Journey through oneself, and a mountain [Plot/Private]

Silver glinted, moonlight reflecting off the metal on the wrist of the fanalis. Her hand moved to remove the bracelet, for she wanted to set aside the memento of her mother. It was valuable to her but it was also the vessel for the djinn Buer. A sign that showed she had proven the right to rule. Her hand clasped the piece of silver, it was cold against her skin. She pressed it against her chest for a moment, taking in a breath to think about her late mother. The comforting image of her past, of her mother, flowed through her. The gentle reminder was pleasant but it was time to put it down. She wrapped it in her old red dress, keeping both of them safe. She would set the bundle on the ground, resting on the rocky floor of the mountains.

She stood there firmly, her red and white hair flowing slightly waving in the wind. The tall spire of rock that consumed her field of vision. She stood halfway up the mountain, high enough to where snow could be seen at the tip. There was the only rock where the fanalis stood yet it provided a brisk temperature. With nothing but other mountains off in the distance, it would be a perfect place for solo training. The night had only just begun, she had no idea how long this session of training was going to last, yet her little sabbatical would last as long as possible.

"Sigh..." she would let, her chest filling with air as she started to prepare. She shed her armor, leaving her in nothing but red robes. Her body tensed up as her muscles would begin to flex. It would only take a moment before the training would begin. It would help her test and hone who she is by putting herself under extreme conditions. For once the exercise started she could only stop to sleep, eat, or drink water. It was the ultimate endurance training to train and refine herself as a living weapon.

Becoming a symbol of something greater, something more than the sum of her past, but of everything she did was heavy. There were more weights and impacts on her decisions. If she was to be a protector, both the shield and spear for her people then white-haired warrior would have to do more than what she currently was. She was a fanalis, a living weapon that dealt explosive and terrifying damage quickly like lightning. Her natural feats, she needed to surpass them in any way possible. Hit more efficiently, hit faster and hit with the force of the entire body. To perfect not only her body but her craft as a martial artist. Now was the time to go further beyond, and she would soar at an astounding pace.

She placed her right foot backward, placing firmly against the hard rock, crushing between her toes. Crouching as the tension started to build in her, pressing into the earth. She felt the brief moment before the exercise would start. She pressed her foot further into the ground as the young warrior would spring towards the spire of rock. A loud craaaccccccccck echoed out into the mountain range as the force of the fanalis sent Merrze flying, appearing as a blur. A blur that tore the earth behind it leaving a scar in the ground.

Upon meeting mountain face to face the fists would soon begin to fly. The first punch would come right before Merrze would smash into the mountain. Yet by punching it, she saved herself the moment of embarrassment thankfully. Rocks would chip away as cracks began to spread from the point of impact. Small chunks of it would fly off. Yet it would be followed up by another, stronger punch. The impact chipped away from where it would start. She would then do another, following up each punch with another from the alternate hand. Thundering began to swell in a large vicinity from the hero on trial. The punches would start to crack upward, spreading out from the inconsistency of the punches.

They all had force in them, and there was a pattern but learning to put all of her body into her punches in order to focus the damage was difficult. She felt the rough substance scrap against her knuckles as she would try to focus the energy in her punches. It was repetitive but she would keep at it, and results would come fast as the punches would start creating a large crater in the side of the mountain quickly. Quickly would the force of her punches coarse through her nerves. Shaking them, she was used to striking fast and hard but keeping up the force and consistent striking allowed for it to be persistent. It wasn't a bother but it let her gain a feel for the activity. Allowing daydreams to come in along with some self-reflection.

Red hair fluttered by, in the white void as the face of young girl looked forward. Beautiful red eyes looked at Merrze with a fiery passion. a red dress would catch the attention of the fanalis. For she was looking upon her younger self when she first went to Reim. She would look deeply at her before speaking up, speaking with a slight chuckle. "Do you come to these parts often?"

It was met with silence for a moment before another attempt would be mad at conversation. "You know things were simpler back then. I didn't have to worry about people hunting me down or trying to subjugate me. But I don't miss it because I was foolish, I fought recklessly without thinking about the impact of my attacks, or what my opponent could do."

"Let's see if you know what this opponent will do!" the young visage of Merrze would flare up, her hair flaring like a flame and eyes starting to radiate like the heart of a flame. With a ferocious leap, she would attack her older white-haired self. Yet she would be met with a dodge. She moved out of the way, watched to where her younger self would leap in the void, bouncing off of invisible walls. Merrze would fall and flutter like a leaf, avoiding her own attacks. Then once she was almost hit the king candidate would prepare a quick counter-attack. She brought her knee into the fiery girl, knocking the wind out of her with great force ending the fight and night.

As a last punch would strike the rocks it would send a strong punch forward, not as big as the other times but it went further forward. If she allowed herself to be to be more fluid, to let her body carry forth her force she would be able to put more pressure into her strikes instead of spreading the force over a mass. It would be hard to fully understand but it was the start of the right path.

With this revelation also came the sun, hours had flown by like it was absolutely nothing. She needed her body to remember the movements, the remember the precision. She always trained her power and her combat knowledge, but she never honed them to be more focused, to be a more efficient fighter. It was always about how to outlast, overpower the enemy or pray on its weaknesses. It wasn't something that was easily corrected, it would take time but she had it to focus on. And it would be her focus as she prepared herself for a good night rest. She had no camping supplies, so she would lay down on the rocky floor of the cave she had made.

Only thoughts and ideas would course through the mind of the fanalis as she slept. She had the desire to be something more, that there was more to do. She had heard of the magi, she was likely the only one of her species to know that their current form was not a true one. Nothing but a shell created when their species was brought here from the other world of Alma Torran. Something she had only known about from her visit to the shrouded isle. It's one of the things that brought a shift to her change of the worldview.

Then there was meeting the djinn, otherworldly beings with grand powers of magic. Something that showed her the powers of the otherworld, to shape the world. She'd seen magic but this was the power that made a king. A power that she had to earn and power, it was like a divine gift. Yet it could be a burden, it used up her energy quick, and when dealing with the otherworldly it's power was necessary. It made her wonder more things from the otherworld.

Were the fanalis people stronger when they were the red lions? If they were changed from a more animalistic form it was possible they lost some of their advantages and gained new ones. These changes were made for a reason, maybe for a desire of a more peaceful world. The fanalis could've been more fearsome before. Maybe it was the way of the fate that the white-haired woman had heard so much about.

Often in her most crucial times' people went on about fate, it's not something she believed too much into. Yet it seemed to have so much following, and support behind it. Magicians and the mythical Magi she had met seemed to have control over the world. Magic was controlling the world. Yet they weren't the only people of the world, there were the fanalis and the Immuchak too. They didn't seem to represent or control the world in any way. It was possible that magicians were favored by fate, she didn't know much about their race besides that they could use magic. She knew more about their craft then she did them. It made her think deeply, that were there others who had been gifted by fate.

Her thoughts would fade as her resting thoughts were replaced, and her sleep would continue peacefully

As another first struck another drop of sweat would hit the ground. Rock and earth shook with every single punch and, now kicks that were thrown into the mess to dig further into the rock. It had been three days since the training exercise had started, and Merrze was arguably 10% through the mountain. The beginning of the cave was wide but became more narrow the farther one went in. Merrze had been learning to focus her strikes, managing to maintain and focus her force. Yet it was still a mountain, it was a hard and thick rock so most of the shock was absorbed. Yet she managed to bloodily beat down the rock.

Her hands were bruised pretty badly, with sores already starting to appear on them. Merrze had been at it for hours this day, and the last 2 days had done their toll already. She wasn't going to give up but this little was already straining her body. Her strength was waning but the fanalis kept it up the most she could. A sore body and a sore mind, she noticed as she tore the skin on her hand, blood starting to drip down and hit the ground. She was injured, and if she continued she would start to damage her body more, yet she kept striking, starting to rely more on her kicks, to lessen the pain.

The pain was something she had become accustomed to though. It was something that always came with trying to do the right things. Like trying to survive, trying to save others, and doing what needed to be done as a leader. So much pain came with life, but it wasn't something to be shunned. It was important for growth, it was important to appreciate the good. There was a lot of unneeded pain in the world, but it needed to be rested on the strong's shoulders so that the pain can be relieved for others. She felt the weight, the weight to bare all of this pain to cure the pains of this world.

With thundering kicks and lightning blows she kept digging, straining her body more, to strain her thinking. There would be things more painful than this, there would surely be things more difficult than digging a cave through a mountain. She was a fiery girl, yes, but she was also a fanalis. Hardship was one of the gifts fate liked to grant her species, they got immense strength an speed but were seen as tools to a lot of the world. The prejudice had gotten better, but it wasn't gone. Her people knew what she was, yet no one looked at her the way most of the world looked at fanalis. A lot of them were unaware of the history of the race except for those who had been enslaved or came from other lands. She was lucky to have their respect, but a fanalis queen was nothing anyone had ever heard of.

It was something she was soon to be, it was going to be apart of her to be a leader. With that, she could not shun who she was as a person. The white-haired lioness was one of the red lions, one of the fanalis, but also a being of this world, a warped visage of what they once were. Not lesser though, she was going to set a new image for her people. Maybe she needed to become something more, to allow for people to see what they could be. Show that they have the strength to be protectors, that they are people and this is their world too.

They were heavy thoughts accompanied by heavy arms and legs as she was tiring to the point of passing out. She was tired and her thoughts had begun to wane. Maybe it was time to rest, she'd been up for the past 14 hours just punching and kicking to dig her tunnel. She tiredly turned around, looking what progress had been made. The light had barely crept in but it was still noticeable. Eventually, the light would fade until she could reach the end of the tunnel. She wasn't going to leave in order to get water or food, she had that on hand. She had enough dried beef to last her a month and a canteen. She would need to leave in order to refill her water but that would be her only reason to leave the cave.

Her body would go slump against the rock, falling down as her body drained, she brought forth her canteen to hydrate her tired body. It felt as if there were massive weights holding her down. It had only been a few days, but things like this were more tasking than she thought. She could bust through castle walls, shatter iron with her punches. This was her way of testing herself, she was going to be a warrior of this world. She was going to become something more, she was going to become whole. She thought over as she would eat a piece of dried beef, letting her mind drift off.

It droned on day after day, eventually, Merrze started to get so far that the light had faded to nothing. She had to start caring everything she had on her body. It started to encumber her movements and slow her down significantly. It was harder to move, her badly bruised body lost a lot of its limberness, now there would be less movement, but more precise fast jabs. There was the occasional stutter, causing her to slow down a little but she would continue digging through the mountain. It was draining her slowly though, scabs hard started to build on her knuckles, on some parts of her feet. There was minor bruising all over her body with a few major ones. It was nothing that would kill her but it would strain her magic. It was certain that she would need to use her djinn to heal her.

She had it on her back, but she wasn't going to use the power of her djinn, not till she was finished. Sure it was a monumental task, but it was a task that needed to keep progressing. It was more than just a physical test, it was one of endurance, it was one of will. It had also become one of meditation. With being awake so long, and in the dark it granted opportunity to ponder and think. It was now something that let her think of her past and everything she was. Her djinn was on her mind, and it would give her some reflection on her path to acquire that otherworldly power.

It was when her hair had gone white, she had been subjugated by the monsters of this world, by those who can control its forces. When she felt the world around her fall apart, Remus Roma had stolen her security when she found out there had been someone greater out there messing with and trying to control her life. Someone who was involved with some of the most emotionally intensive times of her life. It caused her hair to go stark white long ago, at that point she went away, leaving Reim to search for the power of a djinn. To acquire something otherworldly, or of myths to get rid of the evils that plagued her and the world. It wasn't her sole motive for long though as the time for growth had come.

She fought, learning more about the powers she had only heard of. The power that these djinns had over the world, and the power that they granted. They were life threatening to try to claim, and the power they provided could change someone. It was after she got her Djinn, but she even died in the last dungeon she attempted to go through. Sure Merrze had won a djinn but it guided her to a new outlook on life. That if she was to lead, and care for this world she had to care for it in its entirety. Nature, animals they deserved to live of course. It was important to live side by side with the world. She would exist to not get rid of just it's evils but to protect it and enjoy it. She wanted to create a sort of paradise for the world, she knew true peace was a hard and impossible but it was an unrealistic goal to fuel the will to do better.

She was of this world, after all, this is where she was born it was where she struggled for most of her life. She was doing her best, despite all the struggles to become a shining example of a leader. She still enjoyed being playful and enjoying life, but being a leader was consuming. It took up a lot of time, even this little faction is only allowed because of the war. Her people have been settling, building more houses and permanent structures. After this last training vacation, Merrze would be stuck with her people permanently, she would be helping with the construction of the nation herself. Helping to build, gather supplies, deliver supplies, and resources among other areas.

So much of it weighed on her, she was trying to find a balance and she was. Her life was filled with more responsibility but felt more connected, like she had fully healed as a person. She strives to improve her faults but she knows she can, that there will be things that will put life on hold. With a clear mind all she would need to think, to think through all of what was going on life to get a self-image. To discern herself and her desires so that she could be a better leader. To be ready for challenges to come, ones that were beyond her current power.

With a tired and bruised body she had found her question, what was it she fulled desired to be, what did she want to represent. It was day fourteen and Merrze had made it halfway through the mountain. How long till the end of her training, and maybe the revelation that she was searching for.

By the twenty-eighth day, things had reached a much different point for the fanalis. Her bruises, her body looked completely different. She had no idea how she appeared, but the red robes that she wore into starting this journey were tattered and torn. Covered in dirt and dust from sleeping on a cave floor each night. Her rations were starting to get low, all of the fruit she had saved, all of her meat it was gone. It was draining to leave the long cave every other day to get water.  It had caused her to find new ways to move, to support her body during the journey.

Magoi manipulation became the tool that would help her get by day after day. When she felt trained, or damaged she would reinforce her punches with her magoi. It was used to keep her body working so that her blows still contained the force she normally had. There was power in them for sure, but it hurt her. She had gotten stronger without the proper rest, if they were healed with magic it would be fine. Yet she was unsure if she would even have the energy to heal herself once the task was over. It was draining to use magoi manipulation. It needed to be portioned out in use so that all of the warrior's reserves wouldn't be drained. It was becoming a task of managing resources along with the physical and mental stress.

Her energy enveloped her fist currently as she struck the rock that was before her, she had no idea how long the cave was, she was sure that it was near done. Some days were slower, some days were faster. Her body felt like it moved on its own, striking heavily, each blow more tiring than the other. Blood dripped down her arms and legs, it wasn't bad enough to kill her, but it was possible that she had started to break bones. She was unsure, sure she was strong but this was a consistent force and trial for her, this wasn't using her power to break or destroy.

It was about control and endurance, she could've made massive impacts through this mountain, using some of her trained techniques or most powerful attacks. It was more about consistently keeping and focusing her power. It was getting harder, control was hard to keep, making the tunnel that was being crafted misshapen at some points.

It was mindless, pointless to do such a thing. As she kept punching and kicking, slamming her knees, shoulders, and elbow into the rock just to break through it further. It hurt, it hurt so bad at this point. It would've been smarter to just try to keep breaking through the surface instead of creating something confined. Was it the darkness, the lack of sound besides rock cracking, crashing against each other. Back and forth, it was enough to drive someone to madness, who was sure if the white-haired woman with the red hair flair would be able to keep going. Nothing was for certain as thoughts raged on in her head.

She was Merrze Firdaus, a fanalis, a mother, a warrior, and leader. She was a citizen of Balbadd, fought for the country of Reim and now began the start for the people of Meridia. She was still that fiery redhead that years ago killed without regard, thinking nothing of the things she did. It was for sport, it was for fun but it was wrong. It's not what a leader was supposed to do, she never killed the innocent, but who was she to decide who was to live. She needed to think more about the things she did, about what lives she took and what might cause her to lose hers, she had her fiery passion along with the patience to make decisions. To think through her choices in battle. To use her mind and memories to make choices.

She was also who she was when she went for the power of a Djinn. She was the white-haired version of herself that had a desire, to do something to better the world. To rid the world of evil and use what she could in order to be stronger. She needed the power to represent something more than herself. Yet when she got the power of her Djinn she had now the idea of what leadership was, what she needed to be. She needed to be ideal, but representing something took away the human aspect of herself. She was the past versions of herself she was something more.


She thought, beginning to form words to match her thoughts as she talked to herself. "I do things because I am from this world, I am of this world. I may have gained power from the world before to be a king of this world, I may be the warped image of my species changed and fitted to this world. Yet I am myself, I am of this world, my power who I am. I exist for this world, to fight for it and ensure that it goes on. Fate is something for me to decide for myself. I want to guide and rule this world, relate and help lead them to a better ideal. I must strive, we must strive to be better. This world is ours to enjoy, I am going to live for this world."

Her voice broke, trying to breathe as she spoke to herself. The words escaped her lips tiringly, she knows what she wanted. To be herself, but to represent something more. To evolve as a person, to have a power that exists for and of this world. Not something deciding to, or lend the power to. People of otherworlds resided here, and the grew and made this world this theirs. As she thought, endlessly striking as light would strike through into her cave. A familiar, yet oddly new glow would warmly wash over her.

There it sad embedded in the rock before her, a shard, an oddly shaped piece of crystal that was embedded in the rock. Inside it was small white birds, that fluttered around. It reminded her of the ones she saw when in her djinn equip, it was the Rukh that made up the world. She had heard rumors of these shards that had fallen from the sky, she saw when it had happened. At the time she was traveling the seas to return to Kou.  What were they, it held the so-called flow of the world. It made up everything it was the world, she was the world. She felt it drawing her near it, a strong sense of power coming from it, pulling her in.

She stood there battered, blood dripping down her has her arms, legs and all over her body had been tattooed with bruises. Her tan skin having an odd dark purple hue from all of the popped blood vessels.  Hanging there with barely any strength to bust it free from the rock, or to grab a hold of it.

She moved back, her tired body soon to collapse, yet she would swing forward, slamming her head against the rock, slamming against the shard with explosive force. Rocks would blow outward as she would finish her cave with that final blow, crushing the shard against her forehead with one single thought screaming through her head. "I WISH, DESIRE AND STRIVE TO BE A BEING OF THIS WORLD, THAT FIGHTS FOR THE WORLD AND WILL BRING FORTH, ANE EVOLVE THE POWER AND PEOPLE OF THIS WORLD!!!"

It echoed through her head, and her body as the energy of fate flowed through her. Changing and altering her in a way which she would yet be able to understand. She had achieved a new state of mind, and possibly a new state of being.

Shard: