Grandma's House

Flying through the air would become an issue as I stopped over an expansive forest. What was this place? I don’t recall seeing it anywhere before. Come to think of it, where exactly was I? I had been flying for nearly two hours and now I really had no idea where I was. The gate was nowhere to be found, and after all the time I had spent down here I was definitely late reporting in. taking a breath to calm myself, I would look across the large set of forest, gazing at it even though it disappeared into the horizon. The sun was bright and overhead it felt like my body was on fire. I had no water, and no place to rest. My eyes would shift to a clearing in the trees, which looked like a perfect place to get some momentary rest in while figuring out where in the hell I was at. This entire realm was strange to me, and the last thing I needed to do was get stuck down here with no way of getting back. A light breeze would cross my body as I came to the tree tops, right before I disappeared into their shadows. Coming to a complete halt, my body would set down on the forest floor before turning and looking around. So many new things, new sights and sounds, were all around me. I would have to come back here one day and document all of this. For the most part, I couldn’t see anyone else, so maybe this forest was devoid of life. At least, that was what I mostly hoped for. The last thing I needed was to run into a giant critter out here.

290

The sun was definitely hotter than what I had expected. Even though I was in the shade, the musk from the heated trees was like a cooled steam room. Dropping to the side, the white robe would fall from my shoulders only to hit the ground next to a tree. It was far too warm to wear something like that right now. My jacket would come off, and I would be left wearing a white shirt. I may have to start considering these exploration trips a form of camping and come out here better prepared. After all, it still was considered the forbidden land. The entire reason we didn’t come down here wasn’t to preserve our own society, it was because something about this place we feared. Maybe it held the truth to what occurred twenty years ago. That was my hope anyway. I had betrayed the rules, and exited through the giant broken gates for the third time. This time, however, was completely different. I was lost, stuck in the woods under a giant melting pot of a son, and had no idea how to get back to the Oceanside. I figured if I picked a direction to move, I could just go that way until I hit water. Unfortunately, that didn’t really all work out too well for me.

what I didn't expect in this forest of a wasteland was another being. taking my attention to the left, I would stop, bringing my eyes on what appeared to be another figure, clad in red.
"....."

273 / 563
Training : Bolt (Novice -> Trained) [563]

I would stand there, cautiously not moving. While my instinct told me to take to the skies, it was rather hot and I wasn’t about to leave the robe of my master laying here where someone else could lay their hands on it. I was highly protective of only two things in this world. The ring my master gave to me, and the robe he handed down as sign of mastery. There would be blood before anyone touched it, regardless of their purpose. Keeping still, the figure continued to approach me until a voice entered my ears. Female? A sigh of relief was released before I gave myself a moment to relax. What an interesting question, would more be added to it… I could always take my pants off and cool down, but not in the presence of a lady. I didn’t know what kind of demeanor they had down here, but that was highly disrespectful of an action when in the higher realms.
“Actually, it is quite warm today and I felt like cooling off. I found this clearing and have been enjoying the shade for several minutes.”
My arms would cross, grabbing the bottom of the white shirt before I lifted it up across my chest and shoulders, removing it from my body. The result would be a carefully chiseled frame, slender but muscular from hours of training every day. Shaking my head, beads of sweat would be thrown off golden blonde strands of hair before I stopped and smiled at her.
“that cloak must be hot in this weather..”

282 / 282
Training : Bolt (Novice -> Trained) [563]

Finally, a response from her. The shirt would drop from my hands onto the small pile of my clothes. Crossing my legs my body would slide down to a sitting position in the shade. It was rather nice right here. The shade, the breeze, it was rather cooling and I enjoyed it. There were new sights and sounds in this forest that I had never heard of, and it kept my curiosity at its unfortunately high peak. "Are there hotter places than this down here?" I hadn't really thought about it, but this was so far the hottest place I had ever been to. Even out in the crystal groves there wasn't a place like this. It was humid and still hot, making my clothes heavy and sticky. Thankfully, this clearing was conveniently placed to rest in. "Little red riding hood? that's an interesting nickname. Names Ashurei. Are you from around here? This doesn't seem like the kind of place anyone would want to ever visit, let alone live in. I figured there would at least be some interesting ruins to explore or something before I left, but it's turned up pretty empty."
I would sigh, letting my head drop onto a fist whose elbow was resting on my leg. This female was definitely an interesting one.

245 / 527
Training : Bolt (Novice -> Trained) [563]

A place that was sand and heat and sun? that really, really didnt sound like a place that I would ever think about going to. I was ready to start complaining about this place as a disastered environment, but maybe it wasn't so bad in the bigger picture. With the girl sitting next to me, I looked at her basket rather strangely. Why someone would carry a basket I didn't know, unless it had a specific occupational function. It would be rude of me to ask while not knowing her. She was different from the other female I had met. What was her name. Senna? something like that. Anyway, not important right now.
"So, you have been here for a while and you don't leave? I don't really understand what could possibly cause someone to stay in this barren place for too long, let alone live here. How do the villages survive? I assume there are animals and other critters to hunt for their sustenance, but other than that, it seems like an almost uninhabitable place to be. Do you have an objective here, or are you an explorer? There is probably a lot of history buried in these woods that could lead us to understanding what happened back then." I would sigh while looking out across the forest. It had gotten pretty quiet, and that gave me a rather odd feeling.

256 / 783
Training : Bolt (Novice -> Trained) [563]

Well now, I actually didn’t expect her to answer my questions . After all, we had just met and it was odd for people to communicate to casually and without formality where I came from. I would lean back, placing my back and head against the large tree we were under. It really was beautiful. I sighed while listening to her answers finished, until one of them got my attention. An estate? What was that? A camping type person? What did she mean by that? It seemed the language and syntax for structures were slightly different from where I came from.

"An estate? What is that? I don't really understand what camping is either. I'm not from this plane of existence, and am exploring everything I can as to document all of it. To us, this realm is the forbidden land, a place where we are forbidden to venture into. I figured we may be able to find answers to what happened down here since we rebuilt our socieity ontop of the destruction of the old one. How do you keep searching for something if you don't even really know what it is? It's a bit of a strange idea to me, if that makes sense. I feel like you should have an objective you wish to seek, and then begin searching. Why don't you like the people in the villages, or why do they not like you? Is it ancient superstition?"

I hated asking so many questions but I found her answers to be of great interest. She had been truthful (I think) up until now, and I may be able to learn a bit from her while here.

300 / 1,083
Training : Bolt (Novice -> Trained) [563]

So many more answers. I watched interestingly as she lowered her hood, revealing what looked to be a bone abnormality. It was almost as if she bore horns like the beasts of olde. There were creatures who had things like that where I came from, but were quickly dispatched as evil. Were they the natural enemy of ours? I felt an urge to ask that question, but refrained. There would be a moment of silence before I answered to one of her comments. "Yea.. I'm from up there.." I knew she smelled differently, not like the other two I had came across, but something different. I was curious to why our two seperate entities had a natural hatred of each other. From what my master had taught me years ago, there was a balance that needed to be kept. They were the yang to our yin, and without one side, the other would dominate. we needed their chaos and destruction to balance out our healing and complacency. Without their anger and hate, we could never progress forward ourselves. Yep, I remembered it all rather clearly. Unfortunately, that entire lesson didn't really make much sense to the situation I was in right now. This one, well, whatever she was, wasn't an angry raging psychopathic killer or anything. well, maybe she was and I just didn't know it.
"I know what you mean. I woke up with no memories, and wondered through the city until I found others. We all came together to rebuild our society using what we could find. all of it was based off of the construction designs of the old times, but you can still tell there is a difference. I don't know what I'm searching for down here, I just know the answer is here, somewhere. It has to be down here. You don't know why you hate them, but you do anyway. Do they attack your kind?"

358/ 316
Training : Bolt (Novice -> Trained -> Honed) [563, 1,125]

Maybe there was a way to figure things out down here. It was nice to know that all of the realms were absent of memories past that date. There had to be some bigger event that occurred to make that happen. I would have ended my curious questioning there had she not mentioned the above, and below. Did that mean that there were other realms besides ours, and this one? I thought that the evil ones came from down on this plane. Maybe this was the middle ground, a great battlefield to be used between our races. That would be pretty sweet. I was still wanting to ask another question, but I withheld and restrained myself from prying too much. I was starting to get a bit hungry for some reason, and she had mentioned hunting. I had yet to try any of the food from this realm, but if I made it myself then I could be sure it was safe to eat. Maybe this girl was like the other one I encountered on that day at the beach. Heh ad an interesting ability, so maybe she had some tricks too...

"You're probably right. So, you said that there were placaes to hunt down here. What kinds of creatures do they hunt? Do you hunt?"

230 / 546
Training : Bolt (Novice -> Trained -> Honed) [563, 1,125]

Well, that was definitely an interesting response. I enjoyed her answers to my questions, as they were not answers I would normally recieve frmo any other being. that truly gave me a level of uniqueness to this one. I may have to remember to visit her more often if I continue these exploration trips. What she finished with, however, definitely got my attention. "Make it kill itself..." That was quite a thing to say, especially from a lady. Could this be that level of suttle barbaricy I had been anticipating? Maybe, or maybe not. Either way, I wanted to find out more. In the upper realm we all worked as a collaborative group for the greater good. It seemed like the people of this realm may do the same, but for a different purpose. Our survival was almost guaranteed, so we didn't hunt or do anything that wasn't out of necessity. I was going to kick myself for asking this question later. The last thing I needed was to start an argument with someone who could make creatures kill themselves. It was a rather bothersome thought to have individuals with that kind of power. It wasn't like I was discrediting my own abilities or anything, but the more I explored down here, the more I was concerned for our way of life in the heavens.

"You make it kill itself before you eat it? How is something like that possible?"

270 / 253
Training : Bolt (Novice -> Trained -> Honed) [563, 1,125]
Training : Re-Wires (Novice -> Trained) [563]

Now she turned the tables towards me. It was an interesting question, and almost a request. She had told me about her power to use some form of innate mental ability. It sounded like it could be of a lot of use if used properly. What could I do? I had been taught to keep our art a secret unless absolutely necessary. However, I felt like I could almost trust this strange one. Would it be okay for me to explain it? Probably not. I could definitely demonstrate without revealing the secrets behind our sacred art. The single inheritance has been passed to me with full understanding that only one person in the future would get to utilize these abilities.

"watch..."
My legs would fold upwards, coming to a forty-five degree angle while I rested against the tree. Placing my right arm across my knees, a single finger would extend. Slowly, a breath would be taken in, causing negative energy to filter down my hand and gather in the fingertip. A light blue glow would appear for a brief moment, right before I exhaled, colliding a positive charge with it. The result was simple. A bolt of lightning would be released from my fingertip before striking a tree across from us.

"Ka-Bang..."

247 / 500
Training : Bolt (Novice -> Trained -> Honed) [563, 1,125]
Training : Re-Wires (Novice -> Trained) [563]

“Yep, I have a lot of energy inside me that I can use. I’m assuming you are one as well.” After all, that made sense to me more than anything. Humans wouldn’t have horns. At least, I didn’t that they would. Maybe it was just me, but I may have over done it a bit. The edge of my finger tingled, which had never happened before. Bringing my gaze across to the tree, I would notice that the damage was a lot more than I had actually anticipated it being. My eyes would shift towards a small animal, a rabbit? I had trained it for a few years, but i had never seen it react that violently. Maybe there was a reason for it. I followed the rabbit until the girl hopped to her feet. "This is my third day here. I normally only come down here for a few hours at a time but I got turned around and ended up here, so I actually have no idea how to get back up there. This place can be kinda confusing if you don't pay attention. I have mostly avoided the humans today, and focused on getting the hell out of here."

Standing up, my right arm would grab the white shirt and pull it up and over my head before sliding it down my body. It had dried off in the shade, and was rather cool to wear now. Whether or not I was going to be putting that jacket back on was beyond me. It was definitely still hot, and I had no intention of roasting anymore. I could carry it without problem, but I knew taht it would have to come back on eventually. "So, I'm stuck for a while, and you are searching for something that you don't know. Anything you want to do?"

317 / 817
Training : Bolt (Novice -> Trained -> Honed) [563, 1,125]
Training : Re-Wires (Novice -> Trained) [563]

Yea, I had been out here all day, and hadn't found a way to return yet. this had only been a simple morning exploration trip, but somehow I got turned around, and lost sight of the gate. Once I was out of its sight range, it has proven rather difficult to find my way back to it. If i had some sort of map.. that was an idea. I could use what I knew about this land to make a map of all of it as I explored it. this way, I could continually add onto my map and not really have to ever worry about getting lost since I could retrace my steps to get back to a portion of it that I was previously familiar with. I would have to start on that project as soon as I got back from this mis-adventure. Taking a look at the rabbit, then back at her, I wondered what she intended. That was when she posed a rather simple question of whether or not I was hungry. I didn't want to deny that I was, but I also didn't want to deny that I had never killed an animal before. Come to think of it, I had never really killed anything, so what it came down to was whether or not I could actually do it. On the flipside, maybe the female could do it and that way I wouldn't relaly have to worry about any of that at all. After a moment or two of thought I would finally be able to formulate a proper response to her question while thinking about her next objectives for exploration.

"I am a little bit hungry, but I have never killed, nor have I any skill with cooking. Up there, we are each in our own area of specialization and contribute tot he greater good of everyone. We have people who can cook, and do it well."

312 / 004
Training : Bolt (Novice -> Trained -> Honed) [563, 1,125]
Training : Re-Wired (Novice -> Trained -> Honed) [563, 1,125]

I listened carefully to her words. after all, she had been here a great deal longer than I had.. by her lifetime minus three days. To scale that would be impossible for me right now. I didn't exactly want to kill something that could be used harmoniously. On the other side, there really was no other way to do it other than get it over with quickly. Unfortunately, she took the alternative route. I would stand there, watching the rabbit barbarically smash its head into a tree until it killed itself. She couldnt have told it to sit there and knife it? I really didn't know how I felt about what I just saw, all I knew was that I was speechless.

"well.. that's one way to do it.."

117 / 121
Training : Bolt (Novice -> Trained -> Honed) [563, 1,125]
Training : Re-Wired (Novice -> Trained -> Honed) [563, 1,125]

I would continue to watch, with a bit of indifference becoming complacent. It wasn’t that it was an urge to lecture, but more of a feeling of hostility. That type of ability would be rather dangerous in the hands of people who bore ill will towards others. I was slightly worried that she may attempt to use that on someone at some later time. All of my thoughts on this, however, would snap away as I watched her pick up the blood stained carcass and carry it over. Did I eat meat raw? Of course not, what kind of savage would do that? All food had to be cooked. Unfortunately, I didn’t know how to cook that well, and the tools for cleaning were upstairs still. This put me in a rather difficult position. However, the position was cleared when the smell of the dead animal put my hunger aside.
“There isn’t much meat on that, so go ahead and help yourself. I can wait until I get back up there.”
Wanting to change subjects, I decided to ask her a question that had been on my mind for a few minutes now. Earlier she had mentioned ‘down there’, and I was wondering what that place was. Maybe this really was the middle realm, and there were upper and lower realms. Either way, I really wanted to know.
“Earlier you said that you went down below and there are more like you down there. Does this mean that there are more realms than just this one?”

270 / 391
Training : Bolt (Novice -> Trained -> Honed) [563, 1,125]
Training : Re-Wired (Novice -> Trained -> Honed) [563, 1,125]

A completely different realm? That sounded like it could be of some interest in figuring out what happened before the dawn. I had originally thought that the answers would be down here, but it seemed that this place was just as much screwed as our old civilization was. Maybe there was a completely different realm, devoid of damage and destruction that was the cause of all of our pain and strife. I was unsure of whether that was an accurate conjecture but I was rather willing to go with it for now. After all, it made sense to me right now. I would have to visit this other realm and see for myself if it held the answers I was seeking. Unfortunately that would have to wait, as I still had a lot to do on this realm first. There were humans who were living like wild animals, and humans living with a rebirthed culture where they have banned together like in my own home. I was curious to why the entire realm hadn’t been united as one for the greater good. Come to think of it, the only thing that I had seen really close to being a progressive entity was up on the northern coasts. I would have to return there and get some more answers to how they became like that, and dig deeper into their history as a united people.
“Our people are united, but we all have a common goal. We have no distinct leadership caste like some of the places down here. Are you really strong?”
It was an open ended question meant to let me gauge her. I didn’t want her to know that we were not united under a single banner in the heavens. That type of information may bring a hassle in the future, and that was something I did not want to be responsible for.

330 / 721
Path unlocked : Leader of Men, Political
Training : Bolt (Novice -> Trained -> Honed) [563, 1,125]
Training : Re-Wired (Novice -> Trained -> Honed) [563, 1,125]

She had given me quite the answer I had expected from her. It had a proper direction, but was still an open ended one, allowing me to interpret it however I felt. Right now, I felt like testing my boundaries and seeing how strong I was comparatively to the other spiritual race. After all, if I was going to be down here I needed to gauge my own abilities and strengths properly to survive. I didn’t have an entire civilization fighting beside me against one common threat or enemy. It was just me. While I did have a bit of concern of that realization, I figured a small test would be more than significant, based on her answers. I wondered just how strong her mental ability was, and whether her mental prowess could contain a being of intellect, and not just wild animals. It made sense that wild animals, who have little personal will power, would not be able to withstand that form of control, but could I?
“Try it. You can bend the will of a rabbit easy enough, but what about a higher being, such as myself? I am curious to how strong that little trick of yours is. Would you mind another demonstration?”While I knew this probably wasn’t the smartest thing I had done all day, I figured to hell with it. I may as well get a little bit of learning out of it. After all, she was being rather generous with her answers. I was wondering why she hadn’t asked me any, even though I was more than willing to give her any answer that she wanted.

290 / 11
Path unlocked : Leader of Men, Political
Training : Bolt (Novice -> Trained -> Honed) [563, 1,125]
Training : Re-Wired (Novice -> Trained -> Honed) [563, 1,125]
Learned : Lightning Burst

I would stand there while she made her decision. Luckily for me, that didn’t take too long. I kept my stance firm, and would watch her very carefully, anticipating what was about to come. Her entire demeanor began to change, giving me a glimpse at the true spirit of the other kind. I guess I could officially call them the fourth kind now. The energy that swirled around me was dark, cold, and felt rather disturbing. My body would not move on its own, and even though I could feel myself here, it was as if I wasn’t. Slowly, my arms would reach for my shirt before I took a deep breath.
“re..wire.”The energy across my body would stop flowing, disrupting the dark energy that had invaded. My own muddy, unrefined energy would be forcefully filtered through all nine energy points across my body, re-firing my entire body’s mechanical systems while overrunning the energy that had invaded. The result would be a blue shock of electricity across my body that would sizzle outwards in a quick burst. Her technique was a unique one, and while it was practical for survival in these environments, my originally thoughts on it had been close to accurate.
“that was.. interesting to say the least. I didn’t know you liked your men without proper attire…”

251 / 262
Path unlocked : Leader of Men, Political
Training : Bolt (Novice -> Trained -> Honed) [563, 1,125]
Training : Re-Wired (Novice -> Trained -> Honed) [563, 1,125]
Learned : Lightning Burst

The static feeling had the hair on my arms standing up. My body would twist for a moment while I got my muscles back under control. I had rarely ever needed to use something like that, and restarting my entire body was a bit of a pain. The result though was what I had expected. Her bind was of a spiritually magical base, and that was something that I could break free from. I listened to her words about watching me, and took great interest in them. I would also be looking out for her, especially since I was eager to see how far her own abilities would be able to progress. I had an intention of getting home before the day was over, and that was something that should probably get started soon. With the sun finally taking a dive towards the horizon, I figured it wouldn’t be as hot anymore. Picking up my jacket, I would throw it across my body before doing the same with my robe.

“You are rather interesting as well. I have enjoyed spending time discussing the ways of this world, and look forward to another run in with you at a later time. “
I was confident she could take care of herself, but nevertheless I gave a kind word of warning and caution to her, just to satisfy myself.
“be careful and take care.”

245 / 507
Path unlocked : Leader of Men, Political
Training : Bolt (Novice -> Trained -> Honed) [563, 1,125]
Training : Re-Wired (Novice -> Trained -> Honed) [563, 1,125]
Learned : Lightning Burst

A quick smile would be given before leaning forward. The lean would be accompanied by a sharp bending of the knees before I kicked off the ground and shot into the air at full speed. The direction would change, and I would shift back towards where I had originally come from. As expected and thought, the sun was making its decline and there was a nice breeze across the tree tops. Gaining altitude, I would move up towards the clouds first, attempting to use them to mask my presence. At that kind of height, anyone who saw me could confuse me with a large bird or something of that nature.
I hoped that girl would stay out of trouble, but more than that, I hoped I could figure out how to get back before nightfall. After all, I was not about to sleep down here when I had a perfectly good bed in the upper realm.

- exit -

165 / 672
Path unlocked : Leader of Men, Political
Training : Bolt (Novice -> Trained -> Honed) [563, 1,125]
Training : Re-Wired (Novice -> Trained -> Honed) [563, 1,125]
Learned : Lightning Burst

Sent to UYB