There was a difference between knowing your sister was alive without the ability to see her, and the hope she was alive as you diligently search for her. For years, this is what Lirin had felt; Depression and flagging hope. She had also learned the grief of knowing her sister was gone. Heart no longer beating, lungs no longer taking in breath. Everything just seemed to stand still, one moment of time paused for eternity. And the unthinkable happened.

Celeste was given back to her by the goddess Angela! The vampire could scarcely believe it, and feared the moment she would wake to realize it had been but a blissful dream. Of course, there were changes, and Angela mentioned something about Rosenites, sunlight, and other differences. One rule in particular of no water magic within Sularia. The goddess explained that Akira was with the god Xunatar, safe from harm, which did little to ease Celeste’s concern for who Xunatar was. Larka was soon to enter Angela’s temple for healing.

Lirin was unsure what she expected her sister to be focusing her thoughts on, yet was slightly surprised to see her say that Akira could handle herself well for being a mere six years old. Instead, the revived twin desperately wanted to go to the temple, concerned that Larka pushed herself too far upon Celeste’s death. She wanted to be the first thing Larka saw when she woke up. Having been separated for sixteen years from her sister, only to lose her again for over two years and now death, the minstrel decided she was not leaving Celeste’s side for anything.

So, together, the twins were taken to the temple. Celeste planted herself by Larka’s side, holding her hand and assisting the healers when they allowed her to. She was attentive, and learned everything she could from them. Lirin leaned against a corner, arms folded, hovering nearby as a shadow. Shouldn’t the newborn Rosenite be concerned about learning all she could about what she was instead of disregarding her own safety for her wife? Larka was bedridden, unconscious as she recovered. Plenty of time to learn.

She had passed out in the Hunt God's arm as he had started to heal her and bring her back from her insanity. Larka didn't remember anything of being brought back to the Temple, Zanar had helped her find her way, but after that darkness had taken her. That had been for the better, as Larka's body had been pushed too far in her murderous rampage through the jungle. Broken bones that had ignored and made worse, broken ribs, cuts and gashes all over and internal issues caused by her overtaxed body from her Reaver and Berserker powers running full at the same time. That was a combination that wasn't supposed to ever happen, Larka had long thought that Berserker side of her was gone, but she had been wrong.

Larka was in darkness for some time but as her body was healed her mind started to as well. Memories of her past, happy ones, became dreams in her mind as she relived them one by one. Lilith and their kids, her Reaver family after that, for she had had good times with them, females she had laid with in the time before she met Celeste. Celeste of course from there, and soon their reunion, and then meeting Akira, and their adoption of the little fox girl.

How long Larka was out for she had no idea, but soon she started to stir as she was waking slowly, her body ached in stiffness but not from wounds. She was fully healed. She groaned slightly as her mind started to wake and her eyes saw the light coming in from her eyelids, still shut and hiding her grey eyes.

Larka groaned again as her eyes fluttered and slowly opened, squinting at the bright light as they adjusted slowly. She went to move her hand and found it had something in it, she squeezed, it was fleshy, a hand! Larka forced her eyes open more and the silhouette that she over her was familiar, shadowed against the back lighting and her eyes still blurry. Her first thought was Lirin was watching over her.

But as Larka's eyes came into better focus and adjusted more to the light her eyes went wide at the face staring at her. ”Ce.. Celeste?” Larka questioned unbelieving of her eyes. ”Is this tu Theneras” She asked, asking if it was a dream. She blinked a few times and glanced to the side, Lirin was there watching, she squeezed Celeste's hand still holding hers. No, this was no dream. Larka's eyes welled up and she threw herself at Celeste wrapping her arm around her wife in a tight hug. ”Ma vhenan, ir abelas, ir abelas, ir abelas.” She sobbed as she held Celeste close before pulling back enough to kiss Celeste, confirming for sure that this was real at the return kiss, she placed her forehead to Celeste's. ”Ar lath, ar lath.”

After a moment something finally seemed to click into Larka's mind as she looked to Celeste, then to Lirin for a moment offering her sister in law a smile and then looked back to Celeste again. ”H… how is this possible? Where are we?” She asked, voice cracking from being dry and hoarse from all her yelling and screaming, that hadn't been magically healed it seemed but that was fine.

From the moment Larka began to stir, Celeste seemed to emerge from a lifeless state. She now looked hopeful, alert, and actively searched her wife’s face. Would she act that way if Lirin was in the same situation. Would Lirin ever have anyone other than Celeste to worry about this way?

Excitement lit up the revived elf’s face as Larka began to focus. Tears welled up and began to stream down her face, waiting for the injured woman to say something. Celeste gently caressed Larka’s cheek. ”Shhh, ma vhenan.” Neither elf attempted to discourage the embrace, and Celeste continued the soothing sounds. ”Shh, it’s okay. It’s fine.”

Instead of immediately answering, Celeste picked up a glass of water from the bedside table and held it to Larka’s lips. ”We are at Elysia, inside Angela’s clinic. This is not a dream, though it sometimes feel like it. Angela came to Lirin and my body. She… Changed me, brought me back. You mentioned something before, about a deal you had with her? Maybe the goddess knew that without me, you would be lost forever. You nearly died, ma vhenan.” It was by shere luck that Lirin was waiting for Larka before putting Celeste to rest.

”Did you know Akira knows Xunatar, one of the deities here? Angela said he would keep her safe until she left his domain.” Neither elf knew of him, and Celeste decided it was now necessary to learn all she could of the gods. Who were they? What can they do? She wanted to understand at least that much. It was time to pull her head out of her own personal little world, and submerge herself in their new home.

Larka pressed her cheek into Celeste's hand when her wife caressed her cheek, this wasn't a dream! She drank some of the water that Celeste offered, realizing now that she saw it how thirsty she was and then listened as Celeste explained where they were. Angela, of course, Celeste mentioned the deal that Larka had with her and Larka nodded slowly. ”When I was first in these lands Angela saved my life, brought me back like she has done with you. For that I pledged myself to her when she needed me for something, in return she'd make sure I was kept alive. I have a deal with her sister, Toya, she'd get me the dragon's blood and I'd help keep her, rather large, family safe.” Larka explained and closed her eyes for a moment as Celeste spoke of Akira, she was alive!

”Xunatar?” Larka questioned and thought on it a moment, she knew that name. ”Is he not the the God of Chaos and.. something else? But if Angela says that Akira will be safe I believe her.” Larka replied and forced herself up into a sitting position, she was healed but stiff and sore in her muscles.

Larka reached over and pulled Celeste back into a tight hug, resting her face in the elf's neck and taking in her scent, glancing back to Lirin as she did. ”I was lost, Celeste. I couldn't bare to have you gone, or Akira who I thought was taken. I slaughtered the clan, chased them through the rain forest into the God Zanar came and stopped me, and helped me get here, though I passed out. Oh, Gods, Celeste, the things I did to them.” She sobbed into Celeste's shoulder.

Lirin scoffed at the words “like she has done with you”. If you asked her, yes, she was elated that Celeste was back. Did she agree wholeheartedly with the way it was? Not really. Why could the goddess of life not bring her back whole and un… But she wasn’t tainted, was she? The vampire was still wrestling with the whole Rosenite deal.

Celeste, on the other hand, shifted her eyes uncomfortably. ”And darkness.” She nodded. The goddess had no reason to lie to her about Akira’s well being. Believing Angela was never a question. ”I know, ma vhenan. I know your past all too well.” She let her wife sob, the woman who was usually so strong, it was Celeste who did most of the crying in their relationship. It melted her heart to find reassurance of how much she meant to Larka.

”When I was dying… My last thoughts were of you. I knew you’d react as you did for… “ She trailed off, knowing that she did not need to explain any further. ”Larka… My love… I’m not as I used to be. Angela… Did something. She changed me.” Even she didn’t know how to accept it, but right now, it was second to Larka’s health.

She heard Lirin's scoff, but for now ignored it, as she continued to explain more of what happened on her end. She sobbed into Celeste's shoulder for a moment as Celeste spoke of her death, that she had been thinking of Larka, knowing how the Reaver would react.

Not as she used to be? Larka blinked and pulled back enough to look at Celeste a little closer than she had. Her eyes! Larka's own grey eyes narrowed as she stared into her wife's eyes, they had changed colour! Larka reached up and placed her hand on Celeste's cheek, questions on her face. ”What did she do? You are alive and you seem the same, but, your eyes…” She trailed off, waiting for an explanation, she was more curious than anything, she didn't know if she should be upset since she didn't know what had been done. ”She gave you back to me, Celeste, whatever she did I can accept as long as you are still the woman I love.” Larka smiled, she wanted to know what was done of course.

She looked to Lirin and smiled to her sister in law. ”Thank you, Lirin, thank you for watching over her. I'm sorry I abandoned you back in the forest.”

Even with the change, her watery spirit refused to be completely drowned by the green rimmed red iris. As a result, her pupil was in a sea of crimson, then ivy, and finally the ocean. Almost ashamed, while being unable to turn away due to Larka’s hand cupping her cheek, Celeste diverted her eyes. It was not yet something she has had the chance to look at herself, but her twin had taken a moment to explain the vision. Yet, Larka was automatically accepting, so long as Celeste had not changed in personality.

”Someone had to keep a level head.” Lirin joked, trying to make light of the situation. ”In all honesty, I’m sure that any in your shoes would have done the same thing given your heritage and history. Celsy told me. And she did more than just think. Her last words were for me to look after you.” A silence descended from the twins as they allowed Larka to digest the new information.

Celeste reached up and took Larka’s hand, holding it between her own in her lap as she stared at it. ”I was, in a word, turned. I am still elf, still me. But I am now part of Angela’s Rosenites. Everything seems so different now.” The dark was no longer dark, the sun was not as bright, and she felt surprisingly stronger.

When Celeste diverted her eyes from Larka's own the human frowned slightly, waiting for a response on what had changed in Celeste, beyond her eyes. Larka looked to Lirin when she spoke after Larka thanked her and smiled at the light joke, but then nodded and smiled as she continued. She would have replied but Celeste reached up to take her hand in her own as she explained. Turned? Rosenite? Some kind of vampire? Larka knew little of them besides what she had learned in her time in Sularia, and that wasn't a lot, aside from how well the females preformed in bed, but that wasn't a topic for right now.

”Different how?” Larka asked softly shifting on the bed some so that she could pull Celeste that little bit closer to her. Larka was noticing subtle things but nothing she could truly put into words, as far as differences in Celeste went. But the fact that Celeste was here, alive and with her again, a second time almost lost, was enough for Larka. She could get used to the changes in her wife, but what she couldn't do was live without Celeste. ”Your eyes are still as beautiful as ever.” Larka smiled and kissed Celeste's cheek.

After a bit Larka grinned, ah, there was something new with her as well. ”Celeste, after you… as Lirin may have explained before I got here, I went a little crazy. I've come into some new magic, Celeste, earth magic, I think it has something to do with the first dragon who's blood I drank to become a Reaver, it was an Earth dragon.” She glanced to the side to a potted plant and grinned. ”Watch.” Still new to this, which the concentration on her face betrayed, Larka reached out with her magic to the earth in the pot and pulled it towards it.

It collected around the stump of her left arm and after a few moments, and some adjustments, Larka had, for all intents and purposes, a fully functional left arm. She beamed and wrapped her arms around Celeste and pulled her in for a tight hug, a two armed hug, Larka hadn't given one of those in an age it felt like. Smiling to Celeste Larka then got to her feet, a little stiff and sore still and gave the same hug to Lirin, whether the vampire wanted it or not. Sitting on the edge of the bed again with Celeste Larka smiled as she held up her magically created arm. ”I do a few other things as well, but I need practice, the only magic I could do before was make those wing tattoos work.”