Dust stirrs amid the storage boxes, loose parchment rasping to powdery ash. An old brass pendant set with topaz burns away the dross of cobwebbs. Books rattle from their entombed sleep as the ivy veiled window flashed with summer's heat lightning. Wind gathers in the courtyard of the academy; a ground keeper feels a twitch of energy, a hint of white fur at twilight gathered in the corner of his eye. No one is there. Lightning flashes once more and a summer rain hastens him towards home. Underneath a Roan Tree stood a cloked figure, rain dripping from a drawn hood. A single golden eye glinted the night like coins at the bottom of a wishing well.

The hood tilted up to take in the view of the academy. A soft whisper slid out into silvery rain. "I'm home."

Several hours of work through the witching of night into dawn, Ahmeh was seated by the fire. A stack of tomes were erected by the chair as she read through her journals before tackling her past time subjects. She gazed at the fire in quiet contemplations.

Her mind recalled the years of misguided study and beliefs that her life had taken. She smirked slowly to herself as she lifted fingers and wrote formulae in the air with sizzling vibrance of silver. She studied it for a long time, ears canting slightly taking in the sounds of the academy stirring from slumber. With a flick of a wrist, quill and paper came to life and scribed letters of invitation to visit her office once more. A snap of her fingers and the letters slid out of the room, under the door and settled in various places throughot the academy and the houses of Bristle Crios.

As awaited any visitors curious to come see her, she stared at the formulae in the air still aglow. She spoke outloud what it represented.

"There are no gods, deities are smoke and mirrors. The veil ripped away show the tinkering of man to create those powerful in magic to foster the illusions of divine beings. Time, great equalizer, puts man and gods in the same grave; neither immune to death and folly."

Having made it to the dining hall, Ahmeh politely stood in line. She was ready to pay for her meal, but was told to put her money away. The cashier just gave her a smile and mentioned that she remembered a while back that Ahmeh was on staff, but no one could quite remember her status. The meal was on the Academy for the day. Ahmeh bowed her head a bit and smiled. She gave the cashier her thanks and took her tray to the eating area.

She thought the tables would be more crowded during breakfast, but the seem sparsely filled. A glance or two at the walls produced the target of her searching. An antique clock. She blinked a few times. She thought it was 8 a.m. but instead it was just reaching 5 a.m. Now that she thought about it, the curtains were all closed still, giving the hall the feel of being a large cavernous venue for merriment and relaxation. Glancing about a bit more, she decided it was best to sit off to the side somewhere. Half roused students and faculty could be more dangerous than sensitive catalysts in a chemistry class. She'd smirk a little remembering her stint as a teacher.

Ahmeh found a nice booth in the corner next to a candelabra and took her seat. She started to work on her coffee, bagels with smoked salmon and cream cheese and a large bowl of oatmeal. It wasn't much by many people for a morning meal, but she wasn't ravenous from magic use either. As she ate her meal, she'd watch the other diners and played a quiet guessing game trying to figure out by their attire, fatigue, mood and books what majors and classes they were attached to.

Ahmeh's ears perked up hearing a very familiar voice before feeling the hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Lydia, as far as she knew and dabbed some oat meal off of her furred chin. She took a swig of her own coffee to chase away the sticky coating of the oat meal in her muzzle.

"Lydia" I was wondering when I'd see you today." She gave the head mistress a warm smile.

"You look efficient and sharply dressed as ever. Would you like a bagel" And feel free to sit down and relax. Lots of room here." She'd smile and slid over an untouched bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese.

Lydia would notice easily that Ahmeh had aged some and was looking like someone would in their mid 50's. Among those aged hallmarks was the grey in her crimson hair, a bit thinner looking and she only had one golden eye that had vision in it. Her left eye seemed to be silver and sightless.

"I see the academy is still humming along." She'd smile.

Ahmeh gave a slightly larger smile seeing Lydia sit across from her. Unknown to Lydia, Ahmeh had figured a few things out during her unusual absence from from the academy, but with so many she knew; secrets were life in more ways than one. She sipped her coffee and politely slid the food to the side for the time being. Her appetite had waned a bit which was nothing new these days. She still had her coffee though, craved that black, rich, caffeine sin and signaled for a new cup to be brought.

"I don't mind sharing my food with others. I've gotten used to doing it often with my children in the last few years." She said with something left unsaid in her words. She knew the academy was only aware of the family she had in Rhy'Din. Some secrets were life in more ways than one indeed.

The question about where she had vanished too was something long meditated on and anticipated when she'd returned to her office and quarters last night. She sipped more coffee.

"Well you are aware of the Nexus and how most people in this cross realm are not naturally from the Rhy'Din reality. Most are kidnapped from their own worlds until they some how find their way home. I had a visitor some time ago that told me the world wide hex that kept me banished from home was gone. The keepers of that hex no longer live and so I went home for a while. Been homesick for 8 years. So I enjoyed a long visit home. Now I am back for a visit for some time here at the academy." Ahmeh said.

She set her coffee mug down. "I gather my appearance is a bit unsettling." She smiled ruefully. "But that is how it can be with bodies. At some point I will most likely transfer to a new body. Sort of a curse with being a Spark." She looked around the eating hall that was quieting and emptying more. "I've spent about, oh ten or so years in my homeland of Lupinoss when I vanished from here. The world of Sliinkaa flows faster in time than the world of Rhy'Din does. When I returned home, about a century had past. Many things that were still in civil war and medieval times have marched into present day technology, more evolved and changed magical theories and holy hell's more political alligators than I could remember." She smirked showing teeth.

"The political gators are partly responsible for how I look. I have done a lot to help many reunite things, overthrow several corrupt councils. My eye is testimony to surviving one of the councils attempts to kill me with a poison I created centuries ago for the humans that created the Lupinossai. I'm married to my long lost partner. We were betrothed as teenagers, arranged marriage in a fashion before I was exiled by the plots of these councils. Life moved well when I went home. Set up a few households, a few safe havens, most of my family here are now enjoying some peace and safety back in my home land." She'd paused to sip more coffee.

"However the real reason I've been gone for so long is I finally dug deep into the rumors, the myths, and beliefs many had about me. The whole deity thing this, goddess that, demon thing, chaos, yadda yadda. What I discovered has taken me a decade to accept and come to terms with." She took another swig of coffee. "Gods and Deities are not real. Whatever culture has these higher beings as their center of belief, have, in more ways than one, created things to solidify something that doesn't exist. My....lineage if you want to call it that from my father, is traced all the way back to Ancient Earth and the days of Nuclear Winter. Long story short, what I am is something that humans created by tinkering too much trying be gods and created a small number of people that has made magical evolution rapidly and dangerously beyond any charted territory. My ancestors.....had created Sparks."

Ahmeh smirked hearing Lydia.

"Most of what I had uncovered blew my mind quite a bit. Plus, once I got my memories back, another thing untangled and corrected, a lot of things make more sense to me." She said and cradled her mug in her slim, furred hands.

"When people start believing they are gods and deities, a lot of muudrah falls out of their mouths. Sounds to me like you've discovered a lot of what I have uncovered. Dig deep, put on dark glasses and get past the bright and shiny mirrors and well, many things fall flat and look ridiculous when the real machinery is laid bare. Actually have a really good friend that got sucked into a different world than Lupinoss. He made a killing, literally, on bandits and peasants that kept thinking he was an evil, demon werewolf. He's quite set for life now with all the gold he's taken off of their bodies as well as a deep and well versed Lupe on how so many hexes, curses, blessings and more are constructed, why they don't work and how many dead languages they use."

She began to werfle some in delight. "In fact, the few times a belief system has come face to face with me, it gets amusing. 'Oh look, a she devil, a werewolf. She's come to take our souls. Grab the garlic, the holy water, silver and crosses.' The look on peoples faces when they see how much silver I wear, and that the garlic and holy water now makes me smell like I had lunch in a pizzaria while I'm complaining about the low quality of silver bullets made as I pick some sesame seeds out of my teeth with their crosses after the burger I just ate. Though the real kicker is how analyze their chants, critique them on improper stressing in each word then explain that some chants use esoteric power, others use goetic powers which no longer exist as the creators of those chants are long turned to powder. Theurgic power though, hmm, can be tricky. The wording, cadence and chants can be mundane or dead languages but Theurgy, while many claim its from those in a higher power, aka a god, really comes from a persons immovable belief. That belief links directly to their souls and impacts the natural energy fields in their environment to lend power to their words."

She sipped more coffee. "I didn't mean to go into a deep dive on things." She giggled more. "Can take the teacher out of the classroom but not the teacher out of the teacher. Though the whole mythos behind the Catholos mind set is, well, a solid proof that their higher powers are really just humans with abilities. Anything with high end power for limitless, no cost creation and destruction is something that will have nothing tied or mimicing humanity. No morals, no ethics, no rules, no real laws. It just exists. The only laws in place are basically that nothing is for free. Give and take. Plain and simple. Its when those powers settle into something that has humanity or resembles the anthropomorphism of humanity that all the trappings of corruption charges in."

She pondered something. "Hells, my originator, or I should say, first life as a Spark, was being a woman on Earth, in a time when all things had failed. Several thousand years and multiple bodies and genders later, I am back to be a woman in a completely different world, with a wealth of knowledge, abilities many mistake as divine or demonic, and at one point a false and deep seated dread that the whole world was on my shoulder. It took a few other Sparks I met to tell me that, for all the powers we have in whatever worlds we wind up in, at the end of the day, no matter our bodies or forms, we are still human. We have humanity just like those without abilities, so we equally struggle with everything, every day in any decision we make. Though it's not as creepy to think on when you have revealed to you that your father, who died on his honeymoon with your mother is actually you now, as the Spark is a soul that travels and simply takes on new vessels as the old vessels have served their purpose." She rubbed her nose a bit.

"Wow, a decade or more in Lupinoss and not a lot of philosophy out of me. Several hours back in the academy and I'm lecturing without know it. What do you guys put in the food and water here?" She giggled.

Ahmeh smirked. "I'm not sure about classes. The last few I ran tended to hit a bit of chaos and collateral damage."

She chuckled and thanked the young man that brought her a full cup of hot coffee. She sipped on it a little since it was quite hot still and mulled some things over. "If you want me to teach again, I can start to work on something, but I'll take my time so its done well. Or I can do guest lectures in study halls if you want. I can even do some one on one teaching for students in need."

Hearing question about Sparks and bodies had her go quiet for several minutes as she reviewed a lot of her memories and past lives. Sipping more coffee then eating the remaining bagel, she chewed a bit then swallowed before speaking.

"The frequencies of needing a new body depends heavily on the circumstances necessitating a new body. The majority of that criteria is the body the Spark Soul has is failing, nearing death, or dying from wounds in battle. No one is quite sure, even those back on Ancient Earth, if it still exists with living creatures anymore, why a Spark Soul never dissolves or moves on to wherever souls go in various mythos. Some how, through genetic tinkering, Sparks were created by mistake and ever since that mistake, studies, theories and tests keep going to understand us." She finished the bagel and sipped more coffee.

"The other part of the criteria is body selection. Unlike the majority of the scenarios where a Spark Soul is separated from their body by death and are then in a holding pattern waiting a suitable match to their souls specific energies, a Soul Spark can be passed on into fetuses when they are conceived. Some Soul Sparks can be passed on to willing hosts, though split personalities will result if the host keeps the Soul Spark for too long. That was half of the issues I had here in this realm for a while. The body I had was a created body by Lupe scientists working with a hodge podge of Lupe DNA and Human DNA trying to make me a body after I had died protecting that island continent with a shield spell that consumed my human body. Their understandings and methods were not refined as the humans on my home world so the created body had a soul already in it when it was conceived in an artificial womb. When I was shoved into it, I found I was not alone. These days though, we were able to split our souls apart, and now both of us live in our own bodies, solitary and private." She smirked.

"So the long story short, Sparks don't have a soul that dies when the body dies. There are those out there, created by humans to counter Sparks in case a Spark ever got out of hand. They are Anti-Sparks or around here, God Killers. They know how to rend a Soul Spark to shreds permanently destroying the Spark. The reason for this is that a Sparks soul is attuned to receive, feel, manipulate and use every type of magical energy in any realm. We can become too powerful or dangerous if we let our abilities inflate our egos into thinking we are divine beings. So, Sparks don't die. We simply linger until a new body or host is found and we can return to being among mortals. We do have bodyguards of a sort, but that can get a bit confusing to explain." She said, sipped her coffee and rubbed her nose.

"My soul never dying is how I am able to live for thousands of years, experience many things and learn a variety of things most can't even touch. But, as I said before, I started life as a female human, selected from thousands of candidates to enroll in a new Matrices Program that would further research into DNA and Magic. I and about twenty four others became Sparks. The rest....didn't survive the mutation process and either died outright of shock or were humanely put down. The majority of my life times have been from a result of my physical body dying. Most times, the facility had a body on hand to allow me to resume living in my same gender and overall appearance. But once the wars hit more and people feared DNA tampering and loathed people for finding ways to venture into space to escape the dying Earth, the facility was destroyed. I was pulled onto a ship, the A.C.E. Phoenix, headed for the system Lupinoss is in to colonize it. I died a few times on that long trip, reborn a few times through expecting mothers. My gender was a roll of the dice as conceived fetuses pull a Spark into them like a black hole." She watched Lydia a little as she thought more.

"It is how I wound up Male and a general for the humans on the world Sliinkaa, homeworld of Lupinoss. It was there, helping people sort out things, watching humans create anthro servants and slave labor that I found my fiance, er mother, wife....it jumbles a bit in the head but we both, her and I knew the world was getting worse and in danger of Ancient Earth repeating. So we broke rules. She, the queen of Humara, never allowed to marry or conceive, eloped with me. We married, made sweet love, and with agreement, our honeymoon consummation ended with me literally giving up my life and letting my Spark Soul flow into her as she conceived. She died birthing twins. My brother is my protector, and I was the Spark. We both grew with no parents. Charges of the government and military. Fast forward and I die on Lupinoss, protecting the very creatures I helped create to correct the world. They honored me and tried to bring me back after being bodiless for a century." She said and looked a bit tired recounting the tale. But she sipped her coffee and perked back up again.

Ahmeh would finish her second cup of coffee and ponder what Lydia suggested.

"I could see doing a guest lecture series on it all, but I am concerned that many students may not grasp the complexity of some of the information presented. I could try to break it down more, but I will strongly caution that a lot of what I know is on very old memories in an area that is still being explored and tested. But I can sure give it the good ol' college try." She held her empty cup in her hands and looked over the rim to Lydia.

"I'll be happy to attempt to fit back into the routines. Surprised I still don't have a bill chasing me for the Daemon Kraken that damaged the Alchemy Wing. Though I am wondering, who all is still teaching these days" I've noticed most of the students and faculty I've seen this early morning are new." She asked.

Ahmeh would glance around the dining hall more, hardly anyone was left eating or drinking, the majority of staff and students gone to their studies and duties. She'd lean in close to Lydia and spoke very softly. "I've been meaning to bring this up before I left. I can tell you're a woman with secrets, and I may be a bit too loose fingered with some of mine, but I do have one that I'll share just with you. I've heard the rumors back in the day about you being a 'vampire' from some of my students. Most of the time I laughed it off as kids are kids and fond of gossip for a cheap thrill. However, with my memories unlocked and my brain working better than it has, the odd pieces of behavior from time to time coupled with the rumors I know, some things said seem to have more truth in them the more I turn each rumor over."

She'd lean back now and relaxed some. "You know, sunlight is good for what ails a lot of people, physically and mentally. Allergies do exist to sunlight, however I seem to recall a very unique sunscreen that can alleviate, even reverse that allergy. Not too difficult to make either. Wonder who I could offer it to for testing?"

Ahmeh chewed her lower lip hearing the terse report on the unstable fluctuation of staff and teachers. She stared at her empty cup once, tapped a claw to it and it was full of hot tea to sooth the jungle monster from her prior two cups of coffee.

"It would seem then, that the academy is in dire need of some special lectures and classes to revive the thirst of knowledge. Hmm. Perhaps I could offer to you, Lydia, a series of various lectures to help gauge what many may be interested in these days and from there, consider some classes I could offer. This way it doesn't stretch thin my time, your students or strain budgets on classes with only a few students in them." She sipped her tea.

"I'll work on the sun screen lotion I have in mind and deliver the box to you. From there, distribute it however you see fit. Free of charge. Not being able to be in the warm, bright sunlight is such a gloomy existence. Though you know, I've shared a good portion of what I've been up to. What about you? What have you been doing with the peace and quiet since this crazy, furred alchemist took a long and sudden vacation?" She grinned, showing some teeth.

"Do hope you've found a love interest at least to help soften your formal and strict appearance." She giggled.

Ahmeh smirked a little noticing her question about love interests had easily slipped from the conversation. She sipped her tea and felt a bit of empathy for Lydia if the woman was truly alone by the isolating field people can manifest when they feel unusual among the norms.

"Well, as mentioned before, the sunscreen will be delivered and the disposition of it in your capable hands. As to this academy and lectures.." She let claws click along the cup in thought. "I need a bit of a calibration to my mind in what is relevant anymore in Rhy'Din. Feel free to correct me and help my calibration. I assume science is still something of a novel amusement to many in this realm and still a pursued hobby' History I am pretty sure, regardless of the realm origin or time period is still a craved subject' Alchemy, Medicine, Herbal knowledge and Crystals I am going to assume are still a hit and miss topic with many' How stable has magic been in Rhy'Din" I know the years prior when I was hear, magic allergies was on the rise fostering a need for mundane healing methods. And I assume people around here still need to learn how to protect themselves as well as those still interested in killing each other?" She asked her friend.

"Though, Lydia, I do have a solitary question about something that all these years still burns true and bright in my head. I still cannot help but wonder what happened to my misplaced Alchemy Gun, the Chaemera Pistol with its Philosopher's Stone. I believe I asked you once before I took my long homeland sabbatical. What did you do with it when I handed it to you during the Daemon Kraken attack?" Ahmeh asked.

She tilted that aging furred head with silver shot crimson hair. Her solitary, seeing Gold eye settled on Lydia easily, examining, questing, searching and weighing the woman before her. 

Ahmeh listened to Lydia, still watching her. She took a sip of her tea once Lydia finished explaining things. Thoughts were chewed on in her furred head as she weighed out some possibilities.

"Educational needs in Rhy'Din have not deteriorated as much as I thought they may have. Then again, my sabbatical was much longer than my actual absence here. Hmm. A lot of choices to consider then. As to the Chaemera pistol, perhaps it's time I stop gnawing that bone and learn to let go of things. The philosopher stone in it has destabilized and powdered by now, so the weapon is inert and safe at this point in its life time. Though if you can scare up where it may be, I wouldn't mind having it back and perhaps improving it as a side hobby. Creating weaponry and armor has aged and faded much with my fingers. Depth perception isn't what it used to be." She chuckled and rubbed the fur on the cheek bellow the silvered and blind left eye.

"How has the academy fared after that attack, Lydia? I know many were hurt and I kept my distance from the academy after that." She asked.

Ahmeh listened to Lydia and frowned a little. "She seemed like a decent assistant and worked well with you. I could always sniff her out if you want her found. Seems like we both had some rough sabbaticals. It's odd how when we get 'vacations' it's just more work. Or in my case, hiking around in mountains getting lost and chewed on by wyverns for a field trip." She giggled.

"How have the gardens and green houses been around here" I can help out with my green thumb, maybe create a few new plants to tickle peoples curiosities." she'd sip more of her tea that didn't seem to go down one bit each time she drank. She was cheating, but she had eaten so it felt less a cheat and more of a kindness not bother the cafeteria staff for more refills.

"Though I will say, Lydia, I'll most likely be staying on the school grounds. I get a feeling that there may still be some old embers in the city for me to step on. I'm not as young and plucky as I used to be. Could say the silver in my hair has brought a bit of maturity to my old days of kicking rumps and bouncing back from thrashings. Though I couldn't help but notice you danced around my question about a love interest. Lydia, are fine being lonely?" She asked the question gently.