Record One - Frozen Tides

The light of mana of every color shimmered and flowed like water. The pathways made of crystallized mana, known as Runes, constantly shifted in the flow of energy. The purest of power dwelt in this place, filled to the brim with secrets of the world itself. It was the place Aliya wanted to know about most. She wanted to know every truth the Leylines held.

Aliya walked along the Rune paths that shimmered every color, thinking about the request her Lady Azurius had just tasked her with. If she wanted to keep the power that allowed her to research this beautiful sea of stars she would have to do this mission no matter what. Part of it didn't sit well with her. She wondered if negotiations didn't work out, if she was even strong enough to fight a Celestial like Azurius requested. She gave the mission to Aliya rather than one of the generals in her army. Aliya couldn't help but think there was a reason she trusted her with this mission instead. 

As it is, given the state that the Earth Shrine, Mombi, was in, there was no way she could get in without the help of The Wind Celestial, Volarius. The Leyline exit point was way too guarded and the shrine was now surrounded by mountain peaks too steep to scale and no openings or trails in or out. She had no choice but to see if she could cash in on a favor and hope that her old friend would be able to at least help her fly in from above.

Aliya stepped out of the Leyline as close to Gaylette as she could get from her mental map of the Leylines, with the pathways always shifting it wasn't always exact. She almost tripped over someone as soon as she exited. She narrowly avoided a young Wind Spirit who was simply writing notes in her book as she looked over the city from atop a grassy hill just on the outskirts. Her vivid teal eyes glared at Aliya bitterly, for interrupting her train of thought. She brushed her short, light chestnut hair tipped with mint behind her pointed ear with a huff.

"My bad!" Aliya laughed it off with a wave. She bounced on down the hill towards the city, her azure tipped white curls that were pulled into a ponytail flowed behind her like water. Had she searched a bit further, she could have found the Leyline point directly underneath The Wind Shrine, Locasta, but she didn't want to seem intrusive given the tense times during this war among Spirits, despite the neutral stance Volarius took. This kept her ability to traverse Leylines a secret as was agreed upon when she was granted the power. 

At least the city was in view. Gaylette, the City of Wind, was nestled in among towering craggy cliffs that shielded it from the nearby ocean. The warm salty air filled the green patterned flags strung across the streets and turned the uniquely designed windmills that dotted the cityscape. 

Rising far above even the cliffs, on the far side of the city, were the three connected towers of Lacosta Shrine. While the towers on the left and right rose just above the cliffs, the larger center tower rose above the clouds. The shrine was made of three tones of pale green stone, intricately carved with swirls of wind. Large rounded protrusions jutted out at the top of the tower, tapering down to a point against the tower walls, each facing each cardinal direction on the center tower, a single matching one rested on top of the two smaller ones.

She quickly made her way through the busy city streets towards the shrine, trying to avoid unnecessary attention. Due to Volarius being rather neutral in the war, just about anyone can be in the city. The streets were filled with Spirits of all kinds wandering about the streets among humans, it didn't matter who was there, the city was unspokenly neutral territory.

Aliya stood on the edge of the city where it turned into an elegant garden square before the entrance of Lacosta Shrine. The ground was laid with bricks of a similar stone. Rune lamps dotted the pathway to the shrine. Grass and white flowered bushes between pathways rustle in the breeze, carrying a sweet scent along with the salt of the ocean beyond the cliff so close behind the shrine.

"I wish I was born a Wind Spirit," Aliya looks up at the massive height of the tower begrudgingly, wishing she had some way to fly. If that were the case though she wouldn't be there in the first place. She shrugs with a sigh as she walks inside and begins climbing the massive spiral staircase up the tower. 

The inside of the tower was just as impressive as the outside. The architecture was an amazing and brilliant culmination of Wind Spirit Magic Artes and human ingenuity. She slowly forgot the struggle of climbing the steps as she studied the architectural marvel and intricate wall carvings. The soft, salty breeze from outside came in through the series of massive stone slats set at an angle much like a vent in the wall. She couldn't help but wonder who came up with the idea.

When she reached the top she was completely breathless. The top of the shrine offered the most beautiful view. Clouds stretched on for what seemed like forever. They looked like hills of fresh snow. Some spots over the ocean were clear and the water sparkled with the sun rays that bounced off it. The air was perfectly clean and surprisingly still warm despite the height.

"I can only imagine why you are here…" An annoyed voice came to her before she even noticed the Celestial behind her. She looked over her shoulder at him. He looked older than when she last saw him, which was surprising since Spirits aged so slowly. His hair was rather long and looked like pale green feathers that brightened at the tips. His back was to her and his long dark green coat with a purple interior fluttered in the wind, despite that, Aliya could tell that one of the squared tails of his coat was several inches shorter than the other. The sleeves were tucked into a pair of brown leather gloves that reached his elbows. At his waist was a brown belt over his coat and a creme colored sash poked out from just underneath, occasionally the wind would gust just enough to catch the overhang of the sash and she could see the two Wind Rune beads hanging off of them. 

He slowly turned to face Aliya with a heavy sigh. Between the high collar of his coat was a layered cravat the same color of his sash, beneath it a black shirt with a faded green checkered pattern at the bottom. His black pants were neatly tucked into tall leather boots that had a couple straps on them held by golden buckles. He leered at her with eyes as blue as the sky that surrounded them. The striking telltale of a Celestial stood out as the four pointed star of a pupil narrowed at her. 

"Azurius must be desperate to send you to recruit me for her war. You can forget it." He waved her off not wanting to be involved. "Tell Azurius I'm not going to change my mind."

"My mission for her may bring me here but she is not the one who sent me," Aliya looked at him with utter determination.

"Who sends you then?" He tilted his head with curiosity and his expression softened. He had hoped he was wrong and she really wasn't there for the war. He'd considered her one of his few friends in this world and a pleasant visit would be a great change of pace. He looked her over since it had been so long since they last saw each other. 

He noticed she had let her hair grow down to her hips and her large, sparkling azure eyes held some sort of purpose in them, he didn't quite yet know. She was wearing a cerulean half coat trimmed with a white swirl pattern that looked like the waves, pinned closed at her clavicle with a perfectly rounded piece of crystalized water mana embedded in silver as a broach. Her sleeves were rolled up just above the elbow. Underneath the half coat was a teal crop top with a very wide black line down the center. She wore two deep blue belts, one with a Water Rune buckle to match her broach and the other thinner and off kilter. Long material, to match her half coat, was draped over the belts and underneath she wore a pair of pants that were black down the center and teal on the outside much like her shirt. Her pants were tucked into knee high, wedge boots that were the same dark blue as her belts.

"I did! I came here to request something of you." Aliya took a deep breath, steeling her sense nerves hoping that if she spoke her mind he would consider her request. "This war cannot continue. It's causing so much strife among Humans and Spirits. The Darkness alone, as a result of human terror, has turned countless of our kind into Fomorians." She took a few steps closer, her hands just as expressive as her voice. "Even if you'd rather stay out of this conflict that can't sit well with you!"

"What do you want?" His voice held a bitter tone. He never wanted to be a part of another global conflict. He knew whatever she wanted involved having to choose a side like so many others have wanted of him.

"I'd like for you to drop me into Mombi shrine from the sky…" she felt the winds swirling around it made her uneasy. If he wanted he could just as easily throw her off. "I seek to end this conflict once and for all. If he doesn't listen to me, I'll knock some sense into Turfurius." Aliya hid her nerves with her confidence in her mission. However when Volarius started laughing at her she couldn't help but feel silly.

"What a joke!" He shook his head and held his stomach as he laughed harder at the notion. He'd remembered back when he'd traveled with her that she was never very strong. Even though centuries have passed since then he still didn't sense a power strong enough from her to be remotely capable of such a feat as fighting a Celestial. "Do you actually believe you can fight a Celestial on your own?"

"Azurius seems to think I can!" She grew bitter at his laughter. She had the utmost faith in Azurius's decision, but even she found it hard to believe she could do it.

"That is not what I asked," he immediately snapped back to a dead serious glare directed at her. "Aliya, if you do not believe it yourself, you're sure to fail."

"So are you refusing my request?" Aliya pouted.

"Fight me and you will find out!" A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. He stood at the ready for any attack she might throw at him.

Aliya looked skeptical about fighting him. She knew she needed to test this power she holds. If Azurius believed she could defeat a Celestial then she had to be able to win her passage to Turfurius. Taking a deep breath she was ready.

"Time to put you on ice! Frigid Coffin!" With song in her voice, Aliya quickly cast a spell to freeze Volarius in place, so she had time to cast her next magic arte, "Weapons of purity forged by ice cold passion, Frozen Forge!" In her hands swirling snow quickly formed a war hammer made of ice. She held it in one hand, resting the head on the floor, as she prepared her next arte quickly. She saw the ice around Volarius starting to crack faster than she expected. She held out her free hand pointing with two fingers at her target, "Lightning blast and icy crash! Invertent Storm!" A magic glyph formed beneath Volarius just as he broke free. Wind and Ice rushed upwards from below, knocking him into the air. Aliya then grabbed her hammer with both hands and launched off the ground. She jumped above Volarius, just as her Invertent Storm stops and he begins to fall, she swung the ice hammer down on him so hard it shattered the ice and he slammed into the floor.

"What a shame…" He bounced off the ground and flipped over, rather elegantly landed on his feet as though nothing had happened to him. "It's simply not enough…" Volarius brushes off the dust and ice from his coat before raising a hand up above his head. "Divine storm reign!" The sky quickly darkened, thick rain clouds had gathered. Above the shrine was a magic glyph with multiple layers, so large, only half of it spanned across the city below. 

"A High Magic Arte?!" Aliya looked up and her stomach dropped. She'd never seen a magic glyph that large before. Terror filled her, seeing the strength of a Celestial with her own eyes. Despite having spent time with him before, she'd never seen him cast a single magic arte. She never imagined that they were really that powerful.

"Crash through the heavens! Sylphie's Rage!" A tornado of wind crashed down just in front of her mixed in were bladed feathers. The wind's outward force knocked Aliya back towards the stairs, the sharp feathers shedding her clothes and leaving shallow cuts on her skin. Aliya was down, she was struggling to even climb to her feet. "Look at you, you can barely get back up…" Volarius approached Aliya as he caught the Wind Rune that fell from where the glyph once was. "That was an indirect hit from my weakest High Magic Arte. Turfurius won't be so merciful. You aren't ready to defeat a Celestial on your own. I refuse to send anyone to their death, especially you." He turned away with a heavy heart, hoping his words really sunk in. "Now please leave. I will not aid anyone in this war…"

Aliya bit her lip and punched the ground out of anger. The ground cracked widely under her force. Volarius looked over his shoulder at the crack in the structure, surprised upon feeling an abnormal surge of power from her just then. He was even more shocked to watch her jump off the edge of the tower. 

"She's definitely stronger but something's not right…" He paused and his eyes narrowed. "What are you playing at? Azurius…" He moved to the edge and watched her fall back beneath the clouds. Part of him wanted to catch her but he knew that she wouldn't have jumped if she didn't have a landing strategy.

Aliya waited until the ground was in view and she could see where she'd land. "Shoot for the skies! Geiser Rise!" A glyph formed on the ground below her and water came up to greet her, slowing her fall. She landed completely safe, immediately storming off into town.

She stopped in an alleyway, somewhat away from the noise of the street, wanting just a moment to herself. She leaned against the wall and slumped down. She took a deep breath and stared up towards the stormy sky, the reminder of her failure. 

"I hate that he's right…" She closed her eyes and hung her head. "Perhaps I'll just rest here a bit before plan B…"