Connection

[Kaden]

Suddenly seeing the fire rain from the sky around him more than unnerved Kaden. The ice wizard always had a subconscious fear of the element; one that he had been working on suppressing and he actually had been somewhat successful. But not on this scale. This was armageddon. This was hell. His heart clenched in his chest. Then he saw the man. And the demon army. Finding it difficult to speak, he just squeezed the woman's hand tighter.

[Aazarah]

The squeeze at her hand brought Aazarahs attention abruptly back to her physical senses. She could feel the strain of the Connection begin to drag on her body, euphoria and fear gave way to sheer exhaustion within minutes.

Her vision began to clear as she focused on the blurry shape of the wizard before her. She realised this would have been all the more difficult for him, especially with him lending most of his Magic to her.
"Are you alright?", she asked him.

[Kaden]

"Yes. Sorry. That was just...I'm sorry." Kaden apologized. He was semi-aware that he messed something up. "I just wasn't expecting that at all. I'm alright now." He was still breathing harder than normal as his heart tried to catch up. Kaden had very large magic reservoirs, but after constant drainage in their pure magic form, he was just starting to feel the mental exhaustion.

"Are you?" He asked.

[Aazarah]

"Im fine, thankyou". She worked off the dark, smokey quartz ring from her middle finger and held it out to him, "Here take this, it will help you regain your strength".

As he took it from her, the earth witch surveyed the land around the stadium for any signs of energy leakage. With a slightly lighter heart she noted there was none. The thought of bringing any of those demon beings through with them made her nauseous, and neither she nor the wizard were in any state to deal with the repercussions it would bring.

[Kaden]

As Kaden tried to get the ring on his finger, he noted with an slightly amused grin that the ring was meant for a female finger. She had to work to get it off. Luckily, he had thinner fingers than most men, and it only took him a little while to work it onto his ring finger. It glowed faintly as it settled. The effect was almost instantaneous. He almost immediately began to feel more energy flow into his body. The ice wizard looked at the ring in wonder.

"What kind of ring is this?" He asked her.

[Aazarah]

"The one you are now wearing is my Smokey Quartz, for strength. I have a set of them.....". She held up her fingers, bending each relevant finger as she reached its meaning, "Iolite, for channeling large amounts of Magic, Saphhire for seeing the Truth behind an enchantment, and perhaps my favourite... Fire Opal for providing courage when it is most needed."

Her lips twitched into a faint smile in memory, "My grandmother taught me the art of mineral weaving. Each of these rings is imprinted with my very own energetic signature... that one is working for you because of the close proximity of our Magic. Its efficiency on you would fade within the hour". Aazarah found she could now see the outline of the wizards face as her physical vision restored itself. It made talking to him much easier, "It was the Sapphire that let me know I could trust you to borrow its brother ring for the moment."

[Kaden]

"Mineral weaving, that's...that's impressive." Kaden said sincerely. A sheen of water appeared on his ring finger, making it easier to slide the ring off. The water disappeared just as quickly. He held the ring up to his eyes, looking at the grey texture closely before handing it back to her.

"It's good to know your ring likes me." He teased.

[Aazarah]

She smiled at the comment, holding his hand in greeting as she took back the ring, "I am Aazarah."

Her vision fully returned, she nodded with thanks, "I realise I am very lucky to be standing here right now. You`re help was much appreciated during the Connection."

[Kaden]

"Your connection was much appreciated." He replied. "I've only met one earth mage before you, and none in this town. And I've never had the privilege of witnessing a connection; much less being part of one. So you have my gratitude, miss Aazarah." He chuckled a bit as he realized he neglected to introduce himself. "My name is Kaden, by the way."

[Aazarah]

"Honestly, Kaden", she began, "That was one of the most intense sessions I have ever experienced. The entire process was set within a foreign structure, and I am glad to have someone to talk it over with, if you do not mind? I am hoping that perhaps we can do something about this ticking time bomb sitting in the middle of your city. Because at present, thats exactly what I believe it is."

[Kaden]

"Sure, I wouldn't mind. But I'm not sure how much help I would be." Kaden admitted. "And as happy as I am to have been part of one of your most intense sessions," He continued, a slight smirk on his face. "I have to admit that I don't have much idea what it was I saw. Just that it terrified me. Very attractive, I imagine." The wizard thought for a second. "But definitely tell me about this bomb...just remember to speak to me as you would an amateur?" He asked.

[Aazarah]

"Opora, if I remember correctly, was a city located somewhere on the planet Mayste. It was a planet my grandmother would continually reference when she was teaching my brother and I how to control our Magic....", she trailed off in thought, "... Nowhere near our solar system as I remember, and hence, to a five and six year old more interested in making the Earth move- not something that we found very important."

"They were one of the most advanced wisdom-keepers of Earth Magic living on one of the most minerally abundant planets within the galaxy. Over time, of course, others began to want their knowledge", she held Kadens gaze firmly. "She believed it was then they decided to shroud this knowledge in a protective device to prevent the secrets being discovered. Grandmother always skipped over the following bits... but recently my brother Nykos decided to go looking for more. He mentioned he was going searching for a weapon of Mayste; last reported in about five hours north of NightWorld and then disapeared."

[Kaden]

"Ok, I'll bite: Why would anything of this planet you speak of be here? On this one, I mean." Kaden asked. "Also, your brother. I assume you haven't found him? Or know whether or not if he found anything..." He began to pace, a habit he occasionally exhibited when thinking. "Five hours north..." He looked up at Aazarah. "You did look for him though?"

[Aazarah]

She took a deep breath, "I`ve honestly not a clue. Nyk was the one interested in following the leads he had picked up along our way. I think the last words I said to him were that he was running a fools errand. Ive only recently come looking for him, I didnt think he was in any danger since I really didnt believe in any danger existing."

Aazarah tapped her fingers in deep thought, feeling the reassuring weight of her Rings for the second time that day. ".... Kaden, Im not even sure if this Stadium is related to Mayste... I only vaguely remember Opora being mentioned in some of grandmothers stories. For all I know, as mindblowing as what we`ve just seen has been... this could be a whole other story."

[Kaden]

Kaden had gotten into innumerable scrapes due to his boundless curiousity; only one of which he actively regretted. That curiousity was working overtime now. "Or the two stories could be one and the same." He admitted, his voice taking on a more anxious tone. "Listen, what would we have to lose? We've got to do something about this..." The wizard spread his arms, indicating he was referring to the stadium. "...and we have to find your brother."

It was then he realized something. He had only met her today and was using the word 'we' a lot. These were her missions. He rubbed the back of his head in sheepish embarrassment. "Uh...Well, assuming you'd let me accompany you. I'm really very curious about the whole thing."