The Search For Kathea, A Leap Into Old Elysia

 The Search For Kathea, A Leap Into Old Elysia

     The Soul Hound spreads his wings and vanishes in a burst of light.

     "What he said at the last?!"

     "That was the 'Mother' speaking through her 'hound', we must have really impressed her."

     "So we are to access Elysia by way of the 'Rainbow Bridge'?"

     "Yes, it makes sense now that I think on it. It is a part of Asgard, and wherever it touches it remains a part of Asgard. Until you step off of it, you are shielded from sight."

     "So the Ravenous Darkness will not know anyone has breached Elysia until they step off?"

     "Yes, and it would only be aware of who steps off, anyone remaining on the bridge will be hidden from its senses. A good advantage if it comes to a fight. But let us be on our way", Iriisii opens a portal to Asgard, to the beginning of the Rainbow Bridge. The protocol calls for guests to be announced before treading into Asgard proper.

     As they step within the bridge gatehouse, Heimdall is waiting on them. 

     "Greetings Heimdall, a pleasure to see you once more."

     "Greetings Goddess, the pleasure and honor is mine. I have taken the liberty to inform Lord Wotan of your coming."

     "Thank you, that was most gracious of you, I do need to speak with him about a matter I need his assistance with."

     "He said he would be here as soon as he could round up Thor and Baldur, I am assuming he already knows the subject of your need."

     "I would think his Ravens are keeping him better informed of things that happen now."

     "Indeed they are! Greetings my Daughter of Asgard, you look as radiant as ever."

     "And you, my Lord, are still the regal father I have come to know and love."

     "Now that the niceties are out of the way, I brought Thor and Baldur to go with you as well."

     "You see the need for this much skill and strength. I accept any you see the need to send with me. Yet I hope it does not come to be that I need all these warriors, better to have them in any case though."

     "Greetings Sister, Father has neglected to say where we are bound to. I feel he was leaving it up to you to say."

     "We are on a rescue mission into Elysia. There is a specific mind that is trapped there that I need to free and rejoin 'him' with his body. Then he will become the 'key' that I will require in the near future to enable me to rescue all the minds held trapped."

     "Elysia, huh. You just may need all of us then. Who is this with you, I have not had the pleasure of meeting her."

     "This is Byrsael, she was not with us when we went to the 'Forge'. She is a Ranger of Gondor of Middle Nirn."

     "The Rangers of Gondor are known to me. I have great respect for them."

     "As well you should, my son."

     "Mother!"

     "Queen Freya, a pleasure to see you again."

     "And you, my dear. And so this is the Ranger of Gondor, the valiant Balrog Slayer I have heard so much about. That is an accomplishment few can lay claim to. You have earned the respect and admiration of all of Asgard that has heard of this."

     "What is a Balrog?"

     "I forget he has not been as widely traveled as some among us."

     "Quite all right, your Majesty, with your permission, of course."

     "Please enlighten him, my dear daughter."

     "A Balrog is a monster of the Realm of Fire. They are exceedingly intelligent, composed of fire and pyroclastic smoke. They do have a skeleton buried deep within but are invulnerable to most forms of attack. Intense cold is the best weapon against them, but even then it must be continuously applied until the fire that is their substance is quenched."

     "How then was it that she was able to kill it? Not that I do not believe that she did."

     Iriisii looks to Byrsael to see how she is handling the memory. Dettlaff has an arm around her so she feels much more secure. "Can I continue or is it too much still?"

     "Please go ahead, I must become accepting of it, I cannot allow the memory of that fight to control me."

     "She survived its attacks, maneuvering it into a position that she wanted. She knew 'cold' was the best weapon she had, but it disarmed her before she could channel it through her sword."

     "How did she do it then?"

     Iriisii takes a deep breath, "she plunged her hands into it, directly into the furnace of its guts, then channeled the 'cold' that exists between the stars. She held them inside it, pouring the 'cold' into it even as the flesh of her hands and arms were cooked from the bone. When it fell dead, she was beyond pain, her arms nothing but charred bone."

     The shock on Thor's face was quite apparent, also that he was speechless.

     Since this was her 'Test of Apotheosis', no one was allowed to help her. I did send Dettlaff with her as a witness, he tried to share blood with her to begin healing but for whatever reason, it would not work. He then picked her up and found the remains of the portal they had entered the cavern through.

     He was able to reopen the portal, but it was unstable. I went to it and stabilized it. As he came through with her in his arms, I saw the damage and almost lost it. I had Rigmor and Illyria take her to a pool of fresh water on the temple grounds. I went to her and prayed to the 'Mother' to give me the strength to heal her. She moved through me, shedding her own tears through my eyes, as they fell onto the naked bones."

     "The 'Tears of the Mother'."

     "Yes, perhaps the most powerful force of healing in Creation. I watched as the bones were strengthened and repaired, the flesh reaching out from her upper arms, moving down to cover the bones, reforming her hands, fingers, everything. When I was sure she was going to be all right, I went in search of Dettlaff and found him by the stream in the temple that fed the pool. He had collapsed into a catatonic state trying to come to grips with what had happened.

     He still had the smell of Byrsael's charred flesh on him, so I removed his armor to have it cleaned. I then used fresh water from the stream to wash the scent from him. I remember whispering to him the whole time but I do not remember what I said. When I had to get up and see to the others I asked my Kinju acolytes to watch him and make certain he was allowed to wake when he was ready to."

     It was then she noticed Thor and Baldur, had both clenched their right hands into fists and were beating them over their hearts in acclaim and respect for what Byrsael had done, as two warriors would for another, who had gone beyond all limits to defeat the ultimate evil. Byrsael knew what they meant by their action and it obviously helped her deal with the memory to know that two of the most accomplished of Asgard's warriors held her in such esteem.

     Then they looked one to the other, and both went to her and kneeled. "Lady Byrsael, for what you did, suffered, and survived, we pledge ourselves to you. If ever you have need of us to stand by you, call our names and we will be there. This we promise as warriors of Asgard to a sister who can stand above even the Valkyrie Warmaidens."

     Wotan looked upon his son as he spoke that binding promise, pride on his face that his son has finally grown into an adult, and may one day be worthy to take his place as leader of the people of Asgard.

     Iriisii lets Byrsael bask in the high emotions generated by the retelling of her 'Test of Apotheosis', knowing how she has needed this. Then she turns to Wotan, "Father, I formally ask as a Daughter of Asgard to use the 'Rainbow Bridge' to travel into the old Realm of Elysia, there to find the mind of he who is known as 'the Messenger' and reunite mind and body, making both together whole once more."

     "Then I must ask, how do you intend to locate his mind in the entirety of that Realm and avoid the Ravenous Darkness?"

     "I have within me, the ghost of his original mind, left behind when his mind was ripped from his body by the 'true face' of the Ravenous Darkness. By sympathetic magic, I have established a link between the two, to allow me to use the ghost mind as a locator compass to direct me to where his mind is being held now."

     "What protections have you put in place for the safety of those who would follow you there?"

     "I have provided armor and arms, specially forged at the 'Forge of Stars' to withstand the efforts of the Ravenous Darkness, the weapons which are treated to be especially harmful to it. Anywho are not so armed are asked to remain on the bridge, which will always be a part of Asgard no matter where it leads to. Thus, they will remain hidden and protected from it. The Ravenous Darkness will be unaware of our presence until the first foot is taken off the 'bridge'.

     By knowing the exact location of the mind, we can go directly to it. And thus retrieve the mind and be gone before the Ravenous Darkness knows we are there. I know that no battle plan ever survives the first encounter with the enemy. Thus only those of us protected against it will leave the 'bridge', all others are ordered to remain on it. If they wish to fight using ranged weapons, they may do so, but they must stay on the 'bridge'. And above all else, the Ravenous Darkness must not be allowed to become aware of or even attempt to mount the 'Bridge'. If this becomes apparent, I ask Heimdall to withdraw the 'bridge' to protect Asgard at all costs, even if he has to strand those of us not on it. If it becomes necessary to be left behind, I have a second means to ensure our escape."

     "May I inquire as to this second means?"

     "I maintain a link between myself and the 'Child of Infinity' who resides in a parallel universe. She has given me her word, that if needed she will gather any left behind and transport us to her. The Ravenous Darkness is not strong enough to challenge her within her own domain, and she cannot physically enter our universe. The both of us together is more than our Creation can withstand, and so it forbids her entry, though we still are able to maintain our birth link."

     "I, Wotan, leader of Asgard, do proclaim your means and plans to be sufficient. Heimdall, I give her my permission to use the 'Rainbow Bridge' for her mission. And may the luck of all the Gods, go with you."

     "Thank you, father."

     "I should be thanking you, Daughter. You do Asgard proud in your undertakings. Songs of your fighting the Frost Giants of Jotunheim are still being asked to be sung by the bards in the feasting halls. Ah, but that was a battle to remember! But you have a mission of great importance to attend to, I will then leave you to it."

     "All right, you know where we are going, what we must do. I have given the exact location information to Heimdall, he will send the 'Bridge' to our destination, once we are there, it is up to us. But I must stress, that the protection of Asgard is paramount. The Ravenous Darkness must not be allowed to follow the 'Bridge' back. If we must be stranded there to accomplish this then so be it.

     We are equipped to withstand its attacks and to do major harm to it. And we have a backup withdrawal plan. Any questions?"

     No one speaks, as all understand the gravity of what they are to do and the need for protection for Asgard.

     "Good, let us embark then."

     They step onto the 'Rainbow Bridge', its particular makeup allowing vast distances to be covered in only steps upon its surface. Still, it takes time and walking to approach the edge of Elysia. They see the 'bridge' entering it, and they slowly walk through the barrier and into the Realm of Elysia.

     They are not too far inside, when the overwhelming presence of lifelessness, of entropic death, causes them to stop and look. Everywhere they look there is only darkness, no light of suns, no stars shining in the distance, only utter cold and death abound here.

     "How long has it been like this?"

     "I cannot say for certain. Once the Ravenous Darkness was trapped within, it consumed every bit of life energy to sustain itself. Now it lies somewhere quiescent, almost sleeping, almost dead. Just aware enough to detect any life intruding."

     "As we are."

     "Yes, but we are on the Rainbow Bridge, it is still a part of Asgard, not Elysia. And so it does not know we are here until we step off. But before we go on, there is something I must do."

     Iriisii feels tears come to her eyes as she mourns in grief for what has become of Elysia. She kneels on the 'Bridge' and prays, directing her prayer back to Asgard, before going out to any who would hear. She asks for strength, courage, and resolve to go on in the face of what she sees and feels here. Thor, Baldur, Dettlaff, and Reaper feel rage over what happened, to know untold numbers who could not get out, felt their lives sucked out of them to feed that monstrosity. How it fed upon the very stars themselves in its insatiable hunger.

     Iriisii rises, and feeling the rage from the warriors, asks for calm.

     "I too feel the rage, well deserved, yes, but it will not help us now."

     Thor asks, "who were you praying to?"

     "Any God or power that would hear me."

     "But are you not so near the top already, who else is there to hear?"

     "As I rose upward on the rungs of power, one by one, I found there were those still above me. Ones I never knew about until I reached for that next rung. I may, as you say, be at the top within this Creation, but there is more than one Creation out there, who oversees them?

Truly how far upward does existence go? Does it even have an endpoint? I have no answers to these questions. Or for why things like this", and she spreads her arms to encompass the darkness, "happen. I only know that it does happen, and in this one situation, I have been chosen to do something about it. In the end, is that not what being a hero is about?"

     Thor stops to think about what she has said. "I have never heard it explained in that way before. But standing here, looking at nothing but the blackness, feeling nothing but the cold. I finally understand why you are here. Not because you want to be, no one wants to be in a place like this now. But because you look at it and see what it once was. And you feel it is up to you, to bring it back to what it once was because there is no one else here to do it."

     Wotan and Freya, looking into a scrying pool, checking on their son and adopted daughter, listen in to the conversation. He looks to his wife with pride, "he is finally growing up and looking beyond himself. She is a defining influence on him."

     "Do you think there might ever be a way?"

     "No, if it ever came to be, things would be quite different. No, she is a better influence on him like she is now. One day, he will find someone who will pick up where Iriisii will leave off and take him further. But now I have hope, that he will indeed become the kind of leader Asgard will need going into the future."

     "And when do you see that happening? I know you have looked ahead."

     "After she steps up and takes the 'Mantle of the Mother'. When she reorders Creation, removes the chaff from among those with power, and places others in those positions."

     "Are you saying 'we' are chaff!"

     "No, I am saying that might be the best time for us to go into the 'Beyond' and seek a new life together, just the two of us."

     Freya looks at him with renewed interest. "You really want a new life with me?"

     "And no one else." Freya draws Wotan into a heartfelt kiss, as Wotan waves a hand across the scrying pool, dispelling the vision within.

     Iriisii and her group continue on the 'Bridge', trying their best to keep a lookout for any sign of trouble. After some time they see the end in sight, but the absolute darkness still makes it look like the 'Bridge' just ends in nothing.

     "Is this it, I mean is there something there?"

     "Yes, the 'Bridge' is stopping on the surface of the homeworld of the 'Gods of Eld'. This is where they began as mortals, ascended to godhood, and used it as their base as they watched over this Realm and all the other races that lived here then."

     "Why can we not see anything? The 'Bridge' is giving us light to see it by."

     "The 'Bridge' is a part of Asgard, as it should be. If its light could be seen in this Realm, the Ravenous Darkness would have been aware of us as soon as we entered the Realm. Besides, all of us are not stepping foot off this 'Bridge', only myself, Dettlaff, and Reaper are stepping off, the rest of you are staying on it."

     "But..."

     "I will brook no argument on this,  we have the arms and armor to stand against it, you do not. I will not risk your losing your minds as the 'Gods of Eld' did."

     "Then why did my father send us with you if not to assist you in this?"

     "If 'it' comes and I fully expect it will, you can throw your hammer from here and it will still strike and do damage. Both Byrsael and Baldur have bows and so can fight from the 'Bridge'. I have no idea how long it will take for 'it' to sense us and get here. Likely you will sense it before we will."

     "But if your weapons are the only ones that will harm it?!"

     "Byrsael, if you please."

     "Oh, of course, that must have been why Rigmor gave me this", as she produces a vial of a liquid shining with a deep blue glow.

     "That is the 'Catalyst', your hammer and arrows can have a bit of it placed on them. I promise when they strike, you will see the effect. But use it only if its protective clouds begin to open. You will have a true chance to hit then. It will not be expecting us to have some with us, much less use it directly on our weapons. But this I must stress, do not let any touch your skin. I do not know if I could get to you in time to take you through the 'Ritual of Seeking' that it would start. And if I am not there, the risk of your mind wandering, lost in the 'Streams of Time', would be very great."

     "You have done this 'Ritual' before then?"

     "Yes, for myself, for Rigmor, and Dettlaff, only Byrsael, and Illyria have yet to take it. And when I took it, I did not do so alone. The 'Kel', our 'Elder Scrolls' manifested and guided me through my 'Ritual', without their help, showing me what to do, and how to do it. I would not be here now, if not for them."

     "Then what are they, if they only show themselves as 'Scrolls'?"

     "That is something even my Gods do not know. They do know that they are powerful enough that they are very careful when being near one. Come on, we are near our destination."

     They gather at the end of the bridge, but it looks like it just ends, nothing but the blackness is seen past it.

     "How can we tell there is anything there?"

     "We cannot use light or other magic, 'it' will know right away, but there is something that it may not sense right away."

     "What is that?"

     "We morph our voices and hearing to be like those that bats use. We 'speak' very high-pitched sounds that bounce back from objects, our hearing then detects changes in the pitch of the returned sounds and shows us a picture of what is in front of us. It will not travel far, so we can have more time before 'it' becomes aware of us. I will show you what changes to make."

     Iriisii changes her own voice and hearing then does the same for Dettalff and Reaper, she then walks to the end and sends a short very high-pitched chirp. As it hits the area in front of her, the change in the returned pitch draws a picture in her mind of what the area in front of them looks like. It is basically dead ground, a few large rocks, and some dead wooden trees. With no insects or even smaller things to eat the deadwood, it simply stands mute.

     She walks off onto the ground and the others follow when they see she did not disappear. Then off they go at a good clip as they become used to the timing. They go barely a few hundred yards and find the first batch of dark crystals sitting on top of stone pillars. She looks at the ghost mind within and it tells her to keep going.

     Onward they go until they find a huge cluster of them, making their way through, she hears their cries for help and rescue. Louder they get, until they threaten to overwhelm her, then the ghost mind speaks out to them to explain why they are here and to get them to cooperate to hide them from 'its' gaze.

     "All of you, quiet down, you know me, so listen to me now! This is the one promised in the prophecies, the one who will fight the Ravenous Darkness, free your minds to be restored unto your bodies. She will then lead the whole of the 'Gods of Eld' into battle to defeat the Ravenous Darkness and restore life back to our 'Elysia'. So have the Great Fates decreed this to be."

     "How do you know this? Who is she to make this claim?"

     "I am of the 'Line of Kthanid', he who long ago shared himself with my people after a titanic battle with Cthulhu, nearly destroyed my people and the land we lived upon. I have lived and persevered through many hardships, more than most ever dream about, served as the 'Right Hand' of my Gods' righteous wrath, until those events brought me into the sight of those greater than my Gods.

     They let me set in motion the plans my Gods intended me for, and afterward took the reins of my destiny and carried it farther than I could have imagined. I am Iriisii Dovahkiin, Dragonborn and host to the soul of the 'First Dragon of Destiny', holder of the 'Mantle of War', first of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. I am a chosen daughter of 'She Who Watches All' seeding her children among the Realms once more as they lived in the dim past. I am the avowed Daughter and Successor to she who is the "Mother of the Cosmos". And I am the one to bring the 'First Ones', the 'Draconic Divines' back from the dreaming death that they have endured for longer than we can reckon time. Thus speaks the Prophet Skelos of Acheron, that one day, I will take my place with them and be one with the 'Divine Dragons'. And as the elected Harbinger of the Gods of Eld, the path upward will be opened to you that you may achieve that which you have only dreamed of before. As Battle Mistress, my Celestial Army will stand with me as I fight for the 'Great Balance' and the survival of Creation in the Jihad of Truth. Is this not enough? Pray to tell me what more must I accomplish to impress upon you that I am the one chosen to be your savior."

     "She walks both the 'Path of the Balance' and the 'Gray Paths', Of the four 'Icons of Evil', the Dark Paladin and the Dark Queen, have sided with her. Of the four 'Icons of Good', even now they make their decisions of where they will stand now that the 'Highest of the Heavens' has been corrupted as has the 'Dark Emperor'."

     "What corruption has taken place? What could possibly corrupt those two?"

     "Wamphyri. They have been subjected to the 'leech'. I know because it was Nyarlathotep who was behind the effort to do this at the behest of his master, the 'Blind Dreamer'. And three times he sought to capture Iriisii Dovahkiin and bring her into his presence. This third time resulted in his capture, and her drawing me out of the insanity that dwells within him still."

     "Why does he want her so direly bad?"

     "Because of his outsider nature, he cannot use his full power within this Creation. But if he possesses her fully, corrupts her into becoming his bride, she is strong enough to withstand the complete channeling of his power into this Creation, giving it over to him for eternity. Now you see why she must win her battle, why she was chosen to ascend to the highest ranks, because otherwise 'he' would claim her, and all would forever be lost. Only by her reaching the pinnacle of Celestial power can she stop him and imprison him as she intends to do with his servant, the Ravenous Darkness."

     "HE CREATED THE RAVENOUS DARKNESS!?!"

     "Yes, he did so to entrap us, keep us from being able to fight at her side against him. When 'he' first tried to capture her, it was the birth of our seed within her that caused her to call out to Nodens for help. That was when she first came into notice of our eyes, later she was moved to call to Kthanid for healing for a palace guard who had taken life-threatening injury in defense of one of her children, who had been kidnapped by political rivals.

     This is who she is, not afraid to use or call for power to help those who serve her, even a simple guardsman doing his duty. As to her kidnapped daughter, she is held by one also with aspirations of power. One who in some ways is worse than the 'Blind Dreamer'. Still, she is close on his trail and will not stop until he too is dealt with, and her child reunited with her. The tangled threads of these events are all coming together and it is she who wields the knife to cut the knots from the 'Grand Tapestry' that is existence. Now, will you not aid her?"

     "It seems she is indeed the one promised to bring victory back to us. We will help all we can, and hope she will return to help us."

     "I make you this promise, upon my very life and soul, by the power of my dragonblood, I will return to aid all of you, free you from 'his' grasp, and return you to your brothers and sisters. Then I will lead you into holy battle against the forces that conspired to do this to you. May the Gods I know not yet, who watch over me, hear this promise and bind me to it!"

     A sense of calm flows over all who heard this promise uttered, and a feeling of respect, resolve, and sympathy enters everyone. Then a simple, quiet whisper is heard, "the promise has been made, the plea has been heard and accepted. We will watch and ensure it is kept. Well done, Dragonchild of Akatosh, we anticipate knowing you better."