Or greatly pained by what the Dark Lord had just spoken.

Then they opened, and a mild breeze ruffled Jharmeen's hair, freshened against Shayla's face, moved the silken robes worn by the Sith.

"The Natural Order... all that is, is, and when it is no more it must be no more.

"All is Us and We are You; the Life's Blood runs in all things, which move the Game in the direction desired.

"The Game ends, and begins anew.

"Do you now see?"

"In every end there is a new beginning," she whispered lightly. "The sun setting gives way to the moon rising, and the sun rising gives way to the moon's setting. This is what creates balance, when we also understand and accept that we--and all things in the Universe--simply are."

Quieting a moment at that, Shayla pursed her lips. Something was niggling for her attention, and she still couldn't quite put her finger on it. "But because we create That Which Is and are That which Is, we must take charge. We are not simple gamepieces to be played, not if we know this and have come to accept it," she then stated.

Pausing once more, she now looked directly to the eyes, recalling that beautiful singing which had graced her ears only a few moments before.

Only when she had said she would not be played...

Standing up then, she felt strength rise deeply within her. "I am what I am," she then spoke in a whisper which carried not just a little bit of determination in the words, words which were a repetition of what she had already been hearing...

...but words which were growing in meaning to her with every moment.

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"You are what you are," the Voice affirmed solemnly.

"All is Us and We are you. The Life's Blood moves the game in the desired direction, until Resolution is at hand and the Game begins anew."

It paused a moment, sensing the struggle within Shayla, sensing nearly overwhelming bewilderment in most of the others, sensing a fierce and defiant rage in Galen.

All mattered not; all was insignificant to the Game. Mere attributes, to be used accordingly.

The great Eyes blinked.

"That which has been Broken must break no more. Resolution must be at hand lest the Game cease."

The eyes cocked sideways again, and throughout the soul of Kori'sian, every bit of rock began to sing. Then those terrible orbs blinked.

"There is no Time," offered the Voice, repeating what it had said earlier, and fell silent, letting the rocks sing their wonderful chorus, which was once again underscored by the group's attendant tuk'ata.

Saying nothing further she quieted once more.

--------------------

I clapped my hands over my ears, shut my eyes, and cringed against Panthar. At least that's what an objective outsider would have seen; in reality, reality itself had just shrunk from my grand view of it to a horrible realization that niggled just beyond conscious awareness.

Between that realization and rational thought, madness beckoned.

All I could do was shiver and curl up into a fetal position.

Then I just waited for the world to go away.

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"Yes," the Voice affirmed.

"There... Is. Time is what assists the movements of the Life's Blood, and moves the Game along until Resolution.

"Then it begins anew."

It fell silent a moment or to longer before offering up another enigmatic comment.

"Point," it said...

“It sounds then that the Resolution has not yet been achieved. All that is, IS, but the natural order is still threatened? You said there are those who yet break it… There is no time… But the life’s blood moves the game… The game is a stop right now? If we use the life’s blood to move the game in the desired direction, to protect the natural order, will that begin the game anew?”

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"Yes," it said simply, then continued a bit further.

"This is my Place of Places, and what Has Been Broken must break no more. The Life's Blood can bring momentary Resolution, and the Game continue until Resolution is at hand and the Game begins anew.

"Third point."

The singing of the rock rose in a silvery crescendo until every atom about the group seemed to be vibrating with the sheer beauty of it.

Then the maze unraveled, unwound, straightened, and rejoined in a stick-straight tunnel that was interspersed here and there by ten particular beings.

And closed off on either end by solid, joyful granite.

...but then at last she turned to regard the others, the look in her eyes clearly reading that they should get on the move.

"I sense the others," she then said, "Let's get moving. I have a feeling this isn't over yet, and we're gonna need everyone's input."

And it didn't take any more prompting than this. As she began to follow the traces of life she felt ahead of them, everyone in the group followe obligingly behind, the step in their pace some how quicker than before.

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“Galen,” he whispered. “Galen, come back. I can see the others, I’m taking you to see them. Come on, come back to me.”

He continued walking, the tuk’ata limping at his side, until he reached Phalomir.

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“Jharmeen?” he asked, his voice too hopeful.

A sound of footsteps and the clicks of claws on stone came from behind him, but he remained focused on Jharmeen. Finally his logic began its slow and steady return, and a semblance of deduction clicked in place. Behind must be Panthar and the tuk’ata, and the other sound of breathing would hopefully be Galen.

He forced his eyes from Jharmeen and looked down the long corridor. He saw shapes moving in the near dark, then glanced behind to confirm his suspicions. He smiled, then returned his attention to Jharmeen.

“Jharmeen?” he repeated.

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After everything that had happened, after everything he'd heard, he could only worry about how Galen was taking all this.

Even as they met up with Phalomir and Graysith, Terrin saw Panthar enter with Galen in his arms. His heart dropped to his stomach to see her like that, and he hurried to her, collecting her in his own arms. She was shivering like a leaf...

...and his mind immediately went back to another time and place, a time when he had seen her do much the same. He sat down with her, then placing a hand on each of her shoulders and shaking her.

"Galen, Galen!"

He paused a moment at this, concern etched in every crease on his face. Come on, we are going to get through this, and together. "

--------------------

But a whisper told her this was not her Place.

Her eyes fluttered, opened, the yet-alive Glyph blasting into life of its own to further light the dimness as she swam up from the beckoning green, aching to have to do so.

Directly ahead of her, another green lay waiting.

She blinked.

"Take what is offered," she whispered, her words coming only into Phalomir's ears.

"Not Power...."

She wrapped her arms about him and buried her face against his chest, hugging him fiercely even as the others all congregated into a little knot which in all of Existence yet retained a semblance of normalcy.

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"There is no Time," the tiredly familiar words repeated themselves, thundering in their ears even as the rocks burst out into an even louder chorus.

"That Which has been Broken must break no more. Resolution must be at hand, lest the Game not resolve."

It paused yet again, and yet again added an addendum to the puzzling words it kept repeating.

"I say no more. All is said. Else the rules be broken, and all paradigms be changed."

And absolutely terrified out of my mind by them.

At whose design did that shaking originate? For what real purpose? Where indeed did the words Panthar spoke originate?

My eyes flew open, as did my mouth. But I couldn't utter a word.

All I could see was a dancing river of motes, all surging along at the whim of a terrible and completely invisible current.

Far easier to will the world to go away...

...only it simply wouldn't.

[ 12-30-2004 02:29 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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“My love,” he said quietly. The words sang from his lips, sprouting first from his very soul. “There is no power that can compare with what I feel at this moment. I should have seen it before. I am offered hope, friendship, and love. This moment could last forever as far as…”

He realized that the moment could indeed last forever. He sighed and positioned his legs so he could stand, then did so, still cradling Jharmeen.

“Jharmeen,” he said, his lips close to her ear. “How much do you know of what has transpired here?”

He pulled back his head a little to look into her eyes.

“I believe we should find Aelvedaar.”

((OOC: Follow everyone in this thread to The Natural Order in the "Jedi/Sith" forums, thank you.))

[ 12-30-2004 02:42 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Phalomir ]

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