#ceaselessblade

@resurrectionpact ; @thelordoftheair ; @ceaselessblade ; @onlygodremembers

The kingdom of Valla, referred to by those who dare as the invisible kingdom, is a land hidden away at the bottom of the Bottomless Canyon, only to be visited every few decades when the skies above the lands of Hoshido and Nohr change. Following the curse of its creator, the silent dragon, none live there but ghosts, whispers of the past and what once was and no longer is. A land lost to time and myth, just as any belief or faith’s inevitable end.

In the here and now, it is not Vallaites, but unknown shadows that surge upon the monastery with weapons drawn and spells alight, crying out for the blood of the devout and retribution for whatever secrets time has swept away.

It is not the same. But the similarities are enough to leave Mitama on edge.

Mitama rolls a 19. Crit! 3.5 damage. Target is now poisoned.

Mitama’s voice cracks through the battlefield as she charges in, Valaura flying through the air once more to seep into the shadowy archer’s skin. The figure cries out as the spell burns and poison takes hold of its form. 

Should she be concerned about how easily she’s taken to the spell? She’s never dabbled in poisons before...her father-

isn’t here. Nor is the Dawn or the Dusk she knows so well. Only the Goddess and the blessing she bestows upon them in her name, despite the mark her protectors call a stain of sin upon her ankle. Well...if the Goddess deems this the path Mitama might take, so be it.

She’s never been one for fighting fate anyways.

Sword Mercenary attacks for 1 damage.

The sound of the sword slicing through the air grabs Mitama’s attention before the pain as a cut blossoms on her arm. She hisses and recoils, turning to face the new opponent. Before she can retaliate, another figure attacks it. Mitama blinks, recognizing Ike, before she huffs.

the Boys @ignatzlandscape @alfvangr​ @ceaselessblade​

There’s nothing to like about this. A massive beast, monster, demon hovering over Garreg Mach... and a young boy with a constant smile, claiming Sainthood, godhood...

Fomortiis roils inside of Lyon, as though indignant of the sudden competition.

[ Indignant? Hardly. They are naught but infants playing with dolls. What are they to me, who has existed since the dawn of man? ]

Dolls... Lyon recalls how that boy had dangled their friends before them. Toying with them, reduced to mere playthings. The thought of it. The memory of it. To be sound in mind but a slave to your own traitorous body, stolen and held hostage by another–

As Lyon enters the pillar of light, he presses one hand firmly against his mouth, the other on his stomach. Bile rises in his throat... it takes plenty of effort to swallow it back down.

-

“Father...”

This stage the boy set for them... it’s disorienting. With ground and sky all the same inky black, Lyon can’t help but wonder, is there an end to this ground? A cliff that will send you hurtling into the darkness? The idea of stepping off to his death, even with Alfonse’s rally–

The tiger prowls towards him. Surrounded by shadow and desperate for power, Lyon calls upon the Banshee spell to keep Gricenchos still. Dark wisps brush and grasp at the beasts’ paws, but to now avail. Its massive paws crush the shadows underfoot, as Gricenchos begins his assault.

As the days grow colder, students balk at the idea of walking around outside in the cold, especially late at night. Whispers of a shortcut quickly spread through the student body: if you’re coming from the library, you can go through the gallery hall to get back to the dorms. It’s not long until this path is marred by rumors of an armored thief stealing people’s books and essays late at night. There’s a reward if you unmask the criminal, but soon enough you find out that there’s more to this criminal than you thought. Too bad the realization only comes when one of the armored knights on display is magically brought to life, brandishing its sword at you. [Grants +1 Sword]

In her time thus far at Garreg Mach, Maria had become well acquainted with its many friends and countless wonders, but never enough so to forget her studies. Improving herself had ever been at the forefront of her mind, and she made of herself a frequent visitor to the academy’s impressive library. Even rumor of a mysterious thief did little to deter her from her learning-- if anything, it stoked the fires of her determination, the burning desire to help surmounting all else.

Though she was not without caution, and doubly so after the expression Ike had pulled when she told him earlier of the rumor and her unchanged plans to study once again. The thought that even people here would worry for her had drawn a wobbly little smile to her face, which she’d swiftly hidden behind a giggle and reassurance. She would be extra careful, she’d promised, her fingers wiggling with the silent point of the very magic she’d been learning. Thus it came as a surprise at the end of the day when the little princess pulled herself from her books and found her friend near the foretold shortcut.

“Oh! Ike?” Steps light, she tottered up to him, smile shining even in the dim light. “What are you doing here?” 

Soren was grateful he wasn’t dragging Ike away from the party and that the interest was mutual, though he had been confident that Ike could use some air. He stamped Ike’s card with a plain S and turned at Ike’s comment, a small smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth.

“Oh yes, my suave charm and lady-killing looks make me irresistible,” he drawled flatly. “Well, truthfully, that seems to just be Hilda’s signature. I did not return the stamp utilizing the same method.”

The climb up to the top of the tower was long and more stairs than anything else, but the view had promised to be something spectacular. Even if it wasn’t breathtaking or unique, he supposed the excitement of treading somewhere normally forbidden would do it for most students. For them, in their own world, it meant something. For Soren, it was an idle curiosity that seemed to hold nothing more than unremarkable passages, and some privacy at best.

“Have you heard the legends surrounding the Goddess Tower? They say wishes made in here come true. A fairytale, but one likely to draw in other people as well as us.”

If there was anyone else in the tower as they finally entered the top room, circular and empty save for windows all around and a balcony going outside for an even better view, they were far out of earshot. It was just them and the slightly cracked floor and outside railing overgrown with ivy.

  The cheer from earlier had gotten Febail to start concentrating less on movement and more on attacking and defending, turning sport into something more like the arena. He was trying to strike Kris's knees, but then another voice comes booming out and catching his attention.

“Go for the sides of them! They bend easier that way! STICK THE SIDES!”

“ Wh?! ”  At least he was right about the attacking part of this sport then?! He gives a nod — whether or not it's registered by the cheer team — and goes instead to hit the Archanean in the side.

After a rather busy day of paperwork and attempting to share his genius with students who could never hope to compare to him, Kempf was fatigued. Fighting the urge to call students “chumps” wasn’t easy, and he had much less control over those he was in charge of compared to his previous post. When thinking of ways to efficiently rest, his eyes peered upon the sauna, described as “the best sauna around”. Of course, there weren’t any other saunas around so who knows how good it actually is.

Upon actually stepping inside and getting comfortable however, Kempf found it to be rather well made. The sitting area was well built and the temperature was... temperate. And the best part was that he showed up late enough that it was incredibly unlikely that anyone would intrude upon his relaxation. Anyone else up this late was probably studying or cheating or doing whatever kids did nowadays. For once he could just close his eyes and let all those worries soak away....

At least, he could until a rather muscular fellow that looked much unlike anyone else he had seen at the academy barged in. What he was lacking in tact he seemed to make up for in the strength department, looking as though he had been in quite a few battles that he likely won. The intruder obviously wasn’t expecting anyone else to be in the sauna this late either, and yet fate clearly saw fit to prove both men wrong.

Send  🌌   to  search  for  the  aurora  with  my  muse.

              Their quest to sight the aurora has met with the unfriendly reception of snow, frost, and every perceivable manner of icy cousin. Wintry conditions mingling with long-lapsed time to thread a chill into their every nook and cranny; the result is but a prince and mercenary iced nearly to their bones.. Yet they’ve come too far in scene and resolve. The thought stubbornly holds: perhaps it would serve them better to continue. And, fortunately, it soon does.

                Though surrounded by a barren white, high above their heads reigns a rippling prism of color. Vivid, arrayed, and alive in the sky like a shimmering pool of sequins set against the light. Should he raise his fingers to meet their heights, he imagined it would be some gentle, silken sensation of touch that would descend from the heavens to meet them. A dreamy conjecture, however, and none too mature, so the prince’s fingers fall away before the act can reach its fruition. 

               “  So it exists,  “   observes the hero of Archanea instead to Tellius’ finest warrior, awed and inspired like a princeling amounting to half his years. The discovery of his own surprise pulls his mouth tactfully shut and a bashful smile quirks, albeit wielding less an explanation in his defense and more a storied tale.   “  Ah; in my homeland we wax the saga of a lone man who travelled the world in search of a holy blade. On this journey, he halted at a jagged land of ice so cold and unforgiving, towering so high into the heavens, that he struggled even to breathe.  ” 

Seeing Ike with his fishing gear again, Byleth was reminded of their previous encounter at a fishing spot. She gave him a wave from where she had set up her own gear, bait already dangling in the water below through the hole she’d neatly carved in the thick ice.

“Hello” She called in way of greeting. “I was curious whether I would run into you out here. You enjoy fishing too correct?” As she said this she felt the tell-tale tug on her line indicating a catch. She moved to reel it in and gestured to Ike to pass her the net.

The medium sized fish flailed helpless in the net as she reset her bait to go again. Glancing over at it she joked to Ike. “Makes a difference from last time. No shock factor for a start.”