Breathe Into Me [Marak]

[GoblinFae]

First, there was nothing. No, that was not entirely true. There had been something before the nothing. But, that was so long ago and yet so soon. Time was immeasurable in the space between spaces. There was no knowing the beginning from the end. The why from the how or the what.

The who though. That one she knew. She. Yes, there was something about this nonexistent existence that breathed female o her. So she accepted it. For what else was she to do in this place with no light and no dark? No end and no beginning? No life and no death?

She did not have long to contemplate such things. Or perhaps it had been all of eternity and then some. But, then the nothing that once had been something, became a something once more. There was light; bright glaring, haunting light that burned relentlessly for there was no escape.

Dark shapes swam in front of her though there was no way to discern what they were. A heavy pressure seemed to be weighing in upon her- being? Was that what she was now? A body? Words flowed and flashed within her mind, bright electric synapses that made no rhyme or reason in those moments. The ache was growing fiercer still though. Now there was burning. A fire was spreading through her and that light that had burned her eyes was fading again, wreathed in dark shadows.

No!

She did not wish to fade back into the nothingness that had followed the something again. She was so close to being someone again. Then, suddenly with a harsh, dry rattle that was an explosive growl in her ears, precious air flooded her lungs. The burning ache eased and her vision solidified, becoming clearer and sharper.

Her gaze dropped as her breaths steadied to look at the thin branch resting at her side. It was a funny looking thing, so smooth and knobby with five twigs at it's very tip. It reminded her of an old broom. Was that what it was? No. It was a part of her. It lifted fluidly to hover closely in front of her face. At this distance she could see every, crease and fold, every pore and tiny hair that ran down the back of her arm. Arm. Yes, that's what it was.

Slowly, she turned her wrist, marveling at the sensation of stretching muscles and rolling tendons. One by one each finger curled in against the palm and then again uncurled. For several moments she did nothing more but open and close her hand, completely enthralled by the entire experience when a shape beyond her hand caught her attention.

So familiar and yet how? Was this the something before the nothing? She squinted then, trying to bring it in focus only to become startled by the dryness of her eyes being soothed. Several distracted blinks and then a face felt into place like the corner piece of a puzzle. It was not the full picture but certainly a crucial part.

Dry lips stuck and pulled before cracking into a weak but heartfelt smile. A gargled, raspy squawk escaped her that made her flinch and cringe before trying again. Slowly the words fell from her heavy tongue, guttural and harsh but coherent. The language was old and not one readily heard in this new existence after the the nothing. But, that was not something she would understand quite yet.

"I know you...Brother."

[Marakai2.0]

This was a process that the aged Dragon had witnessed countless times before, though only the second product from said process that mattered. This one, though, was even more important than the last, and if he had to be honest with himself he knew that, no matter the outcome, he would be perfectly at peace so long as she lived.

The lights remained dimmed, Kranath having kept in mind that when she emerged, his young sister would be relying on senses far more powerful than those of the norm, with sensory organs that, despite her technical age, had never been used before in this body. New eyes, new skin, new olfactory senses, these things could quickly overwhelm someone in her position.

A pity that he hasn't been so considerate of their brother. Perhaps that was the reason the adjacent chamber remained in shambles, but he doubted it.

No, the reason he suspected that...exchange happened the way it had was due to their shared past. Kranath could only hope that was a singular instance.

Thus...Keinara. If there was any whom he could bring back that had a heart big enough to afford room for forgiveness...it was her. And certainly not to mention the fact that she, above all, deserved a second chance at life. Especially after hers was cut so short, with so much...brutality.

It was only with the soft tone of the machine, finally signalling that his vigil was at last at its end, that Kranath looked up from the immaculate white tile floor, his single eye shooting its gaze across the room to the tank from which his sister was about to be reborn. The monitor was blinking rapidly, the word "COMPLETE" flashing over and over again with soft green luminescence. Automatically, the pressurized door let out a hiss as it swung open on hydraulic hinges, accompanied shortly after with the mechanical whirring of the motors that extended the gurney....upon which she lay, so peacefully.

So...still, so pale. His one visible eye shut tight as he tried to will away the flood of memories that accosted him then, those of the blood, the screams...the death. That twisted voice in his head, driving him to kill, to maim, to destroy, to change the world for her, to-

No. No, she was dead. Dead and gone, her essence consumed. She was never coming back, could never terrorize the world again.

But Keinara...she was here. Just then, color flooded her pale form as she took that first shaking breath. He noticed then that her eyes were open, and with that sharp inhalation saw them glow a bright gold - seeing that brought a smile to his face, a wetness to his eyes (even beneath the eyepatch, that wicked other eye felt his elation).

She lived. Gods above and below, she lived.

She was moving her arm, flexing those fingers, exploring her first feeling of oneness with a body once more after an eon, and Kranath was watching her every move, one red eye locked to her gold ones, just waiting to be noticed, anxious to see her reaction to seeing him again.

When she did, he was at first confused. The language she used, that ancient Draconic, those words that had been uttered by no one in tens of thousands of years...it had been so long since he'd heard the language that he'd very nearly forgotten it had ever been spoken.

But of course...that was over one-hundred thousand years ago. He realised, far too late, just how much his work was really cut out for him.

"I know you...Brother."

Hearing that, it pushed a lone tear from his one visible eye, rolling down his angular cheek to splash upon the tile at his feet. She remembered him. Gods, she....she remembered him. And that smile! Even so small and weak, it did his twisted soul so much good to see, after so many years.

He cleared his throat, afraid of what his voice would sound like after not speaking for over a week, before responding in kind.

"And I know you, dear sister...but do you know yourself?"

The question was asked, and Kranath eagerly awaited the answer, an answer that could potentially save or destroy him.

[GoblinFae]

Thick lashes fluttered, shuttering and unshuttering golden eyes that saw but did not see. There was light and shapes but definition was still lacking with each new slow blink. It was easy to believe that she had not heard the question in the way that there was silence save for her breath for many long moments.

After a long pause, Keinara inhaled deeply, her chest ballooning with the effort before she sighed softly. "I am...sister," she began, her mind working to piece everything together with concepts she could not begin to fathom. "I am the nothing that was something, reborn. I am old and yet made new."

Keinara moved her hand, her breaths coming fast and faster as she reached desperately for him. "What am I?" she rasped, feeling a heavy weight settling over her breast and crushing her down onto the bed. "Brother, what am I?"

[Marakai2.0]

For a long moment, the elder dragon was silent, unsure of how to respond to this question rasped over the lips or innocence. His eye drifted shut, as he blinded himself to her for a beat of silence. When the moment passed, and Kranath knew what to say, he stood from his seat, and moved to kneel beside her. He smiled, and gently took her hand, and continued in that ancient language.

"You are you, dear sister, as you were before and as you always will be, from now until time everlasting. You are one which will become great and powerful, but tempered with wisdom and innocence. You, dear sister, are a Dragon."

His smile turned sad, as he squeezed her hand gently, looking her over. She seemed healthy, if not a bit dehydrated. That wasn't unusual, and could be rectified in short order. "Before we get into anything else...you have needs that must be taken care of. Hold a moment, sister, and I will get you some water." It was amazing, really, how the language came back to him so easily. He'd have to teach her the language of Man, though, so she would fit in a bit more....perhaps after he caught her up to speed on the workings of the world.

[GoblinFae]

His touch was grounding and as his words washed uncomprehendingly over her that tight knot within her chest began to ease again. Breathing slowly became a more controlled process so that the drumming against her ribs no longer ached and pulsed within her every cell. Her eyes danced in their continued struggle with sight. One moment his face was there and in the next brother was gone.

Keinara gasped, reaching for him and only settling once more at his quick return. Something cooling and wet was placed against her lips then. Water filled her mouth, making her think she would drown, returning to the nothingness once more before suddenly her throat squeezed and she swallowed painfully. He allowed her several sips more until she sank back into the warm cocoon of the bed wearily.

"A Dragon," she whispered then, testing the word out and even tasting her lips as if to taste the concept itself. The word itself was both familiar and foreign to her. It invoked a well of deep satisfaction within her and yet was elusive enough to slip away from her like the ether of the nothingness.

"I do not understand, Brother. I do not know me."