The edges of the Astral plane shifted and stalled themselves, grinding against one another in a lover's passionate dance. Gemini and Cancer united in an instant, and the way out of the Astral was made clear to Marina's patient mind. Darkness had flooded her eyes; her choice of existence. Darkness. Some would say it was the desire to not see the outside world. She believed that by not "seeing", as some might put it, she could understand the world in a new way. A sprig of faeleaf sat in her tiny right hand, held just in case of an attack. One shouldn’t be blind during a fight, she told herself while she transvered into Celestia, the plane of the heavenly hosts. Beauty crowded about her in the forms of cherubs and angels, each one greeting her with an innocuous smile before going about their ways to do whatever it was they did there. Every now and then, a pegasus would fly above overhead, casting its shadow upon the ground as if to remind mortal kind that they were simply but a facet of the lands. Marina could not help but smile at such a thought, while she made her way to the Elemental transverse point.

"Should I take the earth way or the water way?" she asked to herself, going over the mental maps in her mind while the wind playfully caught her long mane of black hair and threw it into her face. A grimace escaped onto her full lips before spitting out the hair and eyeing her surroundings. A sense of foreboding predicaments surfaced in her mind before settling on her thoughts to claim them for the duration it seemed fitting.

"Water it is," she said to herself before flowing through the planar transverse point and entered into a sea of sparkling, clear water. All about her, the beauty of the Water Plane stretched out in all its glory. The hum of the waves splashing against each other was the only sound to be heard, with a faint cry of a passing dream sucker or a splash of a fish far off in the distance the only thing to disturb its serenity. Laughter and crow lines marked the areas around Marina's eyes, pulling and tugging at the skin to make her appear older than her time. This world would do that to you, a voice spoke into her mind. She rolled her eyes at her subconscious before stretching her aqua-marine colored wings out from her back before soaring off into the clear sky above.

"At least I'm not senile," she told the voice in response, her tone sharp and domineering. Her subconscious seemed to find itself a new plot to twist and turn over and with such, deemed her response unworthy to respond to. Slowly, the landscape, or seascape rather, turned and churned passed her in a series of seas and oceans spreading themselves along empty space. It was surreal in the way the water kept itself afloat and never fell into the abyss below it. Whatever lay beneath it was beyond Marina's understanding. Perhaps, one day, I'll dive into its depths and find whatever lies beneath, she told herself before making a mental note to do so. Finally, the edges of the Ethereal Forest's planar point arose in the distance. Swiftly, she tucked her wings into her sides and sent herself diving for it. The exhilaration made her heart pound faster and faster, forced her mind to become sharp even though her blind eyes saw nothing. If another were to watch her, it would appear as if she were going to crash into the small island the planar point stood upon. With a quick open of her wings, Marina caught the air current which caused her to come to a soft, almost delicate, landing upon dry and oh so blessed ground. Her hands went to the ethereal gate way, as her mind's eye forced the gates to swing open and give her entrance. They spun in on themselves and almost forced her through them. The feeling could be described as something kin to thrown into a tornado, only the tornado was thrown into the person doing the transvering.

A shudder passed over Marina's shoulders, an attempt of her physical body to rid itself of the over-exertion of power and sorcery it took to shift the planes about the body at will. Her wings fluttered a moment at her sides, causing the air currents to catch them lightly, before they settled again behind her swan-like back. Silence clung to the earth here. Silence of age-old enchantments murmured in the distance, each one quiet and aloof enough to make even the hardiest of champions stop in their tracks to listen to these siren-like calls. Well, you've made it this far. Even though most of those on the plane below this one think you to be insane, her subconscious teased, you will have to enter into it sooner or later. Marina gave the voice a mental kick in the pants before snorting to herself. Is there ever a moment you don't take part in cynicism? She asked of the voice, but like before, it was silent.

A sudden ripple in time caught her attention, and she put out her hands and grabbed at an unseen thread. With a pull of pure force, Marina felt her body change and shift in the fabrics of creation before she found herself in the midst of a place holy to her. The air smelled of mistletoe and arnica, incense often used to honor that which lay beneath the earth here. The thrum of the earth sang beneath her feet, its bass-like voice only a small part of the song sung in this place. Her hands reached out to touch a masculine body of a horse before guiding themselves up to brush faintly along the lines of a man's face.

"All is well, it appears," Marina said to the empty air about her. A breeze stirred from beyond the trees to mix itself in the presence of the statue. The sound was faintly of a man's voice, cooing softly in acceptance and pride.

"Aye," was all that was said before Marina began to tend to the plant life about her. Each sprig rose to her hand, each tree bent itself as if begging her to touch it, and each flower gave an even more fragrant perfume than normal when she whispered softly to it. She did this over and over for the rest of the day and well into the night. High above, the round and full moon glistened brightly while its light sent rays into this small clearing, as if to say, "You've done well." Marina turned her blind eyes to the air in the midst of the clearing, as if half expecting the arrival of a divine. A few minutes passed, and Marina's senses told her no one was there. A sigh left her parted lips before she sat herself down to lean against the masculine creature behind her. Though, unlike most creatures, this one was made of stone. A statue made by hands she had never shaken nor touched, but evidentially, they had touched her. Else, she wouldn't be here right now. A sigh of contentment left her chest to wisp out of her lips and shape itself into tendrils in the crisp air about her.

It wasn't long until slumber found Marina and gathered her into his arms. Her dreams created haunting scenery that threatened to stretch well beyond the capabilities of her mind, with vortexes of black hands and quiet whispers beckoning her to them. A small voice spoke itself into the back of her mind, while a mental jolt brought her from her nightmares. With a surge of panic, Marina shot up from where she had been sleeping, her breathing coming quickly and partially while her subconscious began to immediately sense the surrounding area for intrusion. Nothing moved. No sounds could be heard in the distance or within the clearing. Immediately, the foliage about her swept along her and gathered her into itself. Her mind combined with her senses and began to probe at the silence, demanding a name.

"Are you so paranoid, Marina, that you must always act as if you're being hunted?" came a light and lilting voice, before a silver light poured itself from the moon above to dazzle enchantingly just inches above the ground.

"When you're considered a lunatic and a boon to the existence of most of your people, then aye. Call me bloody paranoid," Marina spat in response before the foliage about her released her slowly, as if to let her know that it would protect her at any given moment.

"I never told you it would be easy, now did I?" the feminine voice came again, this time sounding as if centuries of wisdom and knowledge stood in its wake. "Nor do I remember ever saying that any of those, like your self, have ever had easy lives. What, then, would the fun be?"

A mutter left Marina's mouth before she stretched her arms and legs. Silence stood between the apparition and her, causing each passing moment to seem like an eternity of them watching each other.

"I'm taking it you didn't just appear to have a cup of tea and speak of old times, Al'Nari," Marina asked, ending her question with a word from the Olde Tongue. She was quite skilled in the language, which not many could say. Though, being an advisor for many strong individuals always has its perks, said that obnoxious little voice in the back of her mind, which caused her to wince.

"Aye, El'Eari," the apparition spoke as the silver light from its form sparkled brightly for a moment and casted shadows along the trees, before dulling itself. "Let me ask you something, Marina. You've served this thing you call "balance" for quite some time. Do you foresee any coming "changes" to it?"

She couldn't help but blink in surprise. Even this apparition knew that she had not received any sort of premonitions in quite some time. Even now, she was hesitant to speak of them in public.

"You know very well, Al’Nari, I don't speak of such things. I've already got more than most of the basin believing me to be insane, and the other half conspiring to have me flogged for so called "blasphemy". You're of the spirit world. You should know such," Marina said hotly, her face flushing in an interesting mixture of red and blue all at once.

The apparition simply chuckled, or the sound that came from it seemed to mimic a chuckle. It moved toward her before coming to float just inches from her nose.

"Prophecy is interesting, Marina. Some believe you and some don't. When the time comes and prophecy makes itself known, even then those who hold its touch are told they are liars and lunatics," the apparition spoke softly, almost like a mother would to its child as she chided it for an ill-act. "But tell me, dear. What do you see?"

Her eyes suddenly went out of focus as her blindness shattered away from her like a mirror thrust into fire. She saw the basin far below her, as her mind's eye told her she was leagues above the ground. Calmly, she noted the Serenwilde and Glomdoring Forests, the two cities of Magnagora and New Celest. The Grey Moors sat to the Glomdorings western side, as if to lay claim to what little land it could. The Mount of Avechna stood just a few miles below her, its jutting body appearing to be a hand that had sought to reach for the gods before being struck down by their wraths. Her mind's eye misted over before releasing the image of a woman held within a space of blackness. It felt wrong being there, as if she had no right to even glimpse the woman floating in that nothingness. The woman's eyes suddenly opened and caught Marina's stare in a dead-lock. She felt her throat tighten, as she tried to scream in terror. A strangled cry of pain caught her attention, and Marina shot up from the grass she had remembered falling asleep on. Her heaves of breath clung tightly in her lungs, while she looked down at where the pain had been just seconds ago. A long cut ran from the tip of her right elbow to the length of her wrist, blood spilling from it in tendrils of crimson liquid. A murmur left her lips automatically, as her healing gift flowed over her fore arm and into the wound. It only took a second or two before the wound was healed without leaving a trace of a scar.

"It was only a dream...just a dream...," Marina whispered softly, as she looked up from the wound and into the moon-lit night. Nature seemed to mock her, as a cool wind blew from the north to caress her chin before going on about its way. "Just a dream. Just a dream."

Sleep caught her up an hour later, giving her no choice in the matter. Though, one thought flashed before her mind as her consciousness slid away. I didn't eat the faeleaf before I went to sleep...how did I..? It was only once she fell asleep that a soft laughter swept through the clearing that she lay sprawled across the ground in. It echoed along the trees and deep into the Northern Serenwilde Forest, carrying the breeze with it as it traveled back from which it had come.

Really nice.