.
"She ran off. She was upset. I had to bring her back before it got too dark." Anden's eyes widened. "The darkness brings nothing but horrors to those untrained." Anden relaxed slightly at even the possibility of Eloise being somewhere safe. "Did you see her come this way? She shouldn't be alone."
"You were brought through a portal to Caido."
Was Caido the true name for Hell. Anden couldn't recall. The stories from home were just a jumbled mess in his mind. Would he forget everything about his home... Were his memories stored in his beating heart, now that he had no need for it, would everything he cared for simply fade away. Panic crept into his mind, he almost didn't hear what the demon-man-thing-person said.
"A portal?" Anden asked. "I don't understand what that means." Whoever it was that he was speaking to, it was clear they knew more about this Hell than Anden did.
The Sun and the Moon
In an endless game of hide and seek
10-07-2020, 03:51 AM (This post was last modified: 10-07-2020, 03:55 AM by Oliver.)
and yes i've been changing. for me, not for you
Ah..... shit.
That really complicated things.
”Ill explain in a moment, I just need.... to figure out how to explain this to you.”
Another sigh left Oliver and he ran a hand through his hair. Then the man went on to explain more. Oliver would allow the man to finish saying everything he felt like letting out before truly explaining what the fuck was going on.
There was a girl, someone who mattered to the man. This happened way too many times to count and honestly, it was a terrible thing to deal with. Heartbreaking, really. Oliver couldn’t quite relate, but he absolutely missed his family now that he could remember them. But to go straight from someone you love to a new world? Ouch.
Finally the floor was now his- Er- not quite.
Standing right back up because they’re doing that now, Oliver made sure both of his hands were in full view. No tricks. Nothing.
”Okay, so.... a portal, like a magical one, took you from your old world to here. Think of it like a door. You entered through the door into here...” Okay. So far so good. Just don’t mention that he cant go back.... gotta mention the whole blood shit first. ”The reason you don’t have a heartbeat is that you’re an Ascended.... when we come through the portal we often change. We gain new abilities. You now don’t age, don’t breath, and you don’t have blood like a human.... if you had vampires: that’s what you are.” So much was said in one massive go and Oliver can only imagine what the man must be thinking.
Then a great idea dawned in his mind. Spreading his arms open with palms out, Oliver offered him a nod. ”If you still think you’re dead, feel my heartbeat.” That should do the trick.... yeah? If the man would take up the offer, he would feel a steady heart beat, ever so slightly faster than normal. He was relatively calm, that much was clear.
smile for the camera, it's just a shot in the dark
The Sun and the Moon
In an endless game of hide and seek
His eyes were too open to be misleading - but that's just the type of trick a demon would pull. Anden wasn't sure what to believe anymore. He wanted to reach out, to feel the man's chest. To feel the heartbeat. To have some form of hope, but what if it truly was the end. He turned away from the demon-man-thing. In the distance a towering black structure blocked out the stars. That must be where the demon king resided.
"If a doorway brought me here, then Eloise must have been brought here aswell? But I don't see any signs of her... Or anyone having been here recently." Anden motioned at the grass that look undisturbed. "And I don't remember opening any door. There was just a shimmer and then..." Anden paused. "I had a weird dream." How could he have forgotten the dream and the fog. Nothing made sense to Anden. It was like he had fallen asleep and woke up in a world that played by new rules. "I don't bleed? I don't breath? A vampire? What even are these things. Are they the playthings of the demon lord?"
"If what you're saying is the truth, and that I'm not dead yet, then clearly there must be a way to leave this Hell. I don't belong here. Eloise needs me." In truth though, Anden needed her more than she needed him. He had never been separated from his twin for more than a few hours.
The outlander turned back to the man. Reaching his arm out hesitantly, half-expecting the man to pull a weapon on him. His clothes were damp, and cool to the touch.
Thump. Thump.
Anden's eyes turned wide, if the man wasn't a demon then... "What are you? And what do you want from me?"
The Sun and the Moon
In an endless game of hide and seek
So much was said all in one go and it seemed not needing to breathe was a benefit for the man because holy fuck he really needed to calm down. There was so much to process like some sort of 'Demon-lord' and referring to this place as a Hell. It all came together and Oliver let out an exasperated sigh, his face reading only as exhaustion. This was... going to be hard to deal with. It also didn't help that this man wasn't familiar with Vampires. Where was he even from?
Nobody else had talked this much nor accused him of being... something else.
The hand to his chest was supposed to be helpful but only made the man even more confused.
Finally, it seemed the man was done speaking. "Alright... I'm going to speak and I want you to listen closely." Because yeah... this guy really wasn't listening and had clearly made up his own mind. Whatever.
"Eloise is back in your original world. You came through the doorway to here... and she most likely wont be coming through, at least not anytime soon." There had been cases of people from the same exact world who knew each other coming through, but never together. "A Vampire is a creature that my old world talked about and many other people know about... they are a myth that talks about creatures with fangs who drank blood." Oliver would pause for a moment but it should be obvious based on his stare that he did not want to be interrupted.
Continuing on, Oliver had to address... what the fuck was he supposed to address next?! "There is no way to leave here. A Goddess named the Voice brought you here and this is your new home." Oliver knew he had to make the Voice seem nice to the dude seeing as they kinda needed her to survive or something... but fuck was that gonna be hard right now when the dude was calling everyone a demon or a demonlord.
"I literally don't want anything from you, okay? I just happened to walk by and I found you... I was in your exact same position a year ago." Maybe that'd help the man to realize that he wasn't some hellspawn trying to kill him or take advantage of him. "I'm something called a hybrid. I came through as an Abandoned, or someone with magic. I then also became Attuned, or someone who can shift into animals." Oliver never tried to be this forward with all the information but WHATEVER.
smile for the camera, it's just a shot in the dark
The Sun and the Moon
In an endless game of hide and seek
The answers Anden wanted likely wouldn't come from this man - but the answers he needed would. Some nights are longer than others, remember that Anden. This is just a long night. A night of a thousand horrors... and you might just be one of them now. But the Sun will rise, and you will find her. Anden exhaled deeply, more out of habit than a necessity. He laid down on the ground, his face facing the sky - and listened.
He pushed the thought of needing to drink blood to back of his head, not wanting to think about that. Eloise wasn't here. If the man was to believed, Anden wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. If she wasn't here that means she was likely still lost in the forest - or worse looking for him. The glimmering doorway truly was a curse. Forever he would be forced to wander in search of Eloise, not even sure if she was still looking for him.
The Voice? What type of goddess goes by such a strange name... And why had he never heard of such a goddess before. Was this truly a new world, had he really gone through a doorway to... Caido is that what the man had called this place?
Was he lying though, or was he speaking the truth. In the end it was all riddles to Anden. A hybrid? Abandoned? What even were those things. It was too much to simply make up - and if this truly was Hell, why was it so beautiful. He pushed his hand into the sky, reaching for the stars. "If this place... This world isn't Hell. Then what am I supposed to do now? How can I be sure that Eloise isn't here. What if she simply went through a different doorway." Staring at the stars helped keep Anden calm, for in them he could picture Eloise's smiling face staring back down at him.
"I can't stop looking for her."
The Sun and the Moon
In an endless game of hide and seek
The man actually allows Oliver to speak (Thank the gods for that). So he thinks he's actually getting to him, especially judging by the first question.... and then he absolutely lost him in the second half.
Another sigh escapes Oliver and he simply shakes his head. "Listen to me... okay?" He'd give a gentle nod before continuing on. "I say this purely wanting you to be safe... but do not go out on your own... you just came and you are extremely weak. You know nothing about this world nor about being an Ascended and you will die if you are not careful." Being blunt was the only solution because this man had an active imagination.
"Whoever Eloise is wouldn't want you to die... you don't know where the other portals even are." What did this man expect to do? Aimlessly wander around until he found her? "If she comes through a portal I can assure you that you will hear about it... okay? Word travels fast and if she mentions your name, you'll hear about it quickly enough." There weren't many portals but enough for the man to get absolutely lost if he wasn't careful.
Now he could finally answer the one good question the man had. "What do you do for now? Learn about the world... this is your new life and you need to become a part of it. I have a place you can stay for however long you want, if that's something you'd like." Oh one more thing. "By the way... you probably shouldn't go out in the sun anytime soon... it's dangerous for you." Using fear to make the man pay a-fucking-ttention? Yep.
smile for the camera, it's just a shot in the dark
The Sun and the Moon
In an endless game of hide and seek
His world now? A world without Eloise? What does that even mean. Would he one day forget the chime of her laugh? Would she become nothing more than a distant memory? Anden tried to grab onto the stars that made up Eloise's face but to no avail. She was out of reach now. She was gone. Or maybe he was the one that was gone. Either way they... He was alone.
Before he was the one offering travelers a place to stay. Their last stop before they ventured into the Evergreen Forest. It was odd being on the other side of things. "A place to stay?" Anden reached into his pockets turning them inside out. Only a handful of leaves fell out. "I don't think I could afford that."
The Voice... The goddess that brought him here. She cursed him. Changed him. Made him into a new man. Separated him from Eloise - his Sun. His shining star, Eloise, the only reason he even ended up in the doorway that brought him here... And now the Sun would hurt him? He let out a deep chuckle. Of course it would. This might not be the Hell his parents spoke of but it was close enough. "I really am a child of the Moon then." Anden whispered, tilting his head to look at the man.
The Sun and the Moon
In an endless game of hide and seek
This would be a lot to take in, for sure, and Oliver could only hope the guy would be okay. Losing someone so close to you and knowing you'll never see them again was an awful feeling. It was like someone dying, something Oliver had, unfortunately, had to deal with himself more recently. If the man accepted his offer of staying in the manor, then Oliver would be able to ensure he properly transitioned and didn't do anything stupid or drastic.
For the first time since they started talking, a smile broke out on Oliver's face and he simply offers a shake of his head. "No payment... by the way, we don't even use money here... think of it like... I do you a favor and you do me a favor? Or even just bartering." It was honestly cute that the guy's only objection was not being able to afford it... it was nice to see a different side of the guy. One that wasn't aggressive or angry. Rather, he seemed almost open.
His name for himself was... a unique one, but people came from different backgrounds. "I guess you are.... there's a lot more to you now as well, but I'd rather take this at your place... do you have any questions for me? I don't want to unload a ton of information on you." Even though he already had and that went over so well.
smile for the camera, it's just a shot in the dark
The Sun and the Moon
In an endless game of hide and seek
This world had no money? Anden could feel the pit in his stomach growing. If there was no money, and no Eloise Marie... What did he have to live for? It felt like the darkness was swallowing his insides with no Sun in sight. What purpose could he have in a world with nothing but favors - and what would he have to offer this world.
His pace? What pace was an acceptable pace now. At home things were always changing, with the new moon a new set of travelers... Home. Anden chuckled to himself lightly. Was it still right to call it his home? Would his parents be ok... Would EM? Did it even matter?
She always mattered. Anden refocused himself. Somewhere Eloise was shining in the Sun. Someway he would find her again.
"I can stay with you on two conditions." Anden said, looking back at the man. "First, you don't stop me from trying to find out if my twin is here... Somewhere." He closed his eyes, images of Eloise Marie filling the darkness. "And two, I do some kind of work for you to pay my keep."
Anden offered the man his hand, "My name is Anden."
The Sun and the Moon
In an endless game of hide and seek
The man didn't make any sort of verbal response and Oliver wasn't entirely sure what to say. It took a bit for the man to speak once more, this time explain his end of the deal. Why the guy would want to, whatever, but if it made him feel better then Oliver would go with it. As well, if it kept the man out of the sunlight? Great.
A light hum and Oliver thinks for a moment. "It's nice to meet you Anden, but... I need to modify what you said a small bit." There was something that Anden said that rubbed Oliver the wrong way. "You can only try to find your twin IF you warn me first... and if you actually go prepared. You cant just run outside whenever, there's a lot you need to be aware of first." Like all of the beasts... and burning up in the sun. That mattered a lot, too.
smile for the camera, it's just a shot in the dark
