After Flight of the Cardinals
No matter who the victor of the battle was, there was only one reason for the family to be brought together to unleash their abilities upon one another upon the Grand Cardinal Isle. It was a sacred ceremonial event that lead up to a member of the Liafador family to face The Pit. But what was The Pit? Between the old folk tales of the Malaga people and the few documents that were held in the Liafador Library, not much was known about trail that is stated to give new life to whoever is strong enough to endure it. All that Zeon knew was that every time a Liafador entered the Pit, they came out stronger. It was what The Liafador Matriarch needed. Yes, she was a deadly warrior, but in a world were people can destroy an entire planet just by thinking it, she was going to need to become more powerful. Everything that had lead up to this moment, all her countless hours of combat training, sleepless nights of meditation and grueling mental exercises that she was put through since her birth would have meant absolutely nothing if she couldn’t master The Pit.
The Matriarch dawned the rags that she was to wear during this event and removed her arsenal of weapons. Because in The Pit, it matters not what name you carried. It matters not what where you came from. It mattered not the sacrifices you have made. It mattered not who you killed or saved. Nothing up to this point mattered, because in The Pit, you were no one, left utterly alone to fend for yourself, to survive or die. As she began to make her descend, her breath shaky with nervousness as the reality of what was about to happen to her began to settle in her mind. If she made it out, if she passed The Pit, she was not going to be the same woman she was coming in.
Thick musty smell of mold and mildew engulfed her senses as the soul piercing cold sent shivers down her spine. Before making her way completely in, her chestnut eyes glanced upward towards the soft golden glow of the sun that peeked through the top entrance of The Pit. It was going to be the last thing she would see until her return.
Time meant nothing in The Pit, seconds, minutes, hours, days... it was all mushed together. Sleep was also irrelevant, what was the point of it, if it meant you may not wake up? Creatures that inhabited The Pit were savage, survival was all they knew. A death match was around every corner, so sleep in this land, was a luxury, one she couldn't afford to have. It didn't help that the very air they breathed was tainted with ergot, a fungus that caused anyone to breath it in, to hallucinate. And just like the warnings of her Zia... "It will take your nightmares and make them your allies, it will take your friends; and make them your enemies.", that exactly what happened. Twisted hallucinations of those she loved were those who wanted to kill her and those she despised were the one's that wanted to save her. The fungal spores overwhelmed her mind, trying to rip apart her sanity.
The only thing to keep her sanity at peace and her mind focused were two objects she carried into the hellish pit. One was the Emerald necklace that Ziccarra gave to her when she first became Matriarch. It was to remind her who she was, and what she why she had decided to face the deadly trials in the first place. She was Zeon Liafador, leader of the White Cardinal's, Matriarch of the Liafador Family, the Italian warrior was here to become stronger, to be able to protect her family, to ensure their safety so the family could enjoy peace in their lives, even at the sacrifice of her own. The second item was a seashell necklace her sister, Chance, gave her upon their meeting. It was to remind her why she needed to do more than just survive The Pit, but to keep her sanity. She needed to get out of this alive and well so she could be there for her younger sister if she ever needed her, to show compassion when needed and to be able to hold the love of a sister in her heart.
But doing so wasn't easy. With so many things trying to take your life, your mind and your very soul, you had no allies... except... the darkness. The darkness that shrouded her essence from blood thirsty beasts. The darkness that kept her company when her hallucinations were not around. The darkness that whispered promises of power and protection outside of The Pit, if she would only let it in. So darkness she became.
NOW
Her blood and mud stained hands clenched along the walls of The Pit, her fractured fingernails digging into the stone as every muscle fiber was working to pull The Matriarch from The Pit. The light of the sun was becoming brighter and more dominate over the darkness she had become so familiar with. It was unclear to Zeon how long she was in The Pit for, what events had passed and what events were to come. But one thing she knew for sure, she had gotten what she came from. With a final push of her legs and a grunting pull of her arms her hand reached out of the hellhole and grasped onto the soft, lush grass. White Cardinals that were guarding The Pit, surrounded the area as they watched their Matriarch arise.
Taking a stand before them showed just superficially what she had to endure. Her rags she wore into The Pit were gone, nothing but her naked body that was covered in dirty abrasions, infested talon like lacerations and gaping bite wounds with dry black blood that couldn't be told if it belonged to her or the creature that had attacked her. Her chestnut eyes naturally squinted at the sun as she rose her right hand to shade the brightness, her pupils having to adjust to seeing in the light once more as White Cardinals quickly placed a white robe over her bare body.
"Portami a casa , ho degli affari da sbrigare." <Take me home, I have business to attend to.>
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