Fires in the Dark [Aaron/Lilith]

[Aaron Winsett]

OoC: Started in: Bern: Not Picking a Side


Aaron's dreams shifted wildly. One moment he would be flying, winging his way over the great fields below while riding on a giant winged steed. The next, he was tumbling and bouncing down a rough rock face until he landed at the bottom. He was bruised, but managed to pull himself to his feet and stumble away from a an angry mob. He looked back with shame at the loss of his home which the crowd was angrily torching. Once, he even was tackled off of a wyvern when a fierce looking swordsman dove off of a dragon, sending the two of them plummeting to the ground.

And then he was back at the cave. After scouting the events surrounding Ostia's demise at the hands of the Prophet's Inquisitorial Army, he and at least one other scouting party had met up in a small cave on the way back to Laus. That was where he'd met Gabriel.

Aaron's thoughts shifted to the mage, wondering what he was doing now. Probably still close by, and beginning his mission in Bern.

Again, the green-haired scholar's thoughts wandered. This time to the journeys he'd first had on setting out. Wyatt had been there, and they'd both grown quite a bit in that time....

What had happened to Wein? Yaen? Selk? Lilith?

Aaron stepped forward involuntarily, his steps echoing louder than they should have in that small cave. He stopped in front of a strange object which didn't belong in the cave at all, and realized that he was now in full control of his movements. There, resting on a flat rock at his feet was a small jar made of darkened glass. His curiosity immediately spiked. Where had this come from?

Reaching down, he lifted the object until it was eye level. He could see his reflection in the slick purple tinted shine of the glass, before he decided to open it. However, as he twisted off the cap, the cave darkened and blurred... shifting yet again....

[Lilith]

Though Lily had only been brought into the world not too long ago, Lilith's imprisonment inside her own mind had felt like an eternity. She had free reign of her thoughts, able to shape the dream world to what she wanted, but the feeling of being trapped was always around her. She lived out past memories, yet the people she has were only reflections of how she saw them. They did not speak to her, but merely played out their brief parts in her life.

Lilith forsook such memories, deciding that lingering on her past would drive her mad. She instead created a whole new world, a pristine forest, as though untouched by man. There was also a cave, though she knew not why. The cave was in all of her dreams, whether they were her true memories, or dream worlds such as this, it always loomed on the edge of her fantasies. She sat by a tree, reciting the rules of her training, as to not let her mind slip away.

Soon, she decided to go to the cave. It was too tantalizing, something she could not change. She felt drawn to it. A cold breeze picked up, flinging her hair and dress about, as she went towards the cave, as though something was telling her not to go there. Ignoring such thoughts, Lilith stepped into the cave. She saw an opened jar, made from dark glass, resting on the floor. As soon as she headed over to it, a man appeared. He did not face her, but his green hair made her think of a man she met on her travels. A man she often discussed the nature of magic with.

"Aaron?" she whispered. She guessed he was only a dream, a memory she had forgotten, now playing over in her prison.

[Aaron Winsett]

Something was making the mage feel insecure. It was something like a sound, just on the edge of hearing. A sensation. The moment he thought he had isolated it, he would lose it, and be unable to find it again for some time. It felt like something foreign to his senses. Something dark was involved.

Aaron felt a breeze kick up, tossing his hair about his face and carrying his tattered cloak out behind him. Then he heard a soft noise behind him. Quickly, he whirled about, igniting a ball of fire over the hand he now held aloft. Something had him on edge about this dream.

What he saw only caused him to be more puzzled though. It was a girl he'd met on his journeys, familiar, yet he could tell she'd grown. It was his "neighbor girl". It was Lilith.

He just stood there a moment, before he let his fire die and quirked an eyebrow at her. "Lilith.... What are you doing in my dream?"

He spoke, not fully expecting an answer. Or perhaps an answer which would make no sense. Quite frequently, things were confused and muddled in dreams.

[Lilith]

Lilith looked at Aaron, confused. He had ages a bit, but he still had that shine in his eyes. He though this was his dream? She lightly pushed him to make sure he was really there. "How are you doing this? Your dream? This is my mind." she turned around the pointed outside of the cave. The serene forest turned into a bustling city, a sprawling labyrinth, then back it a forest.

"It is my mind, but also my prison. How did you get here?" she asked the mage.

[Aaron Winsett]

Aaron smirked a bit. He must've hit his head when he settled down for a rest to get something this strange. Playing with the dream reality was something that he was an expert at. At least, when he was as in tune with his surroundings as he was right now. He practically felt as though he was awake, speaking with the real Lilith in the real world. It was unusual for something from a dream to be able to alter it's world like that though. It was also odd to have a figment of his imagination talking to him in this manner. It was all very odd.

In his mind, he pictured Lilith glowing, angelic wings. He thought they'd look good on her, though wings weren't needed to fly in dreams. Nothing happened. Not even the faintest whisp of light formed around her, which puzzled the mage, because it had been a very long time since he'd been unable to alter a dream.... Unless this wasn't a dream.

The uneasy feeling returned as he attempted to recall what he'd been doing before going to sleep. He'd tampered instinctively with something greater than his understanding during the battle, but he didn't think that had anything to do with this. He'd been wondering about his companions at the start of this... dream, he recalled, and his mind had lingered on Lilith before he'd started moving. Had he.... What had he done? Had he intentionally done anything? Could it be reproduced?

His mind longed to begin exploring the possibilities. To hypothesize, analyze, and experiment, but something Lilith had said caught his attention, and it was something which demanded far more attention than possible breakthroughs.

"I don't understand. Mind? Prison? I was dreaming, but if this is really happening...Where have you been?... Nevermind." He moved closer, and lightly touched her shoulder, glad to see her, and yet confused and concerned. "Lilith, you have to explain this to me."

Aaron's gaze intensified. It sounded like magic. Like something out of an adventure novel, actually. He'd never felt as though he had a true purpose to set his hand to. No purpose, except hunting down arcane knowledge and history. He wasn't the one to lead Bern to freedom or help Illia contain the rebels. He wasn't led to fight the battles of lords or politics, but if there was something out there, something old or magical which was dangerous, he felt compelled to make it disappear. And, if Lilith was in trouble, then his first responsibility was to come and help her out of it. Hunting old mysteries and monsters could wait.

[Lilith]

Lilith's sight shimmered, Aaron and the cave disappeared. In their place was the village they had broken in to. Alecto had vanished, an a dragon was now ravaging the village, in-discriminant between friend or foe. She saw herself, her features distorted to Lily's dark specifications, throwing balls of dark energy left and right. Lilith shuddered, and the cave came back in to view.

She wondered if Aaron had seen what she did, but he did not seemed phased by it. Instead, he put his hand on her shoulder. Such a touch felt too real for this place. Was she doomed to stay here forever? Silently, thinking only the images could explain her condition, Lilith stood on her toes and touched her fingers to Aaron's temples, imparting him with what was going on in the world around them.

"I was taken over by a lesser spirit a while ago. A woman found me and banished the spirit from my soul, clearing my mind of darkness. Now this. Now her. I am still so weak. I summoned her, a spirit by the name of Arum, to aid in my casting. However, she... I lost control of her, and she took over my body. She chose not to consume my soul, however, and instead had trapped me in my own mind. She occasionally shows me what she is dong, in what I think are attempts to drive me mad.

She had only had my body for minutes, but each second feel like an eternity. I... I can control what goes on here, and I often relive my training, as to save my sanity, but... Sometimes she makes me see fights I have had with my family, or my past mistakes. I feel as though I am slipping into an abyss." Lilith's voice was fragile and she was hardly audible. She looked into Aaron's eyes, sensing a change in him. He was much stronger than the last time they meant.

Trying to sound less crazy, she said, "You... You, on the other hand, look like you've met success in your training. Your aura, you have ascended to the ranks of the sages, have you not?"

[Aaron Winsett]

Aaron felt the knowledge of what had happened to Lilith being imparted to him. It felt very strange, but incredible. It was a little fuzzy and distorted on the one hand, but clear enough for him to have lived through those events in her shoes. He felt the time pass after she'd been separated from the group in Laus, and her situation after that. The help of the family in the forest, and her being sent to Etruria. Finally came the scenes of Lilith's possesion. How she'd fallen unconscious after using a particularly draining spell, and fallen victim to Arum Lily.

Aaron was horrified by what he'd seen, and he felt an old creeping fear coming to life again: fear of dark magic. Instead of giving in, however, he reminded himself of all his successes, and discarded the fear. He was a talented mage.

He thought over his words carefully, trying to find a way to encourage her. "It's true, I have done things now that I couldn't even have imagined when we last met. I've been hunting secrets that I don't know anyone else is even aware of. Perhaps I am a sage now, but there's something else more pressing than all of that. You, Lilith. Tell me where you are, and I'll come for you. I need you to resist her efforts. I need everything you can give me on this being, Lilith."

...Why a flower? He couldn't help at least wondering that. He'd probably have to go and read up on some of the church's books for this. They would be the ones with the most knowledge of this sort of thing, and they'd even considered the elder magic heresy for a long time. Who knew what useful information he could find buried there. He'd been unaware of dark spirits, but it wasn't hard to imagine. there were anima spirits, after all, but with the church keeping all the dark mage information under guard for so long, it hadn't helped prepare him with how to deal with this. They ought to purge themselves for those secrets they kept.

[Lilith]

Lilith took a step back when Aaron said he was going to come for her. "Aaron, no. I... I can defeat her. I don;t want to risk you coming here, you are too... well, powerful. I have no doubt that you could beat her, but... If she feels your power, she may try to possess you. I would not want to live in a world where someone of your talent was taken over by an evil spirit. Don;t come for me, I can save myself."

As soon as she had finished her sentence, a crippling pain ripped through Lilith's body. Though this was a dream world, the body she had in it was a mirror of her soul. And right now, the demon inside of her was sending pain, not by fire, or thunder, but pure, unmediated pain, into her. Lilith fell to the ground, gasping. "She... knows. She already knows, she can feel you here..." she wiped tears from her eyes and stood back up.

"Alright. You may be the only one capable to save me, then. I... an Arum Lily is a beautiful, dark, but poisonous flower. The spirit inside me, well, I summoned it out of hundreds, out of pure vanity. I will admit, I was a fool. It had a name like me, and I though I could control it. She seeks to bring the darkness in everyone's soul to the surface. She corrupts. She drives people mad... I remember reading something about a child falling under her thrall some five hundred years ago. The child's parent was a shaman, and she stumbled upon her father's books. She read a few lines, and Arum came to her.

"She manipulated the girl and turned her into a powerful sorceress. I think... Aha! There is a cleansing ritual, one most effective against her, in most lightning tomes. I am not sure if you can use them, but... Perhaps you may meet someone who can on your way here... I am in a small village in Etruria, north of Ostia. Use my memories to guide you if you need to." Lilith brushed back her hair and took a step close to Aaron.

"I'm sorry. Good luck. I look forward to seeing you in the flesh."

[Aaron Winsett]

Her concern for Aaron's well being was appreciated, and the mage could feel the enormity of the challenge before him from the impressions he received from Lilith's memories, but the mage wasn't one to discount his own abilities. He was more worried about Lilith. His face flashed concern as the shaman girl suddenly fell to the ground, wracked with pain. He followed her down, trying to help stabilize her however he could.

Bringing the darkness of one's soul to the surface. Truly a disconcerting experience, but the Winsett were known to be of stern stuff. Aaron would just have to hope that he could withstand this dark lily's assault and while enacting the cleansing on her. If he could even understand it soon enough to make it a feasible option.

As Lilith stood up and stepped closer, Aaron felt compelled to hold enclose her in his arms and just hold her for a moment. "Ah... Lilith. I'm sorry...." He just stood there for a moment, hoping that she would be alright.

"When Lily tries to overtake you again, forget about her, and just remember one piece of knowledge: No matter what I have to come through, be it man, monster, or dragon, I'm coming for you. Don't forget that." There was a conviction practically glowing out of his eyes. One could believe his word stronger than any oath as he spoke.

Slowly, he released her, wondering how he was supposed to "wake up" so he could get on his way. Bern... He was in Bern. That was a long way to Etruria. Hopefully, Lilith would find a way to hang on that long, or else this would all be a sad waste.

Slowly, as he bent his mind to the task, he started to wake up. sad to have to leave her alone again, but unable to remain. At least now she had another memory to relive.

[Lilith]

Lilith reached out for Aaron as he faded away, wishing he could separate part of himself to keep her company. When he was gone, she sat down as the cave shifted, moving to the other side of her consciousness. Night fell, and slightly younger versions of Aaron and she sat across a fire from each other, talking about their respective magics.

Lilith sighed and looked away, her false body's heart aching. The dreams blended together, and she lingered in the phantasmal prison, wondering what Arum was getting up to on the outside.