A Mystik is Born...Illusia Aradia Marcine

[Illusia]

The storms raged on outside of the Marcine castle, deep within the lands of the Ancient Arcane Mystiks...It was written and recorded as one of the fiercest storms in all the lands.

Lord Rayden was in his study, sending out missives and preparing for the birth of his twins. He knew it was only a matter of time before they were born...and he would lose his eternal love, Lativa. Again and again, as he had done many nights before...he read over the ancient scrolls of old that foretold his future, as well as that of his unborn babes. The Tomes of the Mystiks held all and knew of all within the lands, born and unborn. Knowing even though their race, the Ancient Mystiks were immortal, he knew within, every immortal had their weakness...and their time...With Mystiks, there were but two ways...Consent to the Elders and Gods...and the taking of your own life. Sitting in the study, Rak at his side, he heard a shrill scream echo through the castle, sending chills through his entire body...and he knew, rising from his seated position he ran through the castle to their chambers to be by her side, as he knew it was time.

Lativa lay in bed, surrounded by lush pillows. Crios already at her side and now Rayden as well...she prepared herself. For two cycles of the moon she was in labor with the twins...the first born, a female babe with ivory skin and soft emerald eyes...Lativa and Rayden named her Illusia Aradia Marcine. Hours later, the second babe was birthed, a male with pale skin and cold, piercing sapphire eyes, whom they chose to name Mazin Ecognince Marcine. With Rayden's arms about her, her twins in her arms, Lativa kissed each babe for the first and the last time...then turning to kiss her husband for the last time in 174 mortal years. Her rune on her neck began to glow the soft silvery light of the Mystiks and she knew it was time...a slight nod to Crios of respect and thanks and a soft word to the Elders nearby as well as the image of the Gods. Her physical body began to leave the Mystik Realms. Rayden, knowing the time and come, held his wife as she gave her physical body back to the lands, returning to the Gods to aide them and watch down over her babes and him, as Crios, Rak and he raised them. Her consent given with a bare whisper, she lay calm and pale in her husbands arms, holding her babes...her physical life ended. Rayden and Crios silently took the babes, settling them in their chambers, and then moved quickly to prepare Lativa's funeral...Having spent 174 mortal years with his wife, it was the hardest thing he would ever have to do, but the with hope and knowledge that one day, after the twins were raised and Illusia was on the throne, he would return to her...that hope lived on in him and gave him the courage he needed as the years went on.

[Illusia]

The twins grew at a frightening pace...even for Mystik children. She took hold of the magics of light while her twin danced within the darkness of the lands. They studied and grew in the time that they spent together being brother and sister...though their bond was never formed. It seemed to the Elders and Rayden that they faught more as enemies than brother and sister, well foretold by the legends.

The legends had foretold that the twins would battle...And that their battle would decide the outcome of many things both ethreal and mortal. It would the battle of light and dark itself and it would have to happen before Illusia's time.

They watched as the twins rose each day and began their training and studies it was odd indeed how the legends proved so true as they watched the two grow. He had grown jealous of the powers that his sister wielded...her ease with controlling the magics of either that she sought, though she strayed from that of the shadows.

Her brother had seemed the one to be able to control them with as much ease as she did the lights...so for the next few years, they wore on together studying and training until one day she had disappeared...

[Illusia]

She was of immortal blood, he was not. She should not have been meeting with him, but she was. She laid there within the hammock as she watched the sun set into the hills, one foot swinging leisurely over the edge as she hummed softly to herself. She was lost in her thoughts, her guard let down and so she did not hear the silent approach of the horse until it was much to late...

The hand clamped over her mouth as she was dragged, gagged and thrown over the horse and she watched as her homelands grew fainter in the setting light of the sun and the symbol of the Ekralan land slowly came into view out of the corner of her eyes, twin serpents dancing within a dark orb shimmered into view. She couldn't understand what was happening, it didn't make sense to her. She was tossed roughly to the hard ground of the land as she stared up towards a very mortal looking man which she assumed to be the boys father. He did not remove the gag only sneered at her as his hand came down hard across her cheek. This was to be her life for the next year as her powers were useless within the land of the Ekralan's, for magic was forbidden here. She awoke every day for a year within the Ekralan home...a slave by force.

He'd cursed her every day for taking his son from him, for bewitching him. He did not understand what his son could have possibly seen in her for she was a witch to the Ekralan...a thorn in their proverbial side. And he woudl end that now. She'd been beaten and broken, but his enslavement had never ensued sexual endeavors, the mark he would leave would forever be ingrained within the woman.

On the year anniversary of her enslavement, she slipped quietly from her bed and into the Ekralan's bedroom...they had grown to trust that she would not stray from her path...and so they had stopped chaining her to the bed...their final mistake as her eyes filled with fury as she watched him sleep...she had taken a simple kitchen knife from the drawer within the modern kitchen and drew it quicky and silently across the mans throat...her body beaten and bruised...her spirit broken and shattered she crept as silently out of the home and walked across the lands back to her homelands to forget...to heal and to move on.

[Illusia]

A few years later after her return...

During a training excercise she had torn a rift in the skies, causing a barrage of rocks to fall down and bury her brother as she laughed softly at her own powers, moving close to see if he was alright...she had stumbled back in awe as he rose from the rubble cursing as he strode out of the castle gates. She was unknowing in what she had actually done as she watched her brother leave, a confused look on her face.

She awoke the next morning to the lands dark and stormy...Confused, she sought her father, who soon told her of Mazin's odd disappearance. He also explained to Illusia that the lands mourned the loss of one of their children, as well as upon his departure, Mazin cursed the lands for six passings of the moon to lay in darkness, silence and fierce storms. Not fully understanding the entire meaning behind this odd phenomenon, she moved to continue her trainings, not wanting anything to slow them despite the darkness over the lands. She competed and trained, emerging the victor in all her competitions, sealing her seat on the throne and her destiny. After the passing of one moon, the storms grew more fierce with her twins rage and all in the land slept and fell silent for the next five passings of the moon, as his rage was felt throughout...

In this time, Mazin returned home to his twin. He stood there, next to her as she slept...he watched her with cold, piercing sapphire eyes and laughed to himself, his voice cold and taunting...

"Foolish woman. Stepping to the throne seals yer fate in the evil that I am. Feel me an know that yer powers are not enough to defeat me."

He then placed his hands upon her stomach, chanting in the dark languages as he impregnated his twin sister with an evil soul within her womb, that would grow in time from her rage to come. Laughing evilly, he watched as the dark light recessed into her body, his voice again cold and chilling...

"Ye knows not what grows within you. Yer rage shall be it's life force an yer demise sister. Join me my sister in my dark walk..."

Nodding, he lifted the darkness away as the lands awakened, his twin not knowing or realizing what had been done. He thought of what would slowly grow within her as she grew and her rage to come gave his child life...He turned his back on her as he did the day of their training and returned to the underworld, anxiously awaiting the coming days...

[Illusia]

The years wore on and no word was ever sent of her brother, no sightings...Not a whim. Illusia grew and claimed the throne as the rightful heir...Spent time within the kingdom...Grew with time, wisdom, beauty and age...Rayden grew tired of his time within the castle. He had told Illusia that the walls within sang nothing but sorrow to him. It was time for her father to return to her mother's side and she nodded. She summoned the great Elders of time and met with them in the council room, where her father and Crios stood as well. It pained her to hear her father's words of growing tired and ill for life but yet she could not imagine what he had gone through when Mother had passed, in raising the twins and then living many years without her. She had only hoped that one day she could experience the love that her mother and father shared. She stood proud next to her father as she watched him sign the parchment, felt his tender kiss upon her forehead and, tears streamed down her face as she watched silently as her fathers physical being shimmered from existence on this plane.

Her fathers last words on the physical plane echoed throughout the chambers...

"I love ye Illusia Aradia Marcine an so does yer mother. Grow strong an dinnae let ana thin' keep ye down."

Tears streaming down her face, she nodded to her father, the elders and Crios. She excused herself from the council room to speak with the Gravers about her father's remains. She moved slowly throughout the castle...Shaking her head. It was all just to much to handle. The Kingdom, the throne and now her father's passing. Sighing she stopped before the doors of the castle in wonder. Wondering now that with her father's passing what would she do. Rak at her side as always, she leaned to him and told him of her plans. He was to send word if anything were to occur, which would need to her to be in attendance within the Kingdom...she said she had needed some time to mourn and find a way to move on...He understood and nodded his concern, saying he would find her once matters of the throne were settled. She nodded to her friend and smiled as she moved through the doors of the great castle. She stood on the outside glancing up at the massiveness of the castle and a sad sigh was offered as she moved towards a soft silver light further off towards the horizon...It seemed to call to her, beckon her to it's warmth and so she stepped through it with a deep breath, not knowing where it would take her...Only hoping it was to a place with less pain than that within the castle walls...

[Illusia]

She stepped through the porthole onto the soft sands of some sort of Isle...emerald eyes moved cautiously about the Isle. It was calming to her. It seemed that this place would bring her troubled soul peace...at least for now. Tiny feet made imprints as she made her way towards the center of the Island, feeling the magic course through her. She smiled to herself as Rak flew overhead, his cry echoing through the Isle. Goblins greeted her, handing her beverages and fruits of different assortments...scrolls and missives were dumped at her feet. Settling on the sands she began to read through them with the earnestness of a child. She read late into the night and the next day. It seemed on Twilight Isle, it was always in the state of twilight. One would never know when the sun rose or the moons began it's descent.

She made her way, sleepily into a place they called the Arena, trying her hand at wielding a sword and finding it not much to her liking, she resorted to watching the duels instead. Seating herself she watched and she learned this thing they called the Duel of Swords, emerald eyes shined with wonder as she did so. She took in so much knowledge in the next few cycles of the moon. She had even found a fancy in someone. He made her presence in this new land a welcomed one. She learned much from him...and it amazed her everyday how much of the land he knew...of the duels and the people...just of common knowledge. As she grew with knowledge, so did their hearts with love. They spent many of their nights on the Isle, hand in hand walking on the warm sands...One night though, he had surprised her as they walked on the sands...Blue light emanating from the sands, they walked closer until she was breathless with the sight...Tears filled her eyes as she saw the roses laid one upon the other, embedded into the Isle sands. She did not know what to say...she lacked the words, all she could do was smile up at him, cherishing the moment.

Nights passed as stories were told late at night on the Isle sands, well after closing. Friends shared in company by the solace of the Isle, wrapped within her arms. It was a place of dreams...love...friendship and laughter. A place where one could go in times of pain to seek comfort...somewhere to go to find enlightenment. Yes the Isle was a place of dreams...And as they sat that night around the campfire that seemed tradition, they sealed their mark of love upon the Isle...The white rose bore her name and the red his...The eternal flame, then thought to never be extinguished...Laughter smiles around the campfire as loved ones held eachother...friends hugged one another and bonds grew even stronger...

It was then that the winds picked up and from the water's line a dragoon appeared and set foot on the sands...The dragoon paced the sands waiting for his charge to be done with her friends before delivering the disturbing news...The news that her brother had found her and was soon coming for her...Upon the Isle...

They both had known that the moment would come that she would have to face her brother again, but what she did not know is that he had planned to fight the battle for her as she watched the winds carefully noting Mazin's arrival on the sands, she had taken the first step towards him and was slammed into a forcefield as he had shimmered to her brother encasing them within a field of protective energy, he smiled to her as they battled...the child within her pulsing with life as it felt his maker near...she shuddered as the final words were to lock her twin away..."As long as my love for you is true, so shall your brother be locked away." With that he magically washed away the darkness within her womb, filling it with the love and laughter of twins to be born...a smile as they faced their first and last hardship together.

After that which she thought to be the passing of Mazin...she was able to move on knowing that she was to be a mother of twins. The nights wore on and their love grew stronger. The night came when she birthed the twins on the very sands where they had met...love and laughter filled their hearts and eyes as they gazed down at their children. Little did she know that she was to be ripped away soon after, Crios took the children back home to have the Elders look over them as they spent some time alone on the Isle. They walked hand in hand down the sands to where the mark was glowing softly on the sands...the twin roses that had bore them name...a gift from him. A toke of his love for her and for all to see as he completed the mark on the sands, two smaller roses snaked into existence bearing the names of each of the twins. She smiled and sighed softly full of happiness and joy...though she knew not that the evil, though washed from her child, was not washed from her and that very evil would tear them apart....

Eight cycles of the moon had passed as they enjoyed the joys of being a family...but it was ill had as the darkness swept through Twilight Isle, ripping Illusia and Setiva away from their home for a time unknown and reasons unknown...though the scroll laid on the desk that would never reach the hands of the one it needed too...torn away she had no choice but to turn her back on her home, family and friends...

[Illusia]

The shadows deposited her and her daughter roughly onto the sands where she had emerged that night so long ago now...emerald eyes moved around as she smiled to herself. She was home again and safe and it seemed that nothing had changed. She thought the legends to be untruths as she moved with haste to seek out her love and their son. Dark times had ripped them apart and in her mind, she was returning to the same in which she had left...though she had not realized until later that the darkness as well had touched the Isle in her abscence.

She watched from a distance the pair before her, sighing and shaking her head. He had found comfort in another's arms in her abscence. It was surprising to her yet it was not, as she had left without word...the scroll had never reached him and she turned away from the image, calling Rak to her side and informing him to send word that she needed to speak with him on matters of their son as soon as it was convienent for him, and the news that she recieved later that night when he arrived at her home, brought her to her knees. Her son was gone...no one had seen or heard from him. She could not believe what he told her, but she knew in her heart regardless of what had happened between them, that he would not lie about the child.

She paced the floor of her home, the warmth of the flames doing little to chill the cold that ran through her at the news she had recieved. How could this be? How could he have "lost" Kolanos? Her mind was racing, her heart was at her feet. Falling down to her knees before the fires, she begged to the Elders to return her son to her...her children were all she had left, they could not possibly rip them from her now..not now. When she had been torn from the Realms, Setiva had been with her and she had let Kolanos visit his father, and now...in her return to find that he had "lost" their son? She felt so helpless and furious, confused and lost all at once, that she could think of nothing else but her son. Their first moon was quick in it's approach and it was just mere days until then. She had not found the heart to tell Setiva yet of the fate of her own twin, yet there was something that tugged at Illusia's soul...

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The message came in the middle of the night, the banging at the door had awakened her from sleep as she padded to the door, lantern in hand as she called out.

"Who tis it?"

"Illusia do not open the door, I've merely come to tell you all will be well. I've found him Illusia. I've found him and I am going now to get our son."

She blinked, frozen in her spot. Had she been dreaming...And with that she had heard the retreating footsteps and knew that she had not been dreaming, but the voice she had heard was indeed Phantom's...he had indeed found Kolanos and would do whatever was in his power to bring her son back home safely to celebrate his first moon with his sister.

She wrapped the robe tighter about her elegant form and moved towards the couch before the fires as she sat and waited. Waited for the inevitable...waited for the doomed...waited for the hope that he had given her with his words. She fell deep into thought as she watched the flickering flames of the fires before her. The darkness of night had since faded from view as she curled up onto the couch, getting a bit more comfortable as her nerves would allow, and oddly enough it was not long before the woman had fallen into sleep on the couch. When the knock came again at the door, she nearly fell off of the couch to try and get to the door as quick as possible, tripping on the carpet and skidding to her knees. She cursed softly but was up and headed towards the door once again at a frightening pace. It seemed only moments before that she had fallen asleep when in fact, it was actually the next day. She was frantic and overwhelmed as she fell to her knees at the sight of her son. Tears filled her emerald eyes as she looked from him to the man that held her son in his arms. She knew in her heart this would be the last goodbye between them, but in all that had been done, he had set it straight on this day by returning Kolanos to her. Though he would never be a part of their lives, they would know who their father was and what extents he had gone to for them. She nodded to Phantom as he turned, his cloak flapping in the breeze as she held her son and daughter close to her and whispered her own goodbye to him as she closed the door softly to the vision departing.

Months turned to winters passed as one winter turned to the next. Illusia continued to duel amongst those gathered on the Isle, growing and letting her heart heal from the events of the past. She had her hands full with the twins coming of age and many that helped her in her ways. She watched as the twins grew in age and knowledge, relishing in her time with them. It seemed that all was set to rest, she had let time heal her wounds and was coming along in her progress in the duels. She had since grown closer to her adopted father and brother, Durax and Cory. They both taught her and the twins many more things of the ways of the Realms. Family away from family is what she had called them. Her own mother and father, already in the Ethreal, she had no "real" family, save the twins and the people she called family in Rhydin.