Not even the tranquil waters of Lake Aelin could console the ailing mind of one Kite Whytedge as he stared absentmindedly at it's rippling surface. He had always come here for answers; It was a tradition of his family's. This place was where he was conceived and where he found solace in the realm. It provided him with peace and gave him the meditation he needed to find himself. He had learned much by spending no more than ten minutes simply watching the water move against the edges of the lake.

But not this time. This time, the lake was of no help to him. It still served the purpose of giving him peace and a tranquil resting place, but he could not find the cure to his troubles. He could not control his human emotions. They were too strong for him. Especially the negative ones. He constantly sought a challenge in combat, he grew excited at the sight of blood, and he seemed to hound towards women. It was disgusting to act this way. He was an Angel, a Celestial Being with powers that mortals could not comprehend.

So why was he the prisoner of mortal ties?

He closed his eyes and sat at the edge of the lake, leaning his back straight against the blade of his sword, Sviengh'taun, which was plunged into the ground directly behind him. He crossed his legs and grasped his knees with his hands as he began to delve inside himself. Meditation. A Swordsman's reprieve from the natural world. His own gateway to the ethereal. Aided by Kite's Angelic blood, meditation was one of the most fruitful ways for Kite to find himself, even in troubling times. Hopefully this fact would prove just in this situation as well.

Periods of solitude, while sluggish, would often help a person regain a bit of spiritual resolve or at least give them time for a good nap. However Winter sought neither, she never slept much anyway and she was pretty much spiritually calm all of the time anyway. Well, the one thing Winter looked for in isolation was escaping from just about everyone else, she was almost always constantly surrounded by people who's personalities conflicted with her own, making it hard for them to interact with her well and giving many people the impression that she was an arrogant loner, possibly the most annoying fact was that she was unable to be annoyed by this.

During her frequent trips around the country, she most often visited places such as the mountains where she came from or waterfalls and lakes, since she had a very obvious connection with water and ice. So as fate had it she was once again traveling to Lake Aelin, probably the largest body of water for a good length of the country.

Whilst walking she touched the handle of her largest sword, Libra, and grabbed it softly, almost trying to confort herself with its touch. Her right eye ached when she did so and a red tinge could be seen in it. She let go of the sword and let her arm drop by her side, the pain vanished and her eye returned to its normal blue colour. There was a good reason why a simple touch had caused an old wound to grow, however Winter never let on what this secret was and the same could be said about her past, anybody attempting to gain knowledge of her past from her often ended up disappointed by her lack of cooperation.

She looked up and saw the sun reflecting off the water not too far off, indicating that she was close to the bank of the lake. For a moment Winter half wished she could feel relief, since it would be washing over her in a situation like this, but her expression remained as impassive as ever. She reached the bank and knelt down, cupping some of the water in her hands and splashing it over her face and running it through her hair, she repeated this process several times and finished up just staring at her reflection in the water.
What now, I wonder? She thought Hopefully my life won't get much worse than it already is.

He dug deep into his own spirit, pushing pass simple trifles that he could deal with on his own, and searched. He needed her at a time like this. It was the only way to find out about himself and why he was so committed to battle and combat. And just when he thought that she was in a hibernation, a flicker of light came to his spiritual eyes. A small ball of pure energy hovered before him with nothing to symbolize it's life other than two small, insect-like wings on either side, beating extremely fast. Kite's Guardian, Yani.

"You seem distraught, Kite. What ails you?" She said in her soothing, child-like voice. Kite couldn't help but smile.

"I'm sorry to trouble you with something so trivial, but I have nowhere else to turn. These constant urges of combat, the feeling battles gives me, the drive that pushes me and my blade to violence. What is it's source, Yani? Tell me you know it!" Kite answered. For several moments, Yani simply floated there, her pink image radiating a small glow with every flutter. Then, she finally spoke.

"Yes, Kite, I do. It is from your father. You never knew him, but he was the one who connected us. He was a great man, a powerful warrior, and your family's worst enemy."

"What? Warrior? Enemy? What do you mean!? What are you speaking of!?"

"I'm sorry, Kite, but you are not yet ready for that information. You still have much training in the mortal realm. Continue your voyage and when you become stronger, I will reveal more..." Yani replied with a sad tone to her voice. Just when Kite made to contradict her, the world around him became hazy and filled with smoke. Back on the outside, his hands were clenched so tightly around his knees that the knuckles were turning white. With a desperate gasp for air, Kite returned from his spiritual journey.

It seems there was a deep connection between his feelings and his father, the man who created him and then abandoned him and his mother. There was much to think about now on top of his current dilemma. He stood and wretched Sviengh'taun from the ground before sheathing it on his back and closing his eyes. Focusing his internal energy downward, Kite began to ascend into the sky. He opened them and floated over the middle of the lake, looking around. Where would he go from here?

Winter gazed at her reflection in the water, a simple, emotionless face stared back at her. Only it seemed emotionless to Winter, the slitted pupils and the way her eyes had developed made her appear to be angry at something, unfortunately Winter was unable to register this and so had no suspicion that she appeared to glare at people. She stayed where she was for a few minutes, staring at this reflection.


"Miss Winter, where are you going?"
Winter paused whilst heading towards the exit of the temple of balance, she had one hand on the doorway. She looked back at Shari, the priest of balance traveling with Winter.
"I need some time to recover," she explained "even I can get fatigued sometimes."
"what if B.A.D.I requests your assistance while your gone?" Shari asked.
"Then I'm afraid they'll have to settle for a different person," Winter replied "I'm afraid I have little interest in the guild unless it affects my own ends."
She looked away from Shari and walked out of the temple without another word, leacing the priestess to dwell on what she had said.

Thinking back to that time Winter felt no remorse for the way she had spoken, it was one thing that had been removed from her conscience along with just about every other feeling a person could have. She heaved a heavy sigh and stood up, turning her face away from the reflection in the water and walking along the bank silently. She stopped for a moment and noticed a shadow fly over the water, looking up she noticed a figure flying above the water.
Just when I look for solitude there's always someone else around, she mused Interesting how emotional life forms are so punctual in such events, and yet they never seem to turn up when they can actually be useful.

((This happens every time. >_< I'm sorry.))

It felt good to stretch his wings. They appeared as if they were always there, just cloaked by some invisible force. The trait secret of an Angel. He spread them to their full span before flapping them several times, letting the muscles grow accustomed to be used after neglecting them for so long. He didn't like flying in the presence of others. Angels tended to be treated either as Saints or as Outcasts. Neither one was much of a label for Kite. He defended mortals whenever he could, this was true, but he was no Savior. He didn't go looking for damsels in distress or anything like that.

"With my current skills, I can only improve. My future goal is still unattainable. I need more practice, more faith, more power. Then, and only then, can I become a God." Kite said, before letting his blue eyes drift down to his fingers. They suddenly sparked with electricity, before Kite narrowed his eyes and aimed his open palm at the lake. A large bolt of lightning jumped from his hand and hit the surface of the water, sending electricity coursing through it.

Kite narrowed his eyes and drew his sword when he heard the loud, monstrous roar coming from the water below. His intuition had been correct; Something was down there. He gripped his sword in his right hand and let his left hand hang loose, lightning coursing around it's surface. Another roar exploded through the area before a Hydra surfaced through the water. Three amphibious heads, all sporting large jaws filled to the brim with fangs, snarled at Kite's hovering image as he flapped his wings to keep in the air.

"A Water Hydra. This should be good practice. I'll vanquish you!" Kite yelled before bursting off towards the middle head, until the right head came forth and took a bite at him, which Kite skillfully dodged with a barrel roll. Right into the path of the left head. It parted it's jaws and sent a powerful jet of water towards him. He used his wings to recover in the air before lifting his sword in front of him, the sharp blade causing the water to split around him harmlessly. At first. But eventually the force of the stream overwhelmed the Angel and he was sent flying back from the force of the attack.

Winter watched the figure for a moments, not being close enough to engage in an actual conversation alongside the fact that he looked a little preoccupied as it was. So until he had finished with whatever it was he was doing it wasn't Winter's business to interfere or distract him unless what he was doing was directly against what she believed in. She turned her attention away from the stranger, and carried on gazing out at the lake.

At this point she thought she caught sight of something moving under the water, pretty close to the surface. Whatever the creature was it was certainly huge and almost draconian in shape. Winter had nothing against such creatures, nor would she ever unless they began rampaging through a city or town, then all Winter would be doing is stopping its rampage and attempting to calm it down and would do nothing beyond that. Such creatures usually kept to themselves anyway and were not in the habit of attacking innocent people without good reason.

She turned her attention away from the scene and began pacing around the surface of the lake, despite her angelic appearance, she was incapable of flight and could barely even create a breeze with the wings she had, not something that would befit her in a lit of situations. Her thoughts were interrupted by the flash and sound of lightning, the splash of water and an almighty roar. Winter looked round and saw a Hydra burst out of the water, screaming in agony and rage. It seemed as though the figure above the Hydra had attempted to lure it out by striking the lake with a spell and for the most part he appeared to have succeeded.

The stranger then proceeded to engage the creature in battle, dodging in and out of its three heads, most likely attempting to slay it. Winter looked down at the lake, there were other creatures in there most likely close enough to the blast to be hurt or even killed by it, since they weren't all as big and powerful as a Hydra. And there was the case of the man attempting to slay the creature for reasons Winter didn't know, he'd been the one to hurt it in the first place so he should have no excuse for trying to defend himself.

Winter almost sighed, sentient races had a bad habit of disturbing the peace Winter fought to protect wherever she went, she could hardly call herself a follower of balance if she just let chaos break out right in front of her. From the looks of things the Hydra was merely doing what it was naturally accustomed to do, defending itself against a threat, whereas the man was picking a fight with barely any reason, at least none that Winter had yet to hear.

She took a few paces back, calculating exactly how to time this. There was a limit to how high she could jump with one bound and the moving target made it even harder to aim. She waited until the nearest head to her reared back and was about to strike at the man and took her chance. She ran up to the bank and leaped through the air, soaring just high enough to land on the creature's head before it thrust its head forwards. Not wishing to be thrown off, Winter jumped off the creature's head and landed on the middle one where she could see the man clearly. She looked over at him with the same cold glare she gave everyone, a look cold enough to freeze the air about her.
"Would you mind desisting from your ephemeral attack," she commanded "I don't generally start fights but I can make exceptions."

The powerful attack sent him slamming into a large tree that just happened to be at the bank of the lake, winding him enough that he was unable to recover in time to save himself from plunge into the murky depths of the water. His eyes fluttered as he tried to make sense of the situation. This Hydra was extremely powerful. It must've been around for at least a century. No one had been successful in defeating this monster. Not even his father. Yes, this was indeed the same Hydra that his entire family used as a rite of passage to ascend to the ranks of Celestial Warriors. The scars on it's face and neck made that fact evident.

His wings were weighing him down and making him a hammer* in the water. He used his magical ability to dismiss them, giving him leverage to turn upright and try to swim to the surface. By the time he broke the surface, he saw a streak of blue land on top of the middle head and curiousity struck him. Another creature? Perhaps a mortal wishing to test their strength. Whatever the case, they were in Kite's way, and that was not acceptable. He floated in the air and shook off the water dripping from his body before bringing his wings back to full span.

"Would you mind desisting from your ephermal attack? I don't generally start fights but I can make exceptions." The figure said as he reached eye level with her. A female. By the aura around her, she was of Angelic decent. Of course she would do her best to defend a seemingly innocent creature. Kite sighed in annoyance. Everyone was always trying to be a hero. He tried that once and it wasn't for him. Now it was all about self gain and self rapture. And this female was in his way. He dodged another jet of water from the right head, before bringing both of his hands up above his head, lightning discharging from them.

"You are in my way, woman. This creature and I have a history. You can call us family. Needless, I don't need to explain my reasoning to you. I am compelled to fight, and that is what I do. A mortal emotion that plagues my mind. I can do not but follow it's almost hypnotical whim. Now move lest you hold your life so futile as to throw it away with this behemoth." Kite said, before sending a massive blast of Chain Lightning rocketing towards the large beast and the woman.

OOC: If you so wish, you may control the Hydra. It's an NPC after all. ^_^

Obviously, the Hydra wasn't taking too kindly to the person currently standing on its head and it certainly wasn't amused by the other person attempting to slay it. In fact it didn't seem like the creature was having a particularly good day at the moment, being attacked by a random person and having another stand on your head while the two argue about who is in the right will do that to an animal, especially an animal as easily provoked as a Hydra. It shook its head slightly, attempting to throw Winter off, however she stayed firmly where she was, watching the man with the same cold glare.

Right now Winter had other things to deal with besides the agitated creature, in that the stranger hadn't taken too kindly to her words of warning, not the best move a person can make. Winter sensed it before he cast it, the way he moved signaled that he was about to cast a spell moment before he cast it, coupling that with her amazing reflexes in combat, Winter bent low and leaped from the Hydra's skull seconds before the lightning struck, she slid down the creatures neck and made another jump just as she reached the bottom, soaring through the air and landing on the right hand head. Chain lightning was indeed a powerful spell, and one that Winter was especially vulnerable to, but none of that mattered if her opponent couldn't cast the spell fast enough to actually hit her.

The Hydra on the other hand had been hit dead on and was screaming in agony, Winter bent low again and jumped off the Hydra's head before it reared up and landed back on the center head. She looked back at the man, her slitted pupils thinning slightly as she took a good look at him.
"Petty tricks like sorcery won't deter me that easily I'm afraid," she said "I will ask you again, desist from your assault now and let this creature live in peace, I will not allow you to disrupt the balance which I protect."

Kite watched as his attack coursed through the Hydra's body, his electric spell passing through even the tough scales of the reptilian beast before it slumped inward. Kite took the opportunity to Teleport to the other side of the Hydra and cleave a clean blow into it's back with his sword, watching as the blade severed scales and barely skimmed the bluish green flesh of the creature. It snapped it out of it's daze as it gave another agonizing scream and tried to kill Kite with a simple bite. Kite dodged and sent a Lightning Bolt right into the right head's snout, causing it to snarl in pain.

"I advise you to leave now while you are out of the way. I won't listen to your prattle and this Hydra is mine to kill. So leave me be!" Kite ordered, before flapping his wings and rushes at the Hydra, barrel rolling out of the way of two vicious pairs of jaws and then dive bombing to escape the chasing stream of water following him. He burst outward and then upward alongside it at the last second and then made a fatal slash. With a quick motion, Kite pushed through the Hydra's right neck with the assistance of Bull's Strength.

"One head down, two to go. I will be the first in my family to defeat you."

Winter barely made any reaction at all to the man reaction, it was truly pitiful to watch such a person become conquered by his past and drown in his own emotions. While she could not deny his impressive use of magic, he was using it for the wrong reasons, attempting to slay a creature that a few moments before had been resting peacefully on the bed of the lake, doing no harm to anyone. Winter could not allow that, no matter what the man thought she would not accept a senseless killing, no matter the reason. She gazed down at him as he fought with one of the heads, somehow succeeding in defeating it despite the beast's efforts to defeat him.

The Hydra may be larger but it didn't possess a very wide array of magical abilities like the man did, therefor it was outmatched in terms of skill, however the man was using it recklessly and for incredibly simple task Winter could manage without magic, not that she had any to use. Winter's eyes narrowed as she watched this display, ignoring the Hydra's warning growls for her to get off its head while the other was preoccupied with the man.
"Pathetic creature," she muttered "I'd probably feel sorry for you if I was able to."

The beast seemed to have had enough, as soon as one of its head fell it reared up, forcing Winter to jump from one head to the other. She watched as both heads prepared to lung at the man. She gave a half sigh and ran along the skull of the head she was currently occupying, jumping off as soon as she reached the snout. As she flew through the air she reached behind her and grabbed the handle of her katana of balance, Libra. Upon touching the blade a gash cut itself across her eye to the bridge of her nose and the iris turned red, a small trickle of blood flew through the air behind her as she fell.

The Hydra opened its mouth, preparing to strike the man from behind. As it was about to attack Winter rose Libra above her head and brought it down, slicing a clean cut between the creature's nostrils, another scar also cut itself along the neck of the other head, causing it to rear up. The beast staggered for a moment, giving Winter enough time to grab onto one of the beast's teeth without it noticing and climb her way back onto its head. Once the beast recovered from the effects of her blade, she turned her gaze back to the half angel.
"I'm afraid I cannot allow you to kill this creature," she said, quite calmly, "However, I shall not allow it to kill you either. If you'll leave your trivial grudges behind you I won't be forced into a fight I really don't have time for, do I make myself clear?"