[b][i]The land had burned to ash, the bodies poised on stakes as the House of Wrath claimed the citadel... All that was left of the once beautiful land was brimstone and constant darkness...[/i][/b] // [b]Chloe did her best to wipe the blood and ash from her skin... It clung like a rancid disease. Her hands shook as she tried to calm her nerves. Hell had broken loose, and all her eyes could see were the fields of bodies. Khazz had taken the throne and claimed the land... The young dictator inciting an iron fist and slaughtering the House of Wisdom. Not even Aurox would have stood a chance.[/b] [b]She sat under the floating shrooms of the swamp, the fungi giving off a bright blue glow as the stalk swayed ever so slightly. Long strands hung from the sides giving off a faint glow... This place was far from the capital, and wild animals did not roam here. The shrooms gave off an intimidating presence that only the Elune seemed to appreciate. Crystal clear water and glowing plants were everywhere... Which would have been beautiful had there been no fire in the sky. She had found respite here... If only for a moment.[/b] [b]She was too exhausted to heal herself, the lines barely visible, receding all the way to just her fingertips. But the wounds were bad. One along her side still running over with the last reserves of her blood. Not to mention the sprained arm, singed hair, and multiple other gashes. The only sign it was still her were her bright eyes... Well, not bright anymore. Their glow had faded until they were a muted red. Tear marks slid down her face emphasized next to the ash and blood soaked cheeks.[/b] [b]She felt alone and helpless... An exile against an entire regime... She had no chance in hell. She had been too late... She had failed. It wasn't the fact her parents were dead... No... It was the men, women, and children that Khazz now campaigned against in a brutal genocide. Anyone with skin not white as summer snow, and eyes deep and blue were targets... And that was a hefty number. Farms were burned, citadel towers collapsed, and even the prayer gardens had been ravaged. Chloe had no home.[/b] [b]She peeled off her royal robe and hood, quickly slipping on her black vest and pants, doing her best to wash up and find her strength. Everything ached... A week in a cell with nothing but some water... She had lost weight... Khazz had made sure to torture her personally, and he was a sadist. Pain is what he thrived on. The House of Wrath wasn't even a real political group. The name was an ironic twist to a clan of murderers and criminals... And yet now... They had claimed this world. Now, she was too weak to survive out her on her own... And she didn't know how to anyways.[/b] [b]By the time she had left the side of the small pool, she looked fairly normal. Hair returning to its orange sheen, skin's soft glow brightening... But her eyes remained vacant and empty.[/b] [b]She had to leave... There was nothing here for her... Her old life had gone up in flames. Khazz had won.[/b] // [b]Her return was quiet. She had nowhere else to go... No place she knew of. Her bare feet landed safely on the grass as the portal closed above her. She couldn't fight a loosing battle... And now, she was merely a lucky statistic.[/b] [b]She had been right too, she had always been able to find Desmond. She eventually made her way towards the place he was resting, her steps having become dead silent. She had changed so much in such a short time. But she had made sure to fix what she could. Her wounds were hidden, and she did her best to put on a gentle smile.[/b] [b]She eventually kneeled down next to him, hands resting gently on her knees. She said nothing, afraid her voice wouldn't come. How she had managed to make her way to the roof was a mystery, but she was resilient...[/b] [b]Not even her breathing was audible. She had trained herself to be silent, to play dead... It had worked. Khazz had dumped into the pile of bodies headed to the furnaces. Even then, what really broke her was the walls... Concentration camps packed full of thousands of innocents, some lines up for slaughter, some being burned alive. She had lost her very sanity in a single moment. If Khazz had claimed her body, the genocide had broken her mind. All she had left was her faith, but spiritual connection only went so far when your faith was stolen every other hour.[/b] [b]She didn't even look at Desmond, almost forgetting his company... All she wanted to the comfort of some place familiar... Someone familiar. From a happier time.[/b]