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[personal profile] neriumoleander
The metal pierces the dragon's chest, and through it, as the great beast crashes to the ground, its heart. The world quakes as the spell dies. Memories and realities ripple outwards in great waves of voluminous purple and sparks, though only the most sensitive to magic would see its traces. 

There is no time. Nerium apparates to the dragon's side in an instance, but the life has already gone. All is shattered. Her work, her dreams, the gift of magic she has brought upon all. But there is no time to mourn. No time to think of consequences. Traces of the dragon still burn, the spell is still alive within the wood. 

With a rush of whisper and prayer, Nerium closes her eyes and steps within the burning ash that was once a creature of magic. Her words offer sacrifice to the goddesses and to the great deities of old.

The final gust of wind rushes around her, through her, reaches inside of Nerium and pulls her apart. Something like a soul disperses through the woods, resting upon every tree, every trace of ground, every root and flower and animal until they are one. Nerium's magic leaves a silvery sheen upon all it touches. The quickly unraveling spell is repelled upon its boundaries and what remains is an Enchanted Forest, as wild and alive with magic and fantasy as Nerium's dreams.

And a woman. Just a woman. Whose magic has been sacrificed to a higher calling and lives within her no more.  

She stands there frozen for quite some time. Unsure now where the woods end and she begins. And when the final traces of magic finally leave her, Nerium collapses. 

The next several days are difficult. Even the most mundane tasks prove difficult without her innate skills. Steps heavy without levitation, candle flames exhaustively numerous to light. She still has her potions - her books and knowledge - but all that require a higher level of innate power are lost to her. 

It is no matter. She has brought magic back into the world. True, wild magic. When she walks into her wood, she is greeted by unicorns. The hooves of centaurs echo wild in the distance and the water nymphs which once lived only in her pond now inhabit all the waters of the wood.

Even if only a pocket, pure magic rests now in this world once more. And if this be her legacy, Nerium Oleander Grimhilde, Mother of Magic - it is all worth it. 

(ooc: Find Nerium in the woods or use this to address your character's aftermath of the spell)

Date: 2015-05-25 02:08 am (UTC)
do_what_thou_wilt: (Default)
From: [personal profile] do_what_thou_wilt

He restrains a bristle when she tells him what his problem is. "I don't mean good or evil." He shakes his head slightly. "Magic doesn't exist one without the other, I know well enough to know that." He gives her an eyebrow raise at her pedantic tone. "But this magic you sacrificed so much for -- you made that decision because it was right to you. Right, in the heart of you." He touches his chest. There are things that are innate.

"Davin --" He shakes his head. "He hasn't grown into his power, he cares too much about that Thornton to use it the way it deserves, but he's trusted me before. Our dragon would have killed him and now --." And now she's lost her power, too, and for what? To pre-emptively destroy another witch that could easily have been brought to realize how dangerous humans are? And now is more powerful than Nerium and counts her as an enemy. There's nothing about having the dragon strike first that he feels like defending, and even less about the way winds have turned now.

He's angry about her decision making, but he can't bring himself to be anything but resigned. She's right. There is and was. It's in the past and now they must deal with what's to come. He looks at the ground, back up at her, and really looks, taking her in.

She looks fragile, or new somehow, and he thinks, it's not because of lack of experience; it's because of lack of exposure. The world which he has weathered and built a shell against -- emotionally, toward those who because of his magic or poverty, his outsider status or accent or any manner of things, but also physically -- is something she has always had magical barriers to protect her from. Those are gone now and he finds himself feeling protective, even as he's frustrated.

He looks at their hands when she takes his. There's something a little awkward and new about the way she reaches for him, too, like she's never held hands before. Maybe she hasn't. There's a trust to that. "Now, it's over. Come on." He tugs her hand a little, with a small smile, turning to lead her back towards his home.

Auryn finds himself walking beside her instead of leading, and fills a suddenly pregnant quiet with occasional pointing out tricky spots in the path, brisk comments on little things that seem to have changed in the wood, new growth from the spring and altogether new signs of wild magic. The wards around the clearing are still perfectly designed to lead someone astray, and Nerium would perhaps be caught in them now that she's given her magic to the wood, but her hand in his, he steps through and the cottage makes itself clear, small and spiraling, the tree's new growth growing around the upper level it supports.

Iron over the door, flowers and herbs drying in the kitchen, water filter straining rain: everything built with his hands. He heads up the few steps ahead of her to unlock the door with a touch and open it for her. "Home sweet home," he jokes dryly, aware of what must look small and spare to her, though it is his home as much as anything ever really has been.

Date: 2015-06-02 09:39 pm (UTC)
do_what_thou_wilt: (Default)
From: [personal profile] do_what_thou_wilt

"It's not about friends, Nerium," he says, and his tone is a little frustrated but mostly reasoning. He's a little unused to trusting anyone enough to call them friend, to be frank, though Davin's had no reason to be as kind to him as he has been, and perhaps he's thinking of that. But this is a war. It's about allies. They need to convince others of their perspective, not to take arms against their own kind. They're not an revolution as they are. They're scarcely enough to call on three. "Davin's powerful. Now his fear will make him a weapon for those who would destroy -- this." He gestures to her forest, beautiful and free, beyond even their control. "One forged in dragon flame."

"It's not just your creation," he reminds her quietly. "I shed my blood for it and I would shed more. But that means I bear responsibility for it just as you do. You'd do anything to protect your child and I understand that better than you know. But I want to make sure it grows up."

Her smile when they enter his home is comforting: he'd been expecting at least a little judgement. "You like it? I built it myself and I haven't regretted it yet." He pours her some water and glances at her, smiling, handing her the cold water. "It’s no castle, but I could build something similar for you, with a little time." He looks around. “Maybe a little fancier.”

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