Dragon's Eye reading

No new episode this week, as I'm still plotting out some things and working on school assignments. It's a mad world indeed.

We learned how to create social objects though and this resulted in a "remastered" version of the very first episode of Syringa Cross!

Written by Ken De Pooter

Read by Jamie Stone

Music by Tim De Pooter

Victory of life

Like every gift, life comes with a price.

The feast was great but Lila felt uneasy. Her eyes wandered around, keeping an eye on her four surviving officers. If they would mention their retreat, she didn't know what the others would do to them and her. They seemed to feel the same about her, as their eyes crossed more than once. She tried to ignore the empty seats at another table. It was common to save the seats of brethren who had fallen trying to prevent a defeat. After a great meal, of which Lila had only had a nibble, the Soulless entered the hall. A devious smile masked some of the fat on his cheeks.

"My dear Rebels! Yesterday was a great day! We conquered the Necromancer city Ferinta and the Human mage's castle of Oocklace Peak! We will quarantine the people inside and make sure the threat remains contained."
He paused mysteriously and looked at Lila's table. Her officers looked away. Her dreamy gaze, on the other hand, was captured by the Soulless' piercing eyes.
"Aside from those great victories, we lost two other battles. May the souls of our dear Brethren roam alongside our ancestors forever!"
Another pause.
"I would also like to mention Lila. One of my little mice told me about her retreat two days ago. She will fight alongside the common soldiers in a victorious battle next time, or die there. I will not vouch for her until she has done so."
His words hadn't left the hall yet, or most of the attending Rebels started moving closer. They saw Lila as a disgrace to their race and wanted to punish her for her cowardice. She decided she would accept her fate, but her officers wouldn't let her. They understood the meaning of life now, and were thankful for the second chance she had given them. Lila saw the determination in their eyes and hers started emitting a lilac glow. The four Rebels turned into massive black bears, bigger then she had ever seen. Their eyes fiery red and their muzzles salivating, hungry for blood. Their will to live proved to be a great catalyst for her powers. She felt better than ever before and drew her own sword too. The Soulless was watching the display of power with an honest smile on his face. He turned to the doors and as he was leaving:
"Enough..."



(Written in Syringa Cross; episode 15 of the web story)

Bloody platter of siege

Seize each and every opportunity, for it may be your last.

Lila had never been in a battle of this scale before. Her heart was pounding in her chest as enemies and allies alike dropped dead around her. Her clothes where covered in blood and she didn't even know if they were winning.  She and her officers were stationed not too far from the enemy wall, but just far enough to avoid being pierced by arrows. Not long into the battle, the news came that they were greatly outnumbered and defeat was imminent. It was an ill prepared siege and the defending forces had received reinforcements just before the attack. Lila had no overview whatsoever and didn't even know her officers by name. They despised her, they didn't like her orders and even laughed at her when she proposed a retreat. Apparently, Rebels do not retreat in the face of danger. Ever. 

In this case though, Lila saw no danger, only failure. She sighed. One of the officers had enough of her attitude. He walked up to her to show her what it was like to be a Rebel and raised his sword. Lila saw no danger again and her eyes gathered a lilac glow. At that moment, a spear pierced the officer's heart. Immediately after, another one joined him in death. About thirty men had made it to her band of six officers. The lilac glow was already empowering her soul and she smiled. The officers turned into gigantic black bears because of her magic and their berserk mode defended her and her pride. Skin was torn, limbs snatched off and heads smashed to bloody pieces. Some bears wouldn't make the retreat, but the ones that did, would survive the day. She'd rather be a living coward, able to prove herself another day, than an heroic corpse, lying in the mud.

(Written in Syringa Cross; episode 14 of the web story)

Lila's portrait

'I will always remember everything you taught me,

but please forgive me for the mistakes I'm about to make.'

Lila Syringa

My greatest gratitude for making this awesome artwork goes to Nejoka! Don't forget to visit her Deviant Art profile!

A blood red square

When you can't go on or back, stand tall and fight with the weapons you possess.

She started running without hesitation, but some black bears stood in her way very quickly. The lilac glow filled her eyes. The bears did not know what happened to them and they started fighting among each other. As she looked around, some soul enslaving Necromancers started to advance towards her. She sighed. The two bears charged them and fought viciously. The square was filled with confusion and chaos. A band of soldiers came rushing towards the fight and turned against the Necromancers too. They were no ordinary ones though, as their army of souls was massive and easily cut through her converted bears and humans. Blood colored the streets and the smell of death was everywhere. Another few Necromancers joined the fight, and that's when the man from before joined the battle. He took Lila by her arm and created a magical shield around them, deflecting every projectile swung at them. Her eyes brightened and she turned her magic towards the man. His magic exploded and the whole square was hit by the huge shockwave this created. Souls incinerated, people were thrown in the air and windows shattered. Lila took the surprised man by his hand and together they ran towards the house. There, Lila realized she was too late. The mistress of the house, who was still under the remnants of Lila's spell, was sitting on the ground, weeping over the recently murdered boy. Lila walked closer and put her hand on the woman's head. She let hers down quietly.

(Written in Syringa Cross; episode 10 of the web story)

Tearful eyes

When life escalates, responsability becomes a burden to bear.

The boy was in bad shape and Lila had no other choice than to to take care of him. He was the only one who could tell her what was going on. She carried him towards a small house adjacent to a church. An old man opened the door. When he didn't want to let an exhausted looking girl carrying an unconscious boy in, Lila did not hesitate to use her magic to change his mind. But her lilac glow only made him grab a large dagger and summon a bloodred soul to charge Lila. It grew a lion's head and left paw. Lila dropped the boy and dodged an attack. She charged the old man and disarmed him quickly. She tried to dodge another attack dealt by the soul, but it slashed a deep wound into her upper arm. Turning in pain, she saw an opportunity to cut the soul aggressively. In the heat of the moment, she kept going and stabbed the old man, mortally wounding him. As he collapsed, Lila noticed his wife had seen everything. She stood there frozen to the ground, carrying a meatcleaver, ready to help her husband. After a dreadful stare, she used her lilac glow on her, soothing her tearful eyes. Lila carried the boy inside and sat down next to the woman. She put her hand on her shoulder and knew she had won nothing that night...

(Written in Syringa Cross; episode 8 of the web story)

The courage you need

You possess the strength you need, now find the courage to use it.

In the town of Ferinta, Lila would surely find answers as some members of the League had been seen there. Her face brightened up as she walked through the gate. There were lights everywhere, the buildings seemed to reach the sky and all sorts of pleasant noises teased her ears. She was walking through a desolate alley when a boy passed her in a hurry. A big man seemed to be chasing him. Lila followed them from afar as the agile boy leaped over a wall and climbed over a fence. At that point, the man shifted into a black bear and ripped the fence apart. The boy tripped over some stairs as he tried to look back. When the bear creeped closer towards its quivering victim, Lila called for its attention. It turned around and immediately started coming for her first. She grinned as her lilac glow blinded the bear, but had no effect on it. The boy on the other hand rose to his feet and charged the bear. As he jumped up to grab its neck, he himself turned into a big black scorpion. His stinger pierced the bear's skull, but before his claws could get a grip, Lila backed down. The scorpion turned back into a boy who then fell down unconscious. Lila looked at him, eyes wide open. She had no words for what had just happened. Shapeshifting enemies?

(Written in Syringa Cross; episode 7 of the web story)