Migrating Vale

[Apollymi]

The homeland of the Druids, the Migrating Vale is a place which is constantly shifting within the world. It is most closely linked to the Fairy Forest and to nature, as such it can only be reached though gates where the realm of fairies and the fabric of the world collide. Such places are considered sacred to the Druids, and include Groves in certain forests, Water Falls at certain sources and the circles of Runestones erected by the Ancients they descend from. Passing through one of these gates will place the person or persons at the enter of the lands. They are spacious with dwellings and Runestones centered around the tree planted at its core. The lights which mark the path are glowing magical stones which respond to the intentions of those who walk forward. None who intend harm can enter the Migrating Vale. Beyond this these Holy Lands contained a sealed cave which is the place where many young ones go to prove their mettle. Catacombs line the far reaches of the mountains extending underground and are untraveled by the uninitiated. The lands themselves are fertile and each side of the Vale has one of the sacred places known to the people who live there. It is a quiet realm unto itself whose only leadership comes from the Circles.

[Apollymi]

A few days after her departure from the Kingdom of Atlantis and young blonde haired woman traveled along a wooded path. She was dressed luxuriously in a floating red cloak with golden filigree, a black strapless bodice with lace and embroidery and small golden trimmed boots. She wasn't walking along though, her hood was currently down and as she moved through this area her hair seemed to shift around her back even the twin tails at the side of her head shifted gently from left to right. She moved along on the back of a giant white Direwolf who'd slowed down considerably sniffing the air. She wasn't alone though, at her side a Giant Filolial, black in color with teal accent feathers strutting along proudly. "Hoh? It's nearby!" she said excitedly, as they turned off the beaten path towards the sound of a babbling stream among the rustling of the leaves. This forest was well lit, but every step forward seemed to get a bit darker and gloomier. Still, the blonde lass didn't seem to be discouraged at all. The wolf she rode upon would take her where she needed to be, and if the spot that would lead to her homelands needed to be cleansed first, this was also fine. To lighten the mood and keep those with her from worrying she posed a question. "Are you excited?" she asked of her companion in a language that probably wouldn't be easily translated by anyone even in passing.

[Bloodedge]

Taking up the side opposite to the Filolial was none other than the 'Child' of Atlantis, Diva. The young man appeared to have become capable enough that he carried himself on his own two feet, albeit not without a bit of light panting. He still committed to walking; he needed to build his stamina whatever way he could. All he hoped, was that he wasn't being a hindrance to Miki and her journey by making this selfish decision. He could at least assume he wasn't slowing progress too much, if any at all.

As they traversed farther into these strange, mystical lands, it felt as if shadows were beginning to consume them. Diva had no real concerns; he could - and did - produce a light source around himself to aide visibility as much as he could. In response to Miki's query, he spoke in a slightly different language that had been dead for ages, but one he could speak well enough while Miki understood through the connection of their ancestry. "It is exciting. I've never been outside of Atlantis before. The world up here is... pretty."

[Apollymi]

Did Miki have any problem with the lad walking along side instead of riding one of the two mounts? Not at all. She figured someone who'd been through the things he had, might enjoy a calming walk through the forest to get used to things outside of the place he'd been in most, if not all of his life. She'd chosen a pretty easy path for them to take or rather, she'd instructed her mount to choose an easy one regardless of the danger it would pose, if only to help her companions. Apparently, this lad was excited having never left Atlantis before. "Hoh? You're in for a treat then. Actually, I've not physically been here myself before but... what I remember of it from before it's going to be pretty," she mentioned happily. The Migrating Vale was one of the few places that didn't have to worry about outsiders and attacks, as getting into the place was impossible if you had evil intentions.

Speaking of evil intentions they were also the reasons for these corrupt places. They were technically places where evil magics had been performed because of the thin boundary. People who wanted to say walk in death sacrificed a Rune Mage in a place like this, thus polluting it and causing their spirits to corrupt the area. The same could be said of people trying to communicate with demons or even trying to cross from one realm to another without pure intentions. All of these things could potentially cause a problem. Because of this the darkened way to this path even with the light provided by Diva was something which would seem to be oppressed in some way. "First thing's first though. I'm going to have to clean this place up..." she said as they reached what appeared to be a small pond which should have been fed by a stream. But it was no longer running the water. At the bottom was thick like sludge and the entirety of the place seemed to give off a very ominous feeling. It'd even begun seeping further outwards, containminating the woods that had led to this place.

Her wolf came to a stop and Miki hopped down from his back. "Eww, this place stinks!" was the only thing said by the Filolial who turned her nose up in the air. "Hai," said Miki as she walked towards the water but stopped just at the edge. "Someone performed Dark Magic here... the result made this gate close up... to protect what's inside from what's out here," she said softly. She looked deep into the stillness of the water and saw the glint of bone beneath the surface, though the water bubbled it no longer rushed and this well at the bottom of the falls was full of stagnation. She knew what such a thing meant, so she gave a warning to the rest of the group. "When I start to purify this, the bones here will turn into an undead creature and rise. This place had a strong individual sacrificed here, so I want to trap and cleanse it first. After that I can cleanse the water and fix this place up." she said letting them know her plan. Immediately after this, Miki called her pillow to herself and as it reached her hand it turned into a boar spear with a circular opening in the middle and a small charm attached to the end. She'd found it much easier to channel her abilities through it, since she'd received this gift from Hikari. And as such she began to draw a small bounded field where she thought this creature would rise to. Several runes were laid but not inscribed completely the last one was left open so she could trap the undead creature within until it could be cleansed within. The Direwolf, Youko paced along the waters edge growling intensely before laydown behind a tree with his head covered by his paws. Seeing this Miki thought of one more thing. "Oh, and Diva. You'll want to cover your ears. I can't have you being charmed by the spirit or anything."

[Bloodedge]

"Huh?" Diva wore visible confusion on his visage. Miki spoke of memories involving the Migrating Vale, while also claiming to have never physically been to it. How could such a thing be? "I don't understand how that's possible..." he said. Regardless of what he did or didn't understand, they were upon a source of water that was... clearly anything but pure. It seemed Miki had the task of purifying it of the dark magic plaguing the area to open the way to this Migrating Vale she sought entry to. It made sense; to Diva, it was quite similar to the way his abilities operated within Atlantis. He could have done without the putrid odor in this land, though.

Diva believed this alleged spirit would be incapable of charming him, considering what he knew of Sirens and the like where he hailed from... but, he wasn't going to take chances. He slipped his fingers into his ears as instructed, opting to go along with being deaf until Miki finished her purification task. He nodded just after confirming that there was no sound entering his ears.

Miki's bounded field around the location of the spirit was watched from its inception. Her plan at the ready, she would find herself closely joined by another body. As she finished her inscriptions, a hand reached out to touch her shoulder. Said hand would feel... almost nonexistent. It wasn't the hand of Diva; he hadn't moved, and didn't even see the culprit despite looking in that very direction. This hand was a similar complexion to Diva's though, and belonged to a male figure wearing white robes with long, white hair and golden eyes. The touch would feel like the Underworld itself. If viewed, this male figure would open its mouth and speak, only for no sound to escape him. Shortly after, he would fade away...

[Apollymi]

Diva was confused about what Miki had to say regarding her memories of the Migrating Vale without her ability to have been their physically. She'd forgotten for a moment, that her companion of the time period wasn't simply a player from their own world, so such things were likely to be confusing. "Oh... it's a little complicated, I'll explain when I'm done with the Undead," she mentioned trying to make a note to remember to answer that particular inquiry after dealing with the restless creature here. Still her advice about the shutting off of the lad's ears was taken, her base runes were set and all was fine. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment to try and align her magic. Large scale purging would take quite a bit of Mana but she figured with the charm attached to her weapon it would be fine.

It wasn't.

Miki had her eyes closed until she could have sworn she felt a hand on her shoulder. Her eyes opened and she turned towards it, the coloration of it reminding her of Diva. She wondered if he'd had a more immediate concern. "Did you..." she started to speak to him but she was astounded by the person standing beside her. She jumped back from this stranger only to have him open his mouth but fade away. 'WHAT THE FUCK!' her mind screamed but as soon as she blinked, this man was gone. The blonde lass immediately spun around in a circle. "Eh? Is something wrong?" asked Fiona as she watched the lass have a minor freak out but couldn't place it. "Ah... no. Nothing's wrong. Back to work then..." she said of herself. 'What the hell was that?' she thought to herself. 'Or who? Maybe I should have rested more yesterday...' she thought to herself. Clearly this random hallucination wasn't something she was used to having. But she did know symptoms of overworking herself and maybe she'd done that again, unintentionally.

Whatever the case, she calmed her mind once more and stepped towards the bubbling pond. Doing so she sank just the tip of her blade beneath the water and began to purge the water. Immediately after this began and sickening creature began to rise. The first thing heard was a fearsome cry as its body rose from beneath the water's surface. Covered in dark goo and smelling putrid its voice while sounding like nails against a chalkboard to Miki, likely would have sounded sweet to a man. Sweet enough for him not to see this creature for what it was, and be lured to his death as this creature consumed his flesh to get stronger. As it took steps forward, Miki backed away and just as it reached out to touch her, she tapped the ground causing the bounded field to finish and trap the thing instead. Its voice, which had still been coming out in bursts, was immediately cut off. And it was restricted to moving within a very small area outside of the water where it would have been able to influence the dead wildlife. This creature was grotesque to look at, but it wasn't her fault. She'd been killed here, her spirit changing the form of her body by the act of violence that was her murder. 'That is somehow way more frightening in a body I actually inhabit. Still... given I've already fought in a small scale war, a little undead creature isn't so bad. I don't know why I freaked out so bad earlier...' she thought back to a few moments prior.

[Bloodedge]

Diva's eyes remained fixed, and his ears remained plugged. He saw a strange reaction from Miki, and could have sworn she was saying something. There was a curiosity within the lad. He wondered, could this be the start of some spiritual journey, and perhaps the reason Miki said she'd never physically been here? No, that couldn't be right. This reaction of hers was a startled one, as if she'd seen something that wasn't really there. Diva stared with widened eyes and a tilted head. Miki, at least, returned to normal in due time, going about her business to summon the... creature she intended to cleanse from this land. It was truly a repulsive thing visually, and pungent beyond belief. And yet... Diva had seen worse. He had smelled worse. He had been in physical contact with worse. Upon seeing this monstrosity, he pulled his fingers from his ears and looked upon it with an expression of pity upon his face. "Things like this. People create them here, too?"

[Apollymi]

Having captured this sad creature, Miki took a shallow breath. Purging it was necessary still she placed her hand against the barrier and began feeding it her Mana. Actively turning this barrier into a modified containment field for purging the creature within it. After it was contained and as it started to cleanse she heard the words of Diva. She imagined that given his life, such a thing was probably not as surprising to him. Still there was at least a bit of a lore reason why this was a thing even if Miki herself didn't believe in it. "Sometimes..." she admitted softly. "The desire for power gets to people," she explained. "Humans who can't form their own magic, Sorcerers who don't want to be displaced... those who don't have the moral compass to know that personal gain shouldn't come at the expense of others," she mentioned. "They sacrifice people at these places. It lets them gain extra magic, take their essence and expand themselves. Or to perform boundary crossings, but doing something like that corrupts nature and the people themselves," she said the creature within the barrier had stilled by now. The black goo falling away from its body revealed what its soul actually looked like.

A young woman with pale green eyes and pointy ears. On her forehead a Rune of Divination, seeing it Miki understood why this person in particular was sacrificed. Killing her here at the right time, likely gave someone a glimpse of the future for what it was worth. But it'd bound this Druid's soul, turning her into a faithless creature whose only desire was to feed. Now that she was free from the corruption, she slipped through the barrier around her, she reached out, and touched the mark on Miki's forehead, passing along her understanding of the Rune, Berkano... before departing. Her mouth moving and unlike the time before Miki wasn't afraid. "Still, fixing things like these is a worthwhile use of my time," she said. Having given peace to that soul she could now finish the rest of the area. She planted her spear in the ground and funneled nature magic into it. What it made contact with determined how it functioned. As it spread from where she was, it gave new life to the tress, made the grasses grow. It also called forth pure water from upstream, a source so clearly natural it definitively cleared the sludge at the bottom of the pond. And as the water began to rush the sounds of this forest returned and this waterfall strangely looked through to an archway which was both clearly there and a bit hidden. Besides that the natural light returned to this area of the forest... and it was truly stunning. Miki took a deep breath now as her magic finally stopped. She didn't have enough to continue doing this but it was enough to clear this space and get the job done.

[Bloodedge]

How concerning. To know that people of this sort existed even on the surface, was a point of discontent for one such as Diva. He'd always held fast to a glimmer of hope, that somewhere, there was purity - perhaps a Utopian society that could spread its influence to the world at large. What he found instead when venturing out into the open world, was... this. At least people such as the Adventurers who helped Atlantis existed. Here Miki was now, righting the wrong done to this seemingly innocent, fallen girl in whatever way she could. "There must be more good than this on the surface..." he said, firming his belief that there were better lands to be seen. Little did he know, he would soon be encountering such a place.

Of course, another oddity would occur first. Miki's actions paved the way to an ethereal arch, presumably one to be passed for the sake of entering the Migrating Vale. The journey could continue, but not before... a certain apparition made his appearance again. With slightly fairer skin this time, the male figure stepped out from around the arch, off to its side. His ashen hair had lost a bit of the golden hue previously found at its tips, and there was a hint of green growing out from the roots. His eyes, as well, had undergone a slight change in the form of a green glow pushing its way through those golden irises just a bit. This young and slightly androgynous man stepped to the arch, touching and caressing its outer edge. As he did so, that unearthly gaze of his found Miki once more. He'd exist in her sights for longer this time, stepping away from the arch to move toward a dense corner of the forest. Every few steps he took, he looked toward Miki again.

[Apollymi]

She'd done what she set out to do and released the individual who'd bound this gate closed. Hearing the words of Diva a small smile appeared on Miki's face. She'd done quite a bit of traveling since coming to this place and she could honestly say one thing. "There is always good to be found. Even if you have to fight through the bad to get to it," she commented. This was of course the truth as she saw it. Everywhere they'd gone that had required a fight or shown the face of corruption, had afterwards some glimmer of appreciable society to show. Given this, Miki could push past what she saw as the negatives in the hopes of seeing that positive play out.

In the time it'd taken to clear up this place, Youko had come from around the tree to stand at her side, but before she could lead her way through the arch she saw again the person who'd frightened her before she'd cleansed this place. He looked a bit different than he had before. Assuming of course it was actually a he, what did he want though? Miki blinked hard, then looked from left to right. No one else with her looked like they noticed. Was she going crazy? Was she seeing something or rather someone who honestly wasn't there? But if her mind was making this up... why did it look like he was staring directly at her. He moved away from the arch and Miki had gone quite silent watching as this young being headed towards the denser part of the forest. 'What the hell is actually going on?' she thought internally having a large problem with seeing such a being and not knowing why she was the only one who seemed to react to his presence. Was this part of being a Druid? Was this story related? She couldn't know, but her stillness and the lightest bead of sweat atop her forehead would let it become obvious she was still more than a little frightened.

[Bloodedge]

"I understand," Diva said, having found a new resolve through their brief discussion. It was after this, though, that Miki fell silent again. This was the second time she looked as if something was amiss. When scanning the surrounding area with both eyes and Mana however, Diva found nothing odd. Strange though it was, maybe there was a larger difference between his Atlantean heritage and her Druid one, resulting in her experiencing something far beyond what he could comprehend. Maybe. "Is everything alright?" he asked. "You're making a strange expression again. If the cleansing is too much for you, I could try helping somehow. I can replenish your Mana for you as well." Diva truly had no idea what perturbed the young Druid, but his assistance was offered nonetheless.

The ghastly figure never stopped moving, though his stride was slow. Barely managing to remain on this plane of existence for longer, he began phasing in and out upon stopping beside a large tree and fully facing the blonde. He would not move, but his mouth would once again open as if he were speaking. Yet again, no noise escaped him.

[Apollymi]

As she stared this moving stranger seemed to pause by a large tree. He opened his mouth once more but she heard nothing and then he vanished. As she continued to stare off into space, Diva's words reached her ears. He seemed to be worried about her well-being and the face she was making. She looked stunned for a second and then rather quickly seemed embarrassed being caught off guard in such a way. "Sorry. I make all kinds of weird faces. I didn't mean to make you worry," she said quickly averting her gaze but wondering why this vision kept appearing before her. "I was thinking... mostly. Anyways, ah..." she thought about it for a second. She felt fine even after the cleansing and she'd soon be returned that which she'd given up before leaving this place in game so, she had nothing to worry about. "Thanks but, I'll be fine. I'm about to get the rest of my Mana Pool back in a moment or two and you guys are about to see something awesome for the first time," she said of Diva and Fiona.

She started in towards the Ethereal Archway and led the way inside if followed they'd find themselves walking up a path which looked onward towards a different place. Unlike the forest at noon, the sky here was a vibrant violet color, the magic of nature vibrated across the wind. A large tree with orange leaves bent over a development which looked to be made of bright white stones. All around Rune Stones glittered with magical light. Blue fire lanterns lit the way up a path which was surrounded by lush vegetation. The water that ran beneath the opening bridge was the purest of any seen so far and beyond all of that there were mountains far and near. Miki took in this entire view for the first time in person. She was awed but also felt at peace. She turned around and gave a flourishing gesture towards this place, a genuine smile normally saved for special occasions managing to form in spite of her most recent feelings outside of this place."Welcome to the Migrating Vale. Homeland of the Druids."

[Bloodedge]

"Alright. The offer stands... if you ever need it," Diva replied. Miki certainly had a strange way of 'thinking' as she put it, but each person had their own quirks. Diva would go on assuming this was just one of hers. Taking up the rear of their group, Diva followed into the arch Miki paved the way through. Upon stepping beyond the arch's border, he felt as if he'd been transported to a new realm entirely. The vibrancy of this place was unparalleled, and it was dense enough in Mana for said Mana to be visible. There was no need for sensing here; everything could be felt without intention, even seen with the naked eye. This was about what he expected of Fairies, yet somehow beyond even those expectations. Even Atlantis in its prime may not have compared to what Diva witnessed here.

"This is... the Druid land?" he said, his words possessing an upward inflection not at all intended to offer a query. Diva stepped out ahead, slowly turning to take in as much of the surrounding area as he could. In this state of awe, he was taken aback by a sudden voice, which even he was rendered capable of hearing as it echoed into the minds of all present at the gate. "Welcome, Little Flower. I sense that you have come because... it is your time. Come. You must part ways with your travelling companions, for they cannot yet join you in reaching enlightenment."

[Apollymi]

Diva was less versed on the intensity of social awkwardness. This was indeed a saving grace for Miki as she was able to push off being too awkward in front of him. "Hai, I'll keep it in mind~" she said further trying to put him at ease, and distance herself. Of course, upon entering the Migrating Vale everyone present was able to witness the beauty and splendor of this unsullied land. "Yep, this is where the Druids are from. It's a great place..." Miki said happily. One of the reasons she'd chosen to start her life as a Druid was because she enjoyed the look of this place as a background image. A bit of a chuckle was all she could manage afterwards, a voice entered her mind and though she'd never heard it in this form, she knew who it was and what was needed of her. "Yes, I'm home. I know... I'm on my way," said Miki to the voice. "Hm, someone just spoke in my head..." said Fiona as she looked around. "Iie, he's not here, he's waiting for me. It's nothing to worry about, Youko..." she said to her companion animal who stood at attention before her. She placed a hand on his head. "Assuming my dwelling still stands, could you hang out with them and show them around while I complete my tasks?" she asked of him, the wolf simply nodded. "Yes, it still stands... I will make sure they enjoy their time here," he said Miki turned and looked at the group at large and smiled.

"Diva you should have a pretty easy time communicating here. And everyone is really nice and relaxed. I'll be back a bit later to help out though. Feel free to use anything at my place or ask Youko if you need something," she said to him. And with that she was off towards the sound of the disembodied voice. They would have to part ways for a while, but Miki figured they could still have a bit of fun together enjoying the Migrating Vale while she finished off her character. She knew Diva had his own reasons for wanting to come here and figured he might have an easy time exploring and finding his answers. Miki's dwelling was on the Eastern side of the settlement built fairly high up with several rooms and a full housing layout. It wasn't the palace in Atlantis, but she'd spent quite a bit of time making it a place worth traveling back to. Though she didn't intend to go there herself for sometime yet, moving right along she floated atop her transformed pillow towards the voice which called to her.

[Bloodedge]

"I will be waiting. The Trial of Interpretation is ahead of you," the male voice added. He wondered which path this girl would take, knowing there were multiple ends she could have when reaching the final point of the first path. She was to approach a structure known among Druids as the Sealed Cave, which could be either an arduous journey, or a very simple one. The man who communicated with Miki had the pleasure of overseeing the trials of many Druids, all of whom began here after coming of age. In a way, he found it to be his purpose in life, seeing these young Druids discover themselves along with nature through their journey in this home land.

Meanwhile, Diva nodded his acknowledgement to Miki's send-off. This place was so very inviting, he had trouble keeping his focus on a single area; he felt almost compelled to explore it all! That was not his purpose here, though. Well... it almost was. In simply being here, the lad would feel the very essence of the Druids' home, incorporating a small portion of it into himself while sharing his own aura with it. Something great would come of this exchange.