Trials of a Planeswalker Ch. 01: Rising

"Come on Blayne, he couldn't have stopped you. You're strong." Varia whispered and he felt her lips touch his cheek.

"Sentimentality is rediculous." Jaya sighed and there was the sound of a squeaking seat.

"Say another word and I'll rip your blood from your veins. I'll make you regret everything." Varia hissed angrily.

"I'm sorry that I'm sensible and see reality for what it is. He's brain dead and you're just weeping over a corpse that hasn't caught up yet." Jaya yelled.

Blayne knew that Varia was going to snap soon, and he fought with everything he had to try and say something. He suddenly realized how rediculous he was being, he had magic! He could communicate telepathically!

He reached for that spark of magic in his mind and suddenly found himself in crippling agony. His mind burned and he quickly tried to retreat from it. Such pain and anguish as he had never felt surged through his mind and he screamed inside his head.

"That's it!" Varia screamed and there was the sound of a chair falling over, "Get out!"

"Get out? This is my house." Jaya in disbelief.

"Get the hell out!" Varia's voice rose as she grew in anger.

"Look, let me give you one piece of advice before I leave. Run. Don't stop running. Get far away. Bolas will need time, weeks, maybe even months to craft that Powerstone. They are strange and ancient artifacts and Urza often spoke of their complexity and difficulty to make. That Powerstone factory was in ruins and it'll take even Bolas a good while to reconstruct it." Jaya said warningly, "Use what time you have to hide. Bolas will honor what he said. He will craft a Powerstone in time. I don't know if it will be enough to give him back his old powers, but I don't want to be around if he does."

There was a creak of the trap door and then a moment of silence. Varia sighed and her soft footsteps came back to Blayne. She put a hand on his cheek and grasped his hand, not that he could feel it.

"Get better. I know you're there Blayne, I can feel it." Varia whispered to him.

*******

Over the next three days, sensation slowly returned to Blayne's body. Varia worried over him day and night, convinced he was still okay, and she was right. At the start of the fourth day, he finally managed to touch his magic without pain wracking him. He used all he had left to clense his body of whatever Bolas did to him. He opened his eyes and managed to turn his head. Varia was asleep, sitting back against the couch right next to him.

He tested his fingers and toes before moving higher, managing to move his weak limbs. He, with great effort, pushed himself into a sitting position. He had never been so glad to be awake in his life. He looked down and sighed. Varia was in dissarray. Her hair was a mess and her black clothes were looking worse for wear. Lines of worry and exhaustion creased her face. He pulled the blanket that had been covering him over her and gave her a gentle kiss on the head.

That was all the energy he had and it hit him quickly. He collapsed against the back of the couch and closed his eyes. He was back to normal, just more tired than he had ever been. Everyday he lived as a Planeswalker, it seemed his body would see no end of punishment.

He fell asleep without noticing and was awoken by Varia sitting next to him. She whispered in his ear and snuggled close to him before he fell asleep again. They rested together on the couch, the ordeal finally overcome. It wasn't until the sun shone through the windows of Jaya's tower the next day that they both awoke rested and feeling good, apart from the extreme hunger of days without food.

"I told that bitch you would be okay. I knew that dragon couldn't take you." Varia said, wrapping an arm tightly around Blayne.

"Varia, he did all this with his mind, I was defenseless against it. I could do nothing against Bolas. But I remember what he said to me before I passed out. That Powerstone he's making to absorb Planes, he's targeting my home first. My sister. I have to stop him." Blayne said, his mouth dry at the thought of facing Bolas again.

"But... But what do we do... I mean, you stood up against him when I was powerless... If you can't..." Varia started.

"It means I'm too weak. Varia, I've seen what you can do, don't let delusions of grandeur over me start to make you think you're weak. Together we might stand a chance, but not if he can invade our minds like that." Blayne sighed, shaking his head.

"Okay, I get it. But what can we do?" Varia sighed.

"First I'm going home. I need to say goodbye to Robin if I'm going to die. I almost died here and I know my sister would never forgive me if I just disappeared." Blayne said, pushing himself to his feet, "Would you like to go home and say goodbye?"

"I have no family left, you know that Blayne." Varia said, "We will see your sister and then face Bolas together."

"No, we won't face him yet. We need to use what little time we have to find help. Jaya said it. The old guy, Urza, he's the only one who seems to know a lot about these Powerstones. Maybe if she's alive, he might still be somewhere. If we could find him, he could help!" Blayne exclaimed hopefully.

"Alright. That's what we'll do." Varia nodded.

*******

CHAPTER 28 - UNCERTAIN FUTURES

"Blayne! You're home already!" Robin cried happily, throwing her arms around Blayne's neck.

"Hey sis, good to see you too." Blayne chuckled, wrapping his arms around her.

"You know I had the weirdest dream a week ago. Somehow I joined you on your adventure and I saved you from some crazy people!" Robin said, leaning back from him, "I..."

"Had angel wings and was a skilled swordsman. I know, I was there." Blayne finished her sentence, "You make a beautiful angel sister."

"Oh my goodness, it was real! You actually got me there with your magic!" Robin exclaimed in surprise, "Ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod! I could really be an angel again! This is so exciting."

"Yea, I suppose it is. Could Varia and I use the bath? We've been without a bath for a little while and could really use one." Blayne said, idly sniffing the sleeve of his blue and red shirt.

"Yea, these clothes stay clean for a long time, just not this long. It's been weeks since Azeroth and those panda people." Varia said as she started to unlace her long boots.

"I still can't get over those boots... good grief they're huge." Robin said as she watched Varia tug off the thigh-highs, "Go ahead and take a shower brother, I'll wash your clothes."

"Get mine too, would you?" Varia asked, pulling her top off, "Thanks."

She tossed her shirt at Robin and walked barefoot into the bathroom.

"Jeez, Blayne, can't you teach her manners yet?" Robin sighed, letting the shirt hang over her arm.

"She is a bit of a goof. I'll just take a shower with her so you can clean our clothes at the same time." Blayne said, pulling his own shirt off.

"Yea, that's why you're going in there together. I'll be out here with headphones on." Robin teased, smacking his arm.

Blayne stepped into the bathroom after Varia and stripped his clothes off. He bundled up the dirty laundry and tossed it out the door, closing it after.

"Oh, showering together are we?" Varia said, glancing at his bare body, "Alright then, suppose if our deaths are imminent, might as well enjoy what we have."

"I don't know about you, but I have a lot and I'm not interested in losing it." Blayne said, putting his arms around her waist from behind. He kissed her on the neck and held her close, "Varia, I want you to know just how much you mean to me. I want to tell you how much having you at my side through all that we've done has helped me."

Varia turned around and put her arms around his neck. She looked into his eyes and kissed him. She held him, kissing him for quite some time. When she broke the embrace, there were tears in her eyes.

"I swore I would never love anyone, I would spare myself the pain. But you're different. I can't resist you. I don't know if it's because you're from another world or if it's just how sweet... and loving... and cool... and powerful..." She squirmed a little and reached a hand down, "Or passionate you are..."

She touched him and kissed him again. He wrapped his arms around her and grabbed her ass, making the embrace all that much more hot. Their tongues touched and he lifted her off the ground. He turned around and set her on the counter, leaning forward more as their kisses grew more ravenous. His cock was hard for her and he wanted to be inside her.

Varia glanced down at his cock as it moved towards her wet pussy. He prodded against her and slowly slid his head in. She moaned and leaned back, feeling powerful sensations race up her body. Her tight warmth sucked him in, making her moan louder. He groaned and wrapped his arms around her middle, pulling her close to him.

"Yes... Yes~!" Varia hissed in his ear.

He thrust and helled her tight, biting her neck playfully. Her moans slowly grew more lusty, telling of the pleasure she was feeling. Her hot insides gripped him tightly and heightened the pleasure for both of them. Blayne let out a loud moan and he pulled her off the counter.

His fingers grasping her ass tightly, he bounced her against his cock and made her moan louder. It felt like an eternity since they had felt this lustful, passionate feeling together.

"Blayne! Oh yes Blayne!" Varia cried out, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

Her legs gripped his hips in a weak effort to hold herself steady. He responded by driving his cock inside her harder, making her delectable juices spew out around his cock. Their wet nethers slapped noisily together and Varia came first. She cried out and loosed a great shower of cum from her loins. She slipped off Blayne and he caught her, gently helping her shuddering body to sit down against the sink. She sighed and laid her head back, her eyes a little glazed.

"Hey, not done just yet." Blayne smiled, standing in front of her.

She grinned weakly and opened her mouth. Taking this as an invitation, he put his hands on her head and slid himself into her mouth. She swished her tongue back and forth under his cock as he prodded the back of her throat. Her hand slid between her wet thighs and started to play with her clitoris, drawing pleasure from both the oral fixation and her finger.

"That's a good tongue, oh yes." Blayne moaned, running his fingers through her hair as she willingly deepthroated him. The pleasure was great and it took little time for him to cum. His first load shot right down her throat before he had time to back up. He splurted another few thick globs into her mouth, leaving a little to dribble down her chin as he sighed happily.

"Mmmm." She hummed as she swallowed the thick semen. He offered her a hand and helped her get up, albiet a little shakily.

"Now how about a shower." He said with a slight grin. She smacked his bare ass and they got in the shower together.

*******

Blayne held off telling Robin for quite a while. He let her cook dinner and the three of them sat around the dining table laughing and eating. He had all but forgotten about it when dinner was finishing up. He helped her clean up dinner as Varia stood on the balcony and watched the lights of the late New York.

"Robin... I have something I need to tell you." Blayne finally said, standing in front of her in the kitchen.

"What's that? Oh, are you two getting married? No, are you having a kid? You're having a kid, aren't you? I'm going to be an aunt!" Robin squealed joyfully, making it all that much harder for Blayne.

"Robin! We aren't doing anything like that. I'm going to leave for a while and... I might not be coming back." Blayne said, holding onto her hands. It took Robin a moment to comprehend what he was saying, to really take in what he meant by it. Her face fell and she just leaned forward, hugging him tightly as she his her face against his chest. "I'm sorry, that's why I came back. I had to so that you would know. Varia and I... We're going to try and stop someone who wants to destroy our world. He's powerful and I'm worried that we... We may not be coming back."

Robin started to cry, squeezing him tighter and sobbing loudly. Varia glanced back at them and realized that he must've told her. He just wrapped his arms lovingly around her and held her while she cried.

"I'm sorry Robin, but I must do this. I have to try and save our world. I want you to live." Blayne whispered to her, brushing her hair soothingly.

"No!" Robin cried sharply, looking up at him, "No, you can't! I won't lose you! I knew this was a bad idea from the start and now you're going to leave me all alone!"

"Robin, you need to..." Varia stopped when Blayne raised a hand.

"How can you do this Blayne! You're my big brother! How am I supposed to go on without you..." Robin slumped against him again, tears still streaming down her face.

"Shhh... Robin, if you keep me, you lose the whole world. I'm the only one who knows about this threat and I'm the only one who can fight it." Blayne told her softly.

"Okay then! I'll lose the whole world! Take me away from here like you did before! Let the world die. Just let me keep you close." Robin's voice slowly trailed off, shuddering a little from her emotions.

"Robin, listen to yourself. I'm not worth this whole world." Blayne said, lifting her face. He gently wiped away her tears and kissed her on the cheek.

"But how can you know you're strong enough to do this! Find someone else to do it! Get someone else to save the world!" Robin said frantically.

"I'm not strong enough to save this world. But I am strong enough to save you. I have that much power, that I can fight for you." Blayne smiled, letting go of her, "Come on sis, you know as well as I do that these powers weren't given to me just so we could run away."

"I don't want to lose you though... Why does the rest of the world get to keep their loved ones and I have to give mine up!" Robin cried out.

"Because you will survive, you have the will to go on. I know you can go on without me. You'll find love and make a family of your own." Blayne told her.

Robin's lip trembled and she sank down into one of the dining chairs. Blayne leaned down and gave her another hug as she started to cry more.

"I'll stay the night sis, we'll be going in the morning." Blayne said quietly.

Robin nodded and just sat there, her eyes downcast and tears dripping from her chin. Blayne turned and walked over to Varia, joining her on the balcony. They stood together quietly on the balcony, staring out at the river of headlights flowing back and forth beneath them.

"Why are you making it sound so certain? What if we survive? We might, we still have time since he has to reconstruct that facility first." Varia whispered to him.

"I don't want to give her false hope. The fact that there is a miniscule sliver of a chance we might live doesn't mean I want to give her that idea. She'll cling to it and it'll destroy her when she finally realizes I'm not coming back." Blayne sighed.

"That's cold you know. That's cruel." Varia scolded him quietly.

"Don't you think I get that? It hurts me more than you ever know. Seeing that pain in her eyes makes me want to do whatever she wants. To take her away and hide. Varia, please don't do this. I'm only holding on because you're here." Blayne took her hand, "Please, you're my strength of will in all this."

"Now that's not what I meant! I never intended to hurt you, I just thought this was a little mean." Varia said hurriedly.

"I'm so scared right now. I feel like I'm gonna be sick." Blayne groaned, leaning on the railing.

"It's alright. We can do it Blayne, we can win. I know you, you'll find a way to win this." Varia whispered, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"Thanks." Blayne mumbled.

*******

The next morning was somber and quiet. A gray overcast had rolled in during the night and it was drizzling out. Everything seemed to have come together to make even the weather seem sad.

"I love you Blayne." Robin said solemnly as she gave him a hug and a kiss.

"I love you too sister." Blayne said, returning the kiss.

"Hey Robin, I have something for you." Varia said to her.

She held up one of Robin's glass cup with a purple fire burning in it. The fire was cold and it flickered softly. It was burning without any fuel and it's flames licked the sides of the glass.

"It's tied to Blayne. As long as he lives, it will burn. Nothing else can ever extinguish this fire." Varia said, holding the cup out to her.

Robin took the cup with tears welling in her eyes again. She started to sob for the tenth time that morning. Her eyes were bagged, showing her lack of sleep. She set the cup carefully on the table and threw her arms around Varia, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Thank you!" Varia cried loudly, hugging her tightly.

When she let go finally, Varia looked quite disheveled, her glasses askew and her hair a little messy.

"I can't believe it. This is so great. Thank you Varia, thank you." Robin said, wiping her eyes before she picked up the cup again, "Now I'll know if you live."

"It could be weeks or months. Just promise me something sis... Don't waste your life. Don't just sit there and stare at this flame." Blayne said seriously to her, "If it goes out... just go on, please. I don't want my sacrifice being wasted on sadness. You're so much more beautiful when you smile. No man can resist your shining face."

"Yes... You're right..." Robin mumbled, looking down at the cup, "I'll try Blayne, I really will."

"Good, that makes me feel better." Blayne nodded.

"One thing before you go... Please take this back. Take it with you." Robin said, running over to grab the heart-shaped Pandaren ruby, "I know you'll try and get this back to me. Consider it motivation."

"Alright, alright. I will." Blayne sighed, taking the ruby from her.

"Come back safe." Robin said, kissing Blayne on the cheek. She turned and kissed a shocked Varia, "You too. Keep him safe and come back with him. We may have started off roughly, but I think we should be friends Varia. You would be a good sister."

"I don't have any siblings... Thank you Robin." Varia smiled, giving her a hug.

"Goodbye sister." Blayne said, giving her one last hug before they turned and left.

*******

CHAPTER 29 - PREPARATIONS

Blayne stood at Varia's side in the twisting blind eternities. He looked at the glittering ruby in his hand and sighed. He wished Varia hadn't done what she did, but then again, maybe it was a little mean to just decide that Robin wouldn't see him again. It was a bit depressing in all, however he didn't have time to dwell on it. They needed to find Urza and stop Bolas.

"So where are we going?" Varia asked, her voice a little distorted in the AEthers.

"We need to find Urza. Jaya said he talked of the Powerstones. Whatever we need to do to stop Bolas, he will know." Blayne said, looking around.

"So where do we go?" Varia said again.

"Ravnica. Jaya said she had been there talking to one of Urza's students... Uh... Jhoira I think it was. We get to Ravnica, talk to Jace and get his help in finding her. I would say we go find Jaya, but I'm worried we wouldn't find her in time. It sounds like she really tried to hide after finding out Bolas's plan." Blayne said, scratching his chin.

"Sounds good, let's go." Varia said.

"Sure." He nodded, pocketing the large gem carefully.

They started off and headed for Ravnica, traveling through the twisting nothingness. They reached Ravnica rather quickly and Blayne led them in, hoping they wouldn't find Niv-Mizzet again. He was more confident though in the knowledge that he had defeated the dragon once before and he hoped he could do it again.

It didn't matter though because he appeared in a cold, dark room. Varia popped into existence next to him and suddenly a loud alarm blared around them. Cerulean blue chains appeared on the floor around them, starting to move towards them like snakes.