2. Banishment and Betrayal

Many years have passed since Lu'naris birth, these years were filled with many happy family memories. During this time Lu'naris has learned how to fight from both her father and mother. They explained that the reason for this training was due to the war between their faction and another. Both factions descended from Ahsy'Kyhm, the Old One, who gave birth to over eight-thousand children.

These children were once at peace and lived together in harmony, but it all changed when one began to think of himself above that of his siblings. His name was Effriam, born thirteenth to the Old One. Effriam one day discovered that he had an ability that none of his other siblings had, and that ability was the power to control those with whom he gained their allegiance. Whether it be forced or given mattered not. Due to this his ego grew and he began a conquest against his siblings, starting with the weakest he gathered an army and led them against those who he wanted to control. His ultimate goal being the subjugation of his creator…Ahsy'Kyhm.

Thus began the battle, which would later be called the War of The Ancient Thousands. A bloody war that left only one-thousand of Ashy'Kyhm's children alive. In the end it was Lu'naris father, Ish'Mayl that struck the final blow against his younger brother. One may think that those under Effriams' control would've returned to normal upon his death. This was not the case, because upon his death those that survived that were under his control fled to the outer regions of the dimension, where they stay to this day planning revenge against those who had slain their "master". The older of the siblings assumed this was due to the fact that Effriam was able to accomplish something akin to a complete takeover of the mind. Many of the younger ones wanted to go and finish off these mind-controlled enemies, but Ish'Mayl was able to convince them against this.

It was also during this time that Ish'Mayl and Natluli met and started their courtship. Throughout it they both learned more about each other, and their love grew. They always wanted to make it official, but whenever they tried, the escapees would come back. Each time they seemed to be stronger than before. They eventually found that Effriam's control not only took control of the mind, but it also allowed those under his command to grow in strength tremendously. Although in the end it mattered not as even with just one of the first ten of Ahsy'Kyhm's children the youngest of warriors were guaranteed victory. In the end neither side was able to get rid of each other. A stalemate had been going on for many years at this point.

Lu'naris understood why she needed this training, but still found it…boring to some degree. Though when she was fighting it felt like something inside of her was telling her to keep the battle going. She found it weird, and when she asked her parents what this feeling was, they said…

"What you're feeling inside is called the Dangaya'kyhm Matra'khym, or the warrior's mark. It means that you were born to fight. But you must also be careful to not let that thinking take you over." When she heard those words, she grew a bit interested.

"Born for battle?" She said to herself. If she had anything that resembled a face many would become distirbed as she would have had a smile that could only have been described as demented. Since that day she found fighting not as boring, in fact she started to live for fighting. Whenever she got the chance, she would ask her parents or one of her numerous uncles, aunts or cousins for a spar. In her first three-thousand years of life she became known as The One of Battle and Mischief, because not only was she a battle junkie, but also a total prankster. When she was not practising, she was somewhere playing a prank.While those of the younger generation found no harm, the older ones soon grew tired of it.

It was during her ten-thousandth year of life that things would begin to change for her. Unbeknownst to her, many of her uncles and aunts gathered together and had a meeting to discuss the possibility of getting her banished. Some had come due to their worries, others because they were full of jealousy and envy.

"Although I love her, her pranks have been going to a level far beyond an acceptable limit."

"While I can appreciate her ability to fight, she does so almost unnaturally."

"I fear that if we allow her to grow in strength anymore, we may have another Effriam to worry about."

"How could you compare our Niece to such a menace!?"

"She could never turn into something like him!"

"Wait my brothers and sisters, remember we said the same thing about him before."

"Lithlel speaks the truth my brothers and sisters. We once believed that Effriam could not be possible of the atrocities he committed and look where that has left us. An eternal stalemate against those who we once saw as siblings. What makes you all think that once she has the power, that she won't turn on us all. She has already surpassed Natluli in strength, all that she lacks is the experience. All it could take is another thousand years before she is strong enough to stand on par with the rest of us." Said one of the group whose name was Enoch.

"That is not all my siblings, I've heard that she has begun to learn the Words of ancient scripture." Said an older female voice, this was Shehile, born eighth to The Old One Ashy'Kyhm. Upon hearing those words many of the gathered ones started to panic. The Words of Ancient Scripture was a power that had no equal. When one would speak these words, they would draw power for The Old One himself, increasing the overall power of any attack they wished. But in order to even learn these words one had to be worthy. Out of the over eight-thousand children of Ashy'Kyhm only the first thirty, known as the Primordial Deities, had ever learned them.

"For her to even be able to start learning the words, it is safe to assume that she has a power which if we allow to continue to grow, will turn her into a threat beyond that of Effriam." Said a more dignified female voice, this was Alexeli, born second to The Old One Ashy'Khym. The group grew quiet after hearing these words, at this point only one thought ran through the minds of them all.

'Will we even stand a chance once she does learn them? If she continues to grow unimpeded, will she turn on us like our brother did?'

At that moment they all decided that their best course of action was to stop this rose from growing its thorns.

(In Lu'naris Domain)

In another section of the dimension sat a domain. Like most it was filled to the brim with small planets, which very few had life on them. This was Lu'naris domain given to her by her parents. While it resembles nothing but a black canvas with countless white dots, the many colorful planets made up for it, and the closer one got to the center of the domain the more color they would see, ragning for warm reds, to deep purples. In the center sat a being in deep meditation.

"Finally." Said an excited youthful voice. Her body was made up of many gases and shadows. If one looked deeply enough, they would be able to see tiny sparkling shapes which looked like galexis flowing throughout her body. Her mass had increased significantly throughout her ten-thousand years of life. She was now almost as large as a football field, which was just behind her Mothers mass which was that of three football fields. This was none other than Lu'naris.

"I can't wait to show Mom and Dad." Lu'naris said as she floated towards the beginning of her parents' domain. She had just recently finished learning the Words of Ancient Scripture. She didn't know why but one day when she was sparring with one of her cousins, she started to hear a voice which was neither male nor female. It spoke in words that she could not understand at first, but when she finally returned to her domain and really started listening, they became clearer.

Oya'khym tel'keshyakyhm da'khym rome'khym Ashy'Khym , nranja'khym mi'khym theta'kyhm tregusta'khym te'khym triumha'kyhm miya'kyhm tekia'kyhm.

These were the words she heard. Every time she thought about asking her parents the whispers would stop, she eventually came to the conclusion that she had to understand what these words meant by herself. So, for the last two-thousand years she sat in the domain she was given by her parents and entered into a deep meditative state. Now she had finally come to understand what the words meant. They were the Words of Ancient Scripture her parents had talked about before, and the only way for one of her kind to learn them was for Ashy'Khym itself to speak to them. After being able to understand the ancient words, a being's power would grow immensely.

The translation goes…

O mighty Old One known as Ashy'Khym, grant me the strength to triumph over my enemies!

This was just the basic translation for the words, but after deciphering them, Lu'naris was granted access to an even greater version, where a being would speak its name and ask Ashy'Kyhm to bless it with power. Making use of her large domain, Lu'naris tested out her new power before heading towards her parents.

"O mighty Old One known as Ashy'Kyhm, I Lu'naris first born to Ish'Mayl and Natluli, ask for the strength to triumph over my enemies!" As she said these words a large amount of power began to fill her body. She had never felt this strong before, it was as if Ashy'Kyhm itself was standing right next to her! Turning her body in the direction of a few planets she had no use for, she released the buildup of energy. Out of her body came a small sphere, the sphere was white in color and was made from the built-up power. It shot forwards like a rocket and within a few seconds a massive explosion occurred, filling the black void with white. There was no sound until the very end of the explosion.

BOOM!

The loudest sound Lu'naris had ever heard filled the void, a loud boom followed by a fading screeching noise. After the white void receded, Lu'naris floated towards the aftermath. Upon reaching it she was met with the debris of over three hundred planets floating lifelessly in the inky blackness. Though it did leave a bit more color, it was something similar to what one would see after a supernova, many different pinks and reds, along with a few spots of a pale blue.

"Impressive!" Lu'naris said observing the destruction. Normally the attack she used would have only caused a fourth of the destruction she saw. With this new development, she was even more excited to tell her parents about her new advancements.

She continued her original idea of flying towards her parents' domain. But before she could fly past the boundary a voice called out to her.

"Cousin Lu'naris!" Yelled a young male voice. Lu'naris turned her smoky body to the smaller male and spoke with concern evident in her voice.

"Little Ezkial! What's wrong, why do you sound so anxious!?"

"It's Mother! She was ambushed by the deserters!" Yelled the young Ezikial. Lu'naris gasped and gave the young being the command to go and tell her parents, while she went toward her Aunt. Aunty Lazuli was one of the weaker of her family, so to the deserters a weaker enemy like her was easy pickings. Using the power accumulated over her long life she flew at immense speeds towards her Aunts domain.

Upon arriving she was met with just empty space. Confused, she continued forward. Now that she really had a chance to think, something wasn't right with this situation. Her Aunt lived relatively close to her other siblings, so why had little Ezkial come all the way to her domain? Despite this feeling she continued forward.

After a few minutes she reached the center of the domain, waiting for her there was none other than her Aunt Lazuli!

"Wait, I thought you were under attack, Auntie!" Lu'naris said in complete shock. A feeling of uneasiness started to build with her. Why had her cousin lied to her!?

"Forgive me Lu'naris…I" Lazuli was cut off as another voice cut in.

"That'll be enough." Said a dignified female voice. Over one-hundred beings made themselves known as they surrounded Lu'naris. The one who spoke floated forward and Lu'naris recognized them as her Aunt Alexeli.

"Aunt Alexeli, what's going on? Why are all of you surrounding me like this?" Lu'naris asked in fear. Why did they seem to be looking at her with disdain and hatred, what had she done? She knew her pranks could get a bit excessive, but she had toned them down before she went into seclusion, and she had even planned to stop them all together since she wanted to be seen as more mature.

Was she about to fight those she loved and cared for over some pranks? Before her mind could spiral any further her Aunt spoke.

"Child, you've been deemed as a threat to our continued existence, and as the second born to Ashy'Khym the Old One, I have taken it upon myself to banish you from our dimension!"

The words cut deep into Lu'naris as she heard them. She felt as if she had just watched one of her family members die, what had she done?

WHAT HAD SHE DONE!?

"What have I done to invoke your ire my family!? Please allow me the chance to rectify my mistakes." Lu'naris said both humbly and respectfully, as she controlled her gas like body and made it shrink in on itself. It appeared as if she was trying to eat herself, this action was known to these beings as a sign of submissiveness and repentance. It was also often used in times of apology. "I promise on my honor as the first born of Ish'Mayl and Natluli, born first and twenty-seventh to the Old One Ahsy'Khym, that I will do any and everything within my power to make up for my transgressions." This was the only thing she could think to do at the moment.

She had never heard of anyone being banished before. Not even those of the other faction were banished whenever they were captured or defeated. They would often be killed, and their essence would return to the Old One. Did that mean that they loved her enough to not follow their usual ritual? No, that didn't matter right now. She prayed to the Old One that her current display would be enough to quell her angry family. Her hopes were dashed immediately.

"There is nothing that can be done, child. You are considered a much too dangerous existence to be allowed to continue to grow. Not only were you born with the Dangaya'kyhm Matra'khym, but you've also been able to fully comprehend the Words of Ancient Scripture, there is no need to lie, I can feel the power radiating from within your body. None of us have been able to have both of these things, not even the oldest among us." Alexeli spoke these words in a calm and authoritative tone. "As you are our Niece, we have decided to banish you instead of returning your essence to the Old One. Be grateful as not even our siblings were given this opportunity."

Her body hurt, throughout her entire body Lu'naris felt pain. This pain was not like the one she would get after intense sparing. This pain was deep, it felt as if she was supposed to be born with this pain and have to endure it her whole life. It felt as if it was a part of her own constitution. It only got worse as she floated there frozen as she replayed her Aunts words in her head over and over again. Unbeknownst to all those gathered and to even Lu'naris herself, the mark had awoken. Feeling the intense pain and despair of its host it woke, such feelings of distress were like sweet honey to it and it drank them all without care. It drank until it was satisfied and to thank its host, it turned her feelings of despair, pain, and dejection into those of intense anger, hatred, and furiousness. But, most importantly it gave Lu'naris the thirst for battle, and against such strong opponents, how could she not enjoy herself?

Suddenly, a crushing pressure was released from the young entity. Such a pressure was enough to make some of the gathered entities shrink back in fear.

"By the Old One! Her mark, it's awoken!"

"What is this pressure!?"

"Alexeli, begin the ritual before she goes out of control." Said a calm male voice. This was Hame'Sheil, born third to the Old One Ashy'Khym. "We will keep her busy, while you finish." He said as he and a few of the strongest beings began to float towards Lu'naris. Before they could begin to charge their attacks the sound of demented laughter filled the void.

"Hahahaha…hahahaha…HAHAHAHA!" Laughed Lu'naris as her gaseous body formed a vague humanoid form. This was something she had yet to show anyone, as she wanted to surprise them with how much her fighting prowess improved with this form. Being smaller and more compact increased her already unnatural speed to new heights. Her body appeared to be feminine, with an hourglass figure and seemed to be built for speed. Upon its neck was a round, almost egg-shaped head. On its face there was nothing but a wide demented grin. Lu'naris had done countless training exercises during her ten-thousand years of life with this form, controlling it was as easy as breathing for her.

None gathered were surprised by this form, as they each had something similar. Hame'Sheil's body started to compress itself until all that was left was a six-foot smokey humanoid figure. His body was filled with lean, but powerful muscles. Unlike Lu'naris, his body's head had both eyes and a mouth. The two beings began staring each other down, neither moved and their powerful auras started to make the dimension cry out in pain.

Suddenly they both dashed towards each other. Both threw a punch and both attacks clashed causing massive shockwaves, cracking the dimensional walls further. This was not a sparring match; it was a fight to the death. These were two beings who had no other intention than finishing off the enemy in front of them.

"Hrrgh, not bad." Hame'Sheil said, as he began to force Lu'naris back. In response the smile on Lu'naris face widened as she brought her leg up with enough force to fling Hame'Sheil several meters backwards. Not wasting this opportunity Lu'naris dashed forwards, reaching Hame'Sheil in half a second. Cocking back her first, she punched Hame'Sheil in his surprised face, flinging him downwards to an uninhabited planet. Hame'Shiel flew down towards the planet's surface at unimaginable speeds, upon impact he caused a massive crater.

Coughing a bit, Hame'Shiel stood from the crater. "She's stronger than I expected." Before he could jump back into the fight, Lu'naris appeared to his left, throwing a powerful kick towards his head. Hame'Shiel brought his arm up to protect himself, and as the kick connected, he was once again flung like a discarded ragdoll. 'It seems I'm unable to keep up with her speed. I'll have to use a bit more power!' Hame'Shiel thought as he crashed through rocks and trees. As he was about to stop himself, Lu'naris flashed in front of him and grabbed his face all the while laughing like a maniac. Enhancin her strength, Lu'naris forced the bigger being into the ground, causing a massive earthquake, causing the planet to shake violently.

"Come on, come on, if you don't try, I'll kill you, you know~!" Lu'naris said playfully, while raining down a multitude of blows, each taking them deeper into the planet's crust. Finally having enough, Hame'Sheil grabbed Lu'naris arm and threw an earth-shattering punch to her gut, causing her to spit out some dark miasma. Grabbing her by the neck he flew both of them out of the hole. While still holding her by the neck Hame'Sheil delivered a series of quick, but powerful jabs to Lu'naris face. Each punch was filled with anger and easily broke the sound barrier when they met their target.

Although her face was bloody, the smile could still be seen. To Hame'Sheil it seemed as if she was mocking him through that smile!

"Hehe~! There you go, now that's a lot better~!" Lu'naris laughed as she kneed Hame'Sheil in the stomach. Although the blow was strong it only made Hame'Sheil grunt in pain and tighten the grip on Lu'naris throat. Seeing that her attack had no effect, Lu'naris grabbed Hame'Sheil's arm that was around her neck and using a great amount of force ripped the limb for his body.

Hame'Sheil held in his scream as he quickly backed away. Lu'naris dislodged the fingers around her neck and held the severed arm high in the air for all to see, all while she laughed like a mad woman.

"Hahaha! Come on don't fall to pieces on me yet, we're just getting started are we not!?" She said with a demented smile as some black liquid dropped from the corner of her mouth. She threw the arm to the side as both of them flew towards and clashed with one another again.

High above in the clouds the rest of the gathered group had been chanting, preparing a powerful attack that would be able to seriously wound her, some even hoped that it'd maybe kill this out-of-control monster.

"Hear us O great one, mighty Ashy'Kyhm grant us the strength to strike down our foe!" They all spoke as one, and each of their gaseous bodies started to glow with a white light. Pooling the power into an orb of energy that floated between them all, it grew to the size of a volleyball, and when they believed it ready, they released it. Similar to the one Lu'naris released, the orb shot forwards at breakneck speeds towards its target.

Hame'Sheil lifted his arm to block a kick from Lu'naris. Using his free hand, which he had formed again, Hame'Sheil grabbed Lu'naris outstretched leg and using immense force, slammed her into the ground. Her impact caused small cracks to appear on the planet's surface. Even though she took such a strong blow, Lu'naris laughed through the whole ordeal. The head of her body had cracks all over, and some oozed a black liquid.

'No matter how much damage I do, she's always ready to get back up and fight. Is this her mark's special ability?' Hame'Sheil thought to himself as Lu'naris twisted her leg at an unnatural angle, and using her other leg, delivered a swift kick to Hame'Sheil's face, sending him flying into the distance.After twisting her leg back in position, Lu'naris slowly strode forward, almost seductively.

"I think I've played around long enough." Lu'naris said, her voice sounding more serious for the first time throughout the fight. Lu'naris balled her hand into a fist. "O great one above, hear me mighty, indomitable, Ashy'Khym. I Lu'naris, first born to Ish'Mayl and Natluli, ask for the power to-"

Before she could finish an orb of white volatile energy slammed into her, sending her flying into the distance. Hame'Shiel who had just recovered saw this and instantly took to the skies. Upon reaching the upper atmosphere, he released his humanoid form. Only after reaching his siblings did, he stop. Behind him the entire planet started to show cracks upon its surface. In a matter of seconds, the planet was reduced to nothing but space dust. The gathered group floated forwards, until they found the small mass of a lifeform. Many grew wary as there was still a powerful amount of life force left within this being.

"She survived even that?" Said a young male voice, whose name was Ethrial.

"She truly is a monster, to think she's only ten-thousand years old." Said an older female voice, whose name was Tit'ania.

"Thank goodness she's still alive." Said Lazuli, who had not participated in the fighting. A few of the gathered looked at her with some surprise.

"You're glad she's still alive!?" Screamed a younger female, whose name was Tekina.

"Well, yes, I am. We were originally planning on banishing her in the first place. If the goal was to kill her, I would have never participated!" Lazuli said, cementing her opinion. She didn't understand why some of her siblings wanted to kill their Niece. She knew how strong Lu'naris had been getting, but she never found any problem with it. That was until Alexeli had convinced her about the danger such a powerful being could pose. She had thought long and hard about what to do, but in the end, she eventually let them use her and her son as the bait. She knew that Alexile had a special banishment technique that would allow Lu'naris to live the rest of her life without having to remember the pain of being betrayed by her family. The only thing they hadn't really thought about was how they were gonna explain Lu'naris disappearance to Ish' Mayl and Natluli.

Hame'Shiel floated towards Alexeli. "Is it ready sister?"

"I have just finished." She replied as she floated towards Lu'naris, who was slowly regaining her mass. Alexile felt a bit of pity when she looked at the state her Niece was in. Before she could change her mind about banishing Lu'naris, Alexile steeled her resolve and began to chant her technique.

"Young one of Ashy'Khym, you have been deemed too dangerous for us to coexist with. Upon my authority and power as second born to Ashy'Kyhm the Old One, I banish you! You shall never be able to return, for in the moment that you do, your own power will destroy you! But I am merciful, to stop you from doing this your memories shall be altered, may you find a new place to exist within the vastness of the multiverse! Along with you shall go your domain, and all that inhabit it!"

As Alexeli finished saying these words, the dimension cracked, and from these cracks its lifeblood flowed. The lifeblood formed many golden chains that fell over Lu'naris healing body. Taking advantage of the fact that Lu'naris was injured, Alexelie made sure that the technique would seep into any of the open wounds, making it extra potent. Once everything was done Lu'naris was instantly thrown out of the dimension, never to be seen by her family again.

"It is done." Alexeli said feeling exhausted. 'She truly was stronger than we imagined. To make me use this much energy, even when she was injured, speaks volumes about her power.' She thought to herself.

"Now, what do we tell those two. No doubt they have already felt the disappearance of both her domain and aura." Said an older male voice, whose name was Tia'Mesh.

"Why not blame it on the other faction?" Asked another young male, whose name was Pit'Ual.

Hame'Sheil thought about the suggestion for a bit. Ish'Mayl was the one who had decided to keep this stalemate going for all these years. He knew the only reason why was because they used to be their siblings. But how would he react when he learned that his decision had led to the death of his daughter. It would explain why both her and the domain she lived in suddenly vanished.

"Your suggestion would make perfect sense." Hame'Sheil said. "While her parents would know how strong she was, they wouldn't be able to doubt the fact that she died, due to her inexperience in a real battle, even more so if we can get them to believe her Dangaya'kyhm Matra'khym had been awakened during the fight and she lost to its temptation."

The gathered siblings talked and refined their plan a bit more before they left to talk with Ish'Mayl and Natluli.

(Ish'Mayl and Natluli's Domain)

"So how do you think Lu'naris is doing in understanding the Words of Ancient Scripture?" Natluli asked.

"She will no doubt be finished in the next few years, if she has not finished already." Said the dignified voice of Ish'Mayl.

"Do you think we should immediately let her know about her little sibling on the way?" Natluli asked, as she flew closer to her husband.

"I don't see why not, hopefully the news will make her act a bit more mature. While the pranks were funny before, they had been getting a bit excessive before she went into seclusion." Ish'Mayl said with a sigh.

"I understand why you would say that dear. Though the one where she stole that planet from her Aunt Gastral's domain was a bit funny." Natluli said with a small laugh.

"Heh, I guess it was." Ish'Mayl said with a chuckle. Suddenly both felt like the dimension had just cried out in agony.

"What was that!?" Natluli said, as she flew towards the direction the disturbance came from. Now that she thought about it, wasn't that where Lu'naris domain was located? Her speed suddenly increased as she made the way to the edge of their shared domain.

Upon exiting she flew to the left, and then she suddenly came to a complete stop. "Where is it? Why is it not there!?" She screamed as she saw no sight of Lu'naris domain. Ish'Mayl had finally caught up and upon seeing the same sight, his body started to feel heavier than usual.

"Maybe she's still around, it would not be unusual if she wanted to move her dimension a bit further from ours." Ish'Mayl said, trying to be the voice of reason. Natluli was able to calm down, due to her husband's words, and took a few deep breaths.

"Yes, you're right. Ah that's it, she's finished deciphering the Words and has gone to do a few tests." Natluli said, trying to trick herself into believing such words. The two searched throughout the section of the dimension they were in and after a few hours, the thought that something horrible had happened to their daughter weighed heavy on their minds. Before Natluli could begin another freak out, a voice called out to them.

"Brother Ish'Mayl! It's Lu'naris, she's…she's been killed by the outer faction." Said Hame'Sheil. Both parents' bodies became as stiff as stone. "I…I tried to reach her before they could, but I…I was too slow!" Hame'Sheil choked out. If these beings could cry, he would be filling a riverbank by now.

"Where? WHERE ARE THEY!!!" Ish'Mayl screamed as the dimension began to shake violently, and a deep red aura began to be released from his body.

"Brother, calm yourself! Your mark is reacting!" Hame'Sheil said with worry. His words were able to reach the raging Ish'Mayl, and he calmed down enough to be able to hold a conversation.

"Thank you, Brother." Ish'Mayl said as he looked at the still silent Natluli. As she was with child, this situation could not have come at a worse time. Floating closer Ish'Mayl used a smokey to gently caress his wife. "Natluli…look at me" he said gently. Natluli's body had shrunk to the size of a small family car and was trembling as she looked at her husband. "They will pay. When I return, we will send her off the right way." His tone was loving and caring as he spoke to his distraught spouse. In reply Natluli, used one of her own tendrils to caress Ish'Mayl's.

"Hame'Sheil, stay with Natluli. I have a mistake I must rectify." Ish'Mayl waited for no answer, as he flew towards the outer dimension.

There was a massacre to be had…and he was slasher.