It had been days since they arrived in Ha-Dûna and Lucia's spirits were running low. Wherever she went, the swarm of people never disappeared: Whenever she’d move through the market square, the bartering crowds would instantly turn their attention away from the wares and customers to the daughter of the sun - the customers would fall to their knees in prayer while the merchants bombarded her with baskets and pots of food and drink, heaps of furs and textiles, and every the occasional live goat or stag; whenever Lucia would go to the outskirts, the farmers would drop their tools to the ground and run up to her to praise her and her mother, showering her in whatever they had, whether it be their harvest, livestock or family relics; whenever Lucia would go to the inner town, the one spot she might be safe from most of the common folk, she would be shadowed by druids eager to serve and wait on her every breath.
She had thought she had grown used to such attention but little by little it was beginning to break her down. It was hard to find a moment to just breath. The constant stream of people in need, who wanted to converse, to thank her for being who she was, it was all so draining. And somewhere along the way, she had lost Sanya, or knowing Sanya, she didn’t want to be around so many people and Lucia couldn’t blame her. Still… It would have been nice if she tagged along. If only the druids could see past her! Sanya was even more so a ‘Helgen’ then she could ever be but that was a secret shared between them.
Lucia would never betray her friend like that. She couldn’t. Because she knew the truth about Sanya, a shared memory, so long ago. She was angrier then and Lucia had been scared, but a bond was forged nonetheless. They barely got to see each other since she had arrived. Only brief snippets of conversation before Lucia was whisked away by the druids and Sanya disappeared into the crowds.
She snapped back to reality briefly. She was on another tour, led by Pinya and flanked by several more she didn't know the names of. They wandered around the inner town, telling her about it, but Lucia’s mind went elsewhere again. She could feel it inside, an old enemy returning. One of longing and frustration. Negativity and anger. Slowly and surely, like a cold knife being plunged into her heart, it came stripping all to numbness. She hid behind her smiles, forced to be genuine, when all she wanted to do was cry. It was good and well that no one knew that her tattoos were ingrained to her emotional state. They weren't just there to shimmer but rather, tell a story. Today, they were as she felt, small and diminutive. Shimmering slightly everytime someone conversed with her but they were duller than usual.
The druids, they talked about wanting to reunite her with Megzhaal, her love. Yet no one ever bothered to ask her if she wanted to be reunited. He was her love, yes but his voice had faded from her mind. There were no more poems, no more songs. He had been there by her side after his banishment and for centuries did he keep her company but slowly and surely, Megzhaal retreated into the depths of his realm and his responses became… Foreign... Until nothing at all. That had been… five decades ago? Six? She did not know. It was after the fall of… Solaria at least.
All she knew was that talking about it still brought about similar feelings when she had lost both her Love and her mother. Feelings so dark and crushing- Only time made them subside and time brought them back. Here and there, now and again. A feeling of hopelessness, of bleak prospects. Like the ocean, pressing her down into black depths. There was no escape, no light at the end of the tunnel.
She knew what triggered it.
For Ha-Dûna was bustling with life, love, happiness - things she did not deserve. Or was she just… sick of them? She had never met a town so content, so blissful and full of peace. They all knew their purposes and who they would spend the rest of their lives with and have so many children with. Why was she so important to them when they had all of this? All she did was help those when they needed help, she didn’t ask for anything in return, why did that make her so special? Was it the tattoos? Was it the halo? Was it her eyes? Her face? Her hair? Couldn’t she just disappear for a time?
She had tried that though, hadn’t she?
It never worked.
She had to help people, it was just who she was, but still… She didn't deserve anything. She had seen so much pain and suffering. It went on and on over the years. There was no depth cruelty could not fall to and it broke her. She had bore witness to all of it and by some miracle, survived each time. Why did she get to live while so many others had their lives snuffed out? She had learned early on her own, that life simply wasn't fair. There were good moments in the sea of bad, happy memories she held onto tightly. People and faces she would never forget and honor even if others had forgotten. She enjoyed people, after all.
Yet now, all she wanted to do was be alone, just to cry. Just to breath! But Lucia remained walking, a smile on her face. She took some small solace in the fact the day was ending and maybe she'd get to talk to Sanya. She knew her mother would listen and share her sympathy but her mother could never know how she truly felt. It would destroy Oraelia. Lucia could hardly imagine what she would feel and she did not want to. No, she would talk to Sanya, even open up to her because Sanya would sense her emotions. There was no hiding it. She told herself that that night would be the one they catch up in. It had to be.
They passed by a hexagonal hut with a tent roof, through which top and wall cracks oozed clouds of thick, smelly smoke. One woman came walking out and sat down on the entrance step, a long pipe in hand and a smile about her relaxed lips. She looked at Lucia and barely seemed to react, although after a few seconds, her smile broadened and she lifted her pipe in greeting. Kaer Pinya, who was leading Lucia’s entourage stopped at the sight of the lady and grinned back, turning to Lucia.
“Oh, great Lucia, a thought just struck me! How about before we head to the Flynns as planned, we offer you a pipeful of our finest blinkweed? It is our latest fashion here in town.”
"Why do you call it blinkweed?" she asked absentmindedly.
“Oh, the smoke stings a bit on the eyes in the beginning, and it makes you all drowsy and warm on the inside. It’s a wonderful experience, and the younglings have been so much more relieved in their studies after it was given to us. Oh, what pleasantries the gods bestow upon us!” She lifted her hands skywards.
Now this caught Lucia's attention. She looked over the woman who held the pipe. She did look relaxed, didn't she? But would it help her? "Does it dull the mind?" she followed up.
“We prefer to say ‘expand’,” came a soft addition from one of the other archdruids, a middle-aged man Lucia knew as Kaer Togen.
Lucia frowned for a moment before returning to a neutral expression. "I'll pass for now but thank you." she said, forcing a smile at them. Kaer Pinya and Kaer Togen, as well as the four others in her company, all closed in around her.
“Please, oh great one, we insist!”
“Do you think we’re blind to those wrinkles forming around your smile? We work with people every day and can tell when someone’s exhausted.” Kaer Pinya took her by the arm. “Come on now, sweety. It’ll do you good!”
It hit her like a boulder. A feeling of being ignored, told what's best for her. She had had enough. Her tattoos flared up and pushed Pinya away from Lucia, then flicked the others who surrounded her in the chest, shoving them away. She then said loudly, "I said no! And if you knew I was exhausted then you would let me just breathe for a moment! I'm going to my room, don't follow me. Don't come knock on the door. Just let me have the rest of the day to myself!" and before any of them could respond, Lucia took off in a dead sprint. The six of them exchanged desperate looks of confusion, proceeding to jog on after her.
Wherever Lucia ran, whoever was nearby turned to look and greet her. Florists threw flowers after her; farmers threw grain. As she reached the house she and Sanya stayed at, the finest resthouse in town, typically reserved only for the archdruids, the guards at the doorway jumped aside to dodge her charge. Inside, a few other archdruids turned to see her, eyes blinking in bepuzzlement.
“Great Lucia, what are you doing here, pray tell?”
She had to think of something fast. Her voice was shaky when she proclaimed, "Reiya uh, requires my presence! I must be alone till tomorrow. Do not disturb me or you disturb Reiya! Bar anyone from attempting to see me save Sanya!" she said before hustling to her room. She hated doing that but in this instance, he mother would approve. As she ran towards her room, the archdruid who had spoken went, “But! Great Lucia, wait! There are--!”
When she neared her chambers, she noticed a line of people leading in through the doorway and back out, with prayers coming from the inside. Her heart sank further as she realized what was going on. Why they kept her away from her room all day. She was mortified. She held her head as she leaned with her back to the wall. This wasn't happening, she told herself over and over. As she turned the corner to look inside, she saw the people walking along the walls of her chamber in a counter-clockwise direction, their right hands gently stroking over various objects she would come into contact with - her chair, her table, her bed, her chamberpot. They all had their eyes closed, and some would occasionally suck in gasps of breath as through divinity entered them with the touch of every object. In the centre stood a trio of druids singing the spiritsongs of the sun in her glory.
Anger boiled in Lucia, replacing the low she felt with unbridled rage. "Shame…" she whispered at first. "Have you no shame!" she shouted shoving her way into her room. The three druids turned and bowed.
“G-great Lucia, if we have done anything to offend you--!”
"Get out! Out out out!" she said pointing to the doorway. "You've betrayed my trust, you've violated my privacy and you've lost my favor!" she said, angry tears flooding down her twisted face. She frantically began to grab her things and began stuffing them into her pack. "If this is what means to be a Helgen then I refuse! I'm a person! Not some object of worship!" she said out loud, before shoving her way out of the room again and into the hallway. She needed to leave. The druids looked heartbroken.
“B-but we merely meant to praise you and your mother’s glory, great Lucia!” Meanwhile, the others were heading out.
She turned to face the one she spoke and said, "If you think Oraelia would want you to violate her daughter's privacy to praise her, not even to mention myself and how I feel about it- Then you'd be wrong!" and on that note she spun around and made a hasty retreat to the exit. In the hallway, she bumped into Kaer Pinya, Kaer Togen and the others, all of whom appeared to have heard the commotion. Kaer Pinya reached out with a frightened frown on her face.
“My dear, please! Know that they didn’t mean it to be unpleasant for you - none of us have intended so!” she pleaded.
Lucia's tattoos prevented Pinya's touch with a careful flick. "I don't care what you thought! If you want to worship, then worship the gods! Not me! Everyday you've held me on some platter not once asking how I felt or if I wanted to be praised! And yet you treat Sanya like she doesn't even exist! My mother sees all as equal! Pray to her for forgiveness because I'm done." she said pushing past them.
The druids looked at one another, completely baffled. As Lucia left the building, one of them asked, “Who is Sanya?”
That sentence came like a blow, but instead of turning around and confronting the person she kept on walking. Those too blinded by faith, only saw what they wanted to appease their gods. She kept on walking and she didn't look back.
Lucia post. Her mindset and mood are explored while she struggled to be what the druids think she is. She’s getting depressed because of it, but she’s used to such a feeling(backstory). She misses Sanya, who she hasn’t been able to talk to for days because of the fanatical obsession of the druids. This comes to a boiling point when they tell her to try something and she says no and then they insist. She snaps and goes on a mini rant before running off to her room. When she shows up, expecting some peace and quiet, she stumbles upon druids who are legit revering her room and everything she’s touched in it. This does nothing to improve her mood and Lucia freaks out and right there decides to leave Ha-Duna. She leaves to go find Sanya.
Oraelia stirred, having slumped from a daze. She sat upon her porch, long after Evandra had gone. They had watched the clouds for a long time, enjoying each other's presence. She knew not how long it had been since then, for her mind had wandered after consuming the berries. It was a period of low, but not entirely terrible. She wanted more, but Evandra had warned her of consuming too many. Nevertheless, she left a bush in Oraelia’s realm. Oraelia just had to make sure a certain Genesis didn’t find it. She could only imagine what they would do to her.
Oraelia got up and traveled back inside, up the stairs. Perhaps Genesis had finally awoken? She arrived at the room and opened the door quietly. She scrunched her nose when she saw the same familiar bundle under the covers. The slow rise and fall reassured Oraelia that Genesis still breathed and thus, was still alive. As she shut the door, the thought was an odd one, needing to breathe being a God. She hadn’t needed to when there was no oxygen, yet it felt so natural. She rubbed her brow as she went down the hallway.
She opened the door to her room. Her room was far larger than depicted from the outside. A vaulted ceiling with two massive skylights in the roof hung far over her head, illuminating the rich comforts the room offered. Such comforts she had no idea existed until she willed them to be. There was gilded furniture, a grand bed that could fit her, Gibbou, and three Genesis’ comfortably, and a variety of live plants as well as a small trickling fountain that worked as a stream running down several layers where it sat in the corner. She made a beeline for her dresser, where a mirror awaited her. She sat down and went to work on her hair, putting her wavy locks up into a messy bun. Loose strands fell down either side of her face as she looked at herself. Satisfied, she got up to leave but paused as she took in her figure.
She wore nothing. She did not feel ashamed of her nudity, but perhaps it was time to take a page from Gibbou. She snapped her fingers and a wardrobe appeared beside her dresser. She opened it to reveal many clothing items with another mirror on the inside of the door. She began to rummage through, picking one she liked to keep and snapping the others out of existence. She would have to do the same with Genesis once she awoke. For now, she chose a short dress, sky blue in color with two small straps. She looked at herself in the mirror and frowned. It needed something. She rubbed her chin and then realized what she was missing. Deep within her wardrobe she reached and pulled out a sunhat. Large brimmed and cozy, it nestled upon her head and complimented her look. She smiled and shut the wardrobe before leaving the room. Oraelia headed downstairs and outside, where she went for a walk. But a short time later she paused as her thoughts turned to the mortal world below. She answered prayers, healed those she could and offered her advice where she could. She checked on Solus, only to find him ripping apart a stone troll, throwing it’s chunks at those who fled before his radiance. Oraelia paused in the path as next she watched through his eyes as he extended a hand to a fallen caravan. Bodies dead, children crying- loss. It broke her a little further.
She knew it was happening all over Galbar. Try as she might, she could not be everywhere all the time, and neither could Solus. Nor could Lucia, or Sanya. The druids were a good start, but she needed more. Another solution.
Beings who could wield her light, who could help those in need with love and compassion yet still protect with a guiding hand. An idea struck her, but she couldn’t do it alone. She would need help and she knew exactly who she would seek.
”Neiya? Can you hear me?” she asked, sending her thoughts towards her sister.
A moment of silence followed, enough to convince the less hopeful that no reply would be forthcoming. Then, the familiar spark of connection, thoughts returned. ”...Oraelia? Is that you?” a thought bubbled back to Oraelia, along with a stretch of emotional turmoil. A brief pang of anxiety, and uncertainty. ”...Is something the matter?”
Oraelia grew concerned at Neiya's response but carried on. "Um… No, everything is fine. I just wanted to talk with you about a proposal I have. Is that alright? If now isn't a good time I can get back to you later if you'd like?" she said gently, letting her warmth go Neiya's way.
The brief wash of emotion faded away, and it wasn’t long before a conscious stream of more vibrant feeling returned in an initially silent response to Oraelia’s warmth, before the goddess of love responded properly. ”What do we have if not time? I will hear your proposal.”
Oraelia smiled happily and became giddy. "Excellent! Okay so lately I've been seeing a lot of people who need help down on Galbar and I can't be everywhere at once as much as I'd like to be so I thought why not take a page from Gibbou's book and create a race who can protect life during the day. Obviously I can't do it alone and I thought who better to ask then my sister Neiya! With her love and compassion and my life and sunlight we could do a lot of good. That is if you're willing?" Oraelia asked, out of breath as she sent her happiness towards Neiya. There was a brief pause, before another reply came. ”With my love? I am touched that you thought of me, Oraelia. I have only ever joined in the creation of one species, so I am worried that you will have to guide me. I wish for nothing more than to show my love to the world beyond, if you would have me.”
"Don't worry about it, I've only created animals so you're already ahead of me!" Oraelia said. "So yes, I would have you."
Oraelia was assaulted by another short wave of emotion, a warmth not unlike what she had responded with in the past. ”Perhaps we could meet? This sensation we are sharing now is taxing and unfamiliar to me. A being so bright should be admired in person.”
"O-Oh of course! Uh, Genesis is still sleeping so I'm free to go to your realm or you can come to mine. Usually I'd just recommend coming here but if you're more comfortable in your realm I that's okay." Oraelia sai.d.
”I would love to see your realm one day, Oraelia,” the distant goddess replied. ”I must confess however; I’ve had some… unfortunate… encounters with our kin recently, and this shared land between our realms feels very foreign to me. It would mean so much to me if you came to see me in my realm. Perhaps you could help me spark some life in it.”
"I can do that for you." she said with sympathy in her voice. "I'll be there soon."
Again the goddess was met with a brief wash of relief and warmth in their shared connection. ”I look forward to your visit. I will ask the trees to bloom in your honor.”
The connection faded between the two and Oraelia began to walk off over to her portal. Before she did that however, she went and checked on Genesis one last time, just to make sure she was sleeping. And the little plantie was, so as much as she didn't want to go, Oraelia locked the door on her way out and then left her own realm after a quick walk. She then hesitated again before reassuring herself that Genesis would be okay.
It wasn't long before she came before the familiar view of Neiya's portal. Tentatively she took a deep breath and then passed through.
The realm beyond was not a particularly inspiring view for the Goddess of Life. Much like she had sighted the first time she had gleaned through the jagged tear that was the entrance to Neiya’s realm, the landscape was dominated mainly by a barren and wide plain, with short stalks of grass almost ashen grey in colour, and the dirt below seemed lifeless and bleak. All around her were sparse pockets of dark trees, with twisting branches that hung in wait for a bloom that seemed like it would never come. A river cut through the landscape, a rapid stream of clear water, seeming to wind endlessly in the distance. Perhaps even more out of place was the singular, dark wooden door that seemed haphazardly halfway between the entrance to the realm and the river. It had a golden doorknob, with a shining amethyst embossed on it. A stark contrast to the rest of the landscape.
That seemed to be all there was to Neiya’s realm, until a single motion caught Oraelia’s view. Past her eyes sailed a small deep blue butterfly, fighting through the quiet realm to fly off into the distance with determined beats of its wings. Its destination could be sighted in the distance, a single dense grove of trees upon the plains. They were unlike the rest she could see; even from her distance she could see the bloom of soft pink and hues of gentle red. Petals whirled with a gentle wind, raining the ground below with a bed of soft pink. A tranquil scene in an otherwise troubling landscape.
Oraelia made her way there. The walk was dreary, perhaps even a bit depressing but that didn't stop her from looking to the horizon. It did leave questions on why Neiya's realm was so bleak, however. She would have to ask her sometime. Oraelia broke through the treeline, and stepped into the thicket.
It was like entering a different world entirely. The gentle rustle of trees, the falling petals, a whole throng of butterflies peacefully sailing around. If the entire realm had been like this, it would have been a paradise. As the bright goddess continued, another new sight became apparent. The trees parted and gave way to a clearing nestled deep within the miniature forest. Again, the quiet rush of the river made itself apparent, snaking from one side straight through the grove and out the other. In the middle of the clearing sat a sizable pavilion, hewn masterfully out of marble and granite. A small path interspersed with white flagstones pushed the river aside to give access to the pavilion, which was otherwise surrounded by the clear water. As though the trees had ended already, Oraelia felt her feet touch the first smooth stone on the path.
Even from afar, she could see the easily recognizable silhouette of the love goddess, sat reclined on a throne of sorts, embellished with silver and draped ornately with fine silks in blue and silver.
Oraelia waved as she approached, a smile breaking out on her lips. "Hey Neiya! Isn't this just a lovely little place? It makes me so happy." she gushed as she made her way into the pavilion.
Neiya rose from her seat as the life goddess approached, the ever present frown a thin and mellow purse of her lips rather than any clear display of displeasure. Feet on the marble, she stepped forward to meet Oraelia as she walked into the refuge at the centre of the thicket. She bowed her horned head with a tranquil grace, clasping her hands formally in front of her. ”Thank you for the kind words, Oraelia. It pleases me that you like it. I must say I consider it peaceful. When I asked them to bloom on your behalf, they could not resist.”
Oraelia smiled as her body grew slightly brighter. She then gave a curtsey in return, dipping her head lower than average. As such her sunhat slipped off her head. She looked back up at Neiya with embarrassment before grabbing her hat and putting it back on. "S-Sorry about that. It's a new look for me." she confessed. "You're too kind Neiya." she then continued, "I'm surprised your realm isn't always like this. To be in the presence of love is to bloom with life."
Ice-blue eyes followed each motion of Oraelia’s, each twist and shift in her features and demeanour. Her head tilted gently as she watched the goddess, a slight narrow of her gaze with no following change to her expression or tone. ”We are both trying beguiling new looks, then,” she offered with a gentle lift of her hand towards the blooming trees. ”As you say, love is an unstoppable sensation of life. How fitting then, that we are here together now.” Neiya took a single step towards Oraelia, hand raising slowly and tentatively as she continued. ”What wonders shall we make today, Oraelia?”
Oraelia tilted her head, eyes twinkling as she looked at Neiya and then to her hand. "Here, let me show you! It'll be easier than explaining." Oraelia said before grabbing Neiya's hand with both of hers, much to Neiya’s apparent surprise. A feeling of warmth flooded into Neiya as a vision of a man came before her. He was young, with huge bird-like wings, a flaming sword and halo of sunlight hovered above his head like a crown. The image faded as Oraelia left her impressions on Neiya of a race molded after him. Oraelia then spoke as Neiya's vision came back to view a giddy sun goddess. "I daydream a lot but that's the general idea. A race of humanoids who can fly, protect the life that they will come to love and flourish under the sun. I think you and I could make them through use of our avatars. The Luminant will be their home, I've seen from my holy site that there lives small colonies of humans and Sylphi there. They would fit right in before expanding to help the rest of the Toraan, then the world! What do you think?" she said enthusiastically, letting go of Neiya's hand.
Neiya retracted her hand as she flexed her fingers, watching the happy sun goddess intensely. For a time, she remained like that, lost in her own thoughts, until she blinked at last and lifted her chin ever so slightly. ”Certainly an impressive vision, Oraelia. Such a being would be free, able to spread love to all corners of the world, just as you said. Unhindered and strong.” she said, with a deepening frown twisting her features. ”For too long did I suffer the cries of anguish from the mortals beyond. This would be a force to be reckoned with. To put the savagery to rest once and for all, and allow love to flourish.”
Oraelia looked at Neiya, her golden eyes going wide as she noticed the frown upon her face. "You've... Suffered sister?" she asked quietly.
”No.” Neiya responded with some clarity, though her eyes held their sorrowful expression as she regarded Oraelia. ”Or, perhaps I have,” she continued musing, exhaling a slow breath as both her hands reached out to mimic Oraelia’s past gesture, seeking a single hand to grasp hold of with gentle grace. ”But no more than a parent suffers when their children stumble and fall. I-... I don’t have an avatar. Cadien said that it was reckless. But I fear I have waited for too long to reunite with our children.”
Oraelia smiled as she gave Neiya her hand. She then said, "Oh Neiya… It's never too late. I should know, I left my daughter upon Galbar while I slept and only now am I building up the pieces of our relationship again." she gave a gentle squeeze. "The only thing reckless is not trying and letting the problem or problems we face, go on further. The mortals need us, perhaps more now than ever before. Why not try?"
A flash of determination ran through the Love Goddess’ features, followed by a definite rush of a tingle communicated through their touch as emotion seemed to roil within Neiya. She nodded at Oraelia, taking another step closer to diminish the gap. ”You’re right. Nothing will happen if we do not make it happen. You’re as wise as you are bright.”
Oraelia grew even brighter still as she shuffled on her feet, bobbing her shoulders up and down as she looked to her feet and then to Neiya's face. She felt strangely nervous in Neiya's presence. "Y-You're too kind. I just like helping people, and inspiring them. That's all." she said bashfully, heart pounding in her chest.
”You’ve inspired me with all kinds of ideas, Oraelia,” the horned goddess uttered with a breathy whisper, gently leaning forwards as she gave her hand a gentle squeeze, eyes intently watching her yet. ”I look forward to sharing them with you.”
A pause, a gentle crane of her neck, and then Neiya gently released her hand. She lifted both her hands upwards, gently grasping the sunhat and adjusting it to rest neatly on the shuffling life goddess’ head. With that, she swept to the side with a silent drift along the marble and drew a long, tranquil breath. Her hands ran to touch Oraelia’s shoulder with a few brushes of her fingers. “But perhaps we should begin with yours? Perhaps it is time I create an avatar. For both of our benefits. Do you have any ideas?”
Oraelia straightened herself and fixed the creases in her dress as she looked at Neiya with fascination. She felt all sorts of things about her but she needed to remain focused. "Avatar. Yes! Um well, if you don't have any concrete ideas, perhaps you could mold him or her after what I showed you?" she inquired.
Neiya lifted a few inches from the ground, hand lifting to gently touch at her own chin in brief thought. Relieving Oraelia of her immediate presence, the horned goddess floated a small distance towards the wide river that ran alongside the edges of the pavilion. ”Yes, I should very much like to try. she concluded as she turned back towards the Bright One. Neiya drifted back to Oraelia, coming to touch down on the ground beside her. ”So, I-... shape something out of my own essence?” Hand lifting, she closed her eyes and focused her attention forwards. The wind around the pavilion picked up in an instant, whipping and howling as flurries of petals spun into the river in beautiful patterns. One such spiral carried with it water as it spun into the pavilion itself. Gentle threads extended from the Love Goddess’ hand, wispy tendrils that seemed to reach out towards the spiralling energies. The strands connected, and with a sharp breath the goddess visibly imparted part of herself, letting her divinity flow free towards the spiral of petals and water. The result was a whirling cascade of colours, deep blue, gold, pink. It spun in place like a typhoon, slowly taking shape to something vaguely humanoid.
With a final exhalation of expended effort, Neiya lowered her hand, and the tornado fell still, washing over the stonework they stood on. As water and petals washed away, in its place stood a pale woman with dark hair, several heads taller than a mortal human, though not unlike them - or indeed Neiya herself - in features. On her head were a single set of dark horns instead of a halo, though other than that she had not inherited Neiya’s horned attributes. Under her eyes were patterns in the same likeness as the Love Goddess herself. The woman blinked at the two divine observers, and immediately knelt to the ground subserviently. On her back was a pale comparison to the envisioned wings of Oraelia’s idea; more akin to the coloured plumage of a bird, a wingspan barely made itself apparent in a blend of blue, gold, and pink intermingling to form new colours.
”...Not exactly what you showed me. It was-.. Hard to focus. I’m sorry, Oraelia.” Neiya concluded wistfully as she beheld her creation, who waited dutifully knelt on the ground.
A reassuring hand fell upon Neiya’s shoulder as Oraelia went to her side. ”Nonsense! She’s beautiful Neiya! And so… So tall! I love her already, but she does need a name, don’t you think?” Oraelia gushed as she looked at the new avatar.
”A name? Yes-.. I’ve never. Never named a being before,” the horned goddess admitted with a certain glee shining through her worries and woes. ”How about… Aveira?”
”Aveira.” responded the avatar, lifting her chin to look up at the two. She smiled, a confident and charming affair. ”I know my purpose. The time for action is now. Love must be allowed to spread.”
”Welcome to life Aveira!” Oraelia exclaimed, clasping her hands together. ”Yes! Love should spread and you’ll be such a great help! Through you wars can end and the land can be in peace and harmony. Oh, it’s wonderful!” she looked back up at Neiya. ”I’ve sent Solus to the Luminant, he should already be there actually.” she said, rubbing her arm. ”I may have sent him there before I came to see you, but it worked out!”
”Her will is my will,” Neiya offered crisply to her avatar. Aveira nodded sternly in turn, still knelt on the ground. Without another word, the winds picked up again, and the water on the ground began to twist and roll along the stone. Before the two goddesses, a vortex of water and energy spun into motion beneath the avatar, and the ground opened up beneath her, offering brief and chaotic glimpses of what was unquestionably the Luminant. Aveira sank into the vortex as she rose to her feet, and as swiftly as it had picked up, the vortex closed and vanished, leaving the stonework wet and with the avatar nowhere to be seen. Somehow, Neiya managed to look both incredulous and pleased with herself. ”I can-.. I can see so much, now.”
"Avatars are incredibly useful. They provide us with a stronger connection to Galbar. Ingenious really." Oraelia mused. "Ah, I can see Solus just found her. Are you ready to begin?"
Neiya turned to look at the bright goddess. After a moment of hesitation, her hand reached forwards, fingers nestling against Oraelia’s own hand. ”Guide our way, Goddess of Life, and we will begin a new era for Galbar. Together.”
Oraelia took Neiya's hand within her fingers and then grabbed her other and faced her. "Together." she nodded before closing her eyes.
Like before, the area around them began to gust, sending leaves, flowers, and buds into a frenzy in the air. Oraelia’s breathing slowed as she worked through Solus’ eyes. Aveira was beside him, good. She could feel Neiya waiting for her, and without further ado, the Goddess of the Sun beckoned life to come.
And they came.
From the trees, from the ground, from the very air, they came. Beings from her imagination, taking shape before her very eyes. They started as shimmers, hazy and without form, but slowly, ever so slowly- They took shape. A torso here, a hand there, a head, feet. It was a delicate process, one that could not be disturbed and the Luminant knew this, for not a sound could be heard in the land. More and more materialized, wrapped in their wings, eyes shut to the world around them. They took Aveira’s height, these… Aiviri, yes. Aiviri was what they would be called and the tallest of them was half of Solus. They had white wings, golden hair, and many different skin tones. Most were quite attractive, their features soft and kind to the eyes. Oraelia ushered them to wake, breathing in precious life to their souls. Slowly and surely they began to open their newborn eyes, amazed at the world around them.
Yet, they needed more, Oraelia knew this. Simple white garments materialized around them as a start. She then unlocked within them ability to use her sunlight as a tool for life and growth. Next she let the sunlight nurture them, renewing their bodies but not age, so that they could always be youthful and in a prime state to protect life. As she added these traits to the Aiviri, she felt a pinprick in her mind, intrusive and alarming. She reached out to Neiya questionally, but stopped when she saw what her sister was doing.
Visions and emotions streamed through their connection, flashing before Oraelia’s eyes and consciousness in equal measure, joined as she was in both hands and energy to the Goddess of Love. The intrusive pinprick became an overbearing ache as images of pain, injury, suffering and war flowed free to mingle with their new creations. She saw her constructs once more, and became intimately aware of an endless variety of weaponry - polearms, swords, bows. If another mortal race had used it, it seemed to bubble to the surface now, reimagined as long and sleek weapons of light. With it came a primal knowledge, the means and intent do to harm. The authority of power, and stewardship through force. Though she had come to work alongside the love goddess, there seemed to be no such emotion spared for their shared creation.
An audible gasp ran from Oraelia, ringing loud and clear between them. She spoke between the connection they shared, horrified. ”W-What are you doing N-Neiya!”
But Neiya did not reply. Oraelia felt her hands gripped tight, saw through Solus how Aveira lifted up off the ground as a vortex of divine energies continued to flow unabated and with ever greater force to manipulate their new creations. Violence, resentment, even outright hatred rushed through gods and mortals alike at increasing intensity. What was at most a harrowing sensation for the sun goddess was taking a greater toll on the Aiviri, some of whom fell to the ground helplessly, twisting in agony as their minds were assaulted. Others raised their eyes and arms to the sky to accept this new sensation, and Oraelia saw the features of her creation begin to warp before her eyes. Wings were staining in new colours, both natural browns and terrifying hues of red and black. Aiviri turned pale as snow as life itself and all joy seemed to drain out of them. A building sense of malice rocketed through her connection to Neiya - a perpetual dread that warped the very being of the Aiviri.
Oraelia tried again in vain to stop Neiya but she saw how her sister warped the Aiviri and how those who had fallen were in such agonizing pain. She turned her attention to those in such a poor state, flooding them with her life and mending, enveloping them with her light. She protected their features, golden hair and sunkissed skin. Their features grew kinder, softer, and within them blossomed an ability to heal. She attempted to change back those that Neiya was influencing but it was no use, more and more fell so Oraelia protected more before her sister’s touch corrupted them further. The Luminant was no longer quiet, but a maelstrom of emotion and turmoil.
Oraelia spoke again to her sister, ”Neiya! Stop this! Please!” she cried loudly.
The goddess of love was not listening, as Oraelia’s only reply was continued assaults upon their creation, a painful grip on her hands to keep them both in what had once been a tender hold. ”Y-You’re hurting me!” Oraelia cried out again, struggling to break free. When no more remained of the Aiviri - either twisted into a terrifying shadow of the peaceful guardians they had been intended to be, or blessed by Oraelia’s light to resist the scourge of dread and pain, the twisted creation of Neiya’s turned their attention upon their former kin. From Solus eyes she saw Aveira lower her arms, turn towards him with malice in her gaze, and redirect the last of her divine energy towards him, an act of betrayal just as the creation she had helped twist.
Solus was struck in his chest, the mighty giant falling over from the blow. As he landed, her connection to him faltered and Oraelia opened her eyes to see a maelstrom of energy not unlike the one that had assisted in the creation of Aveira - only now it enveloped the both of them and the pavilion, a raging torrent of divine energy that seemed to center on them. It flowed over Neiya in waves, who not unlike the Aiviri had warped and twisted in shape; a process she was still undergoing as Oraelia opened her eyes to the chaos. Her skin had gone from merely pale to a white, with flowing white hair cascading down over a slimmer face. The ice-blue eyes stirred with renewed vigor, red and black swirling with an animosity reflected only in the horrors of emotion she had made Oraelia suffer. Gone were the horns, replaced with bony extrusions on her face and shoulders that melded seamlessly with her skin. Metal-like jagged edges grew out around her protectively, dangerous ornaments of beauty and violence. Fingers like talons dug into the sun goddess' hands, the frown on Neiya’s lips tantamount to disdain.
Oraelia looked down at her hands, now dull, almost ashen in color. She saw her ichor dripping down on the floor, and looked back up at Neiya, horrified. She tried again to free herself but struggled in vain against her sister’s iron grip, ”Let go of me!” she shouted as tears streamed down her face.
”You wanted my attention, Oraelia.” the once-horned goddess echoed with a venomous, haughty tone. ”Here it is. My undivided attention. Now you don’t want it?” Neiya breathed a sharp chuckle, equal measures fascination and malice. She lifted from the ground as the swirl around them dissipated, forcing Oraelia up with her. A brief, painful lift, before she rocketed forward, crashing them both up against one of the pillars holding the pavilion up. Oraelia finally had her hands free, but at the cost of the rampaging goddess pushing her in place. White talons reached to touch her chin. ”I thought you understood, my sweet. We must take action. The naivete of love through guardianship is a delusion. We must bring love to them. We sit idle for a breath, and a thousand mortals suffer.”
A shocked look was on Oraelia’s face, as she attempted to push her sister off her, but it was no use again. She shook her head, rearing from Neiya’s touch as she spoke back to her, ”No no no! This isn’t what I wanted Neiya!” she struggled again to break free, ”I only wanted your help and now you’ve gone and twisted them! Why! Why would you do that! Just let me go!” she cried looking up at Neiya with fear in her eyes, ”You brought violence to them! Not love! And violence brings suffering! You hurt Solus! You hurt them!” she gritted her teeth.
Neiya flashed an expression of unfettered fury, the storm in her eyes swirling without mercy. ”You’re as ignorant as the others, Oraelia. I did you a favor, and you fight me. Do you think love is free? Do you think love is simple?” she spat out with building frustration on top of her already hair-trigger temper. Her eyes stared straight into Oraelia’s own, as her clawed fingers reached out to caress the sun goddess cheek. ”Let me show you what love truly is.”
Neiya’s palm rested itself firmly against Oraelia’s cheek, cupping her face forcefully as her eyes filled and turned as white as her skin. After the briefest pause, an onslaught of emotions barraged Oraelia’s mind; a wild and unfocused maelstrom made up of worry, sorrow, hatred, despair, longing and dread. Interspersed were brief flashes, memories of peace. Pink petals falling to the ground. Images of Cadien’s embrace. An ocean. Lovers declaring their love for eachother. The crying humans on the riverbank, and what they felt as Neiya called their sorrow to the forefront, and the anguish as they realized their friend was a murderer. Any peace, any joy, lost in a constant barrage of pining, loss, envy, and unrequited love. It was maddening.
The connection broke after what felt like an eternity, talons gently scraping along Oraelia’s skin in a twisted caress as her palm lifted. ”Now you see. Now you understand. We can spread love together. Whatever it takes.” she uttered with considerable calm.
Oraelia’s eyes were hollow. Her entire body had lost its lustrous shine, her light had faded as she looked up at Neiya with a gaunt face. Everything she had felt, every bit of emotion, came as a blow over and over again. It ruined her, and was draining. Yet Oraelia could not help but feel sorry for Neiya, she was no longer so afraid of her or so angry. It all made sense, since that day so long ago by the riverbank. She had just been too blind to see it. Neiya was Love, yes, but she focused on all the negative and in that moment, Oraelia pitied her and something else deep down. It took every bit of strength in her body, but she managed to lift a hand and place it on Neiya’s cheek. ”I…” she said weakly, ”I’m s-sorry. N-Neiya… There is m-more to Love, than t-this obsession y-you’ve inflicted... u-upon yourself.” she then gave her a small feeling, one she felt towards Gibbou, then to Genesis, then to life as a whole. It was not powerful, nor overbearing, but was pure. A gentle warmth, a kiss on the cheek, watching growth, feelings of doubt, a reassuring touch, the words ‘I love you.’ They were her own feelings of love, and she knew not if it was enough, but she had to try to show Neiya, even with all the bad and the negative, the positive still existed. Through all the tears and pain, love could still endure. Her hand at last dropped, and a single tear ran down her face as she looked to see what Neiya would do to her next.
Neiya’s dark eyes opened wide, transfixed and wholly surprised by the rush of emotions, despite its waning strength. It seemed enough to shock her, and in the aftermath of Oraelia’s reply, the ivory skin under her eyes burned with a warmth and gentle colour that seemed to stir great turmoil in the goddess. Her hand recoiled from the sun goddess face, her body shifting uneasily in place as she began to turn away. Given a moment’s hesitation, Neiya drifted away in shocked silence, releasing Oraelia from where she had trapped her, and letting her sink to the ground. Instead she hovered to the center of the pavilion, touching at her cheek in distant, demure thought with white talons as she hid her face from the exhausted Oraelia. Despite her treachery and brute assault, the anger did not seem to return, nor did she have a retort.
Oraelia, through her pain, smiled weakly at the sight. ”N-Neiya… It’s o-okay to… f-feel… ha-...” she tried to say, voice fading as her eyes fluttered shut.
Her eyes snapped open and she looked around, unfamiliar with her surroundings at first before she blinked and sat up slowly. She was in her room, tucked in. A wash of emotions came over her as the last thing she remembered was being in Neiya’s realm. She clutched her heart, the pain of those emotions still there like a dying coal. She looked down to her hands. They were barely glowing, having healed slightly, but the scars of Neiya’s fingertips were still there. Something wet fell on her hand, and her eyes focused on a golden tear. Why did that…? Her eyes began to water, before the floodgates opened. She tried to stop it by placing a hand over her mouth and wiping away her tears, but it was no use.
The Goddess of Life cried and for a very long time.
Oraelia is restless in her own realm. Genesis is still asleep, and Oraelia has plenty of time to ruminate on her recent experiences with both protecting life on Galbar, and other encounters. She feels as though her own efforts and Solus’ are not enough, and dreams up an idea of creating a new race of guardians that will safekeep life with care and compassion when her attention is not enough. Remembering the goddess of love, Oraelia contacts Neiya and explains her idea. Neiya appears initially happy to hear more and invites the Life Goddess to visit her bleak realm.
After Oraelia navigates through Neiya’s bizarre realm, the two meet and discuss ideas. Neiya comes on strong and seemingly manages to charm Oraelia out of any second thoughts she may have had. The two talk more, and Oraelia witnesses the birth of Neiya’s avatar, a loyal construct with features vaguely resembling Neiya herself. She sends her avatar to meet Solus in the luminant, and the two goddesses join hands to collaborate on the creation of Oraelia’s majestic vision; the Aiviri - seven to nine foot tall angelic humanoids with an affinity for life.
Initially all goes well, and Oraelia bestows some blessings on the new guardian race. Neiya however, Oraelia learns, is imparting something entirely different than what she promised onto these new beings, teaching them about war and twisting their gifts towards violent purposes. Oraelia tries to confront Neiya, but is unable to stop her from corrupting a large portion of the Aiviri with new gifts of war and terror, twisting their appearance and demeanour until they no longer resemble their origin in anything but shape. Unable to stop her, Oraelia instead blesses those Aiviri that remain to resist Neiya’s influence, blessing them with new sun-blessed features. This war of divine power goes on until no Aiviri is untouched, and the race is split down the middle into two categories: The Oraeliari, and the Neiyari, respectively. The two races immediately begin fighting as the Neiyari turn on their kin, and Neiya’s avatar attacks Solus.
In Neiya’s realm, Oraelia confronts Neiya, and is shocked to learn the true nature of the Love Goddess, who undergoes a transformation more in line with her new decisive and violent nature. Neiya forces her emotional turmoil on a drained Oraelia, who responds by showing Neiya a glimmer of pure love without conditions or limitations. Neiya is shocked enough to stop her assault, but Oraelia passes out from exhaustion.
When she wakes up, she realizes Neiya has carried her back to her own realm despite her previous betrayal.
Oraelia 5MP/5DP
-3MP to claim the Renewal Port.
-2MP - Sharing cost of Aiviri. Through Oraelia’s contribution, Aiviri are inclined to care for life in all of its aspects and have an affinity for light. However, once the Aiviri split, her Oraeliari have become the embodiments of these aspects, while still maintaining affinities from Neiya’s contributions.
-2DP (Enhanced with Sunlight port) To grant some of the Aiviri to wield sunlight for various applications. From war, agriculture, to building, they are able to create constructs of light during the day or where light is strongest at night (ex. The Luminant). These constructs and tools are able to be made permanently but wear down in dark areas if used until extensively and shatter to glass. They work as solar batteries, absorbing light to use as power. Weaker light sources provide less energy. Outside of daylight and bright light sources, they cannot be made at night and need an external source of light to maintain proper functionality (Ex. Fire, things that emit light naturally, etc). It is very much a learned skill and with any craft, they take time to make.
-2DP (enhanced with renewal port) - To grant the Aiviri with the ability of renewing their bodies to their prime state. All Aiviri are capable of using sunlight to rejuvenate themselves, though they still grow older in age. Oraelia granted this so they could best protect life and not feel the passing of time upon their bodies. An unintentional side effect after the Aiviri split into Oraeliari and Neiyari, is that they can use this ability further and under emotional duress, an Oraeliari can renew itself to a Neiyari and a Neiyari can renew itself to an Oraeliari. They maintain memories of their previous life, for they aren’t truly dying, but just becoming something else. Usually these memories are foggy and they have a new appreciation for their respective side.
-2DP (Reduced to 1DP with Healing Port) - To grant the Oraeliari with the ability to heal wounds of the physical nature. An ability with varying levels, mainly being the older an Oraeliari is, the better they are at mending. They are also able to help one another heal others, combing their powers. They also can use sources of health in the world to greater effect.
-1MP (Reduced to 0 with sunlight port) - to bless some of the Oraeliari with sunlight halos. These halos provide light and warmth but only appear on those most devoted to life.
Oraelia 0DP/0MP
&
Neiya 5MP/5DP
-5MP - Claiming the War Domain.
-2DP - Sharing cost of Aiviri. Through Neiya’s contribution, Aiviri are naturally predisposed towards battle and war.
-1DP To teach the Aiviri how to properly wield their sunlight ability for the purposes of combat. Sunlight weaponry is about as good as steel and inherently does more damage to creatures of the night. These weapons can usually take more punishment at night time or in the dark, before breaking and sources of light provide them with more durability in such places. Their weapons absorb more light, and thus are able to work longer. These weapons take a long time to manifest and craft and cannot be done on a whim.
-2DP - To grant the Neiyari the ability to cause fear and dread in onlookers. As mortals and animals look upon a Neiyari, a gnawing sensation of fright will begin to build in the back of their mind. This building dread will intensify the longer one looks at it, and amplifies irrational emotional responses until the victim is terrified beyond reason. To a lighter degree, they inspire unease and tension with their presence. (2 towards Terror)
When the onslaught of trolls came crashing down upon humanity, there were those who looked for guidance from the gods. Prayers unheard, lost to the echoes of time, forgotten and uncared for. Even as Oraelia slept, the people prayed to her for help, for compassion from the monsters in the night. They fell upon deaf ears, but such prayers were easily answered. There came a man, whose name was forgotten, remembered, changed, forgotten again. Yet his message remained. He who wielded the Oaken Branch, who could heal grevious wounds of the flesh- He who spoke for Oraelia when she had no voice.
He told the people of the land, “Does not the Sun Mother answer our prayers with the rising of the sun? Are we blinded in her light? Left fumbling like we do in the dark? No! This is her gift to us! That we might grow in the light of her sun! That we might be healed by her warmth! She gave this staff to my grandfather as a token of her affection, so that we can live! So that we may thrive! She may be silent to us, but her Sunlight never will!”
It took years for his message to take root within their hearts, and long after his flesh was bones did it finally bore fruit. The message of his sermon brought about a beautiful city. Born in the Highlands, built pebble by pebble, stone by stone, all under the light of Oraelia’s sun. For it was her light that banished the Trolls in the day, her light that turned them to stone, her light that allowed life to flourish. They faced many threats, from trolls to the abominations, but never faltered in the face of uncertainty. How could they? The sun always rose.
Until it didn’t.
It was any other day.
The festival of the Bright One was in full swing. From sunrise to sunrise, the city of Solaria was bustling with merriment in the celebration of life. Beneath the statue of Oraelia, who stood tall over the four, was showered with gifts she could never see. Her gilded statue pointed to the sun when it rose, ushering in a new day. But now, the sun was setting in Solaria and behind her head did it sink on the horizon. Throughout the streets, the celebration continued on. Druids spoke of their travels, craftsmen bartered for goods, artisans created art as children laughed at plays. Common folk and royalty mingled with one another, sharing in drink and food, for all were equal under the sun.
Solaria had stood as a beacon of light and hope in the Highlands, far removed from the corruption and decay of Keterfa while still maintaining trading routes of goods. It was a city of wealth, for in the shadow of the mountain, they had found minerals and ores ripe for the taking. Chief among that was a silvery metal that could be added with copper to produce bronze. They called it tin. Thus, trade was established with the city to the north, Acadia.
Long had that trade route been established, for Acadia depended on Solaria for much, and in return, Acadia provided weapons. It was a relationship born of necessity, but both prospered from it.
It was the watchers on the wall that noticed it first as the sun sank into the night. A nameless mass moving from the southeast, dark shapes large and numerous. A few had their suspicions, and many more just wanted their shifts to end. It was probably just a roaming pack of Quillats, or so they thought. It wasn’t until the mass made a beeline for the city that they realized their mistake.
It was the outskirts that came under attack first, before the warning bells could even be struck and when they did, the city quieted for just one moment, before hysteria broke out. Guardsmen began to run off to their homes, for they would be needed.
Distant fires erupted amongst the fields outside the walls, as masses of people began to flee towards the gates. There was screaming and shouting, followed by the first of the attackers.
The abominations of man.
Iskrill.
Guardsmen boldly defended against the first wave of monsters, trying to save as many as they could, but then the call was shouted.
“SHUT THE GATES!”
More panic ensued, there were still more people coming!
“SHUT THEM NOW!”
The great wooden doors began to shut, people were forced back as the last few lucky ones got through. With a resounding boom, hope died for those that remained outside. Then the horde came, and they were murdered before supposed salvation.
A desperate battle began, as the Iskrill began to climb. There were thousands of them, all in various shapes and sizes of grotesque hideousness. Solaria’s guards fought valiantly against the tide, but they were caught unaware with little preparation and the flood of enemies overwhelmed them. Devoured where they fell, broken apart by vicious teeth and claws. For the Iskrill did not care about battle or war, they simply hungered and so the ramparts ran red.
As the tide of Iskrill entered the city from over the walls, the gates were broken by their strongest hunters, allowing the sack of Solaria- No, the slaughter of Solaria to commence. Many put up a brave fight. Druids prayed to their gods for powers, magicians unleashed their powers in climatic force, while normal folk died in droves. The Iskrill were impartial to what they ate, for their hunder induced a feeding frenzy so absolute, not even children were spared.
The statue of Oraelia remained silent as her city was devoured. Eyes ever ahead on the horizon, waiting for the sun to rise.
But the people of Solaria would never see it.
The fall of Solaria, written by elder Zee, 2020 AA. Recounts the tale of the city of Solaria. Much was lost in the fall and in memory. Such tragedy cannot be written without tears.
Oraelia found herself alone after a time. Gibbou had left her for now, Genesis was still asleep and she found herself often busy fixing and helping mortal issues. Slowly she began to crave a conversation, mix up her current predicament. Her mind began to wonder on just who to contact. There was… Enmity but that didn't feel right. She needed someone who was more life than machine. There was Yamat but then again she suspected he had been the one to bring tornadoes to her prairie. There was no one else who had been there. There was Firinn but he was just too… Emotionless.
Then it clicked with her and she reached out to her younger sister. She felt her familiar presence and spoke into her mind. "Evandra love! How have you been?" she asked.
“Is that you Oraelia? I’ve been doing better since Cadien woke me up. Are you speaking from your Realm?”
Hearing her voice was a breath of fresh air, and Oraelia, from where she sat on her porch, stood up and leaned on the railing. ”Indeed I am!” she said to Evandra, ”Would you care to visit?” she asked, perhaps a little too aggressively.
“Of course. There’s little to do here in any case.” Evandra stood up from her bed and made her way to Antiquity. She passed by each portal until she could feel Oraelia’s presence and entered her Realm. The scenery that greeted her was nothing short of breathtaking. Lush green, flowers blooming in varying colors and birds singing. All of this was accompanied by the sound of rustling leaves and a flowing stream nearby. “Goodness, this place is…” She let out as she took it all in. She was then attacked by Oraelia, who had zoomed to her in her domain form before changing at the last second to hug her sister fiercely.
”Evandra! I missed you!” she said.
“Wha-” The sudden appearance of her sister startled Evandra. She recovered from the surprise and let out a giggle as she returned the hug. “I missed you dearly as well, Oraelia.”
”You said Cadien woke you up? Does that mean you slept as well?” Oraelia asked, rubbing her cheek with her own before pulling back to look at her.
“Yes. After I built my Realm I fell into a deep slumber. I don’t know how much time passed while I was in the void, but by the time he woke me up it had already been two millenia. It wasn’t a comfortable sleep either. How did you fare since the exile?”
”I was pulled into a dreamless sleep. I felt nothing until I awoke. Nothing at all.” she put a hand on Evandra’s cheek, ”I’m sorry to hear it wasn’t comfortable. I believe everyone had a different experience. Some stayed awake… Others slept. But… We’re here now and awake.” she said, giving a small smile.
“Yes, we are. And that’s what matters now.” Evandra returned the smile. “So, aren’t you going to invite me into your home?”
”Of course! But we must be quiet, you see, a young Goddess stays with me. Though she is divine, she is but a child in mind and right now, she is taking a nap.” Oraelia said.
“You share your Realm with another? Alright, I’ll make sure to not raise my voice.”
”Well… She has her own but I seem to have taken responsibility for her. I’d feel bad leaving her alone, you know.” she said, grabbing Evandra’s hand and leading her over a small hill that overlooked the distant cabin.
“What’s her name? And what does she represent?”
”Her name is Genesis, she is the tree that sat upon Galbar so long ago. Her domain is of nature, and plants. She pretty much is a plant.” Oraelia said, talking as she walked.
“So that tree was banished as well. Or at least her consciousness. I remember seeing it from your Sun when I was born, but I never met it in person.”
”Perhaps you can! Err… At least one day, she’s probably still sleeping.” Oraelia said as they walked up the steps. She opened the door and let Evandra walk in and then followed behind her. ”It’s nothing much, Evandra. I’m sure others have magnificent palaces and castles, but those don’t really fit me.” Oraelia said.
“Don’t put yourself down, your realm is truly beautiful. Mine is mostly barren in comparison.” She stated as she moved deeper into the house. She peered into one of the rooms and saw a little girl sleeping on a bed. “So that’s her. I didn't think she’d be so small.”
Oraelia chuckled quietly. ”You’d think that, coming from such a large tree, but here she is.”
Evandra went inside and stood beside the bed and stared at Genesis’ sleeping face. “She looks so peaceful. I’m almost a little envious.” She spoke in a quiet voice.
”There is peace here, sister. If you wish to take a nap, you may do so. I will keep watch over you.” Oraelia mused.
“Thank you for the offer, but I slept enough already. I only wish my slumber had been as peaceful.”
Oraelia put a reassuring touch upon Evandra’s shoulder. ”I know that feeling… But come, let us leave her to sleep.” Oraelia suggested.
“Yes.” Evandra replied succinctly and they both left the room. Looking through a window Evandra once again saw the many trees that lined the Realm. “Do these trees bear fruit, Oraelia?”
Oraelia followed her gaze. ”Yes, some do. As well as bushes and shrubs. Why do you ask?”
“I was wondering if I could eat some of them. I miss their taste and I can only have the berries I made with Cadien.”
”Oh of course! Let’s go!” Oraelia said, guiding her out the backdoor and over to the treeline, ”What berries did you make with Cadien?” she eventually asked as the two wandered over to a small grove of fruit bearing greenery.
“I called them Evening Bells. Dark red berries that grow on bushes with red leaves. We made them as a way to give humans intellect and emotion, but they’re also very sweet. Since you’ll let me have some of your fruits then I’ll give you some of my berries as well.” She clasped her hands together near her chest and then extended them to Oraelia. A handful of Evening Bells lay on her now open palms. “Here. Help yourself.”
Oraelia took one and plopped it into her mouth. She chewed, a pleasant look springing across her face as she swallowed. ”Oh my, very sweet indeed! How exactly did they give humans intelligence and emotion though? They just ate them and got those things?” she asked, taking another.
“The effect on one’s intelligence is particular to humans, but the berries can make even Gods bloom with emotion. It’s just not as noticeable on us unless we eat several of them.”
Oraelia paused as she held a fourth berry over her mouth. ”How many does it take? What kind of emotion?” she asked, titling to her head forward to look at Evandra.
“About half a dozen. And the emotions may vary, but in particular it makes one passionate.”
”Passionate about what?” Oraelia asked softly.
“About things, about others. You might find yourself enraptured by a flower’s beauty or fall madly in love with a stranger. I poured my essence into these berries, so to eat them is to feel how I feel, even if for a few moments.” Evandra said with a smile. “So, dear sister. Care to find out how you fare?”
Oraelia eyed the berry between her finger and thumb, then back to Evandra, before plopping it in her mouth. ”I guess it wouldn’t hurt.” she said with a smile as she grabbed a handful more and ate them. She swallowed and then looked around. ”I don’t really… Really… Feel…” her words came to a stop as she burst into an even brighter glow. She looked around with renewed vigor. ”Evandra!” she gasped. ”Look at all this beautiful life!” she giggled, before turning her intense gaze on Evandra. She moved in close and then touched her sister’s nose. ”Haha boop!” She then grabbed her hand and began to run off, ”Come on come on! I want to view the flower fields!”
Evandra’s smile widened at her sister’s display. “Yes, let’s go.” She followed her sister, giggling all the way. The two then raced over to a field of bright yellow tall grass and flowers every color under the sun. Oraelia flicked her wrist and the grass shrank some, letting the flowers into full bloom. She walked up to a vivid blue poplar and took a great sniff before sighing happily. Golden tears pooled in her eyes, ”Oh with passion I see, the beauty laid out before me.” she whispered in a melodic fashion.
Evandra knelt beside her and gave the flower a sniff as well. The sweet floral scent gave her a noticeable blush. “How lovely this is.” She then looked at Oraelia. The elated look on her face made her more beautiful than ever. “So, how does it feel to see things my way?”
Oraelia fell upon her back in the grass and laughed. ”Oh it’s wonderful! Everything is so… so alive and so bright. It makes me feel so warm and fuzzy, if that’s even a thing. Eva, is-is this what passon entails?” she cooed, as she looked up at the blue sky.
“It’s one of its aspects.” She said hanging over Oraelia. “Do be careful with it, however. Indulge too much in passion and you might just become addicted to it.” She playfully touched Oraelia’s nose. “Boop.” And let out a giggle.
Oraelia grinned as she focused her eyes on Evandra. ”Can a god become addicted to such things?” she questioned. ”Wouldn’t that be… Silly?”
“Don’t you like the way you feel now? Wouldn’t you like to stay like this forever?”
”I like it but this is your domain… Life, as much as I want it to be, can’t always be full of passion.” she sat up and said quickly, ”That’s not to say it shouldn’t exist. It has a place in the world and for that I am thankful for you. I love you Evandra, I want you to know that.” she said, smiling.
“I love you as well, Oraelia.” She leaned in close and gave her sister a kiss on the cheek then embraced her.
Oraelia returned the embrace, glowing a tad brighter after the kiss. ”Would you…” Oraelia whispered, ”Cloud gaze with me?”
“Of course.” Separating themselves, the two Goddesses laid on their backs to watch the clouds, not minding the time.
Oraelia is bored and thinks about who she should talk to. She eventually settles on Evandra and calls her over. The two catch up and have a good, wholesome time.
In that dimly lit hall, Nalla sat upon a throne, eyes shut as she let her thoughts drift. The chief’s throne, or chair really, but to her it was a throne. She had claimed it in his… Death. It reminded her of the King in Ketrefa’s throne, sitting surrounded by his court of highborns. Oh how the thought was delightful. Delicious. Intoxicating. To be there, and not… She opened her eyes to view the room. Musty, wooden, old and stained. Granted, most of the stains were from her. In fact, most of the room was coated in the dark stain that was blood. She sighed, and leaned on her hand as she pouted.
It had been going so well… Then Hekti decided to kill himself in the sun. Lesson learned. Then when she had grown hungry, Tesil’s memories flashed before her. Her final moments, what she had felt as Nalla stuck her blade in her, over and over again. Did she regret killing her sister? Did it make her feel bad for what she put her through? The vampiress giggled at the thought. It was an annoying part of her newfound power, but she did relish those feelings. The helplessness, the anger, turning to hatred, fading, fading, fading- Until she was but a corpse. Call it an intuition, but Nalla wasn’t keen on murdering anyone else, no matter how much she wanted to. There was no telling if more memories would pop up and her sister’s were quite enough. As such, creativity was key when it came to drowning her thirst with blood.
Nalla lifted up her sister’s skull from the side of the chair. Cleaned and cut, she now used it as a goblet when she drank. She took a sip of the day old blood. It had cooled, becoming room temperature but she drank regardless. Every drop was precious, for her stock was running low- again. She put the skull down and got up, twirling her way over to where her stock hung. Village folk, brought for ‘dinner’ with the chief, now used as her own personal blood bodies. There was Petyr, the strapping young hunter, Yiosalda, the lovely blond haired, blue eyed village looker and Hansa, the brunette who had gone after Hekti, plus she was her sister’s best friend. Petyr was out cold, for Nalla had enjoyed his taste the night before, but Yiosalda and Hansa were very aware. Each struggled to break the rope they were ensnared by, gags muffling their screams. Nalla liked the fear in their eyes, it was so… Welcoming. She toyed with Yiosalda by licking her throat as she hugged her from behind. The girl struggled, but could do no damage to her. Next she went before Hansa, who looked at her with such hate it brought a shiver down Nalla’s spine. She slapped Hansa, sending the girl out cold. She wiped her hand and then called out, “Yensen! Come here please!”
It hadn’t been easy, fabricating the lie. When she had been found in the chief’s house, unable to leave because of the sun, it had been Yensen and three other village men who looked upon her with a mix of disgust and fear. She had told them what happened, the tragic story of Chief Ronton, his ‘wife’ Tesil and wayward son, Hekti. A tragic episode in the village’s history, but she had survived by the grace of the gods, and given powers to lead them. They hadn’t believed her until she had broken the arm of one of the men in a flash. Who were they to go against the gods’ will? So Nalla went about living in the darkness of the chief’s home, who had become sick with fever and his other family members were to remain by his side at all times. Yensen became her trusted ally, for he was easily persuaded by the secret of her power, and she held that secret over him as insurance. Thus, it was his job to keep the village running in the chief’s absence, with the other three men agreeing out of fear. They knew she walked outside at night, after all and they could not leave their homes and run away. Their livelihoods were here, with sheep and foods, so they played along. That brought her back to her blood problem. She needed people to feed her, to be her food, so in her haste for sustenance, she told them to bring those three to her. After they became aware of her nature, Nalla hadn’t realized those she fed off of lost their memory of it. But by that time, it was too late to set them free. No, she had to come up with another solution.
Yensen, the balding man with a feeble build finally arrived in the room. “Yes, Nalla?” he asked, looking down at the floor.
She turned to him and was soon beside him, hand upon his chest, with her lips to his ear. “Yiosalda is looking hungry, feed her would you?”
The man gulped, and nodded slowly. “Of course, Nalla.” he said quietly.
“Good man.” she cooed, before once again sitting down upon her throne.
She watched Yensen leave, returning with a plate of meat and a jug of water. He undid her gag and fed her forcefully. She had tears running down her face as she glared at Nalla. She watched as the girl swallowed a few mouthfuls, but when given a drink she spit the water out at Yensen. In a rare moment of anger, he struck the girl and then gagged her again before leaving the room. Nalla twisted her head, thinking of ways she might feast upon her, without murdering her outright.
She sighed, slumping back into the throne. “What am I going to do with you, Yiosalda? Hansa? Petyr?” she asked herself, taking a sip of blood. “It’s not like I can just kill you outright. Or maybe I could. Who’s to say your memories won’t be added to my hunger? I don’t really want to find out though.” she growled angrily. “I wonder… Perhaps I should pray to find some alleviation.” She sat up and looked at the blond girl again. “Do you pray, Yiosalda? Or should I ask, have you prayed while in your current predicament?” she stood up, and came before her prisoner once again. “Do you think they listen? And if they listen, do you think they care?” Nalla touched her cheek with the palm of her hand. “Oh tsk tsk, did he hurt you? Perhaps you should ask a God to help you?” she smiled wickedly at her before backing up and outstretching her arms. “Who do you think about help? Cadien the allfather? Tekret the Ruler? Evandra of the fire? The Sun Mother? Perhaps, Neiya?” Nalla looked up at the ceiling of the roof, “Can you hear me, Goddess of Love? Can you help me end Yiosalda’s suffering with your touch?” she asked.
A brief pause, a silence before the storm.
Then, as though Nalla had truly called upon the attention of the gods, the air in the room seemed to swell and expand around the gathered, a stiff and cloying grip taking hold of all gathered and swooping down from beyond to occupy the area with its invisible presence. Nalla felt the brush of wind rush through her hair, saw how her hung up captives swayed ever so slightly though nothing had touched them.
Then it spoke. A sultry yet distant voice, worming its way into her mind with overbearing need to be noticed. ”You call for my assistance, Nalla, daughter of Rado and Alina, and in turn, I have come,” there was a sharp pause, and the sensation of the wind brushed against Nalla’s face and cheek, a strange pressure taking root in her mind. “Is there room in your heart for anyone but yourself? Why would you end another’s suffering?”
Nalla remained stunned, eyes wide with disbelief as the Goddess’ voice spoke. What had she been expecting? She opened herself up to this, hadn’t she? “I…” she began, speaking aloud, “I will not lie to you, oh Goddess… There is little love in my heart but for me. You can see, can’t you? My upbringing? How my parents… Sister… They did not love me. They thought I was broken. So yes, I would end another’s suffering if it brought them peace. Even if I was the one to put them in their place of suffering. Needlessly so, I will admit. These powers…” she looked down at her hands, “I know not if they are a gift or a curse, but I think I’m beginning to suspect. I killed to be in power, to get revenge. I used Hekti to do so. It must be a curse.”
”Broken,” the goddess voiced with a dispassionate tone. ”Pain put you on this path, my dearest. Pain carried you, twisted to anguish and hate. Perhaps you are being tested, my sweet. To endure, and evolve.”
“Have I not already evolved?” she asked, looking at Yiosalda. “I am no longer human, I crave their blood, I’m faster, stronger and I have heightened reflexes. Yet I cannot step outside in the sun, or I die and I cannot go without drinking, and when I do get thirsty, I see my sister’s memories and how she remembered her death. I enjoy them Goddess…” she whispered. “So, if I am being tested… How does one overcome such restraints?”
There was a pause. Had it not been for the presence stifling the air still, one could have thought the divine visitation had ceased. ”You enjoy them, yet you hesitate. The suffering you spread, that you feel forced to spread, it can be eased. All is possible, so long as one opens their heart to my affection.” The pressure on Nalla’s thoughts became overbearing for but a brief moment, and with it rushed a deluge of visions, affection, longing, a horned and pale woman, a taste of ecstasy. As soon as it had begun, it ended.
Nalla fell to her hands and knees, gasping. It delighted her body and mind, the taste given. It would not be forgotten, as it faded but instead, yearned for. “My heart… It can open itself to you… I swear it.” she breathed. “Please… Just let me ease their suffering so that I might enjoy myself. I don’t want to be enslaved by their cruel memories.”
”As you will it, so shall it be, my one and only.” The goddess replied with a growing warmth to her voice, breathing with a heat that could be felt in Nalla’s mind. The wind whipped around her with growing intensity, rustling cloth and debris aggressively. The skull of her sister finally toppled, battered away with the growing force. With the storm growing around Nalla came strange whispers, an endless flood of languages calling for love, revenge, assistance, or clarity, most of which Nalla could only understand by the intent of their words. The visions returned, though not with the same intensity. ”I will always be with you, Nalla, daughter of Rado and Alina, so long as you ask for me, and love me as I do you,” another whisper built to centre itself in her mind. Archaic words, in a language she did not know. Yet she understood. The words to express her affection. ”And as you share your heart with me, I shall share my love with those around you.”
The words registered with her mind, her thoughts and feelings focused on the experience of the Goddess. “Thank you,” Nalla whispered as she got to her feet, “Thank you so much Goddess. I am yours… Forever.” she said, mouthwatering as she looked at the vein in Yiosalda’s neck. The girl squirmed, knowing something had gone terribly wrong… Or terribly right. She tried to scream but the gag muffled her as Nalla approached and whispered the words of affection into her ear, in the language of the ancients. “Goddess, I open my heart to you, bless me with your eternal love.” before sinking her fangs into the girls neck. The girl had already stopped her struggling, breathing heavily and eyes widening as a smile grew on her lips. It was one of happiness - bliss even - and she reacted to Nalla only with the softest of breaths, her gaze locked on a distant mirage only visible to her. And just like that, Yiosalda died peacefully in bliss as Nalla reared back to take a breath as fresh blood poured down the sides of her mouth.
“Thank you again, Goddess. She was delicious.” Nalla smiled happily. The winds stirred around her once again, leaving few moments for the vampiric woman to remain in stillness. A brisk, cold embrace whisked through her hair, grazed her neck and throat. As the whispers returned, for just a brief moment, Nalla felt cold metal clasp around her neck.
Just as quickly, the wind stilled, and the whispers turned silent. The voice of the goddess rang out in her mind. ”Forget me not, my dearest. I am yours, as you are mine. Together, we evolve. There was a last, soft breath brushing against her ears, before the stifling presence seemed to lift from the room all at once, and the heavy feeling set against Nalla’s mind vanished as though it had never been there.
Nalla could not see what was around her neck, but she felt the cold metal and felt the large jewel at its center. She then smiled wickedly. “Together… Forever and ever…” she whispered in the dimly lit room.
We find Nalla sulking over her new existence. She’s found ways to overcome the curses in effect, but barely. She has captives and man servants that fear for their lives basically, so they do what she tells them to do. Her captives are from the village and she feeds on them without killing them, though she wants to. Eventually she begins to go on a tirade about gods and prayer and makes fun of one of her captives who’s prayers aren’t working. She then prays to Neiya in jest but Neiya shows up and they talk and she gets cool powers that allow her to make the final moments of her victims divinely bliss, thus overcoming the negative emotions they would normally give when she gets hungry. Post ends there pretty much.
Neiya Starting MP/DP: 1/2
Consecrated: Charm of Desire - Artifact This artifact takes the form of a brass choker. At its center is a large blood-red ruby.
Lover's Fancy III: (The wearer catches the eye of those that can see the artifact. Viewers are tinged with a degree of lust for the wearer, and gradually builds into feelings of trust and kinship. This slowly wears off while they cannot see the Charm.) - 1 MP + 2 Free titles with Devotion.
Nalla - Hero
Undying Love IV: (When this hero praises Neiya with a specific set of phrases, those who hear it spoken are swept up in the Eternal Lover's affection, and experience a state of divine ecstasy. This leaves them sedate and happy, swept up in happiness even in normally dangerous situations. The effect wears off after Neiya loses interest.) - 2 DP + 2 Free Titles with Devotion.
It would be generous to call what Lucia and Sanya were walking on a road - it would be polite to call it a path, perhaps. Despite the evident number of tracks and people they passed by, no work had been done along this route to make it safer or more convenient to walk. The highlands weren’t particularly known for being convenient to traverse, naturally, but for such a busy transport vein, it was almost uncanny how nature hadn’t resigned under the stampede of a thousand feet. Joining the two on the path was what looked like a farmer thirty or so paces ahead of them, dragging a stubborn pack stag by a rope about its muzzle, and a pair in white cloaks, about ten paces ahead. They were chatting amongst themselves, giggling every so often.
"...So there I was, staring down the tallest man I'd ever seen. Group of people around us, cheering him on. Oh Sanya you should have seen their faces when my tattoos knocked him out. It was hilarious." Lucia laughed for a moment before scrunching her nose. "Then they said I cheated and I uh… Got run out of that village with only my pride intact. Not the greatest story, I know. I didn't cheat, I'll have you know. They said," and here she imitated a man's voice, "'No weapons, fists only' and my tattoos run to my fists so."
Sanya, for her part, kept her eyes mostly on the people ahead of them, gently touching her spear on the edge of the path as a makeshift walking stick. ”Great story, Lucia,” she replied between breaths as she swatted a particularly intrusive fly out of the sky with her free hand. ”Personally, I’m always for people getting punched. It’s very cathartic. Got any non-violent stories, though?”
Lucia rolled her eyes. "Course I do! I've traveled far and wide and I've seen many things Sanya." Lucia waves her hand out in front of her. "Now there was this one time I nurtured a leon cub back to health and helped kickstart a civilization. Or the one where I grew a Sylphi from a pot. Or perhaps the one about the Luminant?" she asked with a grin.
”A Sylphi?” Sanya queried in turn, casting a glance over her shoulder out of habit before putting her gaze forward at the people ahead. ”Aren’t they from beyond the southlands? No wonder we keep missing each other. I’m the only one who stays put.” she continued with a feigned dramatic sigh. She gave Lucia a look, and a wry, if small, smile.
Lucia put a hand to her head, and pretended to faint, landing on Sanya's shoulder. She looked up at her blinking and said, "Oh how I grow weak from your charm." she said with a laugh. "Admit it, you missed meeee."
Sanya rolled her eyes and sighed sharply, though the smile lingered. ”You’re impossible,” she retorted, a light shrug of her shoulder to force Lucia to walk without support. ”But I suppose it’s nice,” she added after a few moments. ”To be allowed to walk in her majesty’s shadow.” She glanced back to Lucia with the same barb as before, but softened after a few seconds of thought. ”You’re still the talk of the prairie, you know.”
"Am I?" she asked, looking at her nails in an elegant gesture before smiling crookedly at Sanya. "It is my home after all."
”It’s more than that,” Sanya sighed calmly, eyes forward to keep an eye on the winding path. ”You have a way with people. No one in my tribe remembers me, not to mention the Highlands. It’s the same wherever we go - they like you,” There was a brief pause, as Sanya considered her own words. ”Unless you cheat in a fair fistfight, of course.”
Lucia chuckled. "That's fair." she caught up to Sanya and walked next to her. "It can be a blessing and a curse, you know. Most times I can't go anywhere without being remembered or recognized from stories. Though I suppose whenI not recognized I get captured so…" her voice faded away for a moment before returning with vigor. "People remember you. If not your beautiful face then your deeds. You leave an impression good or bad. Mostly good." she said kicking a rock.
”Maybe,” Sanya conceded with a quiet sigh. ”But it might be better this way, anyway. I’m not as good as you with being popular.” she leant over to give Lucia a gentle shove with her shoulder. ”You can do the prancing and twirling, and I’ll do what I’m good at.” With that, she hefted Sorrowsting just a little more than before, underscoring her words as they followed the seemingly endless path through heavy terrain.
"Yeah!" Lucia said, returning the shove in a playful manner. She then looked up at the sky and closed her eyes as the sun hit her face. She then casually said, looking back at Sanya, "You are pretty good at twirling that thing." with a smirk on her lips.
Sanya lifted the spear off the ground, giving it a proper spin in response to Lucia’s words. She sighed quietly to herself not long after. ”I had some time to practice, after all,” she intoned, before returning the hilt of the spear to the ground in tender assistance to her journeying. ”Sometimes I wonder if I could have gone back to another life. If I had listened to…” she paused, either out of bitter memory or trouble recollecting the name. ”...Yaian, instead of doing what I did. Ever so often, Lucia, I just want to stay somewhere nice. Maybe forever.”
Lucia took her free hand within her own, and stopped them both on the path. ”I thought the same once, but you know who I… Lost…” she said sadly. ”Yet, if it had never happened, who knows where I would have ended up and you, I never would have met you that fateful night. This is not to say, maybe you shouldn’t try it for a time. You’ve always wandered Sanya, but there comes a time for rest. Even for stalwart protectors of the innocent. What is it they say…” she said, thoughtfully. Before smiling again. She began to sing a poem softly.
”If ever there was a time, When you wondered what could be, Wash that regret away like grime, And remember that you are free.
Take a chance, make a laugh, do as your heart desires.”
Lucia looked at Sanya and pulled her into a tight hug. Sanya smiled, and returned the embrace with a gentle calm.
“P-pardon,” came a voice. When the two looked ahead again, they found the two druids standing in awe before them, specifically Lucia. Their eyes were clearly affixed to the halo above her head. “A-are you, pray tell, blessed by Heaven’s Eye?”
“The tattoos, Gene! Look at the tattoos! By Macsal!” whispered the other while squeezing her companion’s arm. Lucia looked down at them with a neutral expression.
As they garnered outside attention, Sanya was quick to dislodge herself, apparently not too keen of sharing a moment in the spotlight. Her gaze investigating the two druids, and briefly following their stares towards Lucia, she took a step back with her spear and muttered ”Invite the wolf and it appears.” under her breath.
Lucia glanced at Sanya before turning her attention to the two girls and flashing a smile. "Hello. You two must be druids yes? The clothing gives it away." she mused.
“Ho-hoooooh my gods! Obee, she spoke to us!”
“I know she did Gene - don’t freak her out! Druids?! Oh, oh, wow! No one’s called us -that- yet! We, we, we can’t call ourselves -thaaaat- yet, nooo! We’re still learning!” replied the one called Obee, who was still staring at the halo. She raised a shaking finger to point at it, her companion Gene lowering her head as though she didn’t consider herself worthy to behold Lucia’s presence. “Is that… Are you a helgen?”
"A what? Helgen?" Lucia asked.
The two novices nodded. “Y’know, a holy person! Kaer Togen tells us they’re blessed by the gods themselves, and that they have special powers granted to them.”
“Yeah, yeah!” agreed Gene. “There’s even one to the south of here - they say she’s as beautiful as the sun itself, and that she sings with a voice that captures you in a trance! In two years, we’ll be making our reiygang to see her at the Reiyasblot!”
Sanya, who had initially found the attention bothersome, now seemed to derive some little amount of pleasure from watching the exchange unfold in front of her, a miniscule smirk building on her features. ”Oh, she’s a helgen, alright.” she interjected from the sidelines. ”You’re looking at the daughter of the Sun Mother.”
The two novices stood stunned, casting sideways glances at one another. “Y-you don’t mean…” Obee scanned Lucia’s appearance again. “... Lucia, daughter of the Sun Mother? R-right?”
“Ohmygod,IthinkshemeansLucia,daughteroftheSunMother,” Gene whispered in a single breath. Both immediately cast themselves to the ground, clumsily bumping into each other as the path was rather narrow at this point of the road. “LUCIA, shoot, I mean, GREAT, BLESSED LUCIA! It’s the greatest honour!”
“Such an honour!” Obee echoed.
Lucia shot Sanya a knowing glance as the two prostrated themselves before her. She pointed at her in silence then casually drifted her finger across her own neck before turning back to the druid girls. "Yes, I am Lucia. Daughter of Oraelia, daughter of the sun, second child of the Bright One. You've found me Obee, Gene. How might I assist you this day?" she asked before adding, "Oh yeah, you can get up now."
They remained prostrated. “Gene, she told you to stand up,” whispered Obee.
“I’m not getting up first! You know how disrespectful that is?”
Lucia sighed, before her tattoos erupted from her body and gently wrapped around the two girls. They were then lifted up at the same time. Her tattoos unwrapped themselves and then molded back onto her skin, pulsing. "Remember girls, though you may see me as some helgen figure, it's not polite to keep anyone waiting. Now… let me get a good look at the both of you."
The novice girls stood facing Lucia, eyes trying to look just about anywhere else as to not be disrespectful. They clutched their humble walking staffs like stuffed animals, and the wind had long since blown their hoods off their heads, revealing one plain, pale, freckled face with blonde hair and a noticeable overbite, and one darker face with black hair, stopped nose and thick eyebrows. The black-haired one, Gene, opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again, evidently waiting for Lucia to say something instead.
Sanya rubbed at the bridge of her nose, leaning heavily on Sorrowsting as she watched the scene unfold. ”Go easy on them now, Lucia.” she intoned idly, before lifting her hand up to her mouth to cover a brief yawn.
Lucia glided between the two and eyes them up and down, first stopping in front of Obee and touching her cheek lightly, before giving her a playful pinch. She did the same to Gene before coming to a stop before them. "You have beautiful songs but my oh my, so young. How old are you two?" she asked.
“She touched me,” whispered Gene to nothing in particular, eyes wide as saucers. Obee had a similar expression.
"Yes yes and now each of you will bear ten children in my name." Lucia smirked.
“As the helgen wishes,” acknowledged Obee and bowed her head.
“As the helgen wishes,” echoed Gene. “Kaer Togen won’t mind that we look for mates three years early, right?”
“Not if a helgen demanded it, what, are you stupid?”
Lucia seemed to pale. She took a sharp breath and said, "I was kidding! I was kidding! Don't do that. You have to wait until you're able to bring into this world a life. You must be prepared." she then sighed and rubbed her brow. "Now, how old are you two?"
“Fifteen!” they chorused.
”Practically adults,” Sanya intoned with some feigned wisdom to her tone, giving the three a dulled smile. ”Getting a late start, if you ask me.”
“Kaer Pinya said the same, actually,” Gene added. Obee elbowed her in the side.
"Listen close girls. Only bear a child with those you love. Take it from me, It'll be worth it." she said, a hint of sadness in her voice.
The girls looked at one another. “You wish to see Macsal again, don’t you?” asked Gene carefully.
“Must be terrible being apart for so long. I cried when Kaer Rast told us that story,” added Obee. Gene nodded along.
Lucia tilted her head at the two and awkwardly shuffled in place. "He was my love, after all." she said absentmindedly.
Sanya leaned on her weapon, watching the three with a growing restlessness, no doubt brought on by the building awkwardness. ”Good grief,” she breathed with a sigh to follow, when silence seemed to grow in the conversation. ”Just don’t get forced into anything, right?” Sanya paused, rubbing at her temple. ”Love is-... complicated. Listen to your heart, and you’ll do great.”
“We will!” they echoed. Then there was silence. “Who are you again?” asked Gene and Obee elbowed her in the side again. At this point, another couple of farmers had appeared behind them, shepherding diligently a stubborn flock of goats up the pathway.
Sanya didn’t reply to that, though managed to seem at least a little amused. Instead she glanced down the road, and then looked to Lucia - and her alone - to speak. ”I think we’re taking up the road. ...Path.”
Lucia seemed to be in a daze before Sanya spoke and when she did she looked at her and coughed. "Erm… Yes. We should be going." she turned to look at Obee and Gene. "It was nice meeting you two, best of luck in life." she said in a hurry as the goats approached.
“Oh! No, no, no, no, no! We can’t let you go now!” Gene insisted!
“Oh, for sure! We -gotta- take you to Ha-Dûna now. The archdruid would be honoured to have you!” The two of them shook with excitement as though they were standing on quaking soil. Around them hopped a sea of goats.
Lucia looked back at Sanya and gave a shrug.
”Evandra above.” Sanya muttered, and sighed sharply as goats rushed around them. ”Where is Ha-Dûna?”
“That way!” shouted Gene with enough force and vigour to scare a few goats and pointed up to the top of the hill. “About two days on foot! We were actually just heading that way - and now we’re definitely heading that way.”
“Uh-huh!”
Sanya looked back at Lucia and returned the shrug. Lucia laughed after a few seconds. "Well, it's not like we were going anywhere anyways. Lead the way girls." Lucia said to the two. The two novices celebrated and started leading the way, swimming through a river of goats to the surly music of the farmer complaining they’re in the way.
Lucia and Sanya walk a lonely road - the only one that they have ever known - together with a few other people. After Lucia shares an extremely great story, the two talk some real talk and do some immortal on immortal bonding.
Their tender girl moment is ruined by the arrival of two druid novices - who immediately fangirl over Lucia in every way possible. Sanya does everything she can to not help, and Lucia struggles to teach the two young ladies anything of value.
After the group are assaulted by an oncoming herd of goats, they resolve to keep moving. The two druids demand to take Lucia to Ha-Dûna, and both Sanya and Lucia are like “eh, we got time.” and head out with the newly formed fanclub.
Fool! You glanced upon the eldritch abyss. Nothing is here but doom!
Oraelia hummed a somber tone as she held Genesis in her arms. The young goddess was fast asleep after a morning of fruitful playing. Now she carried her inside to take a nap. She couldn't help but smile at the notion of a small child God asleep and needing a nap, but there she was. A precious gem in the pool of life. There were many rooms within the house and Oraelia had let Genesis pick a room when they first explored its depths. She of course picked the room with the most windows and that was where Oraelia put her down to rest. A soft bed was hers, and Oraelia placed a gentle kiss on her forehead after covering her in a light blanket. The girl muttered something under her breath as she smiled.
Oraelia left the room, cracking the door and descended down into a lounging room. Decorated with plants and plush furniture. She sat down in a chair, sinking into its depths with a relaxed smile. She let her consciousness wander, never straying to sleep. She couldn't sleep, never again. She had so much on her mind, there was so much to do and she had to figure out who the culprit was behind all of these creatures of the night. She had her guess, but didn't know why or perhaps she didn't want to believe it to be true.
"Oh Gibbou… Did I fail you too?" she asked herself softly, holding her head in her hands. She had to stop feeling sorry for herself. It wasn't healthy and did nothing to help the world. She looked back up and sighed.
A presence bumped into her mind like a clay brick. ”Hey, sis, uhm… Got, got a good cure for headaches?”
Oraelia was surprised to hear her sister. She narrowed her brow and answered. "Headaches? Why would you have a headache?" she asked concerned.
”... Long story,” came a sour gurgle. ”You busy? I don’t feel well enough to leave my moon…”
"I just put Genesis to sleep so I'm not terribly busy but I would hate to leave her here for too long. It makes me anxious to think about it." Oraelia confessed. "I could heal you if you come here." she said, standing up.
There came a groan that grinded at the walls of Oraelia’s mind. ”... Okaaaayy…” The presence then disappeared. Oraelia sighed and sat back down. She rubbed her brow wondering how on Galbar a God could get a headache.
An hour or so later, Gibbou slumped in through the portal, looking like a cold, swampy night. The hefty presence of the sun burning at her eyes didn’t seem to help much either, and her shirt had manifested a hood fashioned from the midnight sky, which was pulled as far over her head as possible. With shuffling feet, she dragged herself towards the house, droning agonizingly all the way.
Upon seeing her sister through the window, Oraelia went outside and waited for her on the steps. She couldn't help but smirk at the appearance of Gibbou. "My oh my you poor thing. What happened to you?" she asked walking over to her.
”Poor decisions happened, sis. Very poor decisions.” Her usually bare feet had been stuffed inside midnight slippers with small bats on them. The bags under her eyes could have carried a grain harvest. She shuffled into the closest shadow and sat herself down with her face in between her knees. ”Ugh… My heeeaad…”
Oraelia sat down next to her, flicking her hand to have the sun's light avoid the area. Oraelia was the only source of light in the dark. "Come here you." she said, rubbing her sister's back as she poured her healing powers into Gibbou. The moon goddess purred as her sister’s magic alleviated the pain and stress on her body left over from exposure to gruesomely opulent celebrations and ungodly amounts of godly alcohol. She slowly laid herself backwards against her sister’s chest, resting her hooded head against her chin and neck with a relieved sigh.
”Thank you, sis. You really are the best.”
"I try." Oraelia said, rubbing Gibbou's arm. "How have you been? Besides the whole headache." she asked softly.
”It’s weird, y’know… Experiencing actual contact with people again,” she replied as though Oraelia hadn’t said anything. ”I was sure I had gone completely off the rails after one thousand years, and then again when that portal opened and, and I, uh… I got to meet people again.” She looked up at her sister and blinked. ”Oh, sorry, I got carried away. Did you say something?”
She shook her head, not wishing to damper her sister's low spirits further. She squeezed Gibbou. "We should look to the future, sis. The past is… Difficult and the decisions we've made in the past can always be changed in the present." she said cryptically, but knowing what she meant.
”Hmm…” droned Gibbou for a reply; there was a hint of knowingness in her voice, though it was clear she wasn’t keen on acknowledging it. She shuffled up a bit, pulling down her hood and then laying her soft, blue hair back down against her sister’s shoulder. ”You doing okay nowadays? We haven’t spoken for a bit.”
"I've been…" she started, looking off into the distance. "I have good and bad days. I've been helping those that need it on Galbar and I'm learning a lot. I just wish I could do more." she said.
Gibbou stared emptily into the distance. ”Well, y’know… Can’t help everyone all the time.” She picked some gravel off the ground and flicked lazily, stone by stone, at the ground by her feet. ”Wishing you could do more’s always good, though. Shows dedication.”
"Dedication, yeah…" she said her heart beginning to beat faster as she wandered if it was the right time to talk about what gnawed on her. There was only one way to find out, else it would consume her. "I've uh… Seen these things down on Galbar… The mortals call them many things but one name stands out most. I think it was trolls?" she said.
Gibbou’s skin immediately grew moist as a layer of cold sweat flushed over her. She swallowed. ”Y-yeah. C-crazy world, right?”
Gibbou…" Oraelia gulped, feeling the sweat forming on her sister. "Please, tell me the truth, I'm not angry I just want to know if you created them." she pleaded, her voice shakey as her best faster.
The moon goddess visibly shrank down, pulling her legs closer to herself again defensively. ”... I…” She took a deep breath. ”It’s been a while now since that time.”
Oraelia breathed out through her nose and sank back. "I know Gib, I know. I was aloof when we were on Galbar and now everything feels so out of place." she said, not knowing what else to say.
Slowly, Gibbou pushed herself away from Oraelia, turning to face her instead, except that her eyes were looking everywhere else than at Oraelia herself. She wrapped her arms around her knees, which by now were pulled all the way to her chest. ”I didn’t know they would turn out like this… All trolls except for one lineage have caused so much pain and sorrow that I don’t think I’ll… I don’t think I’ll ever be able to atone on their behalf.” She paused. ”But then again… How do you punish something you made yourself? In the end, they’re mine, and despite how mean they were to me, I…”
Oraelia looked upon Gibbou as she went to her knees, placing her hands upon her thighs. She waited for Gibbou to say more, wanting her sister, more than ever, to talk to her.
”I don’t wanna change them,” she eventually whispered guiltily. She snickered quietly. ”Some protection goddess I am.”
Oraelia said nothing, weighing Gibbou's words carefully. She then spoke after a time, her voice soft. "Our creations are like children to us. At least, perhaps some view it that way. I see Lucia as my child and I would never want to change her either. But I don't think that necessarily means I shouldn't offer her guidance or tell her if something she did was wrong. I know I wasn't there for her for a long time, and I wasn't there for you when you could have used someone to lean on. I just… I don't know. I enjoy life, I do but sometimes I catch myself remembering the day we first came to be and how happy we were together. Those were simpler times, weren't they?" she said, looking down.
With a somber whimper, Gibbou nodded.
She scooted closer to Gibbou. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that we shouldn't change what we've made, but offer tools so that they can change themselves. So they can grow and learn to be better. I'm not sure if that's what you want, but if you do, I'll help you Gibbou. Because that's what sisters are for. We're supposed to help one another in the rough patches after all." Oraelia said, as she sniffled.
Gibbou still refused to look her sister in the face. Her feet would do. ”I just… How could the trolls learn to be better? Only one of them even thinks about the good of others.” She sighed, then snickered. ”... The draugs are really sweet, actually.”
She scrunched her nose, stopping short of Gibbou. "I'm not sure of the top of my head, but perhaps a solution can be found within the Draugs?" she asked thoughtfully.
”What do you mean?”
”You said it yourself, sis. Draugs are sweet and they think about the good of others. If we can find out why, then we might be able to show the other trolls a better way.” Oraelia said with hope in her eyes.
Gibbou frowned. ”I, uh, I don’t know if the mean behaviour is learned, necessarily. The, the other three trolls have sort of, y’know, been mean from the start - I don’t think anything made them that way, necessarily, but… Maybe they’re just like that.” She sighed. ”We might be able to convince one or two… Maybe. More than that, though? Doubt it.”
Oraelia scrunched her nose and sat back across from GIbbou. ”Worth a shot I suppose.” was all she said. Her attempts didn’t seem to be working. Was she that out of touch with Gibbou? Was her approach wrong? Or did her sister simply not think it possible in the slightest? Perhaps her own standards were far too high.
”I… I finally found Lucia, sis.” Oraelia began, looking to the floor. ”In a small village of sorts, captured by human ‘raiders’, to be taken as a slave. She had help and escaped…” her voice grew smaller, ”Then they killed all the raiders.”
Gibbou blinked. ”Sunlight, is she alright?! I mean--... Is she okay? No wounds or anything? Is she safe now?”
”She was perfectly sound actually…” Oraelia said, looking at Gibbou. ”She just showed me that any being has the capacity for cruelty. I didn’t have the heart to snoop through all of her memories of the last two thousand years, I don’t know if I could bear to see what else befell her in my absence. We talked after it was all done and she’s never been better, now that I’ve returned. She’s just… Grown and she has tattoos all over her body.” she blinked. ”I almost forgot… I never even told you about her. I’m sorry for that. That's something that shouldn’t be just left to tell for another time. How did you two meet anyway? You seem familiar with the name.”
”Phew, that’s a relief, but shouldn’t expect less from my niece, your daughter.” Gibbou smiled softly and loosened the grip about her knees. ”We ran into each other some time before the, y’know, bad times. She’s really sweet, sis. I wish I had my own like that.” She scrunched her nose. ”Shame she had to run into -those- kinds of mortals. You, uh, you see a few of those at night.” Her eyes suddenly stared emptily beyond the horizon.
”Yeah, you could alwa- Hey, what’s wrong?” Oraelia suddenly asked, a concerned look on her face.
Gibbou’s pale eyes blinked over to her sister. ”The night’s my favourite time of day… And also terrible. It just seems like a time when, y’know, mortalkind just figures out that they should do bad stuff. Like, who robs someone in daylight? Not even night elves do - ‘cuz they’re blind in the day.” She sighed. ”Sometimes, I just wish they didn’t save all the mischief for my time of day, y’know?”
”Oh… Yeah I understand that. There’s comfort in the night, where it’s harder to see and that makes people feel… Feel like they can do whatever they want when the sun isn’t up.” Oraelia sighed and then gave a small smile her sister’s way. ”But I am fortunate enough to know that night is a time of peace and relaxation. Not all mortals do terrible things at night. Most just sleep.”
”Yeah… Yeah, most just sleep. Unless you count nocturnals, but they’re really nice company, actually. Speaking of which, actually…” Gibbou clapped her hands together and when she parted them, a small, beige cat with black spots and paws appeared in her lap, looking around with large, round eyes. ”This is Minnie. She’s particularly sweet to me. I decided last night to put a bunch of her likeness down on Mydia.”
Oraelia’s eyes went wide at the small cat, and she crouched forward, fascinated by the small lifeform. ”Gibbou!” she said quietly with excitement. ”She’s soooo beautiful and so tiny!” Oraelia gushed with a wide smile on her face.
”Right? I’ve been making lots of bats and owls and mushrooms, -but- I have overlooked the cats! How can the night not have cats? Or, well, I mean, I made shadow tigers, I guess.” She gave Minnie a scratch behind the ear - the cat looked not at her, but at some chirping birds in a nearby tree. ”I just love these little babies. So fuzzy and cute.” Minnie bounced from her lap and entered into the tall grass. ”H-hey, Minnie! It’s not safe in the sunlight! Your eyes’ll get burned!”
Oraelia, seeing her sister’s plea, stretched her hand and the sunlight disappeared around Minnie. She walked in a small bubble of shadow towards the tree and Oraelia couldn’t help but laugh as the absurd cuteness. Little Minnie climbed the tree in complete and utter silence, snatching one of the birds while the sudden shift from day to night confused its senses. Gibbou scrunched her nose. ”Sorry about that.”
”Don’t worry about it.” Oraelia said, scooching herself over to the side of Gibbou. She leaned her head on her sister’s shoulder and gave a small, relaxed sigh. ”Genesis misses you. She’s very adamant about getting more moon makeup.”
”Yeah. I’ll drop by and say hi to her, too, some time. Not like there’s too much else to do during the day, after all.” She pursed her lips and frowned, looking away sheepishly. ”Say, Orey? How, uh… How do you feel about punishing mortals for bad deeds?”
”I…” Oraelia began, thinking on the question. ”I guess it depends on the crime. I’ve never punished a mortal, so I don’t really know.”
In a small voice, Gibbou mumbled, ”If, uh… If they killed someone in the name of ambition? How, uh… How would you react to that?”
”Ambition huh? Like, killing someone they know for power? Well… Murder is a fairly henious crime, at least in my eyes. I once made a blanket that reverts who wears it to their most innocent self. The man, who murdered out of false love, became a baby… Oh, so I guess I have punished a mortal before.” she said. ”But now that I’ve seen what mortals are capable of… I don’t think making them into babies is a proper solution. Ugh… I tried to find a proper solution that avoided killing them outright, but now? I’m not so sure. I guess I would try to find some punishment that fit accordingly. Perhaps blindness? The sun never warming them?” she paused again thinking about what Lucia had gone through, a small bit of anger bubbling up inside of her. ”Or imprison them for all eternity in some place, doing some task that they can never escape from. A curse… Maybe even death. Why do you ask, anyhow?” she finally said quietly.
Gibbou looked relieved at the response. ”Oh, that’s good. See, that’s what I did! They’re called vampires - result of killing for your ambitions. Gave ‘em the worst of punishments. That sort of thing just ain’t right.”
From where her head rested on Gibbou’s shoulder, Oraelia narrowed her eyes slightly. ”Vampires?” she said the word aloud, ”What exactly is the punishment, Gibbou?” she asked.
Gibbou shrugged. ”Figured a tragic fate should befall those insolent enough to kill for their ambition, so they’ll turn into vampires! They wanted power? Oh, they’ll get power. Makes them super strong and super fast - oh, and immortal, too. All they gotta do is drink so much blood as one of their own size would contain - every day. Oh, but don’t worry, sis, they won’t appear during the day. If the sun touches them, they die. Instantly.” Gibbou raised a thumb and nodded. ”That’s the gist, anyway.”
Oraelia sat up slowly, looking at Gibbou with a blank expression. ”Gibbou… They have to drink blood? Who’s blood?” she asked softly.
Gibbou frowned. ”Blood of their own, of course. They gotta regret what they’ve done, after all.”
”Blood of their own? Other vampires?” she asked quickly.
”No, of their own species,” Gibbou replied.
Oraelia frowned. ”So to punish them… You made them hunger for blood? Blood that could belong to innocent people?” she folded her arms across her chest.
Gibbou blinked. ”... Well, when you put it like that, of course it sounds bad…” She mirrored Oraelia’s gesture.
”How else could it be put, dear?” Oraelia sighed. She sounded neither angry or upset, but rather confused.
”It’s preventative - the thought of killing innocents is bad, right? If people realise they gotta do it for their ambition, they might think twice, y’know? Plus, most don’t even live that long! They die the instant they walk into sunlight.”
”Gibbou… The type of person who would kill someone for their ambition, probably won’t think twice of killing to sustain themselves. And if they survive to realize the sun could kill them? Then what?”
”Well, those who do that will be smart enough to realise that killing people isn’t how you keep power, won’t they?” asked Gibbou and shrugged. ”The curse roots out the senseless murderers and, well, those who understand that the path to staying in power is paved with cooperation, will persist. I think that was my resonnement, anyway.”
Oraelia was visibly taken aback by her response. ”You seem so… Relaxed over this entire ordeal.” Oraelia said, staring into her eyes. ”And now you’re defending the smart ones who remain in power, as if, when threatened with survival or death, they wouldn’t act irrationally to save themselves. Like drinking blood isn’t an invasive procedure. Would you want your blood drank Gibbou? Have your arteries punctured, have your blood stolen?” Oraelia said.
Gibbou’s frown darkened. ”Look, sorry if I seem ‘relaxed’, whatever that means, but mortals do worse things to each other, and this is an effective way to get rid of the majority of these criminals. Oh, sure, one or two gets away, but what are one or two to a thousand?” She blinked at her own tone and looked away. ”Sorry. I overreacted.”
Oraelia reeled away, shock on her face. ”This isn’t…” Oraelia whispered, ”Gibbou… I-I don’t understand how you could even say that. Even if one or two survive… That’s still a threat to innocent people. People who live peaceful lives, who respect nighttime for what it is. Sleep, peace, relaxation. Your night, Gibbou. You’ve put them in danger. Did you even think about how it would affect other people?”
”Of course, I thought about it! The night -is- dangerous, Oraelia - way worse than the day. It’s when animals hunt, murderers kill, and now, when vampires feast. As I said, most vampires -will- die as soon as they walk out into the day, and their very existence will stop more from appearing, once mortals realise what makes a vampire. They are unsustainable creatures, Oraelia, just as intended.” She took a deep breath. ”Life sleeps at night for a reason - it’s so they can be blind to the horrors that thrive in its darkness.”
”Is that what you want, sister?” Oraelia asked, straightening her back, trying to hide the pain in her eyes and her voice. ”This isn’t you, Gibbou. I don’t know what happened to you over those two thousand years, I wish I did. I wish I had been there for you! But this… This isn’t you.” she said, a tear falling down her cheek. ”I was there when that small bat died within your hands, and how horrified you were. How we both promised to protect life. Me in the day, you in the night. Don’t you remember?”
Gibbou rose to her feet. ”Of course, I remember! Not a day goes by when I don’t think about that promise. It’s in my essence, Orey. She turned away. ”But… Protection isn’t all sunshine, y’know. You gotta make compromises, set examples…” She then collapsed back down and put her face in her hands. ”... Wrestle non-stop with past mistakes…”
Oraelia stood up and walked over to her sister. She looked down at her, afraid to reach out, hesitant to ask anymore of her. But Gibbou was her sister, and the words they exchanged frightened her. So she sank to her knees beside Gibbou, and tentatively placed a hand upon her back. ”I… Shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry, Gibbou.”
Gibbou sighed into her knees. ”No, no… You’re right. I’m an awful guardian.” Whimpers escaped the lid of hands over her face.
Oraelia once again said nothing. Contemplating her words carefully. ”Oh Gibs, you’re not awful. I think the problem is that you have been alone for so long, and these issues that you’ve faced before and during my absence, have festered in your mind, growing and growing until now. You’re eating yourself up, Gibbou and it’s breaking my heart. I know how you feel about yourself, sister. I’ve seen the glances, the looks of doubt, how you look at me with such awe… I’ve always looked at you with awe Gibbou. I’ve always thought of you as my sister first, and my best friend second. But you continue to beat yourself up over this lack of self, when there is no need to and I know this all might just sound unhelpful coming from me, but I mean it Gibbou. You have to see that. You have to see that my sunlight, only works with you.” she said tearfully. ”I love you, and I want you to be your best Gibbou. It’s okay to make mistakes, we all make mistakes, we just have to know when to own up to them, and fix them. No matter if they are hard, or easy. We have to try.”
Gibbou was completely taken aback by her sister’s words, and she slowly raised her face from her palms, quartz tears rushing down her cheeks like liquid glass. Without saying anything, she pounced forward, locking her arms around her sister’s back and pressing her crying face into her stomach, unleashing a deep-seeded, heartbreaking wail.
Oraelia wasted no time hugging her sister tightly, letting her own tears flow silently as she comforted Gibbou. ”I love you so, so much Gibbou.” she said warmly, beginning to lovingly stroke her sister’s head.
The moon goddess curled her legs up against her chest. ”B-buh… But how do I… I’vuh, I’ve made so many mistakes, though! H-how, how, how do I fix them all?” she sulked through the sobs.
”Shh shh, breath Gibbou.” Oraelia started. ”You start small, slowly working your way to the larger ones. There’s no need to rush into them without a level head and a plan, sis.” she replied.
Gibbou rubbed her wet face against her sister’s skin. ”Uh, uh-huh? Okay… Ssssssniff!... I can work with that… Okay… Okay, I have something.”
Oraelia began to rub Gibbou’s back. ”Good, and what might that be?” she asked softly.
”I’ll, uh… I’ll give those attacked by trolls something to fight back with - guardians of a sort, and… No, wait, no, no, no… The trolls were supposed to be guardians and, and… I’ll mess it up again, for sure!
”Thinking like that, you will. Be confident in your powers and be assertive Gibbou. You can do it, I know you can.” Oraelia cooed. ”I can be your side anytime and anywhere, just like when we created the Hir. We did it together. I can help you Gibbou, but you have to be the one that takes charge.”
The moon goddess took a series of deep breaths. ”Okay, okay, I’ll try. I… Will make guardians… But I will make guardians out of the mortals who fight trolls. They, they won’t be so strong as to wipe them out, but, but they can at least help those who suffer at their hands.” She took a breath. ”I suppose I can also add responsibility for taking out vampires that get really powerful… A sort of… Nightwatch...”
Oraelia nodded her head in agreement. ’That’s a wonderful idea, Gibbou. And you said Vampires die in the sun and I know trolls act about the same, so maybe I can offer this Nightwatch my blessing for solar weapons. Lucia has a similar ability, that I’m sure she’s put to good use. I’ll ask her about it!” she said.
Gibbou looked up with a weak smile. ”Y-yeah… Yeah, that’d be cool, I suppose.”
”What’s wrong? Bad idea?” Oraelia asked, raising an eyebrow.
”No! No, not at all! Just… Just happy that you’re here and that we’re, y’know, making stuff together again.” Gibbou nuzzled herself ever closer to Oraelia. ”I’ve just really missed my big sis, y’know. She’s the one I love the most in this world, after all.”
Oraelia teared up again. ”O-Oh!” she said, crying happily. ”I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere. Never again.” she said, squeezing her tightly as she rubbed her head on Gibbou’s. Gibbou closed her eyes and drew a peaceful breath.
We begin this post on a cute note with Oraelia putting Genesis down for a nap. Oraelia then ruminates some, before Gibbou contacts her with a headache asking for a cure. Oraelia says come on over and Gib does. She then heals her ailments and the two discuss things, eventually coming to trolls. Oraelia asks many questions, not angry just wanting to know why her sister created them and Gibbou tells her, and says she doesn’t really know but doesn’t want to change them. They come to a small agreement about it and continue on talking, Gibbou eventually asking Oraelia about how she views punishments. Oraelia says she would probably do it to those who deserve it and then Gibbou drops that she created vampires.
This starts a small disagreement, with the two going back and forth. It ends with Oraelia asking if Gibbou remembered their promise. To which Gibbou says not a day goes by she doesn’t think about it and says she’s an awful protector. Oraelia apologizes and says she’s not awful, just letting all her problems weigh her down. Oraelia and Gibbou then have a heart to heart that I won’t spoil and we end on a happy note.
Gibbou 1MP/0DP -1MP: Make black-footed cats a thing on Mydia. Black-footed cats are nocturnal cats that, somehow, make for the most lethal cats in the world, with a 60% success rate on their hunts. Thankfully, they are tiny, weighing a kilo at the most. Unless you’re a mouse, gerbil or bird, you have nothing to fear. End Gibs: 0MP/0DP
Hekti stilled as a labored breath broke the silence in the room. He motioned for Nalla to pause, eyes pinpointed at the sleeping figures before them. One changed positions underneath the fur coated bed. Tension seemed to flood into the room, weighing Hekti down. It was palpable. His heart bounded in chest, limbs poised, dragged gripped. They waited in the shadows for the silence to return and when it did, they moved forward.
They neared the bed, Hekti on his side, Nalla on hers. There was a twisted smile on her face, one that sickened him but Nalla wanted the same thing he wanted. Hekti looked down at the old man, a cruel human. His father, the village chief, sleeping next to his favorite bitch. A woman Nalla detested even more than he did- Her older sister.
It was their job to make it look like a fight had broken out between them. A sad situation they would say, ending in death. With both of them out of the picture, Hekti could take over the chiefdom and Nalla would be free to do as she pleased, no longer living in her sister’s shadow. Hekti knew what she wanted though. Every human had a seed inside of them, one that hungered for power, and who would throw away being the chief's wife?
With their plan clear, Hekti nodded to Nalla and plunged the blade into his father's heart. His father's eyes awoke as he gasped. Hekti began to feel hot, his blood pumping as he silenced his father with a hand over his mouth. He was a large man, his father, but Hekti held him as he struggled, feeling him grow weaker and weaker through his fingertips. Eyes full of hatred as they fluttered shut at last. Hekti looked over to see a similar scene with Nalla, though she had decided to stab her sister several times. The smell of blood permeated the room, coating the bed furs in crimson liquid.
Mouthwatering.
Before he could wonder why the blood smelled so good, he witnessed Nalla licking her dagger. He grew hot, uncomfortably so as he looked at his own dagger, still embedded in his father’s heart. It called to him, ever second his heart beat, every moment he felt thirstier and thirstier. With inhuman speed he wrenched his dagger free, and held it up high, letting the blood drip into his mouth.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
He smacked his lips, let the blood coat his face as his hands shook. Every drop, so delicious, so intoxicating. He stabbed his father again, repeating the process to his delightful smile. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Nalla feasting upon her sister’s corpse, drinking and licking the blood that ran from her wounds. Hekti, aloof to his own reality, looked down upon his father and did the same.
It didn’t take long for his crime to take root in his mind, so caught up in the moment of the blood, that with startling clarity he pushed himself free and fell to the floor. He looked upon his shaking hands and to his horror he found them drenched in his father’s blood. He looked over to see Nalla, still lapping up what little remained.
“N-Nalla, what have we done?” he asked, holding his head.
The girl with the flame red hair looked up, her face stained in dark crimson as the moonlight glinted in her eyes. She was terrifying to behold. She spoke, her voice silky smooth as ever, “Tsk tsk, we did what we wanted and the gods gave us power for getting rid of these… insufferable people.” she said, walking over to him. Hekti flinched as she knelt beside him, pulling him into her bosom. He began to speak, but was silenced.
“Shh shh. No need to make a fuss. We did what we had to do to survive Hekti. Now you can be chief and I can be your wife. Should we…” She twirled his curly hair with a finger, leaning into his ear and whispered what all souls need from a lover.
The two got up, leaving the two corpses behind as they made their way through the silent halls of the long cabin. His home was not far, but first they needed to dispose of their clothes and clean themselves. He still didn’t know what was going on, or the new strength that pulsed through his veins, but the chiefdom was his and Nalla was his. What more could he ask for?
He pushed open the door to the outside world, the first few rays of sunlight peeking over the horizon. One hit him, and before he knew it, there was a flash of intense pain and then nothing.
Nalla, who had remained inside the cabin, watched as her ticket to power burst into flame before vaporising into ash. Instinctively, she lurched back into the safety of the shadows, now knowing what the sunlight brought. She tilted her head, a bemused look on her face.
“Well… Better him than me.” she said with a toothy smile, before licking her fingers.
Two humans kill for ambition and become vamps. One dies from the sunlight, and this tells the other one that sunlight isn’t fun.
Knowing full well Genesis had her own realm, but hesitant to leave her there by herself, Oraelia took her back to her own. Even if Genesis was Divine in nature, she still acted like she was a child, and by all accounts, she was a child. Children needed many things, but Genesis was a special case and did not require what mortals did. Thus the only thing Oraelia could give her, was herself. She had realized, unless there was some other god with a better claim then herself, that she was one of the only ones that could raise Genesis. Gibbou was a close second, but Oraelia couldn’t shake the feeling that her sister was hiding something from her. Not to mention that her confidence was still meager, and how could one give love to another, if they hardly loved themself? She hoped she was wrong, so very wrong, but for now, it had to be this way.
Oraelia took one last look at Antiquity, and then entered her realm, Genesis in hand. It was the same as before, an endless Prairie of golden grass and flowers. She pursed her lips, and scrunched her nose as she looked at it all. Beautiful yes, but for the purposes of creating an avatar, and even raising Genesis, she needed something else. A home within her home. She raised her free hand, and with a flick of her wrist, the scenery changed to that of a wide large clearing in the middle of a forest.
”Ooo...”
The clearing sprouted several cobble paths, erupting on the sides of them with flowers and other plant growths, overgrowing in several places. The cobble pathways eventually all met a head, singularly leading up to a large wooden cabin that materialized before their eyes. It wasn’t large or grand in any way, but had a modest feel to it with a large wrap around porch.
Oraelia then turned to Genesis and knelt down. She smiled warmly. ”Would you like to live with me?” she asked,
It took a tilt of her head and a few seconds of thought, but eventually Genesis gasped and hugged Oraelia, hopping while she did so and breathing extremely fast. ”Genesis stays with Oraelia! Yay! Lots of playtime with her, and baths and hugs and kisses!” She repeated excitedly, nuzzling her small delicate face against Oraelia’s.
Oraelia could hardly contain her smile, radiating an intense glow as she gave affection to Genesis. ”Good! I’m so happy Genesis.” she said, giving her a smothering hug. She then pulled away, grabbing the small girl by her arms gently. ”Okay, now listen, I have a job for you okay? I need you to… To go find the prettiest flowers you can, so we can put them in a… Pot! And then we’ll put the pot inside, alright? So we can always have color with us!” she said, overly enthusiastic. ”Can you do that for me? Pwetty pwease?”
Genesis giggled and playfully caressed Oraelia’s face, ”Uh-huh! Genesis will bring all the more pretty flowies for Oraelia!”
Oraelia quickly planted a kiss on her cheek and giggled before saying, ”Wonderful my love, now go find me some flowers.” she said, with Genesis running off into the forest with a chuckle the second Oraelia set her down. Oraelia watched her go, shouting out after her, ”And be safe!” she said with a wave, knowing the only thing that could hurt Genesis, would be herself. Which was probably not going to happen, right?
With a sigh, Oraelia fell back into the grass and watched the moving clouds. She had a lot on her mind. This new reality she found herself in, Gibbou, Lucia, Genesis, prayers from mortals, Neiya, and on and on. She felt overwhelmed. There was so much to do. She took a deep breath, and relaxed. First things first, it was time to open herself to Galbar. It couldn’t be too hard, rig-
“Please mother Oraelia, please, don’t let her die.”
Oraelia shot up. The voice had been so sudden, and she saw it. A young boy, his sister dying next to him from playing gone wrong. A tear fell down the Goddess’s face.
”Thank you for rising, Bright One. Give us strength when the trolls come again. Please. I don’t know how much longer we can last.”
An old man spoke, his village in ruins and his people taken or killed… or worse. Oraelia’s heart began to beat faster as more voices came, louder.
“Why don’t you care! All we’ve ever done is worship you! And ye cannot even protect us!” Said a man in the far north, beset by trolls and other monsters.
“Bright One, may you watch us in this night. May they not come to take my family. This I ask of you.” Said a woman in a village, fearing for her life from other humans wishing to take them.
“O sunmother, why do you forsake us? What did we do wrong? Why are you silent?” Came the voice of a young girl deep within the heart of her Prairie.
“I hate you Bright One! You let them come and eat us in the night!” Screamed a child, angry at Trolls.
“Why is your sun so hot, so cruel? When do you keep the rain from us?” Asked a desert dwelling Alminaki. “Another beautiful day, praise be to you, sun!” Exclaimed an older looking Genesis.
“Give me the power to kill them! I beg of you mother. They took everything from me!” Wailed a broken woman.
Oraelia squeezed her eyes shut as more and more prayers came. She held her head and leaned forward in between her knees. She stopped breathing as panic and shock overtook her.
Negative, positive, angry, happy, on and on. Every range of emotion, from every mortal under the sun. They hated her, they loved her, they wished she would do more, they wished she would help them. From the monsters in the night, from the trolls and flesh eaters, to the slavers and the murderers. They broke her heart a thousand times and they healed it again and again. What had she done? What had she let happen? There was so much death and loss on her hands and she had done nothing to safeguard the day, like she was supposed to. Her promise with Gibbou, she had failed. But those Trolls, creatures of the night, eaters of flesh. She had seen how the humans despised them and she began to have her doubts as more and more prayers came for her sunlight to destroy them. Did Gibbou… Did she create them?
Suddenly, Oraelia felt the familiar softness and warmth that was Genesis’ small hand trying to get a hold of hers, and slowly the sounds of the prayers grew further away and those of Genesis humming quietly came to the forefront. ”Ah… Choo!”
She snapped her tearful eyes open, gripping the small girl’s hand tightly. She breathed again, quick and fast as she took Genesis into a hug. She attempted to stop crying, but the tears flowed. She needed someone, anyone after what she just witnessed. ”G-Genesis- Did you b-bring back flowers?” she asked in a shaky voice. Genesis returned the hug as best as she could.
”Yea… Is Oraelia ok? Don’t cry please. If Oraelia is sad, then… Then Genesis will show her what she does when she’s sad!!”
Oraelia sniffled, wiping the tears away from her face. ”And what does Genesis do when she’s sad?” she asked.
”Need a small river and mud. Very important, the two. Genesis will go to the mud and put her feet in it, you see. Like a tree! It feels very nice and soothing. And Genesis not get thirsty.” Genesis pursed her lips and then buried her nose in the mass of undulating light that she could only imagine was Oraelia’s hair.
Oraelia cracked a small smile and took a deep breath. ”That would be nice, wouldn’t it?” came her quiet voice. But there was no more time for idleness, not now anyway. Galbar needed her more than ever before. A part of her. It seemed the only thing that protected life during the day, was her sun and even that did a poor job. No, she needed something more, something that could ease the tide of these misfortunes. She would help from her realm of course, but this required a more direct approach and she had just the idea in the form of an avatar.
She shuffled around, and picked up Genesis who held a bouquet of flowers mixed with blades of grass in her hand. Oraelia smiled as she situated the girl. ”Do you remember what Illyd and Gibbou said about avatars? Let’s make them, then we can go find a stream and play in the mud alright?”
Genesis nodded as soon as she pulled away from the hug, ”Okay. How are avatars made?”
Oraelia gave a slight frown. ”I think we take a small part of ourselves, like a piece of hair, or in your case a leaf, and then we make it grow with our power. Reach deep down inside Genesis, think about what you want, visualize it. Then, will it to be.” she encouraged, placing her back on the ground.
”Mmmm..” Genesis hummed in thought, then reached up and plucked a single leaf off her head, making herself hiss, then take in a deep breath. ”... owie.”
But the pain did not stop Genesis, for she plopped the leaf down in front of her, then sat on her knees and closed her eyes, both palms pointed toward the leaf.
She thought hard. She overworked her imagination to the point where her leaves were twitching uncontrollably, and then she exhaled. Just like that, the single leaf began to be encased in what looked like a new kind of crystal--Golden in colour, and not completely solid. It grew thick, as if it was a shield keeping the leaf safe and then around the crystal, more things began to materialize.
A bone structure, followed by vital organs, a nervous system, muscles… skin… Everything that made up Genesis’ body was replicated in the new, forming entity, but it was bigger. More of a grown up person than a child.
The new avatar, which at some point had begun to float as it formed, then dropped to the floor, her head falling conveniently on Genesis’ lap, who opened one eye first, then the other and finally let out a loud squeal of excitement.
The features were soft and delicate, with a slender body frame and graceful curves… But while she resembles Genesis, her colours were all different. Her skin for example was white, with several light pink accents near the joints, and her leaves were much longer but also slimmer, and a very pale pink in colour. And her eyes, when they fluttered open, revealed themselves to be an icy blue.
Genesis couldn’t help herself, she excitedly pet her avatar’s head as she bounced a little in place. She looked up at Oraelia and was about to speak when the avatar suddenly huffed, swatted Genesis’ hands away, and stood up, causing the little girl to flinch and pull away with a bit of a heartbroken expression on her face. ”Ow!! Why-”
”Geez! I just woke up and you’re already messing my leaves up, Genny. C’mon kid, I have an image to uphold!”
At this Genesis turned to Oraelia, eyes watering. ”B… B-But Genesis asked for a brotheeeer…!” She began, sniffling. Her avatar responded by sniffling quietly as well.
”H-Hey…! I didn’t ask to be a girl, y-y’know. You made me this way, you...” She hissed some air out through her tightly closed jaw, and then turned around and began to presumably wipe tears off her face.
There was a look of surprise upon Oraelia’s face, before she put a reassuring hand upon Genesis’ shoulder. She looked upon the new being, this new avatar of Genesis inquisitively. Something irked her about how it had treated Genesis, who did something many would consider innocent in nature.
”Why did you swat her hand away? You couldn’t have just asked for her to stop?” she asked, her tone neutral.
Genesis’ Avatar sniffled one last time and turned around as if nothing had happened, but quickly blushed a light shade of pink and rubbed her hands together nervously, shrinking her posture. ”U-Um,” She began, and looked away, ”I just got made so… I’m kind of sensitive and I’m not used to being touched, I guess...” The Avatar explained, then knelt in front of Genesis and put her hand on her childish creator’s head, rubbing through the leaves gently. ”Uh, sorry Genny. I guess I should be thankful I even exist, even if you don’t like me as I am...”
Genesis wiped her tears and looked up into the icy eyes of her avatar, then shook her head, voice coming out squeaky and shaky, ”N-no, Genesis likes you... Exodus is very pretty... like Oraelia. G-Genesis likes you, but… But she wanted a big brother. To play with.”
Exodus sighed awkwardly and then forced on a smile just for Genesis, whose eyes sparkled. ”Well, uh, sisters can play too, right? You don’t need a brother to have a good time, Genny.”
At this Genesis turned to look at Oraelia and asked, ”I-Is that true?”
Oraelia nodded. ”I have Gibbou, do I not? She’s my sister and we play all the time.” she agreed. She then looked at the avatar. ”Welcome to life, Exodus.” she said, giving her a reassuring smile.
Exodus rubbed her neck sheepishly and stood up, then began work on opening a portal to Galbar. As she did that, she spoke one last time to Genesis, ”See you around Genny. Talk to me whenever you want, alright? I’m your big sis after all.” She said, looking at the girl over her shoulder and winking at her, an expression that Genesis tried to imitate with varying rates of success. ”Oh, and those flowers you have in your hand, you’ll want to plant them where there’s plenty of sun, and give their roots ample space. Who knows? They might grow all the way to the sky!”
With that, the portal finally opened, but as Exodus prepared to step through, Genesis perked up. ”G-Genesis wants-”
Exodus shot her a look, and Genesis shrunk a little and rephrased, ”Gen… Genny? I. I. I… Want to play with Exodus!”
Exodus chuckled and stepped through, the portal closing behind her. After a moment, Genesis looked at Oraelia and tilted her head. ”I? Why does Genesis have to say I instead of Genesis?”
Oraelia blinked as she looked down at Genesis. ”Well… It’s your sense of self? When you say your name, referring to yourself, but already speaking- uh…” she paused, how did one explain this? ”You don’t have to say your name when talking about yourself honey. I know who you are, you know who you are. I, as in me, as in Oraelia, you see. So ‘I’ can say I, instead of my name. It means the same thing, but just means… You’re learning and growing and becoming… A big girl!” she said enthusiastically, tickling Genesis on her sides. Immediately the girl began giggling and trying to squirm away to no avail. Eventually the giggling became full blown laughter and tears of mirth overflowed from Genesis’ eyes.
”Oooah! N-No more… No more!!” She repeated, laughing even harder.
Oraelia eventually stopped and stood back up with a gleeful look in her eyes. ”Alright, alright. You did a good job Genesis, creating your avatar. I’m sure she’ll do good work upon Galbar. Now…” she said, cracking her knuckles. ”It’s time for me to make one. Stand behind me, dear.” It took Genesis a while to recover but when she did, she did as asked and quietly positioned herself behind Oraelia, watching on with curiosity clear in the way her leaves twitched.
Oraelia raised both her hands up into the air, and concentrated in the clearing before her. Then, she took a deep breath and breathed out slowly, as she did, a ray of yellow sunlight touched down from the heavens of her realm. It landed in the clearing, illuminating the land in vibrant rays of extremely bright light. This light seemed to be a wave, flowing and receding, pulsing in silence. From this beam of light there came a figure. Or the beam of light became the figure, for as it emerged the beam dissipated in a flash, but Oraelia was unphased by this, for light was kin to her and she saw what it had become.
Standing three times as tall as she, marched forth a giant of ethereal gold, solar flames racing across its body. It was see through, but tangible all the same and illuminating. It had no discernible features other than that of a strong man’s build and two glowing eyes of gold upon his face. He wore a halo of pure white, sat above his head like a crown. The halo itself was circular, running in a singular band, unmoving from its place. His long strides were with purpose, coming to a stop before Oraelia rigidly, like a statue, before moving his head to gaze down upon her. There was a silence between the two, as Oraelia took him in.
She nodded approvingly and folded her arms. ”You are my son and I name you, Solus. Welcome to life, Solus!” she said, waiting for the giant to respond, but she only felt a vague sense of knowing from his eyes. ”You know what to do, don’t you?” she asked softly. To this, Solus gave a slow nod, and held it, as if to show respect. Oraelia gave a sad smile in return. ”Go on Solus, I won’t keep you here any longer. You know your task, and it is a daunting one my son. But you will not be alone in doing it.”
Solus lifted his head and turned his head right as he lifted an arm to match his gaze. A portal materialized, a tear in reality and Oraelia could see but a glimpse of her home, and taste the air and feel the breeze. Solus dropped his hand, and turned his body before beginning to walk through. ”Know that you are loved, Solus.” she whispered, as the portal closed behind him.
Sometime during the whole show, Genesis had hugged Oraelia’s leg and just now squeezed a bit. ”Oraelia made a fire and light ghost. Why?”
”Well… I made a promise a long time ago. To protect the world Genesis. It’s about time I honored that.” she said, looking down at Genesis with a smile.
The small girl lay dying. Her brother, beside himself lay cradling her head from where she had fallen on that stupid rock. It was a simple push, he hadn’t meant it. Now he prayed to any god that might listen, to save his sister’s life. Her breathing was becoming shallower, and he was too afraid to run and get help. He couldn’t leave her. Not like this. Not here.
There came a strange noise, two footsteps, one after the other. They shook the ground and his stomach sank. Troll. There was a troll behind him. He couldn’t let it take Ifti! He placed his sister’s head down gently, and then spun around, fists primed to go.
It wasn’t a troll he saw, but an equally terrifying thing. So tall, and it hurt his eyes to look at. He shielded his face, falling backwards next to his sister with a scream as it came closer. He shielded Ifti with his body, but a blow never came, and he was never taken, but the giant seemed to stop, and he felt a warmth flow around him, before it walked off, footsteps becoming distant.
When he at last felt safe, he opened his eyes and saw Ifti staring up at him with a grin.
“Ifti! Y-You’re okay!” he cried out, his eyes watering.
“Ya! Course I am! Now get of’ me, you witch’s wart!”
The boy recoiled slightly, a grin of his own erupted across his face. He got off her, and helped her up, wiping his tears away.
“Come on Ifti! I’ll race you home!” he exclaimed. Ifti wasted no time in bolting off, but the boy paused, looking back to see where the giant had gone, but it was nowhere to be seen.
Oraelia and Genesis go back to her realm, where she creates a home and asks Genesis to live with her. The little girl accepts and then she tells Genny to go find some flowers. Oraelia then thinks about everything going on, and then opens herself up to prayers. She gets hella overwhelmed with what’s going on in the world, and it takes Genesis’ touch to coax her out of it. They have a moment and then Oraelia comes up with an avatar idea. She then tells Genesis to make one and she does. Exodus the avatar is born and then she leaves to Galbar after a talk. Oraelia then creates her own avatar, names Solus and sends her son to Galbar as well.
Oraelia 5MP/5DP Free- Avatar creation Free- First teleport
-1DP Heal a peasant girl (5/5 of Healing) -3MP Claim the Healing Portfolio
2MP/4DP Remaining.
Genesis 5MP/5DP Free- Avatar Creation Free- First Teleport
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Fetzen
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