The warmth and humidity of the dense rain forest clung to the ranger like a comforting blanket as he walked further in.  Blue eyes shifted from tree to giant tree. The path beneath his feet felt familiar and calming to his cold soul. Years had passed since he had last been within the boards of the forest he had once protected. He and his patrols had walked each inch of the forest as well as traveled through the canopy of the lush trees.  Damon tilted his chin down as he smiled at the small pebbles beneath his feet.  Things had changed a great deal from those days.  Nothing was like it had originally been, but he was slowly coming to terms with that.  To think that he had lost everything that had been built within his years in Revaliir.  The warmth in his chest was dulled since the falling of his goddess.  He was an old creature that had never attached himself to a being that attempted to rule over the Flame. Only to Rhylana had he allowed himself to call Master.  Now that was gone, and the phoenix had to come to terms with that.

Even with the years gone passed, it was second nature to follow the once typical patrolling path he had laid out previously.  It began to stir in him the curiosity of what had happened to his rangers and soldiers that had pledged themselves to the Flame. They had been good, strong men and women that wanted to do their all for their matriarch. When the tether to the goddess had been severed, he had fallen into a dense coma that was difficult to fight out of.  Never before had that happened before to him.  There was no denying his connection had been more intense to the Flame when it had been channeled through her.  Upon his waking, the Oasis was gone and turned to ruins. Coldness had seemed into every portion of his body.  Damon sought throughout the land for Rhylana, but what had panicked him the most was the loss of Alairia.  Finally, he had found someone he could be with and she had disappeared as well.  

Damon clenched his teeth and swallowed the hard lump that formed in his throat as he thought about it all again.  It was a difficult thought to allow himself to mull over even with the passing of years. Alairia was gone as well, and that was even harder than losing his connection to the goddess. He had been unable to protect her from whatever had happened.  Even now he was uncertain of what had transpired.  All the ranger knew was that he had lost his entire world in a split second and still had not pieced it back together again.  

Phoenix bow was slung over his shoulder with his full quiver as he began to pick through the overgrown portion of the forest.  Here it was the most dense as it had been specially grown to make the path difficult for those who wished to come upon the Oasis without proper invitation. Damon was proud that the forest still wished to protect even the ruins he had once lived within. Fallen white walls were climbed over as he finally made it into the confines of the once proud temple.  Looking around at the building he felt a pang of guilt.  It had been his responsibility to make sure all of the occupants within were safe.  He had failed greatly.  

Boots carried the ranger through the main portion of the old temple to where he had spent time with Alairia in the pool.  He couldn't help but smile as he looked at the pool that stood empty now.  She had been a sweet girl that grew up quickly into a strong woman.  Even if she could not see it, Damon had.  In smooth motion the bow was removed from his shoulder and placed beside him while taking a seat on an old marble bench.  Servants had moved quietly, yet contently through the temple as they went about their duties.  He could remember it as if it were yesterday.  Exotic fruits and drink were served to keep them hydrated with the heat that kept the forest feeling homey.  "There is no going back is there?" he mused aloud.  "You would think with how old I am that I would be used to this loss."  Damon took a slow inhale of breath before leaning his head back to stare at the sky.  "This sucks."

In the dead of summer, the Laeto forest was swelter, an all-consuming humidity that choked the air and weighed the plants down with life-giving water. The creatures of the rainforest had changed in years past, fed by the ambient magic that saturated the ground. They said that a young goddess had once inhabited a grand temple, fed by the flame and kissed by starlight, she had ruled over passion and flame, until that passion consumed her and burned all those linked to her to ash. Now, all that remained was white marble, overgrown with vegetation and a large slab of marble, cracked, that had been the foundation of the sacred space. When one touched that large slab, they could still feel the warmth of the power of flame, despite the deity being long gone.


The goddess, though most do not dare to speak her name, had kept large cats in her temple, now, they roamed the rainforest, guarding the sacred lands and the memory of what remains, breeding with the local fauna- ensuring their progeny keep the secret of the fallen flame.


Tonight was no different than those that the goddess had favored, balmy, clear, a gentle breeze that carried with it the scent of hyacinth, fire lilies and the sounds of birds seeking their flock. Peace. The stars seemed brighter here, as if fed by the arcane power that thrummed along the ley lines. As Damon gazed upon the stars, a bright light streaked out from the crescent moon and down towards the pensive rogue. Stars fell to the earth all the time, a flash and the thing was gone, but this seemed to glow brighter, the night sky consumed in a white-hot fire as it struck the what remained of the marble foundation a deafening sound shattering the peace of the forest.


When the light died away all that remained was a blistering fissure in the stone, red edges an angry wound, lava festering within as it came up from the wounded mantle of the planet. At its core was a glowing stem, a closed bud pulsing on top. The flower seemed, as a whole, substantially larger than it should have been, glowing orange white and blue as it radiated heat.

Time had passed since the day of devastation. Damon had somehow moved forward in his life; in the sense of an existence. There was the emptiness that had hollowed out in him with the lack of connection to the Flame. So why did he torture himself to return to the ruins that had once been called home? Damon lifted a brow at the sound of a cracking branch off in the distance. Once, his rangers had patrolled the forest to know each and every inch that fell beneath his scope. A responsibility had fallen to him years ago and he had not lacked in anything when it came to his job. To have lost it all at once.

Sitting within the humid forest once more gave him a small sense of peace. Though it was not as it had once been, there was still the feel of home within it. He let another calming breath while staring upwards. Crystalline eyes blinked several times as Damon attempted to focus his vision at the sight that was heading towards him from above. He frowned all the while standing up. Tilted head to the side, he began to move away from where he had found rest. A rather large meteor appeared as if it were aiming for him to hurtle towards the earth.

With little hesitation now, Damon leaped backwards several times to avoid being hit by the white-hot plunging fireball. He rocked slightly as the ground beneath him shook from the impact, but he balanced quickly. ”By the Flame, what was that?” His tone was agitated all the while curious. Thoughts began to course through his mind. Why on the one day that he decided to be courageous enough to revisit the old temple did a meteor strike the very foundations of the Oasis? Damon grit his teeth, though he already was convincing himself that it had to be coincidence.

The silence of the forest was now nothing to be spoken of. Heat radiated from the meteor as it began to cool. The phoenix finally took a few steps closer to the site where the heat was penetratingly strong. If it had been anyone else, he was sure it would have been dangerous for any other than one born from the Flame. Damon frowned as he got closer and allowed the heat to wash over him. In some ways it felt comforting; almost a familiar heat. As his steps brought him closer there was an unusual sight to greet him.

A flower bud had somehow grown in the place of the site. His frown deepened as he could not quite wrap his head around the fact that a meteor had hit the old temple and now a large flower bud was growing in its place. He moved forward and for some reason he stretched out his hand to touch the glowing bud. There was no flinching away as he began to creep up her arm and consume his body. Gloved fingers finally came in to contact with the outside of the flower. ”What are you?

The air fairly hummed with power, smelling of ozone and scorched earth, the forest silent save for the crackle of burning flora. As Damon stepped forward, the extraordinary bulb of the lily started to pulse, seemingly in a heartbeat rhythm. When Damon touched the stem of the plant, flames shot forward, protecting the delicate being, before dying down and as if recognizing the fire within the other.

When Damon spoke, the flower began to bloom, opening to reveal pale white hair, the top of a head as the flames licked up the stalk changing to accommodate the opening petals and avoid touching the being inside.

As the flower opened, that same blinding white light poured forth, revealing a molten core of white flame in the centre of the flower. As the minutes passed, the light dimmed, leaving a pale woman in its wake. She sat, nestled in the center with long legs tucked beneath her bare thighs. She was small, flame-licked and pale from head to toe. Star-White hair flowing to the middle of her back in kinks and waves that mirrored the flames from which she had been born, starlight personified, the women turned her head to Damon, opening her eyes to reveal brilliant blue eyes.

"What an odd question," she said softly, voice lilting as she stepped from the fire lily and out into the night air. Each step was calculated as dispelling flames that remained at the base of the flower's s, she examining the flower and the marble from which it had spawned.

"What an odd place," she turned to face him, nude, cocking her hip as she looked him over "and who are you?"

Every natural thought for the ranger told him to leave the old temple and away from the flaming lily. It was his instincts that told him to move forward. There was something that felt as if it were calling out to him. His core felt a draw that had not been felt in ages. Brows knit together as all of his senses felt as if they were finally in tune with one another. His heart beat a little faster as the anticipation of what was before him pulled further. As his hand made contact with the plant, flames exploded outward. The phoenix was engulfed in flames though it felt of a welcoming warmth. For any other he was certain that it would have meant an agonizing death. Yet, the creature born of the flame stood unharmed. Little time passed for the flame to ebb.

The words he spoke appeared to trigger a change in the flora. Several times the man blinked as the petals peeled away to expose the white hair of a delicate woman within. To describe the ranger as confused would have been an understatement of any observer. In any other circumstance he would have instantly notched an arrow in his bow for precaution. Instead he stayed in his place to watch as the woman was surrounded in white light.

He did not say anything while the light eventually dimmed to reveal the pale woman as she woke to her new world. Damon’s blue eyes met her own as she spoke of his question. He smirked slightly as she stepped out of the fire flower. Brow lifted in question. With each step made there was a fire, and yet all Damon understood was that she had a feisty personality for being new. She stood naked to the world and was unabashed about her form; she had no need to be. ”An odd question? I think not. I believe it is a rather reasonable inquiry considering the damage that has been done to the temple that had once been my home as well as my matriarch.”

Damon shifted to move backwards in order to give her some space though it had not been requested of him. ”This was once the home to a mighty goddess, lady of the flame. I am Damon Naur; once a Captain of the guard. Now, a mere bodyguard for hire. Who might you be, lady of the lily.” His eyes slowly scanned over the woman’s form that she displayed. It was then that he frowned suddenly at the sight of a freckle configuration on the inside of the white haired woman’s hip. Familiarity washed over him as it looked exactly like that of Alairia. He had been allowed the discovery upon their first night together. To think that another could have the same configuration was unsettling and hurt him in the core with the distress of missing his woman all over again.

Quiet filled the forest, save for the cracking of small fires that Niaouli's tentative steps had created. She cocked her head at the being before looking down at herself. Coverings. It seemed that these creatures valued coverings for the body, and while she had not entirely been without thought to the plight of her new form, she felt a niggling sensation that being in such a state around this man would be unwanted. Meeting his eyes, she tapped one finger against her lips and thought. "I am called Niaouli, and I believe the term is a nymph. A spirit of the flame, a creature of it."

Something felt….comforting about the being before her, and as she walked around him, she created a small fairy ring of flames. "What are you, why do you linger here in these lands with nothing but rubble and power?" As she spoke, a wave of the hand extinguished the extraneous fires, leaving only the pair of them standing in the night air, cooler now for the lack of open fire.

She moved to sit on the edge of the rubble, a dress wrapping around her form before her body touched the marble. "You say you used to live here, yet you no longer do, it is home to all manner of beasts of burden and might. I can hear them, they are beyond the edges, and they mill around as if debating to eat us." deft hands smoothed the shift over her form. It was made of muted light and spun expertly as to create the illusion of cloth, though it was made simply, as not to draw too much attention to herself.

Niaouli ran her fingers through the kinky curls of her hair, smoothing them, twisting each white curl as so it would take on a cleaner form rather than looking as if lightning had stricken her. Though not too far from the truth, she preferred them to look as if she had been made of moonlight- much more eloquent that way, and a far more palatable tale.

"I came from the beyond, the ether as it were, blessed by the stars and chosen to be here. You, however, seem to be stuck in the past, meditating on the bones of a previous home."

Damon kept his feet planted firmly as the new comer became more aware of the surroundings and her existence. He made no movements to reach for his weapons. Still, even with the woman sending off small flames from her steps, Damon felt no threat from her. Instead there was a sense of familiarity. It intrigued him. A phantom of a smirk traced across his lips as she finally gave name to herself. Damon crossed his arms over his chest, making his leather armor creak slightly from the muscles pushing outwards. ”The Flame is certainly with you, flame nymph Niaouli. An entrance to make any other envious,” he complimented with a chuckle. An odd sensation of ease was with him for once. To laugh easily that was not forced had been a long time coming. ”An honor and a pleasure, lady Niaouli of the blaze.”

Blue gaze followed the woman as she circled around him to take witness to what he was. In another other circumstance he would not have allowed such an allowance. Niaouli, well he felt that she could. As she passed behind him, the phoenix smiled at the ground until she had circled back around to stand in front of him. With the other fires being extinguished, the night air began to cool once more. ”I have personal reasons as to why I am here.” Damon lifted his chin as he looked down upon her. He never had told others about what had happened all those years ago. ”This had been my home, as I had said. It was destroyed…along with those that I cared about deeply.” He dug the toe of his boot into the dirt in an odd sort of fidget. ”My lover was taken from me here. I come her to visit to pay homage to her memory, as well as the memory of my goddess. They both are gone now, but I will remember them both to keep them alive. Does this answer suffice?”

”The creatures would dare not attempt to eat us.” Damon dropped his arms to linger by his side. She was working on some sort of maintenance on her hair to make it more controlled. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed that she had found a way to cloth herself. ”You may come from afar, but these bones you speak of are precious. A bond had once been forged here that could hardly be comparable to any other. Strong women found their deaths here. It is only right that I take time to honor them even if it is a little thing.” The phoenix did not like to hear anyone downplay the lives that had been lost to him. Few had ever made an impact on his long life the way Alairia had. She had been too young to lose her life the way she had. ”For my kind, we cannot hold ourselves in the past. There is too much there. What we can do is remember and learn. In this case, I am remembering.”