[center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/m2b53xXY/Leon.webp[/img]
[h1][color=fff200]The Sun Seeker's Folly[/color][/h1]
[hr][b]Event:[/b] Post-Trials - [b]Mentions:[/b] Ciro, Ayla, Kaureerah, & Ariadne [@Ti][@Force and Fury][@YummyYummy]
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[hider=A Children's Story]
It was just like any other free performance Leon made for the refugees outside Ersand’Enise. With the kind sponsorship of Ciro Volta and the Arslan-Mercador company, among some other less notable names, food and essentials were brought out to those camping outside the southern gate. Leon performed alongside some of the other more altruistic students, like Ayla herself, to bring some joy to the dour circumstances.

One could mistake it for a normal concert, full of storytelling, songs, and dance. But, unknown to the audience, Leon decided to tell a story to the children today that he had never told before:

[color=fff200]“There was once a boy born to a world of cold. He was hungry and afraid. Didn’t know where his past lay, nor where his future would take him. This boy would wonder at the stars and hope the next day could bring a better life for himself and those he called family. I’m sure it isn’t an unfamiliar feeling.”

“Well one day, a man came into the boy’s village with a smile on his face. What he brought with him was a box of vegetables, fruits, and other food. Over his shoulder were slung blankets to keep away the cold. The boy looked up at the man in shock. Despite the bite of winter, the man wore very little. The man must have been invincible in the boy’s eyes.”

“To no gain of his own, the man gave what he had to the people of the town. Some of the older folks tried to refuse the man’s gifts because they knew he would be left with nothing if he were to continue. But the man simply said: ‘My friends, I am a hero. It is my duty to help those who can’t help themselves. Please take what I have and allow me to fight the cold and hurts this world can bring because I am the one capable of doing so. Take joy in life, and you need not worry for me.’ And the town was set at ease because this man said it all with a smile, he was invincible.”[/color]

[color=fff200]“When the man took his leave into the wilderness beyond, the boy followed the man’s path in his admiration. Noticing the unexpected companion, the man turned back to the boy and said: ‘Young man, if you wish to take my path, then I encourage you. Follow me, seek the sun, and you can go far further than here.’” [/color]

[color=fff200]“And then the man disappeared, not because he was a god or some otherworldly spirit mind you, but because he never existed. Left back to the cold, the boy realized that the man was little more than a figment of his imagination. Such a man could not exist.”[/color]

There was a disappointed sigh from the crowd of children that the story had taken such an anti-climactic and depressing note. But Leon gestured for the kids to quiet down, the story wasn’t finished yet.

[color=fff200]“But there was one thing about the man that was real. Something the boy couldn’t forget: His words. If a man such as him did not exist in this world, then the boy would strive to become him and he set off seeking the sun in his place. At first, he would feel like a cheap imitation, a fraud. But he was determined to walk the road; certain that he would embody this hero by the path's end. So that no one would be left in the cold like he was before.”[/color]

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[hider=A Dream]
A young, far paler Leon stood at the side of the ramshackle stage. There had been a rush only hours before to set up the stage so that the caravan could perform that night. The boy tried his best to help out where he could, but he was too small to make any real difference. The winter had been long and his final grip still lingered. But they had no choice but to delay it for the next night, business had been poor and they were light on food. It was not the season to be caught without spare funds. Leon was hungry, but worse than that, he felt cold.

This was a special night for the fledgling performer, for it was the first time he would take the stage all by himself. While he showed some promise as a dancer and knew a few lute chords, this wasn’t a decision made because he had proven himself. Instead, it was a desperate gamble from the caravan. Their normal routine wasn’t bringing in the money like it used to, people were not willing to tip when they had their own families to feed. Perhaps putting up a young, cute child would get them some coin out of pity if nothing else.

Unsure of his feet, Leon stumbled to the stage with an adult-sized lute too big for him. [color=fff79a]“Hi… My name is Leon.”[/color] There was a pause as he wondered for his other name. Most performers had a second name, most people did, but Leon came up short on that front. He ended the pause with a nervous, sheepish smile. [color=fff79a]“I hope you enjoy my dance.”[/color]

He proceeded with a simple and unpracticed dance. It was a poor performance. Every so often, he would try to strum a chord but the lute was too big for him and he couldn’t reach the strings while keeping up the rhythm. Leon tripped over himself twice, almost falling over and was only barely able to keep his footing. By the time he was done, the boy felt like crying. He had practised this again and again. Yet he failed when the people he loved needed him most.

That was until Leon looked out to the crowd who was applauding him. From the perception of the boy, the people loved him. The older spectators in the seats looked at him with fond, amused smiles while dropping coins into the donation cups. But Leon didn’t care about the money, people looked at something he did and they enjoyed themselves. He looked at Granny Eleanor off-stage and wiped away his tears with a trembling smile. The boy was about to cry again but for the right reasons.

He felt a spark of warmth born inside him.

[hr]
“Leon Solaire, are you flirting with me?”

A teen Leon looked back somewhat surprised at his dance partner. She wasn’t too far from his age, or height for that matter. She was an Eskandr girl with long, red hair, and bright blue eyes, and wore a peasant’s harvest dress. She was awfully pretty.

Realizing he hadn’t made a reply, Leon tried adjusting the rose in his mouth with just his teeth. [color=fff200]“I’m sorry, come again.”[/color] He replied with an earnest chuckle.

The girl giggled and drew closer. “I said: Leon Solaire, are you flirting with me?”

He took the time to process her words and think about them. Truthfully, he wasn’t. The simple wish to dance with this girl was all the forethought he had put into his actions. Although, he could certainly see how she got the impression with the rose in his mouth and all. It would be a shame to let her down; he had to be true to his intentions.

But then he looked into her eyes once more. They were beautiful, hopeful eyes. Leon could guess what answer she wanted to hear. Did he want to crush that dream by turning her away now? 

Perhaps that’s what love was, the choice to go out of your way to bring someone happiness. He certainly loved to bring joy into someone’s life if he had the ability to help such a longing. Who was he to deny what the heart wanted? Maybe he loved this girl.

[color=fff200]“A wishful imagination perhaps?”[/color] Leon replied flirtatiously.

Leon would later lose his virginity to her. His heart felt warm and he felt joy to have brought her happiness. He couldn’t wait until he got back to Revidia, he could go back to Granny Eleanor’s resting place and let her know that he was in love. He could tell her all about the girl named…

[i]The girl who he loved. The girl named…[/i]

[i]What was her name again?[/i]

Leon found himself in a void where the only thing he could perceive was a single step from a staircase before him. He took the step up and he felt a ray of warmth fill his soul. The image of yet another person made happy by his actions flashed through his mind. He loved them. Then another step up made itself present in his mind’s eye and he took that as well.

[i]What was her name again? That girl he loved.[/i]

One step after the other Leon climbed the astral staircase. With each foot placed, he felt warmer, another person became happier, and the void around him began to brighten. He expected the stairs to run out at some point but they didn’t. Each step taken meant another one appeared to take him even higher.

[i]What did she look like again? [/i]

While he was cautious at first, Leon took to bounding upwards. If each step brought happiness into this world then he need only climb. The higher he climbed, the greater he could become and the more dreams he could help fulfil. That was love after all and in love he needed only to climb. So why look back?

[i]He loved her, right?[/i]

Chasing away the thought, he ran. He ran toward the summit of these steps. They never seemed to end, and yet, with every step upward he was warmer and his smile grew. To climb the stairs was the greatest expression of love he could imagine, he couldn’t stop now. Ascend another step and he could bring more happiness into the world, that would make him happy. It was that simple, it was that good, so why would he ever look back?

[i]The faces he saw, could he name any of them?[/i]

At the summit, he was sure to meet the sun and he could embrace it as kin. Because each step was followed by another appearing to take him further upward, that was reason enough to climb. He would climb as much as the stairs would allow. He was Leon Solaire, he was the Sun King, and he couldn’t pay any mind to doubts when he was so close to the top. He need only climb a little higher…

[i]If he could just reach the top…[/i]

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[hider=The Sun Seeker]
Leon woke up back in his room. His head pounded under the weight of alcohol and sleeplessness, but worse than that, he felt cold. From soaring heights above, he hit the ground. 

This was the lowest he felt since developing magical abilities. He used more than he ever had against Ariadne and there wasn’t the light left in the day to recover even a fragment of it. He could have used manifestation magic to recharge, but he had taken too much from that wonderful place already. He wouldn’t draw from it frivolously.

Leon groaned as he stretched and felt a small burning sensation waltzing around in his lungs. Too much sunfire, it would fade away in a couple of days, hopefully. He held back a cough. There was a weight underneath his arm and he looked over to see Kaureerah still peacefully sleeping. Leon wished to linger in the moment a while longer. For a time, the morning pains had faded; in their place a feeling of weightlessness in his chest and a kind but unrehearsed smile stretched across his face. Could he really be happy when the sun's rays were so distant from him?

He still needed to get up; he couldn't let her see him in this state. After a gentle kiss on the forehead, he proceeded with the task of swapping out his arm for a pillow without waking her. Even with the proficiency the singer had with bed companions past, this required exceptional care.

Stumbling ungracefully out of bed, the performer found himself relieved to be moving under the veil of the early morning slumber. He had just about enough energy to pull through for the evening partying, but he no longer had the energy to keep up the show. He was drained and hoped no one would see him like this.

Why was he in this position in the first place? Why did he do that to Ariadne? Such a pointless act to be left in exhaustion afterwards. It left Leon wondering what drove his hand, he had been thinking about it since the match’s end, but he was just avoiding the answer he already knew. It was fear and anger.

Fear and anger were two feelings the performer had rarely encountered since his rise to fame. It was only when the winds of war started blowing that they had reared up once again. They were ugly emotions; ones Leon would prefer to be without. After all, Leon Solaire did not fear and did not give in to provocation. 

And yet, he was so quick to turn when Ariadne confronted him. The temporal anchor did little to settle his anxieties, it wasn’t the outcome of the fight that haunted him but his intentions. He almost killed her. It is not as though he wanted to do that, but in that moment, he held her life in disregard. For what good reason could he justify those actions?

Perhaps it was the very action of ignoring those emotions that made them bubble up so quickly under pressure. Without an outlet, could he be doomed to an uncontrolled outburst like that every time he felt challenged? Maybe the image of Leon Solaire wasn’t strong because he was unwavering but simply untested.

Leon tried to chase away the thought; he didn’t want to entertain the idea. But he couldn’t continue to ignore it. He made a promise to see the sun shine upon a brighter world. They were emotions he would have to confront if he wished to fight for it…

His thought process was interrupted when he saw that the bathtub was in the middle of his room again and just about full to the brim. It was a moment of relief as he remembered the joke and lightly chuckled to himself. It still had about a couple of nights left before it would stop being funny.

Leon briefly dipped his head in the water in a quiet, controlled motion still trying not to wake his company. The water was cold but helped clear his head. Any thoughts of the Sun King and the burning radiance that filled his soul were absent. The distance between that brilliant splendor and now was never more clear. He was Leon, and only Leon. He hated this feeling but even he could admit that he needed it now and again. He sat, gradually exhaled, and fell back lying on the floor. He thought over the Trial's events.

Later, a faint light peered through the thin curtains. The first rays of the morning sun. Leon stood and slipped out on the balcony to greet it. Although the night air swept with ice across his skin, he felt uplifted by the sun rising to herald a new day.

He felt better with the warmth entering his body once more. His smile grew wide, holding a true sense of joy but an undeniably practiced quality. The sun held power, beauty, and certainty for the young man. As long as he could see it, his destination was clear and so was the means to achieve it. With the power entering his body once more he could see the truth, his truth. 

The fight with Ariadne was little more than stumble in the road, a symptom that he hadn’t reached the end of his journey. He need only climb those steps to the zenith and he could finally become the Leon Solaire people believed him to be. As sure as the sun was to rise, so was his duty to climb to greater heights.

[hr]

Leon looked back to Kaureerah and lingered there a while before averting his gaze back to the rising sun. The performer saw something special in her, even if he didn't know it.

He had felt something similar to this before, countless times. Since popularity hit him, he loved his fans and those who admired him. There was great pleasure in granting their wishes for a moment of love with the person they desired most.

She was different, Leon never felt reciprocity like this, to long for someone else. And yet, he still mistook his feelings for the former which he had experienced so many times before.

Perhaps in another universe, in another timeline, a humble lute player simply known as Leon would confess a love for this woman, letting his true feelings out, and they could maybe even be happy together.

But he wasn't the boy simply known as Leon. He was Leon Solaire, he was the Sun King. There were countless others whose dreams he must fulfil. His work wasn't done and he couldn't rest until the sun shone on a better world. 

He had climbed the stairs too high trying to embody the roles he made for himself. And so, he strives ever further toward the greatness of his fiction while blind to the things that could truly make him happy.

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