What lays within (Closed, Taiko)

Cinna never slept well these days. Her dreams, if you could call them that, where filled with vivid, horrid scenes from her past. Generally, they were about her father. Already he was a rather large man but, in these dreams, he appeared monstrous in nature. His physical features exaggerated to the extremes so that he appeared to the beast she always saw him as. Sometimes she found herself in a vast wasteland and being chased by armies of his minions while he sat in a thorny gold throne that rested upon a mountain of skulls. With nowhere to hide Cinna was forced to run into the empty, twisted landscape to get away from her father. No matter how hard she pushed herself it was if her legs were formed of rock as they dragged through the dust and dirt. While she could escape her father in the real world it seemed she couldn't in her dreams.

Scrapping her lead like feet across the ground she didn't dare to glimpse over her shoulder at what she knew was rapidly approaching. Already she could feel the sickly, moist breath of the demon armies that were going to sweep across her like a crashing wave. It seemed that no matter how much strength she put into her stride no amount of shear power could move quicker than her sails pace. Just as the dawning presence from behind grew to a climax Cinna felt the weight that had been placed upon her body lessening as if a boulder had been lifted from her shoulders. With this weight taken from her Cinna felt the slightest twinkle of hope flutter in her chest. Perhaps she would be able to finally get away? With a renewed spirit Cinna attempted to charge forward with everything she had left but no matter how hard she pushed herself she didn't move. Finally glancing down at her body, a chilling freeze pierced her heart deeper than any knife could. It was as if some unseen force was holding her in the air!

"What's going on!" Cinna screamed, her voice coming out wrapped and off pitch in this strange world.

"I've got you now Cinna." The all too familiar fear inducing voice boomed across the void, striking Cinna with the force of hurricane.

Being forced to turn around Cinna was slowly dragged towards the behemoth form of her father whose bloated, and rotting form rested upon his throne. Screaming curses and insults Cinna kicked and pulled to grasp at her freedom but every attempt was only met with more resistance to the point that it was painful to move. The agony Cinna found herself in was like nothing she'd experienced before. Being pulled at such a snail pace the torment of being brought back to her father was greatly extended. Floating in the air toward her doom felt like an eternity and every moment her father taunted Cinna. He bettered her. Mocked just how weak and useless she was. Before long she found herself face to face with the man who was her father. Tears now flowed freely from wide, fear filled eyes at the hellish creature she was now forced to look at. With a smug shit eating grin the creature opened its mouth and devoured Cinna whole. The heat and moisture of the gaping maw washed over Cinna leaving her to hold what little breath she held.

"You're mine forever." The demonic voice was the last thing Cinna heard before jerking awake from her nightmare.

"No!" Throwing the blanket from her sweat laced body Cinna stumbled a few steps away from the campsite before collapsing onto her trembling knees. Heart racing, gasping for air and with shaking hands Cinna was so caught up in her hellish world that she didn't take much notice of just how much her camp site had change. Rolling up against a nearby tree Cinna sat there in a shivering silence for some time. Nightmares like this happened to her, but that one had been so much worse than the rest. As if she had been floating through the air... and... wait.... With the sudden realization of something being off Cinna glanced up to see that her little camping area had changed. Not only that but she found herself in the company of someone else.

"What? Who the hell are you?" Cinna managed to blurt out through blushed cheeks and scorn filled eyes. Part of her was embarrassed that this stranger had seen her weeping like a child. Then there was the other part that wished for nothing more than to kick his ass. Just who was he and why wasn't she at her camp.

After listening to Taiko's explanation Cinna didn't really feel any less angered at the whole situation.

"Well that's one hell of a way to ask someone for help, geez." Glancing off to one side Cinna flipped a few strands of stray hair from her face giving her a few moments to think.

"Well I doubt he's with my dad. Normally they don't try to wine and dine me. Not only that but dad's minions are ugly...." Cinna thought as she glanced at Taiko once more.

"-but not that ugly." Continuing the thought Cinna played with a few blades of grass giving her the chance to calm down. Wiping her teary eyes with back of her sleeve Cinna slowly made her way back to where the fresh hunk of meat rested upon the make shift leaf. Careful as to not allow the stranger out of her sight she grabbed the chunk of dinosaur meat and began to dig in. Taiko was right about one thing; her appetite was ravenous. While crackers would always hold a special place in her heart they didn't really compare to the sweet, meaty juices that were now filling every inch of her mouthing mouth.

"Oh my god... so good." She managed to purr through a mouth full of the tender meat. Chewing quietly in silence gave Cinna a few moments to study Taiko.

"You know... if I didn't know any better I would think he's a demon. I mean... he kind of looks like he would be one of us. The dark hue of skin is a pretty good sign and then there's the horns. But something about him is off. Maybe it's all the bandages." Taking massive chunks out of her meal Cinna glanced at him for a few more moments before swallowing.

"What's so special about this egg? Or more to the point. Is it expensive?" Cinna questioned seeming to be somewhat interested in what Taiko had to say. After all she had come to this cursed place to find wealth. Maybe it was fate that allowed their paths to cross.

"Wait you want to kill these ancient creatures?" Cinna blurted out with chucks of meat flying from her lips.

"That's pretty messed up. Why do you have to kill them? If the egg is so rare then logic would state that there isn't many of these creatures left running around." Cinna explained thinking back to the volumes of biology books she used to read.

"It would be best to just take the egg and not harm the creatures. If you kill them that could be the end of their species, but if you let them live well they can make more eggs." Again, she tried to sway Taiko's opinion on the matter and ended up sounding like a full-blown nerd at the same time.

"Ugh. All I'm missing is a pair of glasses and a text book. I kind of want to kick my own ass now." Cinna thought sulking silently to herself.

Before Taiko had any chance to respond to Cinna's string of comments a sudden burst of movement from the surrounding thicket pulled their attention. Plunging from the depths of the dark woods a massive shadow poured into the brightness of their small clearing. Over ten feet tall, covered in leathery scales and claw tipped limbs the creature was certainty from a different era all together. Not having creatures like these in the demon realm this sight was a first for Cinna and while she would have liked for nothing more than to study the creature it posed an imminent threat to Taiko.

"Watch- !" The single word slipped through her lips in attempt to warn her new acquaintance, but it came a few seconds to late. For a moment there, Cinna had feared the worst; that the creature had swallowed Taiko and he was now being dissolved in gastric juices.

"Well there's some irony there." Had someone hadn't just been devoured in front of her she might have laughed at the thought.

"Wait... what the f-... hell." Even in the most stressful moments like this she managed to bite her lip before the curse slipped past.

While it seemed like the creature had taken a dive and gulped Taiko down in one fine swoop there he stood as if nothing had happened. As Cinna studied Taiko it became clear from his opacity that his form had somehow... slipped from this reality, or something of the sort. Having been just as fooled as Cinna was the creature continued its mighty thrashing of the under growth before slamming head first into a tree with a dreading crack. Flinch with a wincing grin Cinna turned away from the dead creature and back to Taiko.

"That was certainty... unexpected." Cinna brushed a few strands of hair from her face absentmindedly as she was unsure what to feel about what just happened.

"Human?" Cinna thought as she peered down at her body.

"Oh, right. I do look rather human, don't I?" A smile spread across her lips at the thought. Often mistaken as being human Cinna had eventually just gotten over the fact that people couldn't tell her apart from a demon. The first times it happened she was rather insulted, but after spending enough time in human society she got used to it. For all physical means it would have been near impossible not to see her as a human; so, a human she became.

"Right. I'll see what I can do." Muttering softly under her breath Cinna went about gather what few things she brought. Once she was certain that she crammed everything back into her little bag she turned and gave Taiko a slight nod.

"Ready as I'll ever be I guess." She noted glancing back at the deceased creature once more.

Dusting off her clothes with the palms of her hands Cinna came to stand next to her new exploring buddy.

"Hmm? Oh. Right. My names Cinna." Taking a few steps back Cinna performed a small curtsy towards Taiko. It was a tad difficult considering she didn't have a dress or skirt, but the form was flawless none the less.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Taiko. Oh... and thanks for the meal." Blushing and with eyes evading Cinna spoke softly.

"WELL! Time to explore!" With her voice increasing in volume Cinna took charge and led the way deeper into the dark woods.

Having taken charge of the expedition now Cinna carved a path deeper into the woodlands heart, at least she hoped so. Under the thick canopy and tangling vines that kept blocking her path it was hard to keep any sense of direction. Moving was difficult enough without having to stop every few moments to clear a path with twisting roots latching at her feet. Then there was the lack of any real light. The high trees with their broad leaves soaked up most of the sun light. What little streaks of light were left hardly retained any real strength by the time they touched her pale cheek.

"If it didn't destroy everything in my path it would be so much easier to just blow these trees up." Cinna thought bitterly snapping another vine that ceased her stride.

"And if it wasn't for the fact that we'd probably miss these creatures if we flew above the trees I'd totally do it." Recovering her balance after tripping over an exposed root Cinna cursed softly.

Continuing to talk to herself Cinna kept plowing through the ever-thickening woods that enveloped them. The ever-slowing movement was a sign that they were reaching the deeps parts of the forest, but it also meant the going was getting much more difficult. When Taiko had found Cinna napping on the forest floor her clothes were already in bad shape. Now with the snagging of stray branches she was finding her outfit was becoming more skin than cloth and there wasn't much cloth to being with.

Caught up in her own thoughts Cinna paid little attention to was going on just a dozen or so feet behind her as Taiko wrestled with a snake that could eat a school bus for a snack. Hearing the extra sounds of Taiko as he struggled in the creatures grasp she didn't think much on it. Given his size it wasn't as though walking through this underbrush was as easy as it was for Cinna's petite figure. Those horns of his weren't doing Taiko any favors either.

"Try being a little bit more quiet back there. Walking around like that every creature nearby will hear you." Cinna whisper from over her shoulder without taking her eyes off the path ahead of her.

Given what Cinna had seen of Taiko's powers not that long ago the thought never crossed her mind that he might be in danger until a monstrous creature flew through the canopy and carried his yelling form into the sky.

"Seriously?" Drooping her shoulders Cinna sighed in disbelief at what had happened to the strange alien.

"You can take on a rampaging, twenty-foot, razor clawed raptor but not a featherless bird?" Leaning against the rough bark of a nearby tree Cinna rubbed her chin in thought.

"He did tell me to follow him using 'stealth' but I'm pretty sure I can take on a bunch of flying chicken easily. They aren't the smartest creatures after all." Having taken a small sip from her canteen Cinna wiped her mouth with the back of hand.

"Then again... I don't know much about this place. I mean other than it's filled with dinosaurs. A forest like this, who knows what else could lay within its depths." With that thought Cinna felt a cold trickle roll down her spine feeling like all manner of creatures were now stalking her from the shadows.

Lifting herself from the forest floor Cinna broke through the packed canopy and into the fresh light of the summer day. The cool breeze that blew through her clothes and across her face was a welcome surprise after being in the muggy, stale air of the forest below. Now free from the green prison Cinna glanced around the open skies and could make out the distant forms of the bird like creatures. Though they had cleared a great deal of distance since they kidnap- mannap- alien-napped him it wouldn't take her long to get caught up.

"Hmm I wonder if they are planning to feed him to their young? Such beautiful creatures. I should read about them when I get home." Making a mental note for future research Cinna began the flight to where ever the creatures were heading. As Taiko had mentioned using stealth probably wasn't the worst idea at the moment. Keeping her speed at a moderate pace Cinna continued her flight as she slipped in and out of the highest trees.

Cinna arrived at the birds nesting area not long Taiko had, the only difference was that she wasn't chained to a metal pole as if this was a witch burning. Ironic for the fact that if she was the one tied up it really would have been a witch burning. Rather than jump right out and help Taiko from where he was chained Cinna took a chance to glance around the area. Whatever spot they now found themselves seemed to be a camping ground of some sort and a massive one to boot. Crude furniture made of stone lay, a wooden table whose legs where larger than Cinna herself and a pit black cauldron that could have fit an elephant. Then of course there were the ACTUAL giants who towered over Taiko.

"Wow! This is so cool!" Cinna whispered with glee behind a clasped hand. While they did have giant people in the demon realm they weren't like the ones she saw now. The two who looked hungrily at Taiko seemed a tad less... refined than the giants she was used to seeing and less demonic of course. No, if she had to guess these were a type of mountain giant that lived on rocky outcroppings, or deep within a mountain range. Given where she currently stood Cinna guessed it was the former.

Unable to contain her excitement any longer Cinna hopped out from behind the boulder she had been using as a hiding spot.

"Hello!" Cinna called out as she made her way over to the two, three-eyed giants. Coming to a stop a short distance away from the three figures Cinna waved up at the giants.

"This is so cool! I've always wanted to meet a real life giant! Pardon for asking but are you High Mountain Giants or Sub-mountain Giants?" Her words fell from her mouth quickly as the excitement flowed from her body like a waterfall.

"Oh. Hi Taiko! I like your new friends." Cinna giggled with a soft blush to her cheeks. Whenever her hyper intelligent side came out she often became rather energetic and over looked things easily.

At the mention of being a slave Cinna's brow sunk into a dangerous scowl towards the massive humanoid. Already she had escaped servitude to one master she wasn't about to allow herself to fall into the hands of another. Even worse was the fact that the giant was even uglier than the demon who she was supposed to wed.

"Listen here bub." Cinna extended her arm out, so her index finger was pointing directly at the less intelligent of the three giants.

"I more than willing to have a meal with you but try to make me into a slave and I'll-" But before Cinna had the chance to complete her threat Taiko had managed to slip from his bindings. Raining a hell storm of splintery timbers Taiko assaulted the three beings in a dangerous volley. Standing off to one side Cinna watched the display with her arms crossed one over the other.

"Oh, you can throw a whole forest at a pack of giants, but you can't take on a bunch of flying chickens. I'm fine. I'll just look around here a bit." Cinna noted in a pouting tone at Taiko’s question.

With little else to do while Taiko did his handiwork Cinna busied herself by browsing the little camp the giants had set up

"It's not like he really needs me anyway." Cinna though to herself as she dug through a massively constructed wooden crate that seemed to hold various tools used by the giants. Aside from the odd tool she'd never seen before everything she came across were just giant versions of the things she used. Scissors, a ladle, a knife, a few cups, a hair brush and some other items. A little under whelmed Cinna sighed to herself. She thought this little journey was going to be a bit more... not exciting but mentally stimulating. Just as she was about to hop down from the chests ledge Cinna spotted a small (respectively) book that had been nestled in the depths of the box. Swinging herself over the boxes edge she took a hold of the book and pried from its hiding spot.

Hoping down from the chests edge Cinna placed her back against the container and then slid down till she was resting on the stony ground.

"Now let's see what we have here." Greedily Cinna's face lit up as she opened the book to the first page and began to absorb its contents.

Even with her eyes glued to the book Cinna could make out the scene that play nearby. From the sounds alone, it was clear that Taiko wasn't having much of an issue dealing with the three giants. Having already bested the creatures his threatening tone was just icing on the cake at this point. Really, he could have asked them to dance and if their legs still worked and they would have done it. The only difference was that information gained through physical means of torture should never be trusted.

About a quarter of the way into the book Taiko had finished his interrogation and was now directing his attention towards Cinna who was still nose deep into the tome.

"Hmm.... I guess. But if we go the way 'he'-" Cinna paused to point at the smartest of the giants her eyes still locked on the tome.

"-told you then we are going to end up in some place called, and forgive my translation, 'Endless void of torment', or maybe it's 'Void of endless torment'." Squinting her eyes at the book Cinna focused all her attention on the strange language that had been printed in the book. It was moments like this she was glad she spent so much of her childhood reading. The written language used by these giants was a rather old one, if Cinna had to guess it was a direct connection to one of the oldest languages on the planet. While she might not have understood every single word or character she could piece enough together to get the idea of what the writer was saying.

"Some kind of mystical field that traps a person inside for ever. Either way it doesn't sound much like a picnic." Finally breaking her gaze from the tome, she glanced up at Taiko.

"So yeah. He lied to you, but what would you expect? I mean if someone broke into your home trying to steal your valuables, beat you up and then threatened you with further violence you wouldn't lie to them?" Cinna questioned Taiko with the hypothetical scenario.

With a sigh Cinna came to stand brushing dust from her clothes as she did so.

"If you really want to find that egg we need to go another direction... but first." Cinna sighed as she closed the tomb shut.

"We need to have a little talk, and the more time you waste trying to talk me out of it the sooner that egg will hatch." Cinna noted in a matter of fact tone as she clasped her nimble fingers around the book.

"I know you really want that egg, I get it. But all this violence is getting out of hand. You didn't have to hurt them. Just look at them." Cinna pointed in the direction of the giants as the writhed in their own pain.

"You threw them around as if they were cows and you were a tornado. That being said, I feel like the smartest of the three 'Robert' is the only one here besides myself who knows where this Blood Mist Forest is. So, four things." Cinna paused to take a much-needed breath.

"First, he's not going to tell you where the egg is. Secondly, even if you beat the tar out of him you won't have time to find it. Third, if you don't promise me, you won't harm the egg’s parents I won't tell you where the forest is. And lastly unless you studied demon script, human script and old earth script you can't understand this book which contains all types of information about the creatures, and the wizard." Cinna noted with a surprisingly commanding tone as she listed each of her points of interest with a raised finger.

"I know you have a certain way of doing things, I get that, but if these creatures are as old and rare as I believe killing or even wounding them could wipe out their species all together. I just can't let that happen." Allowing a winded exhale, she'd been holding in Cinna glanced into Taiko's eyes.


Holding out her hand towards Taiko she waited to see if he would agree to her terms. If, so she would take flight and lead him in the correct direction of this Blood Mist Forest. If not, then things weren't going to end well for anyone here.

As Taiko agreed to Cinna's terms she allowed the breath she'd been holding go. Her mind had been racing as to what to do it Taiko had his own plans. Clearly, she was no match for him physically. A fight between them would probably end with her much like the giants were currently. Really the only leverage she had was the tome. While it wasn't likely that Taiko would have been able to read it, Cinna wouldn't have let it fall into his hands. In the end her only option would have been to burn the book; a terrible loss for both Taiko and Cinna.

"That's fine with me." Cinna noted with a lackluster tone at Taiko’s one condition. Having set out a few days ago in search of great wealth the trip hadn't exactly planned out as she expected. At the time Cinna thought she mind find some old pottery, or maybe even a trinket or two left over by a long-forgotten people. It might not have gotten her much on any market, but it would have been enough to pay off some of the projects she had in mind. If she had to give up whatever sum of wealth that would have come from the egg she would gladly do it as long as no one else got hurt. Well no one but the mad wizard that lived deep in the wooded lands.

"At this point I'm just tagging along for damage control." Gloomily Cinna glanced at where the form of the giants wiggled and rolled about on the stony ground.

"If things really head south it's not like there's much I could possibly do to stop Taiko. It's clear that he’s leagues stronger than I am. Worse comes to worse... well I actually can't think of anything. So, let's hope it doesn't come to that." Nodding to herself in approval Cinna turned towards Taiko.

As Taiko began to speak once again Cinna felt her eye brows rise at what he saying to her. Having spent most of her life being put down she never thought of herself as a beautiful person. Now hearing it from an almost complete stranger she felt rather... well awkward, and a tad insulted. She might not have much in her life, but she worked hard to get all she had. People had never given her a hand out. Having escaped from an awful life Cinna never knew what it was like to sit back and let others do things for her.

"Thank you?" Her tone was clearly questionable even at the Taiko's remark that she was smart. With a strange mix of emotion Cinna cleared her throat before leaving this awkward portion of the conversation behind.

"Sister? What the fu- you know what, don't think about it. I'm sure it's endearing for his people... he called me beautiful then his sister... those two lines of thought seem to contradict one another." With a shiver running down her spine Cinna cleared her mind to the task at hand.

"...alright. Well let's get to it then. From the looks of it-" Pausing Cinna squinted her eyes to get a quick glimpse of the sun's position.

"We don't have much time before that wizard is going to do whatever it is he is planning. I'd rather get there before that." Only having a few moments to glance at the tome she carried Cinna hadn't read enough to understand what the wizard had planned. Knowing just how crazed isolated magicians could get she didn't wish to waste any more time than they already had.

Lifting off from the ground Cinna would turn her position to north by north west where the rugged plateaus of rock slowly were slowly devoured by the forest.

"It's about eight miles, or 'clicks'-" Cinna air quoted with her fingers at the mention of clicks.

"-in that direction. According to the tome once we near the area a 'shower of setting sun' will appear. Just taking a guess but I'm assuming shower refers to mist and a setting sun, well that is a reddish hue; so, Blood Mist." Recalling what was in the book she explained it to Taiko the best she could.

"Eight clicks isn't really that far considering just how large the forest is." Cinna commented as she tried to keep stray pieces of her own hair from falling into her mouth. Generally, when she flew her hair was tided back into a bun or something of the sort. Sadly, on the second day of her journey into the woodlands she had lost it. Now she was faced with having to keep one hand protecting her face while she flew.

"Yea... yeah, I'm a demon. I'm from the demon realm. Like every other demon." Her tone was quizzical, and her sentences were short. While she hadn't known Taiko for much longer than a few hours he hadn't seemed like a very questioning person. Now, out of the blue he seemed to be very interested in her personal life leaving her to feel a tad strange. Small talk was one thing, it helped to pass the time but faced with looming dangers Cinna didn't think it was the best time for getting to know one another. Then came the big question that Cinna certainly hadn't been expecting.

"My f-father?!" Caught in a wave of shock Cinna barely managed to catch herself before plummeting to the forests floor.

"What the hell?" Eyes filled with confusion Cinna shook herself back to reality.

"Let's... just keep flying... in silence." With that Cinna would increase her speed so that she didn't have to listen to any more questions that Taiko might have.

"He is just the WORST at small talk."

A few more minutes would pass the two as they flew in silence; the way Cinna liked. As they made their approach to their final destination Cinna began to sense an odd aura in the atmosphere. The feeling was similar to having someone standing behind them, but when Cinna glanced over her shoulder the only form she could make out was that of Taiko who was keeping on her trail. Turning her gaze back to what lay ahead it was then that she saw it. The sky which had once been a beautiful deep blue was now a sickly blood-stained red. Coming to a gusting halt Cinna watched in shock as a covering mist swept through the air and within seconds had completely consumed them. There had be no chance to escape the flowing mist let alone warn Taiko before it was upon them. Eyes watering and throat burning from the foul red mist that flooded into her lungs Cinan felt the world fading from her vision.
-----

"Ah!" Screaming herself awake Cinna threw the blankets from her body and jumped onto the cool stone of her room. Gasping heavily Cinna supported herself against the beds railing as she tried to compose herself. Wiping away thick lines of cold sweat that clung to her forehead she took a few moments to even her breathing.

"Man... that was just the worst. Probably one of the strangest dreams I've ever... wait...." Her thought ending mid-stream as Cinna felt a cold chill run down her spine.

"... this... is this my room- my old room. How?" With a sense of panic coursing through her veins Cinna snapped on the nearest lamp and rushed over to her vanity mirror. Slamming her hands firmly on its surface she studied the face that looked back into her own eyes. It was her alright... her from about ten years ago. She was so young and petite. Time hadn't caused her to grow into the beautiful woman she was in the dream... if that was a dream.

"Was that a dream... or is this a dream?" Running a finger across the mirrors surface Cinna studied her reflection critically.

"I remember... so much about that dream... details that I shouldn't be able to remember. Memory is fickle like that. But this also feels real." Limply her hand dropped as it came to rest upon the table once again.

A sudden knock at the door caused Cinna to jump in fright. Having her concentration broken Cinna felt what worries she'd been concerned with a few moments ago slipping from her mind. Memory was fickle like that.

"Y-yes?" She replied in a frightened tone. With how late it was she had probably woken someone with all her screaming... wait... what had made her scream in the first place?

"I thought I heard someone yelling." The all too familiar voice of her father called out as the door open to reveal himself. At hearing his voice Ciann felt all the better. Her father had always been a loving, caring person. Whenever she was frightened his presence alone was more than enough to keep her calm.

"Sorry daddy. I... I think I had a bad dream. I-I can't remember." Blushing from embarrassment at her own actions she shyly laughed at her own foolish.

"Ah, that’s alright. I'm just glad you're alright." Laughing along he stepped into the room and approached Cinna.

"Nothing a hug and a good night kiss can't fix, right?" His deep voice asked leaving Cinna to laugh in response.

Stepping into his out stretched arms the two of them embraced as Cinna felt a fluttering in her heart. Her father had always made her so happy. This was all she ever wanted... wasn't it? Even with her arms wrapped lovingly around him there was something deep in the pits of soul that wished to vomit. It didn't make any sense. It wasn't as though she was sick, yet the feeling was a cancer that was beginning to flow freely through her body.

"S-somethings... somethings wrong daddy." Cinna whispered through thick tears that ran down her cheeks and into her father’s chest.

"I know. Nothing latest forever." His words were soft, but the tone was no longer that of her fathers. Eyes wide Cinna didn't dare to look up into the face of the being who she'd come to know as a monster.

"Why...why... why. Why! why!?" In a flurry of light, the figure that embraced her exploded into to a shower of embers that danced in the air. With her palm still smoking from the single burst of energy she impaled the monster with Cinna fell to the floor weeping.

"It's not fair! Why? Why couldn't... was I not good enough? Damn you!" With her neck craned back she screamed into the open air at some unseen force.

"What do you want from me! Just end it! Stop my suffering! Please...." Throat burning Cinna's words trailed off into a whisper as she collapsed onto her side.
-----


"If... whatever I did in that illusion happened in real life... ah, shit. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry." Quickening her pace Cinna would rush over to help Taiko up after having blasted him fifty feet through the woods. Though her attack might have packed a punch she didn't think Taiko would have much issues walking it off.