The Path of Ascension [Class Training]

Day 1~

There were limits to strength, Merrze knew that. As she felt her strength increase to bounds in which her impacts were akin to bolts of lightning. She could speed fast enough to defy gravity, to run across water. She knew fanalis stronger than her in her youth, but know her own power, her own understanding of her force put her at the peak of power. At least, that's what she had found out from her disputes. Merrze had fought while beaten, broken, on deaths door. As red streams around her legs drained her of the pink in her flesh. She pushed herself, trained to understand her magoi, her own martial prowess. All of these confrontations, plenty of those situations and caused situations of hopelessness.

Power meant abandoning the djinns graces the more and more she trained. Now it had been over a year since she had last relied on the great being's power. She knew it had strength which exceeded her own, yet in everything the fanalis did, she wished to surpass them. The Red Lions were once a race powerful enough to stand against great magics, she wished that for herself, for her kids. As the cold, dry grass caressed her toes she continued walking, ponder further the lioness trekked. She only found strength, the path to growth when she failed, when she was weak and had to push further. Martial arts were developed were made to give on an edge in combat on stronger or faster opponents, to rely on skill.

As the winds pushed through her hair she would tie the growing main into a ponytail. A puff of breath would crystallize as she sighed with her next step. The blades of grass which started to stab from their frosted shells cold stone would soon touch on her bare feet. She didn't have much longer until she was at her training local at least. Crunch Crunch Crunch would follow as she had reached the snowy mountaintop. It had been quite the trek from Meridia, built while the Palace was being built this was the last chance the fanalis had to take some time way to train, to clear her thoughts.

The peak would be a could place to rest, fitting enough there was a lone, dead tree there as well. Clenching the heavy bag which she toted up the mountain she would drop it, letting it sink in the snow beside her, taking a firm seat the fanalis followed with a "Siguaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggghhhhhhhhh!" A great puff of frozen air filling the air with a great sigh. It was time to take in the view before her month of training. Down below, she could see the great winding path she ran around and up the mountain. Down into the plains, in the yellow grass and the cold river which formed at the base of the mountain. She had gone pretty far north, hopefully, her people would be fine. The evening sun would glisten off of the snow around her. Winter was always a beautiful season to her, she rarely enjoyed it while young but it was definitely one of the pleasures of travel.

The clouds only seemed to travel on, painting the sky with their endless shapes and nimbus clouds gathered in great amounts. "Well, I guess I should probably get started soon. Waiting won't guide me to enlightenment." She'd rub the mark on her head as she spoke. Maybe it was only her own actions that could guide her. With no more delay, the contents of her bag would be unveiled. It was filled with plenty of golden clamps, made from an alloy of materials in actuality. Their thuds causing them not only to sink into the snow but also crack the earth beneath them. They were the heaviest weights she could fashion, and with them, she could at least hinder her movement somewhat.

It would take a moment for her to fit them all, as there were pieces made for every joint on her body. With rarely any cloth she now looked gilded, decorated in gold which only weighed her down. The firm weight would set her in place as crossed her legs in a meditative state. This was the first way to train, to train her mind, under all the stressful conditions that it could. The cold winds would batter her face, as her eyes closed to allow in the emptiness, to become lost in thought. As she drifted, snow would begin to fall from the heavy clouds above.

---

Day 6~

Nearly a week had passed, and the snow had yet to cease ending. Through her sleep, and her journey's down to the springs it never ended. The cold caused the metal to begin to stick to her skin, as she had to place fur between to prevent losing her skin from tearing. It was hard to sustain nourishment, she'd gone through it before but her body was starting to look emaciated in no time. It was almost like she had been in a compound once again, starvation wasn't a new pain however so she could ignore it. As growls gnawed at her Merrze would keep her hands folded across her lap. The one thing it had brought was a discussion with herself, interrupting meditation but forcing self-confrontation.

"You're just leaving your kids alone again, you're just being selfish! What do you expect to learn? You're just hurting yourself and being a fool! This is pointless, stop being self-absorbed!" Echoed in her head, as she started to find every fault in her actions, in taking this trip to try to gain power or an understanding that might not have even existed. It was already the night of the next day, and what had she done besides fetch water and sit under this tree. Maybe she could do more, test her body more, test its might amongst her withering state. If she only focused on her muscles how could she grow her mind though? She had to push herself in some way. She had been battling with conquerors, great wielders of magic, she needed to be more than capable of beating them. She needed to be of that same reverence, so the stories that people told about her didn't feel like grandiosity of the masses and her actual power to protect them.

Her joints would creak slightly as she stepped up, maybe it was about time for her to venture down the mountain. Just before she slept maybe, it would only be a 4-hour rest anyway. Before even giving it a second thought her body would lug down the mountainside as the deeply cold snow would blanket her. Trudging through it to create a path she would ponder further while moving. She'd almost died in most of her major fights, in others she finished her opponents before they could blink. It was weird how strength worked, there plenty of conditions, of mishaps or actions which could lead to someone's death. It was just a matter of one used it, or how they applied it. She had seen power in which people could only hope of dealing with, and it more than she cared to admit, did scare her. She could match the forces of nature, but what of those that could defy it. Maybe it was impossible to fully match the might of magic, but she could become strong enough to make a difference. That's all the strength that anyone really needed. But oh how so hypocritical she felt claiming, desiring strength, was it because the bar kept getting raised?

She'd shake her head, it was getting harder to think as the bags in her eyes were starting to feel heavier than the weights. Everything in fact, was starting to feel just a little bit heavier. Time dragged on, she hadn't even realized she'd trekked down more than half of the mountain. Turning up towards the rising sun Merrze would turn, attempting to climb back up to rest, but found herself crashing to rest in the snow.

---

More than four hours had passed in her nap, the sun was already reaching its resting point by the time her lids had drifted open. There were only so many days she could have gone with such little sleep, the only reason for her waking was the quake of her stomach.

"Oh, what a pretty sky" she muttered to herself. Sitting up in the snow she'd look into the vivid sky, stretching into purple, pink, and soft reds as the last of the yellow sun dipped into the horizon. It was a bit peaceful and was a nice distraction from the growing frostbite on her limbs. After a few minutes of rest, and some time to wake up she would begin to walk up the mountainside. There was no need to hurry, she'd make her way up to the top either way. No matter the course and timing of her actions, things seemed to connect, either way, maybe there was no fate, but there certainly was a path. Or maybe those were just her thoughts, she would drift into them as she drifted up towards the top.

"I should probably find something to eat now..." she'd mutter.

---

Day 16

As she had barely been past the cusp of her second week she found herself starting over the horizon for more of her time. She began watching the land, watching in its unique repetitiveness. Each day seemed to be the same repeating actions, as small things changed, the land, the water, the snow, the world, the animals themselves. Every action continued, tugging along as their small changes impacted the path and direction of everything around it. Whether it was inconsequential, tiny, or minuscule it altered the world around it. Even up her on her own, she disrupted their lives when she ventured down, she tainted the snow with her bleeding fight and withered frame. Each day took more of what little fat and water content she had, even her toned muscles barely keeping to her body.

Each breath started to pain her body, as the birds flew by she matched their flaps with her breath. Her heartbeat matching the splash and trickle of the mountain springs. As the water coursed down, she would too, taking a step forward off of the cliff. She needed to act, to be apart of the flow. The world would rush around her, as the air picked up on her body reminding her of flight. Yet there was no control or freedom here. There was just the world acting on her, her forces acting upon her. its tug upon her helpless frame. All she could do was breath, exist, to have her form and soul be free. Her magoi coursing from her seal would wrap around her, supporting her frame. Her own life force-force caressing her body in a protective hold while the white-lioness plummeted down to the earth below. Clad in a golden form she was reminded of her battle with Dohna, of the battle in Kou, when she punched through the mountains to obtain this power. It was her power, it was her acting in her purest form.

The trees would barely come into sight, as she was at max velocity the only blurred by, before only a flash of white and then nothingness. .....

---

She didn't die, or at least she didn't think she had, because it wasn't anything like when she had first died. Even then she had no control she was helpless, and she had her second chance but there wouldn't be another. She had been out only for a few hours, but there was blood in the snow beside her, and a healed up head wound. She shouldn't have survived a headfirst fall like that, even if her body was durable enough the force was enough to impact her spine. She had only been protected from reinforcing every one of her cells.

The crater was enough to intimidate the animals around, the earth had exploded and the snow pile had blown clear in a 20m circle. In her crazed action, she would just breathe feeling the rush of blood to her head, of the relieving pressure from her chest.

"Maybe that wasn't the smartest idea, but I think I'm getting closer." She could feel more, she needed to feel more, but only another push could put her to that point. She needed more, she just had to go out and look for it. So she would begin walking, but she had to be honest, she hadn't been on this side of the mountain, and the forest seemed endless. She guessed it was time to start walking.

---

Day 23~

The one plus to getting lost in the forest was that it had a better food supply. She had hunted the first few days but had found most animals were hibernating. It was better to raid foot stores, she watched what animals were left, the rabbits, the foxes, the deer and the squirrels. She watched their paths, foraging for their berries and nuts, hunting the occasional game only every few days so as not to scare the animals from their own habitats. She only needed to survive, everything was simply just another action trying to sway her, and cause her to act. Maybe it was a delusion, but her thoughts began to blend between being lost in thought, and being pure in action. There were those that people had put themselves into, but maybe people needed to be able to free themselves from their own thoughts.

"If I can be quick, if I can understand deep enough so that I can feel rather than think to act rather than to force and control, I can find what I'm looking for." She wasn't sure anymore how this was guiding herself to be a better warrior,  a better martial artist, a better leader. Then again, a strong mind, a flexible one is what allowed on to be capable. "Then why am I trying to free myself, getting lost in the thought of action when I am my action? But am I my actions or are my actions me?" It seemed like nonsense, but maybe that was just the lens she needed.

"Hey you!, show yourself!"

Maybe it wasn't a good idea to start a fire, but she wasn't expecting company in all honesty. She'd step out, her almost skeletal tan free from most of its color as gold seemed to hold her body down. Her dead eyes would examine the group who had stumbled upon her. It seemed to be about 30 men, in unknown metal armor. Their features were pale, with dark hair tones and square features, but shorter and more stout than the fanalis.

"You wretched thing, come quietly and give us that gold, we were gonna leave you be but maybe we should put you out of your misery."

Merrze would look at him, saying nothing as she held a blank expression.

"Did you not hear me wench! give me that gold before we get serious and take you out!."

"Oh" She'd say in a deadpan voice. "So you weren't joking, well I can't give these to you, I'm a queen and I really should get these back to the royal armory."

"Bwahahaga!" their leader would laugh, turning to his group. "Listen to this, she looks stray dog and claims to be real, then I must be the Emperor of Kou if you're a queen, maybe we should get you for a ransom!" He chuckled, enticing his men into laughter as the Queen of Meridia would ignore their words remaining stone-faced.

"Well you'll have to move me then, but I think I like these woods so I'll stay here." She would reply, waiting for their reactions.

Anger would swell in their leader's face, he wouldn't take disrespect, especially not from a half-dead stranger. "Alright then, go get her men!"

Thinking it wouldn't take much only four of them charged her, their leader thinking that alone was overkill. Yet as they stepped towards she'd punch her hand forward crushing one's skull with a single blow, her other arm swinging to clothesline the one approaching from her left. The momentum from the weights would carry her forward, instead of resisting however she follow their path. Her hands would spring on the ground, she'd carry forward on her hands, her legs flying into the other two that ran towards her, caving in their chests as she landed.

Horror would fill their faces at how quickly she dispatched of them, it felt so seamless. She would let the weight and action take over her body, After a moment had passed and they had regained their ability to speak, the captain would order a charge. "GET THAT BITCH, AND RIP THAT GOLD FROM HER BODY!"

Charging her with weapons extended all she had was her body and her magoi. She'd taken out larger groups, but this wasn't like the other times where she simply overpowered them. She would flow through this battle like the creek, weathering down like the winds but crushing like the storm. She would swipe on with a right hook, carrying forth into a cartwheel as she would kick two into trees and carry forth to step on someone, slipping of them, twisting her body to spin and slam her fits into approaching opponents. As she began to fly she would carry her momentum, using a strong step to launch through the crowd, arriving before their leader.

"Well you got me to move, how about you do some moving too, it feels good on the body." Only having barely stopped before him she would grasp him by the gaps in his armor. She'd carrying forth his weight as he tried to resist, rolling onto her back to kick him into the tops of the trees. There were only a few left, but already bruised those who were barely alive would flee the forest. It was a terrifying display of power. This is what she was looking for, she had to flow in combat, for her body to feel the reactions. There was so much she couldn't sense, but she could feel and react.

THUD!

The loud thud would shock her, as a large shadowy figure seemed to appear behind her. As it brushed the tree's aside she could only think "Maybe that's what they were running from..."

Word Count: 3000+/3000

Day 23 Continued

As the ground began to tremble Merrze would look up. Which each thud the trees would shake, freeing them of the birds which stayed there. The snow was by no means light, yet its movements resounded with so much force that the fanalis could feel the approaching figure, more importantly, she could smell it. The trees would part, its grip with poor form but great strength would move the flora unveiling itself to her. A massive decayed figure, standing as tall as three would urge forward. Gold poured out from its' wound riddled body. The bloated and expanded frame seemed discolored, she could make out the features of an enlarged humanoid, but they seemed long gone. Was this some kind of monster?

Before she could plunge further into thought the milky eyes of the possessed giant it would blurt in a furry. "GRRARRRRGHHHHHHGHHHHGGH!!"
"GRRARRRRGHHHHHHGHHHHGGH!!"

The screech echoed with an unholy harmony with itself as it charged. Stampeding towards her she didn't have much time to run, but she would perform a powerful step towards the enraged beast. Curling her frame inward towards herself the extra weight from the gold would turn her into a cannonball. As the leg came to strike she would slam into it with all of her might, cracking the limb, twisting it in the other direction. Ichor would spray, gold painting part of her face. Quickly the lioness would cleanse herself, rolling through the dirt.

An earth-shattering blow would happen as it turned, attempting to catch its' fall the Titan thrust it's fist into the earth sending a shockwave outward. As earth would tear Merrze would fly back into a tree, the momentum providing enough force to crack the great spruce tree.

"Gahhgh!" She would grunt. "This is not how I wanted to spend my training."

With a daze covering her she knew she didn't have too much of a chance to beat it. Standing up she would egg on the seemingly undead fiend. Taunting him forward she would slump forward, shifting her body's weight in preparation. With a snarl, it would begin to limp, as it moved the Merdian Monarch would notice that it's gold blood began to circle around the broken leg.Slowly fixing itself it seemed it would tackle, still gaining the ability to walk again the giant wanted to crush the fanalis. It would hurt her head, but her response was quick enough to roll to safety.

Shifting her weight foreword the lioness somersault like an armadillo, rolling on her back the gold weights crushing her tired body just in an attempt to avoid death. Standing up her eyes would again move to the titan's leg, which almost seemed to be perfectly corrected by now. It also however seemed to be the extent, whatever was keeping it alive was working with dead flesh and martial, supplementing what it could to keep its' vessel alive. She wasn't sure if she could take it, at least not now, she needed to get these weights off and get some of her energy back. In order to incapacitate it she would leap, performing a front flip on it's spine with enough force to make it crash. Using the moment to her advantage, she would book it attempting to make her escape.

---

The night had come, and the snow was coming down harder, thankfully she found refugee in a cave. She had kept warm through most of the night, long enough to give herself the vision to pry off her resplendent training jewelry. She was bruised, and tired, and more than anything cold and hungry. There was no time for anything but sleep, however, as in the distance, the beast raged. Clearly, she had angered it enough to where it wished to seek her out further, so it left the fanalis with little option. Merrze would lay down on the cold cave ground thinking of her plan of action. That was all she could do after all, plan, sleep wasn't easy to come on a night like this.

"It seems to be able to repair itself, but I'm guessing there's something inside, or something controlling it." She would think to herself. Pondering furthermore "Could it potentially be a parasite?" She had dealt with such creatures before, nothing of this complexity but she had seen stranger things in this world than parasites mega bloating bodies. Maye it was a fever dream at this point, she had been exhausting herself to new extremes even by her standards. As rage-filled howls would continue to decorate the night Merrze would do her beast, trying to drift off into slumber.

Day 28~

Free from her restraints, and open to rebuilding her strength Merrze had spent the past 5 days hunting. Constantly on the prowl, she would look for prey. Running around looking for her next meal, whether it be sleeping animals in their burrow, or even the nests of birds who dared to stay in the winter. She offered a moment for each creature, she interrupted the cycle but she needed to rebuild her strength quickly. Her wounds weren't fully healed, but there were in a condition in which she could function. Which was difficult, with each passing day the titan raged, chasing her, finding the trails she left in the day but always lost when she slept at night. Her survival skills had kept her well, she had no doubt that by putting herself to it that she could kill this gargantuan combatant, but what she wanted wasn't that simple.

She had a hypothesis over the few glimpses she got of it in action. It repaired itself or tried to with what was left of its' host. The only working, moving part, or truly moving part of it all was the blood. The gold liquid coursed through and around it in its injury. She was almost certain that it was a parasite, some type of living liquid that could control its host. She pondered how it functioned, and she wished to see it in action. Maybe it was innate curiosity, potentially her love for creatures, or her interest in the chance to interact with another parasitic beast. They had strange effects, and the size of her opponent bewildered her somewhat. She was going to take it down, and get a closer look.

So now she waited, in a clearing between the tree, as it raged hunting her down. "AGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGAAh" Would echo as thuds shuddered forward. Thud, thud, thud, thud! Would echo, over and over, louder and louder as if drums were inside her very ears, echoing the coming battle between these powerhouses. As the snow would flurry forward like a blizzard, the dragging, towering figure would burst into the clearing. It seemed to be addled by the snow as it covered its' vision of Merrze as its harsh arrival blew up snow.

Now, towering above it would let out a triumphant roar happy to have found his target. Moppy black hair would only accent the gold which adorned the heavily decaying body. The creature seemed to only get worse by the second. Potentially it would die, yet things never went that simple for Merrze so she didn't expect it to happen now, now it was time for a showdown. This time, she planned on making the first move.

She would vanish, stepping forward with all her speed to deliver a lightning-quick right hook to the titan's left knee. A crack would follow as it quickly went to try to realign the bone. She couldn't hesitate, as it was quick on the counterattack. Its' massive hand would crush the earth next to Merrze creating a shockwave that would push her back. With a quick shift of her weight, however, she was back on her feet. Pushing back towards the mark in order to try and overload it's healing.

With a powerful skip, the warrior would soar into the air, ducking under an incoming swing of the titan in order to kick off its' knee and headbutt it. Both powerful strikes would let out a reverberating crack as she soared upward. With the collisions of both of their heads, she would be shaken, but more importantly, she would have the giant stunned. While she called she would try to kick it in the stomach, but would now find herself as the one off-guard. As an arm the size of an average human would spout from the torso, grabbing Merrze by the leg.

Not wishing to dangle she twisted, breaking the arm off, causing more of the gold liquid to rain down. More of it would splatter on Merrze, as the body seemed to limp she wanted to feel relieved, but it was never that simple. And as she thought, the gold blood would seek into her body, attempting to invade her brain. As it did she started to hear a voice, she could feel it inside, it was likely it could kill her but she had ways of intimidating it as well. She would release her seal, focusing her magoi inward, on her own blood. She could attack this foreign organism inside her if she really wished.

"My my, is that any way to treat a guest." She would hear echo throughout her mind, as a moment of meditation would take her into her mind, providing a chance to interact in a more personal way,

---

Inside her mind she would feel the ichor replacing her bloodstream, possessing her body as it tried to strike a deal with her.

"We could both benefit from this, unlike my last host you're living! Plus there's a lot I can provide, wouldn't you like unimaginable strength?" The voice of the parasite would try to say to her. She would chuckle, focusing her energy as she replied.

"I don't think I need strength, as you might've felt, I pack quite the punch and if I want I could remove you before you try to finish your little trick." If she could get it to open up somewhat honestly then it would be easier to talk. Sometime's these creatures took a lot more than they could give.

"I'm not kidding!" It would say, a panic coming from the internal monologue "I'm capable of absorbing some of the force, so my body even tho its breaking I don't feel so much from it. I can tell you have power though I don't wish to undermine you. I just want to survive, I'm normally a great predator tearing through most life as a food source and then hoping to the next host when it is unable to keep with the energy demand for the boost I offer. You though, seem like you have enough vitality to you that you could handle it!"

"I think we'll need some rules, if we're gonna do something like that." Merrze would say. Stroking her she would go back and forth. She would need to meet the beast's demand, but who knows what it would do, if it would try to go after any of her citizens. "Alright, I'll be able to eat enough to sustain you, especially with the number of kids I've already had. In turn, if you try to fully control me or go after my family I will end your life. Other than that my new friend, I will fight and feast enough in order to provide with sufficient health."

This deal let her stay in the reins somewhat, but it was almost asking for trouble with how the beast seemed to work. That and it wasn't very healthy to be making negotiations with the voices that one heard in their head. She needed to become more acquainted with the beast, to familiarize herself with the capabilities or powers it would offer. Merrze would use the meditative space as her training grounds to understand or communicate with the beast. Most importantly, it gave the fanalis a moment for actual peace. It had been weeks now since her training had been simple. She needed to improve and learning to understand all creatures was a way of learning to better understand herself as well.

Day 30~

She would stand underneath the cooling waterfall, its icy waters washing of her into the waters below. She had been gone long enough on her training. It would take her some time to get back to Meridia, but she had one last day to enjoy the surroundings. Each of the passing days she was getting to understand her new beast, her new friend better as it slowly replaces every inch of her DNA. She was learning to understand how it affected flesh, control the mass of the body. It capabilities to flow into her brain, yet their level of proficiency needed to be developed further. She would need to train this beast on her to Meridia.

There were plenty of ways to raise her own understand, yet tonight was the night to drift off into thought. Her mind would begin to wonder, while most nights had been spent with training or survival she lounged around from sunrise to sunset. As the stars twinkled above, their light danced on her head. The quiet silence of the winter night was peaceful, to some it's dead sound was eerie. It was a silence born from the trapping of sound, yet it was also like the trapping of a moment. It was in time's like this that she truly got to relax. When one got to remove themselves from most of the world by finding their own pocket of peace. It wasn't her first time, hopefully, it was wasn't the last. These are what kept her sane, what brought her back down to earth in her old days of training. It was part of the hope, of the beauty and freedom she hoped to share with her children.

As a tear would trickle down her face she would brush it aside. There was a whole night in which she had the chance to cry, yet there was only one moment now to enjoy. She would plop back in the slow, the frigid cold curdling her new bloodstream. The chill would shake through them both as she would do her best to get back in the moment. As the feeling crawled up her spine a smile would spread across her face. The snow was pleasant, sure she wasn't very used to it as by the noticeable goosebumps, but at least she had avoided frostbite.

"Maybe its about time I get some rest." She would mutter to herself, looking around, staring up past the pines into the moon. She had to remember to bring Menat with her next time she came. It would definitely be good for Meridia to keep the territory in mind as it thought about potential places to build it's next city. Now wasn't the time to plan for the future, now was the time to rest. With that she would reach through the snow, grabbing leather packs and pelts of heavy bear fur. She would make a makeshift bed, digging a protective trench in the show. Now in comfort, she could rest, wondering how she'd explain gold blood to her children.

Day 32~

A deep sigh would exhale from Merrze's lungs. Her beast slumbered and the snow had kept her feet cold. There chances to rest, she knew that. There had been moments where the fanalis could have taken a break but had chosen not to. It was ultimately on herself that she was so tired. Eagerness to get home is what had compelled her, she could get a proper night's rest when she got home. For now she had to preserve, she could've made it home by this morn, but the day before a freak snowstorm had blown in, keeping Merrze at bay for most of her travel time. She wasn't quite sure how much time had passed through this day, but the sun was behind her and Meridia was not to long in the distance.

She was already safe within her own lands, she was supposed to be coming from the north but hadn't realized how far west she had moved down circling around the mountain in her fleeing of the titan. It was rather strange she spent so much time fleeing something that she now shared a body with. They had their own way of communicating, but concerns did come up often within her mind as it rested. She wondered if it could read her thoughts, her emotions. How much of her could it understand? One could argue that it was her, that Merrze was it. They were definitely on the at of becoming a more uniform relationship. Maybe it was more appropriate to call them partners?

Now wasn't really the time to be pondering over semantics. Her home was so close after all. She could see the planned streets, the walls which were constructed just before the canals which kept the water around the city level. She felt so nice to be free from the cool, from the winter of the mountains. While the season was not it's warmest at least this part of Meridia only really experienced warmer temperatures. While others were bundled up in coats she felt toasty just with a cool breeze dancing upon the warriors' skin. It felt so good to be home, she wondered what he kids were up to, what Erydyn was up to. She had learned a lot through this journey, little did she know it she learned a lot from this new beast, from this Promethus.

It brought her knowledge, connection closer to life. This world seemed to get stranger by the second with its life forms and magic, she wished to represent it, it's animals, it's strength and maybe this was the path. With a beast that could make her something more than herself, and a kingdom, an empire that would be able to shape her, and use this platform to bring a better world. As the sun behind began to lower further into the horizon she couldn't help but enjoy the arriving night. There would be so many more day's in Meridia. She planned to become one with it's beasts, its plants and it's people.

WordCount: 3,040/3,000