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A N Y A N D A L L N A M E S
”I can’t remember. It’s as if there’s a fire, so far away, yet so bright, withering within like a faint smile. A faint understanding. A burning memory. ”
WARNING: Graphic depictions !! Including gore and all!
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ORIGINS
TRUE AGE
OCCUPATION
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A Small Village, Forever Ago
Unknown
Formerly a Farmer, then Executioner
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♚
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GENDER
ORIENTATION
ALIGNMENT
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Female
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Chaotic Neutral/Evil
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“Honey, don’t step on your sister’s tail!”
Her mother called out, her voice a seemingly faint whisper in the wind for so far away. The girl watched as her mother covered the seeds in dirt, and even from there, she could see that she was smiling with all of her teeth.
Laughing, she got off of her sister, grinning at her. “You’re lucky about what Mom said!”
“Whatever,” she responded back. The younger Aether carefully stepped over the carrots to come closer to her. “You would've done it anyway!”
She scoffed. “Yeah, right! You don’t tell me what to do.”
Their laughs were in perfect harmony, a unison of giggles and snorts as they continued to plot the field. She couldn’t help but feel almost stupid as her sister dumped manure on her head, or as she dictated that her crops would grow much better in the years to come. All she could say was ‘ha! We’ll see!’ and go on long rants, countering her sister with half-baked rebuttals.
“And therefore, Mom and all the villagers will like my crops the—“
Her sister pounced on her, causing them to tumble away from the plots of fields. She laughed, playfully attempting to swipe backwards. Finally, the eldest caught a common ground, taking her sister and overpowering her might. “Ha! Well won’t you look at that! I’m still better than you, even after you’ve grown!”
“Really?” She put on a faux face of innocence, then said just as fakely, “what’s your name again?”
“Well, obviously my name is—“
But her eyes were shining anymore.
They were dull. Dark. Damp. Hollow like the crevices of a hole, home only to the puss and blood spurting from her eyes.
No matter what she did, she couldn’t move. She could only watch as he sister’s mouth moved, up and down, as if she were a puppet, demanding her attention as her jaw screeched at every movement. An unnatural, deep voice sounded from its gutter.
“What is your name, ?????”
How did she respond of that. She had to respond! She had to! Her sister was dead! She was asking a simple question! A simple request. The eldest dug her claws into her skull, watching as the blood stained her eyes, blinded them, and yet, with no sense of sight. She couldn’t figure out the answer.
“… I don’t know.”
“You do know!”
“I don’t know!
“Executor,”
She looked up. A familiar face appeared before her, professional gaze and all, glistening with a sense of youth… about her age. The Spiral came to her side, staring at her with a lopsided grin. “Can you please attend us? We found a traitor, and I think you’d be the right one for the job.”
That’s right.
Executor.
The Aether nodded, adjusting her ribbons on her fur. She didn’t want to accidentally get them soaked. All that matter would be impossible to clean out if she didn’t get ready for it. “Of course, Merlin. I’m coming.”
Her and her sister were eating, kicking each other from under the seats as if they were little kids, and not teenagers. The two of them snickered to the other as they simultaneously ate the lamb chops and green beans that she originally made for them. Finally, it was time to reveal the truth.
“You know I made that! Ha! So my food isn’t bad!Liar
Her sister took a second bite, and her face conclaves into a cascade of wrinkles. “D-delicious..”
“Don’t pretend now! I already know you’re ly—“
A ring came from the door. She turned, only to see the face of her mother, covered only by a straw hat. Despite her well-to-do dressing, she seemed… down.
Sis was the first to ask, “Are you okay?”
She sighed, sitting down on the opposite end of the table. ”News came in today, girls. You’re both old enough to be told what’s happening.”
They both exchanged glances. What could she possibly mean by that? Did the chickens get out again? They always got out. It was more of an inconvenience then bad news.
Slowly, she uttered, “What? What does it say, Mom?”
She turned towards the paper, eyeing the headline. In bold, black letters, etched the title:
RIOTS SHOT DOWN BY ANGEL: 6 DEAD, DOZENS INJURED: BEGINNING OF REVOLUTION?
An Angel had to get involved? Archangels were normally never necessary for normal interactions like riots. Normally you just needed the law enforcement around. Could the riot have been that big of a deal, for a divine being to interrupt their duties and rid of the others?
“Yes,” she sighed. “I believe this is why our crops haven’t been the best this year. These riots have been popping up all over, but this is the first one that specifically targeted the god of life’s shrine,” her mother straightened the newspaper by pushing them into the counter. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, girls. It won’t mean anything. The law enforcement and the angels will take care of it, alright? Our family’s been in it for ninety-five years, ever since my great great grandmama. No need to stop now!”
Something told her that her mother wasn’t trying to convince them, but herself.
Her sister— oh the great timer she was— rolled her eyes. “Surprised she didn’t go on and on about her great great grandmama.”
“Well now that you mentioned it, smart aleck, I will!”
Her mother hurried to the other room. She gave her sister the side eye, only to see her grin spread to her cheeks. She knew what she was doing!
Finally, Mom came back. She opened to the first page, her great great grandmother in a brown-tinted, torn photograph. It was interesting, how happy she looked being half-covered in dirt and dust, as if this was always meant to be that way.
“Your great great great grandmama, ????, actually used to be a city girl! But, she knew that the city wasn’t for her, since her sons and daughters were hardly getting any money there. So, she moved west and tried her best to make a—“
“Wait, Mom, what’s her name again?”
Her face scrunched in. “Ugh! You never listen, it’s—“
Mom’s head bursted into dust.
“Friend.”
Her eyes shot towards the voice. It was just Merlin. It was just Merlin. The black Spiral offered her a gesture, leading her towards the supposed traitor.
That was it.
Friend.
Truly, she didn’t quite know who it could be. She just hoped it wasn’t anyone that she found interesting. Like, that Cudi guy? He was cool. Friend liked how he randomly tackled her for no reason, how it brought her back, and made her smile a bit. Not much of that is going on in her line of work.
Soon, a large, caged figure towered over her. Their wings were locked into chains, roaring and attempting to scratch at the muzzle. Friend knew it was an Imperial by its flowing mane and majestic figure. Honestly, she really liked them. Too bad that she wouldn’t be able to cherish him for long.
“Big fellow,” she muttered, looking at the Giant Imperial from above. She turned back to Merlin. “So what’s the case here? Was he always a spy?”
“The Waterions think so, since he came in and posed as an extremist radical. Not a popular way to describe yourself.” Merlin yawned, leaning back into the wall. “Though, he won’t talk.”
“I can get him to talk! Trust me!”
Friend pulled her talons into a fist, looking in Merlin’s eyes for a glimpse of approval. They still gave that usual, casual feel. Finally, he shrugged, his voice lower. “Knock yourself out. Maybe he’ll even think he’ll live when he spills it, ha!”
Friend cracked a smile, a grin, and then bursted out in cackles of hysterical laughter.
With one more flick of her hammer, it was done.
The sign was rag-tagged, and nothing like how well her Dad used to do it, but still. There was nothing that didn’t make you read GO SOMEWHERE ELSE more than the classic red paint under a tan wooden sign! The Aether wiped her hands, a smile on her face.
“Done!”
Her sister narrowed her eyes. “First of all, that’s never going to work! Nobody cares what a stupid sign says. Second, why do you care so much? Kind of feels childish of you to do it.”
She made small ‘tsk’ sounds, waving her finger in the air. “Uh, uh, uh! What you really want to do is make them think. It’s not about actually changing their minds, it’s just about the psychology. I read it in the papers.”
“Yeah, but those rebels aren’t going to care about what you tell them to do. We’re in the middle of nowhere. It’s useless, anyway. It would be a miracle if they came here!”
“Exactly! And they’re going to think—“ she paused, and cleared her throat. “Damn. Those people kind of don’t like us. Maybe what we’re doing is wrong. You know, like that story where the evil witch and stuff. Pretty easy, right?”
Her sister frowned. She sighed.
“I just hate that they’re doing this, you know,” she lowered her wings and head instinctively. “The god of life, he’s the reason this farm works. If they try to kill him, we won’t have food anymore. Everything our family worked for is gone, sis! All because they feel some type of way about the people who run it. I just think… they should compromise, instead of acting like that, rioting and all. Our livelihoods are on the line.”
Warm talons got onto her shoulder. The warming, kind smile of her sister came back with her. “You’re right, ?????, we’ll…”
Uh oh!
Her skin fell off.
“Heedless.”
She stared at the Imperial’s single word. What was he trying to say about her? The Aether gave a snort of her very own. The Imperial scattered as close to the corner of the cage as he could. He hesitantly scratched his beard, eyeing her every move. “What do you want?”
Heedless sighed. “Don’t worry. I won’t kill you… if you speak with me,” she reasoned. The Imperial didn’t budge. This one would be difficult to break. “Why would you choose to do what you did?”
“I didn’t choose anything,” he growled, turning his head upwards. “I followed my heart. My soul.”
“By loving Tyrants?” The Aether couldn’t hold in her chuckle. She took flight, hovering closer to the face of the Imperial. “Don’t make me laugh.”
The Imperial glared at her. Eye to eye. His gleaming appearance is the same as hers, scrunching up his nose at her voice. Slowly, he leaned closer towards the edge of the cage. Close to her. His breath collided within her face, the scent of half-rotten fish and blood filling her nostrils.
“But you’re the Tyrant, aren’t you?”
She hissed, backing up. Heedless put her talons to her head. What? What? That wasn’t her name. Her name was Heedless. She liked that name. Her mother gave her that name. That wasn’t her name. That wasn’t her name. That wasn’t her name. That wasn’t her name.
She would remember if that was her name!
“Shut the hell up!” She screeched. The cage smothered to dust. “I am NOT Tyrant, I am—“
”—interesting.”
The Aether blinked. Where was she? This wasn’t a place she knew. She knew the grasses, the flowers eroding upon the riverbeds, the sun as it glistened onto the earth. This. This was a battlefield. Full of pools of blood and pecking vultures biting the wings of faes and dragonets alike. She didn’t recongizd them. A few dragonets. Some elders. Some young. Some are old. All crippled to shreds of muscle and dust.
Her eyes widened at the sight, screeching as she pushed herself backwards. She attempted to clear the tears from her blurring eyes, only to be met with more.
Two individuals, somehow familiar her, as bags of flesh. Clumped and molded into childlike sculptures, coupled into bone and tissue, brushed in a scarlet hue.
She couldn’t even scream their names. She didn’t even know them, not really, but she wanted to. She wanted to cry for them. To mourn for them. But her voice was lost. The only thing she could do was look away, and hear the clicks of something before her.
“You are interesting.”
The Aether looked upwards, a Spiral staring back down at her. His vibrant, blue eyes caused her to relax. It was almost enduring, a feeling she felt before. Slowly, she asked, “who did this?”
His eyes shot upward. Then, slowly, he relaxed.
“You did.”
She looked left, then right. This… could she have done this? But how? She was nothing like this. At least, she didn’t think she was. She’d remember something like that, right? She’d remember if she did such horrible things.
“Did I?”
The Spiral nodded. “Yes.”
She looked down at the ground, soiled in a sanguine and ashen hue. Nothing could grow here, except maybe moss. How did she know that? She looked back up to his eyes, and asked:
“Am I a bad person?”
He slithered towards her, placing a talon on her shoulder. A smile, a youthful one, a kind one. Like she had seen it before.
“You don’t have to be.”
Tears. She couldn’t stop them. Somehow, the man before her meant it all, knew it all. If someone so familiar, so kind could see good in her, then… maybe she would be worth reinvesting in. “Hi. I’m Interesting. It’s nice to meet you.”
His grip tightened. His smile crept to his ears.
“Merlin. It’s a pleasure to meet you, too.”
She opened her eyes. A large carcass stood before her, muddled into clouds of flesh and blood as dust surrounded the air. She must have done it. But, she didn’t let Merlin leave yet! Oh, no, no, no!
The Aether looked around. He wasn’t there. Did she. No. She couldn’t! “Oh, no! Merlin! I’m sorry, it’s just that I didn’t understand what he meant by his answer and—“
“It’s fine.”
She looked down, and in the entrance was Merlin himself. Smiling uncontrollably, she rushed to his side. “Y-you’re okay!”
“Of course!” He rolled his eyes playfully. “I know when to leave.”
The Aether lowered her gaze. “I’m sorry. I-I was trying to get us more information, but I failed, didn’t I? I should’ve kept myself under—“
“Actually,” he stopped her, putting a talon in the air. “You got us everything we need to know.”
Her jaw dropped in disbelief. The Aether shook her head rapidly, blinking a few times. She tried to conceal her internal smile from showing up. “R-really?”
“Yes.” The Spiral turned his back, towards the rest of the chamber. She watched as his body slithered towards the second door, pausing only to look her way.
“So many words have been used to describe us, and yet Tyrant was never one of them.”
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 AXUS (Enemies) - “Ugh! This one will definitely be the hardest for Merlin to beat, but I know he can do it! We might be too similar for me to do it, but he definitely can!”
 KLEMPERER (Enemies) - “You are just so, so— annoying to listen to!”
 COMMODORE (Enemies) - “Damn city boy show-off! You’re so infuriating!”
 LESTER (Complicated) - “… I… don’t understand you…”
 AENO (Enemies) - “Augu! I hate your stupid Kelp and your stupid ocean and your even stupider rule!”
 NEPHILIM (Enemies) - “Senseless coward! Following behind them like you’re a duck or something! You’ll get what’s coming to you!”
 PLUTIO (Enemies) - “Why don’t you just SIT and DIE like a good dog?!”
 CIHUATECAYOTL (Enemies) - “Ugh! I hate you and the war one!! If I fight you, I just fuel you! I wish I could rip those scales off!”
 UMI II (Dejection) - “Instead of sitting there and gocking like an idiot, you should’ve more actively helped! I don’t care! We could’ve won with your help!”
 POLNAREFF II (Enemies) - “Why didn’t you raise US back from the dead you idiot! Ugh, I can’t wait to rip you apart!”
 KAURI IV (Enemies) - “You’re. Not. FUNNY!”
 MARIEL XI (Enemies) - “So they get rid of us and then put a KILLING MACHINE in charge?? REALLY smart!”
 MERLIN (Friends, Admiration) - “H-hey; Merlin! Uhh… I talked to the Guardian and she actually had good news! Don’t you think it’s good I did that? Huh? Huh?”
 HATHOR (Friends) - “Don’t worry, old guy! You can come and talk to me about your daughters and sons whenever you want! I like hearing about them!”
 TYRIUS (Partner, Sorrow) - “… I feel bad for him. We used to be THE duo that everyone trembled for and now.. he’s just. Walking. Ugh. I can’t wait to tear that little red thing apart for what he did to him!”
 (Friends, Sibling-Like) - “Ha! I bet you won’t beat me again! What’s the score now? 7 - 1 in my favor?”
 (Neutral, Exhausted) - “Why is it that this lady can just do whatever she wants but I can’t? She’s just a handful of a bunch of. Random. Stuff!”
 SOULSONG (Friends) - “Woah! You gotta teach me how those exploding bells work sometime!”
FORUM SIG ART BY ME
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