Estranged Refugee

A small ship blinked into existence in the ninth dimension. This had not been the ship's destination, but sensors had been assaulted by warnings of danger and the possibility of a black hole when it had approached the tenth dimension, and so the jump there was decided against. But here, in the ninth, seemed to be remnants of Verax's army. What had gone on in the tenth that would cause such disaster? Aya could only wonder. But she was here to see Verax, so as long as he had survived then the battle that had occurred was inconsequential.

Aya's ship was unarmed; it was nothing but a small transport with nothing but her on board. It certainly would pose no threat to Verax or his soldiers, but it's Alteriian design might be cause for them to be wary. Still, Aya slowly worked her way towards the largest ship in the fleet, which she assumed to be the Voyager since that was the only ship that she'd been told of. It mostly matched her mother's description of it, so she sped up a little and directed her ship straight for the massive dreadnought.

Aya had no fear. Not now. Or rather, she had no more fear here than she had at home, where she felt danger all around her now as well as the hatred towards her that was a constant burden dragging her down. Here there was danger, but there was not hate. Aya's mind subconsciously probed the minds of the people on board the ships she passed on her way to what she thought was the Voyager, and from their minds she was able to vaguely piece together what had just transpired. Still, she was learning how to master her abilities so she wasn't completely sure of the events.

But as she approached Verax's ship, she suddenly had the thought to try and use her implant. She didn't want to, but she knew that if her parents found out where she was she'd most certainly be forced to return home, which was the exact opposite of where she wanted to be. Could she manage to avoid detection if she used her implant? Would Verax know who she was? Did she even need to hide her identity from him? She pondered this, and just before she reached the larger ship she decided: she would not hide her form--she hadn't mastered use of her implant yet and she worried that things could go very, very wrong if she took that path; instead, she would simply go to Verax in her true form and simply neglect to tell him that she was the daughter of Eris-Tam. She would introduce herself as "Aya," since Verax didn't even know her name.

The plan still had many ways in which things could go poorly, but she tried not to think of them and only of the ways that she would be better off than she was at home. She did not hail Verax, only waited for him to realize the presence of her ship. She knew it would not take long.

"Verax, sir! We've detected a- s-sir? Are you alright?" The flustered soldier who had barged into the throne room stammered. Protocol dictated all unidentified vessels be destroyed, but with a just over a third of their army gone, everything was in chaos. In the command bridge, the scientists, tacticians and other yahoos stood staring at Verax's collapsed form, one of the scientists recording observations and analyzing his body. When the soldier burst in they had all looked up at him. "I-is the Dreadlord okay?" He asked. In response Verax groaned, and everyone in the room jumped.

"Do we have anything to eat? I'd like a roasted turkey... please...." He meekly got out. One of Verax's assistants snapped to a striaght upright posture.

"Turkey for the Dreadlord!" "Turkey?" "Turkey!" "Why Turkey?" "Right away your Dreadlyiness!" "Seriously? Turkey?" "Right away sir!" "I'll fetch him some water!" The room broke out into zips and whizzes of movement.

"Here you are sir!" As a man dressed in a waiter's outfit came into the room, holding a turkey on a plate. Verax stood up, annoyed, took the turkey and threw it at the waiter. "Haven't I requested you all NOT to indulge my every request? I mean really? How did we even have that prepared within those like, ten seconds? I eat WITH my men and WHAT IS IT NOW?!?" He changed topic abruptly, turning to the soldier who had burst into the room.

"Sir, a small unarmed, Alteriian transport has been sighted heading for the Voyager! What should we do?" The soldier stood dutifully at attention. Verax looked him over.

"What's your name and rank, soldier?" He asked, a curious look in his eye. The soldier puffed out his chest proudly as he answered.

"Private John Smith, sir!" Verax responded by backhanding him. Now, to someone Verax's size, it would have just stung. This was a 6 foot tall human man. Verax's hand was bigger than Private Smith's entire head. It sent him spinning and embedding himself into a wall.

"Your name is terrible. Get a better one. But if this vessel is heading towards the Voyager, they're obviously looking for me. And if it's unarmed, this person is either stupid, wants to show they mean no harm, or is the biggest badass this side of Gotham's Hollywood's action movie's action hero's wildest dream's action hero."

"Sir, have you been watching more Earth movies?" Smith asked.

"Yes. Shut up. In any event, we must take precautions, notify the vessel that they should change course, to the Cataclysm. If they ask which one that is, tell them it's the dark green, more evil-looking Voyager. I'm taking Oswald and Zevon with me to docking bay Z.II.i.a.. Tell them to dock there." Verax responded. Smith, who had managed to get out of the wall, looked shocked.

"You're taking the heads of the Dragonrider Corps?" He asked incredulously. "Sir, isn't that a bit much?" Verax smiled and wagged his finger.

"Theres no such thing as being too careful..... WHAT ARE YOU ALL STANDING AROUND FOR? We've got wars to plan, a ship to contact, plans to redo, repairs to make, jobs to do! Hop to it!" The all saluted.

"Yes, Dreadlord!"

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From the communications deck on the Cataclysm, Vabin himself had taken to contacting Aya. "This is the Cataclysm command, the Dreadlord requests your presence. Repeat Verax requests your presence. The Cataclysm, it is the Voyager-Class ship next to the Voyager. Docking bay Z-One-Point-Two-A. That is where he will meet you. I suggest you hurry..... shadow born." And it ended communications there.

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As Verax moved down the hall that would lead to the expansive docking bay, he was tailed by two men. Both of them were incased in nightmarish armor (Imagine the Skyrim Daedric armor mixed with a stereotypical medieval knight armor), with spines and bizarre curves in their design. The one flanking him from the left, Oswald Aseir, wore pure black armor, with a visor that looked to be made out of ruby. The one on the right, Zevon Kros, wore a grayish purple armor, trimmed in green, an emerald green visor. Both carried spears, that functioned as spears, stun batons, and high-powered rifles. They were the top of the Dragonrider Corps, a section of Verax's military yet to be deployed. Composed entirely of dragons, cloned from Fluffy, but not nearly her size. All three walked in silence, their armor clanking with each footstep, reverberating up and down the hall.

"Well.... lets see if my day can possibly get any worse." Verax thought aloud as they entered the docking bay.

Aya nodded to herself. She'd been right on two accounts: that the ship she'd approached had been the Voyager, and that Verax would not order her ship to be destroyed based on her actions. So as she navigated towards the docking bay that the man who had contacted her had mentioned, she became slightly lost in her thoughts and ponderings; would Verax be everything that she expected? Would he welcome her or would he send her back home? Surely not, she... well, she liked to think that she could be of some use, at least, even though she was young and inexperienced. Anything was better than going home.

It was while she was immersed in her thoughts that she started as she realized that she'd almost missed the docking bay of the Cataclysm where she was supposed to go, and had almost crashed straight into the huge ship. She doubted the collision would have left much more than a small scorch mark on the Cataclysm's metal skin. But Aya avoided the crash narrowly, and pulled the ship into the docking bay where she landed it with little precision or grace and it half-lowered, half-skidded to a stop.

Suddenly she was gripped by nervousness as her mind detected the other minds in the room, and though she was almost certain she knew which belonged to Verax she didn't dare reach out to it with her mind and probe it. Verax was probably aware of her mental presence as much as she was aware of his, and she knew that if she tried to scan him for intentions and desires he would probably turn hostile. So she extended her mind quietly like a handshake, only barely rippling the surface of Verax's mind for little more than a millisecond, a silent greeting of a fallen autumn leaf to the surface of a vast lake. Aya hoped to one day be able to extend herself into his mind, and to understand him on a level that no story told by her mother would ever allow her to. Maybe he would understand her, too.

But for now, Aya sighed quietly, and flicked the switch that opened the cargo bay doors after she was certain that the airlock was closed. She stood, unbuckling herself from the pilot's seat, and strode with as confident a gait as she could muster towards the cargo bay and towards the man she had heard so much about, the man who inspired her and intrigued her, the only person other than her mother with whom she had felt any sort of real connection.

She paused just before she emerged, taking a deep breath, and then appeared and saw him for the first time. Verax. He looked much like she had expected, in fact, and as it turned out her mother's descriptions had been quite accurate.

Not knowing what to say, Aya stood there in the Cataclysm's docking bay, holding Verax's eyes with her own, becoming immersed in them, waiting for someone to break the silence.

Verax had felt her gentle presence barely touch his mind, like a feather quietly descending. As a silent welcome, he didn't shatter her mind to pieces. He could feel things in it he was familiar with. Solitude, loneliness, a lust for purpose and acceptance. Though this stranger did not know it, Verax's silence was his test for her. A Myrionith custom, of which few were aware. With their eyes locked, the Dreadlord stood at his full height, both unbreaking the connection. Who would look away first? Certainly not Verax, he had to assert command here. This was his ship. His world. His rules. So the contest went on for another second. Which stretched out into a minute. Which became five. She never looked away, not once. Not out of fear, curiosity, or distraction.

Oswald, impatient man he was stuck out his spear at her, as he began making demands in his rich, authoritative voice. "Speak, child! Who are you and-" At that moment he was blasted across the room, and tumbled and skidded across the floor before stopping.

"Did I give you permission..... to speak, Oswald?" Verax hissed at him, while keeping his eyes locked on Aya. He lowered his arm, which looked like it had smoke curling off it. Except it wasn't smoke. The wisps and tails curling off Verax's arm and dissipating was pure energy. Dark energy.

"You... those..... your eyes. They're very..... kind. Full of wisdom. A gateway into your quick mind. But they also hold pain. Sorrow. Solitude. Resentment. These things.... are not things one should find in a child your age." He stepped forward, and made a motion for Zevon to stop, who had begun walking right behind him.

Verax took step after step, slowly approaching Aya, and with each step, another sentence. "They hold desire... a desire for something more. A desire for something that, to you, everyone has and you feel you deserve. Or perhaps you have it and feel you deserve more than you have." He came closer. "They hold a wish for something more.... a place to belong. You have shown great courage in seeking me out. You.... I can already tell.... you will be very interesting. Interesting things shall revolve around you. You, who are not bound by Fate's chains, shall play a great part in destiny. At least... thats what I feel."

Now he stood right in front of her. "You... you are different. An outcast. No matter where you go, society will always shun you. This causes you pain. Here will be no different. Men will eye you with suspicion and disdain. Many would not trust you. That is life. However...." He took a step back, and for the first time since her arrival, smiled at her. "Being different is a good thing too, isn't it? It teaches you to appreciate what others take for granted." He turned around.

"Oswald, Zevon. Return to training. Your services are no longer necessary." The two knights looked at each other, before walking out of the room. He turned back to this newcomer.

"Now then...." And he held out his hand, just as he did for Eris-Tam back at Crenel, without realizing it was the same stance. "Shall we speak more in the Throne room? I feel there is much to discuss, and much of it should be done in private. Shall we go, young lady?"

Finally Eris-Aya looked down to Verax's hand, then back up to his eyes, placing her hand lightly in his. His hand could have easily crushed hers in its grip, but now it was extended in a gesture of welcome and acceptance. Aya immediately felt safe when her hand touched his, protected, almost. It was strange; she'd never felt like that, never been so suddenly sure that someone was not going to harm her and that she was safe with someone. As if by instinct, her mind became more confident, more sure of itself now that it knew Verax was not a threat to be feared, and before she could stop herself she extended up his arm and spine and reached into his mind.

And she jumped from what she'd seen in the very brief moment, flinching away from him and pulling her hand from his. It wasn't that she was afraid of him or afraid of what she'd seen; she knew that the things she saw weren't his fault. No, she jumped away because she realized that she'd overstepped her boundaries and discovered that she had no idea how he'd react. It was a stupid mistake, a mistake only a fool would make. She'd been raised with free reign to explore the minds of everyone around her, so it truly had only been instinct that motivated her to reach for his as well--nothing malicious. But in that instant she'd seen Lurinia, and she'd seen Arch, and she'd seen Shade.

So she cowered slightly, looking down, breaking the confidence that she'd been able to hold earlier, the confidence that had kept her from looking away. But now she was in the wrong. Now she'd made a mistake, and she knew not the consequences. The young girl cowered from her own misstep, her form trembling with what she knew was fear. She didn't dare look up at him in that instant, didn't dare see whatever emotion--rage or anger or hatred or maybe all three--was storming in his eyes.

All she could manage to do was whisper desperately, "I'm sorry, I--I'm--I... I didn't mean... I..."

Verax laughed reassuringly. "Don't worry. Anything you saw will be our little secret, okay?" He kneeled down, and tilted her face up. "Really, I understand. Now I guess you get to know just why I'm so different." He stood.

"You'll be safe here. You'll be accepted here. I'm not discriminant in who I let join me. The Alteriians drill honor and virtue into their race, the Stalkers are pretty much born in military training rooms, the Plutonians probably learning how to make a self-powering engine before they can even walk. The Kazesqui.... well, they're a bit like me. Each one is unique and special. Each one is different. Like everyone here." His eyes shined with pride.

"I accept everyone. People who are outcast for being different. People who don't fit what their society wants them to be. People who don't reach what they've grown up being told that it's what they want themselves to be. People who are abandoned, people who want a second chance, people who are born with physical or mental.... differences. Societies all outcast these people for not living up to what they want from them. They toss them to the abyss, useless to them. But not really. No one is useless. If I took everyone here into a big capital city, I'd be thought of more as a traveling circus than an army. And you know what? I couldn't care less." He had never said this out loud before, but he had always implied it through his actions and his words. Though he never outright said his morals, he always made them clear.

"Do you know why I couldn't care less? Because if you don't like what someone thinks, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. Everyone here is exactly that. One. A being. A person. It doesn't matter if they're a genius and can turn their room into a machine that does everything for them, or if I myself have to get up early each morning to help them eat and pick out clothes. Everyone here is a person. And a person is worth something." He looked over this girl again.

"You know, they're are others like you here. I may be running an army, but I also house refugees, families, people. It's not all that uncommon for runaways to come to us, convinced that anywhere is better than where they were. That's why the Voyager always takes priority in assaults. It houses civilians, schools, hell, I even built in a country sized amusement park in the for people to unwind. We stand for something the universe rejects, balance. Between light and dark, order and chaos. Speaking of which, it's faint but.... you carry the scent of darkness on you. Did you grow up with Alteriians? No wonder you ran. Don't worry, you might not be trusted at first, but you'll be accepted here soon enough. After all, the 'Empire' is a formality and a morale booster, what we really are is a great big family. A family that might not know more than half of each other, and a family that just recently lost many many of it's members, but a family none the less. And you can always rely on family."

At that he saw skepticism in her eyes. "Oh I know, sometimes you feel like you family is your worst enemy. Sometimes you feel no matter how hard you try and no matter what you do, your family will never love you equally or treat you equally. Don't think I know? My father helped cause the extinction of my race. I know all about bad families. But enough of that, really. You can keep a secret, right? Shade is our little secret, for right now. I'm not mad, worried, a little, my newest little sister just found out my biggest secret, but I'm sure I can trust you. Now,"

He took her hand, his armored claw hand folding, revolving and shrinking back until what was his clawed hand was a metal wrist cuff, and his bare hand was leading this girl along. "Lets go somewhere more pleasant to talk..... your eyes... oh! I'm sorry, I don't mean to stare. There's nothing wrong, it's just..... they just look so familiar." He decided to gently caress her mind with his own, a little, added touch, to make it clear he honestly bore no ill will or anger towards her. "Someone will give you the grand tour tomorrow, so until then I think we can take a short-cut to my room." He added a friendly wink, before calling to the ceiling. "Beam us up, Luna!" They began to glow, as a disembodied voice was heard.

"Thats it, I'm blocking all these Earth Television shows from now on." But the female voice was clearly amused. A moment later the two were in the throne room, now empty. A disk of light shone from the ceiling as part of it detached itself. A floating silver disk hovered down in front of Verax's throne, which began sinking. Each step of the stair case leading up to it falling into the floor until the throne itself was on the ground. Opposite of the throne, a silver chair rose up. Verax sat in his throne and waited for Aya to sit.

Aya sat in the chair slowly, deliberately, feeling bewildered at this rush of information and ideas. Her developing mind quickly absorbed these ideas of family and of bringing outcasts together to benefit everyone, and she easily decided that they were good ideals. She quickly felt safe again, now reassured that any missteps on her part were nothing that Verax couldn't handle. She wouldn't be reprimanded for every mistake or accidental wrongdoing, and that was a new thing to her.

And so she congratulated herself a little, for perhaps finding the right place to be. It certainly seemed right, seemed like she could easily learn to belong here; it wouldn't be so hard to fit in like back at home. Briefly Aya thought of what she had seen in Verax's mind, and she could understand why he wanted her to stay quiet about it. But he seemed to trust her as Aya now trusted him, because he had proven to her that she would not be punished for everything she did. She wondered what she had done to allow him to trust her. She could very well be a skilled spy, for all he knew; what made him decide to take her in? He had not invaded her mind as she had his--she would have been able to tell if he had. So why was he being so kind?

In fact, Verax hadn't even asked for her name yet. She would have simply stated her name, but she felt somehow that he would ask when he felt it was time for him to know, and not sooner.

But since she was again left with nothing to say, she sat across from Verax in slightly awkward silence.

Verax sat smiling, feeling kind of uncomfortable about how quiet she was. "Um.... well... hello! I.... you know, I should be used to this whole new-person silent thing by now. Eventually I hope you'll open up more, but until then I'll do my best. Oh! I just remembered who you remind me of. The Kazesqui Empress, Eris-Tam. She's a very kind person, if you don't know her." He frowned abruptly, as suddenly his made a connection he hadn't realized, but quickly went back to smiling.
"So uh..... hm.... I just realized, I have yet to learn your name. Well... this is embarrassing, but let's start there! You know me, Verax. And you are....?"

The young kazesqui took a deep breath, and then answered simply, "Aya. My name is... Aya. I-I'm... sorry for being quiet. I'm not really used to telling people about myself... I mostly tried to not draw a lot of attention at home..." She carefully failed to respond to his comment about Eris-Tam, and continued shyly "But... Verax? C-Can I... ask you a question? I... I was wondering... you seem to trust me already. Why? I... I know something about you now, something you want kept a secret. Why do you trust me to keep your secret?" Finally, the thought struck her that if Verax decided that he wanted to probe her mind, he would immediately know who she was and why she was there.

And Aya hadn't considered the fact that if he tried, she wouldn't be able to stop him from seeing it all. She was mentally strong, but he was more experienced and she was so young... it scared her a little, and she worried that he would find out who she was and not want the trouble.

"A fair question. It deserves an honest answer. Why do I trust you already?... I don't really know. I just do. Hah, kind of stupid, isn't it?"

He looked down, still smiling, but it was a sad smile, a smile that perfectly displayed he feeling of helplessness to fate. "Almost sounds like I'm a child, willingly trusting most who come here..... Well, also, if you were a spy, Vabin would have killed you the moment you entered. Vabin is sort of Darkness's Protector. As such he can feel things that belong to darkness, such as lies, spies, stowaways. The fact that he didn't kill you outright, and... well...." Verax's mind was coming to a conclusion, but didn't want to make an acusation.

"Hold on, before I go on, I need to ask you something. Aya... do your parents know you're here? Who ARE your parents?"

And suddenly, Eris-Aya was tempted to tell him the truth. It was like he deserved to know, like he was worth knowing who she was. But her plans held true, and she slowly and cleverly told the story that she had invented during all those hours when she thought about running away but never intended to put the ideas into practice. Now was the time.

"I..." she hesitated, looking away, looking sad and lonely, "My parents... well, my kazesqui parent is the third of the three other living adult kazesqui, other than Eris-Tam and Drel-Caz... I... I don't really know my kazesqui parent. They gave me up at birth... probably for the same reason that everyone else seems to hate me..." she paused, looking up into Verax's eyes imploringly, "And... the Alteriians almost didn't take me in. They did, in the end, but... only because I was a newborn and their ideals forced them to help me. I... I don't know who my parents are or where they are, but... I was never welcome with the Alteriians, not really. I... I guess that means that my parents don't know where I am. Neither do the Alteriians, I think. I... I had to leave, Verax..." now she looked down, a sort of very real heartbreak forming in her eyes, "No one... no one wants me, no one ever has. It's because... when I was created, something went wrong. The... the energy used to create me became corrupted somehow, and that's... that's the darkness that you picked up earlier."

She sighed, and at length, said, "I... I just want someone to see that I'm not like that. I'm not evil, I'm not wrong or bad... I just want to be treated like everyone else..."

Verax stared her down. His eyes went from calm to furious in a flash. "Aya. Another lesson about family; don't lie. It will come back to hurt you later. I will give you one final chance to tell me the truth before I search you with my own mind." His sudden change in demeanor brought back one sobering fact, Verax was still not entirely stable, and, despite his wish to help others, he had no reservations about wiping people from existence, atom by atom.

"And despite the skill you may have, I defeated Archelaus himself in a contest of mental prowess, I can rend you from existence without even standing. But I don't want that. Aya. That name.... the darkness.... if you are who I think you are, you have nothing to worry about. But if you should lie to me... I'm afraid we will not accept you into our family, and I will wipe the memory of my secret from your mind." His eyes told two things, one, he suspected who she was, and two, it wouldn't matter either way to him, so long as he was given the truth. If he wasn't, well, there might not be enough of her left to go back to her parents.

Aya shrunk down in her seat slightly, trembling at the sudden anger and demanding tone to Verax's voice. She looked away from him uncomfortably, wanting to cling to the story she had told like a security blanket, wanting to try to keep up the lie. She was so afraid, so afraid of being sent home that she was blind to the fact that Verax would not have sent her away. Fear got the best of her--and to her, the hatred and fear of going home was stronger than the fear of what Verax would do. She was too desperate.

She did not tell the truth, but her attempt to keep up the lie was feeble as she said, "I-I... I'm not... not lying... I'm t-telling the truth..." She kept her face tilted away from him, her eyes averted, her heart pounding like a sledgehammer in her throat. She was trapped between a rock and a hard place; the rock was Verax and home was the hard place. She had nowhere to run, as she saw it; nowhere to hide and everything to hide from. So she clutched her blanket close, pulled it over her eyes as if it would make everything just go away.

"I'm n-not lying..."

Verax sat and said nothing. Why..... why must I always do the stupid thing? Have I learned nothing? He was afraid he'd make it worse by saying anything more, so he said nothing. The anger had quickly melted out of him, replaced with regret, with sorrow. So instead, he decided she'd understand better if she showed her.

Reaching into his mind, and thrusting into her's, he showed Aya how he fought the Thel'Ghan'Che in Crenel, then showed her how her mother came to visit her, how her mother had already predicted this would happen. When he pulled his presence away from her mind, he rested his head on his interlocked hands, sat in silence to let her process what she saw. He hoped she wouldn't take his attitude towards her as only keeping his promise to Aurora. That is what he feared most, that once again his feelings and intentions would not be taken the way they were intended.

"You seek to replace one child with another, then? You ARE sick." Shade goaded.

"Must I remind you what happens to those who trifle with me? You are wasting my time." Verax shot back, annoyed. "You have nothing on me."

"Twice I have controled your body already. I am a god, Verax. And you are a grain of sand." It taunted.

"Three times I have taken my body back, which is three more times than you've intended me to. If you are a god, then I am Chaos, the begining, dwarfing even you in power." He calmly thought in reply.

"A grain of sand."

"The grain that you'll slip on."

Eris-Aya was left shivering, her breath coming in shaky, shallow gasps. It had been a jarring experience to her; she was so completely unused to intrusion into her mind. Verax's mental presence was no gentle, soothing thing like those of the Alteriians she'd grown up with, but something different entirely. It was darker, harsher, and more insistent.

But as the shock and sudden numbness receded from her mind a few realizations and emotions slowly came to her. The first was that her mother had known this might happen all along, and with that realization came anger. Anger that her mother had not tried to keep her from finding out about the prejudice towards her, the quiet opinions that most never voiced. She was angry at Eris-Tam for not trying to convince her to stay, or make things so that she would never feel the reason to leave. After that thought came one about Verax; was this why he'd agreed to take her in? Not because he was curious about her or valued her for who she was, simply because he felt the obligation to her mother? That came with more anger, and more stress.

Maybe I just don't belong anywhere... I thought that I would be welcome here, fit in here, but now... I know that he has other motivation. I... I don't know what to think... it seems like he cares, but... he's a good liar, at least, from the stories... maybe this has all been an act... do I have to leave here too? That last thought was met with tears that pooled in her eyes and threatened to spill down her cheeks. Nowhere was safe. She didn't want to run away again, didn't want to run away the first time, either... but she would if she had to, she supposed.

But just before she jumped up from the chair and ran back towards the docking bays, another thing hit her. This one was more the result of logic than anything else, and signaled that she was really thinking clearly again. She stared blankly at Verax as her mind worked through it, from one connection to the next.

Verax... helped save my mother. He knew I was coming, and... she made him promise that he would show me the same side of him... that she had seen. A side that most other people don't know about. Something else struck her. Mom... didn't tell Ell most of the stories about him that she told me... like she was... The gears clicked around in her head, and then finally fit into the right spots. She was... preparing me for this, preparing me to go to Verax and meet him, and seek solace with him. Ell doesn't know... Neither does father, I'd bet. So... mother obviously believed that... this was where I needed to be, where I was meant to be.

That only left one thing: Verax's motivation. And so the words came tumbling out, along with the tears that had been building since her first realizations. "W-Why... why am I here?" She turned her eyes on him now, her gaze grasping his firmly but not with anger. "Why are you really so w-willing to take me in? Is it... is it just because you have some sort of sick care for my mother?" Her tone was more demanding now. "Is it just because you promised her you'd act like this? I didn't come her to be babied, I came here to find a place where I could belong.

"Why am I here, Verax? Tell me why."

Suddenly she was the one giving him the chance to tell her the truth; the roles had been reversed.

Aya instantly could tell she had hit a sore spot. Verax stiffened, then, after taking a deep breath, slowly and deliberately answered. "Let.... me make one thing perfectly clear. I have no care for your mother. How she is able to turn me into a big mushy glop is beyond me. And why don't you THINK, child?! THINK FOR YOURSELF. Why did I take you in so easily? You realize I didn't even suspect who you were until a minute ago! From when you got off your transport until when we came in here, I had no inkling of an idea who you were!" He stood, fury threatening to overwhelm.

"You think simply because I made her a promise I'd treat you specially? You will get no such preference. If you decide to stay here, you will be treated just like everyone else. If you leave, I don't care. Why are you here, daughter of darkness? It is because you choose to. I have enough to worry about. In case you didn't know, I'm on the verge of being turned into an abomination that WILL wipe out all hope and goodness from the universe, unless I manage to take control of the universe soon. If I wanted to deal with another child, I would have become a teacher. Unless you're painfully idiotic, a Dreadlord like me teaches only pain and death." His face contorted with rage, and he had to force it back under control.

"Parasite child, would you like to see what comes of wearing a mask?" And Verax summoned a harsh gale, that blew the make-up off the right side of his face. The black veins pulsed together, each one radiating darkness. "I ask of you, do you know what it's truly like to be shunned? You have a family. What do I have? Nothing. I am a ticking time bomb! My wife and child are gone, and I am alone. Do you think I could care about the promises to a single women? Eris-Tam is the REASON I am suffering. And you think you understand....." When he saw her crying, on the inside Verax berated himself, but on the outside, he kept pushing.

"Your tears desecrate the room you breathe in. Do my words sting? Do you prefer this side of me? If not take my kindness or take your leave, but do not doubt me. I have no time for those who cannot find it within them to trust me." He snarled.

"VERAX!" Luna cried. "She's only a child! Would you treat Arch this way? After all she is supposed to be part of our family now."

"Family?.... Luna. You... you..... what is wrong with me?" Though Verax couldn't see it, and neither could Luna, Aya saw it. She saw all the raw malice and evil that was fighting within Verax form around him. She was the shadows of the room form smoke-like circles around him, curling up off the floor and dissipating. Shade was fighting to take control of Verax again. But Aya could also see something strange in the dark pool surrounding the Dreadlord's feet, that facing her, a bowl shaped chunk of the pool receded, as if trying to escape from her. What she didn't know is that Shade relied on Verax's growing darkness to gradually awaken, and with her, a being part pure darkness, the evil trying to possess Verax was weakened, not as concentrated. Two pure red, soulless eyes opened from the center of the pool, and stared at Aya with both amusement and hatred.

"You are our greatest foe." The stare said. "You shall be our greatest tool." They said. After that, Verax reasserted control, still unaware Aya could see Shade's meta-physical form, unaware of what was going on.

"I.... I'm sorry. But what I said I mean. You came here of your own volition. Until minutes ago, I had no idea who you were. I also meant it when I said I would not show you any kind of special treatment. If you enter our family, you are put on the same level as everyone else. Except for me, but I try not to abuse that. So Aya, what will it be? Will you try a new life here? Or do you still find it hard to trust me? If you don't believe me, I understand, but why not take a risk? After all, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?"

Aya's shock had shown on her face for only a moment. The tears were still on her cheeks but her eyes were dry, no longer upset or angry. Understanding, however, was the most prominent expression. Though the reasons weren't obvious to anyone else in the room, Aya thought that she did understand, now. She did have a purpose in coming here, if only to prolong Verax's control for that much longer. Maybe even to fight against Shade silently, without Verax knowing.

But whatever the reasons, Aya knew that she was here for several reasons. Firstly, because she had chosen to come, but more because her mother believed this was the right place for her to be and was right to believe it. Recalling the vision of Shade which she knew her mother had seen, she realized that she herself was the figure standing with Verax, and though her intentions seemed malicious in the image Aya doubted that anything could corrupt her to that level...

And that brought her to the understanding. Shade wanted to use her, as that was the best way to conquer one's enemies. Trick them into hurting only themselves. But now that Aya had made this connection, she was able to formulate the rudimentary basis of a plan. Turn the trick back on Shade, and let it believe that she was being used. Let it believe that she was nothing more than a tool. But who could teach her the strength to block Shade from forcing its way into her mind and seeing past the deception? Actually, she didn't need to block it. She needed to redirect it, so he wouldn't notice that she was actively trying to deceive and keep things from it. That would be the much simpler approach.

So Aya looked up at Verax, with a sudden confidence and determination about her, uncharacteristic of one so young. Her nature had suddenly become an advantage, and one she would certainly use. She could help Verax, she thought, and now it was her responsibility to. Here was her place, for the time being; here was where she was supposed to be. So she smiled a little, despite the chaos of what had just happened, and her eyes shone with a sense of belonging that she believed she'd never felt before. Her expression held nothing but warmth, gratitude, and happiness as she answered him.

"I'll stay. I trust you, Verax." It's Shade that I don't trust. But that won't be a problem. Aya was confident now. She was dedicated, too. She would be loyal, would do everything in her power to do what she could. Maybe she could help Verax fight for control just by being there, at his side. And that was what she'd do.




((Now, as a side note, and to prevent possible future disputes, someone might say that this is kind of gross. That Aya is barely more than a child, and that she already has such loyalty and devotion towards Verax. But there is nothing weird or romantic about it. He is helping her, she will be helping him. He is her idol, her role model, the person she really looks up to. This is devotion like the kind of devotion I would show Jane Goodall if I ever got the chance to help her with her work, since she is my role model. That's what this is, nothing more, not yet.))

{There, posted! Sorry for the wait, Verax!}

Verax smiled. "Thank you." He said, but then a frown came upon his face. "I'm sorry, but I have to prepare for my next attack, which is going to happen immediately. I'm... the outer Alteriian Dimensions are my next target. Luna, show little Ms. Aya to her room. Also, prep the Dragonrider Corps, their first deployment is at hand." As lights lit up to lead Aya to a room, which would be close in proximity to other run-aways in similar situations, mental age, and apparent physical age.

When he was alone, he said aloud to his shadow, looking into it's red eyes. "You will help me crush them. You will serve me." The eyes did nothing but stare back in response, before fading. If they had ever even been there to begin with.

<We need to talk about this>

((John it doesn't matter what you say, I'm not changing this scene. Enough time, roleplay, effort, and thought on my part went into this that it's not going anywhere.))

Okay.