#I gotta fuckin repost this because the links wouldn't let it show up

[fr-melinoe]

Onyx Grasp

Words: 1,253 Dragons: Dia, Kareltje, Lorelei, Arnalt (mentioned), The Omens (Attalia, Kaska, Absalom, Mannea, Jericho) Summary:

Lorelei had vanished. The circumstances were unclear, becoming a horrific truth as they find what remained of her. Though... she would not remain that way forever.

Lorelei had been missing for approximately seven months before they found her again. She vanished while on a hunting trip by herself. The reasons for her choice in going alone was a mystery, typically she would have gone with her husband, Arnalt. The two of them yielded greater results, frequently returning with an over abundance that the lair would gorge upon. But instead she chose to go alone.

There were countless rumors about her disappearance that were spoken amongst the passers through, even Dia’s own disciples questioning the validity of their strongest warrior’s disappearance, but there was simply nothing to gain from such chatter.

Or at least that was what Dia would say.

Kareltje alone was the only member who knew of her anxieties over the matter. Kareltje alone knew of her suspicions.

It was in the dead of night that something broke. As the thundering footsteps of the omen bringers strode through the clan’s village, their purpose absolute and of grave importance. And it was 2am when they told Dia of what they saw.

Lorelei’s corpse had been discovered in the Tangled Wood, deep within it’s realm. Mangled and rotted, caught in the twisting thorns the Foxfire Bramble was known for. Dia flinched visibly as they came upon the sizable guardian, the smell of death was choking. Her students flanked their teacher, stoically looking upon the remains of their friend.

It was in the dead of Summer when Lorelei came to Dia’s personal estate. A surprise visit from a knight, though Dia would always make time for someone who served her family so dutifully. She had been making conversation with Dia and Kareltje, namely of logistics and the letters her young would send her from their travels or their duties serving the Lightweaver herself. Despite her tone, it was clear that something was on her mind.

Kareltje could see the desire to speak alone with Dia, and he smiled and politely excused himself. Making up a simple excuse for him to dismiss himself, lovingly nuzzling his wife before vanishing into their home.  

“My liege, I fear I must ask you something. Is there… something wrong with me?”

“...I would say no, why would you ask?” Dia folded her foreclaws in front of her, feeling the instinctive need for more.

The guardian hesitated a moment before continuing, “I have been… struggling as of late. With this and that. And I’ve find myself sinking deeper and deeper. I can’t quite seem to pull myself out, you see, and it seems to… get worse when I see the others. When I see the way Hecate admires Xibalba, or how Kareltje cares for you. It makes me feel… alone.”

Dia hummed, picking through her thoughts before settling on her first question, “Is it… a matter of envy? Or that of loneliness?”

“...Loneliness… I think.” She admitted, refusing to meet Dia’s gaze. Dia could read how it pained her to admit such a thing. It must’ve been something she had been attempting to hide, “It seems so easy for all of you. It used to be easy for me…” Lorelei choked on her words, bowing her head in humiliation at admitting her insecurities, “It used to be so easy for me and Arnalt. Am I too harsh a woman, Madame? I may not be as lovely or fair as a skydancer, or even a spiral, but am I so repulsive to look upon?”

Dia felt a prick of anger trail down her neck. She could see why she would request that Kareltje step away for this.

She rose to her feet and circled the stained glass table to the side of her most trusted warrior, “There is not a thing in this world wrong with you. Not for your personality, not for your appearance. You are a lovely and powerful woman. And I will have a word with your husband, I swear upon Lightweaver’s divinity, I will-”

Lorelei raised a claw with a soft laugh, “No… no please. I would just like it to stay here… Thank you my liege.” She stood, taking a steadying breath and smiled like nothing were wrong, “I believe I should speak to my husband… I need some time to think to myself.”

“I should have never let her leave…” Dia whispered as she withdrew her tome. She wasn’t about to let this fate stay. She wasn’t about to let Lorelei die forever after such an end. Lorelei deserved so much better than what she had.

It didn’t take long for Dia to begin work, giving her students orders.

Cut away the thorns.

Draw the circle.

Prep the candles.

Paint the body.

Wrap the wounds.

Take position.

They stood at the points of the circles, Dia at the start point. She muttered a prayer beneath her breath as she spoke up. She chanted the spell, focusing intently on the body of Lorelei. The circle began to fill with a deep, glowing light that tracked the rim of the circle, following the patterns inward as it trailed towards the guardian.

She should’ve felt what was wrong with the spell there.

The chant followed the lines, the girls repeating after Dia in an echo, urging the light to grow brighter and brighter as the earth began to shake. The students gripped the candles in a bid to keep them from snuffing out. They couldn’t let the ritual fail midway.

Light enveloped Lorelei’s form, seeping through her metallic scales and causing the body to twitch. Dia smiled, her confidence growing with each passing moment. Unaware of the darkening color.

The glow began to deepen, shifting from the radiant silver it had before, sinking darker and darker into shades of purple.

“Lady Dia, we need-!”

“Hush! We can’t let this stop here!” Dia snapped, sweating as she read through the spell.

Three more lines. Three more lines. Three more lines.

Lorelei’s body twitched, and stood, the glow around her shifting deeper yet. The magic danced around her form like black flames, silhouette standing proud as a deep thunderous laugh erupted from the reviving soul. Dia refused to back down now.

Not now.

But her refusal would be her undoing.

The blast came as a surprise to all of them, propelling them all through the darkness of the forest, several of them slamming into the trees, tangling in the sharp thorns that dug into their wings. Only one thing stood in the blackness, perfectly visible despite the tangled darkness that knit into her wings.

Lorelei.

Her breathing rasped heavily, and dark arms wrapped around her figure.

She wasn’t right.

This wasn’t right.

She cackled, what little light they had glinted off her features. Her face had malformed, a chitinous mask grew upon her, gnarled antlers protruding from her skull. Smoke poured from her mouth, as she rasped every breath. Dia froze, staring at what she had done. What she had wrought. What had become of her friend.

The new Lorelei lurched forward, walking towards Dia. Dia could not move, for the first time in her life truly paralyzed by fear as the imposing figure loomed over her. She flinched as the head jerked unsettlingly towards her, multiple milkish pink eyes peered at the coatl with intent. Dia shut her eyes tight, waiting for her to strike and end her existence.

…

There was only the sound of shifting earth, like a trowel scraping soil.

And then silence.

…

Dia slowly opened an eye, seeing the head bowed. The exoskeletal nose lightly grazing the mossy floor.

“My… Liege.”