Deanna and Shenkarra, their true forms. Read further on for an explanation.

I also recommend that, if you're interested in detail, you full-view the image. The thumbnail looks like shit.
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oC3 & PS7 - about 30 hours of work. I didn't post the original concept I wanted to go with. The composition I had looked wrong and lacked balance, so I decided to expand upon this concept a bit with a second piece, which will come later. The background was originally going to be larger, and have frames with two other characters in them. But like I said, it looked off-balance and busy, so I stuck with this. I cropped a lot of the background too, it's about 2/3 of it's original size.

The frames will be posted also, as separate pieces.

Edit: 11-22-05 Illyana's panel and Sarath-Narok's panel are up and can be seen.

Please keep in mind that any critiques you may offer might be ignored. This is, afterall, a finished piece and will not be altered.
The follow-up piece will be very similar, so if you think you can offer some advice that might be applied to the upcoming piece that would make it better, then do tell.

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Illyana looked down at the lifeless body of Deanna as white light washed down over her from above. The flesh, those green eyes, that red hair; it began to fade and then exploded outward in a blinding flash of light. She turned and covered her eyes, kneeling on the ground and shielding herself from the concussive force of the blast.

“Illyana.”

She opened her eyes and forced her hands away from her face. Her body turned and, looking up, she saw the form of Deanna … Shenkarra, awake and alive, floating in the midst of the swirling energy.

“Sarath-Narok and I have spent far too much time with our childish bickering in this world. We have caused you so much pain and suffering. We have decided that we must return to our home and settle our differences before we can take up the mantle of Gods again.”

“Will you ever return?”

“Not in your lifetime, or in the lifetimes of your children, grandchildren, and ancestors to come. The Draconians’ planet will be lush and green again and Anonia will be rebuilt a thousand times over before we ever set foot into this realm again.”

“What will we do without your guidance? My people will be lost and devastated to know that their God has abandoned them.”

“I will leave with you a gift that will help you to lead your people into tomorrow. She will be my hand for the millennia to come and will help your people to grow and prosper. I will leave in her a fragment of myself; a portion of my wisdom and strength that shall give her the will and the courage to lead the Assiya'anon people into a new, better age for themselves.”

Illyana watched and the form began to disappear. The swirling energy tightened around where Shenkarra had hovered before and then burst outward, sending Illyana flying across the room. The light dissipated and the wind calmed and a body lay in the center of the stone floor. She was curled up, dark-skinned and wet, shivering and breathing heavily. Illyana rushed over to her, grasping under the arms to help lift her to her feet. She moved, raising an arm to push long, black and red-streaked hair out of her face.

“… I guess I can’t escape my destiny of being chosen, can I?” The voice… the face raised to look up into Illyana’s. Those eyes, that smile.

“…Deanna…” All she could do was embrace her sister. “I was afraid that you were dead… I thought you had sacrificed yourself to save me...” She looked into her sister’s eyes, and then shifted her attention to the new features Deanna carried. “Why do you look so different?”

“Sarath-Narok had to believe that I would die in order to save you. If she knew that I would be returning to this place, she would not have allowed it and would have destroyed me instead.”

She pulled at her hair, feeling it on the back of her head and neck, falling down her back to her shoulder blades. Fingers separated the crimson streaks from the jet black, and further moved to touch the ears, a slightly different shape, felt at her face; her nose, lips and cheeks felt ever so slightly different, but still the same; still hers. Her body though, felt more rigid and muscular, though her skin was smooth and soft.

“Shenkarra’s physical form has been reborn as an Assiyan for so long that we have forgotten what the real souls would have looked like. This is my true appearance, how I would have looked if I were born as just another Assiyan. This was my gift from her for bearing such a burden on my soul. And now I will walk immortal, as the Ancients do, and I will take their place in leading our people to peace.”

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Deanna, Shenkarra, Sarath-Narok, Illyana, the Assiya'anon and all related characters, concepts and ideas are of my own creation and are copyright to me.
Do not use without my expressed, written permission.