(Andraus)<br/><br/>The feeling of floating returned, though Zion felt no rush to leave. He reached over to touch the Goddesses face, his finger grazing her cheek, before he felt himself being removed from the world. Almost immediately, it's as if air rushed into his lungs, as he fell back onto the ground. The Sounds of birds chirping, bugs buzzing, the warmth and humidity of the forest.....Zion had to push himself up. He held up his hand as a butterfly landed on his finger, enchanted by the magical energies swarming around him. Zion stared at the creature in amazement, before feeling tears of joy run down his face.<br/><br/>He was back.....He was alive!<br/><br/>Zion would let out a sigh, as he looked around where he was. His eyes fell upon a sight that he had not seen in, now, two years- His home....or what was left of it. The Empire had destroyed it when they learned that Zion's mother fathered an heir, in an attempt to avoid an upstart contesting the Imperial Throne. Zion and his former friends were too late to save the village, but they did manage to kill one of the Generals of the Imperial Army there. Zion would push past the foliage and step into the center. The general's body laid unceremoniously in the dirt- The only thing that remained, after the bugs ate it up, was the armor.....The exact thing Zion was looking for.<br/><br/>Zion would take this armor to the forge nearby. Taking the metal that remained there, He would begin working the armor into a usable form, relishing at the chance of using the muscles that now graced his form. Once it was done, Zion would look towards the sword, before placing it by the forge. His sword was named Retribution, forged by the old Blacksmith who gave him his armor when he left the village the first time, that he'd be a weapon against the Empire and the bringer of Justice for all the chaos and death it had unleashed. Now, that sword was gone.<br/><br/>Zion would look at the blade his Goddess gave him- He was the very defiance of the Church, of his former Kingdom, of everything that he was stood for....He knew what he would name this blade. "<b>The Sword of Betrayal....The very essence of my fury and rage will be poured into you, striking down those that would rule over others. You shall be controlled Chaos and hardened Vengeance, forged into a weapon that shall serve my will, and that is freedom.....I name you, Sword of my Goddess, Rebellion!" </b>Zion said, as the markings were hammered into the blade.<br/><br/>It almost seemed....playful, happy now, as if the Blade was Sentient. Knowing his Goddess, it likely was.<br/><br/>Zion would then place on the pieces of Imperial armor onto his clothes, making it look flashy as well as protecting his important bits, before stopping at one house- His. Stepping inside, Zion would look around, before stopping at the last thing he'd need- a ring. Kneeling down, and picking it up, Zion would look at it. It was the<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fcdna.lystit.com%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F11%2F28%2Fstephen-webster-signet-ring-product-1-2462695-428344956.jpeg&amp;hash=fa2875c0b64b319b89e18ff0caebe6a0" href="https://cdna.lystit.com/photos/2011/11/28/stephen-webster-signet-ring-product-1-2462695-428344956.jpeg" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank"> Imperial Signet Ring</a>, a magic ring that allowed access to the rumored Imperial Reserve and supply caches. Zion had stolen it from his dead father, and now, he was taking it back with him. Why? Because only a member of the Royal Family could wear it. It was a mark of his heritage, where his blood-line stemmed from. When he met with the Imperial Remnants, it would show them that he was their true-blood Emperor.<br/><br/>Now, with everything he needed, Zion made his way down the road. He knew where the Imperial Reserve was, that wasn't hard to find, but it would take a week before he'd reach his destination on foot. He had to cut time, so he was going to head to a local village to gather supplies and a horse. It would still take him a day or two, but if the Reserve was untouched after all this time....Zion would have all he'd need to exact his revenge. However, Zion would look down at the Ring in his hand. If he did this, there was no turning back. He couldn't just start this then drop it when it was convieniant, this was going to be an event that would shape the very history of his world.....But Zion desired nothing more than revenge. He wanted to show the Queen, The Dark Mage, and everyone that conspired against him why they SHOULD fear him now, for he was more powerful than ever before!<br/><br/>Taking a deep breath, he'd place the ring on. Recognizing him as the Imperial heir, it would glow as blue as the azure sky.<br/><br/>~~~<i>Meanwhile, with the Dark Mage....~~~</i><br/><br/>The Ritual was progressing normally, whatever strange machinations she was concocting were proceeding well....Until the magical field started fluctuating. This would not be an isolated phenomenon- Magic everywhere would begin acting strange, though the Dark Mage would likely know why- It meant a soul, not a fragment or a summoned creature, but a pure soul and body (Zion) was returning to life on this plane of existence. From what the Dark Mage would be able to feel (If she tried), from the pulse of energy coming from the Ritual, was a large amount of magical power.....Along with emotions such as Anger, Rage, Desire, and Darkness. This person, whoever was returning to the land of the living, had power that could shift the balance of this world.....a New Player had entered the playing field.<br/><br/>But was it Friend or Foe?