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 Post subject: For The Sake of Another;;
PostPosted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 2:31 pm 
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Isaram stared at the wall with a growing agitation. Nothing was right; he was in an all around bad situation. His sister's visit was the cause of the agitation but he was highly grateful for her warning. Everything had come to light for him now. His father wanted him to perish there in the deep dark dungeons and had even provided their enemies with the evidence and means to do so. Isaram had been thrown away, sacrificed and betrayed all at once.

Fists clenched maddeningly until he forced himself to calm, stretching his fingers and recoiling them until he could breathe slowly and deeply and control the anger. Night would come soon. And when night fell, he would make his move. Eyes shifting aside, he glanced at the corner of the cell shrouded in shadow. There, the small package left for him rested under the cover of darkness that was both natural and supernatural at once. Not a single guard would be able to see it. Not even his cellmate could see it.

All day long he'd wondered exactly why -- and how, his half sister helped him. Then again, he'd been asking himself that for years now; she was the only one of his father's children who did so. So far, all he'd come up with was that she was one of those bleeding hearts who loved everyone. At least she was helpful when the time was crucial. Someday he would replay her that debt.

But today, for now, he waited for nightfall. Statuesque, he sat. Silent, he waited.

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 Post subject: Re: For The Sake of Another;;
PostPosted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 12:05 pm 
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And finally, nightfall did come.

He was completely calm now. Frighteningly so. A guard passing by paused, perking a brow and rapping on the bars. "Hey dead man, what's wrong with you? You're not gonna just up and die before we get the pleasure are you?" Isaram considered not answering, but he couldn't resist it. The ghost of a smile curled his lips up just before he spoke, but disappeared so quickly the guard thought he was imagining it. "The pleasure will be all mine." If it were for the fact that they were both men, Isaram's tone could've been interpreted as salacious but the acid drenched words dispelled that notion.

Taken aback momentarily, the man was unsure how to take the decidedly wicked tone, then decided on a nervous guffaw. "You sure are funny! I guess anyone would go crazy after a few months in here!" A final bang on the bars to emphasize his point - and to ensure the prisoner still knew who was in charge.

Although, once down the hall, he shivered a bit, glancing over his shoulder.

Isaram's smile was back. Time for the changing of the guard. Giving it a minute to ensure any stragglers heading out were already gone, he sprang into action. The strain from enforcing the shadow in the corner all day -- despite the bonds that were supposed to prevent it; was relieved with a heavy exhale. It peeled back like a thin film, then dispersed in a dark mist. Quickly unwrapping the package, he rifled through the contents, mentally thanking his sister for the hundredth time.

To anyone else, the contents would have looked like several pens. To him, one was a hollow cylinder with several pills. Another was a device which would cause an overload on a point of contact if there was energy present. And finally, the last, with a flick of his wrist would extend into a flimsy rapier. It was the best she could do, but he could make it work.

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 Post subject: Re: For The Sake of Another;;
PostPosted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 5:48 pm 
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Isaram went to work without delay.

The top of the hollow cylinder was flicked back and a small white pill popped into his mouth. The familiar effects of the medicine immediately began to race through his body; it made his skin tingle. More importantly, it would boost his energy, enabling him to use his shadow arts on a level beyond what he was normally capable of.

While that worked it's...magic, the next tool made it's debut. Wasting no time, the overload device's tip was pressed into the center of his left armcuff. The luminescent energy that flowed in an unbroken circuit and inhibited his power was trapped motionless, overloaded and with a small bang the left cuff fell off.

It was small matter to remove the right arm cuff at the point -- as well as the shackles on his ankles.

Truly free for the first time in what felt like an eternity, Isaram stretched himself, tugging all his muscles into positions he'd been unable to reach since his imprisonment. "Now...mother, I'm coming for you." Pocketing his tools, both hands were placed against the back wall, and eyes were shut gently to enhance concentration. Pouring heart and soul out to the darkness always present with or without the influence of light, he felt his way through pool of shadow after shadow, bringing the writhing masses of ebony under his direct control.

Through these shadows, a tunnel was created to the surface and leaping upward, his body was pulled into the inky depths, spitting him out just inside the prison's outer walls on the ground floor. The whirling tunnel mouth behind him slipped away into nothingness as Isaram pressed his back to a wall, peering around a corner with baited breath while studying the front gate.

Too well armed, too open. Creeping away, he found a service entrance. Only a duo of guards, and a narrow archway that would work well for his escape.

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 Post subject: Re: For The Sake of Another;;
PostPosted: Wed Mar 10, 2010 10:10 pm 
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After studying the situation for a moment, he judged the risk of immediate action versus his immediate need to escape. One bore more risk, the other would use more time. There was no wavering in his thought process. He needed to be out; his mother's life hung in the balance and risk was no factor.

Again, he took the necessary moments to prepare himself, outstretched hands toward the wall. Exerting his influence over the shadows behind the men, he once again linked them to the shadows at his back, a much easier task at night than during the day.

Without hesitation he flung himself through the shadow, emerging nearly soundlessly behind them men. Well, it was supposed to be behind them. One of the men was in the process of turning toward his comrade, possibly to comment on something. Either way, he saw the dark figure breaking forth the shadow and shouted a warning. Whispering curses to himself, Isaram quickly smashed a fist into the unsuspecting guard's nose then thrust his opposing hand at the man's throat.

The guard, although caught off guard in the beginning grinned widely as he fell back, avoiding the thrust of Isaram's right hand. His gloating wouldn't last long however; there was a silvery glint of metal and the simple rapier's length passed through his throat, leaving him to die a very bloody, very painfully slow death.

Isaram on the other hand, had no time to wait and see this. Immediately whirling around, the only sharp vector on the rapier -- the tip, was sent whistling through the air, fully intent on slicing the other guard's throat. No such luck. The other man already had the chance to draw his sword, and he used it now, batting away the light little blade with ease and dropping his own sword's blade atop Isaram's head with the intent to split it open. A desperate roll to the right and several hops backward carried the escapee out of the man's range, his breath coming quickly.

"I dont have time for this." Adjusting his glasses with a single finger, they glinted opaque in the moonlight and then he made his move, lunging forward with a long step, planting his foot and sending the rapier spearing for the man's chest. Success abandoned him and the guard countered, parrying the speedy thrust and slashing down the length of Isaram's left arm. A gout of blood found freedom, spewing from the split flesh with reckless abandon. "You cant kill me with that little thing!" Elated at his success, the guard pressed his assault, striking a mighty horizontal blow that promised to cleave Isaram in twain.

He split naught but empty air and blinked, frantically searching for the dark haired prisoner. "Down here." There sat the crouched Isaram, at his feet. "Stay right there, i'll be killing you now." A fearless stare greeted him. "Did you think I could only use that attack from one direction?" Then and only then did the guard notice the tip of the rapier hovering near the middle of his chest. "When -- ?!" Isaram's legs uncoiled like springs, propelling him upward with a powerful thrust. The rapier's tip pierced the sky through the top of the guard's skull.

--

The trip through the city was fairly uneventful following his successful escape. By skillful application of his shadow arts, he was able to take a virtually direct course to his mother's neighborhood and once there, he burst through the door, desperation in his normally calm voice. "Mother!" Her crumpled form lying in the middle of the floor drew tears from his eyes. A moment later, the pain in his heart was matched by a sharp physical pain lancing through his back as the blade of a sword erupted from his chest in front of his very eyes.

"Argh!" Wavering, he felt his strength fading. Trembling, he turned his head to meet several pair of eyes; he recognized them all. They were his father's men. "Ba-bastards...shit..." Thick crimson fluid spilled from his mouth, running down his chin. "I'll fucking...fucking...." A sneer greeted his words. "Your father says goodbye." The sword in his chest twisted cruelly, bringing a tortured cry from deep in his lungs.

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 Post subject: Re: For The Sake of Another;;
PostPosted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 5:38 pm 
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When it all began, the knowledge that someday, sometime, all things--all life, human, animal, and god alike--would end was a solemn greeting to the Reaper. To open his eyes, breath in the stagnate air of the Dead Lands, and think of the lives that would be lost that day, the souls that he would have to reap, ran chills of regret down his spine.

But years passed--dozens, hundreds, thousands--and did lives. Dozens, hundreds, thousands, millions, billions. Life continued and so did death. A cycle seen to never end, but known to have finality. Someday, sometime. The God of Life and Death, the Reaper incarnate, understood this better than all, and in time, their deaths ceased to phase him. People were born. They lived. And they died. Sometimes it was tragic. Sometimes it was relieving. But it was all the same. They all lived and they all passed, and there was nothing to do to stop it. Death no longer frowned at tragedy or smiled at relief.

At most, there was interest. At least, there were fleeting feeling--sometimes a want to ease the pain of the undeserving. But in this case, on this day, the God of Life and Death sought not to ease anyone's pain. In seconds, he watched a life grow and progress and ultimately find itself snuffed out before it could save the one it most loved. A man of shadows, this person was. An interesting man and an intriguing case.

A useful case.

But more importantly, he reminded the Reaper of someone. Someone from the dark.

Most never saw him. They simply shut their eyes to die--or perhaps even passed in their sleep, or even instantly--and then they opened their eyes again, they were somewhere else. A better place, a worse place; it all depended on the person. But it was almost exclusively disjointed; a section of time was always missing. It was that moment where they lay between worlds, set within transition, existing in the Dead Lands. It was an inconsequential time; a time which barely existed, even as a fragment of memories. The knowledge of death was all they had.

But Isaram would see it all so clear: the impenetrable fog, the cracks in the walls, the ceiling, and the floor--all of the decay about him, lifeless and empty and painted dozens of shades of gray. Never white. Never black. No extremes. Always a median. Always in decay.

In one second, his eyes were closed. Life passed through him. In the next, he might have opened his eyes and beheld the world as all colors melted and faded and decayed, grayed and misted and broken. The world, as he knew, would end before his very eyes.

His father's men would be shadows; upright specks of darkness inhabiting the same room as Isaram and his mother, the only color he'd find in death. Amidst the everlasting gray, she was vibrant--but asleep. Undoubtedly, unfailing sleeping. The wounds, Isaram would no longer know: he was safe, he was sound, healthy and fit as can be, yet the world around him, in just second's time, was not. It was broken, decayed, and gray . . .

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 Post subject: Re: For The Sake of Another;;
PostPosted: Mon Apr 12, 2010 1:23 pm 
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It was that second; that one second of time, that changed life for him, infinitely so.

Had someone shut off the lights? That's how it looked, until he looked, really looked at the world which surrounded him, enveloping him in it's decayed embrace. And gray; the monotonous hue spread it's somber pall over his presence and and the further his gaze traveled, rather...no matter how [/]far[/i] his gaze traversed, he could find no color.

"Where...is this?"

Perhaps the act of speaking had an effect on his mind, stimulating his consciousness like the crack of a whip. Whirling around, wild eyed, he heaved for breath, instantly panicking.

"No! Mother! What is this?!"

In the next moment, his hands searched his body frantically.

There was nothing there. No blade jutting from his chest, no blood flowing from open wounds. No gut wrenching pain lancing through his body. It scared him.

Tears ran freely along the bridge of his nose and trickled along the line of his cheeks. And then, a single thought raced through his mind. It was the most obvious, the most logical, and all at the once, the most horrible. It was whispered aloud by a mouth he didn't recognize; afraid to speak it aloud yet unable to comprehend it by a thought alone.

"Am... I... dead...?"

The terrible realization struck Isaram like a hammer blow, a blunt strike that made him reel.

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 Post subject: Re: For The Sake of Another;;
PostPosted: Wed Apr 21, 2010 1:54 pm 
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Within the gray world, there was a voice, a distinct, deep, and paralyzing voice that could rattle a man's soul to hear. Monotonous. Devoid of sympathy, empathy, apathy, or any of it. It belonged to one somewhere in-between and above it all the same.

"Yes."

Initially, the voice was wholly and completely disembodied, devoid of form and direction. It came from all around Isaram, each cardinal direction and all those in-between. A glance in any direction would provide the dead man, the lost and tearful Isaram, with any indication beyond that which the voice provided. It was male, beyond adulthood, and founded somewhere in the brand of supernatural that those comfortable in their mortality could not begin to fathom.

It was within the next few seconds that it was given figure at all, and were Isaram to look over his shoulder, he'd find the figure standing behind him.

He was a man of terrifying build: inches over six feet tall sans boots, broad shoulders, and given a form mortal men everywhere dreamed of, but never quite lived long enough to obtain. He was muscled in the way that old statues were, the peak ideal of masculine build. His arms were bare, as most of his body seemed encloaked in a dark and tattered overcoat with sleeves months since torn off. His skin was tanned even in the gray world about he and Isaram, enough that he looked the part of a Xexorian; his hair was dark, long, and not provided much personal regard, much like the long goatee upon his chin and the beard developing from a week without a shave or anything of the sort. The most standoutish piece of his visage, however, were his eyes, a piercing golden yellow color as they were . . .

The man regarded Isaram with a blank but knowing stare.

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 Post subject: Re: For The Sake of Another;;
PostPosted: Tue May 04, 2010 12:50 pm 
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The ambiguous voice frightened Isaram. It was not a frantic, adrenaline producing fright. Rather, a cold soul invading chilling terror that burned in every fiber of one's being. The voice was lofty, loaded with an absence of emotion, and yet -- all encompassing in the very same instance. It was one of those voices that, once heard a single time in your life, be it a dream or reality, you will never forget again.

And then there was, above and beyond the voice, what the voice actually spoke of. A single word. One single epithet uttered in the grey empty stillness; it hovered in the air, echoed and reverberated, assaulted his psyche from a multitude of directions. He heard it through his ears, eyes, nose and mouth. Felt it in his hands, heart and stomach.

I. Am. Dead.

Though youthful and strong, his knees could no longer support him. No, not in the face of the revelation, not with desperation, fear and utter hopelessness pervading his limbs. Suddenly, he found it hard to breath, nearly choking with the effort -- but was he breathing anyway?

Despite the severity of his grief, the one thought that hung in his head was his mother. Despite being told he was dead by a bodiless voice in a realm of obscurity, his concern with his mother. His cries grew wings and soared into the heavens. "Motheeeeeeer!" Wild-eyed, instinct spun him around and brought him face to face with the voice's owner. "I can't be dead! I can't die now! My mother -- !!! I can't!"

Somewhere deep in his subconscious, did he already know who stood before him?

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 Post subject: Re: For The Sake of Another;;
PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2010 11:04 pm 
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Beyond Isaram and the man whose voice was once wholly disembodied, there was one other figure present in the gray world. She was still laying upon the floor. Still immobile. Still lifeless--but she was there all the same. Isaram's mother. She was one of the few colors this world allowed. Isaram, his mother, and the man that stood before the recently deceased Isaram; they all had color in the gray world. They all seemed the only instances of life in a wholly dead reality. Death offered one of life's greatest ironies, yet only few ever realized that.

Isaram's cry for his mother brought about a strange reaction in the man. His face, so cold in expression, shifted ever so slightly; he furrowed his brow and looked beyond Isaram, over his shoulder and to the body of his mother in the distance. This was the woman he was calling for. This woman was dead.

"Your mother?" questioned the man. His tone suggested the utmost detachment, as if he could barely, if at all, connect the familial ties of mother and son.

He felt, if only briefly, the urge to pass Isaram by and approach the corpse of his mother, but the man ultimately decided against this. He knew the reason, but didn't regard it as quite that imperative or worth the time. He may as well have been ignorant to it.

"She, too, is ready to pass," was all he said, instead.

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 Post subject: Re: For The Sake of Another;;
PostPosted: Mon May 10, 2010 9:14 am 
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"No..."

It was a whisper, a tentative denial full of hesitation. It was hard to deny something that you already knew to be truth, regardless of how you felt about it -- you simply cannot convince yourself of otherwise. Isaram knew his mother was dead. He'd known it from the moment he stepped into the house. His mind acknowledged it but his heart refused to. With such a conflict waging within he turned back to his mothers corpse, ironically more vibrant in this dull world; her skin glowed with more luster than it ever had when she was alive.

"NO!"

Eyes squeezing shut; he could produce no more tears -- this time the word was a roar, both angry and insistent. He stormed across the space separating him from the being, reaching out as though he would lay hands on him. An inch before actual contact though, he froze. Perhaps it was subconscious but something cautionary demanded he stop immediately.

Isaram crumbled, shoulders low with the heavy burden continuing to ride his back. "She...she can't be dead. She didn't deserve to die. Not at the whims of a selfish bastard." Slowly, is eyes lifted to the man who, just like he and his mother, was the only sign of color in this decayed world. "You...who are you -- no, I don't care, can you help her? Please! Can you?! I'll do anything...give anything, it doesnt matter!" His words echoed only slightly before dying away like everything else in this world.

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 Post subject: Re: For The Sake of Another;;
PostPosted: Wed May 12, 2010 1:44 am 
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When Isaram moved to the man aggressively, as if he were ready to grab him by the throat or collar, the figure did little more than stare with only the vaguest hints of disapproval. He watched the young man crumple before him, but displayed neither compassion or empathy.

How quickly a mortal sold his soul--the man was almost prepared to tell Isaram no, and get rid of the both of them in one fell swoop. However, Isaram struck the figure with some sort of familiarity, one he couldn't quite place, but one that easily had him curious enough to follow through with what he felt to be a meaningless charade. As far as he was concerned, this woman was going to die eventually, regardless of who killed her or why. Perhaps it would have been better to let the pain of life end for her right at this moment--but he'd a new goal in mind, one that required such trivialities, it seemed.

"Yes," the man replied with a simple nod.

He stepped aside from Isaram, and with a steady and casual pace, breached the gap between Isaram and his mother. He looked over the woman for but a second, before kneeling by her side and placing his hand upon her shoulder. The man paused, momentarily drawn to thought, and looked upon Isaram after the fact.

"How is it you would like me to save her?"

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 Post subject: Re: For The Sake of Another;;
PostPosted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 3:54 pm 
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"How would I like you to save...her?"

Isaram stared at the man quizzically for a moment, a myriad of emotions glittering in the depths of his eyes. A modicum of confusion, a snippet of relief, a smidgen of dawning understanding, a bit of thankfulness, a sliver of admiration and a mite of surprise. All a disjointed puzzle that created the backdrop for his next words; suddenly quiet and thoughtful. "I don't...I'm not..."

Isaram turned, once more regarding his mother's body which ironically, in this land of death and decay, appeared far more angelic than she ever had in life itself.

A slender hand caressed the gleaming hair, silently, until he lifted his head once more.

"I don't know what you can do...but she deserves to live. Whatever life can be restored back to her, I'm willing to do anything for her to live again. She deserves to live out the rest of her days quietly and peacefully. If you can do this...take my soul." There was a pause before he continued, rife with the nigh-palpable emotion that bled from his proverbial heart. "And if I may ask a boon...may I be allowed to secure her safety? I will kill every man in that room; that will be the last act of my life."

And with those words, Isaram, the boy asking a favor, prostrated himself before this entity in hopes that his wish may be granted.

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 Post subject: Re: For The Sake of Another;;
PostPosted: Sat Jun 19, 2010 3:14 pm 
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The man stood in a casual manner; his hands were in his pockets and shoulders were leaned back. He almost felt a crack in them.

Once, he cherished life. Humanity was a brilliant and energetic thing which he sought to protect with all his being. He'd have granted them immortality if he could. But the years passed, and this man-- this god --was left with little more than obligation to humanity. Philanthropy died, and human appreciation fell to an individual level only. They were dots and shadows, and it was so easy to avert one's gaze when several dots simply disappeared. Even the most "important" of those dots was of no consequence to the non-human.

The man looked down upon Isaram for what may have felt like hours. Revenge was such a fickle thing, but if he looked back long enough, he'd find a time when it wasn't quite so fickle to him.

"Very well," the golden eyed man replied.

He motioned for Isaram's body, one of the few once living objects visible in this field of misty monochrome. Isaram would need only to make contact with his body again.

The moment Isaram turned his back on his mother, however, was the last time he'd see her within this parallel world. The light of her body faded and all that remained was something of a fully formed shadow in the mist, just like all silhouettes of the living before it.

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