❧ Prologue❧ My Daughter's birth was only slightly more honorary than any other vandal. She was ketch born, born under the prying light of the battleship, with the Kell, leader of our House, at its helm. She was a beautiful child, kind blue eyes and a petite build. Her father was a baron, which allows me to nurture and care for her. Her name will be Aerile, which means light, for she is the last light in the whole populace of Eliksni. Go Aerile, spread word of our people and bring righteousness to the Fallen. Chapter One-Prison The small fallen child tumbled about on the ketch floor, babbling and chasing the lights that tattered the ceiling. Her father stood nearby watching the child with little interest. His ears perked up as he heard a fellow member approach him. "Baron..." the member growled out in Eliksni."I believe it is time to feed the youngling" The Baron nodded, he picked the small vandal up, having little care for her safety. Aerile squealed with glee and nuzzled her father. The Baron brought her into a room with a multitude of vials of varying shapes and sizes stacked chaotically in shelves which lined the walls. The member, who had followed them, offered to take the vandal but the Baron pulled away. Arc surged through cords above, which concentrated into pool of an odd density. Fumes were gathered from this pool into an ether spring, where Fallen gained their strength and size. The Baron walked into the room where the spring was dispensed and hid the vandal in his cloak. Overlookers, Fallen only the slightest bit smaller than a kell watched over the spring, making sure no member took more than they were allowed to. The Baron grabbed a cup off of a shelf nearby and scooped up some of the fumes; he carried the fumes to his lips and inhaled. He fumbled back to the arc pool and pulled the vandal out; he took a scoop of the odd liquid and forced it down the child's throat. She coughed and began to cry, which got the attention of the Overlookers and the three of them tuned into the small vandal's whining. The Baron growled and covered the child's mouth, muffling her screams. Painful, glowing, cyan tears rolled down the vandal's cheeks. The Baron laughed quietly and brought the child back to her nurture room. He uncovered Aer's mouth and she still screamed in pain at the stinging tears. The Fallen member ran over and snatched Aerile from the Baron, cradling and trying to comfort the child. "What happened?!" The member demands. "She just disliked the taste of ether" The Baron shrugged, not seeming concerned with the child at all. "Fallen don't just dislike the taste of ether...I'm taking her to her mother..." The Member nuzzled the child and walked away The Member carried the child down to a lower part of the Ketch. He looked past the chatter and bustle of the busy ketch, Captains, Vandals, and Dregs cleaning their weapons and communing with one another. He shielded the child and walked to a door to which he entered a passcode and walked in, using his bottom set of arms he turned the light on. A single light shone on a fairly large female Eliksni, bound by chains on her back arms and legs, she sat on the ground sadly, her head drooping. The Member approached her and held Aerile out in front of him. Aer cooed happily and held her arms out to her mother. The Eliksni turned towards them and gasped when she spotted Aer, the Member placed Aer in her arms politely. The mother cradled her child. "Aerile?..." She said feebly and the vandal turned her head to her mother. "Good," She paused" you know your name ...can you say it? Aer-ile ,Aer-ile" Her mother chanted in hopes the child would copy her. "A-Aer...i...ile?"The child responded shakily. "Yes, yes that's it!" She hugged the child tightly "You are Aerile..." The vandal smiled and chirped happily at her mother's praise. "Aerile! Aerile!" The child repeated cheerfully. The mother smiled and sighed, she patted the vandal's head. The Member left the two to spend time together. He walked down the hall, suddenly he found himself being hurtled into the wall. He squeaked and grumbled with his eyes closed, he felt the powerful grip of another Eliksni holding him to the wall. "Where is my daughter?..."The voice growled. The Member opened his eyes and saw the Baron, enraged, looking into his eyes. "I-I took her to her mother" He squealed The Baron threw him aside and barged into the room with his 'spouse' and daughter after angrily smashing in the key code. "Hey, Honey" The Baron laughed out. "You know I never loved you, fool, for you to even believe that for a second is sick, Tenvorock..." The Mother shielded her child. "Foreseer Evalyne, tell me, what is this vandal's future?" Tenvorock giggled. Evalyne looked her child in the eyes, she brought Aer's head to hers and they touched. Her ears vibrated gently, her long hair began to float and a spectrum of gold twisted about. "She is to become something great, greater than you, greater than kell .Evalyne replied, her voice resounding along the cold metal interior. She hugged the child gently. The Baron's smug smile faded into a grim one. Tenvorock sighed and pulled Aer away from Evalyne. "No,no,no!". Aer squealed out, the Baron stopped and looked surprised. Aerile threw a fit in the Baron's arms. Squealing and squabbling, she attempted to throw herself out of the Baron's arms. The Baron growled and squeezed her, causing her to whimper. He trudged back to the nurture room and threw Aer onto the floor; she yelped and fell limp and unconscious. The Baron looked away, not noticing that the child needed medical aid. "Why can't I just kill you, I can never bring myself to do it," He paced about "you hold more honor than me and you're still an infant" The Baron noticed the Vandal's silence and walked to her. "A-Aer?" The Baron observes the unconsciousness Vandal and picks her up, he yells in worry "Doctors! Doctors!" He shouts. Two vandals rush into the room. One vandal picks up Aer and the other rolls a bed in, they place Aer on the bed. They roll her down the hall and into a room, the Baron followed behind. The Vandals dash away and a Captain walks in. He whispered incantation over her and waved his hand over her. The Baron watched intently and the Captain backed away from Aer. "What happened to her? She was physically harmed, Tenvorock" The doctor asked. The Baron kept quiet for a time, and then spoke "She fell off a table; I tried to catch her..." The Baron fibbed and the Captain nodded in understanding. "I'll go get her some-" "No, I'll get her ether, she can recover here, leave us" The Captain nodded obediently and walked out of the room. Tenvorock stared at Aerile for awhile and then stood up. He walked to the arc pool and grabbed a cupful of the liquid, electricity sifted off the liquid; he hid it in his cloak. He skittered back to where Aer was and he stood over the unconscious Vandal. He poured the liquid down her throat. He smiled with an odd love for hurting her. [spoiler]GOD BLESS SuperKillerMonke for volunteering to edit my stories, really appreciate it! [/spoiler]