He had fallen asleep in a temporary den after a tough hunt he had earlier in the day. He hadn't been able to catch his prey today, but with spring finally upon them, he was sure he'd have better luck tomorrow...when he woke up, however, he didn't recognize his surroundings. The roof of the den had been replaced by dawn. The sun hadn't quite peeked over the horizon yet, but it was only a matter of time before it did. He could still see the faint twinkle of stars in the sky, and the pinks and purples painted across the sky was something he hadn't really noticed before. He stood up, noticing he was alone and not even a trace of his companions could be found. Confused, he looked around him, but nothing looked familiar here...he also felt...different. Like he was here, but not... "Ignis"||"Blödhgarm"

Time passed without her knowledge, drifting by without her being conscious of it. It wasn't until something or someone broke up the steady peace of this place that she came to some sort of realization of the fact that the outside world continued to move on without her. She didn't feel a sadness over this fact, but whenever another familiar soul found her it made a pang of longing tug at her chest. That was what she felt now as she sensed another presence in this misted, grassy field of what she could only call her home. Curious, she moved toward it with her signature pendant of blue topaz hanging around her neck. She passed through a patch of mist and her ruby son appeared in front of her and immediately a smile pulled across her lips. This was the second time she saw him here, but he wasn't really here. Not in the way that Casso was. She knew that there was still time yet until her vibrant boy joined her and for that she was grateful. She didn't want any of her children to join her here before their time. "Ignis," she greeted affectionately as she walked over to him, pulling his attention toward her while she came to tip her muzzle up, reaching up to press her nose to his cheek. Her touch wasn't entirely solid, more like a memory of a touch than anything, but it was there all the same. "I'm so happy to see you, my darling." She could see the passage of time on him, the scars he wore and the age that was slowly beginning to appear on his features, but in her mind he was still the pup that she had loved so deeply so long ago. "Zuriel"

"Talk" Walk Confusion still gripped him. Even when he heard his name. His gaze found her rather quickly, finding the familiar form of his mother whom he hadn't seen in ages. She approached him without hesitation, reaching up to press her nose to his cheek. His eyes closed for a moment as he soaked in her touch...or at least, the feeling that he remembered when she was alive. That was when he realized he knew where he was now. He hadn't died. Not yet. He'd been here before, but he couldn't remember when that had been and he had nearly forgotten about this place. Nearly forgotten about his mother and everything that had once been dear to him... "I'm so happy to see you, my darling." He opened his eyes as he pulled back a bit to look at her. She hadn't changed since his last memory of her. She didn't look sick or straddled with the burdens of his sire. How did time pass in this place? It was a mystery that was likely to never be solved. "Mother...I never thought I'd see you again," Despite his age and size, he suddenly felt like a child again. He moved to embrace her this time, soaking in the warmth and comfort only his mother seemed to be able to give him. While his own world felt cold and distant, this world with her, felt warm and comforting. At least here, his demons couldn't reach him. "I've missed you...so much has happened since I last saw you," If he still had a tail, it would be wagging. But whatever was left of it still moved with happiness.

Zuriel was more than happy to return her son's embrace as his large limb settled around her, leaning into him affectionately. Still, it felt like his touch was distant somehow like she couldn't really feel the weight of him, but she could feel the warmth and the love that she had only ever really felt from her children. She missed them all dearly and while she didn't miss the pain, the loss, and the hurt she experienced in the living world she still wished she could go back even just one more time to see them all and be with hem again. She leaned back as well so that her dual toned blue gaze could look up to see his ruby eyes, a loving smile still lingering on her muzzle. The scars that crossed his face ached her heart and she wished that somehow she had the power to erase them for him and take away whatever pain that had caused them. He mentioned how much had happened since the last time she saw him and it made her wonder again just how much time had passed. To her it felt like no time at all, but clearly much time had passed in the living world. "I want to hear all about it," she insisted, her paw reaching to take his and give it a gentle squeeze. "The good, the bad, all of it." She paused, a slightly sad, wistful smile crossing her features for a moment as she mentioned, "I know about Casso... He's here with me." It did give her some solace that one day all of her children would return to her, but she hoped that it would be a long, long time before that happened. She waited expectantly, looking up at him as she waited to hear all about his life and what had happened in it. "Zuriel"

A part of him longed and ached for her comforting touch. While yes, they embraced here, it didn't feel like he remembered. It felt different. Like she was there, but not. He knew she wasn't physically here, but with the way his mind had been lately, he had no idea what was real and what wasn't. He heavily sighed as he reluctantly pulled away. She wanted to hear everything. The good, the bad...how could he tell her? The only good thing to come of his life were his children, and he had failed them the same way his own father had failed him. Everything else? Well, suffice to say he felt like his life was a literal living hell. It was unlikely that when he died, he'd end up here in this place. Then she said that...Casso was here... He felt his heart drop. Had he somehow failed his brother, too? The last time he remembered seeing him was when he had Incendium. But things had gotten so bad for Ignis psychologically that he hadn't noticed if Casso disappeared before or after its disbandment. "C-Casso...?" He loved his brother to death. And he was kicking himself that Casso was here, and not in the living world. What had happened? Was there anything he could've done to save his brother? "I've done...some terrible things...including failing Casso...my kids...Acere is dead...I made him suffer...I made everyone suffer..." Was he ashamed of himself? Yes. But not something he could ever admit to anyone but his mother, apparently. "Ignis"||"Blödhgarm"

Zuriel blinked with genuine surprise at the fact that Ignis didn't seem to know about Casso's fate. Casso of course wouldn't know what happened after his passing so she supposed it made sense that Ignis had never actually found Casso's body—as heart wrenching as that was for her to think. She was quiet while Ignis spoke, a concerned frown pulling at her lips as he spoke of his failures, of how he had made Acere suffer. Her ears flicked with worry and sympathy. There was so much of his father that she saw in him—the moments of clarity that she had seen in Elias that had ultimately won her heart over to loving him deeply and truly. It had not been a healthy relationship by any stretch of the imagination, but it had been a relationship none of the less and she still harbored a guilt over the fact that she hadn't been strong enough to stick it out for her children that had remained with him when things reached their worst. "My darling..." she said softly, reaching one of her paws up to his cheek, the faint hint of her touch lingering over the scars that ran across his face. "No one can be perfect. Everyone has failures and regrets. If you live long enough you will have many of both. I know I certainly do." Letting her paw drop back down to hold his again she tried to give him an encouraging smile. "It's never too late to make things right if you really want to. But if you hold on to your hurt and your regrets it'll be impossible to do. Look at what you've done and experienced and learn from it." She sighed softly and gave his larger paw a gentle squeeze. "Promise me? Just do what you can, darling. You'll always have me behind you." "Zuriel"