A Fond Farewell

[-Malice- 542]

 

In a world such as this, blood is but grease, and bone naught but the wheels, of progress.

Orisia was many things to those that dwelt there, a haven, a home, and even a paradise, to those that turned adversity, into promise. Islands comprised of not merely sand or stone, but instead the dream of a dynasty, a beauty bequeathed by Bartolome, whose descendants danced beneath the moon and stars. Despite its splendour, however, there was one thing which Orisia was not, and that was large, encompassing less than two thousand miles from one edge to the next, a nation isolated and alone, compared to the monstrous might of neighbouring Genesaris.

Perhaps that was why, when Malice had sown the seeds of his religion within their hearts, and Rafael forsook Gabriela to tend to his Empire, the Warlord followed the Elder Vampyre across the sea, consolidating his forces upon a new continent, and leaving Orisia to fend for itself anew.

When it came time for the legion to depart though, there was no sentiment spared for the Black Queen, no uncomfortable silence nor fumbling of flesh, for the two had surpassed such trivialities of old, such was their bond. Gabriela would feel his departure, would know his loss, as La'Ruta itself undulated violently, the further that they grew apart, until with a final tumultuous crescendo, the shadow of his fortresses passed beyond Orisia, and she felt him no more.

Ever the pragmatist, Malice harnessed every ebb and swell of the island's native magic as he went, channelling vast reservoirs into the cores of his floating citadels, gathering reserves so that, once they had escaped Orisian waters, the creatures would retain it indefinitely, like batteries fuelled not by charge alone, but instead an eternal power source, which would endure long after the sun grew cold.

In time, La'Ruta would recover, in time another would balance the dark with Gabriela's light, but until then none could know the impact Malice's absence would hold for the quiet island chain, as days turned to years, and a new chapter unfolded for Orisia.

Edited July 31, 2018 by -Malice-