Gill asked Amber, "Where do you think we should go? Down into the valley, or around it? Where do you think the gods may preside?"

ViperaUnion wrote:(It's only Chaora, there isn't an 's' at the end.)

Chaora bowed to her master. "Very well, Lord Srathos. I shall do what I can." She paused for a moment. "Also, my Lord, I have a request. I wish to release the monsters that I keep on the worldly island. They will be considered omens, and as it will also please Aigea, who lives for struggle. Once I finish with the tasks I have been given, I will do as you see fit. Then I shall retire to Eversio, my own realm, for a time. I would like to see what I can do to the mortals from there. I have my ways, my Lord." Chaora hoped that her words found favor with her master.

Srathos sratched his chin for a moment with thought.

"Hmm... yes. Yes, an excellent idea. Do this. It will please my children and Aigea. You need rest as well. Yes. Do these things and retire" Srathos replied firmly.

Amber sighed for a moment and closed her eyes, thinking. She didn't know where Seacros might reside, but there were other gods and goddesses to question. "Hmm...If the legends are correct, then all the gods reside in their own realms, with portals located in specific places. We need to find the portal. Right now, I think we're closer to either Cindrea or Morphea." She opened her eyes again. "If you were a goddess of illusion and dreams like Morphea, what would you do to deter those that seek you?" She paused. "If I recall, her domain is an island that floats in the sky. I think there was supposed to be some sort of ship that can take us there."

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Chaora nodded, "Very well. I shall handle the sin, first." With this, she once more vanished to perform her dark craft. She went among the mortals, and taught a few how to deceive. They still felt guilt if they were caught, but if they got away with it, sin was addictive. Soon people sinned in public, and nobody noticed. The infection rooted deeper.

"Morphea would've put the portal where only you could. . . dream of it." Gill said. Then it hit him. There was no portal, no physical portal that is. It was all mental. You had to dream yourself there. It just hit him, an inspiration. . . inspirations only come from Morphea, so Gill thanked Morphea quietly.

Morphea smiled silently as she sat on her throne. She had seen the two heroes get lost, and she didn't really wish ill will on them. It was true, that in order to reach Quies, one needed to enter a portal, however, the floating Island was only reachable through dreams. The issue was that the dreamer had to be aware that they were asleep. If not, they wandered along like any other person and never reached the island. Therefore, certain things had to be done. They needed a guide. The guides were strange, Tapir-like creatures called Baku. Baku had a similar size and appearance to Tapirs, save for their golden hide and brownish stripes that ran down their backs. Their trunks looked more like an elephant's, and they had tiger-like paws and tails like an ox, which Cindrea had permitted. Their eyes looked like that of a rhino. If Amber and Gill could find a sapient Baku, as some were more like animals, they could find the Isle of Dreams.

Srathos looked down at the forbidden isle. He knew what he had done was wrong, yet he shall not stop. He vanished. He then was flying thru the black clouds of the nights sky, he was searching for Seacros and was almost upon him...

Chaora unleashed the monsters that populated the Isle of Tirril. Every last one a work of pure horror, done by the goddess' own cruel hands. Nuckleavees, Vampires, Gorgons, Wendigoes, Hydras, Sirens, Banshees, and many, many more that were too horrible to describe. All of these beasts were set free and permitted to roam about the earth. Sickness and death followed in their wake, and everything perfect was corrupted. Animals that were normally docile attacked other creatures and ate meat. It didn't matter whether or not they existed in the sea, sky, or underground. All of it was permeated with the taint of sin. Once her wicked craft was done, Chaora gave a final laugh, and was gone into Eversio, her own realm. The rift took some time to close afterwards, and anyone watching would wrench away with the pure dread that emitted from the world on the other side. The portal was red, like an infected wound, and its edges were pure black, like rot. It cast of red hues, like blood seeped from its form. In addition, there was the sound. It was like the final sound of a punctured lung, but was permeated by something like a tormented scream of agony. It was if the very sky had been cut, and it writhed with pain. Then it closed, and all that was left was an eerie silence, as the island's inhabitants were no longer there.

Seacros saw the horrors that had entered the ocean. The sharks became bloodthirsty, piranhas polluted the rivers, and horrible monstrosities came to life in the deep places of the sea. . . He sensed Srathos' presence.

"What do you want Srathos!" Seacros screamed in fury and sadness. "What more do you want! Curse you! Curse you!" He didn't really curse Srathos, just yelled in anger.

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Gill laid down on a soft moss bed and closed his eyes, leaving Amber standing there. He wondered, What do I need to dream so that I may gain access to Morphea's domain? He pondered, and pondered, eventually. . . he fell asleep. . .

Little did Gillzros notice that Amber's eyelids grew heavy as well. Soon, both of them had fallen into a deep, dark slumber, not caused by their own weariness, as it turned out. Their thoughts of dreams had lured something to them. In their dreams, which were linked, though they didn't know it, they were at full strength. Amber was armed with a full quiver of arrows, and Gill was in his aquatic form, despite the air feeling dry. They stood in a strange, prismatic space, which mainly took the form of a swirling mist that circled them to make a space. The mist was mostly several shades of green, blue, and violet, but other colors were present. Out of the mist a medium-sized tapir-like animal trotted. It came up and examined them with rhinoceros eyes. "Did someone summon me?" It asked in a soft, gentle voice that identified it as male. "Someone thought of Lady Morphea's Isle of Dreams?" He hadn't said his name, but it was Daisuke.

Gillzros stared in amazement. What is that thing? He wondered.

It heard his thoughts and replied cheerily, "I am Daisuke, a sacred Tapir servant to my Lady Morphea. You called me by desiring to enter Her Ladyship's presence, am I correct?"

Gill stuttered out a weak, "Y-yes?" He said it like a question. This was so strange to him. Everything felt. . . happy and sad and mad all at the same time. It was like being in a dream while existing without a physical body. . . it was like their spirits were manifested in this strange place.

Daisuke nodded, his trunk swaying from side to side. "I cannot take you there directly, but I can be of service to you. I can show you the path, however, you will face many trials, and I shall risk my life to do this. Therefore, I must inquire, why do you wish to see my Lady?" The Baku was not about to guide people who had no respect or good intentions for the laws Morphea had put in place.

Gill spoke up quickly, "We are frightened. Suddenly the fish in the sea flee and attack one another. No longer do they live in harmony, but instead kill for food. Surely Morphea, the goddess of inspiration, dreams, and thoughts would tell us the workings of the heavens and why our good Thirth is crumbling before our eyes."

Daisuke nodded again, "Your intentions are noble, I see. However, I know not the answer to your questions. Many of the gods have gone silent, as I can tell from the dreams and nightmares that haunt those that roam this world. Something has bothered them, left them deeply disturbed, enough to cause tremors in the balance. However, Morphea, as an elder goddess, should have the answers you seek." The Baku swished his tail. "Now, you might get past the dragon with that girl's mark there." He nodded at Amber's arm, making her cover it half-dazed. "Well, as I was saying, A taint has entered the world."

A cloud of darkness formed in front of Seacros. Then it shaped into a snake-like structure and then into Srathos's shape.

"Cousin... Seacros, do you believe you are strong enough to withstand my power now?" Srathos hissed.

Chaora walked about her horrible dimension. Although it had sounded full of screams when she had opened a rift to get there, it was deadly silent. Currently, she was in her temple, which was incredibly large compared to the other gods, being that there was little outside to observe. The entire temple was built out of a creamy-brown marble. Corinthian columns, thick as one of Cindrea's redwoods, rose up to meet the ceiling. Where there was an opening to the outside of a temple (Which was hard to find) One either saw molten lava seeping down from a barren rock cliff, or a blotted out view, caused by a relentless sandstorm. In some chambers of the temple, there was burning brimstone, where Chaora planned to chain guilty souls. The walls were soundproof, so the men and women's screams would go unheard and unanswered. In one of the two center-most chambers, there was a floating orb that looked like Thirth, surrounded by clouds. From here, Chaora could see anything on the planet. The last room was her throne room, where her hideous seat lay. As said before, her realm was silent, but filled with a sense of emptiness and dread.