Among The Ashes Of Fyr..., A old god returns to his home...

[*Kaiber]

Kaiber finally came from the end of the Tarelli desert and headed across the expanse of land covering between that of his temple and the vast desert landscape. It was several weeks since he had met Ciraxis and the fated group heading towards the temple of Wind. They had reminded him that he too had a home. One that he had not visited since masquerading as a human for a second time. No doubt questions as to what had happened to the previous gods had lingered in many people's minds. He had given up much, and only now was he beginning to see the consequences of his actions. Of all the god's actions. In his heart Kaiber knew his actions and the actions of the other god's to be the true course, however he could not help but question himself at night.

One day he finally came over the expanse of a rather large hill and came into the site of his temple. Or rather the outside of the temple, for it was covered by an active volcano which was still spewing forth lava that ran like a river all the way to the Sea. Black smoke rose into the sky, making most of the days in the surrounding area appear to be shorter in length then normal. Traveling by foot he realized that he still had a few days to go.

"I wonder what have become of the Fire Priests and their daily training, no doubt there have been many questions.... Some I no longer know the answers too..." said Kaiber to himself as he started forward with a large walking stick. It had been harden by fire so it was quite resistant against steel but would only take so much punishment. His two long swords where in an X formation across his back, and his vibrant red robes could be seen popping out of the landscape making it easy to mark his position. Kaiber wasn't a man afraid of death, assassins, or the like. He didn't know fear, for he had once been a god. Fear of death was a foreign thing to him. His stride was no longer as high however for over the recent days the closer he got to his temple there came a dreaded feeling followed by nightmares so abysmal in nature that he couldn't quite understand what was going on. His moral was wearing down day by day, however he couldn't figure out why he would feel thus.

The night before last he had noticed a black formation upon his arm and he swore it seemed to grow bigger with each passing day. Perhaps a CM or so. It had started on the tip of his middle finger and already it had traveled down to the half point of his finger. The fingers beside it already showed signs of following suit. Black spots upon them both. It was a mystery Kaiber himself had yet to figure out. His hand's felt normal, no pain, or abnormalities. Yet it continued to spread. Kaiber had decided to treat it with Apathy for now, indifference to it, though he had taken to wearing a red leather glove over his hand to cover it up.

At night he stood gazing into the fire light wondering what would happen once he arrived at his destination. For in truth, he had no idea what might happen, or if anyone was left. He had been gone for faaaar sooo long. He lots himself in his own memories and thoughts only to pass off into the worlds of dreamscape.

A Darkness spread from a singular point enveloping all light that it touched. He saw flashes of people he didn't know, and some that he did. A surreal black obsidian blade smashed down into the ground before him seeming to be almost that of a colossus. A large and loud, yet raspy voice spoke seeming to echo from a Colosseum like room. It echoed across the round room and Kaiber felt it almost as if it was in his head.

'That which you seek can never be found. In the end you are but a stepping stone in the way. I warned you about defying my will....'

Hideous laughter echoed through the halls again and bony hands grasped the large blade. Kaiber looked to see who or what it was....

Kaiber woke up with a start, his body was sweating and the birds were already chirping in the morning sun. He shook his head for a moment, trying to clear his head of the morose feeling the dream had left him with. Looking around he stood up and decided to head off reassuring himself that it was just a dream.... and that it was nothing important.

[Elam]

(Is it okay that we make this happen prior to the Among the Children Topic?)

Night time had arrived in Arca, though that did not stop Elam as he walked through the rocky wasteland. After two weeks of travels, he was finally arriving at his destination, the Fire Temple. As most knew, eleven months prior to our day, the gods sacrificed themselves in order to save Arca from a horrible disease called 'Depression', after that, they disappeared without trace. Elam had agreed with monks of the Light temple to travel to the Fire temple and see how the temple's state was. He sugspected that the reason for this was the fact that they had been kind of isolated from the other temples, being in the Zahalen's rocky wasteland and because Fyr wasn't exactly on the friendlies terms with the other gods.

As Elam walked, he noticed a figure of a man in a distance. 'Red coat...' He thought to himself. He could only think of one man that would come here AND wore a red coat, and that was Kaiber. It had been a long time since he had last seen him, nine months or longer, but he was positive that it was Kaiber. Leaping across the rocky field, he quickly moved towards the place where Kaiber was, if it even was Kaiber. Before he had reached him, Kaiber began to move. As Elam jumped between rocks he called to him as he tried to breath at the same time. "Kaiber! That you?"

[*Kaiber]

As Kaiber walked along his eyes were set almost sigularity upon the volcanoe ahead of himself. His eyes hardly left it, what he found shocking once he was close enough to see was that the doors had been blasted open. The doors he had forged to be immovable to almost all creatures in Arca were now blown wide open and the one to the left was off it's hidges.

'What could have done something like this...' thought Kaiber as he stopped upon a rock looking over the landscape. He got the same chilly feeling once more, and started to walk once more when a voice rang out nearby calling him. He turned to see Elam heading his way, quite surprising to say the least. The last time he had met the boy was when they were discussing the plan of action against Darkarya, which he and Kuro had wanted to take direct action against her armies and it had been them who set out and purified Ciraxis. They had not known then that he was the Fire God, for he had choosen to remain annonamous among mortals during that time. They had been suspicious of him supressing his powers but they hadn't the faintest clue that he had been Fyr.

"Ho! Elam. Fair greetings. What brings you far out here near the wastelands of the old Fire temple?" asked Kaiber, if he remembered right his mascarade back then had been that of a high ranking Fire Priest. He stopped and turned to face Elam as he came running up to him. "I was just on my way to the Fire temple, would you care to join me?"

It was the least he could do, since if Elam was out here he was probably either lost or looking for the fire temple in the first place. Kaiber inwardly sighed as he looked back to the door, he knew it must be some kind of omen. Things had been looking down for the past months, and seeing his own gates ripped open wasn't helping his optimism one bit.

[Elam]

Elam got a funny feeling from Kaiber, though he couldn't really put his finger on it. He knew that Kaiber had probably some connections to the fire temple and had know so from the time they met, but never found out what that connection was, other than what Kaiber had told him, that he was a high ranking Priest to the fire god Fyr. But he couldn't think but that there was something more about him. He also though that Kaiber had something to do with the attack on the temple, but he would not speak of that until he would have prof that he had something to do with it or not.

Thinking for a wile, whether he should answer his question or not, he finally decided to share his information about his objective. He thought that he could gain useful information from him, even if he wasn't connected to the attack, which was not likely. Kaiber could even have been a part of it, or just somehow unconsciously been a part of it, but just as Elam had decided before, he would not speak of it until he was completely sure about Kaiber even being a part of the attack.

Elam slowed down and walked next to Kaiber. "Thank you for the offer, I will accept it." Elam took a deep breath before he began his long speech about his current quest.

"The high council of Owlin City asked me to look into the matter of the Fire Temple. It seems that the Temple was attacked a few days ago, I was just on my way to examine the scene of the crime. There is a possibility that the attack was cosed by ether some big or powerful force from outside the temple, or it could have been a inside job, but that I can not be certain of until I examine the temple."

[*Kaiber]

Kaiber nodded in response to Elam's mission. He had feared as much. The signs showing that the place had been attacked were great but still it seemed like such an intangible thing to have happened. It was inconceivable. He had to remind himself he was no longer a god, he didn't know what the hell he was. Pain arced up his arm, and he fought not to show any discomfort. They were beginning to become more frequent.

"I was afraid of that... I should have been there to help." said Kaiber sorrow ringing as if his voice was an instrument on which it was to be played. "Come... perhaps some of them managed to survive the incident, however if Owlin city doesn't know what has become of them, I'd wager that ill deeds have taken place here...."

They made their way up to the volcano entrance it's large doors busted down looked as if a dragon had pried them from the mountain walls and thrust them aside carelessly. As they approached closer to the tunnel leading deep into the rocky surface, a massive heat was surged. It was familiar and calming to Kaiber however he couldn't help but get the feeling that darkness had tainted this place. His dream came back to him. 'You are but a stepping stone....'

"Lets get this over with...." said Kaiber as he headed forward down the hallway for a good three hundred yards before they emerged from the tunnel into a vast maze of walking platforms that all lead to the center of a grew rounded cavern. The walkways to either side of them held lava so much so that one unfortunate step would spell ruin for the poor soul. The heat had only increased as they had arrived in the main chamber of the volcano. Kaiber's eyes locked upon a sight that would haunt him for a great many days to come, the sight took the breath from him.

Amidst the walkways was a great form, as large as three houses, was laid out. It's massive wingspan spread out the full extend. The red scales glowed a crimson red from the heat of the lava it was touching, and the eye had a slash mark across it's face with an open eye that lay unmoving. The main body had received so many blows that the dragon blood that flowed forth from it had seemingly merged with the lava forcing the bright orange lava and the dark red blood to 'bleed' into each-other and form an altogether different color.

"Tinar....." muttered Kaiber barely able to speak as he approached the large female red dragon that had once guarded the fire temple from harm. It's great and powerful guardian laid dead. Slain in front of the temple it was sworn to protect. Defending it to the last, and her god. Her master had not been there to save them all. Sorrow and anger flared through Kaiber in such that he had not known for eons.

His hand hesitantly reached up to the snout of the dragon and then slowly touched his hand to the warm scales. Energy seemed to buffet around Kaiber as if he was about to explode, and a few tears fell to the ground only to be boiled into steam. "Whoever did this......" said Kaiber trailing off and walking around the dragon and seeing his beautiful temple destroyed. Large sections of the building were toppled over and many walls had been blasted inwards. "They will pay." Kaiber finished as he drew his sword and slashed a small part of his hand and letting it drip over the wound of Tinar the dragon. "I swear, Elam. You as my witness. They will not escape the wrath of Fyr. I promise you...."