The usually clear air of the Boharan Plains was choked in black smoke. The flames licked eagerly along the softly rising hills: the grass prime kindling for this time of the year. The question was, what had started it? Deadly pillars of smoke rose at least one hundred feet into the air, impossible to miss even from how far he was presently. Rising up on his elbows, he narrowed his eyes to the distance as the caravan around him became aware of the far-off disaster. While there could be discord between migrating groups, even between tribes, this seemed too dirty of a resort for it be a true possibility.

Still, as others around him ran towards streams to gather water, some drawing mage’s circles into the ground to travel to the apex of the disaster, he found himself standing and starting in that direction. He’d been travelling with this specific group for a few days, learning from them, their techniques, findings, different forms of local medicine, but now he felt that tingle of duty returning. His brisk walk picked up into a jog, soon to a sprint, and when that wasn’t enough he flickered through the rays of moonlight to the hot radiance of the fires.

All around him was commotion, people running, animals being herded to safety, but all of them had to struggle to cover their mouths from the spreading fire’s smoke. The dark sky was alight with flames: deep oranges and dangerous crimsons sparking in competition with the stars. Something had to be done. First things first was the air. He brought his hands together and rubbed them slowly, holding his breath to keep anymore smoke from entering them. His eyes stung with tears from the heat and burn of embers, and found he had to tie his bandana around his nose and lips to keep the fumes out.

Moving his hand to his hip, he untied Torinasu and held its hilt in both hands before moving fast intricate cuts into the air. As he did so, rays of light flashed out, sending waves of protection to help shield people from the dangerous affects that the burning hills left in the air. This wasn’t the type of magick he was used to dealing with, but he hoped he could pull enough moisture in the air to cause makeshift clouds over the encampments. That would take time though, and for now he set it in motion. It was a gamble though: make the air too dry and everything would go up in flames that much faster. He’d be making a trip to the far off stream soon, he knew it.

Neighboring nomads were running with their buckets of water, some of them casting spells into the fires to help keep them at bay. When there was just enough condensed moisture, he moved his hands to shape them into clouds. It wasn’t much, but it was a start, and he watched as the small puffs lazily moved over sections of the hills to spill relieving water over the disaster. That was a good start, but not enough, and he started to run alongside the burning hills to find other areas he could help.

It was dark, but Synthesis had decided to carry on walking for a little longer before making camp. There was something about the night. The stillness, the silence, the gentle light of the moon and the chill that made everything feel fresh. Synthesis felt both inspired by it and at peace.
When the fire first caught her attention, she automatically dismissed it as a simple campfire. Perhaps someone was making a late night supper? It quickly became apparent, however, that this was not the case. A campfire shouldn't be so bright, so large: certainly not from that far away.
She turned and began to walk in that direction. The fire was huge, actually, big enough and hot enough to spread over the hills with the dry grass as fuel. Breaking into a run, she watched in dismay as it did just that, right before her eyes. By the time she arrived, the sky was black with smoke.
She quickly identified many people scurrying back and forth from the flames to what she assumed was a water source, like a long line of ants. She ran to join them. At the stream she realised that she didn't have a container. Also, the magic she had been learning over the last few weeks would be useless here.
Suddenly, she spotted a large man carrying two containers. She ran to him and called over the commotion and the distant roar of flames.
"Please, sir, let me take one!"
"Good. We need all the help we can get," he immediately shouted and thrust the smaller, handled container at her.
She took it and filled it, running towards what now appeared a recreation of hell. The man hadn't lied. She even spotted bare footed children, with jugs and pans sloshing, running to and fro.
At the fire, her lungs burned, her eyes watered and her hear sunk to think all the good her measly bucketful would do. She threw it anyway. She was panting already and didn't know if she would be able to make another water trip like that.
Normally Synthesis hated flying but seeing as this was an emergency she unfurled her wings and prepared to take off. Maybe she would be able to get to areas that other people couldn't and do some good… and it would give her legs a break.

The flames were too strong despite the water from his temporary clouds, he knew they’d need something stronger. His lips pressed into a tight line, mulling over possibilities. Were there not so many delicate lives hanging in the balance then he could do much more. It would take so much power though, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to risk it just yet. Either way, people needed to vacate the area and he stopped at the crest of one of the rolling hills. Removing his blade, he drew in as much energy as he could before releasing it in slashes against the grass.

Holy light shone brightly from the carvings, enough even to cut through the smoke. He stepped back and a great portal opened in the grass; crusted in black tourmaline. It would be temporary, dying out in a few hours, but the gate would lead to Suisho no Kyuden where people at least would have the chance to rest and recuperate. Echo would be cross with him for not giving her more warning, but luckily she and their children were tucked away safely where the commotion couldn’t affect them too much. Now all he needed was to get people to go through.

He teleported in a flash of light back to the line of people running back and forth from the stream and quickly alerted them to the great glowing portal at the top of the hill. Many were stubborn to leave, not wanting to abandon their home, but all he could do was pass his word along and keep moving. As he started to run towards the stream he all but skidded to a stop when he caught sight of a winged woman in the distance. His lips parted, eyes widening and feeling slight relief. With her aerial vantage point, she’d be safe whilst giving him aid. Should she want to that is.

In another flash of light he flickered to her side, “Miss, there is a portal to safety, but if you’re willing then I could use your help with something I have in mind to stop this.” His eyes moved to her wings, taking in their size before returning his attention to her face, “There will be no judgment if you decide to leave, but if you’d like to provide aid then please come with me.”

Synthesis was more than a little surprised when a person appeared by her side. One minute she was alone, the next he was there, as if by magic. He held a rather impresive sword in his hand and strange white markings threaded their way over his skin, making him stand out amoung the other people running in different directions.
She stopped herself from beating her wings, and hitting him in the process, just in time and turned to see if there was anything he wanted.
She coughed a little from the smoke but otherwise stayed silent as he spoke, surprised that anyone had singled her out to ask her for help. She was flattered really, even though she suspected it was just because of her wings. No one ever noticed her when she kept them tucked away.
"Of course I'll help!" She replied with only a little hesitation in her voice, "Just tell me what to do."
She was curious as to what he had in mind but ultimately doubted that she could be of any real help. She peered over his sholder to see a strange hole in the distance, outlined with a kind of black crystal. People from all around were beginning to run towards it, sometimes fetching their family and belongings before they dissapeared inside. She had an inexplicable feeling that he was responsible for it. Teleportation and portal opening was not something Synthesis took lightly and if Synthesis was right in her suspicions, he could do both. So what possible use could he have for her?
She spotted out of the corner of her eye that the feathers at the tips of her wings were already singed black from the heat, while all the rest were darkened with soot particals which were already beginning to cling to them. She sighed. She suspected she would have to grow back quite a few by the time this was over.
She flicked her attention back to the individual before her and prepared to follow him.

His eyes softened with a matching smile at her enthusiasm, but his gaze drifted to her wings. The flames had obviously done their best to grasp at them, and he made a point in his thoughts to try and help with that when all of this was said and done. For now though, he was glad to have an extra set of hands, and someone else aside from himself that could get an aerial view, “Follow me then, quickly.” With that he teleported in a flash of light fifty feet ahead and began to run, reminding himself not to flicker so constantly when with another, “The flames are too strong!” He called to her over the roar of fire and destruction, but only enough for her to hear his voice,

“Water at the rate we’re able to bring it won’t do very much! I need to do something, but there’s a risk of it hurting people. We need people to be evacuated first…” He looked towards her, hoping that she had caught up with him, “Can you help me with that? As said, I’ve made a portal but I need as many people to go through it to safety as possible.” He breathed out slowly, running through his plan in his head one more time, “Then I need to start the hard part…”

He quickly looked towards the growing fires, “If you handle those on the outside then I can find any stragglers that still have breath within the fire.” He pulled a worn and weathered bandana from his pocket and tied it around his nose and lips; knotting it at the back of his head. Being a deity had its advantages in being able to keep oneself alive through obstacles that would prove otherwise perilous…but smoke in the lungs still wasn’t pleasant. He spoke to her once more, but kept his focus on the flames and smoke, his voice slightly muffled from the cloth, “Meet me near the stream when you’re finished.” And then he was gone in another ray of light.

So he can teleport! And he completely admitted to being the creator of that portal! Synthesis thought triumphantly and managed a smile of satisfaction at being proven right in her suspicions. It was always rewarding when that happened. Pleasingly, it was beginning to happen more, too, as she learned to function in the big wide world where things weren't handed to you on a platter. The disadvantage of a sheltered upbringing was that you seldom had the opportunity to think outside the box or to evaluate new situations. Day to day life in one place seldom seemed to even have new situations.
One the other hand, this was the epitome of chaos and excitement, something she would relish if it were not for the fact people were in danger, suffering and in panic. What's more, she was not best pleased to be running again, especially after such a quick individual with the added advantage of teleportation. She made a valiant effort to keep up, however, and was just about able to make out his words over the roar of the flames.
He ran through his thoughts with her, giving her the impression he did have a vague sort of plan. Getting stragglers to the portal was probably something she could manage and she nodded decisively to herself. In conclusion, he told her where they were to meet and she was just about to shout the affirmative when he disappeared in a flicker that served to slightly disorientate and perplex her in the way a trick of the eye might.
She ground to a halt, breathing heavily until the smoke forced her into a fit of coughing. She pulled edge of her tunic collar over her nose and turned around to survey the situation. There were a lot of people to be rounded up so she needed to work quickly. She hastily untied her things from the strip of fabric at her waist serving as a belt and allowed them to drop onto the floor in a heap. Then she kicked them down the hill, away from the flames and hoped that she would have to opportunity to pick them up later.
Finally, she beat her wings and rose heavily into the air. It had been a long time since she'd flown and it took a short time for her to find a rhythm of flapping that kept her steadily in the air. Another minute and she was able to manoeuvre around and propel herself in a sufficiently straight line. She'd pick it up further as she went. For now, she made a bee line towards a huddle of three people doing god-knows-what.
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to go over that way," she said, pointing, "There is a portal that will lead you to safety and you can return when this is all over."
The humans didn't look very amused with her at all, hovering a few feet away with her eyes matching the flames behind her. She sighed, realising that not everyone was going to go on that easily. She felt frustrated but fought to remain calm and reasonable.
"This is our home, you know!" a man shouted, "We're not just going to abandon it!"
"Yes, you are." Synthesis said in a tone dripping with condescension, irritation and patronise, "This fire is not going to go away on its own and in order to do what is necessary to berid of it, we shall need the likes of you to be out of harm's way. I'm trying to evacuate people here! Do you think I really have the time to give everyone a motivational speech on the benefits of getting to safety."
The man's face went completely red with anger and woman beside him tutted. There was another man, slightly older in appearance and with a beard beginning to singe at the ends, that raised his finger as if to wag it at her while opening his mouth to speak, probably to lecture her about respecting her elders or some other such nonsense. Synthesis completely lost her patience then. "For heaven's sake, MOVE!!!" she screeched and used all of the strength in her wings to rush towards them with her teeth bared. This was something her mother had done many a time with the village children when they got a bit too gobby and it made Synthesis feel ridiculously proud to watch the trio suddenly scuttle away in the direction of the portal. She followed them a short distance, until she was satisfied that they were not going to sneak back to the fire when her back was turned. How stupid were people, that she felt the need to make sure they didn't try to get back into the midst of a disaster zone.
Moving on, the young druid spotted a woman clutching a child, running in the direction of the stream. She quickly intercepted them and informed the mother of the nearby escape, to which the girl was thanked profusely, before the sensible woman turned towards it. Now, that's more like it! Synthesis thought as she sped on towards a man hauling on the reins of a panicked horse in an attempt to calm it. It took both of them pulling with all their might for the horse to stop rearing and start running, at which point the man cried out in dismay.
"Don't worry about it." she panted "It's an animal so it's not stupid. It will run away from the fire and you'll probably be able to round it up again when this is all over. For now, please make your way to the portal I mentioned." She pointed firmly. The man nodded in misery and dejection before setting off at a jog in the direction specified.
She must have carried on helping, directing, persuading and scalding people for at least another hour, alternating between flying and walking so as to give each method of propulsion a rest. In that time, she cleared most of the (slowly expanding) fire's edge of people, persuaded several water bearers that it wasn't worth it and that they should leave, rescued a man from a burning caravan, helped to herd two flocks towards the portal for their keepers and rescued her own stuff from the wrath of the creeping flames twice, the second time resolving to take them all the way to the river where they would be safe. She was totally spent by the end of it all and her voice a little scratchy from yelling at so many people, breathing in the smoke and coughing every five minutes.
Despite this, she did feel a glow of pride and gratitude every time she got a new person, group or animal to safety. And she also felt a rather wicked satisfaction every time she was able to successfully put the more difficult people in their place. Almost a quarter of the people she found required 'additional motivation' of some sort to get them going, from scathing, mordacious, sarcastic, invective comments, jabs and arguments to full blown 'evil demon impressions'. Normally, Synthesis wouldn't have the courage or the confidence to say or do such things, but the stakes were high and it seemed to be working. She knew she'd have done her mother proud that day with it all; her goal and her creative methods, as well as her father for just the goal alone.
So she was at the stream with her things dumped in the mud beside her. She had splashed her hands, face and every other part of her scorched skin with water. Then she raided her energy stores for just enough power for a weak healing spell which she guiltily applied to her own reddened flesh. The relief was small but powerful, even though she had only applied it to her arms and face. Everything else continued to sting, especially her ankles. She bit her lip worriedly. Perhaps she should have saved spell that for someone else who needed it more. She shook her head to ground herself. The truth of it was, if she truly needed it to help someone she'd find it within herself somehow. If she could still stand, she could still cast another spell.
Now, she knew if she went back she would probably find one or two more strangglers to assist. She looked forlornly up at the source of all this work. She was positively exhausted and, with so much time passed, she wondered whether it was about time for her and her new acquaintance to move onto phase two of his plan, whatever that was. She looked around to see if he was here yet. She worried that maybe she had kept him waiting for too long and he might have left. The problem was that herding humanoids was far more difficult than herding livestock and time had simply sped away from her.

There was something sickeningly familiar about being in a settlement engulfed by flame. To be honest he didn’t find himself in places such as these anymore, but he’d had more of his time than he would have liked to admit spent in burning villages. Times like this he was glad to be separated from the daemon that he’d once shared a body with…that very individual being the very person that started most of those fires. But today he needed him, and he was glad to still have a connection to him, though now it was completely under his control and could be cut should he ever want to. He didn't want to. He needed to know what Minasé was doing at a moment’s notice. The daemon had grown more subdued now that he had his own body separate from Naota’s, but that didn’t make him any less dangerous. What’s worse is that they still looked identical save for skin tone, hair and eye color, and the daemonic markings that ran so contrary to Naota’s on Minasé’s skin.

At the very thick of the flames, with heat lapping at his skin that otherwise would be blistering had he been mortal, he pulled the bandana from his lips. Smoke rushed to his nostrils, greedily searching for new residence in his lungs, and as the burn of it filled him he started the summoning with closed eyes. It was quick, but effective, and a ring of flames sprouted around him only to extinguish almost immediately. When he opened his eyes, they stared into a pair of crimson ones that looked exactly like his own save for their dangerous color. It had been a while since he’d actually been face to face with his twin, and he looked just as he always did and always with an air of cockiness.

“I suppose being a deity hasn’t done much in terms of your weakness.” the other spoke with a dry tone.

Naota’s eyes halved in exhausted irritation, “Gather up people. It isn’t weakness that has me summoning you, it’s the necessity of speed from someone that can survive in flames.” As powerful as Naota was now from his ascension to deity hood, Minasé was birthed from hell fire, nothing on this plane could outweigh that.

“You don’t think you’re fast enough?” he smirked, eyes glinting, “The tree really did choose wrong.”

There wasn’t time for this and Minasé knew it. He was stalling on purpose, but right now he didn’t have minutes to spare in arguing and simply curled his fingers in: forcing the other closer to him via their metaphysical bond. The smirk was gone, “I don’t want to command you, but I will. So enjoy the free will while you have it unless you want to spend the next week as a slave in The Mother’s temple.” Angela was possibly the only other person in Revaliir that would enjoy that more than Naota. And Minasé knew it, the realization punctuated by a disgusted curl of his lips.

There, that was much easier. “Stragglers, I need you to find them and send them to Suisho no Kyuden. There’s a portal already set up,” He took a step closer to him, closing the gap and resting one hand on Minasé’s forehead. The daemon tried to pull back, physical contact always being too much from the mere holiness that radiated off of Naota at all times. His eyes narrowed as the other winced, and he locked his power and spoke slowly, locking in the command, “Send them only to that portal with no harm along the way.” His eyes narrowed more, knowing how well the other could work through loopholes, “And don’t leave anyone behind.” And with that he pulled his hand back as if he had been the one burned by contact.

Minasé stepped back two paces, quickly, and rubbed at his forehead as if to get the lingering feel of his touch away faster and did a mock bow, “Oh yes, whatever his piousness commands.” And then he was gone, having teleported in a lick of flames. He hated calling on him, always did, and has glad as he was that they both had their own bodies now, it still gave him an eerie feeling to hear his voice and have it resound in his head. It was almost like he was living there again…

No time to think about that, he quickly pulled the bandana back up over his lips and nose and darted through the burning encampment. Minasé wouldn’t exactly be kind or gentle, he knew that, but he at least was safe in knowing that he could cause no harm to people. The command was locked in enough. Thankfully there weren’t too many people left inside the fire; the people here had acted quickly and though he did see unfortunate casualties, he was grateful for how small their numbers were. Rather than taking them to the portal when he found them, he instead opened one then and there and sent them straight through immediately where clergy would be waiting to welcome them with opened arms.

When he was sure he’d gotten everyone out, he went to the main portal to see his redhaired counterpart waiting for him, looking as irritated as ever, “If you’re finished with your pointless errand…” He waved him off and nodded, “Yes you can go.” He was answered with a well-aimed spit in his direction, ending in flames at his feet. He stepped it out and by the time he’d looked up to glare at Minasé he found that he’d already taken his leave. Good, he’d done what he needed him to do and that was good enough.

Now he needed to go to the stream. He ran that way quickly, and flickered through rays of moonlight to get to the water’s edge in a more timely manner. The moment he saw the water he stepped towards it and into the soft current until he was up to his knees. He looked down at himself, the holy white markings on his skin were still glowing as brightly as usual, though they were so covered in soot that their radiance seemed dimmer. When he pulled his bandana down to let it hang around his neck, he realized that the areas it had covered were the only clean parts left. His reflection was so dark in the water that the glow of his emerald eyes was startling. He quickly washed away as much of it from his face as he could, that soot stained stare all too familiar.

As he walked back to land he saw the girl there waiting, her own skin wet from the stream. She must have needed it too, be it from soot or the necessity of cooling down. He gave her a quick look over as he got closer. She’d need a deep healing session when this was all said and done, “Thank you…” He offered a weak smile, “For this next bit I need you to be as safe as possible.” Which was a huge understatement now that he thought about it.

“I’m going to start a funnel of air, as strong as tornado, to choke out the flames. With no air and no smoke, the fires will die quickly. This area is lower than the encampment so you should be safe, but we need to make sure no one comes into the area.” His eyes moved to her wings again, so covered in ash, and he felt guilty before the words even left his lips, “You’re able to keep an aerial view, I need you to make sure the area stays clear and that no one from the outskirts comes near. I can put up a shell of protection to try and block others out, but…Even that isn’t permanent and will fade depending on how long this takes. We need to make sure no one comes closer should that barrier break down.”

Synthesis felt relieved when she spotted the same individual as before making his way towards her through the water. She hadn't taken too long and everything looked set for them to continue with whatever plan he had up his sleeve. She gave a little wave and moved to meet him in the water, not so much to save him the trouble of walking as an excuse to get back in the water. Her feet and ankles were killing her and the stream was so soothing. She also noticed quite a lot of grime was coming off of the bottom of her wings, where they were submerged, and flowing away. They would definitly need a proper clean at some point. Such a job would usually be a tiresome, time-consuming chore for her but currently a few hours submerged in water sounded like heaven.

But despite all this she turned her attention to the male before her, nodded and returned his smile as he spoke. It was nice that he thanked her. The girl had done her best and it was gratifying, though unnecessary,  for her to receive acknowledgement from another. She would have liked this man anyway - he evidently worked hard for other people without asking anything in return - but now she liked him even more.

She listened with care to his plan and instructions, which he laid out clearly enough for her to get the gist, even if she didn't understand the mechanics of how he would funnel the air or perform such powerful magic. But then she didn't need to. She just needed to do her part. She inwardly quailed at the thought of more flying. She was already beyond the limit of what she had thought was possibly for her and wondered why she hadn't passed out already. Perhaps it was the necessity of the situation. There was certainly no way she could forsake these people, this landscape, or her new partner in disaster. He looked as tired as she felt and it was in her instinct to want to help. Therefore, she was determined to continue pulling her weight, against the odds and against the restrictions and limitations that came with her unique, weak body. It was the only thing she could do given the circumstance. By extension, she was even more sure that she didn't want to draw attention to her own petty problems at this time and put on a brave face to try and hide her fatigue. Outwardly, she was the picture of confidence and absolute faith.

"You can count on me," she replied simply, "You go do what you need to do and I'll set up what I think looks like a reasonable perimeter. I won't let anyone past, not even a mouse." It was at this point that the druid realised she still didn't know the same of her ally, so she continued, "My name is Synthesis. Could I perhaps know yours, for future reference. I believe we've done well together and perhaps when this is all over we can converse properly in a better setting." She was surprised by her own formality but found that the other humanoid seemed to inspire that kind of interaction from her. She certainly wasn't unhappy with the eloquence of her speech, even if she wasn't sure what to make of it.

He was able to smile easier when she agreed, though guilt was pitting deeper in his stomach. As easy as it was for him to bounce back, he couldn’t put the even more drastic state of her wings out of his sight and mind. Looking up towards the top of the valley where the flames would soon surely spread, he thought about how much more they could take. If her wings weren’t at their strongest, if she faltered even the slightest…No, nothing was worth that risk. Dark trails followed her in the water and he met her half way, already bringing his hands together and slowly rubbing them. Heat formed between them and his marks glowed brighter starting at his wrists until all of them on his body were at their brightest, “Synthesis?”

He wanted to make sure he had it right, “That’s quite an interesting name. One whose origins I’m very curious to know. Though,” a corner of his lips turned up in a light smirk, “as you said: when all of this is over and we can speak more comfortably.” As his palms moved apart he closed the gap between himself and Synthesis, and gently outstretched his arms enough for them to hover just at the edge of her wings. He was close enough to touch, but didn’t want to impede anymore on her personal space than he already had. His eyes studied her wings, pushing his own healing into her, aided along by holy magick. Soft tendrils of light flowed down her wings, overtaking the burned edges until they were as healthy as if they’d never received so much as a scratch.

As he continued, eyes every trained on her body to make sure no spot was missed, he softly spoke, “My name is Naota.” His hands shifted until they hovered just over her shoulders now instead, spreading that warmth and healing into her skin, through her veins, the marrow of her bones. She needed to be strong if she was to stand a chance at all midflight. “And as my title spells out,” His eyes returned to her, a soft smile accompanying his words, “We persevere.” The healing was done and he allowed his hands to drop as he started back towards the slope, “Quickly now, take your position.” With a slow exhale he flicked his wrist: his great crescent staff appeared in his fingers, its lacriamium glinting in the moonlight.

Taking it in both hands, he dug it into the soft soil of the riverbank, eyes closing as he did so. All around him the energy thickened, life from the grass, the push and pull of the moon’s grip against the gentle currents of the river: all of those forces came together towards the crescent until it was shining as brilliantly as his markings. When he felt it reach its climax, he rose it into the air and quickly spun the staff in a circle so quickly that the air snapped like thunder around him. An arching sphere of protection spread around the area, distancing itself with a mile’s radius. That would keep anyone from getting in for the time being, but they would still need to work fast. He wasn’t sure if she was still there, but just in case he spoke back to her, eyes staying closed, “Take flight.”

Synthesis watched with curiosity as the man seemed to prepare himself for further magic. The strange markings that wove their way over his skin began to emit light so that he looked etherial to the girl. She listened as he spoke and nodded but was distracted by the movements of his hands. He stopped rubbing them together and reached them out to her wings. Said appendages where suddenly swollen with gorgeous pulses of light that streamed down them like a waterfall. She moved them slightly and watched at the brightness clung to them. It was a beautiful sight and also a sublime feeling of rejuvination and healing. She could even see the feathers of her wings which would have taken weeks to regrow sprung up like plants from fertile soil. They looked soft and youthful again, better than she had possessed since she was much younger. But all to soon, the magic was to die away as his hands moved to other parts of her body. Her wings were finished.

Her arms and face were already healed but everywhere else needed treatment. She sighed often as her neck, shoulders, legs, ankles and feet were mended. Not only was the skin patched and soothed but the dirt seemed to melt away under the influence of the man's hands as well. Internally, the cooling and relaxing effects of the magic untensed her muscles and made feel both fluid and energised. Naota, he had introduced himself as, and said that his title gave itself to perseverence. He smiled encouragingly as he finished. Synthesis tried a few times to bring herself to speak before she managed a simple "Thank you" with a smile of her own. Then her treatment seemed to be finished for he told her to take position.

In response she stretched out her wings suddenly, sending sprinklings of water flying to either side of her. The moonlight reflecting off of the droplets with a shimmer and sparkle of silver. She was about to launch herself into the air when she saw him summon something; a long staff with amagnificent cresent adorning the end. He pressed it's base into the muddy earth beneath their feet and appeared to be harnessing masses of power from their surroundings. The thickness of lifeforce and magic around them was stiffling and awe-inspiring. He then span the staff and released it all to create the magical barrier around them, zipping outwards to give them and the danger zone a wide bearth. The force of the magic was powerful and left her slightly stunned. She had briefly forgotten her task until he reminded her to take flight.

She did as asked this time and used her wings to haul her from the grasp of the water around her legs. There was a loud splashing sound as she did so which would alert him to her departure. She flew as quickly as she could through the warm night air until she had caught up with his huge shield. Now that she was further away from it, Synthesis was no longer at risk from being scorched like before. She began to fly around the edge of it at a more sustainable speed, keeping a hawkish eye on the ground to spy for people or animals of any sort.

Unlike before, there was much less for her to do now. She only found two stragglers wondering and they were being most sensible and heading away from the flames. She dived down to each of them and directed them to the portal. One horse was grazing a little too near to the barrier for her liking as well. It wore a harness so it must be tame and owned by someone. She took hold of its reins and began leading it carefullyin the direction of the portal. After all, it would have the best chance of reuniting with its owner there. She gave its rump a light smack to get it to trot through before getting back to her partol.

The night was quieter now than before, save for the crackling of flames in the near distance and now the gaining sound of whistling wind. Things did seem a little gusty now and the girl had to occasionally steady herself. By the fire, she could see specks -probably leaves, twigs or blades of charred grass - She wondered whether Naota had started on his tornado thing yet. Most likely. It had been around quatre of an hour since she left him.