(I do NOT ask that your post be long as this one and I shall be putting a character sheet for Elluka, Spirit of Time's character sheet up soon. And now, to the IC)<br/><br/><br/>It was already nearly dark when I found them. Two<span style="font-style: italic">apples</span>were lying by a tree, looking around, I picked them up and got to my feet hastily, the wind tore at the grey cloak I wore but I did not mind. Surely, this was a gift from God, two<span style="font-style: italic">fruits</span>... would he be happy if I brought them back? Laughing lightly, I began to return to my cottage at a brisk pace; best not to be out in the woods at this time of night they had said.Â<br/><br/>After walking for a distance, there was a bellow which came from behind me. It was a<span style="font-style: italic">bear</span>! Quickly, I began to run, trying to put as much distance between me and the beast. It was clumsy, getting stuck in brambles and stumbling over roots. I was lucky, the skirt which I wore was light and allowed me to run as fast as I would with minimal difficulty.Â<br/><br/>Lights from the top of a small hill allowed me a sense of relief that my ordeal was near its end. There was a tug at the back of my cloak, and I stumbled forward, barely escaping the paws of the creature. So close, so close... why was the<span style="font-style: italic">bear</span>chasing me?! The edge of my vision clouded as tears formed. To my amazement, the<span style="font-style: italic">fruits</span>and the<span style="font-style: italic">bear</span>too began to cry. Ignoring the fact I doubled my speed despite the ache in my muscles.Â<br/><br/>At last. I slammed the door shut, now in my dress as I was forced to shed my cloak to escape the<span style="font-style: italic">bear</span>'s clutches. I turned around to face my husband, smiling breathlessly, hoping that he be happy with the<span style="font-style: italic">fruits</span>.Â<br/><br/>As usual, he had a soft smile on his face, but there was a flash of realization on his face before it turned to a mixture of sadness and helplessness. With a shaking finger he pointed at the two<span style="font-style: italic">fruits</span>I clutched to my breast. "Eve... why did... Our children are already not part of this world anymore... Why did you take them?"<br/><br/>I remained silent as I placed the two<span style="font-style: italic">fruits</span>on the table carefully. "I... I thought you would be happy if I... if I brought them back..." I cast my eyes away from him, thinking of how to steer the topic out of danger.Â<br/><br/>His voice cut through my thoughts, "You best return them to their mother to fix the problem. Now."<br/><br/>No... I cannot... "But- but I can't! There is a bear outside! It might- kill me!" I stammered helplessly.Â<br/><br/>"Yes you can! There are no bears over here!" He towered over me threateningly, "Take them to their mother-" He walked over to the door and opened it. "-now!" The door jerked as it bumped into something solid.Â<br/><br/>My eyes dipped downward as Adam looked outside to see what was blocking the door. No... he was not going to be happy... For in fact, I have killed the<span style="font-style: italic">bear</span>just outside the house to stop it from following me in. But in fact, the<span style="font-style: italic">bear</span>was the mother of the twins.Â<br/><br/>******<br/><br/><span style="text-decoration: underline">14 years later</span><br/><br/>I woke up as my sister dragged the blanket off me, allowing the freezing cold to reach my flesh. I woke up, snarling and smacking her over the head with my pillow. She grinned, throwing the fabric into my face and running out.Â<br/><br/>I am Hansel, and my twin sister is Gretel. Yes, I KNOW, the people in the village speak of us as though we were the walking versions of the tale. It is getting annoying. But as of today, we are going into the forest to look for berries and other ripe fruits. Mother had once told us that she had found two fruits laid out by a tree and had ever since had been wandering in the forest to return with berries weekly.Â<br/><br/>It was later in the afternoon when we set off into the forest as a family to gather berries. As we walked deeper, I thought I saw a troubled expression on father's face but it was a fleeting glance, so I paid no attention to it. The beams of light from the forest steadily dwindled as time passed. We stopped in a small clearing and mother said, "We'll go ahead and try to collect more, you two stay here and rest. Hansel, take care of your sister."Â<br/><br/>We sat down on the mossy floor gratefully, stretching our limbs as they walked off.Â<br/><br/>It was nearly dark when my sister asked, "Hansel don't you think they should have come back by now?"<br/><br/>It was dark, so dark that the most I could see is a hand's reach away. Fear gripped me, but I tried to swallow it, laughing nervously, "I think they have got too carried away... don't worry, they will be back for us."<br/><br/>******<br/><br/>The darkness swallowed us, making it nigh impossible to see. Minutes passed, until we were just able to see the moonlight piercing the canopy. And the truth dawned on me, we were left on our own.Â<br/><br/>Father always had sadness in his eyes when he looked at either of us, and now I think I know why: they were not our parents. I got to my feet unsteadily, like a blind man, "We should go."<br/><br/>Our eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, leaving the moon to be our only source of light.Â<br/><br/>******<br/><br/>The Devil laughed, weaving threads of moonlight around the twins, surely, they too would follow Eve's delusions? They did, they found the bottle, the one from their original mother, and their hallucinations had led them to believe that they had collected moonlight in the glass bottle. Interest gripped the Devil, as he put more effort into tweaking their minds, leading them back to where they had lived, solidifying their doubts into reasons, reasons to take revenge.<br/><br/>And, the Devil reasoned, surely the Vessel would be able to overpower these two children and feed the Seed. Â<br/><br/>******<br/><br/>We know this place, we walked past here earlier, when we came into the forest this afternoon. We continued up the hill, drawn towards the light of the cabin. The cabin of the witch that is.<br/><br/>I picked up an axe from a pile of wood an looked at my sister, our eyes gleamed with red determination, it was time to bring justice on the old hag. The door was breached easily, crashing as we pushed our way in. Her henchman had spun around to face us, but he was unarmed, and had no defense against a downward cleave from the axe. Blood pooled on the floor, extending to his limp hand. And next to arrive was the witch herself. Shock covered her expression as she saw us standing in the pool of her henchman's blood. She shrieked and tried to run, but we had grabbed her before she could reach the door. By God, the witch was strong, stronger than us combined. So in a wild turn, she was in between us and the open oven. We dragged her and shoved her in. Once my sister could hold her own against the woman, I dragged the axe from the man's corpse. However, the steel head fell off, no matter I shall improvise. Using the butt of the axe, I pushed the witch into the oven, prying her fingers off the grooves and pushing again. After minutes of screaming and flailing, she became silent and still. The adrenaline pumping through our veins subsided shortly after that, causing us to fall into slumber due to exhaustion.Â<br/><br/><br/>It was at dawn when we noticed that the house was burning down, the flames were beginning to consume the house. The oven's flames flickered with an unnatural light. And as we ran out, the house collapsed, sending a cloud of embers, soot and burning material into the air. And from the ruins, seven glowing orbs appeared. The seven orbs rose and fanned outwards, scattering across the continent. And the only thing that came to our minds was to call for help, and so we went, screaming at the top of our lungs to the village.Â<br/><br/>******<br/><br/>The tree awoke, sending a spiritual cry to summon those in the vicinity, to all who were in the forest of Eldoh. It was quiet for a moment and then, a female voice said, "What troubles you Spirit of Ancients?"Â<br/><br/>"I hear the cry of two children, and I sensed seven presences which are harmful to all mortals."<br/><br/>"Continue..."<br/><br/>"Do not be impatient Elluka, for the task at hand will require it. I want you to gather and destroy these seven presences. Do not walk alone, for these presences are harmful to us."<br/><br/>"What are these presences known as?"<br/><br/>"They are the Seven Sins, they will taint the land and you will know it. Destroy them, or if not, seal them away where no mortal can reach."<br/><br/>"I have all the time in the world anyway, so long as it keeps me occupied."<br/><br/>******<br/><br/>"Brothers and sisters of the elements, just mere hours ago, the Ancient has sensed a strange and dark presence on this earth, one rival to our strength and intentions which could undo decades of effort we and the mortals have spent keeping the balance of the world. I have been tasked to remove them, but I request your assistance for even us, Spirits are weak when alone, and this threat can devour us and corrupt us. I ask now, who shall join me?" Elluka glared down at the congregation of Spirits by the roots of the tree.Â