[center][h1][color=DC143C][b]Homura[/b][/color][/h1]
[h2]Kindness - Curiosity - Wanderer - Pride[/h2][/center]

[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn2acStSZPM&ab_channel=LupeAtencio-Topic]Kindness[/url] awoke to her two sisters, Curiosity and Wanderer, looking over her with concerned expressions. The grey sky above and the far away song of the sea were different from what she remembered before falling asleep. Less lively and hollow, like the world had become smaller while she slept. The two familiar faces that gazed upon her with worry were only facsimiles of the faces she had hoped to see again, and Kindness winced from the pain inside her. Her head seemed so heavy, and brittle, as though it might tip over and shatter at any moment.

The quiet champion saw that she had been brought back to Keltra, and laid down in the large fields that encircled the towering keep. The massive red walls surrounded her, and she could not tell which way the sun had risen... she felt so lost.

"Kindness... are you hurt?" Curiosity asked, gently placing her hand upon her sister's head. Her touch stirred Kindness from her thoughts, and reminded her that she was not alone. There were others that still needed her.

"No. I am unhurt." She answered, but she struggled just to speak. She realized she may have just lied for the first time. It did hurt. More than words could describe, but she would not impose her pain upon others.

"Where's Courage and Fear?" Curiosity continued, and her words struck her sister as cruel, but Kindness knew that there was no malicious intent in the champion always asking questions... she just wished that she had any other answer aside from the truth.

"They are gone."

"Gone? What do you mean? Where did they go? When are they coming back?" More and more questions spilled forth from Curiosity while Wanderer remained silent. Kindness found the weight of words too burdensome and closed her eyes.

She opened them to see... a child approaching her and her two sisters. Another human, but not one of the ones she had seen with Chailiss. No, the red-haired girl was much smaller than those in the north, even shorter than the three champions themselves. She seemed similar, but there were strands of pink among her long tresses and the fringe above her face. She also wore an attire akin to their own, and carried in her tiny hands was a black orb that shimmered in the light of the sun.

"I am Pride. A pleasure to meet you." Pride announced, and bowed her head towards the trio as she greeted them.

"What is that?" Curiosity excitedly asked, pointing at Pride with a look of awe.

"Cute..." Wanderer answered, as both she and Curiosity moved without thinking, and found themselves pinching the small champion's cheeks. Kindness could only blink with confusion while she watched her sisters interact with what she knew to be Homura's newest creation.

Her gaze drifted further beyond the three mortals to the imposing keep, to the sight of the celestial light that poured forth from every doorway and window. The light of the divine... and the red goddess that stood at the entrance.

Anger boiled within her when she looked at her maker, and the recalled the words she had said; the lack of compassion for her champions as the red goddess ignored her pleas. Kindness saw the absence of pity in her maker's eyes, and felt rage knowing that the one with the power to save her sisters had simply stood there and did nothing. [i]Why didn't you save them?[/i]

Her attention turned back to the three before her, as Pride struggled to free herself from the grasp of Curiosity and Wanderer to no avail. "She's so round and soft!" Curiosity exclaimed, while the small champion attempted to smack her with the black orb. "Cute" Wanderer said again while she nodded in agreement with her sister's comments. Pride also attempted to hit her as well, but the orb she held was too heavy.

"No! No touching me!" She said as she stumbled and dropped the heavy orb upon the toes of Curiosity.

"AAHHH!!!"

Curiosity fell back as she held her right foot in her hand and tripped. She spasmed in agony, gasping while she clutched the injured part of her body. Pride picked up her black orb with a smug smile. "Do not pinch my cheeks, or I will drop this on you again."

The small champion turned to Wanderer with a threatening look, and saw a surprising expression of joy on the other champion's face. She stomped her foot on the ground in a (non)threatening display. "The same for you!" She stated, and was appeased with the nod of acceptance from Wanderer.

Pride then looked to Kindness, still sitting where she had woken, and approached her sullen sister. "And what is your name?" She asked, and her dulcet tone was unlike any of the voices that Kindness was familiar with. A new sound. Pity was all she felt for the one who called herself Pride, as she knew that her maker was a merciless being, and the child was nothing more than a toy to the deity. All she knew was that she could not bear to lose this little one to the cruelty of the world.

"My name is Kindness." She answered, and stood up before bowing to the small champion. Curiosity still writhed and shook on the ground while Wanderer stood over her.

"What's wrong with you? Your eyes are leaking, wait, you're crying... why?" Pride asked as Kindness came closer and closer.

The crying champion hugged Pride, holding onto her while fighting to keep back the tears. There was little the girl could do when she was engulfed in the arms of her bigger sister, and complained, "I said no touching... no, hmph!" until, "Fine! Fine..." and she allowed Kindness to hold her.

They stayed like that for a time, and only parted when Homura had approached them. The red goddess looking between her four champions with keen eyes and a cryptic mask. She was inhuman despite her appearance, moving with divine grace and precision among them. In her hand, she held Daybringer, and the golden spear was a symbol of her power, her authority.

"[b]There is much to be done... Kindness, Curiosity, Wanderer; this is your little sister, Pride. She shall protect Keltra while we continue our journey.[/b]" Homura proclaimed, and her lingering silence afterwards invited their questions.

"What happened to Courage and Fear? Wait, you really mean we're going with you?" Curiosity asked.

"Where did Apostate go?" Wanderer added softly.

Kindness said nothing as her sisters sought answers, wondering whether their maker would reveal the truth of her insidious nature or not. How she had abandoned those that followed her, and was evidently only concerned with delivering her gifts to her fellow divine. The quiet champion seethed as she considered why she had bothered helping Homura scatter her kin across the land and sea when they could have all lived here in Keltra... their home.

"[b]The sea has claimed your sisters. You two will be joining your sister and I by controlling the other two colossi. Apostate has departed already, but we will meet him again in four days when we provide him with his promised humans.[/b]"

"How could you leave them!?!" Kindness challenged Homura, enraged after she heard such a indolent answer regarding the loss of Courage and Fear from the goddess. "You were supposed to protect us!" She cried with an accusatory finger pointed at her maker. None of her sisters said anything, stunned by this sudden act of defiance in front of the deity.

"[b]They chose to go. I honored that choice. Ask yourself, Kindness, why did you not go with them? Why did you stay still and silent as they set forth? You are still a child; one that has now known the loss of loved ones. Know this, we cannot change what has happened, and we cannot allow grief to consume us. I promise you this small solace, young and foolish Kindness, you will see them again. Your souls were all bound together upon your birth.[/b]"

Homura's words both kindled the flames of rage and stirred something she had forgotten... hope. Kindness remembered the terrible pain of thinking she would be alone at sea for eternity, that she had lost everyone and was adrift in a hostile world that taken all that was precious to her. Now, she hoped once more. Held onto to the words that her pathetic maker had promised.

"If you lie, then I will never forgive you, and I will continue to curse your name until my last breath. This I promise." The cold fire in her eyes focused upon the red goddess, and Kindness could feel the ire behind the impassive mask her maker wore. She allowed herself a small smile as she had attained that small strike upon Homura and her pretentious attitude.

"[b]So be it.[/b]"

The tension in the air did not alleviate afterwards, and the other champions found themselves apprehensive about what may happen next. The first to speak was Pride. "How annoying. Well I will return to the keep. You pests can be on your way now." She said dismissively, before turning back to the aforementioned keep behind her. She came to a halt as she was lifted from the ground by Homura.

"[b]No, before we depart there is a matter I must remedy. I have yet to teach you the secrets of your spirit, and the art of sorcery.[/b]" The red goddess said, holding an annoyed Pride while her remaining champions became intrigued.

[center][b]---[/b][/center]

"[b]The Gnosis is difficult to understand as a mortal, and requires both intense discipline and acquired wisdom. Knowledge is the practice of making language conform to the world, as opposed to sorcery, which is the practice of making the world conform to language. We cannot see the words that weave reality into the tapestry, but we can influence them.[/b]" Homura explained to the four students seated before her.

"[b]As a goddess, I am gifted with an innate understanding of the Gnosis. I can create and manipulate the world around me with greater ease while you will have to struggle to achieve even simple spells that define the world around you. The meaning of the words is essential, and though you need not articulate them, you must understand the essence of what you are attempting to convey. If your spirit is illiterate, you cannot comprehend the Gnosis.[/b]" Her hands gracefully gestured and motioned in the air, as symbols appeared and shimmered. The mystical markings hovered and shifted in a myriad of shapes and sizes, humming quietly with otherworldly power as they encircled the champions.

"[b]I shall bestow upon you my understanding of the Incantation of Sending, but only a piece of it. Every Incantation consists of the principle of the spell, and the many shaped forms that spell takes. Memorizing a single shape is much simpler than memorizing the entire principle. I will teach you how to walk in the Otherworld.[/b]" The symbols suddenly shattered, and then reappeared upon the flesh of the four champions that winced with pain as this happened. Seared into their skin, the symbols shifted and spread until much of the the four champion's bodies were inscribed with the markings.

"[b]To assist your minds, I have taught your bodies as well. When you call upon sorcery, the incantations shall reveal themselves to you.[/b]"

Kindness stood up, and examined her arms and legs, watching as the inscriptions altered themselves. Black and serpentine, twisting and turning, the markings captivated her. The other champions were just as enchanted by what had happened, and preoccupied themselves with looking at themselves. The quiet champion saw that the markings reached their faces as well, dark swirling shapes contrasting with their pale skin and scarlet features.

"[b]Sustaining any spell will exhaust you, so you must discover your limitations before you weaken yourself in a perilous moment, and suffer the consequences of ignorance.[/b]" Homura said.

The champions quickly found themselves more and more fatigued after walking for a few moments while the markings remained visible. Pride was the first to surrender to the strenuous exertion, and Wanderer followed quickly after. The two sat down breathing heavily as their markings vanished, and then watched as Kindness and Curiosity continued to stand.

"I'm going to be the last to fall, you know." Curiosity chuckled while Kindness struggled to just stay standing. The quiet champion felt her legs burn, and her shoulders ache, as if she were burdened with a great weight on her back. She looked at her cheerful sister and could not understand how she simply stood there without expressing a hint of exhaustion.

"No... I... am..." Kindness gasped out, and stepped towards Curiosity.

Her sister continued to smile, but there was sorrow in her eyes as well. "You can do this."

"Do... no... me..." Kindness couldn't breathe, and fell before she could reach Curiosity, but her sister dashed forward to catch her. The markings upon them vanished as well, and the victorious champion held her exhausted sister with tenderness.

"You don't have to worry. You'll become stronger, Kindness."

Homura spoke from where she had observed their contest, and all of her champions turned to look at her. "[b]Honor is sacrifice. Walking upon the Sacred Path will be arduous, but we will not stray. You have learned how to walk in the Otherworld, but before you attempt to wander far, you must train your endurance. For the journey ahead, I shall sustain the spell. Now, you have all done well. Go and rest in the warmth of the Eternal Fire. It will restore your strength.[/b]"

The red goddess dismissed her champions with a wave of her golden spear, and then pointed towards the keep. Her exhausted students slowly stood and began the trek back to the lonely building. None of them spoke, too tired to try to converse, so they simply marched onward until they reached their destination.

When they entered and stood before the blazing bonfire that is the Eternal Fire, all four of them found themselves quickly reinvigorated. Its bright light seeped into them and reached their inner fires, joining with it and connecting them to the power imbued in the monument itself. It was peaceful, and each cackle and flicker of the flames lulled them into relaxation.

They all seated themselves nearby and watched the fire for a time as they were told to rest, and in the balmy presence of the Eternal fire they found their concerns and aches had faded away.

"Wanderer, you're smiling!" Curiosity said with excitement, pointing at her sister lost in her feeling of content. Curiosity herself had felt her lips tug upwards, and joy blossom in her chest. She looked to Kindness with Pride sitting in her lap, and felt more safe and happy than she had ever thought would be possible.

Homura was quiet when she found all four of her champions sleeping peacefully, and allowed them to enjoy their brief respite.

As the sky darkened, Kindness awoke to the wind caressing her cheek and tugging her hair. She atop one of the colossi among the columns of its crown. She frantically looked to see if Courage and Fear were beside her, but realized she could not hear the roar of the sea, and it was night, not day. Her return to Keltra had not been a dream. Their deaths had not been a dream...

She could hear the more gentle waves washing against the stony shores of Keltra, and saw the other two colossi stationed nearby. She could see her sisters, Curiosity and Wanderer waking upon their own colossi as well.

Homura appeared beside her, illuminating the head of the colossus with the tip of Daybringer. "[b]It is time we continue. Show your sisters how to guide the colossi, and follow me.[/b]" Without waiting for a reply, the red goddess leapt and soared through the sky westward.

Kindness did as she was told.

[hider=Summary]Back in Keltra after Apostate has left, Kindness awakens and speaks with her sisters Curiosity and Wanderer. She tells them a little of what happened with Courage and Fear, but then Pride arrives.

As her two sisters coddle the small champion, Kindness finds herself becoming resentful of Homura, and angry with the world. She cries and finds little comfort with Pride until Homura comes back.

Homura explains the next course of action; continuing to deliver humans, with Curiosity and Wanderer commanding the other two colossi while Pride defends Keltra. Kindness accuses the goddess of being a terrible, while her sisters ask a few questions.

Homura provides her reasoning for leaving Courage and Fear, and promises that Kindness will be reunited with them. Kindness promises repercussions otherwise.

Then Homura begins teaching her champions how to use their Spirit, and imparts upon them spell marks that show them the spell they are attempting to cast. They practice and have a contest to see who can sustain their spell the longest - Curiosity wins.

Afterwards, they are told rest in the keep in the warmth of the Eternal Fire, where they are able recuperate and fall asleep. Kindness, Curiosity, and Wanderer, awaken on the three colossi, and Homura gives them their directions.[/hider]
[hider=Vigor]Cycle 2 
Homura’s Vigor total: 2.
1 Vigor spent to teach sorcery to her Champions.
Vigor spent: 1.
Remaining Vigor: 1.

Kindness, Curiosity, Wanderer, and Pride gain 2 Spirit[/hider]