Umbratus Unveiled

She landed on something soft, hearing a crunch under her feet. Glancing down Avea saw tiny flecks of amethyst grains shimmering beneath her. Sand. She'd been right, Umbratus was a desert moon. Reaching down she felt the grainy texture between her fingers, marvelling at the astonishing shade of the sand. She stood upwards craning her neck, seeing endless dunes of amethyst sands that rolled on and on into the starry nebulae horizon. Where twin moons hung low and heavy over the dunes, casting silver light that made each grain glittering faintly as the soft breeze blew across it in shimmering waves. Beneath the stillness there was a faint hum, like the dunes were drawing breath and filling the air with a soft whispers that carried over the rolling sands. Avea sensed a mystical essence brushing at the edge of her senses, but there was nothing else surrounding her except the endless sands and her shadowed silhouette. Until the six torrents of shadows appeared beside her unveiling the rest of the claimed, "not a lick of water ... this sucks" Seegar whined. Her attention diverted to Seeger who wore a helmet that seemingly kept his body moist in the dry humid terrain. Inspecting closer the rest of his attire was imbued with aquatic power, as his teal wrapped tunic curved like ripples on water.

She had to admit that even despite the helmet, his Mangata aquatic features would not fare well in this terrain. "Where are all the Umbraki?" Yume's voice rang out on her other side. Her twilight eyes squinting suspiciously beyond the eight claimed. Her deep violet corset clung to her bodice, its fabric breathing with each subtle movement that flowed seamlessly into sleeves of vibrant fuchsia. Sharp gleams of the gold pleated armor fanned outwards from her waist and shoulders, delicate arcs brushing just behind her ears. No doubt weapons disguised as adornments. Her armor then unfurled into layered skirts, catching the faint winds in beautiful layered cascade.

"Beyond the veil" a voice said from behind Yume, who whirled around. Her eyes narrowed as Neomon materialised, he too was wearing dark shades, fabric dark at the edges before melting to the blinding white accents gleaned across his shoulder panels and collar. Ribbons of dark shadow streamed behind him like living cape. While the rest of the claimed's attire shielded them from the desert climate, Neomon was more exposed wearing an open vest and billowing pants. Not restrained in the slightest, he drifted across the sands, jewellery glinting under the desert moon. His ear wore a dangling gold earring catching the light with every movement.

At the sight of him, Avea couldn't contain the fury that simmered inside of her. Coward, was all she could think as the desert moon eclipsed his silhouette as he walked towards her. She'd confided in him about Morpheus and he'd told her to run and hide. "Oh so it does speak then," Neomon ignored Yume's shrill complaint staring straight past all of them. His shadows swayed closely around him like they were whispering secrets into his ears. "There's a veil that Morpheus controls to protect the Umbraki from any outsiders, only he can open it" Neomon spoke, and Avea thought she could hear a bitter edge of resentment. As he evaporated into shadows and then materialised in front of her suddenly, his wispy fingers extending outwards gently stroking the air in front of him. The sands shifted around them, releasing an eerie hum. Suddenly grey shadows erupted upwards breaking out from the sands spreading across the dunes like a plague with no name.

All of the claimed lept back assuming a fighting stance. The veil of shadow towered over them, swallowing them in its wake. "So this is the Umbratus moon" Kamari said, her eyes scouring over the shadow veil with keen interest, "I've heard the rumours about it being sealed off, but I didn't think it would be this..." "Creepy?" Avea finished. "Yes... the Aurelian moon has it own lineage of shadow wielders so we are attuned to its sorcery." "Attunement means nothing, the Kairos moon has archived knowledge of all types of shadow wielding and I've never seen such shadows" Tofa replied, her third eye turning to a rare shade of jade, clearly trying to penetrate through the shadow. Avea didn't quite like her way her voice pitched slightly with that know-it-all judgement. "Clearly not all the archives" Avea quipped back. Tofa's third eye swiveled over as if only just acknowledging her presence beside her.

Avea didn't understand what this shadow was, but she could tell it was something unnatural. Watching the way that the shadow veil wafted over the sands, as if it were a sickness slowly spreading across the moon."Wait so none of the other lunar realms can enter Umbratus?" Avea asked, and as she spoke she swore she could hear the soft murmurings of the sands around them. "The Umbratus moon is suspicious of the other realms, they're completely paranoid" Lazarus responded, his sharp canine eyes stared accusatoringly at Neomon who stood between the claimed and the veil.

Avea turned to face Lazarus. Despite the loose, lightweight tunic and flowing pants, he held himself with the same rigid, militant precision. The glacial tones were a striking blue cascading over the muscular contours of his body. He had chosen silver accents of armor that were subtly integrated throughout his desert attire which only made his pale hair glow brighter. Only as the moonlight caught it did she notice that there were ice blue gems set into the center of his arm cuffs, faint with a pristine clarity."That's amusing coming from one of the Supreme's guard dogs" Neomon scoffed, seemingly unfazed by Lazarus's hostility. His dulled eyes trailed downwards, lingering on Lazarus's ice blue gems. "Interesting that the Viltarin's seem to be the only Lunar realm that can siphon the uri," with that comment all of the claimed gaze's snapped to Lazarus's gems. The gems are imbued with Uri, Avea realised that many of the Viltarin guards had worn similar stones while escorting her.

"It's a means of rationing" Lazarous retorted, the edge of defensiveness to his tone. "Even so seems my kind may have a right to be paranoid." "Are you calling us thieves?" Lazarus growled baring his fangs. Neomon stared at his nails as if he were very interested in inspecting the dirt beneath them. "The Viltarin's gallivant around the Supreme flaunting your Uri while the rest of the Octave is left to wither" Neomon spoke in quiet inflections and yet the anger was like the sharp stint of a blade pressing against a jugular. "Wither? And here your Galad is bragging about the Umbratus moon being the nocturnal firmament of the octave" Lazarous taunted, anger flashed across Neomon's impassive face.

"Who's to say that the Umbraki aren't hoarding all the Uri behind their shadow?" Is Lazarous baiting him? Avea thought watching the two of them stand off. "If there is anyone to be suspicious of it's the Viltarin's" Kamari exclaimed, turning the anger back towards the wolf luminary. "The Viltarin's are not to blame" Lazarus replied with a stoic calmness. Neomon had picked at the scab of civility until it split, leaving the mistrust between the claimed exposed. The fragile masks that they had worn during the unification had slipped away, exposing something deadly beneath that none of them could pretend not to see.

"Then how have the Viltarin's been able to siphon Uri?!" Kamari exclaimed, reaching behind her to extract her weapon. "Have you forgotten that it was the Aurelian's who weaponized the astryx crystals?" Tofa countered, the Kairos claimed now involving herself in the argument. The air tightened around them, and Avea could see the shift in the claimed's eyes, hands twitching towards their weapons ready to draw on eachother.

The verbal onslaught would have continued except swirling shadows emerged between them. "There is no need to quarrel" Morpheus's voice echoed, materialising before them. He had changed into decadent robes of the same obsidian hue only it had shifting flecks of gold nocturnal adornments, almost like the celestial plane had spilled its golden light upon him. Marking him with its scripture, as well as an disgustingly ostentatious headdress of gold that sat on his horns. Dolunay as right, Morpheus's vaingloriousness was undeniable and utterly unabashed. Her mother used to tell her, do not fear the mask, fear the coward hiding behind it." There was something deceitful about they way Morpheus moved past them, the slithering shadows coiled up his long forearms, concealing them from view. "Your speculation is all in vain, the veil shall be lifted shortly." Avea hated to admit it, but she might agree with Dolunay's animosity towards Morpheus, as his words grated against her nerves leaving something inside her unsettled.

All of the claimed instead fell to a hushed silence."The ancients have bestowed upon me the powers to build this fortress to protect my vulnerable Umbraki." It were as though he was crowning himself the holy reverent, as he approached the veil with his raised arms. The shadow veil responded to its master slithering outwards to reveal a slim passage. Stalking through while the claimed hesitantly followed. The veil of shadow swayed back and forth, the movement was almost deliberate, beckoning and whispering, Avea strained her ears daring to listen. She thought she heard a thin distant wail splinter through the silence, distant and fragile. She glanced around trying to see if any of the other claimed could hear the wail, but none seemed to have heard. Maybe you're just hearing things, she thought, unable to contain her shudder, as the wisps of shadow prickled at her skin.

Emerging on the other side there was still the vastness of the amethyst desert, but beyond it was the breathtaking sight of the Umbratus moon. The realm stretched across the desert like a mirage, sand castles built from dreams rose out of the dunes. The grains somehow morphing into impossible structures of wind carved spirals and turrets, which had solidified with a purple resin that was utterly mesmerizing. Reflecting the celestial light, not a sharp edge could be seen as the structures leaned and curved with the motion of the dunes.The air felt different too, even at that distance. The wind bent subtly as it passed, drawn into slower more deliberate currents.

Great castle stood at the heart of the realm, rising out from the dunes, towering over all the other sand structures. Its surface shimmered with brilliance, drawing the eye. Avea couldn't believe that it was even real, as the light filtered through in a soft, silver haze, the veins of moonlight itself had been woven into its architecture.The domes and minarets were visible only in fragments at first, smooth as glass in some places and intricately ridged in others. Yet more Avea looked, the less certain she become of its edges, the parts of it dissolving and reforming in slow, almost imperceptible motion. Above it, the celestial sky lingered, not brighter, but somehow closer, gathering more heavily over the great castle. As if, across all the empty expanse of sand, this was the one point it had chosen to touch.

Spilling out from the temple, were clusters of smaller dome huts with the same strange resin sheen, their rounded forms echoing the mother castle herself. Moonlight pooled along the ridges and in the carved recesses, tracing delicate patterns that shifted as the grains subtly moved. Avea had never seen anything so beautiful, she felt like she was falling deeper and deeper into a dream, of which she would never wake up from. As she stood on this dune staring outwards at the sand realm before her, she contemplated at what point had fully lost her sanity.

There was an extensive distance between the dunes and the Umbratus realm. "How are we supposed to get there?" Seeger tiny voice peeked, clearly measuring the distance that his webbed feet would have to trek. Morpheus raised his head, "you are light born, chosen by the ancients, and so you shall ride into our realm" his cloaked hand gestured dramatically out to the dunes, but was met with an awkward silence. The claimed snickered, even Lazarus cracked a smile. Morpheus shot them a glare, but then ground began to quake. "Woah" Avea cried, throwing out her hands for balance. The attempt was futile, bumping into Yume. "Watch where you going" she hissed. All the claimed stepped back into a protective circle, as multiple bumps came tunnelling towards them buried beneath the sand.

Avea positioned herself into a fighting stance against the violently shaking ground. Had the trails already begun? What terrifying beast were they going to make them fight? Suddenly hardened shell husks lept out into the sky. In an instant all of the claimed unsheathed their weapons concealed beneath their layers, all standing in a circle pointing them at their mystery attackers. The shells landed, rolling around the claimed, faster and faster, all seven of them shuffled around trying to keep sights on the shells. Avea's heart began to accelerate as her tiny blades pointed at these rolling shells, waiting for them to attack. Suddenly four stumpy legs popped out, along with a spiky tale and a long nuzzle snout with big eyes popped out of its shell husk staring at Avea. Now that she glanced at the snivelling snout and big sparkling eyes, she couldn't deny that it was quite a cute critter. As if all sharing the same thought of how foolish they looked, all the claimed sheepishly lowered their weapons. Neomon smirked slyly at their startled reactions. "Good to see we've established trust." Thessia lowered her bow and arrow. "Some warning would have been nice" she snarled, at Neomon who simply shrugged his shoulders turning away.

Morpheus remained stone faced in front of them, not amused by their antics. "These are the Zorah critters, a prideful herd for the Umbratus. Mount your critter and we shall ride into the celebrations." Neomon mounted his critter with ease, and Avea caught a rare glimpse of the Umbratus claimed. There was an ease to him now that he was on his own moon, he seemed more open out in the dunes amongst familiar creatures and terrain. Perhaps this was the time to interrogate him, when he had his guard down? The other claimed attempted to mount their critters, Lazarous, Thessia and Kamari threw themselves onto the back of their critters easily, grasping the reigns, astride their critters with a warriors grace. Tofa and Kamari struggled to climb onto the backs of their critters, managing to awkwardly seat themselves on the shelled backs. Even Avea had managed to find a ridge in the critter's shell and quite ungracefully threw herself over. Seegar however, was so small and his aquatic gill like body was unable to find a grip to mount his critter. It was painful seeing his puny body keep sliding off the back of his critter, and Avea could sense his humiliation as the rest of the claimed were forced to watch.

"I see the Mangata still remain utterly helpless" Morpheus drawled from the head of his critter. His cruel mockery made Seeger's aquatic gills pulse in a panic as perspiration began to trickle at his flesh. Avea's face turned hot with fury hearing the snickering of the claimed, but instead of lashing out at Morpheus. She ripped off a piece of her shawl and discreetly fashioned it into makeshift rope before riding over to Seeger, whose seaweed eyes watched her with wariness, as she rode over to him tossing the rope over the side of his critter. The suspicion melted away in Seeger's eyes, as he clung onto the rope and flung himself onto his critter, who too looked rather relieved. "Thank you" he whispered so quietly, that Avea barely heard it. She turned to look at the five claimed who all stared at her utterly abhorred like she'd broken some sacred law. Perhaps she had, as she recalled Dolunay's words to her, there are no allies in the lunar trails. Avea caught Neomon staring at her, she held his stare and he quickly turned away, while Morpheus glared at her clearly furious that she'd openly defied him. "We've wasted enough time, the Umbratus celebrations await" he exclaimed through gritted teeth, his disdain for her practically dripping off him.

As they rode through the dunes Avea struggled to sit upright on her critter, despite gripping the reigns she kept sliding forwards and backwards as though she were on a seesaw. There was a quiet majesty to these deserts, the very stillness of it silently unnerving and yet commanding all the same. The amethyst sands glistened beneath them as if the stars had fallen from the sky and laid to rest at their feet. Riding through the dunes Avea began to see Umbraki in the outer dunes, backs hunched and kneeling, holding these strange large dishes rolling back and forth sifting through rivers of glassy salt reflecting the moons, tracing paths across the desert like veins of light. Dressed in hooded wraps protecting their faces, with woven packs on their backs.They were clearly searching for something, and from the sights of it they hadn't had much fortune. The Umbraki glanced up at the claimed as they rode past and Avea could feel her face heat with embarrassment. Their dramatic entrance seeming rather ridiculous now. There was a sullen silence that settled as they rode past the sifters, the despair was heavy like a weight that no one had the strength to lift. It felt endlessly long as they continued to ride past. Morpheus didn't acknowledge his subjects riding past them without so much as a glance downwards. Avea looked over to Neomon who too was staring forward intensely, clearly avoiding to look at the sorrowful Umbraki.

The zorah critters followed the leader of their herd, one after the other their thick stumpy legs left footprints in the sand. They made strange clicking noises as they passed through the dunes like they were communicating to each other. Avea continued to observe Neomon's body language, sitting atop his critter, he seemed completely at ease as though he were out here all alone. At a stray unassuming glace he would seem completely aloof, his usual bored self. Only to then clench his jaw so hard it looked like it might crack from under the strain, his bright eyes had grown dim looking ahead to the spiralling minarets and floating arches of the majesty sand castle. The outer dunes, Avea could see Umbraki shepherding, holding staffs guiding herds of the Zorad rolling through the sand dunes. The buzzing overhead as a scarabs flew by with riders on their backs, their carapace were crepuscular reflecting the cosmic nebulae. All the Umbraki dressed in shimmering layers, their vibrant twilight shades were the epitome of a serene aridity, with raw gems glinting and garments loosely flowing as their bodies moved beneath the moonlight.

They rode over the dune atop their Zorah critters, until they were led out to the wide open clearing of sand that had flattened into a plateau. Immediately Avea was hit with a wave of curiosity as the sight before her unfurled. There were female Umbraki's before her dressed in ceremonial garments of obsidian that covered their necks and long hoods trailing to the ground. They too had gold that detailed their garment, but unlike Morpheus it was simpler, the embellishments restrained. Every one of these Umbraki females wore coronets that wrapped around their horns and skull, before sticking out from their jawlines forming into a mouthpiece. It almost look like a ferocious hand had grabbed their skulls from behind, with their frightening claws scraping across their beautiful cheeks. There were jewels draped across the hips and collarbones, set with dark gemstones that seemed to swallow light.

They moved in groups of three, tracing three connecting spirals in the sands. Each one trailing behind the other carrying these vases that were distorted into unusual forms, warping inward and outward as detailed grooves lined the surface. "What are they doing?" Seeger whispered, a slight fear in the young claimed's voice. As his neck craned trying to peek over his critter. "Preparing for the Triskelix ritual" Neomon said, his voice disant like he were talking to himself. The same way that the sands whispered to the dunes. All eight of the claimed watched from the dunes as these mysterious Umbraki marked the spirals with what looked like black soot. "Who are they?" Avea asked, unable to conceal her fascination at the sight of these women, whoes bodies moved in an unseen rhythm. "They are the Noctyra, prophets that mark the spirals of time so that we may store the uri when the veil opens." Morpheus gestured to the hundreds of female trios that were meticulous tracing hundreds of Triskelix, around and around, until Avea started to get dizzy. "Spirals of time?" Kamari asked, her steely eyes following the Umbraki's tracing the spirals.

"The Umbratus moon's gateway marks the start of the ascension and without it there would be no lumos." Morpheus raised his pretentious chin, clearly preening over the rest of the claimed. "Could his ego get any bigger?" Kamari muttered to no one in particular, but Avea agreed wholeheartedly that Morpheus thought too highly of himself. "At the end of the ascension the lumos breaks down into its original uri particles which we call the noctus" Morpheus began. His hand waved over the indigo sands, and all of the claimed watched as it configured into tiny sand figures showing the Umbraki dancing in circles. Morpheus flicked out his bony ashen hand, and a small gust of sand blew over the top spiraling above the sand figures as though mimicking their dance. "The veil opens and the uri falls," Avea watched as the delicate grains of sand resembling the uri began to float downwards. The sand figures lifted their vases seemingly catching the uri, and even in sand form Avea could see the way that the sand moved around the curved indents of the vase.

"The old uri is then infused with the power of the umbratus moon and then sent back up into the veil where it finds it way to the Mangata moon."

Avea had to admit that seeing the sand figures perform the ritual was quite magnificent. The way that they were dancing around and catching the fallen uri was a captivating sight. Morpheus threw his hands out in a rather dramatic fashion, and the sand figures collapsed. Abruptly the sand figures were no more than grains in a dune, covering a vast desert. "Tonight we shall celebrate the arrival of our new claimed, then you will embark on the trail set before you." All the claimed glanced to each other, detecting a similar wariness in one another.

"Let the celebrations commence" Morpheus proclaimed.

Across a dune ridge, they'd finally made it to the inner sanctum of the realm, it felt like she'd been on the back of this critter for ages from the deep aching in her bones.The clustered dome dwellings formed a labyrinth of narrow passages and the spiralling towers, shimmering in muted silvers and pale purples, reflecting the cold light of the sky. Their curved forms seemed softer in the dark, yet sturdy, as if grown from the dunes themselves.The passages were lit with a soft glow, from bioluminescent flames embedded in the sand walls that had hardened to glass. The light shifting in colours from pale blue to violet as if breathing. Faint streaks of the flame illuminated the corridors like they were walking through a dream.

The Umbraki came swarming around them as soon as they rode in, peeking out of their huts and flooding to the streets. Their eyes brimming with tears, as their relief finally broke into silent steams spilling down their cheeks. They began to hold their arms out, chanting "messiah" over and over again, that's when Avea realised they weren't swarming to see the claimed. Instead the Umbraki turned their hands to Morpheus, who led out the front through the desert worn streets. Neomon too who rode closely behind his galad, his face a cold mask of impassiveness as the Umbraki began reaching towards him. "Darkling" they quietly murmured out to Neomon, who remained unmoved by their pleas. "Do they even realise that we're here too?!" Yume exclaimed credulously. Though she'd never admit, Avea couldn't help but agree with Yume. Riding past these Umbraki villagers seeing their eyes behold the rest of the claimed with cold suspicion. Devoid of any sentimentality, there was only stark distrust lurking in the dark pools their eyes. "I thought they'd be happy to see us" Thessia winced.

"Umbratus is a secluded moon, and its luminaries have bred a culture of distrust among outsiders ... and each other" Tofa murmured, but Avea caught the cautioned words. The further they strode into the Umbratus moon, Avea continued to watch Morpheus as he led them through the parade. Where she could tell he was taking immense pleasure in being lavished by his people.They threw strange delicate desert petals and tiny brittle bones at his feet as though making an offering to a god. The pathway before them had become a mosaic of life and death, and Avea couldn't be certain whether it were a blessing or a curse.

The music came alive as they moved through the narrow streets, the melodies of strings weaving through the warm night air, with wind pipes blending in curling notes, rising and falling luring them towards the female Umbraki dancing with ribbons of shadow, that twisted in time with their delicate turns. They moved as if the night itself had taken form. Flames like living shadow, clung to their limbs, flickering in deep violets. When they spun, the shadowfire stretched and curled behind them, leaving ribbons of shifting darkness that lingered in the air before dissolving away. Morpheus's shadows had been spindly and frightening, these were as mystical as twilight itself.

The Umbraki females wore layers of sheer fabric formed long flowing skirts split at the sides for movement, and drapes wrapped across the torso. The fabric was impossibly light, in nocturnal hues of dusk and woven through so that, when they moved, faint glimmers rippled like distant stars. The veils of translucent silk attached at their wrists and waist, trailing outward in soft, drifting arcs. Some fell from ornate headpieces from their spiralled horns, cascading over their faces in thin layers that obscured their faces without fully hiding them.

They danced before the claimed and Avea was mesmerized by their fluid movements. The Zorah clicked excitedly as they followed the dancers through the parade leading them to the heart of the Umbratus realm. A raised hand guided the writhing shadowfire, skimming across the ground, towards the musicians, playing long bone flutes instrument that reminded Avea of coiling serpents. A wave of crystal chimes, like starlight breaking across glass, and drums thumping beneath it all. The music swelled, a lively rhythm, but beneath the bright notes, there was a subtle undertone, a discordant hum that prickled the skin.

There was an air of secrecy that seemed to linger as though it were a scent, faint and yet it was everywhere the closer they got the majesty sand castle. They dismounted their critters and Avea immediately felt the wobbling of her legs. All of the Umbraki had flooded into the celebrations, following the dancers and the parade into the heart of their realm. The majesty sand castle so close that Avea could now see bridges of hardened sand spanned open air, connecting towers at dizzying heights. As well as the way the castle's resin caught the moonlight outlining intricate patterns on its exterior, like a script written for the sky rather than the ground.

All of the Umbraki were dancing with wild abandon. The musicians played fiercely and she watched cool desert petals lift into the air, spinning in time with their notes. The claimed were serenaded given necklaces made from pointed teeth, that of the sacred serpents that roamed beneath the dunes. As the Umbraki danced around them with their shadow fire. The serenade before the sacrifice, Avea was well aware that the tears of joy that the Umbraki shed was not the hope for their safe return.

Only restoring their sacred Uri.

Neomon was the center of the celebrations, the Umbraki villagers had crafted a crown made of shadow fire on top of his brow. The prince of shadow, the saviour, they were calling him. Dancing in circles around each of the claimed as though they were worshipping them at the altar. Avea tried to match the rhythm of the Umbraki dancers, without much luck. Children darted through glowing sand ridges, leaping over coils of shadowfire. Peeking out through the crowds that still cheered blindly for Morpheus.The light scarabs floated above the streets, their light pooling over the crowd in uneven patches. There was a chill in the night air mixed with the scent of crushed desert petals and lingering smoke. Avea could see two young Umbraki children playing with a desert mouse, with big ears and a forked tail. Giggling as they watched it chase the shadows that they were controlling, bending shadow in impossible ways, moving them side to side making the mouse chase its own tail. A warmth bloomed in Avea's chest finally seeing some pure joy, she waved to the young girls who'd raised their heads spotting Avea. They let out a shriek of surprise, snatching up their mouse and running away. Strange, thought Avea. There was something unsettling about the Umbraki celebrations, the smiles stretched too wide and eyes darted constantly as if trying to catch everyone else.The sand around them suddenly shimmered with an unnatural chill, like the desert breath hitched.

There were Umbraki walking around with serpents draped over their upper bodies whilst drinking from chalices passed silently from hand to hand, shivering as the translucent liquid touched their lips. Wearing sheer translucent fabrics that exposed much of their voluptuous bodies, and draped in lavished in chains of desert jewels they were radiant in all its splendor. The villager Umbraki danced around the claimed in sharp fluid movements, much like the ever changing rhythms of the desert. The smell of food drew Avea toward low tables of polished sandstone. Of strange coloured fruits, that spawned between spiky and succulent. Pearlescent figs and sparkling pomegranates glimmered under the moonlight. Violet-tinted fire pits smoked spiced meats, and crystallised sugar desserts. Her eyes didn't know where to look, her mouth salivating at the spectacular sight of everything in front of her.

Suddenly the small hairs on the back of her neck prickled, and she turned somehow instinctively knowing she was being watched. Her eyes drifted upwards to a throne carved from obsidian and pale bone. Standing in the center of the celebrations it was an monstrosity towering in the midst of all the beauty that surrounded it. Shadowfire coiled along its edges in thin dark tongues of shadow, licking the throne. Her eyes met Morpheus's who'd rather solipsistically draped himself over the throne watching all them under his scrutinising stare. Dolunay was right he had deemed himself a Messiah. It created a spell of discomfort that was not easily broken, as all of the Umbraki shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. He towered over her, but Avea simply watched him vowing to herself, I will see behind your mask.

Her thought however was interrupted by a piercing scream. It rattled through the dunes and stopped the dancers in their stride. Every neck snapped towards the direction of the blood curdling scream.