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postAgora Forum Archive

This page conserves the character fiction forum of the Agora forums. The posts have been left unformatted to make it easier for users to copy them here and paste them into the new forums.

postThread table for forum City of Lost Angels - Character Fiction

Oren Itanooren12/10/08 18:25View
Missy12/10/08 22:22View
The backstory of Vulpes.Vulpes12/11/08 01:46View
Erica KesselErica Kessel12/11/08 07:52View
Missy's Story.. a Do-over and another ChapterMissy12/11/08 22:38View
UsrBinPerl12/11/08 23:48View
oren12/11/08 23:57View
Kwekwe's BackstoryKwekwe Karu12/12/08 01:02View
UsrBinPerl12/13/08 00:35View
Eternal SunsetMissy12/13/08 12:19View
Kit Ristow12/14/08 00:01View
ShyMathys12/14/08 00:27View
MasksAlissa12/14/08 00:58View
Lorae12/14/08 01:24View
UsrBinPerl12/14/08 22:07View
Missy's Story Continued..Part 3Missy12/16/08 08:43View
Missy's Story Part 4: Innocence ShatteredMissy12/16/08 18:34View
Missy's Story Part 5: Innocence AnnihilatedMissy12/18/08 17:16View
Small DangersVox12/18/08 21:36View
Saint of The Abyss: Part 1Luciferiel12/19/08 05:21View
Zero....-1Justa Zero12/19/08 17:38View
Zero....1Justa Zero12/19/08 18:26View
Óðr’s Daughter. Chapter I: A Guiding DreamAsil Karu12/20/08 02:39View
Omega To Alphaerinnic12/23/08 16:49View
Her Bloody Tears [-Past Event-]Methias12/23/08 18:09View
Lost Kitsune - A Shattered MindKiera12/25/08 18:51View
Usr's story Part IVUsrBinPerl12/27/08 20:34View
The EssexHeir Maelstrom12/29/08 04:23View
Kwekwe's shameKwekwe Karu12/30/08 18:11View
Joint Round Robin Fic Anyone...?erinnic12/30/08 19:07View
God Was On Her Lips As She Diederinnic01/02/09 23:31View
Love and Betrayal - A New Beginningkessjuliesse01/03/09 13:46View
The Diary of Cody Woodhencodywoodhen01/05/09 21:35View
Missy's Story Part 6: Innocence AbductedMissy01/07/09 06:23View
Cursed BladeYannis_Martynov01/08/09 21:27View
Story Thread: Community Round Robin Ficerinnic01/09/09 23:25View
The demon withinCanly Fargis01/11/09 16:14View
Ziau- CoLA's Very Own CasanovaZiau01/13/09 02:09View
Twisted Attentionserinnic01/21/09 20:34View
Inspiration- music and roleplayZiau01/26/09 08:01View
Compilation! Where were you when it all happened?Ziau01/28/09 09:12View
The Clock Struck MidnightMalice Ashdene01/28/09 22:31View
With Precision- a poem by Kelly Welch A.k.A Ziau Jua.Ziau01/29/09 04:36View
Alisa's dicovery of a new world (character sheet + story)Alisa Draconia01/30/09 19:17View
The Shadow Stepper- Ziau the Enshadowed.Ziau02/01/09 07:26View
Krista Lemon arrives to the streets of Lost AngelsKrista02/03/09 00:09View
Back Story Upto the Excile of Rune.RuneCrimson02/03/09 21:59View
War with the Brood, war with the Coven, and the Pack.Ziau02/07/09 04:11View
-- Halcyon's Backstory --Halcyon Nacht02/08/09 00:22View
Planer/Exonar family (aka, Erinyse, Khalan, Viridian, Cummere, Selena)Cummere Mayo02/08/09 03:53View
Kit's BackstoryKit Ristow02/10/09 18:40View
Eyes in the DarkKeyla02/11/09 09:47View
Surfacing Part ILlyr02/13/09 22:21View
Surfacing Part IILlyr02/13/09 22:35View
Tama-Chan: A Cat's Story (Tamara's background)Tamara02/17/09 07:35View
Project: A map of Post Apocalypse North AmericaTamara02/17/09 19:21View
Dreamtime RevelationsWinter02/19/09 18:08View
Reaver-the echo of the BlackwindAntiZero02/23/09 00:43View
On the Origin of SpeciesTamara02/25/09 22:38View
ConfessionKit Ristow02/26/09 01:39View
Personnel File: Pointe, Zsuzsanna C. (Inactive, Deceased)Su Pointe02/26/09 03:32View
Malice, in a Different Kind of WonderlandMalice Ashdene02/27/09 18:07View
The Dark of InspirationKit Ristow03/01/09 21:42View
Jheric: CrucifiedKayle Ashdene03/03/09 10:53View
It's my lifearsene_Braveheart03/05/09 18:18View
The Tradgedy of the HybridDigital Enigma03/29/09 07:09View
The Sin of Wrathmolly switchblade04/02/09 21:28View
Golden BoyEphran Ehrler04/15/09 06:12View
Story About A GirlAesendria04/24/09 15:34View
Climaxe by Smith and WessonSloan04/28/09 06:19View
My new project ATTENTION Russian Characters!Ziau05/01/09 06:42View
**NSFW** A Typical Tuesday Night for MissyMissy05/06/09 20:48View
Post your profile links!Cortero Landar05/07/09 10:25View
Making Logan SufferAesendria05/12/09 07:09View
Jeanne VarunJeanne Varun05/14/09 08:24View
The Vanguard's True PurposeLogan05/16/09 01:03View
Cortero's Infernal ArmorCortero Landar05/16/09 06:52View
Bookstore SurpriseAesendria05/16/09 23:16View
Post your profile links if you have in-story info in them!Cortero Landar05/18/09 10:33View
PromisesAesendria05/24/09 02:44View
Cyber Evolution Bios, Anur Seda, Cyber Reaper, and Commander of CETheassassin06/08/09 11:28View
Was any of it real?Youko_Giha06/12/09 15:28View
A shift in prioritiesLogan06/17/09 04:21View
Going homeLudvig06/17/09 19:10View
'Ren in Japanoren06/18/09 23:11View
Thelma across the boardThelemaJuliesse06/26/09 15:09View
Pre-fiction: How Kayteear got here.Kayteear07/15/09 16:43View
Story TimeCharissa07/17/09 19:03View
Pack Airship RP.Tai07/27/09 02:49View
My CharacterLilith1308/05/09 22:34View
LilithLilith1308/06/09 09:30View
The Haunter in the DarkShadow08/14/09 21:50View
The Flying HeadsKwekwe Karu08/16/09 16:52View
Why selling coffins is impossible in CoLAZiau08/23/09 04:14View
Paint it red!Ziau08/23/09 07:51View
Young Cowards.Ziau08/23/09 08:28View
Great video for RPers and people passionate about writing.Ziau09/05/09 08:55View
Dux - 264 BCDux09/10/09 18:41View
The Thing at South Gate SanitariumShadow09/15/09 22:09View
♪♫ Do you wanna RP my avatar ♪♫Kayteear09/17/09 14:45View
Jessica's MotherJessica Susser09/21/09 04:19View
Ziau Challenged me to. NSFWChasityDawes09/21/09 07:17View
The Divine Machine.................Theassassin09/21/09 22:29View
I Bleed my Blood for Myself.Ziau09/22/09 22:28View
Cronicle of a deathKayteear09/24/09 01:34View
"Please Allow Me to Introduce Myself"DavidJoshua Artful09/26/09 17:07View
Old Versus NewDigital Enigma09/27/09 20:28View
The Shadowed Order, The Eternal Order, Ordo MachinaTheassassin10/06/09 06:55View
Elamyrath's HistoryElamyrath10/10/09 00:52View
The here, the now, the dead. The Minus.TheMinus Ziskey10/10/09 12:41View
Before bed ritual.Amy Guisse10/17/09 04:13View
Alone?Ike10/18/09 15:34View
IS this High School again?Theassassin10/24/09 12:49View
Sidhe vs DrowOrlok Lectar10/29/09 04:08View
Daddy bluesarsene_Braveheart11/17/09 19:01View
Chronicles of SIEagentlyseria11/22/09 12:27View
The Lady In Black(A Drokan Exile Twisted Love Story)AntiZero11/29/09 06:36View
The growing Darkness.Leirain Koray12/01/09 11:04View
The lycanKayteear12/01/09 16:00View
City of Lost Jackman: The Untold Hollywood BlockbusterAntiZero12/02/09 07:11View
Coming home for christmas ..Kes12/10/09 22:17View
Bunneh Vs. Lich, DBZ styleKarsha Yutani12/14/09 11:59View
A FarewellRoland12/16/09 20:50View
Of Death and RebirthDigital Enigma12/21/09 20:14View
The Story of ReocoReoko Farspire02/06/10 20:47View
Homecoming......... The Story of Orpheus DarkfoldOrpheusDarkfold03/11/10 02:27View
The Story of Orpheus Part 2OrpheusDarkfold03/13/10 23:15View
Who owns who?Kayteear03/22/10 22:03View
Missing the Oceanricercar03/23/10 22:27View
Letter to the editor: Manners in LATink03/25/10 16:58View
Chasity BackstoryChasityDawes06/14/10 19:43View
Something Black and Violent...DavidJoshua Artful06/19/10 22:23View
Doctor Visiterinnic07/12/10 04:26View
Gabby Perdidevacantghost07/19/10 04:42View

postTopic The Shadow Stepper- Ziau the Enshadowed.

PosterMessageDate
Ziau"Wake up- you're sleeping, WAKE UP, you're sleeping behind the wheel."
Yellow Angels- by, Senses Fail.


++++

The world, one large orb covered in water, covered in soil, covered in filth. The people, they thrive, even as Heaven and Hell rage their battle on the surface- peoples of all kinds still walk the surface- they manage to survive,.. and they manage to grow. The world was meant to thrive- was meant to be a place where mankind, wolfkind alike, could call their home. The world- powered by the sun- also was powered by shadow, the shadow it cast on itself. And in this shadow there were wolves and humans alike- dark- sinister folk. They ate the very shadows they would use to hide themselves, to call home, to call the end. This is where it all happened- in the eternal night, the ever-dark that Ziau had come to know over the years, gifted by his mate, Milana, now a Shadow Stepper. And this is where he set his eyes- the shadows- he wanted them all for himself.

As he grew to know his shadow- use it as a weapon, he grew to understand what he was before he was made what Milana had been born- a Shadow Stepper. Ziau was a weapon himself, a tool of war, and he knew that his shadow could not be used as they had given it to him- he couldn't use it to help the weak and his people- to be the good side of what the Shadows offered, no Ziau used his as a destructive force, something more than a looming part of how light bent around him frame- no,.. Ziau used it to take what he wanted.

Light makes shadow, shadow does not make light, it is dependent on the good. It feeds off of it, the Shadow Wolves always respected the light, always fought for it- and with that, they were an honorable people. The Shadow Wolves, the most ancient of their kind- broke from the other wolves of their day- they found themselves living off of the literal nothingness around them, feeding on shadow, feeding on the darkness. Soon- they became a part of this shadow, and finally they bred as this- half wolf- half shadow. Magical beings, more powerful than any sorceror of their time- these wolves were to the other wolves, as Faeries were to the humans- whimsical- light- airy- and uncaring of the wold's burden.

These Shadow Wolves, like normal wolves, broke off and became Lycanthropes, crossing their kind with the human genus- becoming shifters and the alike, as the Lycanthropes became a part of this world's evolution- so did the Shadow Steppers, Shadow Wolves that became like man. They withheld their kind- staying away from the light- staying away from the source- thriving- breeding- growing- and kindling a future for their kind.

They rose from underground- coming from the seeming darkness, coming from the deepest of tombs- the qualities of magic and might about them- and tryed to cross with the normal kin- yet they were deterred, turned away- shunned. So thus, the Shadow Steppers met their decline- their sleep- leaving with their heads hung, their pride burned and torn from them- and they rested under the Earth herself for thousands of years, and this is where they waited- until Wormwood- the great apocalypse came.

The Earth cried- she was kept unknowing of what the Heavens and Pits below had to offer with their war- she only had her children- her wolves left to protect, and she cried out to some of her most cherished and oldest creations- the Shadow Steppers- begging them to come out and purge the fire from her breadth. They arose- rising to bring the healing shadows and soothing notes of the Old World to the scorched and sun-less world. But without the sun, no shadow may be cast- and this is where they met their second struggle.

Demons- they hurt more than the unforgiving tombs of the Earth's inner bone work- their spells much more attuned for pain than the Shadow Steppers- and with this most were wiped away- unable to meet Mother Nature's cry for help- and with this they were ashamed. They had no sun to fuel their spells- no shadows to cast- only themselves, and the hard fact they were just as any other wolf- scared- powerful- but scared. They watched as Heaven collided- ignoring the children of their Mother, and they lowered their ears- this,.. this is where we pick up.

~~++~~

Ziau had awoken by her gift- brought back from the Circles of Hell by this gift- danced to life by his mate- made into a Shadow Stepper. His Fae blood- or what you would assume it like the most- was like new life, unaddicted to drugs- able to attune to his rage, able to meet his fits of arrogance with much more pliance, and he was thankful. But his mind- his chaotic mind was different set than his magical shadow was- they were seperate, two different things, man,.. and shadow. He tried to control it- refusing help from his wife, refusing lesson- he wished to dominate his shadow- and not a single narrator can say what it was that made him succeed, but it was something ungodly- almost unimaginable- unwordable. He was beyond a healer- or a child of the Earth herself, he was a weapon- again- a tool of war, and with words came knowledge he was told about the source of all shadow.

With the Elders of the Shadow Steppers- said to have created the shadows of this Universe themselves- older than time- more powerful than Space- more feared than the Armies of Hell and the Trumpets of Heaven. These Elders- the "Umbra" from Latin- derived and simple- but that is what they were called. The Umbra were not aged- they were not deemed living- but far from dead. No one could muster a description- no one had seen them- for they were the very shadows that were cast around them. They respected the Sun- prayer was given the the Gods of the sun- they were the very core of the Shadow Steppers- and they kept a basin in their home- the source of all shadows. This was called the Umbra's Chalice- Ziau heard of this, only once, and that was all he needed.

His training took him more than twenty years- twenty years alone with his shadow- no one ever really asked about his mate- know one even knew him past his training. They would see him atop the skyline training to use his shadow- training to control the shadows around him- and no one ever dared approach him as he grew old- as he grew more chaotic- yet grew closer to only himself. Ziau though, he still lived with and loved his mate- Ziau loved his ego more it seemed- and with that- he returned to their home one night- only to tell her nothing more than, "I will return when the Shadows are Mine." This was the last she would hear of him for six long dreadful months- this would hurt them both- not like it phased Ziau, he already worked against what she stood for- he already used his shadow to hurt and kill- where Mother Earth called in Milly he was only going to destroy himself- she could only weep, love him, and pray he would one day give up on his ways of chaos and hate.

The travel- it never seemed to go slow for Ziau, he was a magical being- yet a magical being that only struck with physical force and hate- even if from his very Shadow. He traveled far- traveled so far that the passing Shadow Steppers of the Earth began to whisper to the night air - "This new shadow- it is moving close- heading for our origin." If you were to ask detail of where the origin was- the opening to the tombs and temples of the Shadow Steppers deep in the Earth herself, you would simply be given no information- for no one knew, not even Ziau,.. and through his travels he never asked- only trekked, trekked for months. On his third month, he simply looked up to the sky- the sun barely visible through the haze and the dust of the war, and he asked the sun, "Tell me- where can I seek out my ancestors-" And he was granted passage, his shadow and himself- sinking into the surface like a man being reaped by Hell.

The rocky and unlit surface of the Shadow Steppers home- a grotto that consumed the inner caverns of the entire Earth's surface- it was new to Ziau- treacherous, but he was close- the wolf could feel it. Thousands of blind-eyed folk watched him pass- still able to sense him, smell him, hear him, taste him, feel him. And yet- he passed without being seen, in the black, where there was no light- nothing but shadow. No longer than a day did he walk- until he was met by many wolves- many Shadow Steppers, they stopped him and looked him over- knowing he was different- knowing he was only full of all they could not stand for- and with this, Ziau simply passed. They would weep- cry- knowing he came to contest the shadows- knowing he was tainted and willing for nothing more than to take it all for himself- and when he stepped foot in the most ancient of temples ever created, he would see the sun blazing overhead.

What was this sorcery- he wondered- so deep underground, yet the sky was blue overhead- and the sun waited at it's apex- the constant noon of the Shadow Stepper's grotto- a gift from the sun. The world ahead of him was warm, his garbs of torn cloth- dirty- it only hindered him. He dropped to his knees amongst the smooth stone, cast off his shirt- his shorts- his shoes, only a sword in one hand- his robe coating his naked body. Long black robes that held no design- the fabric rough- kissing his inked harlequin canvas of a epidermal- yet he feared not the sun or the shadows, and with this he advanced.

Sweating- covered in his own perspiration, Ziau padded to the foot of what seemed to be miles of stairs, and this is where he saw the Umbra's Chalice- a basin of black,.. it looked like a giant bowl of ink- and around it stood three masked figures. Three Elders- three of the oldest living Shadow Steppers- the first generation of Lycans, only younger than the Shadow Wolves they were created from- and this is where he felt the fear of all ungodly- all natural- all shadow. His throat was filled with his heartbeat- his lungs shook with his breath- his skin slick and sleek under the robe cooled and shivered- even if the sun beat overhead- Ziau was beyond afraid.

He called out, "Elders- " His voice was no longer scratchy and arrogant- still tinged with Russian accent- but now it was worn, weaker, a forty year old Lycan- his eyes still feral and deep inset vermilion- with swirling flecks of deep feral orange. No response was given, so he continues, "The Shadows- they are mine- I have come to take the Umbra's Chalice- I have come to take your place as the controller of all shadow alike." Ziau threw his hands up, the sun growing in intensity- and with that it was known, the shadows controlled the light- they only grew stronger- and the Umbra spoke.

"Wolf- foolish young wolf-" said a deep voice, curled with many accents- and it was not from any source, it was like the wind itself spoke to him. "You have come here- to the origin of all shadow to meet your arrogance and ego's end- leave this place- how dare you challenge what Nature has gifted you?" The voice was stern- yet unafraid- and the Umbra still stood, motionless like statures around the Chalice. They were not like Ziau- they were black- only black, shadows shaped evenly like the ink in the bowl- they never darkened, only grew darker when light shone down on them. Masters of everything in Nature, yet unknowing of the humanly strife- they stood there caring for the darkets and most ancient of shadows- kindling it to fuel the Earth further.

Ziau would one day come to know that one of the three Umbra birthed his mate- this was the beginning to chapters unending- his steps as he passed between two of the Umbra- and they did not move, they did not stop him as he reached for the Umbra's Chalice. He gripped the bottom of the large bowl- pulling- no budge. He snarled and tried to push it- punch it- and finally he jammed his sword into the space where it rested. Alas, it was like trying to push the weight of all of the Earth's shadows- countless shadows, off of the spire of stone it rested on. He dislodged his sword and turned, snarling, "Give me it- I demand it." He was forceful- the hate he had always housed surfacing and being spilled out into every single word.

The Umbra replied none- they only remained still, yet, he knew they hard him. He could feel his very shadow- the tiny circle of high noon below him- he felt it almost bend to their will- submit against Ziau's very demands. He snarled and with that he slashed at the Umbra before him- cutting into the shadow, across his chest and only gaining nothing more than the swish of steel on air. "What is this trickery?" He asks, "You dare mock me- Ziau Jua? You will pay for this- Umbra." And with that he unleashed his shadow.

It was brilliant- how it stabbed and jutted forward through the light at Ziau's feet, hitting the Umbra's outline and sending it to a side. No Umbra had ever fought- they were not beings of strife, and yet- it was so attuned to the feeling- as if the shadow Ziau controlled fed the Elder it's training. Finally it spoke- the same voice, "These ways- ways of pain and suffering- they are not to be tolerated- you will be struck down- no shadow will be at your command." Ziau had nothing but a snarl to give in response, and finally he attacked again- focusing his might into the blob of black that was his Ziau-shaped shadow, locking into battle with the Umbra that so much as called him a fool.

Left and right the battle raged, the Umbra using it's arms and body as a tool of protection and dominance to Ziau's young shadow- beating it back as it rose and was beaten down again. The sight was unimaginable, happening to quick it was as if time itself had skipped and finally the outcome was made. The shadow of Ziau Jua was put to shame- made a mockery- and with that, the wolf was outraged. "What is this!?" None on Earth with a body- none were as strong as Ziau the Chaotic- yet he was made a joke by this Umbra.

"This power- wolf- is beyond your understanding. Your child- infant of a pet you made your outline- it now belongs to me- safe from your hate and chaos." Said the wind around his ears, and with that, he did all he could do in his panic. Ziau jammed his hands forward into the basin of Umbra's Chalice- expecting the Earth's shadows to be weighted and thick as his sword portrayed. No, it was as if he were reaching into the thinnest of liquids- water- and it was warm. The light made shadow, and this shadow was as warm as it's source- it burned his paws- thousand of degrees- scorching his flesh. When he withdrew his hands- they were intact, covered in nothing but a black ink-like liquid that just rolled down his arms as cool as the darkness they ensued.

Ziau brought his lips to his fingers and consumed the shadows dripping down him- raw- untamed- and the Umbra did not stop him. His shoulders hunched- it felt as if ice cold gloppy substance was being forced into every artery- both lungs- his heart- his very flesh. He didn't cry out- he simply understood, that he could wield a shadow as much as he wanted- but,.. blood,.. life itself,.. was uncontrollable. Shadow was life- the other side of life most feared, and the Umbras laughed again- this time in rejoice as he fell to his knees.

His mind reeled- they could see it- they were the shadows in his mind- the shadows under his bed- the shadows of the past and his lesson was taught. "Go- take your shadow with you- never return- and teach the people of our ways, no longer will you be Ziau the Chaotic- but,.. Ziau the Enshadowed." The wind was now a gale across his ears as it spoke- and he nodded, the circle of light taking it's rightful place between his knees, under his hunched form. He simply nodded and stood- turned and began his long walk home.

He never found the exit of the grotto- thousands of miles of darkness- but when he stopped to rest that night- he fell asleep- dreaming vividly of what had happened- hearing the Umbras speak to him as if they were the shadows in his hope- as they were- they were the shadows of everything, being nothing short of it. And he awoke- the clearing where he trained- the skyline in which he was seen for twenty long years- and he simply understood- it was all for naught. For once he felt he was useless- but he also knew where he would find his worth- his use- and Ziau went home to his love- stepping in after six long months to see her waiting for him obediently.

Ziau looked to his beautiful wife- and they did not embrace, he simply said something he would have never said to her- something now he understood, "Milana- I would like to learn to use the shadows like you- to give life- and to protect Mother Nature's children." He was almost quivering- but the door closed behind him- home- ready to begin his most important of journeys. The years that lasted for longer than I can tell- they were good to Ziau and Milana- and that skyline he trained on had two shadows- the Instructor and the Enshadowed.

++++

~Ziau<3		02/01/09 07:26
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