Pchantastic

The night air was still and cool - aside from the occasional waft of heat that the breeze picked up from the campfire that had been started. A young woman decided to stop for the evening in the middle of the woods just a few miles in from the Finath River on her return trip to Yorenai. Her faithful mount rested peacefully by some bushes with his head propped up on a log facing the fire. Milly sat in front of it and rested her head on her knees; pondering the exact nature of the abilities that had been bequeathed upon her. The light of the blaze reflected off of her almost unblinking pink eyes and skin as she stared into it - hoping for further insight. No voices were here, no teachers... nobody to help her find her path through this new dominion of power. She was left with only her instincts and a feeling of familiarity to guide her. "Well," she said with a click of her tongue, "if I don't want moss growing on me, I guess it's time to take the plunge." She rose to her feet with a groan and stared at her duster which she had hung from a nearby tree.

A familiar voice rang out in her head as she gazed deep into the supple leather of her jacket. The voice of the man who gave her that gift... the love of her life. She recalled back when she worked with him and the Crimson Assurance in Bura. He often had words of wisdom for the other mages who worked for them, but one piece of advice stuck out amongst the rest - 'try not to have it blow up in your face.' Her lack of formal experience with magic left her more than a little self-conscious about the whole situation at hand. Previously limited to borrowing power from the spirits of nature, she was now expected to draw upon her own inner strength and harness the powers of darkness. Still, she couldn't have gone all that way only to return empty handed. She knew what she had to do. She pulled out a sword that she found while preparing the area for her overnight stay and had no idea what to do with. It was old and beaten up with various bits of its edge having been chipped away; no doubt discarded by its former master upon finding something better. She turned, jammed the sword into the ground and moved away from the fire. Turning back to face it, she stared into the blackened silhouette of the blade for what seemed like hours. She closed her eyes and raised her right hand; the left now clutching firmly the sword known as 'Melancholy' that she had fixed to her belt. "I won't waste any of the time you've given me," she said softly before raising her voice to try and call upon her new powers, "now, Power of destruction, rend my prey! Falling Darkness!"

An entirely different feeling from the use of the Elements overcame her as she finished her incantation. A sudden throbbing in her head, a numbness in her arm and a dizziness that almost threw her entirely off balance. However, even with all the sudden maladies that plagued her, she watched her extended hand and the target closely - even as her vision blurred from the dizziness. She noted the flecks of deep darkness that began to emanate from her hand and the burst of energy that flew off just to the right of her target; blowing through and dimming her campfire for a few moments. Milly allowed herself to fall to her knees grabbing her throbbing head with her free hand.

"Not yet... too much strain. Going to need more practice."