Helia strolled through the Night  Court's District, clad as she preferred to be in her most simple of outfits. Black, form-fitting leather pants and haltered corset. She had opted for an undershirt of deep purple to match the skirt that swayed from her belt, brushing her legs as she made her way down the abandoned streets. It was mid-day, after all, and the night court bloomed into its full glory beneath the loving gaze of the sister moon's that would grace the world's skies. But for herself and the odd servant about their business, the cobblestone streets remained free of the traffic and noise that plagued the rest of the Empire's capital.<br/><br/>Helia headed away from the city center, toward the outer wall that separated the Night -Court from the wilderness beyond. Today was her last of relative freedom and she longed to spend it in simplicity and solitude. Three short years ago, the young Raven Fledgling had completed her training and been inducted into the Guard. With it came lands, a noble title, riches and much-anticipated work. And it was that same work that would send her far from the land's of the empire on the morrow. For as a Lady of the Emperor's House of Kailu she was now apart of a treaty. A treaty that would send her into the harem bed of a rival nation's prince. Where, should she meet with success, Helia would bring that nation to its knees for the glory of her own ruler.  For the betterment of an entire empire.<br/><br/><i> I should be pleased...so long waiting for a real chance to prove myself...</i>But it was not excitement that thrilled through her veins. Instead, a sense of foreboding dodged her ever quickening steps. For weeks she had felt like a hunted thing. Often waking in a cold sweat with the half-remembered tatters of dreams. Dreams of shadows and light, a haunting call the spoke of such terrible longing that shook her bones and chilled her heart.  And always, always that dreadful howling of winds and shock of icy water consuming her.<br/><br/>Helia reached the gates and made her way through them. It was not long before her wandering feet led her up the winding path toward Neriu's Cliffs. They jutted hundred's of feet above the ocean below. And at its base sat the Eden's Gate, a greedy ever spinning whirlpool. Folklore had it that Neriu, a young maid who had risked all for the love of Fae, had made her home there hundreds of year's ago. Her love ran deep for her fea prince and though she saw him but once a year, Neriu remained faithful. Spurning all suitors who tried to win her heart. Until her fea love grew fickle and ceased to seek her. It was said that Neriu had thrown herself into Eden's greedy maw. Her body never resurfaced.  It was here Helia loved to stroll, for locals thought the place cursed.<br/><br/>She came to a halt at the edge of the cliff, gazing out across the restless sea. The scent of salt in the air was so thick she could taste it. Combined with the warm winds that licked her skin and danced among her tresses. She let her eyes drift close and took one deep breath after the other, the tension easing from her shoulders with each passing moment.  She almost didn't notice it, that distance lilting tune on the wind. But she found herself humming the melody that her nightmares had sunk into her head. Opening her eyes, Helia cast about herself for the source. Her eyes were drawn down to the maelstrom below. Almost as if Eden's Gate<i>knew</i>Helia's attention was on it, the tune exploded into a full-blown song.<br/><br/>Helia felt the world shift beneath her feet, almost as though the earth itself rose up to buck her off its surface. She found herself tipping over the edge and plummeting toward Eden's greedy maw, a shout on her lips as she crashed into the surface and slid down its throat. Disappearing from the world of men.