Tanya
*The light about the room darkened, slowly but surely, for a few moments, and Astalios's eyes lifted, wondering if this was some part of the atmosphere of the next performance - Sorevelle was full of magical events, and there was surely a level of performance presence that came with darkening the room - after all, it was tried and true in the realm of romance. But this was not to be, sadly, and as the moon winked out, the blood-red eye appeared, and immediately, his face fell in surprise - he had once had a vision of this very occurrence, this ruby orb in the sky.

And as the ground beneath him began to shake, he reached out to steady himself, arms lifting away from his sides as he braced against the tremors - he wondered why the glass ceiling had not shattered, given the amount of tension they were under - and he felt strangely numb as they resonated through him, as if he had lost... Some sense. His second sight had gone from him, and he could no longer feel the room around him, no iron bars or wrought gold, no necklaces, rings, or silver gossamer. It was gone. In that moment, he was afraid - what could this have been doing to his inner passenger, that sliver of his soul that housed something deep within him?

And the pain of the voice hit him like a tidal wave.

It wormed its way into every nook and cranny of his mind, and along with the tremors, shook him to his core. He gritted his teeth as much as he could against the pain, forced his eyes to remain open with every sliver of willpower he had. Was there anyone unaffected? Could he keep his wits about him? For a moment, he struggled against fate, held in limbo as he watched the head of Princess Delsandra rear back and leak light in silver columns from her mouth and eyes - then Caleesi, then, in quick succession, the Queen of Lazaroth.*

_ _
*Through the mind-numbing pain he desperately thrust out his arms at the sight of them dropping to the floor - but no golden necklace leaped into action to break and hold the princess up in ropes under her arms, no gilded ribcage obeyed his command to slow and stop the fall of the queen who was hurtling head over heel towards the floor, and no silver stag leapt to action to brace Caleesi's shoulders as she dropped like a puppet with her strings cut. It was as if he was reaching with fingers that had been chopped off - and friend or foe or uneasy ally, he had a duty to help. Or at least, to try. To no avail. His head pulsed with pain again, and he winced, face forming into a pained grimace.

Then he was in the ballroom no more.

A field of grass greeted him, a night that seemed just as peaceful as any other. The moon was bright, the stars twinkled like diamonds in the distance, and for a moment, he was relaxed - calm amongst the storm. The comet. A shooting star - it was luck, he thought vaguely. Lucky to see a shooting star. But then it disappeared, and the red dot - the same red dot, he realized - appeared in its place, this time an eye of deep crimson. He stared back at it, for a moment, and though he the pain of its voice brought him to his knees, took the breath from his body, he did not break its gaze, and his own eyes of that same steady muddy brown looked back into the endless void of red in as much defiance as he could muster. The VOICE! It burned his mind, seared his senses, but it could not take away his will.

And back to the ballroom he was, on his side on the floor in a heap of gold and armor, and the ringing in his head was fading, replaced instead with the screaming of nobility, running men and women like decapitated chickens. Like a shock, the realization went through him that he could **FEEL** Again - he gilded ribcage, the golden necklace, the silver stag. His second sight was no longer blind. He had to do something.*

_ _
*Palms braced against the floor, leaden legs pushed against the ground, and magic strained against the weakened body of the king as he dragged himself to his feet. But there was something wrong with him still - the armor he wore was not as he had left it, and as he looked down at the gauntlets of gold that he had worn, he found himself facing long, knifelike claws of metal, a bracer that looked as if it had been shattered and cobbled together, a metal monstrosity like a thousand shards of glass conglomerated into an animalistic, beastly set of gilded arms that glowed a deep, radiant orange with heat rippling off them in waves.

**"I warned you."** Spoke the voice in his head once more - this time, masculine, less painful, more solid. An old friend, an old enemy. A part of him. **"Take up the sword."**

He stared for a moment at the claws that had formed in front of him, where his hands had once been, this distorted shape that pretended to be his doing. It was tempting, in a way - to find someone to blame, to tear them to shreds, to find his enemies and solve his problems right then and there. The rhythm of the pulsing heat within them captivated him, drew him. He peered into them like a crystal ball, as if there was some answer in the jagged and broken edges.

But there was none. He knew that. Whatever answer they could give him was not to be. He could not listen. So he willed them to shrink and slide back into their more human shapes, the gauntlets of a knight, signals of duty. The metal lost its glow of angry red, returned to the glossy sheen of gold. 

And he became a king again.*

*Streams of metal clashed together above them all, beneath the glass ceiling, and molded into a massive bell of bronze. It tolled with a thunderous boom, drawing eyes, freezing noblemen and women in their places as they ran, cowered, hid. They had a duty to perform, and Astalios was not a man to let them forget it. He rose into the air alongside it, radiant in armor of gold, and let his voice thunder out too amongst the crowd.*

"CONTROL YOURSELVES!" *He boomed, deep and resonant above them all.* "You are not mice, to run from the first sign of danger! You have duties and guard complements to command!" *There was much to be done in a crisis - the first was establishing some measure of control. A chain of command.*

"Outside this castle, many of the commoners are in a panic! Shops may burn, crowds may reign! Restore order!" *He reminded them. Leadership was not how well one administered in fair weather - it was how one took the reins in chaos, turned the tide of the evening from worsening to recovery.*

**"NOW!"** *He barked, a military voice if any there ever was, and guards leapt to their feet, suddenly remembering their spears and shields. This panic could not go on.*
Laveta
Stepping to the side of the stage, Delsandra listened intently to the angelic performer that took center stage, her lyre's tune seeping into the eladrin's ears and bones like the warmth of a blanket. Soon the princess found herself closing her eyes and swaying gently while allowing the music to simply take over her senses, but the feeling of unsettled eyes and the sound of gasps soon filled her ears. Opening her eyes to scan just what had caused a disturbance, those fiery orange hues fell upon Caleesi and Lysanthir, her initial thought being it was the vampire who had dared interrupted her beloved Sorevelle. The realization that even they knew not what had happened caused a feeling of dread to wash over the princess, and the many hands pointing upward soon led Delsandra to cast her eyes in their direction.

The sky was as black as obsidian, and before Delsandra could truly contemplate just what was causing it a red glow filled her vision. It was quite the horrifying sight to behold. Worry filled her heart, and instead of running away or attempting to use magic to do anything, *Delsandra instead scanned the crowd for her younger sister.* Without much luck in the fleeting second she glanced over the many people, pain like no other she had ever felt coursed through her mind. Riddling her movements and body useless, the princess was stuck in place, her hands shooting to the sides of her head as she clutched it desperately. Screaming in agony, Delsandra only hope Irezora was spared from this pain. As soon as it had ended however, Delsandra had little time to comprehend the words spoken to her when her body became uncontrollable, her consciousness now elsewhere.

_ _
Opening her eyes in terror, Delsandra gasped and looked around, the sights around her not fully catching up with the panic in her mind. What had that voice said? Was it a god or something worse? Without much time to contemplate, Delsandra looked to her surroundings and soon realized she was floating high above Lucidien. The bright light of the Sun Goddess washed warmth over her skin, and the gentle ray of blue from the Moon God calmed her nerves for but a few fleeting moments. Perhaps this was nothing more than a bad dream. Maybe someone had poisoned her wine? Without much time to truly think on what had happened, the vision began to collapse on itself. Solaris and Lunam fell from the heavens in blazing balls of blue and red, stars fell to Lucidien and blasted away at the earth before lakes of fire replaced where ground once was. 

Screaming in terror, the feeling of something watching her sent chills up her spine before she turned to see who or what it was, only to be greeted by a single lone star. As red as blood, it almost seemed to be staring straight through her soul and into her mind. Delsandra slammed her eyes shut as quickly as she could before throwing her hands to her ears. It was all too much. In her mind, Delsandra begged for Phoedite to rescue her from this hell, but with no answer the princess soon felt as though she would be lost forever.

_ _
The vision would abruptly end with Delsandra's eyes shooting open, her chest heaving in air as she came to grips with where she was now. Was this another vision? The feeling of hands on her body caused flame to erupt from her own, sending who she didn't realize were guards backing away to avoid the fire. On the ground she sat, terrified, her hands filled with flame. The look in Delsandra's eyes was enough to cause anyone to back away, but after a few short moments all she muttered was, "Where's Zora?" The guards began looking around, but when Delsandra realized they had no idea she screamed out angrily, her usually gentle blonde hair now burning red like the fire in her hands, "WHERE IS MY SISTER? FIND HER! FIND HER NOW!"

Delsandra hadn't noticed, nor seemed to care that the Iron King was now in the sky of her ballroom. Lysanthir, Corinthian, Dhakashira and Caleesi escaped her mind. The only name within it now Irezora. The princess's only concern was her sister.
Althea
The finale of the night had begun, and as Delsandra began her speech Lysanthir happily obliged following Caleesi to the newly formed crowd before the stage. Taking a spot next to the grandmistress, Lysanthir couldn't help but finding his eyes gazing down to Caleesi instead of the stage. Any time she dared shift her own up to him, he'd move with lightning speed to ensure he wasn't caught staring. In one of those moments, the Law Master quickly noticed a different pair of eyes on him followed by the sound of his name. It was Princess Delsandra, her smile as disingenuous as ever when pointed at him. There was a sense of pride to have someone hate him so much only to put up with him in their home.

The aasimar began her performance, and Lysanthir's eyes lit up as the music reached his ears. He had always had an affinity for music, and enjoying was just as important to him as performing it himself. Sadly, he had missed his opportunity to perform the song he had planned to, which was likely to the enjoyment of Princess Delsandra. Perhaps the dance was enough for now. After all, he had managed to make an acquaintance rather than an enemy this night. When Caleesi sighed blissfully with her longing words about being as beautiful and graceful as an aasimar, Lysanthir opened his mouth to respond but quickly stop before any noise fell from his mouth.

Lysanthir was likely one of the first to notice the change in the room. Heartbeats gave away one's thoughts in an instant, as well as the change in breath or the drop of a bead of sweat to the marble floor. While the aasimar on the stage performed beautifully just as Caleesi had said, the vampire couldn't help but notice those around him beginning to grow uneasy. Looking up as the angelic performer did the same, Lysanthir's heart seemed to stop. Why had the stars gone? Where was Lunam in his dash across the night sky? A dreaded pit began to grow in his stomach, an eerily similar feeling settle over him. Something was wrong.

_ _
Then, the red washed over he and every other soul in the crowd. The tremors caused Lysanthir to feel his balance go off kilter, his first option to grab on to Caleesi who seemed to have the same idea. His intention was to hold her up, but his bum leg would make that difficult. Looking around desperately for anyone or thing that may be causing this to happen, Lysanthir was quickly struck with a pain in his mind. While it was excruciating, it was nothing compared to dragon's fire, but still as crippling as it was for everyone else in the room. Through the pain he held on to Caleesi, his arms wrapped around in her in a protective shield as he tried his best to teleport them out, but to no avail. 

Veins popped from his forehead as he braced against the pain, but to his surprise a voice appeared within his mind. Every word felt like nails upon his brain, and he'd remember every single one should he live to do so. Not knowing what was next, the voice finally receding allowed relief to wash over him, but it was quickly followed by even more dread settling into his heart. As he looked around to see what was happening, a burst of light from the stage quickly drew his attention. It came from Princess Delsandra, her eyes and mouth now beacons of white light bursting to the heavens. "Caleesi, we-" Feeling the body in his arms tense, he stumbled backwards in surprise, the woman he had been holding on to now falling to the same fate as the eladrin princess.

*Not again. Not again. NOT AGAIN!*

_ _
Rushing forward, Lysanthir tried his best to stop whatever was happening to Caleesi, his heart pounding out of his chest. The vampire glanced around for only a moment and realized his queen was experiencing it as well, and then the Iron King. What the hell was happening?! For a flicker of a moment, he smelled Corinthian had appeared in the room, and with nothing more than a glance he had spotted him dashing to Dhakashira. A gentle breeze of relief brushed over Lysanthir knowing someone would be at his queen's side, but he simply couldn't leave Caleesi. Not now.

All four effected by whatever magic, curse or hell this was soon fell to the floor together, Lysanthir being sure to hold Caleesi in his arms to ensure a safe descent to the marble beneath them. Falling to his knees, Lysanthir held the woman in his arms as he looked her over. Still breathing, heart still beating- she was alive, but unconscious. The sound of glass shattering caused Lysanthir to look up, his eyes falling upon the source. Catching the tail end of Corinthian catching their queen, Lysanthir's eyes widened in shock. At least she was unscathed, but the cries of Corinthian begging for help caused the vampire's heart to stagger. He couldn't- he had to stay with Caleesi.

Moments had passed and Lysanthir had barely even noticed the Iron King had awoken. The bell however, caused the vampire to snap out of his panic as he looked over Caleesi, his eyes darting upward to the ceiling. Astalios's words seemed to fall deaf upon the vampire's ears, his only concern Caleesi; but at least he was ensuring the commoners and nobility didn't do any more damage in their own panic. Another sound caused Lysanthir's eyes to dart to the stage, Delsandra screaming as she awoken sending both a chill and rush of hope down the Law Master's spine. Whatever happened to the four of them, it meant they'd all awaken.

_ _
The sound of Dhakashira's voice was unmistakable, and even though he could not see her through the rush of people, he could hear her and Corinthian reassuring one another, her inquiry of where Lysanthir himself was causing a pang in his heart. Next would surely be Caleesi, right? She'd awaken and they could all work together to end whatever this hell was. They'd figure it out, they'd-

More moments passed. And more, and more, and more but Caleesi remained still. Pure panic and traumatic deja vu rushed over the vampire, his hold tensing over Caleesi as he shook her in a fruitless attempt to wake her up. His hold grew tighter, the visage of Calitherien replacing the high elf's face once more. He was losing her all over again. Why were the gods so cruel?! "Caleesi?! CALEESI?!" With no other option, Lysanthir shot his gaze upwards to the Iron King, but no words fell from his lips. The only thing the king would see was a look of pure terror plastered across the vampire's face, his expression one pleading for help.
Tony
The chaos that had befallen Sorevelle seemed to have no end, even as the sky returned to its normal appearance. The stars and Lunam himself couldn't calm the terrified guests, common and noble alike. As guests fled from the room, more guards took their place, their glorious white and purple and gold armor acting as beacons of hope and protection. Many's first concern was the royalty, some rushing to Delsandra, others to Queen Dhakashira. Astalios taking to the skies did cause many to stop in their tracks; after all, he was a king. The stag's voice did seem to cause some of the guests to hesitate in their movements, but their faces still read nothing but panic. Many guards had already begun making their way to the castle grounds and various other parts of the castle such as the dining hall and throne room, while some remained in the room to act as security.

With all but one of the four now awake, concern would surely start to settle in as Caleesi had yet to become conscious once more. Within her mind, where the vision ended for all others after showing itself once, Caleesi's instead repeated. Perhaps it was the strong magic within the high elf, but for whatever reason her mind simply couldn't break from the terrifying visions whatever force had forced upon her. Lysanthir's desperate cries for Caleesi brought on the attention of many, a handful of both guards and commoners now surrounding them to see what was going on and if they could help.

_ _
The visions in Caleesi's mind would begin to flash more quickly as time went on, but time itself seemed slow somehow. The flashes and sounds and lights and terror flooded the she-elf's mind, and on the outside many would start to see the grandmistress's body tremble and shake before it graduated to full on seizing. Her heart rate increased to dangerous levels, her eyes barely opening to reveal only the whites as her pupils flickered in the back of her head. Something was indeed wrong, but no amount of shaking or screaming seemed to bring the poor woman back to reality.
Audrey
And she was back. Of course Delsandra could not remain rattled for long. As Irezora neared the elder Princess she felt a wave of relief at the confirming sight that Del was visibly unharmed. "I'm here!" She yelled, shouldering her way through the crowd and plainly into the other woman's view. "I'm okay." Perhaps a hug might have been in order if the rage roiling off of Del wasn't palpable. Oh she was pissed, but whether at the guards or Zora was unclear. Then again there was a third option. Whoever ruined the party. Once glance around the room was enough to confirm her suspicion, asking what had happened wouldn't be of any use. No one knew. The elf's ears perked at the King's voice, having noticed him clamoring up seconds ago. 

Quickly in her mind she checked her list. With Del located and seemingly unharmed in the presence of guards they could move to the next task. "Del he's right. I didn't see anyone hurt too badly but we need to do something. Those are *Our* People out there." Zora was prepared for the pushback, the hesitation. Would Del let her back into the line of fire? Before a response was possible she continued. "I don't know what happened but you were here. Please, Del. I'm going to go out there and do what I can but only you can handle what's going on in here," She gestured to the shell shocked room. Regardless of her current opinions surrounding her sister, Zora knew her to be intelligent and especially effective when enraged, especially with somewhere to channel her anger. 

Zora turned her head quickly to the nearest guard. "Limit entrance and exit from the castle grounds immediately. Allow those seeking shelter but no one is permitted entrance without being searched." Her head swiveled to another. "Get an account of damages throughout the city. We want to know exactly what we're dealing with when the dust settles." The Princess continued listing off tasks and demands, trusting her sister to operate as they had once, together.