"Am I the true Destiny?" he asked. And then he added, quietly, as if he already knew the answer, "Are you?"

--Destiny's book, The Kindly Ones

Dan looks uncomprehendingly at the group for a moment. His eyes focus, then, as they fall over Raziel.

Pulling out a shuriken from the folds of his robes, he thrusts it down at the ground an inch away from Raziel's foot.

"Why did you attack me in Tamyr?" There is a moment of clarity, then: "Who hired you, and for what purpose?"

Crake looks at the figure, and then at Chris and back at the figure. In a slow voice he says,
"So what are you then,... Fate...Destiny? Are you here because I did something to Chris that kept him from dying at the school? Is there something specific I'm supposed to do to get to Raziel, and whoever this 'Anaea' is? Sorry for all the questions, just a bit much to take in at once. Please continue."

Raziel freezes and in an instant flash picks up the shuriken and sinks into shadow. Dan feels a breeze of someone appearing behind him, so close their breath is on his neck

"My questions will answer yours, who would want you dead Dan?"

There is another slight breeze and Raziel appears right in front of Dan, unarmed, at least 30cm between her face and Dan's.
She stands, cold features on her face, shaded black eyes and her attire has changed. She stands in a tight black shirt, covering ever part of her upper half, black gloves with the fingers cut and leather black pants, not like her tighter body suit of metal buckles and leather straps. Her nails show longer and her teeth are more fanged.

Moreth turns to the feuding pair. "Oi! Not now"
He flicks a paw out and drapes an ear down to lie across his face. The shuriken slings away from raziel and Moreth hooks a pawfinger into the ring on the end, spins it a little then slips it into a pouch in his belt.

"No bloodshed here please. The fight should not be between us... Now listen here you" he approaches the snake. "You're gonna tell me whhat you know about those creepy path's we just got off, you're going to help us find Crake, you're going to be nice about it, and you're going to do it now"

Raziel's eyes never leave Dan's but she directs her next few words to Moreth

"No one needs metal to cause bloodshed Moreth"

Eva moves away from Dan and Raz, taking Tamsin limping along after her.

Tamsin wants to do something about Dan and Raz, as is evident by the expression on her face, but she soon frowns and watches them and the snake with equal distrust.

"Serpent of the Right Hand, we await your answer," Eva reminds in an archaic, throaty tone.

"Oh no," says the figure chidingly. "You have had your three questions, and more." It nudges Chris's body with its foot. "You do not belong here, little ghost. Go to the oblivion which awaits you."

Crake feels something pulling at every part of his body, tearing him away from the world. The figure clasps its hands triumphantly.

"The Balance takes you, as it will take all of you in the end..."

It hesitates, then, and suddenly looks up in alarm as thick swirling mist begins to envelop Crake. The pulling sensation lessens, and everything around him fades. "No! This is..." says the figure, before its words are lost to hearing.

The mist settles around Crake; he is in a world of mist and shadows, much like that of the Grey Paths, although this place has a different feel to it: an ethereal quality. In the distance he can make out what appears to be a castle of some sort, framed against the twilight sky.

***

"You are in no position to make these demands," hisses Nayaeon menacingly to Moreth. "You are in the realm of Anaea, and as such you have no authority here."

The parrot squawks warningly. "No fighting here! Things are already complicated enough as it is."

Estonja, dismounted, is no more than two meters behind Raziel and Dan. Each can hear the faint creak of a bow being drawn, the hum of wood, horn and sinew under enormous tension.

"Enough," says Estonja.

Crake looks around at this bleak realm of grey. He smirks and sets off to head for the castle. Might as well try to find other people and figure out what is going on. As he starts he notices something tug at his pants.

Chris.

Crake looks down at this Chris with a sort of grim acceptance. He felt something was different about this Chris than his old self but he couldn't tell. The closest Crake ever came to using drugs was when he smoked one of his father's ciggerettes. The bad taste in his mouth, and then learning how everything that gets into your body affects you scared him away for the rest of his life.

It doesn't matter if Chris was foolish, what matters is that he is now dead. Crake unties his belt and coat, and checks one last time to make sure Chris is dead. Crake digs him a shallow grave, utters a short prayer and burries Chris.

With his grim work done, Crake puts on his coat and sets off running for the castle. Despite his best efforts to stay focused, a small thought nags in the back of his head.
What the **** is going on here?! Am I dead?... No, I didn't die, Chris did. So why am I here in a place that... doesn't feel right? And what was all that drek about 'the Blance'? Someone at that castle better be able to explain this to me...

Shas steps up beside Estonja, looking at the two.
'Calm down. Getting hurt is consierably counter-productive to...whatever we're doing here.'

The wind flows past Crake, picking at his clothing and skin with fingers of cold and mist as he makes his way towards the fortress. It is an assembly of jagged towers and spires, great spears of black stretching up to dizzying heights, piercing the sky.

The gates, rusted affairs of thorny iron, swing open silently at his approach. The doors to the fortress open outwards, and beyond it torches flicker into light, leading the way inside. It is as if someone is expecting him.

Crake slows to a stop and wanders in trhough the gates. Shivering in the cold he calls out,
"Hey anyone here? Can you t-tell me where this place is?"

Walking up to the doors he knocks, and says,
"Can anyone explain whats going on? Please God don't let this be the gray pathes."

He takes peek inside to see if anyone is there.

Moreth sighs and turns to the snake. "Then what do you want with us? Just tell us what you came hereto tell us and then let us go!"

He seems impatient with the Fanged Girl, Raziel. "And would you quit trying to kill everyone? Jesus woman, this isn't the time nor the place! Just tell the man what he wants to know and be done with it"

Raziel grabs Dan by the shoulder and both vanish in smoke. Unknownst to anyone where they actually are now, Dan can see black and nothing else, not even Raziel. Five bright balled lights of glittery swirling colour light up the room and Raziel can be seen lieing on a black lounge casually.

"Dan, my question still stands, who would want you dead, however i can answer few of yours. Why did i attack you? Because i was paid to kill you. Who hired me? The pnes who wanted you dead obviously and for what purpose? Because they wanted you dead. And now you probably want to ask where are we? The others cannot get in here, we are in a certain room in my house in Anaea's forest"

Raziel looks over to Dan coldly.