His scales aching, pulsing his bio-light, they danced as they bathed in his inner light. Back in his original form, larger than his gray, his essence stretched back to fill his limbs, to surround his talons. Thick fog flooded his vision as his onyx orbs struggled to absorb the stimuli present. Blinking, he shuttered as a coarse granular matter swept his vision. Grimacing slightly, he blinked rapidly with his inner and outer eyelid to help dislodge the remnants molesting his vision.

His senses, slowly acclimating to the visceral change as his limbs tingled, his stomachs protruding a pain so swift, causing him to pause. Furiously rumbling, exploding, causing an inner turmoil to present itself, deep hunger pains struck his abdomen.

A low garble sounded nearby. It's intermittence and inflection displayed properties of speech. However, the clicking and screech sounded unfamiliar to him. His mind swam trying to figure out the nature of this thing. Pligal's vision, unfocused, could not provide insight to the originator of the noise. Tensing slightly due to the presence of this thing beckoning to him, Pligal's mind spun.

Again, it sounded the same pattern. Pligal ran his palm over his scaly face. His muscles flexing as the screech faded to tolerable levels. The clicks following did not convey their normal aggressive overtones, now some semblance of understanding followed, sounds forming words, words developing syntax.

"Rise! Child! You were gone far too long." The Terra God has nearly come." An elderly voice called out.

Slowly, sitting up from the ground cushioning him, a thin veil of dust freely fell to the ground from atop his scales. His orbs focused on displaying the world around him. The Seeress' words fell to deaf ears as he took in his surroundings. The stone hovel, the plasma lightly flickering in the pit as the lightening of day snuck through the porthole of the home.

As these images passed before him, he thought of the recent distress the visions provided him. The separation of his beliefs, the eradication of years of tutelage and careful observation, as well as the connection of that other being enveloped in gray garb. Her words, clear to him as the Seeress before him, conveyed warmth causing him to listen intently.

The choice now his own, Pligal could detach himself from the teachings of his kind or amalgamate the feelings and fears of an unknown world or multiverse as the beings described. The beings, once revered as ancestors to his kin, now provided a potentially disastrous view upon his society. A disaster, which could mete out its own justice while annihilating those it trampled underneath.

The Torsons, which held the potential to decimate his people, could do so with impunity. The universe or multiverse would not matter if one world perished. The countless lives in the other lands would move about if nothing ever transpired, as if they did not matter. Seas of gelatinous masses could sweep his people, his kin, into oblivion without the others understanding or concern.

Pain filled his thoracic cavity. All he knew, all he understood, proved false. Sitting up, he realized that was an immediate mistake. The room shook violently against him. The heaviness of his limbs caused him to fall back into the pit, a stream of air escaping as he landed. Dust blew around his weighted body as it thumped against the dry land.

"The ancestors have cause you to be confounded." The Seeress stated musingly. "You forget your bearings, child."

"No," Pligal responded not attempting to rise. "They have destroyed me."

Not directly responding to his statement, the Serress stood and shuffled to a small porthole in the building. A small place where the Terra God shone through. The light shot through the hole bouncing against the multicolored rock and soil. Glittering, it shimmered brilliantly as each reflection gave refracted light towards a broader surface until the whole of the abode erupted in a cascade light. Pligal's eyes refocused while the dust settled upon him. Some lingered in the air, suspended while capturing the brilliance of the Terra God.

"The Terra God." Pligal thought to himself. "This fallacy as well. Nothing watches us from above, save those beings that surrounded us."

The ache within him returned. The gods absconded from his thoughts, leaving behind a void, deep as an abyss with no remuneration in sight. Observing the pain within him, he slowly lifted himself out of the pit. His talons creaked against the rocky surface as he displaced his weight. Turning, he glanced around the lit room due to the beams pulsating from above. The light that held no consciousness. Within this beautiful spectacle, he noticed something unusual within him.

Allowing the sparkles to dance on the walls, he noticed his body relaxed. Allowing the lights to speak to him, to soothe him, his angst faded to a small rumble. Promising to remain, his doubts lingered, yet calmly poked at him. The magic of the lights pierced his orbs, beckoning Pligal to shut these thoughts away and to address them for the future.

"I don't matter right now. Only the clan. Only our survival." He thought to himself. "For her." He thought, remembering Sri. The seywaw who he held dear.

Standing, he resolved himself to not think of the absence of his faith, but rather the salvation of his people.

"Salvation," He thought before worry and concern poured through him. "I never asked them how I was blessed."

Gritting his sharp teeth, he realized his chance to have answers regarding his ability passed. Dropping his head, he ruminated on the conversation with the ethereal creatures. No message about how to harness the blessing from within. Neither did they address the blessing as a whole.

"Ugh." He groaned aloud as he stood gingerly with his faculties nearly returned to him.

"What is it, young one.?" The Seeress inquired. "You sound as if the burden of the eron is upon your shoulders."

"In a sense," Pligal answered quietly. "I did not ask how to control my blessing given from the ancestors."

"Although you have a remarkable skill that was imbued within you, this was not the cause of the ancestors. They do not control your fate. You know this already." She said sternly looking at him.

Shooting a glance towards her, Pligal stood stunned. "You know? How long have you known?!" He said too forcefully.

Returning his gaze, holding it in place, awaiting the calm to return to him, he glared accusatorily towards her, his respect for the elder ones fleeing in his aggression. Looking away, he realized his misstep awaited her guidance. Acquiescing back into his placid being, he stood silently for her to return to the discussion yet remaining unwilling to ask forgiveness for his display of uncharacteristic anger.

"I've communed with the beings above for many cycles." She said shuffling toward a rock that contained perfect grooves for her body. Resting herself inside of it a groan escaped her as her body settled. "Encased in a gray form, I was worthy to stand before them. Testing me with their warm inside, they allowed me to continue to come into their presence. Slowly, they told me of the nature of the world's we are unable to see." Her orbs passed over him before saying, "Like you, I had a companion." She sighed deeply. "Its countenance disturbed my peace. I felt as if I could not look upon it without cringing. Funny that I realize now, it was a part of me." She said as her voice softened, as she glanced away.

Pligal felt a deep discomfort while glancing at this old one reveal so much of her past. A deep sense of intruding upon someone during their most vulnerable moments passed before him. He cringed instinctively at this sensation.

Continuing, she said, "It's rather comical, I find, that I was unable to bear witness to my other self. The anguish of feeling so disgusted by yourself. There is power in understanding this. A power I was unable to realize." She trailed off.

"I don't feel that way with my own," Pligal said to her after a few moments of silence. "I don't feel the need to look away. I feel something strong within it. As my orbs passed over it, I felt the same curiosity from it."

"You mean to say that you both were in that zone?" The Seeress asked lifting herself up.

"Yes, it and I stood before those glowing beings," Pligal responded.

"Incredible." She stated before retreating into her own thoughts. "You must go." She said after many moments. "I need to consult them about this. Never have I seen this before. You hold a deep connection. So profound." The Seeress said with an air of reverence before standing and moving toward her small stash of Sangre.

Turning around, she noted the color in the sky. The passing of the day. Reminded about Zilterra's claim to the Sangre and his motive to call upon the Baron, she pressed Pligal further.

"Go! Quickly, we don't have much time. You cannot be sighted here. Not if you San returns. Leave me." She said as she moved slowly towards the rock formation to settle herself, once more.

Silently, Pligal moved towards the entryway of the stone edifice. His orbs passing over the seeress as she took a long draft from the contents. Moving the skin covering the entrance, the light outside assaulted his vision. Specks of color obscured his sight. Blinking, he stepped forward into the day scrambling to get back towards the care the seywaw. Glancing around as he thundered down the path, he noticed Legionnaires and San, alike, silently stop and stare at him. At the recruit who displayed such power and agility. Also, at the dichotomous realization that he, one who was beaten so brutally, now sprinted around as if no damage befell him.

Many stepped out of his way, to avoid him in reverence. The fellow San stopped mid-barking their orders as their recruits trained under the glare of the scalding Terra god. Bows that, formerly, struck the ground, scales that clacked against the sound of the staffs making contact, abated, the wind carrying their awe of this creature.

Slowing his stride, Pligal nervously glanced around. All of the orbs were upon him. Those who stood in their rigid posture scrambled to get into a better position to see the eron who elicited such regard from the others. Slowing to a meander, Pligal turned to witness how the only quiet reverence lingered in the area. Nervously, he felt scrutinized amongst all of them. A slight unease creeping into his body.

Propelling him forward, he sprinted out of the area as a puff of dust shot past him. Quickly he ran away from all the prying orbs. From the unrequited views upon him. Faster, he felt the ground move underneath him as he doubled his stride. The world around him blurring, a gray film covered his vision as he sped towards the den of healing. Clamoring sounded behind him as they witnessed a yellow rocket fly passed them. The form of an eron lost in the movements due to the swiftness of his movements, swiftness far surpassing any legionnaire, outclassing any eron.

Arriving at his destination quickly, Pligal noticed he did not breathe heavily. His hearts beating minimally within his frame, his muscles not pulling from him in quiet protest. Pligal moved quicker than he ever had without restraint, without the consequence of pain.

Happiness blossomed within him, "Ah, I've missed you, my blessing."

Placing a fist of closed talons to his chin, closing his orbs as he slowed to a walk before the entrance of the deep pathway. Downward he continued the path, being absorbed by the darkness of the tunnel. Deeper he proceeded, as two shadows of slender creatures stood in the distant pathway. One of the figures remaining statuesque while the other started to exhibit emphatic gestures towards Pligal's delay in returning. Moving closer, into the light, he saw the young seywaw who beckoned him to hurry. Sri, the one who caused him to stand up on his own, to push back his regret and discomfort and proceed to focus on the whole of his species, the Ak-Wo, now placed above the rest of his people, the Eron. 

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