Timelapse

[Fallacy]

"Strom is burning! The orcs are coming!"

Alarms were raised all across the small village as smoke filtered in from the surrounding battles that had inflamed the country. Herenth was shaken from his sleep by his brother, only three years older than the five year old was. He yawned for a moment and rubbed his eyes, unaware of what Shayren wanted him up for. Herenth barely had any time to put on his boots before his brother dragged him out of the house, with little more than his night clothes on. It was not quite dawn, but the sky was red from the fires across Arathi. People were frantically gathering up whatever they could salvage before the Horde could reach the village, and screams and wailing could be heard as the townspeople despaired over leaving their homes. Shayren pulled Herenth to the back of their home, where their small stable and their waiting mother were.

"Ma, what's happening? I'm tired!" Herenth complained. His mother did not answer, but gripped him tight. With her head close to his, he saw that her cheeks were soaked with tears, making her dark brown her stick to it. She placed him atop their farmhorse, and Shayren climbed up himself.

"Shayren, make sure your brother is safe. Stay away from Stromgarde, that's were most of the fighting will be, and off of the roads, too. Your uncle in Lordaeron will keep you safe."

Herenth began to realize that there was something wrong. "Ma, why aren't you coming with us?" He felt that he was about to start crying himself.

His mother smiled, chuckling mixing with soft sobbing. "Don't worry, Herenth. I'll see you later. Uncle Kren will keep you safe, until I can catch up."

She patted the horse's backside to get it trotting. "Now, go."

Shayren took the reins tight, and pushed the horse to take them out of the village as quickly as possible. Herenth then began to let loose what he had been holding back, and his tears scattered in the horse's mane.

Fallacy awoke panting, even though he had no true breath. His head was wracked with pain, as the image of his mother froze into his mind. He rose from his bed, desperate to get rid of the ache, but it did not lessen, and he felt desperate. Desperation turned to anger, as he could not find a way to rid himself of it. His fists clenched, and he released one into the closest wall he could find. Before he could realize it, he saw that the wall had a large hole from where his elementium-incased hand had punched through it, sending splinters of wood and stone into the nearby field of the farmhouse he was sleeping in. His panting and anger subsided as he studied what he had done in his rage.

"Curse these dreams! I want to be rid of them, the memories of loss!" He clutched his right hand, as if the pain had passed to it from his head. "Why do I suffer through my past again? Does my mind pass through time as I sleep? Something... is seeping... into my dreams... making me relive my memories..."

Fallacy sat back down on the bed, staring at his hand, until he gave up his consciousness again.

[Fallacy]

Fallacy awoke again not too long after again. However, despite trying to pass the memories into the darkness of his meditative state, the thought of his family was still present in his mind, even though the pain was gone. His elementium hand felt numb. Almost mechanically, he flexed each of the fingers, making them click against his palm. Still, it did nothing to regain the feeling in it. He ran his other hand through his hair and sighed. Despite trying to rest, he felt more tired than after any battle he had before.

"Something must be missing, and my subconscious is trying to recover it. What is it my mind is seeking? What did I lose when I died?" He stuck a finger through his empty eye-socket, feeling around in his empty skull. Orange light wrapped around it, reflecting off the white of his bone. He half-expected to find some trace of what he was missing, tangible or not.

"My exposure to the Caverns of Time must have brought this on. I'm slipping through time, trying to find something in my past that has escaped me now." He had no idea why he was talking aloud, as if only to convince himself that was what was truly happening to him. He removed his finger, staring at it to see if he had actually dislodged something. "I must try to remember, to do this without the torment."

He let his vision grow dark as he delved into himself, to seek out what he had lost.

Four months had passed since Herenth and Shayren had arrived at their uncle's home in Lordaeron, far removed from the battles that had embroiled their homeland. They had arrived barely alive, as they had journeyed with little food or water to supply them. Kren had taken them in, as his sister wanted, while they awaited for any word from either of their parents. Herenth lived out most of the time he lived in his uncle's house in silence.

Finally, a letter arrived, but not bearing the news they had expected. Their father had died while defending Stromgarde from the Horde's invading forces, and no word had arrived as to their mother's whereabouts. Herenth grew even more reclusive, not even willing to join Shayren to play in the Glades.

Another two months went by. Despite his uncle's beatings, Herenth would only do the farmwork he was assigned, and would spend the rest of the day in his room, only emerging to eat and for other biological reasons. While working out on the fields, Herenth noticed a cloaked figure approaching the house. He couldn't make out the face, so he approached the person, to see if he or she was another refugee escaping from the south who needed directions. As soon as he got close, the person removed the hood of the cloak, revealing that it was his mother. Herenth's gloomy disposition disappeared as his mother embraced him, and Shayren came to join them.

Six years after their renunion, the Absalom family returned to Arathi after being refugees with Kren. The village they had once lived in had been burnt to the ground. Herenth was twelve at the time, but he had no trade, and no land to inherit. His mother worked as a handservant for a noble in Alterac, but, without any skills or inheritance, Shayren disappeared. It was only after Herenth died did he learn that he had become an apprentice of the Ravenholdt. Herenth considered himself a burden to his mother, and volunteered himself under a fisherman, even though he was way above the normal apprentice age. He lived in squallor in Menethil Harbor, learning the skills required of a sailor, until he was able to command a small trading vessel of his own. It was then that he made a journey to Quel'thalas, and met her...

Fallacy shook himself free of his probing thoughts. He had gone too far, almost to the point of Visena, something he detested to remember. Apparently, he was still not ready for what he had tried to purge himself of. He tilted his head back to look at the ceiling, staring at the cracks in the boards. He collected his thoughts, and his belongings, and made for the door.

"I need a drink..."

((EDIT: Dumb italics...))

[Fallacy]

"Kyaaaah!"

The roar hissed out of Fallacy's fleshless mouth. He brought his spear down, but the night elf rogue caught it against her daggers. He could have easily overpowered her and brought the blade down on her head, but his attempt was cut short by a kick to his stomach. The assassin was cunning, but her attacks were futile, causing him little damage, and what he did recieve he ignored. She was done, and it would take little more than one blow, and she seemed to know it, yet she persisted. He could feel her rage burning at him, as one who is about to lose one's life is so desperate to keep it.

The undead around them payed little attention to their duel, more concerned with picking off the survivor. They knew that if Fallacy won, they would have little chance to escape his wrath afterwards, but still wanted to feast on the remains of the night elf afterwards. He had been watching them move among the diseased trees of the Plaguelands out of the corner of his eye since they had started fighting. He would not let them have her; he would, at least, spare her that dignity, instead of becoming a meal to the ghouls.

The rogue had managed to jump a couple feet away from him after deflecting his spear, but he was still in range to attack, so he thrusted it forward towards her chest. She once again caught it against her daggers, but the force of the direct attack made her only slightly change its course, and it dug into her shoulder, making her cry out as the blood trickled along her armor. She cursed him in Darnassian, and he laughed at her. He thought it ironic, she had been preying on weaker opponents all the time she had been in the area, and, now that she had met a better, she had regret. He thought it funny that, after all the death she had dealt, she had never expected it to come so easily. He would not let her live without the shame.

"Did you truly think you could escape death so easily?" His common was rusty, but he had been practicing recently. "You revel in it, slaughtering the helpless, and yet you never considered that it might happen to you. You night elves are pathetic, still lost in your stupor over the loss of the World Tree. You take lives, thinking that they're all worth less than yours, without any consideration to the pain you cause others. Do you feel that pain now? Can you feel the suffering? Or, do you still hold to your arrogance?" He had her pinned. Her wound was draining her strength, and he would not let her go until she had answered him, or he took her life. "How would you address the Watcher?" He began to laugh slowly, and his laughter developed into a caucus.

"What's this all about?" Fallacy's laughter was interrupted. A tauren had come to see what the commotion was about, after hearing the night elf's cries of pain. He could see that the shaman was well less experienced than himself or the rogue. His intrusion was also enough of a distraction for the night elf to twist herself off of the spear.

"Damnit!" The night elf was still agile enough to escape him, and she disappeared from his sight. He turned to the shaman, the fire in his skull burning bright. "Look what you've done! She's gone!"

The tauren was shocked, but not from Fallacy's anger towards him. Fallacy saw a hand slip around the shaman's neck, holding a dagger against it.

"Throw down your weapon, or I'll slit his throat." The night elf had slipped around to the tauren's back, and was using him as a hostage.

"Aa--" Fallacy was speechless. This was the most despicable behavior he had seen in battle, and his fury was building. He almost considered letting the tauren die, just to have the chance to finally take the night elf's head. His right hand was shaking, but he let his spear drop to the ground. He would not fail his duty as a Watcher by letting the tauren die.

"Good little undead boy." The dagger flashed up, leaving a slash on top of the tauren's nose. She kicked him forward, making him fall on his knees. "You're lucky your friend there is so compassionate, unlike so many of the Forsaken, else I would have ended you." Fallacy felt himself enraged, as he watched her. Her face, he thought, it's so twisted. She laughed, and disappeared into the bush.

The tauren felt the small patch of blood that had formed from his wound. "I'm... sorry."

Fallacy shook his head. He had almost let his anger take a hold of him once again, like he had when he first arrived at the Eastern Kingdoms.

"Don't worry about it. Your life is more important than me killing her." The tauren's hand glowed slightly green as he healed his wound.

"If there's anything--"

"Not a thing. Just remember what happened here today, and the actions of the Watcher of the Bronze Dragonflight. Don't let yourself by overtaken by hatred." With that, Fallacy left him, and headed back to the Undercity.

"I need another drink..."

[Fallacy]

((It seems I forgot to finish this. Stupid, forgetful me.))


"Arathi again..." Fallacy looked to Amnennar, happily grazing on the soft grass of the hills. "Why is it we always end up here, old friend?" He mounted up on his horse, and trotted around, enjoying the peaceful breeze.

"It's too far apart that we enjoy moments like these, brother." Fallacy's sight shot down to his right side to see Shayren beside him, walking along at their same pace.

"Bah, Shay, you almost make me wish I had joined you at Ravenholdt with your little surprises." They both chuckled, even though they both felt regret for what they had lost with time.

"I'm surprised you're showing your face here, or what's left of it, at least. Word is, you've gone on an elf killing rampage. Specifically females." Fallacy shifted in his saddle, turning his view straight ahead. "This doesn't have anything to do... with her, does it?"

Fallacy grunted in disgust. "I've forgotten about Visena. It is my duty to end suffering, and the lives of those who revel in causing others to suffer, nothing else."

Shayren sighed. "Have you, now? Perhaps, you are the one who is still suffering..."

If he had skin, Fallacy would have turned red with anger. "What is that supposed to mean? I've thrown off my past, and I won't let it interfere with my duty."

"Your duty? Tell me, when was the last time you saw Mother?" Shayren rested a hand on Amnennar's neck.

"I... my wedding. What does she have to do with any of this?"

Shayren shook his head, looking to the ground. "Brother, she's dying."

Fallacy pulled hard on the reins, almost making the horse rear up. "She's... dying? Then..." He turned his head away from Shayren, towards the ground on the opposite side of him.

Shayren grabbed his right hand, but Fallacy could not feel the pressure through the elementium. "Go see her, one last time."

Fallacy pulled himself away. "I cannot. I won't allow her to see me this way. I'd rather her think me dead and buried."

"Herenth..." Fallacy turned back towards his brother, only seeing him for a split-second before a fist landed on his jaw. "You know what I did?! I went to see her, and she spit on me. I abandoned you both in the time of your most dire need, and she hates me for it! But, you know what?" Shayren grabbed Fallacy's collar to bring him closer. "I deserved it. You, however, she was heartbroken when she heard you were lost at sea. She lost both of her sons, no matter how they left her. Now, go see her before she takes her last breath!"

Shayren released him, but Fallacy almost didn't move from the position his brother had pulled him into. It wasn't the blow that left him in shock, but the way his brother had opened up to him.

"I... uh... fine." Fallacy led Amnennar to start walking away from Shayren. "I'll see her."

"Remember. No matter what you may become, you are still my brother, and a son, Herenth."

Fallacy nodded, and drove Amnennar towards the Wetlands.