Darkness overshadowed the trees and foliage, casting them in tendrils of shadows that seemed to move of their own accord. Birches and oaks stood like sentinels to the outside world, while Marina stood over a font carved of stone. A sullen air wrapped itself about her as her penetrating stare bound itself in a thoughtful watch. Before her, the water that sat within the font gave off a green light that cast her face in an eerie mix of shadows and age filled lines. The added affect of the deep faelight that surrounded her made her seem otherworldly and incorporeal, as if legend had come to life and been given her body as a vessel.

Marina searched the font's waters over and over again, as she whispered words beneath her breath. As time went by, the newly arrived night soon became midnight and stars shouldered the weight of the pitch black sky overhead. Marina did not move from where she stood over the font. Though, with a sudden sigh of resignation, she finally turned away from the font to rummage in a tan backpack next to her until she pulled a wooden goblet out from its confines. She turned again to the font behind her and submerged the goblet into the water, before she withdrew it. Green water glowed in the goblet's grasp, daring Marina to do as she planned.

"I know what I seek," she whispered into the space between the goblet and she. Without further hesitation, she brought the goblet to her lips and drank deeply its contents. A sudden sense of dizziness overtook her as her vision blurred. Heat began to build in her stomach and spread out to her legs and arms. It only took a moment before she felt as if she might self combust. Slowly, she turned from the font as the goblet fell from her shaking hands. She took a step and crumbled to the ground as a moan of pain left her throat to echo in the forest around her.

Marina felt her eyes slowly open of their own accord and quickly shut them against the sudden light that pierced her vision. Her head felt as if she had smacked it against the font in her fall. She tried to open her eyes again and found the light to be less of a burden to her sight. She picked up her head to look around her and examine her surroundings. A landscape of glowing mists hung about her and spread out as far as she could see.

"Hello, Marina," came a voice from the empty air before her. She darted up and quickly regretted the sudden movement. Her head swam, and she felt as if she might be sick. A heartless chuckle rose from all around her, seeming to find her condition amusing.

"You searched for me, Marina. You've found me," the voice spoke again as she felt the hair on the back of her neck rise. Her eyes searched for the source of the voice and again, the voice chuckled. A form began to gain momentum in the distance until it stood only yard before her. The form before her was human, though taller than she was by a few feet. A neat mound of brown hair sat atop of the form's head, but the form could have been either male or female. A set of black eyes looked back at her, their whites nonexistent. Only a pair of blue trousers and a white short adorned its body. She gasped in horror at the fact that the being's face held no mouth, nose, or ears. The only thing that it had were those cold, malicious eyes.

"Who are you, and where am I?" Marina asked slowly, her hands going to the golden athame that hung at her waist. The form's watchful eyes caught her movements and a chuckle reverberated in the air before her.

"I truly doubt you'll find need of your athame here, my dear Marina," the figure spoke as Marina looked up and saw that it held her athame in its left hand. "Besides, you were the one that called to me; not I to you."

"But let me answer your first two questions," the form said as it took a step towards her, forcing her to take a step back. "My name is many. Some call me Hate, some call me Destruction, and some even call me War and Murder. Please, don't interrupt," it said as Marina tried to speak. "Now, as to where you are, you should know that answer, you being an oracle and all." Marina blinked and looked around her again, trying to make sense of this. The weightlessness, the sudden absence of her headache, and the feeling of being outside of time were all present; she suddenly snapped her eyes to the form before her as they came alive with smoldering rage.

"You’re the reason why we have been forgotten. You're the reason I've had to basically claw my way through all this debris you put in my path," she whispered harshly as the dreamscape rumbled in reaction to her anger. The form just rumbled in reaction to her anger. The form just watched before laughter boomed all about them. The sky overhead darkened quickly as deep purple clouds cast away the light of the mists. A howling wind pierced Marina's ears, forcing her to her knees and her hands to her ears. Stars danced in her vision, as she felt a crushing weight place itself on her body. Marina tried to scream for help, but her voice was lost in the howling winds. Suddenly, a preternatural silence thundered everything to a halt. She slowly looked up and saw the form hadn't moved, its eyes glittering with amusement.

"Do not think you can just throw your empty words at me, Marina. You seem so apt to forget that you are in my domain," the voice spoke, its tone condescending and biting. Marina slowly stood up, her body livid with fear of this being that stood before her. "You have tried to weaken me, time and time again. You and your husband have to stop my hands. Your abominations of priests have tried to stop me...and you've all failed. I can not be stopped. Even in your own home, I can enter and leave as I desire. No oracle, priest, nor foul-mouthed god can destroy me. And neither can you."

Marina watched the form for a few moments. She slowly folded her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at the form. She could feel the oncoming of the assault if had used earlier and drew herslf up. Finally realizing where she was, she inserted her will and caused the sky overhead to lighten as the foreboding clouds quickly dissipated. The form looked up to study the sky before turning its attention back to Marina. She did not give it time to recover as vines suddenly burst through the ground and tightly wrapped themselves about the form's body. She took a step towards the being, as it glared at her with a hate she had never seen before.

"I called you to me to say one thing," Marina whispered to the form while she brought her face close enough to its face, so it could hear her voice. "I've come to tell you that you will be defeated."

"You control gods? Are you a god?" the form asked as amusement danced in its pitch black eyes.

"No, but I am a woman, and I am a mother," she replied softly.

"Neither woman nor mother can stand against me," the being replied, sarcasm in its voice.

"You've not met one like me then," she hissed as she flung her arms up in front of her. A sudden force swept passed her to crash against the form that sent it hurtling backwards. A cry of alarm echoed from it as it disappeared into the mists. Marina watched the being leave by the force of her will, her body visibly shaking as she gasped for breath. "You will not win..."

Marina felt her body suddenly arch, as her vision blurred before all went black.

Marina shot up and looked about her frantically, searching for the land of mists and that form. She found the echoing of the forests instead, along with the rising sun greeting her with its rays of sunlight. Her eyes scanned the ground and found the goblet from which she had drank from at her side. Her mind tried to analyze the dream or what she had thought to be a dream, finding no sense in it. The day was already inviting, but she found her thoughts clouded and fuzzy.

"...it can't win," she whispered as she rose from the ground and slowly made her way out of the place, leaving behind the preternatural silence to watch her depart.