The Nexus

The sands seemed to stretch on forever. The dunes rose and fell in a sort of symmetrical rhythm. Any man could get lost, wandering this empty, seemingly lifeless land. And those men would surely perish in this desert's merciless heat.

Unless they stumbled upon a forgiving dream, hidden between the tall dunes. An oasis, lush and pure, with the spring rising from the crust of the earth. The trees offering a shade from the heat, the fruits produced giving nutrients to the creature eating them, and the refreshing water providing a quench to the thirst.

Yes, this oasis would save a man from dying to the heat of the desert, and turn him to the fate of a mythical creature.

The siren calls to wanderers who enter her paradise, and those humans are tricked into submerging into her waters, where she devours them for her meal.

Laying out on the rock under the high sun, her tail swishing in the water of the spring, the siren slept silently.";

The large vessel traveled across the sands with ease, as it would if it were within water. It plowed through small dunes, pushing the sand out of the way and arching it off of the bow while it rocked and swayed it's way through, maneuvering around larger dunes and sometimes would go up them only to drop down on the other side and have to make sharp turns to avoid smashing directly into the ground.

Occasionally it'd plow through a old ship and continue on, not even slowing down from this, nor did it appear to take damage. It was a large ship, possibly a warship of some sort from a different time, so it's bulking figure held through with damage really well, though how it moved about would be a mystery as the sails upon the three masts were ripped and decoloriz'ed by the sand and age it's self. They hung loosely and flapped in whatever direction that the winds chose.

This beast of a ghost ship was heading directly for that small Oasis, with a person watching from behind the figurehead, allowing the sands to blast past them without even a single worry.

The winds of change were upon the siren. Her time was now..

A soft sound came from the siren, as the heat from the sun was too much for her frontside, and she rolled over, laying now on her stomach, stretched out over the rock. Curls the color of sea foam draped over her face now, shielding her eyes from the sun.

Just outside of the water, bones of humans lay scattered about. Skulls, femurs, and ribs the most recognizable. It might seem out of place normally, but this wasn't anything new to her.

In fact, there was a set of bones near her, that looked like they had recently been stripped of the flesh.

The sounds of the shifting sand is probably what stirred her. She slowly pushed herself up, yawning and stretching her arms. She wasn't alarmed by the sound yet, because it was still so distant.

She glanced around, before sighing, pushing herself into the water and lounging on her back as she floated. Another day to spend here... thinking to herself. All alone.

That sound... was growing much louder now. She raised herself upright, her upper half out of the water, as she looked around. In the distance, she could see sand rising into the air, disturbed by something...

And then she saw something strange. Something she had never seen before. Her eyes went wide at the sight of the ship. Surely she was seeing things. Strange things had come into her imagination before.

Closing her eyes, she shook her head, trying to make the mirage go away. But that ship was still there, and drawing even closer when she opened her eyes again.

A sort of hissing sound escaped her lips, and she dove beneath the surface of the water, not sure what she would be facing if she stayed there.

The ship didn't show any signs of slowing down as she watched it, though when she went under the water it groaned to a halt, just near the waters edge. The back of the boat was rather far off, but the balcony that Edaeda stood on overlooked her small enclosure.

He stared over the edge with a deep mask of stoicism as a rope ladder was thrown over the side of the ship by an unknown force. He was silent, tilting his head slightly so that his hair draped further from his shoulder. After a while he gave a sharp whistle, perhaps to get her attention.

He knew she was down there, and had known for some time that she was here. Dzyani told him where she had been located, vaguely at least. An oasis in the middle of a desert was hardly good directions. Edaeda had to rely on his own senses to direct him here.

The tablets mapped out the location, it was just a matter of following everything.

"What are you doing here, Siren?" He called from his comfortable spot up on the balcony. The figurehead used to be a fair maiden, but sand had blasted away the first few layers of statue and she simply looked like a half rotting corpse. It was weird how that happened, but time did strange things. He was fairly sure she heard him.. If not he would get closer.

Her life energies were being gauged this entire time. There were strange occurrences with her existence and such meant that he may not have a meal here.. That alone was troubling for him. He wasted his time to seek her out, but he could still kill her, free her from this misery of being the last of her kind in the center of a very unforgiving place.

He knew very well she had powers of allure and quite the convincing voice. While he could still hear the songs that she would produce, he had a stronger will than man to fall for it and lead him to his death.

Though water would normally muffle the sounds for a person, she could hear clearly in it. She was looking toward the surface, to the figurehead, and then to him as he spoke. Small bubbles escaped her lips as she opened it slightly, before her expression turned into a frown.

The long locks of her hair floated around her, while she waited, hoping he would leave. But it seemed she would be having no such luck.

It was strange... The way he had arrived, she had never seen anything like it. This situation, she felt, would not end in any way she would want it to.

Rising slowly, she pulled her head out of the water, the trails of cool liquid cascading down her face and hair as she looked up at him. She just watched him for a long while, before she finally decided to speak.

"I could ask the same of you..." she said. Naturally, she wanted to speak in song, but his appearance alone dissuaded her from doing so. And the only reason she would try would be to save herself, since she had so recently eaten. "You stay up there like you are frightened of me... surely that isn't the case..."

In a way, she was taunting him. He had an advantage so high up, but if she could bring him lower, then she would have less to worry about.

A low chuckle came from him. Her taunts meant hardly anything. "I am doing what I have always done." He explained simply, still watching her.

She thought she'd have less to worry about but.. There was always something. The long guns on bow port and bow starboard sides swiveled around and aimed for her position, though nothing was done yet. It was as if the boat it's self was alive. And perhaps it was..

"How rude of me." He said, his hand planting to the railing and his body flung over, dropping from such a high distance for her. His hair whipped through the wind as he fell, but his hand jutted out and a large stone hand protruded from the rift in space he created. It slammed into the ground near her pool and he slid down the side of it. He'd have been fine with just jumping on the ground, but this was a bit better in terms of finesse, or perhaps not.

The large hand begun to dissolve as he slid down it. "Once more, what are you doing here?" He looked around at the bones, but hardly cared. His ship carried many along it's hull. Spoils of victory perhaps, or trophy's of some sort, or maybe he really liked to decorate his ship. "So sad for the beautiful Siren, to be alone in a desert." He moved closer to her pool, crouching down a bit to rest his arms to his knee's. "Tell me of it, Siren. Weave for me your sad tale. Perhaps I may take pity and release you from your caged life." He meant death, but perhaps more.. He was not int he market to keep things he couldn't eat, but he could maybe still use her.. Depends on how all of this went.

She looked unimpressed by his show of skill, perhaps because she had seen it all before; once a long time ago. She moved back from him as he crouched down, her eyes looked to the weapons on the ship pointing at her.

"Or, you could just leave," she said bitterly, still frowning at him. "I have no reason to hurt you, nor do you have any to hurt me. So just go, demon..."

The metallic shine of her tail reflected the sunlight, even in the water, as she moved it around to stay afloat.

"I won't be doing that." He said quietly. "A siren who wishes not to sing or weave a tale? My.. The times have done you wrong."

He remained there, but the long cannons moved from the position. The ship gave a loud groan, followed by many whispers, though it silenced soon enough. "I have reason enough to harm you, but there is much that is strange about you, Siren.." He tilted his head a little. "Tell me your story, won't you?"

Lowering herself into the water just a little bit more, she watched him cautiously. The ship seemed a little less threatening, but she knew it could turn on her again at any time. It seemed to move to his will, though she wasn't sure how this was done.

There was a long silence, where even the ripples of the water seemed silently, and she opened her mouth just slightly, a beautiful sound escaping from her lips as she gave a melodious string of words.

"Solitarios sirenis vocanti... Semel in magno numero, Iam iustus unum..." the song started soft, and sad, before it turned into the story, starting into a glorious and joyful sound, recalling how the sands were once lively waves, and her sisters sang with her often for no reason but the sounds given.

Then the song took a drastic change, giving the story of how everything changed with time, and even her sisters were carried off with the years. Telling how it was easier for one siren to survive in this oasis, than many. Some left of their own free will, while other's starved leaving in a panic. None made it far.

"Solitarios sirenis vocanti... Semel in magno numero, Iam iustus unum..."

She then went silent, and disappeared beneath the surface of the water once again.

There was hardly ever a time that Edaeda would or could sympathize with a being such as herself, or any mythic being. He saw them as a source of food, though the ones he couldn't eat he'd simply kill, but she was different. She was old, very old and the last of her kind. He understood this as he seemed to be the only one of his own around.. Then again he was sort of dropped here and left to survive, so it worked out.

Perhaps it was her song, the voice that she had, that did this, or maybe he had already made up his mind while on the ship; it was uncertain, so much so that he didn't seem to think about it as he lowered his hand out into the water, extending it for her to take. A peace offering of a sort. "You have a name. What is it?" He questioned.

Under the surface of the water, she looked up at his hand, questioning his intentions. Her emerald eyes studied him for a long moment, and she opened her mouth for a moment, revealing her elongated canines.

Instinct told her not to trust him, but rather to attack. He was a demon, and demons always had ill intentions.

But as her hand raised, she knew that he need for companionship was greater than the need to survive at this moment.

She raised herself with his hand, her tail splitting into two and her scales disappearing as she formed human legs. She stood out of the water, looking at him, though she still had a suspicious look on her face.

"Evelynn..." she said, in her serene voice.

"Evelynn.. You will not die here." He explained after he pulled her from the water and her name was given. "I am Edaeda." His mouth opened slowly and she may have well been staring into the nethervoid, where all things come to an end, but he soon gave a small smile. "Come with me.. To my ship and we will take you from this lost sea."

He released her hand and motioned for her to follow him. "You are lucky.. Very much so. It is a rare time when I will spare something I can consume." He explained. "There is a strangeness about you.. I am unsure of what it means." He admitted this. "But for now you are safe, Evelynn. Your voice will not grow hoarse and you will not starve."

Evelynn did not make to follow him right away. She stood, watching him with near disbelief. "You... wish to take me from here?" she said, her words full of confusion. Her frown grew deeper. Something didn't seem quite right about this to her, but even as she thought that, a glance was given back to the water.

Would she risk her solitary life here? Or would she risk one less so with a demon? Her eyes would turn back to him.

She took steps to follow him, the only thing at this point covering her was her long faded to white tips of her hair covering her chest.

Glancing up at the ship, she felt a bit of nostalgia, only because she had seen so many ships long ago. But not recently... Ships did not normally sail along sands.

"What is this ship..." she asked.

"I want to learn more about you, and to do this, I must bring you with me." Dzyani may have something to tell him, but he was unsure. "Your Essence is different than other Sirens I have come across.." He didn't want to say tainted, but it was something. "Its enough that I will not suck the life from you and consume what is left.. So I wish for you to join me."

He reached the ladder, staring upa long the hull. "A friend." Well it was. "It's crew long gone, but it's well manned." He looked her body over for a moment, but didn't linger very long before he was climbing up the side. "We will set off once you are on board."

She nearly hissed at his words. If anything, she would have just as easily eaten him as well, though she would not have enjoyed it. She didn't voice this though, and turned her eyes upward once again. She watched him climb and disappear over the side.

Giving a glance over her shoulder, she looked at what had always been her home, not matter how much it had changed.

There was a faint feeling in her heart, like the ones when her sisters had left, but she ignored it like she had back then.

She turned, grabbed the rope ladder, and began to ascend it. Never before had she been at such a great height. She had always been level with the water. And being here, where the wind could hit you freely, was almost unnerving to her. But she pushed on.

She pulled herself over the edge of the ship, and stood, looking out over the edge.

The ship let off more groans and whines, before it's hulking form begun to slowly move once she got aboard. There was silence on the deck, however, except for the occasional pop of wood settling back into place.

Edaeda didn't bother to stand around, rather he went for the door leading below deck and passed through it. She would follow him if she wanted more answers.

The wheel spun wildly to the right, and the entire ship begun to turn around until it was facing east, then it would set off. By all technicality it was going against the wind, but that hardly stopped it. The cannons from before were still and the ones on deck were as well. Nothing was up here controlling anything.

She needed clothes, but Edaeda was unsure if he had any to give her.. He probably wouldnt until they needed to go into towns.

Evelynn gripped the side of the side tightly, when it moved, trying to keep her balance. The fact that she was up so high was unnerving her, and she found it hard to keep her footing. She turned though, watching to oasis until it was out of sight, a frown on her face.

So she had done it finally. She had left her home like her sisters had. But her way... hopefully she wouldn't end up dead.

Wind tossing her hair back, she moved to follow where Edaeda had disappeared to, pushing open the door and making her way below deck, almost afraid to touch the walls of the ship.

She almost felt confined down here, not like she was used to, with no walls around her.

Edaeda stood before 7 large tablets that hugged one wall entirely. They all were blank for now, though a strange jaggeder shard was placed into it and gripped, then turned.

Edaeda bled a darker shade of red than a regular human, it was almost black. It was his blood that was used to ignite the unseen fires, as well as make things happen.. Like the tablets! They begun to rumble lowly, before lines of a dimly red glow begun to move across them, forming out a map. He was silent as he watched this take place. The current location was a small dot, traveling east.. There were many other markings on it, mostly symbols of some sort, signifying certain things.

He glanced back to her when she came in, but didn't say anything, rather his hand was gathered into a cloth and he would wait.

Evelynn slowly made her way into the room, cautious at first, as she slowly inched her way in. She looked at the tablets, unsure of what they were. She saw the red markings, and frown, turning her gaze to his hand.

"Is it your essence then, that controls the ship?" she asked curiously, taking a few more steps closer to him.

He put the cloth into a free pocket and gave his hand a clench. "Not on my essence alone. I am not strong enough to control this entire ship and everything in it, as well as use my magics on just my energies alone, but it does assist in the matter." He explained, his tail twitching to life and swishing slowly behind him, before he turned. "Sacrifices were made so that this ship could move as it does. Powerful magics are at work, but not of my own." He nodded a little.

"We are however, alone here." With this he turned and moved for the portside wall, trailing along it as he headed further back. "There are rooms here, choose one and it will be yours. Over time, perhaps it can become more homely for you." He was not going to be filling his ship with water, so that idea can just piss right off.

They were nothing special. Some bigger than others, but nearly all were bare. Even his room was fairly empty, lacking in anything substantial that made up a room. Just a large bed and a desk, perhaps a rug. The bed may have looked quite comfortable however.