The First Age

It felt like months had passed since Enzo last entered the heart of the Moscow Atharim. Perhaps it had; maybe less. The date on his smart-watch enlightened him to the truth of time's passage; he hadn't processed the information. In the wild of the Russian forests, life slowed to a crawl as it did when in isolation yet the weeks blurred together like the colors of the sky at sunset. One day he was gone, the next he had returned.

He stopped by the apartment he shared with another Atharim hunter in the city to shower, change, and unpack his gear. The hunt and subsequent execution of a male dreyken and a female drakaina drained him of supplies, money, and energy. He needed to rest. He would, but not until touching base with the Atharim leadership. There was no need to bother the Regus, or even his second in command with a mundane field return, but they needed to know he still lived, the tale of his success, and the knowledge gained from the wild. There were still dreyken out there, but the effort to find even a single one was enormous, let alone kill them without yourself being killed.

The moment he descended below the Baccarat mansion, he knew something was wrong.

He stopped the first Atharim he saw. "Excusez-moi! What has happened?"



((OC: I am hoping to be aligned with the most recent timeline in story.))

Eliot had saw what the Ascendancy had proclaimed. He'd seen what he'd done. Watched it from the TV screen with his own two eyes and he wanted to panic. But he could hardly move his frail limbs. They didn't want to move - he was frozen in place.

He stared and watched and couldn't help but want to run away and hide. This was bad. Very bad. The Regus stormed out of his office with Metaron in tow. This was bad....

Eliot didn't get much time to reflect upon the situation more as a hand on his shoulder interrupted his thoughts. "The Ascendancy just quelled a rioting crowd by melting a building and forming it into a monument."

Eliot couldn't believe his eyes and it sounded so foreign coming out of his own mouth.... Magic was real. He should run and hide forever now. He is such a disgrace to his family. No one would ever know his secret if he ran now. But someone would know and find out and their name would be tarnished. Eliot was so afraid. He smiled at the other Atharim. "I think the Regus is about to take care of this personally."

-- Eliot (PPC)

Enzo's jaw dropped. Within moments, he was ushered aside to watch the video. Yet as his eyes witnessed but his heart could not believe. He made the symbol of the cross over his chest. He would do what must be done, but how could a mere man stand up to one so powerful?

'Sauve notre âme'