Long had the stars brightened and burned, with planets igniting and turning to ash while others were reborn. The eyes of the Torian people had seen many races, planets, and star systems come and go in their Divine existence. They had tried to aid, to preserve, and to advance many but, it was to no avail. There were none that could outlast, or even match their age and near immortal status, which led many to become cold, and distant; unwilling to offer even a word of understanding to the other species they would encounter in their lifetimes.
Toria was a planet wreathed in thick vines, humid temperatures, and deep mysterious waterways. Trees with canopies as thick as mud blanketed the sky for much of the planet’s surface, with only the bits above water, or cleared by the Torian people, able to spot the stars above. Those born in the early ages would remember the Emerald Moon that once shone down upon Toria’s surface but, after an asteroid came hurdling toward Toria, threatening to destroy it and wipe out its people, the Emerald Moon had shifted ever so slightly, taking the brunt of the damage. Shattered, what remains of their moon hangs in the sky as a veil of multiple-sized rings, beaming down upon the Torian people day and night to bestow upon even the youngest that even the stars offer their blessing to the Torian people.
Ghildel was one such youth that grew up on the story of the Emerald Moon, looking up at the sky every night to look upon its wonder when the rings could be seen the clearest. Her bright, aqua-marine eyes twinkled against the stars that would shine upon her, and she often found herself lost in awe at the stories her people still remembered. Torians were known for being Eternal; a divine race of half-Naga, or Snake creatures that many other Planets looked to for knowledge and guidance. Their psychic abilities were renowned across the star systems, with some showing fear of the Torians and others sharing in glee. What knowledge the Torians possessed had never been completely investigated, and thus many planets were driven to work with them to grow and prosper.
Despite the understanding most races had with the Torians, there was always the need to protect and defend. Though all Torians were graced with psychic abilities, if they were not cared for, they would dwindle and merely paint glimpses or images of internal monologues by those they passed and cause other issues. Torians driven away from the call of their people often found themselves going mad in a short time, seeing no eternal sky in their future, only sheer insanity. Ghildel had seen the glimpses and heard the voices only a year into life, fighting to communicate their fears until finally their voice could be heard and language mastered. This astonished the Torians, as most of their people did not show their abilities until their 36th moon circle. Ghildel was taken under the wing of Master Ferpo, one of the eldest Torians, according to the Torians’ leader the Eternal Judge, who would be able to teach Ghildel to control their abilities.
Ghildel’s studies were calm, often showing natural progression but, with the occasional showing of chaos. It was then that Ferpo realized Ghildel’s abilities were not a natural growth as most Torians but, a manifestation of the Netherworld’s shifting, and the Rift Port close to its boundaries. The voices that had been plaguing Ghildel since her birth were the voices from beyond, including a horrific God thought to be nothing more than a myth, and those lost in their journey through the Rift Port. Tremendous screams, like a thousand voices crying out for help before being snuffed out of existence would awaken Ghildel from a dead slumber, while other voices danced on her own tongue, urging her into the shadows. Ghildel could not only control the minds of the small and weak in great numbers but, even the Elders with minimal impact on her own mind. Her ability to home in and focus on not only one mind but many allowed her to absorb skills and knowledge that took years, and decades to attain for other Torians. She found herself able to wield weapons she’d not once held in her lifetime, alter reality before numerous spectators, and even lift entire rivers from their beds without spilling a drop of water. As her mind grew in strength, she began to listen to the voices, individually, accessing their knowledge and wisdom for her own use, and finding that it was not the Netherworld that was shifting but, the Rift Port as it was becoming more unstable in its long life. While Ghidel contemplated using her newfound powers to stabilize the Rift Port, she was still young, and fascinated with how far her mind could go.
But such power did not come without strain. Ghildel’s abilities were not all natural, and the voices she’d practiced pushing back were growing louder, demanding more and more from Ghildel in progress. Fighting the urge to split the planet apart and find the Netherworld herself to destroy, she requested the aid of the Eternal Judge and Master Ferbo. It was determined that Ghildel’s abilities were still being pulled from the Netherworld, and that the Rift Port close to its boundaries was amplifying its energy. What stabilized the Rift Port in the fabric of reality was now being siphoned by a new realm that wished to be free and use the port itself to unleash hell upon the star systems. If Ghildel were to control the voices, her power, and stabilize the port, she would have to turn her focus to the Torian landscape.
The planet of Toria was ripe with all sorts of flora and fauna; breeds that could give and take life, offer medicinal aid, taste delicious, and even provide comfort, this was what Ghildel needed. She turned her focus to the world around her – the trees, the creatures that sing in the early morning, the hissing in the dark of the evening, and the circles that remained of the Emerald Moon above. The voices of the Netherworld were harsh and prominent in their distaste for Ghildel’s new practice but, they could not conquer the ever-growing life that spanned around her. The trees bowed in her honour, offering limbs in an extension of warmth, the vines would clear a pathway for her to move forward, and the creatures that stirred in their hunger and fear would follow her in seamless stride. The power she had pulled from the Netherworld had been calmed and she was now pulling the Mora from the world around her, pushing it deep into her body and down to the tip of her tail. All excess was expelled for the others to feel and access, and from that she began to hear the voices of her own people.
There had been no disdain while Ghildel was guided by the Eternal Judge and Master Ferpo, only curiosity and wonder. Harnessing power from both Toria and the Netherworld was not uncommon, in fact, it was regular practice but, to hold such command over the Netherworld’s calling was what had brought down the asteroid to Toria thousands of years prior, a sign of the stars wishing to obliterate the darkened threat felt by the entire cosmos. What Ghildel had harnessed in Toria, showed promise for her people but, the voices that dwelled within, still called for something more.