The crown felt light upon her head, cold and creeping into her mind. She scoffed at this, as her charge retreated to the Altar, his body breaking down into stone once more.

"Yet more delays," she tutted, her tongue clicking against the roof of her mouth. "How frustrating."

But she would wait to see what would become of him. She had invested enough in him to care enough to see it through, despite her frustration. She would be back in a couple of weeks, to see what would come of him.

what had she wished for him? dread drew up in him, sharp and demanding, and as a man on the verge of a heart attack he jerked, stumbling toward the Altar.

survive, his thoughts pleaded against rationale, i must SURVIVE. his stone erupted from his tail, exploding around him, grasping his flesh and choking him into darkness as he collapsed by the cold oilstone.

and it was here his body would remain for two weeks.

two weeks later :)

It has been over twenty-four hours since Ultraviolet was slated to come out of his chrysalis. Elayne was certainly growing impatient, lounging by the Altar in strange invert-light. She had taken to napping, a light snore breaking from her maw as she lay by the unmoving stone.

She would have to give up soon... Find a new source for the stones that she could give life to... The thought felt tedious, truthfully, but... As she begun to drift off again, a crack startled her ears.

Golden eyes opened, narrowed at the stone.

"... You've kept me waiting," the low growl was half-snarled, half-sneered from between her lips.

it had been too brief of a respite.

he awoke with a gasp, shuttering against the coffin of stone that surrounded him. the stone cracked, and as it did, a litany ran through his mind. he was made new. he was made new. he was no longer. he was something new. he was--

the stone fought him. a snarl ripped through his lips, breaking his train of thoughts. no. tearing them asunder. rage boiled him alive, his flesh flaring violent reds and golds that reflected back upon him in the dark sarcophagus.

he heard her words, light and dismissive and disappointed.

she had no idea who he WAS.

the monster within began to thrash against the stone walls that held his hostage. there was no exhaustion that plagued him, no weakness in his lungs that begged for him to break. he instead threw everything he had at the confines of his prison, until the stone began to break. and the stone did break. it crumpled underneath his mighty paws, his vicious teeth, oil and blood one in the same as it spilled across the base of the Altar.

his eyes snapped to elayne, a roar breaking free from his throat: "YOU KNOW NOTHING." his paws drew him toward her, ink black claws scrapping the stone floor. teeth bared, his eyes bore into her throat, his heavy breath misting darkness.

if she was standing, she would have still towered over him with ease. but she was laying there, oh so vulnerable, and one wrong move would send his jaws through her jugular veins.

The beast that emerged was not the same as the fragile panther she had nearly given up upon. Her eyes narrowed at his heavy, huffing approach, his snarling jaws. Ultraviolet reminded her more of that ridiculous lion on the beach, but at least there was a purpose to him now.

He seemed... Upset, perhaps? She couldn't fathom why, considering all she had given him. A heavy sigh rolled her shoulders, and she looked upon him with a thin patience. "Uvie, darling," she whispered, the magic upon her brow-- his gift to her-- echoing her whispers like seeds burrowing deep into his skull. "I trust that your sleep has been enlightening then? Speak to that," she invited, stretching out a paw. "Tell me. And while you tell me, behold yourself."

She coaxed him to calm, yes, but her mind's eye opened to him, offering him a view of his own strength. Those dreams-- she did not know his dreams-- they reflected now in the shape of who he was now; reformed, beautiful, whole.

Have I not given you all you wanted? She asked him with the gift of the crown.

she did not soothe him as much as she wanted to, but his ravening bloodlust subsided enough to see reason, to see rationale. he hissed, turning his head away from her and stalking in a pacing fashion.

her mind wrapped around his, suffocatingly so. it took him a moment's breath to compose himself, and he reached for his own magic in turn.

he did not answer her as such. he grabbed her consciousness as she offered it to him, so foolishly, and filled her with his dreams: the dreams that were Not Dreams, but Reality, a Differing Reality that Would Come True.

had she given him what he wanted? no. she did not understand. she did not see. but he would show her: reality unraveled around them, the Altar and the Hole and the Cave torn asunder and leaving them in a free fall. she would see him as he was meant to be, no, who he was: A King, an Emperor, A God: His rule was absolute, and she would learn to respect that or fall as so many others did in these other worlds.

if she wanted to believe them as dreams, mere visions, he would not allow it. he forced her to know what he knew: that these things had Happened, that they were True, and he would make them happen again.

as he spat her out again, letting her reel from the fierce grasp of his magic, he spoke:

"i am the Creator's will, not yours. accept this, or i will destroy you."

The visions were abrupt, sharp and clear: two weeks of brutality and dominion condensed into into a brain pounding, agonizing blast of mental imagery. It was hard not to crumple under such a strong force of will, and when the visions faded, she found herself looking upon him with fresh eyes.

A silly lion he was not. He had been finally, finally remade. Her lips quirked at his words, her skin still crawling from the mental invasion.

Was that all it was? A light, throaty laugh erupted from Elayne. "Oh, darling," she rumbled, stretching as she rose to her feet, tendrils curling around her body like vines. "We are all the Creator's Will," she spoke, "but what is a king without a queen?"

"Surely you don't believe that I mean to subjugate you," she asked of him, "why would I want that? We make better equals, my dearest Uvie. I'm glad you finally see my vision, too, and more-- that you finally can live up to it."

elayne attempted to cozy up to him, prowling closer with that honeycomb voice of hers. but her words did not reflect in her actions, and his hackles raised, bristling as he listened to her backhanded words.

she drew too close to him now, and without hesitating, he raised his forepaw and slashed out at her face. "you have not EARNED my respect," he spat. "you took advantage of me. if you mean your words," and he did not believe that she did-- not in that moment, "then you will prove it with actions."

he glowered at her. "take me to this new land you're so proud of. and keep your words to yourself." with that demand, he turned and stalked out of the hole without another word.

; uv exit!

Claws racked across her face-- she jerked back just enough to make the blow shallow, but the claws still scored across her cheek. Her mouth held agape, staring at him with surprise.

... Yet, she herself was not a particular creature of violence. And he did not seem particularly keen on a fight, as though he simply had to release the built up rage inside of him. She raised a paw to wipe her face of the bloody oil that leaked free, and took a calm breath.

She would give him time to come around then. His will had been made renew, and there was something about that spark that she enjoyed... Ahh, she would just have to work him back like a piece of clay. It would take time, but he would be a piece of art yet.

"Very well," she said, "perhaps we should get a bite to eat on the way?" It would do well for his... pent-up energy, wouldn't it?

elayne exit!