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Clash of the Incarnations

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[#5AGSIZET9]

[#5AGSIZET9]

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With Karzit* gone, life quickly returned to normal for Serena and her father. Micah was happy to see the stranger go, for he became far less agitated now. Serena, however, kept secretly praying that she would see him return from that lonely path in the woods, and she glanced that way periodically throughout her day in the faint hope that her future benefactor would come back to her.

The young Seer leaned against a maple tree behind the house, gazing off to Catherby. She had come outside to pick herbs to replenish her medicine stores, for Karzith had needed most of it. However, as always, she could not stop gazing at his back as he walked away, even when she could not see him.

“Serena!” her father called from the door. Serena returned to reality with a start, hurriedly getting back to the herb patch before her father could notice. Serena knew that her father was wary of Karzit*, so she could not let him know how deeply she felt for him.

“Yes, Father?” she called back. “I am picking herbs. What do you need?”

Micah assumed a pensive look, and Serena felt the odd feeling that he could see right through her. “Nothing, I was just wondering what you were doing.” He turned to go inside, closing the door behind him.

Serena sighed in relief. Then, she turned back to the herb patch, and her legs gave out. Everything went black, and she was unconscious long before she hit the ground.

Serena was lying in the middle of a grove of maple trees in the middle of the wilderness. She lay on the floor of a small hollow area in the middle of the trees, her face pressed against the fallen red leaves of early autumn. She got up and surveyed her surroundings. Serena had no idea where she was, for she had never seen this place, in life or in vision. There were nothing but trees surrounding her, all of them vibrant and red maples.

17-Oct-2010 01:31:31

[#5AGSIZET9]

[#5AGSIZET9]

Posts: 3,564 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Serena turned and was blown away by what she saw. Before her was a maple that was twice or possibly three times bigger than any she had ever seen. It stood higher than several houses stacked on each other, and its fan of red leaves was as wide as the sky from its base. About twenty feet up from the trunk, there was a long, horizontal scar in its bark.

“Amazing, isn’t it?” asked a voice from behind her, and Serena spun to see a man standing there. He wore a strange black and violet outfit with a blue tunic. His eyes were violet as well, and he had long gray hair that shimmered like silver. He had golden earrings with gems embedded in them, but they were gems of obscure colors, and Serena was certain they kept changing.

The man walked by her, still gazing up at the maple tree. “This is almost three hundred years old,” he said, stroking his hand across the tree’s trunk. “It is amazing to see something endure like this in a shifting, transient world like our own.”

“Who are you?” Serena asked, barely hearing the musings of this stranger over the shock of seeing him here.

“I am your talent,” the man replied. “I am the source of your visions, of your father’s visions, of the visions of any Seer you care to name! My gifts run within your blood, giving you the power to see the future.”

“You are…the source?”

“Incidentally, congratulations on being able to actually see me in a vision. That is some pretty high level stuff, for a human such as you.”

“I still do not understand who you are,” Serena replied, and the man looked back to her curiously.

“I am the god whose duty stands to see the future, the deity burdened with the horrible knowledge of what is to come. I have had many names, but on Gielinor I am Ihrbakka.”

“Ihrbakka?”

“Correct. It is by my hand that you see glimpses of the future, that you are endowed with just a shadow of my power.”

“So you know what my visions mean?” she asked, excited.

17-Oct-2010 01:32:16 - Last edited on 17-Oct-2010 01:34:50 by [#5AGSIZET9]

[#5AGSIZET9]

[#5AGSIZET9]

Posts: 3,564 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
“Yes, I do. But seeing goes along with knowing. To see but not understand is a waste of eyes. Part of having my Gift is using it.”

Serena frowned. “In other words, you will not interpret my visions for me.”

Ihrbakka smiled. “You are intelligent. That should help you know what you see. Just remember, do not let your emotions cloud the way you view them. Visions are dangerous when interpreted incorrectly.”

Serena sighed. “My father has told me of this.”

“As well he should!” Ihrbakka replied. A moment of silence fell, for the sharpness behind Ihrbakka’s tone silenced Serena. Ihrbakka turned back to the maple tree behind him. “Such a majestic creation,” he said, looking at the tree again.

“I understand that the tree is old, but what makes it more majestic than any other tree?”

“Exactly that! To stand for such a length of time is something that a girl of your age cannot understand. But one day, you will see that to continue growing for that long, still unwavering in your conviction, is nearly impossible. Humans cannot, nor can Mahjarrat, nor gods for that matter! Sentience in itself brings unrest, so we must recognize the insentient life that continues without fault and envy it.”

“Envy a tree?”

“In a manner of speaking…” Ihrbakka trailed off, lost in thoughts far beyond anything Serena could dream of. “At any rate, this tree is very important to you.”

“What? I have never seen this tree!”

Ihrbakka grinned mischievously. *But you will,” he replied. “This tree is the start of your destiny. When you find this place, so begins your life's adventure. All that you know now will fade away. Rest assured, however, that your choice to seek out this place will be important for the fate of the world.”

The Seer’s eyes opened wide in fear. Suddenly, she was bombarded with the prospect of leaving everything she knew for some unknown adventure, with the fate of the world in the balance. She was speechless; her dry mouth could not form a word.

17-Oct-2010 01:32:31 - Last edited on 17-Oct-2010 01:42:15 by [#5AGSIZET9]

[#5AGSIZET9]

[#5AGSIZET9]

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“I understand that you are feeling a little taken aback by this, but suffice it to say, you will have plenty of protection. The way it will play out, three will convene under this scarred maple. Your father will want to come, but it would be better for you to come alone. Two others will arrive here shortly after you do.”

“Who… who are they?” Serena choked out, still at a loss for words.

“I cannot say, but they will protect you. Remember, your destiny awaits. When the time comes, you must reach out and seize it. Just to let you know, a good time would be pretty soon,” the strange man said with a wink. Then, with a flourish of his black sleeve, he raised his hand before her and snapped his fingers.

“Serena!” she heard immediately, and she realized that she was lying on the ground outside her house, her basket of herbs scattered on the ground beside her. Her father was kneeling beside her, looking down on his daughter’s fallen body with worry streaked in wrinkles across his face.

“Father,” Serena said, and in joy he hugged her.

“You were out for ten minutes,” he said, exhaling. “Much longer than most visions, so I was very worried. Are you alright?”

Serena’s mind was still reeling from what she had seen. “I am alright, Father.”

Micah helped his daughter back to her feet. “We should go inside,” he said, leading Serena into the house. He sat her down in the sitting room and went to get a cup of tea for her. “What did you see?* he asked.

Serena sighed, her gaze drifting to the wooden floor. “I was talking to this stranger, and he was telling me about this old maple tree.”

Her father returned a quizzical look. “That is strange. What was the significance of this tree?”

“He said that I would meet two other people there, and that it was greatly significant for the world,” she said, almost painfully in the face of what stood before her on the horizon. “It was a really old maple with a long scar on it.”

17-Oct-2010 01:33:14 - Last edited on 17-Oct-2010 01:42:45 by [#5AGSIZET9]

[#5AGSIZET9]

[#5AGSIZET9]

Posts: 3,564 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
“The Scarred Maple?” her father replied.

“I guess. “You know of it?”

“Yes, it is north of here, close to Rellekka.”

“So it is nearby…” Serena pondered, her voice trailing off.

“This was all that the vision included?”

“Yes,” Serena replied. “The strange part was that he spoke with the full knowledge that it was a vision of mine.”

Serena heard the sharp crack of a cup breaking against the floorboards. She looked up toward her father, and she saw him staring back at her with a look of surprise laced with much fear. “His name?” her father asked, walking toward her uneasily. “Was it Ihrbakka?”

The young Seer gasped, and her father knew that it was true. He turned away from her, facing a nearby window into the backyard. “What did he tell you to do?”

“He said I should seek out this tree immediately. Why? What do you know about this Ihrbakka?”

“Only enough to know that one must follow where he leads them.”

“Father,” Serena replied, realizing what he was suggesting. She was frightened by his demeanor; he had not looked back at her since she told him of Ihrbakka. “I am not ready.”

Micah turned back to his daughter. She saw his eyes were glistening. “My daughter,” he said. “Fate often hits us when we think like that. But you will be more ready than you know; you are my daughter, Serena. I taught you all that I know.”

Serena’s eyes became wet like her father’s. She got up and embraced him, and they both stood there in each other’s arms. “I will mark a map for you and give you provisions for travel,” Micah said. “You will need to leave immediately, tomorrow morning.”

“Okay,” Serena replied through her sobs. And after that, they could say nothing. All they did was remain in each other’s embrace, wondering where the dark currents of fate would lead their family next.

17-Oct-2010 01:33:35 - Last edited on 17-Oct-2010 01:43:42 by [#5AGSIZET9]

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