07-28-2017, 10:43 AM
<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Almendra+Display|Asar" rel="stylesheet"><style>#etherchild{width:564px;border:1px solid #fff1da;box-shadow:0px 0px 5px #fff1da;}#etherchildbox{position:relative;z-index:1;background:-webkit-linear-gradient(bottom, rgba(23,21,22,0), rgba(23,21,22,1)150px);background:-o-linear-gradient(top, rgba(23,21,22,0), rgba(23,21,22,1)150px);background:-moz-linear-gradient(bottom, rgba(23,21,22,0), rgba(23,21,22,1)150px);background:-linear-gradient(to top, rgba(23,21,22,0), rgba(23,21,22,1)150px);background:-ms-linear-gradient(bottom, rgba(23,21,22,0), rgba(23,21,22,1)150px);margin-bottom:-160px;padding-top:5px;padding-bottom:50px;}#etherchildpic{position:relative;z-index:0;}#etherchildtext{width:500px;font-family: 'Asar', serif;font-size:13px;color:#fff1da;line-height:14px;}#etherchildquote{color:#fdf5ed;font-family: 'Almendra Display', cursive;font-size:15px;font-weight:bold;line-height:14px;}#etherchildname{color:#fdf5ed;font-family: 'Almendra Display', cursive;font-size:60px;text-transform:uppercase;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;}#etherchildquote2{color:#fff1da;font-family: 'Asar', serif;font-size:13px;margin-top:-20px;}</style><center><div id="etherchild"><div id="etherchildbox"><p id="etherchildquote">The sun crashed down to the ground, the moon rose up into the sky bright red,<br/>the dead climbed up from their graves and fell to their knees saying<br/>"Come one, come all, come see and believe."</p><p id="etherchildtext" align="justify">He is lost inside that vision, in the still form of a friend that is not and has never been. It is not real, but every piece of him wishes it were. At first he doesn’t even notice the mist drifting away, doesn’t notice the subtle shifting of the water, doesn’t notice the music slowly beginning to soften and die. But the longer he stares into those ink dark eyes, the more uneasy he grows. The more reality begins to intrude upon his sweet oblivion.
<i>Come to me, don’t be frightened…</i>
The eerie whisper is what brings him sharply back to the present. What reminds him of just where he is. A young, foolish colt perched precariously upon shifting waters that somehow refuse to swallow him.
The abrupt churning of the lake offsets him, upsetting his balance until he stumbles forward several unsteady steps. Almost directly into the claws of the insidious beast that had lured him onto these now heaving waters. His gaze had been drawn from the horse before him for a few precious seconds, and when he pulls his gaze back, his eyes widen in horror at the sight he now beholds. A creature, shifting and changing, long muzzle melting into a wide grin filled with deadly teeth, buckling and rearranging into a beast with two legs and reaching, grasping fingers.
His sudden, terrified winny and scrambling feet come too late. That thing has already grasped his flailing body, is already pulling him close, pulling him under. The unnatural, churning waves no longer support his weight, instead reaching to gobble him whole. His thrashing limbs offer him little aid in this battle, his slight frame far too small to be much more than a hindrance to the the beast who now holds him [who now pushes him under, damning him to a murky, watery death].
But the shadows are there, ever his friend, ever his ally. This dark world is rife with shadow, an element he had been born too, and they would always answer his desperate, unheard cries. They wrap around him, a protective cocoon, embracing him with their familiar darkness. In that grimly desperate moment, he allows the shadow to claim him, to fill every piece of him, down to his very marrow, with its subtle, shifting power. He gives himself over to it, feeling the incredible flood of potential releasing into his veins, reshaping, remaking him into a creature of shadow, unlocking the latent skills resting deep within his soul.
A surge of adrenaline powers through his unnaturally darkened flesh, kicking him into movement even when he hadn’t believed it possible. He pushes through, the shadows boring ahead of him, breaking the hold that monstrous creature has upon him, allowing him to break the surface of the roiling water and gulp precious breaths of air.
But the false beast is not done with him. It’s grasping fingers and serrated teeth reach for him yet again, refusing to allow him such easy escape. A feralness he hadn’t known he possessed emerges, his eyes glowing yellow as his lips lift in a savage snarl. And as the creature attacks him, so too does he attack. He is small and lithe next to the siren’s larger frame, but the shadows freely aid him. And so, tooth meets tooth as he pushes against the siren with all his might, shadowy tendrils reach forth to wrap delicate, steely fingers about the larger beast. The creature’s yowl rips through the still air as Ether presses in further, small, sharp teeth snapping, grabbing whatever flesh he can find.
But the creature is stronger than he had thought possible, pushing back against his shadowy might, breaking the bonds he had placed upon him. Ether is only a boy after all, with only a boy’s strength. The sudden snapping of those dark chains siphons his strength, weakening him dangerously at a time he cannot afford weakness. But he has already sustained too much injury, already pushed himself beyond endurance. And despite the surge of strength, the unlocking of this shadowy creature lurking within his soul, he is flagging far too rapidly.
Breathing harsh and rapid, his feet pumping to keep himself afloat, he gathers what strength he has left. Gather’s himself for one last attempt at freedom. As the siren lunges for him, Ether waits. He waits until he can nearly feel the monster’s breath upon his cheek before he surges forward. Sharpened teeth bared, he leaps for the beast’s throat, using his shadows to propel him forward, upward. Using what is left of his strength in this last ditch effort to bring this creature down. He feels his teeth latch, sink deep, feels the scrape of teeth upon his own blackened skin. He can taste the pulse of blood, the surge of victory deep within his feral heart.
But then it is falling, that horrendous beast, bringing Ether with [determined to drag him to those watery depths even in defeat]. Panic leaps inside his chest, giving him one last spurt of strength. His only thought escape, he reacts upon instinct, reaching to the shadows for aid. And they come, answering his call, wrapping him in their tender arms until he becomes one with them, until they are carrying him away.
Moments later he is stumbling upon the pebbled shore, small frame sagging as he collapses to the damp earth. His strength gone, it is all he can do to lie on that ragged bank and breath, yellow eyes shuttered, dark barrel heaving. He can only pray nothing will disturb him here in the siren’s lair, can only hope he will be allowed time to regain his strength. Otherwise his short life will end here, on this dark, lonely beach, his hidden, tender heart left unfulfilled.</p><p id="etherchildname">Ether</p><p id="etherchildquote2">Shadow son of Shahrizai and Ilka</p></div><div id="etherchildpic"><img src="https://s3.postimg.org/t9uy4hbs3/Ether.jpg"/></div></div></center>
Ether turned into a Shadow Creature
<i>Come to me, don’t be frightened…</i>
The eerie whisper is what brings him sharply back to the present. What reminds him of just where he is. A young, foolish colt perched precariously upon shifting waters that somehow refuse to swallow him.
The abrupt churning of the lake offsets him, upsetting his balance until he stumbles forward several unsteady steps. Almost directly into the claws of the insidious beast that had lured him onto these now heaving waters. His gaze had been drawn from the horse before him for a few precious seconds, and when he pulls his gaze back, his eyes widen in horror at the sight he now beholds. A creature, shifting and changing, long muzzle melting into a wide grin filled with deadly teeth, buckling and rearranging into a beast with two legs and reaching, grasping fingers.
His sudden, terrified winny and scrambling feet come too late. That thing has already grasped his flailing body, is already pulling him close, pulling him under. The unnatural, churning waves no longer support his weight, instead reaching to gobble him whole. His thrashing limbs offer him little aid in this battle, his slight frame far too small to be much more than a hindrance to the the beast who now holds him [who now pushes him under, damning him to a murky, watery death].
But the shadows are there, ever his friend, ever his ally. This dark world is rife with shadow, an element he had been born too, and they would always answer his desperate, unheard cries. They wrap around him, a protective cocoon, embracing him with their familiar darkness. In that grimly desperate moment, he allows the shadow to claim him, to fill every piece of him, down to his very marrow, with its subtle, shifting power. He gives himself over to it, feeling the incredible flood of potential releasing into his veins, reshaping, remaking him into a creature of shadow, unlocking the latent skills resting deep within his soul.
A surge of adrenaline powers through his unnaturally darkened flesh, kicking him into movement even when he hadn’t believed it possible. He pushes through, the shadows boring ahead of him, breaking the hold that monstrous creature has upon him, allowing him to break the surface of the roiling water and gulp precious breaths of air.
But the false beast is not done with him. It’s grasping fingers and serrated teeth reach for him yet again, refusing to allow him such easy escape. A feralness he hadn’t known he possessed emerges, his eyes glowing yellow as his lips lift in a savage snarl. And as the creature attacks him, so too does he attack. He is small and lithe next to the siren’s larger frame, but the shadows freely aid him. And so, tooth meets tooth as he pushes against the siren with all his might, shadowy tendrils reach forth to wrap delicate, steely fingers about the larger beast. The creature’s yowl rips through the still air as Ether presses in further, small, sharp teeth snapping, grabbing whatever flesh he can find.
But the creature is stronger than he had thought possible, pushing back against his shadowy might, breaking the bonds he had placed upon him. Ether is only a boy after all, with only a boy’s strength. The sudden snapping of those dark chains siphons his strength, weakening him dangerously at a time he cannot afford weakness. But he has already sustained too much injury, already pushed himself beyond endurance. And despite the surge of strength, the unlocking of this shadowy creature lurking within his soul, he is flagging far too rapidly.
Breathing harsh and rapid, his feet pumping to keep himself afloat, he gathers what strength he has left. Gather’s himself for one last attempt at freedom. As the siren lunges for him, Ether waits. He waits until he can nearly feel the monster’s breath upon his cheek before he surges forward. Sharpened teeth bared, he leaps for the beast’s throat, using his shadows to propel him forward, upward. Using what is left of his strength in this last ditch effort to bring this creature down. He feels his teeth latch, sink deep, feels the scrape of teeth upon his own blackened skin. He can taste the pulse of blood, the surge of victory deep within his feral heart.
But then it is falling, that horrendous beast, bringing Ether with [determined to drag him to those watery depths even in defeat]. Panic leaps inside his chest, giving him one last spurt of strength. His only thought escape, he reacts upon instinct, reaching to the shadows for aid. And they come, answering his call, wrapping him in their tender arms until he becomes one with them, until they are carrying him away.
Moments later he is stumbling upon the pebbled shore, small frame sagging as he collapses to the damp earth. His strength gone, it is all he can do to lie on that ragged bank and breath, yellow eyes shuttered, dark barrel heaving. He can only pray nothing will disturb him here in the siren’s lair, can only hope he will be allowed time to regain his strength. Otherwise his short life will end here, on this dark, lonely beach, his hidden, tender heart left unfulfilled.</p><p id="etherchildname">Ether</p><p id="etherchildquote2">Shadow son of Shahrizai and Ilka</p></div><div id="etherchildpic"><img src="https://s3.postimg.org/t9uy4hbs3/Ether.jpg"/></div></div></center>
Ether turned into a Shadow Creature