All around him was turmoil and violence. The night air had been filled with screams, so much so that he couldn’t recall the last time he’d been in such a disaster area. Not one that had gone from zero to one hundred in an instant. His breathing kept catching, and rising panic was urging his heart to race. Already it was thumping so hard against his ribcage that he was worried it’d start to splinter.

What scared him the most was how there wasn’t a single star in the sky, not from what he could see. If they had been snuffed out so easily, then what was to say he couldn’t be? He was one of them after all, he was just land bound. In darkness such as this he stuck out like a sore thumb: hair and eyes glowing, skin practically radiating the more afraid he became. There was no point pulling up his hood, so he instead pulled off the jacket and tied the sleeves around his hips. All he wore underneath was a black vest, no shirt, and the outline of his muscles was more pronounced from how tense he was.

When he looked out to the distance, he saw a swarm of shadows oozing over the once sun-kissed rolling plains. It had just been midday; how could this happen?! “Shit…” he breathed to himself, jaw locking as he scanned around him. People were hurrying past, their fires already snuffed out, so now they were just trying to escape. But from what?

It was time to leave. He was no coward, but he also wasn’t a fool, and this was much too dangerous. He glanced at the tearstained faces bustling around him and thought with so much remorse about how he couldn’t possibly bring all of them with him. He also wasn’t the type to be a hero, but humans and other such beings here were so fragile that it felt cruel to not at least try.

Then suddenly the darkness on the hills rose up: arching high into the air like a slow moving tidal wave of shadow. His eyes widened, all he could do was gape; frozen to his spot as the wave crashed down. There was a rush of cold that covered his entire body and even invaded down his throat as if searching for his core. He coughed, stepping back and gripping at his neck as he fell to one knee; trying to expel whatever it was out of him.

Around him he heard others in fits of coughing, and he looked at them with tear brimmed eyes as they convulsed in the grass. They were taking the affects much harsher than he was and he counted himself lucky. Every limb trembled and he had the sudden urge to cry, as if he’d never feel hope or happiness or love ever again. His fingers scratched at his throat, reddening the pale skin from his tries before finally just gripping at his neck as if trying to strangle himself. Anything to stop this horrible feeling, to choke it out of him.

Finally, he retched: inky black spilling from between his lips and darkening his skin; a darkness so thick that it concealed the soft glow of his skin as it ran down his chin and throat, over his fingertips, dirtying his vest. Only then did he release the grip on his neck and fall back into a sit; gasping and panting heavily to try and regain his breathing. Tears were plastered to his face and sweat was lacing his hairline as he fought to remain calm. What was going on…?

Raziel basked in the warmth of the rising sun. It was a new day, a new chance, a fresh attempt to find Rammie. This place, the bohar Plains, was her first clue someone was kind enough to write. As any normal day, the angel walked the path, listening attentively, asking any passing stranger. Determined not to give up, and still in high spirits, the angel sat on a convenient rock to consume some of their rations with Zander.

Half way through, however, everything changed in an instant. Creatures romping through the grass now whimpered and scurried away. Laughter turned to bewilderment to blood curdling screams. The air dropped significantly from warmth to chilly. Raziel stood, her meal abandoned to the ground. One hand gripped her staff, the other sought comfort in the wolf’s fur.

What had happened? Where was the sun? Someone brushed past the angel so roughly in their hurry, she lost balance and fell. Her staff went flying through the air, lost once again. Fear of being trampled had Raziel scrambling. Once she found her feet, she ran, pushing through frantic people. So much terror filled the air, consumed her ears. Too many feet caused such a panic, her senses felt fried, over stimulated with the rush of information and only a small portion of the event.

Something cold knocked the angel over, an oppressive weight, slimy as it invaded her body. Instant was the reaction of coughing, attempting to dislodge the unknown substance which made her shiver. Raziel could not breathe. Was this where it ends, so far from mother, having failed her? By sheer willpower alone, the angel forced herself up and began to ran again. Somewhere, Zander was barking fiercely. Did he find a threat, something to protect her from in this chaos? Once more, the angel fell, this time, tripping over something, or somebody. Another coughing fit overtook her lungs as she lay in a heap of feathers, hair and fabric, right at the feet of none other than her star Najima… Not that she knew this, of course.

He pushed up on shaky legs, trying to regain his bearings and figure out the best way to get as far away from here as possible. With so much darkness surrounding him, it was hard to muster up his usual light. Suddenly someone fell just in front of him, and his energy spiked so dangerously that his skin charged. But when he saw who it was his heart lurched and a weak sound escaped him – Raziel. What was she doing here?! How did she end up in so many dangerous situations?! It terrified him to realize how hostile the world was, especially for someone like her.

“Raziel!” he cried out, his voice much deeper than usual due to the very serious situation they were all in. He quickly untied his jacket and swaddled it around her; it was big enough to swallow him, it might as well have been a tent for her. After that he swiftly scooped her up into his arms, wings and all, and kept her locked protectively close to his chest as his head whipped around in search for Zander.

“Zander! Come!” he whistled through his teeth, hoping that amidst the chaos her wolf would hear him and bound up. He couldn’t wait forever though, and if he could only save one then it would be her. He swallowed down a forming lump in his throat as the seconds dragged on, looking out in hopes of seeing her companion come up. Any minute now. Finally he saw the wolf weaving through people until he was at Najima’s side, his muzzled nipping up towards Raziel to frantically check her.

So much relief flooded him knowing that he wouldn’t have to leave him behind, and he released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding; his head light from the fact. “A-Alright, we’re all here, let’s go,” he said, wasting no time as he started to sprint with Raziel in tow, and Zander at his heels. He couldn’t go too fast for fear of outdoing the wolf.

“Are you hurt?” he asked her between fast breaths; lips falling to the top of her head without thought. He kissed her there, and then again, before lifting his head up and jerking them in another direction. Raziel could open portals and he could jump between space to new destinations, but he wasn’t sure how accomplished either of them would be in all of this hustling and fear.

A familiar voice washed over her, tears of consolation with the knowledge that someone so dear would be the one to find her in the chaos spilled forth. So many conflicting sensations fought for attention. Failure, despair, everything was hopeless. Relief that he was there, an odd sense of deep fondness as her heart suddenly ached for him. Finally, something escaped her throat, and she spat the vile substance on the ground as she felt something warm wrap around her, strong arms easily lifting her. ”Naji.” Raziel breathed his name softly with such fear her voice trembled, burying her face in his shoulder.

If it had been anyone else, Raziel might have felt small and weak, always requiring assistance at the worst of times due to her disability. With Najima, it had always felt safe and protective, a bond forged long ago proving reliable every time they meet. ”What’s going on, Najima? Why am I cold? What’s happened?” Zander had continued his barking as he ran, only to become silent. His frantic breathing could be heard beneath her.

There was no time for innocent blushes, or excitement at the fleeting kisses placed upon her head. The angel was just glad that amidst this unknown, she wasn’t alone, that he was with her of all people. ”Not really.” Too much adrenaline was coursing through her system, masking any pain she might have felt. ”I fell several times. Did I… Trip over you? Naji, where are we going?” For all the chaos, frantic need for escape, a sudden flash of desperation washed over her. Gripping his vest, nearly bolting out of his arms, she shrieked. ”We can’t leave yet! Not until I find Rammie! She's here!”

There was only a slight wave of relief when she revealed that she hadn’t been hurt, but it didn’t calm him. How could anyone be calm amidst all of this? He shook his head, “You didn’t trip over me, or…Even if you did, it doesn’t matter. I wasn’t exactly doing well myself,” he quietly admitted. He wasn’t sure what that blackness was he’d coughed up, but it’d be a while before he felt safe enough that no more of it would crawl up his throat.

He locked his jaw, “You’re cold because a literal wave of darkness – at least twenty feet high - crashed down on the plains,” his eyes closed briefly, the memory still extremely fresh since it had happened mere moments ago. When he opened his eyes again it was to the same chaotic scene, “I don’t know what’s going on, but I know that we can’t stay here much longer.”

He jerked to a stop out of instinct only to shake his head and start running again, “If Rammie’s here then they need to be running, just like we are. How are you even sure we’d find them?” All of this was said amidst his sprinting, though with all the commotion it was a miracle he hadn’t collided them into anyone yet. If they could just get far enough away from others then he could try and jump them somewhere else, somewhere safer. Anywhere had to be safer than here, unless all of Revaliir was suffering this plague of darkness.

When they were finally at least on the outskirts of the scrambling encampment, he stopped to catch his breath. His chest was rising and falling heavily now that he was paused, and sweat lined his brow. “W-Wherever Rammie is,” he swallowed, trying hard to steady his breathing so that it wouldn’t continue to hiccup his speech, “I don’t think we have time to find them. I need to take us somewhere else. Now.”

He wrapped his arms tighter around her, his chest growing warmer and his skin glowing brighter along with his eyes and hair as he began to charge. There was enough for one good jump, one that would take Raziel, Zander, and himself as far as the next continent if he pushed hard enough. Usually he only liked to do that in extreme emergencies, and well, this seemed like one of those very situations.

(( OOC: He hasn’t jumped them, he’s just preparing to. ))

When Najima jerked to a stop, hope fluttered in her chest as a butterfly testing brand new wings… only to have that fleeting moment dashed away, crushed before it could take root. ”I’m not, but we have to try!” Whether her mind was weighed down by the darkness, or if it was just rational thinking, her heart sank. Chances were extremely high that Rammie has already moved on. Raziel was steps behind her, following a trail that was rapidly growing cold.

Through his jacket, the angel could feel is rising temperature, his heart pounding hard and fast beneath her hand. In her brief flashes of vision through its vibrations, Raziel could barely see the sweat on his brow. Tenderly, she lifted her hand and wiped at the precipitation, sliding her fingers down until she cupped his cheek. ”Naji? I’m scared.”

Will Rammie be fine? Did she escape it? Will the world ever be the same? More importantly in her heart; will she succeed in the task thrust upon her? Somehow, in the midst of it all, Najima’s tightened grip seemed to warm her. Raziel sighed, resigning to his will, his decision. ”How do we escape?” she asked rather calmly. He answered simply. ”We jump.” ”What about Zander? Don’t you need to carry him?” Najima explained that since the wolf was in close proximity, he will travel with them. The angel didn’t know the specifics, and didn’t request them, trusting Najima to get her beloved companion to safety with them.