Hello, everyone! after dealing with real life and the other nonsense of living, panny and i have decided to bring back war of change. give a round of applause. we’ve worked through all of the information and hopefully improved coherency and cohesion; however, tell us if we missed something. eventually, we’ll announce an event to celebrate the re-opening, so look out for information on that. -RAIDNE, THE HEAD ADMIN
From the moonless night, screams of terror and fear resound, spreading across the world and infecting the masses; however, those sleepless nights occurred years ago. A new era began with the fires of war, and with no end in sight, the residents of Selene Isle trudge through life, basking in the momentary peace. Despite their prayers for continued monotony and peace, a storm brews, stirred to life by the continued presence of Rapture and Wraith. And as we set our sights on the seemingly peace laden isle, we must ask: how shall this tale end?
As the years passed, the number of true pairs increased; however, they continued to live in the shadows, catering to the whims of the mundane. Seven Moons kept watch over them all, instructing them and assisting them, but for many, the attitudes and ideals of the organization were smoldering, suffocating. With Seven Moons and the mundanes, they could not grasp the freedom, the power dangling before their eyes. In the beginning, rebellion was a dream, a fantasy, a figment—developed by the repressed and carried forward due to the nature of humanity. No one expected the call to sound, and no one expected the call to be answered. However, it happened.
pale grey clouds floated overhead, blemishing the fair blue of the endless sky; however, the figure maneuvering through the forest paid little attention to the elements. his attention remained locked on his route, and despite the confidence coloring his expression, his emotions wrecked havoc upon him, a maelstrom waiting to burst forth. his current employer insisted upon seeing stranges shadows in the forest, citing extreme terror and an inability to sleep at night. the crazed woman insisted that a monster prowled beneath the trees; however, her rushed assessment of the situation left dragomir courting disbelief. she refused to leave without securing his promise to investigate the matter. with her hurried exit, the blackette began questioning the veracity of her reassurances, wondering if she would remember to pay his fees. a tired sigh had filled the empty office as the male contemplated the appropriate preparations for his assigned task. he realized that the results of his investigation would not appease the woman, who convinced herself of the veracity behind her delusions.
twigs snapped as one arm brushed the vines aside, revealing another vegetation filled path. anger surged through him as he carefully stepped over the roots of a nearby tree. dragomir delighted in physical activity; however, his wild goose chase only agitated him, constantly reminding him of more prominent tasks that required his time and attention. damn woman should be in a mental ward, the ravenette grumbled as the cracking of another branch destroyed the pleasant afternoon music. birds rose into the air and disappeared from sight, frightened away due to the man’s clumsy steps. oh, he wanted to strangle that woman, and when he arrived back at his office, he planned to substantially increase the price of his services. vindictive pleasure flooded his system as he stumbled into a clearing—a breath of fresh air for the slightly panting man.
ruby red hued eyes roved over the area, eyeing the various paths in disdain and debating ending his inane quest now. a flash of movement caught his attention, and his eyes watched as a faded pink object disappeared behind a tree on the other side of the clearing. unease settled over the dark haired detective as he began advancing across the clearing, eyes locked on the tree of interest. his client’s crazed ramblings echoed in his mind with each step, the distance slowly disappearing as he proceeded. when he reached the tree, he carefully peaked around it to study the previously hidden segment of the forest; however, the flash of pink had disappeared. dragomir stepped out from behind the tree, taking several steps down the available path. his movements ceased due to the faint rumbling of thunder and due to the resounding crack that issued from overhead. the fighter whirled around to see an unusually shaped bundle descending toward the earth.
his eyes widened in dismay while his body moved automatically, placing himself underneath the rapidly descending object. with his knees bent and arms at the ready, dragomir waited. each second passed in an excruciating slow manner. gravity clung to the festively clad child, whose amber hued eyes connected with the private investigator’s. shock colored the man’s sharps features as the youth’s weight collided with his arms, which instinctively brought the small frame closer to his chest as his knees buckled. he collided with the ground, pain shooting through his body from his knees and gaze slowly shifting to rest on his newly acquired ward. be careful, brat, he ground out, voice full of anger—or more specifically… a mix of shock and fear. with his features set in a perpetual scowl, he studied the child, questions floating through his mind as he entered into a staring contest with the strangely dressed individual.
The boy didn't know what he was supposed to do, he was hungry. Little Aylen had only been eating whatever people dropped, and the things he could find in the cabins around here. But what was he going to say. The small boy just took a berry from the tree and nibbled on it, feeling the juice go down his throat. He honestly felt really sick. And he hated it. Not being able to eat all he wanted to was making him seriously angry. "COME ON! bless me with some food, the gods can't hate me that much right momma." He whimpered, and sighed a little bit. Though like it'd end up even mattering at this point really. He honestly didn't care, all he wanted to do was at least attempt to eat. His stomach was twisting the longer he sat here. And he honestly hated all of it. Though it'd probably not end up helping in general. Just seriously what was he supposed to say. With a small sigh he only moved through the trees again then went to wash off his hands.
All he had to eat was a small rat and some berries. And honestly the rat smelled really bad. He didn't entirely care, this was already so frustrating. He hated to have to live on the streets. This was not his life, but his momma had told him to stay out here. She said he'd be safe out here. And he listened. So that was why he happened to be out here again. And yet right now it was confusing. He just started to skin the rat. Started to feel the blood drip on his hands as he skinned it. But he didn't care, this was all he knew. He'd have veggies tonight, well berries, veggies whatever they were. It was all he knew. What was he going to do? He just sighed lightly and then set it down. What was he going to do? How could he figure this out, it'd probably not end up helping either. What was he going to say, for a moment he wondered if someone was out here. But he didn't think someone was. Until he heard steps and the boy just climbed up into the tree with his catch. He was not going to let go of his catch.
Not right now. Aylen just kept quiet and waited. He wanted to know who was trying to find him. Or who was out here, was it that weird guy he saw before? He leaned over the branch to see if they were around and instantly it fell. It made him fall onto the ground. What was he going to do? At this point it probably didn't even matter. He had no idea who was even there. He just knew he had fallen on them, and he was still holding his uncooked rat. The blood was on his hands, and there was also blood on his leg and ankle from falling. The ankle was twisted, swollen and it looked like it was starting to bruise. It made him feel really bad. And honestly he hated all of it. He'd rather not end up digging into those things. He just tried to move back away from him but only managed to stumble even further. This didn't make him feel good. He just felt worse.
"Oh shut up and leave my space!" He huffed as he spoke, this was honestly annoying him. And he had no idea what to do about it. Just what was he supposed to say. It'd probably not end up helping either. So how was he going to handle this. He couldn't move it, even trying made him cry out suddenly. All because his ankle hurt and moving wasn't helping honestly.
pain pierced his conscious mind, radiating from his knees and infiltrating his senses, and due to the throbbing sensation, his grip on the child loosened. confusion dominated his emotions as the weight from his arms disappeared. crimson hued eyes followed the progress of the golden haired youth, mentally cataloguing his appearance and noting the gathering moisture in his amber tinted eyes. terror tainted the lingering confusion as he shifted away from the child, dropping his bag onto the ground and settling himself in an indian style position. the comfortable arrangement granted his knees a reprieve and affored him an equal height with his newfound companion. a wince stole across his tanned features as he pressed one elbow against the side of his knee, hand curling into a fist and cheek resting against the raised appendage. dark brows furrowed as the forest sounds disrupted the silence of their staring contest, shattering it and hammering the surreal situation into his brain. his eyes were not playing tricks on him, and he had stumbled onto a brat… living and surviving in the forest that surrounded the inhabited sections of selene isle.
fuck, dragomir breathed as his eyes shut, hiding the world from sight and providing him with a brief moment to wrap his head around the situation. in his opinion, children should be cherished, not tossed aside like garbage. anger bubbled to the forefront of his mind as his free hand clenched into a fist and pressed against the side of his other knee. pain raced through his body; however, he ignored the sensation and tried to gain control over his rampaging emotions, realizing that he might frighten the child away. his shoulders shifted slightly as he forced himself to take a deep breath, mentally counting each intake of oxygen and allowing an audible exhale upon reaching ten deep breaths. ruby red hued eyes fluttered open, blinking away the discomfort caused by the return of the sunlight and roving over the brat’s figure. his previous observations of the child correlated with his current observations—blood spattered clothing and limbs, swollen ankle, and… rat carcass—which explained the ample amounts of blood despite the lack of visible open wounds. the faded and torn clothing elicited a deep seated worry within the ravenette's mind as he uncurled his fist.
dragomir understood the precariousness of his current situation. he wanted to tend to the child’s injuries and provide him with a healthier food choice; however, his training as a police officer drilled into his mind that sudden movements and anger might terrify the confused youth. kid, the blackette began while carefully holding out a hand to the obviously uncertain brunette. i don’t want to hurt you. i just want to tend to your ankle and give you some of the food that’s with me. his gaze flickered away from the amber tinted eyes and settled on his road worn bag. the black fabric showcased the wear and tear of years, but the dark haired investigator refused to part with the object, holding onto it due to its sentimental value. after steeling his resolve, his attention returned to the brat, hand lingering in the minimal space between them and acting as a silent offer of assistance. he would not ask for anything in return though he did not vocalize that fact, merely waiting anxiously to see the response that his words and actions would garner from the injured individual.
Aylen whimpered, he couldn't move cause of the pain in his leg. But he didn't care either. This was just something he'd enjoy, something he'd really rather do. It was probably not going to end up getting him anywhere. Or at least he thought that anyway. For this moment he'd rather take a small step back. Figure this out some other way instead. For a moment he felt that it wouldn't end up doing anything. He tried to get up but his body just fell back down again. Aylen was not healthy. His body was just literal skin and bones. He'd run out of food long ago, and had been hunting. The food here didn't keep him fed, it never lasted. He had become used to that. So this stranger was not someone he even wanted to attempt to trust.
What if they tried to hurt him? This could all be a trick. His momma had told him not to trust anyone when she disappeared so long ago. The child had been all alone for years, or at least it felt like years. He didn't know what to do, he almost wanted to flee. To forget all of this stuff, but like it'd end up even working at this point. Right? Honestly he felt he was stuck in ten different ways. Mostly because he couldn't run and he was hungry. Aylen was so scared, he didn't want anyone to get close to him. They'd probably end up hurting him, after all strangers were not good people. They never had been honestly. He thought people would always try to hunt him down.
Wasn't that why he was here? To hunt down something the woman in this world had been complaining about. Honestly though he'd rather not think about it. Since that'd probably just get him hurt. He was in pain, his body hurt and he was seriously hungry. His stomach started to rumble again. And he really wanted to make it go away. But would it even end up happening? Probably not. He felt a bit dizzy, but Aylen could only glance back at this guy. What was he supposed to do? More so what was he going to do? That had to be confusing, to not know what a stranger wanted from him. And yet also wanting to run away but he couldn't. Every single step hurt his leg badly.
He blinked and shivered. He gave a small whimper. "P-please no..I don't wanna. Momma's gonna get mad. E-eh? Help me...? You have..food?" He tilted his head and gave a small whimper again, but his stomach growling was louder then the whimper. He wanted the food, but he didn't take the guy's hand. No he was still hesitating. He didn't mind someone helping him if he got food. If Aylen had the food he'd be distracted, easier mostly. But at the same time what if it was poisoned. What if someone wanted him dead and this guy was going to do it? "You try the food first!Then gimme!" He was being a bit demanding, though he still wanted to cry.
His eyes still glistened with those tears and he was barely moving his ankle even if he wanted to fight this guy.
worry crept into the crimson hued eyes as dragomir watched the child, waiting for a response to his suggestion. his hand remained, and despite his attempt, his friendly aura crashed and burned within moments. dark brows furrowed as he listened to the child, unconsciously smirking at the loud grumble from the golden haired sacrifice’s stomach. his mind lingered on one pressing question, which floated in the forefront of his mind and caused his apprehension to mount higher. selene isle boasted of radical changes in the weather. a sunny day proceeded a ruthless storm, and the winter served as a deterrent to everyone. surviving in the forest meant surrendering to the elements. the blackette was dubious over whether the youth could handle the ruthless weather. nature lacked remorse and attacked viciously regardless of age or gender, of physical condition or emotional state. hunger and thirst drove humanity to their worst; however, the raven haired private investigator hoped that people emphasized with the child and helped provide sustenance for him. his entire frame tensed due to the unexpected thought, which produced an onslaught of other possible situations and questions.
had the child left the forest?
who abandoned him? who ordered him to stay? had there been a viable reason?
did the child want to leave?
dragomir forced himself to take a deep breath, caging his rampaging thoughts behind steal bars and letting his hand fall away. the void between them seemed impenetrable as the dark haired detective reached for his black bag. it landed between his legs, with pieces of fabric shedding from the object and landing on his jean clad legs. blood red tinted eyes merely blinked as tanned fingers tugged at the dual zippers, unlocking the object and granting him access to the contents contained within. one hand plunged into the depths while the other clutched at one edge of the bag, pulling one side closer to his chest. with deliberately slow motions, he began setting objects on the ground—a first aid kit, two bags of beef jerky, a dented lighter, a survival knife, and a ziploc bag of granola bars. the raven haired fighter decided to display a number of the items contained within his backpack; however, he left his cell phone, gun, extra ammunition, and several notebooks in the ragged item, not wanting to frighten aylen and hoping to keep a few secrets from the skittish youth.
which do you want? he inquired while tapping the bags of food with a finger, highlighting their presence to the starved child. his gaze shifted to study the injured individual, glance shifting between the swollen ankle and the pained expression. he prayed for the tears to evaporate, for he lacked the skillset required to deal with an emotional child. experience taught him the necessity of steering clear of upset individuals. his lack of finesse and inability to sugarcoat the truth left him with no escape route, so dragomir could only pat people awkwardly on the back while cringing at the damp sensation that assaulted his skin. i’m dragomir, but you can call me grim. can you tell me your name? his hands moved away from the displayed objects, resting on his knees and giving aylen the chance to investigate the items. will you tell me yours?
This was already way too out of his comfort zone, he honestly wanted all of it to go away. But of course Aylen was not likely to be able to get rid of this stranger. Not even if he tried to it was just not going to happen. And by now he should have already known that. Perhaps for the most part he did. But would people really need to know that? This male seemed nice. Even if he didn't know what to do about Grim. He barely knew how to figure him out. Or what to say to the stranger either, so what if he was being offered food. That was actually not what this was about. It was about the stranger trying to hurt him. If he did, so far he seemed a bit gruff. But still.
No one needed to care why he was even here. Right? Since this was already not exactly his best idea. For now he'd rather shrug it off. If that was even going to be possible at this point. He could handle the weather he could handle just about anything else pretty much. Aylen had no plans to change his mind, or get lost basically. He was still not sure what to do from here though. Just what might it end up causing. He didn't like the idea of being stuck here. Or being forced into negative situations he did not enjoy. He knew nothing else then his mother before this, and the forest after that. He was not about to change his mind. After all what good would it do.
This wasn't so bad. Yet he also felt as if things were not going to end so well. Honestly Aylen didn't know who he could trust or who he couldn't. Which right now he couldn't be sure what this stranger was about. Or even if he wanted anything from that stranger. Right now he might, but would he be obvious about that? Probably not really. The child didn't know what had changed outside of the place either. His world had only been the forest and nothing else. Really. That was just the way his life had become basically. And of course he obviously hated every second of it.
His stomach was starting to growl more about the food. He really did want to eat, but it wasn't going to work either now was it? He felt that he might not be in the right state of mind. Seriously for a moment Aylen felt sick. But he just reached out to take the bag of jerky, failing to open it he held it up to the stranger. "Open it for me! stupid bags!" He had lost the way to know how to open them. He was in the woods for so long after all. He tried to say his name, and stumbled over it at first. "A-len? Ay-..Aylen I think?" He hadn't heard his momma say it for so long. So what was he going to do. He tried to say his name. It wasn't like anyone other then his neighbors might have turned him in as a missing person.
This sorta made him feel better at least. It wasn't so bad at the very least. Yet ha also didn't know what to do. Or how far this stranger might take things. Men and woman from that world could be so mean. And Aylen was scared of them.
as the time ticked away, images of abel and lillian superseded the child’s, and his emotions jumped from extreme to extreme with the constant reminder of the deceased children. for a brief moment, the future expanded before him, glimmering with hope, but the hope vanished with the news of their deaths. they foolishly agreed to the proposed plan, ignoring his orders and subjecting themselves to the sadistic pleasure of their tormentor. dragomir lacked the ability to forgive himself for failing them and had abandoned the department—unable to meet his co-workers' eyes and partially blaming them for the destruction of his future. without abel and lillian, the blackette fled, running and running until he reached selene isle. he attempted to toss aside his emotions and accepted dangerous missions with glee. his life lacked purpose as he chased after stolen items and after petty crooks.
hope flickered to life within his heart, rekindling with each pained grimace that stole across the youth’s grime laden features. his previously shattered future began to reform, reconstructed due to his continued interactions with the fair haired sacrifice. his subconscious mind latched onto the child, recognizing the signs of abandonment and desiring to protect the youth from further harm. dragomir feared becoming attached to people… especially children. despite his gruff demeanor, the ravenette succeeded in producing smiles and delighted giggles from the young adolescents. his hulking frame amused them, and due to his inherent strength and uncharacteristic gentleness, he managed to secure their trust and affection within a short expanse of time. he doubted that aylen would display the same instant trust of other children, and his heart ached for the skittish child.
tanned lips quirked into a subtle smirk as he accepted the bag of beef jerky from the child. calloused fingers easily opened the bag, revealing the contents and then holding it toward the golden haired brat. how long have you been here, aylen? dragomir inquired while connecting his gaze with the amber hued eyes of his companion. questions ravaged his conscious thoughts, and he needed to unearth clues into the child’s identity. due to the other’s tone, he doubted the veracity of the provided name, recognizing the signs of memory degradation. time slowly destroyed memories, making them harder and harder to recall until they seemingly vanished. the mind worked in mysterious ways that escaped the dark haired investigator’s comprehension. he understood enough to realize that he either needed to jog aylen’s memory or simply provide the youth with a new name.
can i tend to your ankle? he queried with his ruby red tinted eyes shifting toward the swollen appendage. his eyes narrowed while he studied the injury from a distance, and despite the distance, he could tell that the injury would cause the child unneeded duress. a sigh escaped him as his hands lowered toward the first aid kit, fingers wrapping around the object. with practiced ease, he lifted the item and planted it on his lap. his fingers flipped open the container while his gaze remained locked with aylen’s, having shifted the jewel toned eyes to reconnect with the soft brown colored gaze of the youth. dragomir wanted to showcase his sincerity through his actions, for mere words proved ineffective in convincing the child to comply with his wishes. can i? the words rolled off his tongue while his fingers brushed against the objects contained within the case, mentally correlating the texture of each item with their identity and calculating the necessity of each while waiting for a response from the injured youth.
The child didn't want anyone to get close to him, what is he supposed to do? This made him feel weird. Aylen barely knew what to do, or what to say at this point. For a moment he'd rather shrug this off. His mother had left him alone. She had told the child to stay out here and she'd come back. Yet the woman never did. Why did his mother have to do that to him? What was it going to do. Why did this guy want to be around him. Or want to talk to him. It didn't make any sense. Aylen didn't get people, they were all so new to him. And that was why he felt so jumpy around this person. At least right now. But what did this guy want from him? For now at the very least. What was he supposed to say? He didn't know this guy, so what was he supposed to do.
'N-no go away.' He wanted to mumble but like it'd do him any good. Aylen couldn't run very far because of his ankle. That was seriously frustrating. He hated to know he might be a victim to this person. Right? It was already weird enough, that made him want to run. But no he knew if he tried he'd just end up getting hurt. With a small cough he just whimpered. It was starting to a hurt a lot more now, and he hated all of it. This guy only wanted to help he had to remember that. When a stranger wanted to help it was best to just let them. As much as he actually didn't want it too. Right? So he was just a bit confused. His mind was starting to focus again. Bringing back the memories from when he was abandoned out here.
"H-how long? Um...five years I think? I don't know, time passes weird out here. The ticky things stopped working." He didn't know what to say, or what names were. He was not sure what to do about that. But like it'd end up helping him at all. So right now he felt that his head was hurting. The past memories didn't help him. And he'd rather ignore it. Not that it was going to work. Since of course Grim had no idea what he felt, or what he was like. He barely knew anything about his past. About what he was. All he remembered was his mom ditching him in the woods. Had she died? Or did she just not care.
Tend to his ankle? Oh right for a moment he had forgotten about the pain. And yet he'd rather not end up thinking about it. Not at this point. "F-fine...it hurts." He sobbed, he was just too tired right now. He wanted to make all of this go away. But like that'd end up happening. The little boy was still crying, as he tried not to move his ankle. It was hurting really bad. He wished it'd just end up going away right now. He just lifted his ankle up so the guy could look even if it was making him cry again.
