[~Soul~]

user + id: ~Soul~ + 158382
kalon name: Cletus
form:
Click here for form

[SunnyStreets]

user + id: sunnystreets + 823430
kalon name: Inigo





As soon as he left school, Inigo joined the Crescent Court as an advisor to Lord and Lady Medaris, only a few years before they died in a terrible accident that involved their daughter, Miss Akamu. Unexpectedly, Inigo found himself an advisor to the sixteen-year-old Lord Keahi Medaris, the oldest child of the Twilight County's Crescent Court. At the same time that Miss Akamu disappeared and presumably died, the young Lord Keahi took the discomfort towards magic that was already brewing in the Twilight County to new lengths, vowing to eradicate the use of magical energy from the world as a whole. Inigo's family panicked - his mother was a well-renowned sorceress and was also too old to flee secretly from the County, and his youngest brother of four was a student at the Twilight School for Aspiring Mages.

He knew they'd be a target, and he convinced his mother and brother to give up any visible use of magic, while he threw himself into becoming Lord Keahi's most trusted advisor and eventually, he was so close that he became part of one of the most essential missions of the new regime. It was never something he expected, having not been trained in fighting until he was promoted, but there he was, suddenly thrust into the midst of a battle. It was at the first and last battle that he ever partook in, and although it was completed successfully it didn't come without a loss.

It was without ceremony and so unexpected that Inigo didn't even register what had happened for a good five minutes. A lash of uncontrolled magic, sharp rocks swirling and stalagmites erupting from the earth, and suddenly it was all over. There was a searing pain in his eye and his cheek was wet and sticky with a mixture of tears, blood and goop. But he had the leader of this magic cult enchained and ready to be carted off to Lord Keahi’s dungeon and at his feet sat the suspicious magic relic they’d been worshipping.

Inigo returned to the Court, a scrap of fabric held over his injured eye, to find an elated Lord Keahi awaiting the return of the soldiers. He was celebrated and rewarded for the capture of the micro-rebellion’s leader and the relic, but one thing that he could not be awarded was a new eye. His eyelid had sealed shut, so even a prosthetic to retain appearances would be useless. Instead, Lord Keahi offered him a mask to conceal his injury and a staff, within which was concealed a poison-tipped fencing sword, and the position as Master Inigo of the Crescent Court. Inigo accepted apprehensively, and before long his new life as Lord Keahi’s second in command was broadcasted to the County.

Over the months following this incident and its resulting promotion, rumours about the new Master Inigo sprouted and spread throughout the County, until the civilians viewed Inigo as mysterious and dangerous, hiding behind his mask and completing tasks given by Lord Keahi with a cold, calculating viciousness. Even his own family began to regard him with distrust, causing anger and resentment to grow in Inigo, because after all, hadn’t this all been to protect them?

Inigo irrevocably linked these events to losing his eye, and a need for revenge slowly rose inside of him, until he became obsessed with hunting down the remainder of that group of magic-users and in general, the entire rebellion. This has caused him to isolate himself from his family and become drawn even further into Lord Keahi’s tyrant reign, and blinded him to the true effects of his ruling.

[mech]

user + id: skink #1001347 | kalon name: resentful

resentful:
xx'feeling or expressing bitterness or indignation at having been treated unfairly.'


wip.

[rem sleep]

marks !

[quiche cat!]

user + id: quiche cat! + 430690
kalon name: etaf
form: 1954 words


sssss...

young and bold. daring, without a care in the world. life was easy. life was good.

sssss... n...

we were three years old. just barely expanding our vocabulary, hardly having adventured into the world beyond our home. a secluded den in the mountains is where we dwelled, with our three loving fathers to protect us and teach us the ways of the world, known as lae.

lae seemed like a good place to be. but it was rumored that gods watched over the land, and there were many nursery rhymes depicting how they ruled the world; how they controlled each kalon like a marionette doll, decided when one's life would ultimately come to an end, and even about the garden of gods, where every soul resided.

the truth in these singsong tales was to be debated. but one rhyme, in particular, was more forewarning than the others:



"t'was a lost soul
who could not find his way,
called out for help
but, oh, to his dismay!

he was the chosen one
and with one eye closed he could see,
that a beast with no legs
would wrap thrice 'round his knee!"



the tune was quite catchy, so we found ourselves humming it often.

sssss... n... aaa...

one fateful evening, we were out scavenging alone. fathers had told us to be back by sundown, but it was far past then. a party of three squirrels had whispered to us of the berry patch down south that held plentiful and delicious fruit, and we simply couldn't pass up the chance of bringing home such a fulfilling meal that would make our parents proud.

the squirrels told us to follow the stream south for three miles, until we reached the old pine tree. then take 54 steps to the east, until we reached a small spruce tree. and finally, take 66 steps to the south, where we would reach a crooked juniper in a vast clearing. at three o'clock, we would be able to spot the berry patch in question.

so, off we had gone, on our merry way, to appease the curiousity that itched in our bones. we had never traveled this far alone. maybe it was the crisp night air that had given us courage, or the mysterious glint in the squirrels' eyes that made us oblige, but we knew that we simply could not turn down this opportunity for adventure.

sssss... n... aaa... kkkk...

our little rendezvous with the moon was over in the blink of an eye. billowing clouds covered the sky, drowning us in a darkness that we had never before experienced. it was lonely, and although it was hard to admit, fear had begun to well up from the deepest depths of our heart. with only the squirrels' directions chanting in our head, we marched on. 10 more steps to the spruce. now 3. we carefully reached out to make sure we had gotten to the small tree, and once our paw hit the rough bark, we turned and began our 66 step journey to the crooked juniper.

then it started to rain. at first it was a light mist, dampening the top of our warm fur coat. a small inconvenience compared to our only source of light being hidden. but as we neared the juniper, the droplets got heavier, faster, louder. with nothing to shield us except for the sparse foliage, we had to squint our eyes and blink away the rain that drilled against our eyelids. for the first time that night, since disobeying our fathers' curfew, the thought crossed our mind: maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

but we couldn't go back now! we were too far out, and considering how late we would return home already, a few more hours wouldn't hurt. a little darkness and rain wouldn't kill anybody-- though it would slow them down, and that it did. a simple journey that should've taken an hour had stretched to a handful of hours, but we pressed on. giving up was absolutely not an option!

sssss... n... aaa... kkkk... e...

and at long last, the droplets eased up to a gentle downpour, and the clouds parted just in time to reveal the crooked juniper, sitting alone in a large clearing. we took the last 10 steps warily, glancing around the area, and finally plopped down in front of the old tree. no berry patch in sight, as the squirrels had promised, but maybe the clock had yet to strike three. so, we would patiently wait, until our hard-earned reward would show up, with our head on our paws and one eye open. just in case.

sssss...

our eyes opened. fatigue must have overcome us and caused us to drift off, therefore leaving us vulnerable in our sudden slumber. we stood up quickly, shaking the sleep from our bones, as well as some of the water that drenched our fur. we could tell that not much time had gone by, but an eerie fog had settled over the forest, making it hard to see more than a few feet ahead. the crooked juniper stood tall in front of us; the only thing that seemed to have remained the same.

we slowly turned around, thinking to start our sorry journey home, and to our disbelief, there it was: the fabled berry patch. the squirrels had been telling the truth! it wasn't very big, in the sense of wideness, but it was indeed big in its presence. sparkling, gold berries hid among flourishing, dark green leaves, and as a startling growl came from our stomach, we realized how hungry we had become. the drool that threatened to pool from our mouth drove us forward, towards the tantalizing fruit. we had to have one bite, just one, before we collected some to bring home.

we reached out without much hesitation and pulled a berry from the bush with our teeth. with little force, the skin broke, and a golden juice oozed from the fruit. mmm... we had never tasted anything so heavenly in our life! it was almost... addicting. one more wouldn't hurt. yumm... ah, there were still plenty left, so maybe just oooone more?

we popped the third one from its stem and swiftly crushed it between our teeth, but something was... different. before we could swallow, a deadly, almost sour taste filled our mouth. our jaw slackened and the golden juice began to drop from our lips, thicker than before; the goopy consistency was so stunning that our whole body froze in place, not even able to spit the dastardly fruit from our mouth.

sssss...

suddenly, we saw something in the corner of our eye. out of the fog slithered a golden snake, not unlike the color of the berries. its dark eyes bore into us, almost seeming to stare straight into our soul. it stopped a few feet away and cocked its head, having caught sight of the golden goop, before letting out another threatening hiss.

hisssss...

a second snake curled out of the darkness, and once it, too, halted, it hissed as well.

hisssss...

a third snake bursted from the fog, then followed suit and stopped a little ways away. but this one didn't hiss. instead, it began to speak in a hushed tone.

"poor, poor boy. poor you. poor fate."

and then it launched. it was mere inches from our face, mouth stretched wide and fangs glistening in the dark, when we found the strength to move our legs. and when we did, we ran. we didn't know which way we were going. all we knew is that we had to get away, and fast.

it wasn't like us to yearn for help, but we found ourselves hoping and praying that someone, something, would come and save us. as we bolted through the undergrowth, spitting and shaking our head to get the golden goop out of our mouth, pushing through small branches that whacked and cut and scratched us, we heard a voice yell out into the dark. our voice.

"help! please help!!"

but help would not come.

sssssssss...

the collective hisses of the snakes were getting closer, and our voice was getting weaker. it was hard to form words through the unending goop. we were exhausted. one moment we were running, and the next we were rolling on the ground, one of our legs pulled out from under us by a snake. it swiftly wrapped itself around our wrist like a poor excuse of a bracelet, and chomped down. hard. a strange sensation spread through our body, and with a sinking feeling full of dread, we realized we had been immobilized.

the second snake wound itself around us, leaving a golden trail in its wake, before sinking into our fur and disappearing. the various places that it touched now began to ooze with the same golden slime that had once been so delicious, but now frightened us so.

the third snake took its time coming over, and when it reached us, slowly shook its head.

"poor, poor boy. poor you. poor fate."

it repeated itself, except this time, its voice rang in our head. then it got closer, and closer, and when it spread its fangs once more, everything got dark.

"etaf roop."

that was my name. etaf roop, a helpless orphan taken in by his three loving fathers. on that fateful day years and years ago that I had wandered too far and too late into the night, and eaten from the golden berry bush, I had awoken on the cold, hard ground, a numb pain radiating through my body. the last thing I remembered was a golden snake slithering away, something held gingerly in its mouth.

it didn't take long to figure out that what had been stolen from me was my eye. and ever since that day, I felt a change in me. I felt... alone. singular. like some presence that used to be with me, was now gone.

I was now ailed by relentless nightmares of that night, but more troubling than that, was the goop that endlessly dripped from my body and oozed from my eye like tears. and, most troubling of all: the golden snake wrapped thrice around my leg. I didn't know what it meant. hell, I didn't know what anything from that night meant. all because of fate-- all because of a trio of golden snakes-- I had lost half of my world, inconvenienced my surroundings with a strange trail of slime, and could no longer speak to animals, as I once had.

my normal life had been turned sideways. all I had once known seemed like a faraway dream that I'd once had as a child. my fathers were both disappointed and more protective of me since that day, but more so than that, I was overwhelmed by the feeling of uncertainty that they had when they were around me. watching my every move, being careful with their words. like I was some ticking time bomb that could explode any minute, or an alien whom they didn't know how to treat. the remainder of my childhood was spent with parents who walked around me on eggshells, which led me to be more drawn in and secluded.

all I wanted was revenge. I wanted my eye back. I was hopeful that my life would magically be fixed once I could see clearly again; I was hopeful that the empty part of me would be full again; and I was hopeful that those snakes would go through as painful a thing that I did.

etaf was coming.

fate was coming.

[Ucanthandleme]

user + id: Ucanthandleme + 809102
kalon name: Jin
form:

It echoed in his ears like an alarm going off, again and again the word repeated. Weak. Weak. Weak. Those words however couldn’t be denied. He was weak. His sibliblings were strong; they had strong hearts, strong minds, strong bodies… he had none of those. He was born weak. He was told by many doctors when young that he had a broken heart that couldn’t be fixed, he had a weak heart. He tried and tried despite this limitation but in the end he could do nothing, he simply watched from his bedroom windows with empty eyes as he watched his siblings fighting with swords and weapons, he had a weak body. This broke him, watching from his windowsill as his strong siblings became stronger and stronger, he had a weak mind.

His father was strong too. A man of iron blood and an iron heart, who believed strength was the only thing that mattered in life. Perhaps his weakness was innate, just like his mother. His mother was weak. A delicate and gentle woman who wouldn't speak even a tiny bit out of order. She was known for her beauty, perhaps that's why his father took her to his castle despite her weakness. Maybe he was born to be weak. His plight did not end there though because weakness only meant sooner or later he would die, by the hands of his own blood or another he was not sure what his ending would be, what the end of weakness would be like. He dreamt sometimes of being strong. Having a strong heart, strong body, strong mind, but everytime he woke up to weakness. It was simply a curse that loomed over him. Weak. Weak. Weak. It echoed in his ears like an ancient curse, cursing him to forever be weak.
------

The day of his end came very quickly, the end of his weakness. He who was a stain on his fathers name was to finally be gone. The coming of age ceremony. At the age of ten children of the family would be forced into the hall of the moon. A place of endless night, where you were alone with yourself and your thoughts, not a breath to accompany you. He knew of many of his older siblings who had never come back from the hall of the moon. He had asked once where they went and all he got as a reply was simply, “They were too weak.” After all in this family only the strong could survive. What chance did the weakest have to survive? He knew his father would not spare him another glance even if he begged at his feet to not be taken to the hall, so he looked for his mother.

He went to his mother with pleading eyes, just a few sentences in his fathers ear and he might have a chance, a chance at survival. However, she looked at him then lowered her head, shaking it slowly, then with a tremble in her step she left him in an empty room. At that moment all expectations had disappeared. He was weak, for this reason he was destined to disappear. Yet for some reason he felt unreconciled to this fate, it was not his fault he was born weak yet he had to suffer for it. Maybe it was his fathers disgust or mothers disregard but at this very moment he felt his heart go cold. His broken heart had broken beyond repair, yet even though it had broken completely and he no longer felt a thing, his heart was finally strong. This was the price to pay for a strong heart it seems, complete emptiness.

He was taken to the hall of the moon later that day, ceremonial robes of white draped across his body. Step by step he walked to the hall, little bells ringing with each step of his snow white boots and the bells chaining his wrists. Few words were spoken as he was led to the door of the hall. They halted him, letting him wait as the gold doors engraved with symbols of the moon slowly opened up leaving a room of darkness before his eyes. He walked step by step into the room, with only the light shining from the outside to guide his way. Then he only turned when the creak of the door sounded from behind him, a slow creaking sound he could still hear in his ears to this day. For this was the last sound he heard from the outside before the end. Step by step the ring of his boots broke him from his stupor, his hand still outstretched from where the light had once been. All that was left in the empty room was darkness. They said being alone in darkness too long alone would lead to insanity, he wondered if he too would lose his sanity in the darkness.
------

I saw an angel today, a child wandered in my temple, they stepped into the darkness with empty eyes and a hardened heart. Yet despite this, they still reached out to the light that was disappearing, but they were only left with darkness. Who had taken the light from an angel? Many had walked through my temple doors, but none as weak as them, yet for some reason this drew me in. Once the light had disappeared they continued step by step into the temple, bells ringing with each step of their feet on the marble floor. A wanderer with no path, they walked blindly into the darkness not knowing where it would take them. I watched them like this for hours, for days, for weeks, as they stumbled through the pitch black halls.

I watched the angel go insane. I had seen it happen too many times before, the darkness ate people whole. They would hallucinate creatures in the dark, a small sound would set them off. They screamed into the void, telling the voices to stop but it was all in their head. They would beg to be released from the darkness and when no one answered them, they would fall into despair. They were tortured by their own minds and the angel was no different. I saw it with my own eyes how they lost their mind in the darkness.

It was gradual, their descent into insanity. They began with talking to themself, whispering they were strong now they had no heart. However, it spiraled quickly, they began rambling about how to rid themself of weakness. They would tell and shout into the darkness, screaming 'I'm not weak', only to be met with silence. Yet throughout this not once did they beg or cry to be released from the temple. Eventually they completely broke. They swore to rid their body and mind of weakness, and how did they do that? They rid themself of pain. Their own eye they took, to rid themself of weakness, but I could no longer bear pain. So I stood before them, yet when they saw me, they cried. They cried and cried and cried.
------


In my insanity I saw eyes of gold. Beautiful brilliant eyes that shimmered in the darkness. The only light I found in the darkness. Some would fear but I had long lost any weakness in my heart, in my mind, in my body. I held my hand tight to my eye, gold seeping from my finger, yet at this moment I could only stare with my one eye in amazement at the magnificent creature before me. Maybe this was another hallucination, but even if so I could not look away. It looked at me with those golden eyes and I could see it, an emotion I had not witnessed in any eyes that had looked at me before. Heartache.

I cried. At this moment I cried tears of gold. They were cold as they dropped down my face and onto my robe. Yet with every heavy drop my whole body felt lighter, freer, stronger than it ever had before. Those golden eyes seemed to panic at my tears but I could not stop them, so I smiled. A broken smile but it was the only smile that I had truly meant in my life. Someone cared. That thought filled me with more strength than I had ever had before. Eventually my tears dried up yet I still stood there in amazement at those golden eyes, and they stood there watching me. I reached out my hand like the light that left me when the door of the temple closed, but this time I caught it. The golden eyed creature lay their head in my hand and just watched. Such a gentle beast it was, a beast of gold.
------

I had rid myself of weakness. I had a strong heart, its weakness had been stripped by my family's indifference. I had a strong body, I felt no pain because pain was merely an illusion of the body, I had overcome this by causing immense pain and walking through it. I had a strong mind, I'd gone insane then came back, I'd lost my eye but survived, my mind was not broken. But despite my strength I had played the price, everything has a price, and the price of strength was loss. I lost my heart and I could not feel. The pain in my body was gone but was I alive? I lost my mind and although I got it back it was different than before. All of this was taken as payment for strength. Such a heavy price to pay.
------

The strongest in the family, Jin, began his life as a weak child, they say he was destined to be weak, he proved them wrong. He came from the temple of the moon, everyone believed he had long perished. Like an angel he descended from the hall, bells ringing at his feet. He walked out from the hall, his white robes had been stained with gold, the gold dripped from his empty eye too. Around his arm lay a snake. A snake coated in gold scales that shimmered in the light, and blinding gold eyes that stared into your sound, ready to pounce in a moment, yet it lay docile around his arm, a tame beast it was. He quickly climbed to become the family head, people spoke of how he lost his eye so he could lose his weakness. He never answered their queries, just looked at them with beautiful gold eyes.

He had payed with his eye to lose his weakness and in return a beast with golden eyes, a snake with golden scales, gave him strength.
------

I just needed
I did not need their compassion
I did not need their words

I did not need a heart
I did not need a mind
I did not need a body

I did not need their praise
I did not need their smile
I just needed

------

1832/2000

[kolyakun]

I've gotten a request to extend this comp!
so it will now be ending

October 8th @ 8pm est

[Kiaa]

user + id: Kiaa #115932
kalon name: Jinrag
form:

(PSA - Not part of the form but I am warning those that read that this is a work of fiction. Though fire-spinning is a real thing, elements of fantasy and magic have been added as that is the type of world my kalons live in. Overly gruesome details have been left out so as not to disturb readers. Please enjoy the story!)



Jinrag grew up in a nomadic lifestyle. Where his family moved from place to place, kingdom to kingdom. Family was a loose term. Not many of them were related... at least not so close enough to be easily traced back. Mostly, they were a group of travelers, and in order to be able to travel with them, you had to pull your weight.
Once old enough, you had to be able to bring back funds or useful items in order to remain part of the "family". Usually the kids started out with pick-pocketing and other forms of grifting. As you grew older, you needed more supplies and resources from the family, as a result, you had to bring in more. Grifting didn't cut it for long. So Jinrag needed to learn a new trade to pull in resources for the family. So he would have protection and a home. This was the only life he knew and the thought of being alone and on the streets was terrifying to Jinrag's young mind. The fear of the unknown. The fear of not really being able to take care of himself without the support of the family.
Fire spinning was a skill he had hear of in passing for many years. The adults often talking about how they missed their old comrade who used to bring in much with their uncanny ability to manipulate the flame. The older Jinrag got, the more he paid attention. If he could master the flame, he could bring in what was required. What was necessary for his reimbursement for the resources expended on him. Secure his place in the family. Permanently.
After much practice resulting in singed fur and stinging burns, Jinrag started his fire spinning career with fire dancing. He would set up in an area with a wide birth of space. He would enchant a crowd with his acrobatic skills and smooth, graceful movements. Once, he had a crowd large enough, he would bring out his flaming tools. The acrobats and dancing becoming all the more enthralling with the added element of flames. Jinrag would captivate the crowd, and with their distraction, the grifters would spread through. Pickpocketing money and other valuable objects as their owners were distracted with Jinrag's performance. He also had an area set up for "donations" that the crowd could toss money into as he performed.
Jinrag became a popular member of the family once he started his fire-spinning career. Not only was he bringing in his own money but he increased the profits of the grifters as well. Providing large crowds with loose funds. The popularity began to go to Jinrag's head. He grew increasingly reckless as the years went on. Pushing his act to the limits. Trying new tricks without having practiced them. He grew arrogant, and his arrogance cost him.
Jinrag tried one of the hardest fire tricks known to fire spinning. He tried to breathe fire. Without practice. He didn't attempt a more simple fire-breathing trick either. He went big. He attempted to master the Flaming Serpent. When performed correctly the Flaming Serpent was a sight to behold. The flame would grow and twist and take a form that is similar to a snake. This act required much control of your ability to breathe fire. To make to serpent move in the correct way as to not harm the crowd or yourself. Jinrag headed no warnings and performed the trick. The heat of the flames licking the crowd and causing them all to gape in wonder, as they watched the flaming serpent dance in the air. Created from nothing but fire and breathe. Jinrag was on top of his game. Then suddenly it all went very wrong.
The flames started shooting outward in an uncontrollable way, Jinrag was struggling with the act but could not show it. In an attempt to bring back control over the flame, Jinrag overcorrected. The flaming snake striking right into his face. The pain was immense. The crowd screamed in horror and most fled from fear. Jinrag's pain was so intense, he blacked out. His face had healed mostly, his fur had grown back from the singe of the flames. His eye however seemed to have taken the brunt of the flame. It slowly showed signs of infection. The healers were unable to do much to decrease the pain, let alone save the eye.
To prevent the infection from spreading to other areas of his body, namely his brain. They had to remove what was left. Jinrag fell from grace after that. His slip up destroying the pedestal he had built for himself. Jinrag became withdrawn. Uncertain. He felt that everyone could see his shame as it was staring them right in the face. An adult now, he left the only family he had ever known. He felt that if he had stayed he would see the looks of pity, and be reminded of his disgrace for the rest of his life. So he moved on.
Jinrag is still insecure about his eye and cringes whenever an innocent child or bold adult asks about it. To decrease the amount of negative attention he received, he got false eyes. If the people would stare, he would give them something to stare at. He now has a collection of false eyes. His favorite being that of a snake.
[895/2,000 Words]

Example of a couple of Jinrag's false eyes.
[2/3 Art]

[Madziu]

Hello friends! I am here to help Kolyakun with the judging on this Kalon.

Without further ado the winner is quiche cat!
And hms will go to ~Soul~ and Kiaa.

Congratulations!

[Kiaa]

Congrats quiche cat! and thank you for the HM <3