Re: Welcome to "The Watering Hole" Mawarra's Home Thread, part IX

Ceera smiles at Julia.

"I spent much of my life alone. I find the lives of those who live in the company of others to be quite interesting."

She listens attentively to the story, giggling on occasion.

"Oh my yes, I'm certain that was good enough for your drink. Now see? You do have interesting stories to tell. That was a wonderful story!"

{sigh}

"Yes, longevity can be a burden in that way, I suppose. I've lived far beyond my own natural span of years. Let me tell you another story. The tale of how I came to be the hybrid creature that I am now, and how I got my wings. It is, in a sense, several tales. One of a path to power, and one of a hopeless love. It should be sufficient to cover both our breakfasts."

"When I was younger... well. I was quite willing to use any method to survive, and to extend my life. I didn't really care about anything or anyone, back then. Everything good in my life had been destroyed, so what was there, really, for me to care for? As I said, the people who attacked me thought I was a monster, just because I could alter their dreams. What I was forced to do to survive made me a worse monster than they could have imagined."

"Hundreds of years later, on a completely different world, I had carved out quite a niche for myself. Wealth, power, tribute from the surrounding lands - all were mine. True, they paid me tribute because they feared me. And rightly so, for I was terrifying and merciless if they dared oppose me. But aside from the occasional band of fools bent on destroying me, I had a fairly secure life. It was a solitary existance, however. Alone in my keep, protected by spells of nightmare, without even stupid minions to keep me company. I had everything... and nothing at all."

"In spite of this, a man came to me. At first I thought him either some hero bent on killing me, or some demon seeking to usurp my power. He was neither. Markahn was a pyromancer - one of the greatest mages of that age. And no more liked than I was. Others feared his power, and his ruthless use of it. And in me he saw a kindred soul. He managed to get past my main defenses, and much to my surprise, professed his undying love of me. I almost laughed at him, for I had long since lost the ability to feel love - bartered away to the powers of Darkness in return for immunity to fear. Instead, I merely told him that he was wasting his time - that I was incapable of feeling love, and could not return his offered affection. Before I could command him to go, he offered to teach me all that he knew of pyromancy, if I would consent to be his wife. He did not care about my past. He did not care if I could not truly respond in kind to his love. He had studied me, and my abilities, and he knew that while I could not feel love myself, I was quite adept at sensing the emotions of others, and duplicating the responses that they expected or desired. Even if my responses to him were no more than that, he would be happy in my companionship. I accepted his proposal, and we swore our vows to one another atop my keep, witnessed by none save the Gods themselves. And it was enough."

"Markahn was delighted, but he wanted to ensure that I would never be harmed by his arts. He studied arcane texts for years, and at last said he had devised a ritual that would make me completely immune to the pyromantic arts. I consented to be the subject of his ritual, without asking what it would entail. Soon afterwards he subjected me to a most unusual spell, which bound my soul to those of a phoenix and a red dragon. It was... an unpleasant experience, to say the least, and one that destroyed the bodies of the dragon and the phoenix. When the spell was done, we three were one creature, a 'Phoenix Draconis', with all three souls living in me, and the powers and forms of the phoenix and red dragon at my command. I became invulnerable to all fire magicks, which was Markahn's main intent. However, because of some unique aspect of my own powers that I had already gained, I also gained the immortality of the Phoenix. I can die, but I am always reborn, young and powerful, from my own ashes, or from a nearby flame."

"Markahn was good to his word. He was a devoted and loving husband to me for more than 70 years, and he taught me more of pyromancy than any other creature on that world could have done, or any demon from hell. I did what I could to be a good wife for him. But I never did actually feel the affection he wished for. I merely mirrored his own desires. To me, he was a mentor, a teacher - a partner in securing my power. But nothing more. Unfortunately, he was not immortal himself, and he was unable to perform similar spell on himself as he had on me. In time, he aged, and died, and I was alone again. That... was the only time I ever married - the only time I ever let someone get that close to me, for anywhere near that long."

"Since coming to The Dream, more and more of my draconic aspect has been awakened. Perhaps it is the ease of accessing magical power here. Perhaps it is that I have been trying at last to make ammends for past mistakes, and the souls of the dragon and the phoenix are at last opening themselves to me. I never even knew their names, before we merged. Didn't know the spell would destroy them. Now, perhaps if I learn enough about them, about what it is to be a dragon or a phoenix - perhaps that will in some small way compensate them for their loss of individuality."

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