Another restless night it would seem, and more the common was this for Brian Ravenlock, as he found himself staring into his own eyes once more. In the mirror, those eyes of blue that never seemed to blink, just simply stared back to the man. A cycle of back and forth, that seemed to be par for the course when it came to the early morn hours no less. A hand lifted to trace the outline of that reflection in the mirror for a moment before lowering to the sink, as the faucet was then twisted. The sound of pouring water catching his attention, as contact was finally broken with the mirror. He lowered himself to the sink, taking a moment to splash that tired face of his with the cool water, in an attempt to further shake those webs. As he did so, he thought back over the events that had occurred over the last few days. More so, what a mess some of those events had turned out to be.

The business with that ?Drow Matron?, Myana in the glen? The business that went south pretty damned quickly, when she managed to somehow tap into something that caused a quite the stir. The result of which was the resonating cycle of runic power that had erupted within her very halls, coupled an arcane torrent of frost and blood. Something Brian assumed would have never have been able to occur, given current circumstances and yet--- well it had. So much so, that it garnered the attention of Arthour of Bristle Crios, and Renna along others, such as Icer.

Timely arrivals indeed, and arrivals Brian was deeply thankful for.

Because Brian had no idea, how far things might have gone, or how far he would have slid in regards to the sheer output of runic power that had come from him---- from what he carried within himself.

Other things as well had transpired. Strange things, that Brian could hardly explain without seriously doubting his own sanity, yet-- well they were happening, and more so in frequency no less, and like so many other secrets he carried within himself, the things that occurred were kept to himself.

A poor habit indeed for the eldest Ravenlock, and one it seemed he would carry to the end of his days, until a chance meeting earlier that afternoon with a somewhat kindred spirit...

Edward Batten.

"Hmm, wha? Oh, Mister Batten. Well you're not dead, that's a good sign--I think?"

"Nope, not dead, t'ough Ah'm sure plenty o'people t'ink so. Whet'er dat's a good or bad t'ing is a matter o' pers'nal opinion."

"In my opinion, that'd be good. Course that also means I may be losing my mind-- again, and that is not a good thing. I haven't slept in days, and when I think I do--- I see things, I know I shouldn't see. Ed... I see them all, and they won't leave me alone... Children, women and men--- his kills-- Rav-- Jacyn's. I see them more often now and they-- they talk to me.."

Dese...visions...any idea why yer seein' 'em? Ah mean...sounds like dey should be hauntin' Rav...Jacyn, rat'er dan you."

"Ed, he's alive... When it ended, Ed, I know there was mass chaos, and confusion. When we were taken from the market, and abbey and then sent to wherever we were. When he was struck down by the avatars of Scathach, and Aife and left vulnerable, Jen-- Lady Angelique subdued him and I had an opening. But I couldn't kill him outright, I had to take what was left of Jacyn and--- well, I wish I knew how to explain it better, but we took it out by force and sealed it... Leaving him a blank slate-- a husk, if you would. He's a vegetable, and is locked away with no recollection of anything at all. Hell, he can hardly function as it stands without help. But he is alive."

"An' dis...what ya took out of Jacyn...jus' what did ya seal it in?"

"Me..."

Gods, the amount of effort it had taken to finally admit what he had done to someone--- hell, anyone for that matter. That decision had been gnawing at him for months, and months.

He dared not tell a soul, because the fall out from such an admission would have been disastrous not only for his own life, but for any of those involved. There was far more at stake, when it came to dealing with what Raven had wrought upon the city, and people. Brian knew it wasn't the wisest course of action, but...

"There was no other way, so I had to make a choice. I took what was left of the Gauntlet, and sealed Jacyn within it. It's here--- within me. I know it was stupid! But there were no other hosts, and we were running out of time. He would have gotten away again, as wiped as each of us were. There was no other way, to stop him.

Then someone helped me, Ed. The Onyx Lotus-- Lady Myllyanna. She made it possible to prolong the process. Her people, placed something within me--- a counter measure to keep what I took from him, isolated, until we can get this taken care of for good. That's why I haven't seen anyone, save a few since then. I mean how can I look at any of them, and tell them all I couldn't kill him a second time!? How can I face any of them, and tell them that he is closer than they think and worse off, that I am literally holding what was left of him, somewhere inside me??

"If Ah had t'guess, Ah'd say dat de energy yer...holdin...it ain't helpin' ya much. Damn if Ah know what can be done wit' it, t'ough."

"It's been easy enough unti l recently, Ed. Up until about two weeks ago, and now this other mess. I dunno. I need to head out though, it's not like I can talk shop like this out here with people pilin' in. If it's okay, I'd like to talk more. Maybe get a level headed point of view?"

"Ah c'n manage dat, Ah t'ink...ya could come by de Tower, or if dere's someplace else ya'd rat'er go, Ah'm good wit' dat. Yer right, t'ough, prob'ly not de bes' time right now."

Thoughts shifted once more as Brian thought to what he had done once more in regards to the man called Raven. The man who it had turned out had actually been his own older brother Jacyn. A brother who had succumbed to the fae relic known as 'Darkin's Gauntlet' so many years ago, and killed his own wife in the process of that horrific descent into madness. A man who left no recourse for Brian, save ending his life and taking the relic by force. Because the only way the Gauntlet could truly be passed from one person to the next, was at the cost of the current wearers life.

Something that had not been truly realized, until it had been far too late. Because the Gauntlet had indeed been taken by Brian, yet Jacyn had not been killed in order for Brian to take that which his brother had.

Instead, Brian took an arm instead of a life. And later he would unknowingly take a child from the man, he had left alive.

Juleta.

A young woman that was Brian's niece, and who Brian and Charlotte had taken in, along with the rest of the clan as their own, until she had decided on taking her leave from the family. Yet another reason for Jacyn to further hate his younger brother, and any who stood with him.

One of many reasons...

Soon after Juleta had left the Ravenlock family, Jacyn had initiated a series of events that would eventually culminate into the cataclysm simply known as 'Raven'.

A series of events that an agent of one Alain DeMuer, somehow uncovered during an investigation, into Raven's motives and possible ties.

A series of events simply titled 'Family Matters', which was a rather intricate set of plans to completely isolate the entire Ravenlock family, from their allies and associates by way of slander, and scandal. Then each of the members would be attacked again, and again via mental and physical assaults, to the point of breaking and then--- he would pit them against one another.

To make matters worse, he had already recruited one of their own to initiate this first round of attacks, which were directed at Brian, Jewell and Wyheree. The choice was an astoundingly solid one, and quite an easy sell no less. Not to mention, it was a damned effective choice that carried an after effect that even Jacyn could not have foreseen, when he had recruited Lain Ravenlock to go after the members of her own family.

Soon after that other attacks had begun in earnest, against the likes of Jade Ravenlock-Steele, and her husband Dakota. Even Brian's ex-wife Charlotte was sought out, and attacked brazenly in the dead of night, as Jacyn's forces tried to take she and Brian's daughter, Elena. One by one, family and ally were attacked with the most extreme of prejudices.

The attacks lasted for weeks, and then suddenly ceased.

It was this time that Brian Ravenlock, had seemingly fallen off the face of Rhy'Din herself.

The truth of the matter was, that Brian had not fallen...

In fact, he had been taken from the realm shortly after the event known as 'Rolling Thunder', where the undead rose, and attempted to sack WestEnd. It took him the better part of a year to see his way back home, and that was with a great deal of help. However, in the realm he had been taken to--- Darkenwood, it had been three long years, of blood, sweat and so many tears. In fact had it not been for Garet Jax, along with the efforts of the Lady Myllyanna and Jenai Angelique, it would have been far longer than three years.

Much to the disappointment of one Jacyn Ravenlock, who had orchestrated the entire event, under the guise of 'Darkin', as he sought to end the line of his brother, via planes walking.

And it did not end there, most assuredly as Jacyn took advantage of the incident known as 'Scarred', to bolster his purpose and forces. That incident saw the city attacked by forces under the command of a man called 'Travanix'. An incident where many of Rhy'Din's sons and daughters banded together, to not only repel the attackers, but to also save as much of the city and her people as they could in the process. An effort that Brian had directly taken part in.

All of this made known well after the fall of Raven and his forces.

Machinations that had lasted so many years...

Machinations, and suffering that might have possibly been averted had Brian simply killed the man, back when.

(s) ?No... No more thinking like that.?

Shaking his head, he splashed his face again, and again, each splash harder than the last in some additional effort to push the thoughts away somehow. This lasted a few moments, as he lifted from the sink once more to look into the mirror, as eyes of blue met eyes of blue. T'was then, that his hand lifted from the sink, causing his eyes to avert and settle upon that scarred left hand of his. The very same hand that he kept covered in public, not to mention the same hand that wielded Darkin's Gauntlet. A hand that currently would not have been attached to his body had it not been for the effort of Lady Myllyanna's gargoyle tinkerer, and her attentive staff.

His eyes trailed the series of scars along the back of that hand, as they trailed from knuckle to mid forearm or so. It still hurt sometimes to look upon that, yet he also knew it was a necessity, because inside there-- somewhere, was the capacitor device that housed what was left of Jacyn, and his twisted relic. And it was because of that, that Brian could not allow many to become close to him, especially certain parties in particular who would have realized what he had done, before he had a chance to act.

People such as Katt, who he had verbally blasted to no end, the other night.

?You do that a lot you know, Bri-man??

The voice caused nerves to suddenly erupt on end as his eyes shifted to the mirror in order to see where the voice came from!

His eyes narrowed as he searched the mirror carefully, making sure to take extra note to the area behind him that led to the rest of the master bedroom. Back and forth they went, as he remained dead still and quite silent, hoping it was simply his nerves and little else.

Because as it stood, no one else knew that Brian had returned to the Ravenlock Villa, which had been literally abandoned when he and Charlotte had opened the Inn, inside Rhy'Din so many years ago. In fact, the very wards he had place all those years back were still intact, when he had first returned and then reset once more. As he quickly checked the lot of them, they were each still very much intact. So no one was inside the home, save Brian himself.

After a few more moments of silence, Brian began to ease up once more. ?I need to get it together...?

A towel was reached for, as he quickly patted his face a bit.

It was then that he felt something...

A chill that was felt across the back of his head, causing his hair to stand on end. A chill that soon spread along his shoulder and arm, to which he whipped around in reply, sending a out a back hand that knocked a shelf from the wall, as his eyes quickly panned back and forth.

?Who are you!??

The reply he got was a-- giggle?

His eyes narrowed, as he bolted into the master bedroom, looking back and forth only to see the door to the hall open. A door, which he had known was closed, as he closed it himself. Moving to the door, he caught sight of something. It was, luminescent and looked to be-- ?A sandal, the hell??

Round the corner it went towards the living room, and kitchen. That giggle heard once more as Brian followed suit sticking close to the walls, and listening intently as he made his way. A quick check round that corner, saw something that stole the breath of the eldest Ravenlock as he felt himself nearly fall to a knee, only to recover by gripping the wall.

Brian falter caused quite the giggle fit, ?See? I told you, he'd freak out. I win!?

?Alright, y'dun gotta rub it in. Least he's still with us. Yer still with us aintcha, brother? Hate for me, an her to come all this way, for you to just pass the hell out. 'Specially since I know yer tougher than that, son.?

?Come on Bri-man up an at em. We need to talk, little brother.?

Walking into the room more so, Brian simply stood there dumb struck as he looked between the pair of--- well, spirits would be the best way to put it.

?Rosie??

?Yup!?

?Da---kota??

?Guilty, brother.?

?Why---- how??

?Cause we need to talk, son and we need to do it right quick, and let them folks outside know they can move on and leave ya be, unless ya like bein' bothered by all the dead folks, yer brother planted in the ground.?

Brian was still trying to make sense of whatever the hell this way, as he moved slowly to the sliding glass door, taking peek outside.

That marked the second time his breath was stolen...

Even he would be hard pressed to have been ready for what he was looking upon, as he saw what looked to be hundreds of spirits surrounding the villa, yet their distance was kept. He had hoped it would remain that way, as he turned to Rosie, and Dakota once more, hoping for some kind of explanation and if possible, some kind of assistance.

?Bri-man, you need to get rid of him and quick---?

?Cause if ya dun' brother, yer gonna be just like us, dig??