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Naruto Saga » Tsuchi no Kuni » Tsuchi no Kuni » Hearken the flap of my wings [Plot | Solo]

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Laïs Crowly

Laïs Crowly


C-rank
The night was about to impose its dominion upon the world by the time Laïs arrived at the circle of standing stones where she had first met Ryo. Back then, the circle's thrum of energy had already amazed the young woman but under twilight's grace the stones's mystical allure had something ominous. Stepping into the circle, Laïs felt like walking through an invisible barrier, getting the impression the wind had suddenly ceased to blow this very instant. A hollow quietude settled, the idea of having entered a different world all together pressing in the back of Laïs' mind, her comprehension of occult secrets and realities eluding her just barely. She could not say if the circle of stones really held any power of this sort, but it did not fail to raise the hairs on her skin. Cool natural energy she could now attribute to the sage arts lingered here, a frisky presence brushing against those who were sensitive to its existence.

Making her way to the centre of the circle, Laïs reminded herself she had come here for a little experiment. Much like her mistress had shown her affinity with snakes, taking on the characteristics of a snake when she revealed this 'Sage Mode' of hers, Laïs had wondered if she could mimic such a form for herself. She had no affinity with snakes, she knew that much, aiming this little experiment towards discovering if she had her own affinity and to what extend she could manifest it as well. Reaching the centre of the stones, the apprentice occultist sat down and started meditating, her last thought being how ironic she, of all the people, had been meditating so often lately where once she could barely hold still.

Focusing on the nature chakra around her, Laïs reached out to the whole area between the stones, allowing the soft thrum of energy to engulf her. A couple of minutes passed and when twilight disappeared to allow true night to reign, the cawing of crows and ravens echoed through the air. Opening her eyes briefly, the young woman could not see any sort of movement nor even sense it, but as she mediated again a nexus of dark energies seemed to spiral down from the skies, the cawing getting louder until she was certain she could feel the black birds' movement pass her.

Her eyes instantly opened, Laïs found herself in a different world.




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Last edited by Laïs Crowly on Sun Mar 25, 2018 8:31 am; edited 1 time in total

Laïs Crowly

Laïs Crowly


C-rank
The circle of stones still stood, now swaying in the Otherworld she perceived as if their existence was not truly set in stone. Everything around it looked shrouded in pallid shadows, not truly dark neither allowing light to pierce through, and though her eyes could not see all too far in this strange world, she could not say it was foggy either. A curious world had revealed itself before her, surpassing once more everything her mind could possibly grasp. Much like Lamya had done a while ago. Looking at herself as if to assure she was not dreaming, the same shimmer of displacement that teased the stones was visible to a lesser extend about herself, her body almost translucent as if she was a ghost.

"Beautiful weather, ain't it?", a voice resonated to her right. "It's that time of the cycle again. The stars aligned, the moon hidden. The true path reveals itself and spits you out. Does it rain humans too where you come from?"
"I... have no idea what you're babbling about.", Laïs said rather annoyed, eyes finally finding the crow perched on one of the stones. It's figure so small and equally distorted by this strange world she had not been able to spot it at first.
"Rude. Here I am welcoming you, and you're biting of my beak at first sight. I guess we can't all be savants. What brings you here anyway?"
"I was trying to figure out this Sage Mode... Where am I anyway?"
"Sage Mode? I haven't heard about that in quite some time. But you're lost now, hm? You're in our world, of course."
"That's helpful..."
"You are welcome. Come, I'll show you the way."

The bird hopped off the stone, flying a full circle around the stone circle before finally picking a direction. Laïs followed the bird, eyes fixated so she wouldn't lose sight of it. As she ran, she couldn't not feel her feet hit the ground nor had she the impression anything ever changed about the environment. It much felt like an endless run through a timeless world, chasing a black bird that could just as much have been a figment of her imagination. An illusion, perhaps, though she was unsure as to who or what would have created it. At the verge of her patience, the world suddenly seemed to materialise in front of her, as if someone had speed-drawn everything as she was still running. Black and white sketch gained fixed lines, then became solid objects and finally gained their colours.

Before her, two large guards kept watch. Their bodies black and lissom, they did not sport the countenance of humans but looked very much like humanoid black birds. Eyes barely visible, behind the gleaming black metal valkyr helmet, prominent beaks protruding, their feathers covered their entire body, disappearing equally fast under a solid metal plating. Though they had no visible hands, their wings held fast onto a large deadly spear. Standing at the attention, the guards guarded a stone wall that seemed to be the protective measure of a large village or a small city. The guards glanced briefly at the black bird and the running human but did little to stop them, allowing them entrance into area hidden from sight.

As she set foot behind the walls, the city was strangely set up. It sported a huge spiralling tower in the centre which inspired much the idea of it being a 'wizard tower'. Said tower was surrounded by a couple of longhouses, each bearing their own heraldry before even more smaller buildings dotted the area between the walls, haphazardly placed and making the strangest shapes of streets. The longer Laïs looked at the whole architecture, the harder she found it to make sense.

"Welcome to the Tuath Dé, Laïs. Home of the Corvus. Don't let your eyes linger too long, you might end up lost in the mists that pervade the area."
"The Corvus?"
"We are what most humans would call Sage Animals, though we believe to be far more than just that. Warriors, poets, ascendants and descendants. We are whatever we wish to be. Some would call our ability to shape the world of ourselves and that of others as a 'divine power', others consider it disillusions of grandeur or a carefully crafted phantasmagoria. The name matters little, perceptions differ, but do stay for a while."
"You completely lost me."
"I'm fairly certain you stand right here. And soon, you'll stand in front of the phantom queen herself."

The words had barely left the bird's beak or the world already shifted to reform into something different. The whole world distorted to accommodate towards the words, a potential lie having turned into a resolute truth. Laïs found herself facing a woman with skin as white as snow, donning a heavy bronze chest plate covering her whole torso. The rustic brown tunic under the plate that served as a buffer between flesh and metal, providing ample protection against chaffing, was long enough to cover her upper legs up to a little above her knees, almost looking as if she was wearing a dress. Then, from a little under her knees, she was wearing bronze greaves which overlapped her dark brown boots. Wearing a huge cloak of brown bear fur, her face remained hidden in the shadows of its hood, and served her as a warm cushion to sit on instead of having to suffer the cold touch of the bleached stone that shaped the throne she rested on. A large sword rested against the throne, easily within reach of the phantom queen. All around her, ravens were perched upon the throne, her should and even upon the blade itself.

Taking a look around her before Laïs addressed the woman as she was still confused at what exactly had transpired, she found herself within one of the longhouses she had seen before. Thick wooden planks formed its frame, the roof supported by beams with the thickness of a skinny human. The walls were decorated with heraldic shields, weapons and black banners. Long tables were connected one to each other, creating one huge wooden slab upon which several other bird-like humanoids were seated, eating and drinking to their heart's content and dressed in a clothing style that could only be considered medieval. At their feet, more shields and weapons rested, ready to be picked up at a moment's notice. Laïs thoroughly felt out of place here, still not able to point out if she was just dreaming or really had entered a different area.

"Welcome, child.", the voice of the phantom queen greeted her. Her voice sounded deep, laden with sensuality but backed by power of authority. "The messengers whispered you were looking for us, so I took the liberty to bring you here."
"Thanks, I guess...", Laïs replied, still unsure about the whole thing. "I'm sorry I have to ask this but am I really... here?"
"How the world is perceived is of little matter, but yes, you are here, before me and in the longhouse of the Corvus. It is here where we train promising warriors."
"I was looking to discover my own 'Sage Form', actually."
"And so you have found it, little sage. The Corvus teach those how to take the form of the crows and ravens."

After those words, the queen stood up, sending the perched birds flying as she grabbed her blade. Making sign the others could continue their feast, she approached Laïs with the confidence of a sovereign, towering a full head above the young woman once she halted before Laïs. Piercing eyes rested into hers for a minute before offering an enigmatic smile.

"The Corvus take on many forms and have been many things. We are messengers of ill omens, we are warriors on the battlefield. We have been servants of greater beings than us, and have become gods able to create the world of others into the image of our choosing. We inspire fear and chaos into the hearts of those who reject us, and bring peace and a healing embrace to those that welcome us. Rarely are we understood for what we really embody, but that is not our concern. We do what we must to change the world. Symbolism of magic, prophets of the future. The Corvus are visionaries first, and learn the tricks to turn that vision into reality."

The words were spoken with such fervour that Laïs could feel the power behind it, and as the queen finished her last sentence the whole table behind her lifted their mug or meat and cheered out loudly. The words were truly inspiring even though the interpretation could have gone in any way.

"We have been observing you since you were but a child, Laïs, and we know how you've changed the world before. Your little village was forced to deal with something they did not understand, and your parents came to experience the power that is dormant within your blood. If only they had been stronger, they could have shown you so much more... but that's alright. I can sense the imprint of a being far greater than the two of them, who has shown you a single path to greatness. We can show you many more, if you wish. What do you say, Laïs? Are you willing to become a true Sage of the Corvus and master senjutsu on a similar level as your teacher?"
"That does sound appealing, doesn't it? What's the catch?"
"There is no catch. Believe in us like we believe in you. Become part of us like we'll become part of you. Crows and ravens may be many, but we only share one family."
"No proclamation of loyalty?"
"No, not even that, child. Corvus have always carved their own path, fate bringing them there where they need to be, unrestricted by the limited perceptions of humans. We ditch the proverbial box and transcend its shackles. We see what others fail to comprehend and find what others refuse to seek."
"Then count me in, your majesty."




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Laïs Crowly

Laïs Crowly


C-rank
Raven's Rook. The black spiralling tower had been given a name that fit not only the Corvus, but hailed its origins by the countless cawing black birds sitting on the roof and every possible border they could land on. It was a hell of a ruckus, and in that incessant noise Laïs had to keep up her concentration as she gathered the natural chakra from the Otherworld. The phantom queen had appointed someone to keep watch over her and seemingly asked her chaperone to bonk her on the head with a sceptre every time she was losing control over herself to such a point she was about to lose her mind and go berserk. The black anthropomorphic bird was slightly frailer than the others and more gracious but what she lost in intimidation she certainly made up with her snippy attitude.

She had been surprised at first that Laïs suffered not the slightest of troubles drawing upon the natural energy around her, nor seemed to have any difficulties showing the first signs of the Corvus Sage Form, but where the young woman was a natural at drawing in natural chakra, she was twice as horrible at controlling the speed at which the natural chakra was drawn in. As typical to the Jugo, it pushed her mind on the brink of madness rather than to have her turn to stone, forcing her chaperone to knock her on the head once again to drive out all natural energy out of Laïs' body.

"You're not supposed to soak your body with the natural energy. You are supposed to saturate your own chakra. Again."
"That's easier said than done with this ruckus."
"Do not blame the Corvus for your weakness. You are the only at fault for your lack of self-control, Jugo."

The words hit her like a knife, as it was far from the first time she had heard them being spoken to her. Plenty of times she had been reprimanded for beating up kids, for losing control, for going wild, and every time again the adults had pointed her finger at her direction. The only difference here was the name 'Jugo', a word her mistress had mentioned before as well. Laïs had thought 'Jugo' was just a title or call of sorts, putting no further thought into it, but here the Sage Animals called her exactly the same way while she was fairly certain they had not the slightest relation with the Snake Sage.

"Why do you call me Jugo?"
"Ha! Because that's what you are, obviously.", said the Corvus, giving her a mocking laugh.
"And what does that even mean? My name's Laïs Crowly, not ... Jugo."
"Don't tell me you don't know your own bloodline..."
"What about my bloodline?"
"A long time ago, Jugo were tribal creatures living in harmony with nature and its energies. They could take on the shape of animals, invoke their strengths and abilities. Their power was so pure, so powerful, even the Hidden Villages came to fear them. Unfortunately, power behest power. Those Jugo who were not slaughtered at the united forces of the Hidden Villages became the experiments of a scientist who tried to extract their power and turn it into cursed seals easily applied onto others seeking its power. So you see... ", the Corvus grinned "Your arrival here was no mere luck. Nothing happens without reason. This is destiny. The Corvus may not look like much, but we are warriors in our own right, scouring the battlefield that is life in search of worthy souls who seek to understand the greater scheme of things. We are visionaries first."

Laïs lowered her eyes, thinking about the words she just heard. Was this true? Was life already predestined, no matter what she ended up doing? She could not believe it, but there was an odd discomforting feeling that the words of the Corvus harboured a truth far purer than she would ever hear. Perhaps she was just imagining things... After all, did the phantom queen not say that they were taught the tricks to turn visions into reality? Did this not mean that everything was just a game of manipulation and carefully woven layers of deceit? Genjutsu so meticulously crafted it trapped a mind forever in a false reality? Shifting her eyes to the Corvus, she was answered with a smug smile.

"Believe of my words what you wish, Laïs. We do what is necessary to change the world. Truth. Deceit. They are all just a means to an end to avoid a world from calcifying and stagnating."
"I don't believe I understand what you're saying..."
"Wisdom comes in time, insight comes with experience. You'll come to understand once you'll see the world through our eyes."

Leaving the discussion for what it was, Laïs returned to her training, glad that she did not have to think about the mind-boggling theories and conspiracies any longer. And as she did so, forgetting about the world around her and no longer caring for what the Corvus told about the greater scheme of things, she finally achieved that what she had been looking for.

Her Sage Form.




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