Heart of the Battle

It had been years since the final battle, the one everyone had dreaded, but only few were lost. Something worse had been stirring in the last several years, a new threat. They called themselves the darkness. Now a new fate would come, to those caught in between. In the last several years Alex and Sheik had been married and had a strong son and a beautiful daughter. Along side them and their united guilds were Company of Blades, now led by Jabbles daughter who was best friends with the twins Klarese had; Along with Mindee and Panelle's daughter, Aurora, the new children began training and it was found that they had developed similar powers to their parents. And what of Rima and Nazard? They had disappeared during the final battle with Rima heavily wounded. Gidrian had fallen to allow their escape. A hundred years after the final war...

"Again." Sheikaris shouts to his children as they were going through their daily training routine.
"A hundred strikes?" His son, Liam, asked with sweat beading on his brow.
"Three hundred." Sheik says as he hands Alex her tea.
"Three hundred?!" Their daughter, Emma, asks in exasperation, breathing harshly.
"How do ye expect to get bettah if you don't practice, dear?" Alex laughs quietly, sipping her tea with her pinkie up.
"But moooom." The teenager girl whines loudly, causing her brother to laugh.
"Don't 'but mom' me, Emmarathine." Alex says in that motherly tone that all mothers gain.
"Ugh!" Emma stomps her foot on the ground as she strikes at the training dummy, causing it to explode into splinters.
"Excessive." The older brother says, lifting his plate mask up once the wood had stopped falling from the sky.
"Emma! Liam!" A voice calls from the past the apple orchard.
"They're back here, Aurora!" Sheik calls before turning to his children, beaming with pride, "Alright alright, I suppose we can let you two off the hook for now."
Wandering in through the gate was a small gnome girl, the area around her was both cold and hot. The two half elf siblings run over to meet with their friend but pause when they see a small elf with her.
Carefully standing up, Alex rested a hand over her pregnant belly, absentmindedly rubbing it as she goes to look at the new comers.
"So who's your friend, dear?" Alex asks with a curious brow, Sheik staying by her side.
"She won't tell me your name, just said that her mother spoke of you guys and my moms." Aurora says calmly.
"Well who was her mother?" Sheik seemed curious, ignoring the bad feeling he felt in his gut.
The elf girl's voice was soft and coarse, "Rima Darkmane."
Sheik and Alex look at each other, alarm rising before Sheik steps forward, "You're Rima's daughter? Where is she? How is she?"
"Fine.. I thought I would find her friends since she was missing everyone... My brothers and sister would've come but they were busy with training under the order.." The elf says weakly.
Sheik walked forward, "Where is she?"
"She is hidden in the mountains... Near Avalon and Seradane... I wouldn't go there yet... Her soul is lost." The elf girl says quietly.
"Wot of her mate, Nazard?" Alex asks quietly, lightly rubbing her belly.
"Gone... Long gone... Some strange man is making her lost... Nazard told me so..." The girl's eyes seemed void of sleep and emotions.
"If Nazard is gone... Then how has he..." Liam trails off.
The girl covers her ears as tears begin to form, "They keep talking, the shadows, they never stop talking."
Sheikaris's eyes grow wide, "You inherited Rima's crystal..."
Emma and Liam quickly step back, Aurora moves away. They had been told the stories. They knew about the crystal wars and all the souls lost to Rima's crystal when she turned dark.
Alex quickly speaks up, "You have to remember, dear, that a child can only inherit ONE trait. She obviously had the Whispering Death."
The group relaxes, all except Sheik.
He quickly whispers to Alex, "The girl said she had siblings... High chance one of them has -that- trait."
Alex elbows him in the side quickly. Sheik makes a face, ignoring the urge to growl.
"Well, come inside dear." Alex waves the girl towards the house.
They wander into the two story farm house. Sheikaris carefully helps Alex sit on the couch before going to make more tea.
The elf tilts her head, "This place... So big."