Onyx got to Fellagang's place of power in just a few minutes. She was somewhat glad that there was no one there still, even though it wouldn't have been a problem if there were. She entered the shrine, an old ruin that was visibly in much better condition than any of the other structures in the nest that had been left behind by the ones before her people. The building itself was made of metal, rather than the stone that made the other buildings around the nest. Inside the domed roof, the singular room was enormous. There was a circular dip in the center, around which was a raised balcony that held the many offerings and mixtures of past rituals that had been held there.
Onyx walked in and paused at the stairs from the balcony to the lowered section of the room, checking again for people. She still saw no one, although now the thought made her uneasy. She forced the feeling away and bowed to the center of the room, speaking to the night air. "Spirits of Olias, I ask that you guard and witness my ritual tonight." Standing tall again, Onyx walked the circumference of the room and tried to remember how to start the ritual.
"Forgive my mistakes, and guide my actions." Onyx mumbled under her breath before she got back to the top of the steps down to the inner circle. Letting out her breath and forcing her mind to go blank, she stepped down and into the center of the inner circle and sat down. Taking the items she needed from her med-pack where she had put them to carry, she placed them in front of herself and began to arrange them in the way she remembered seeing others do when they had done a solo ritual.
Onyx had a small wooden bowl, the honey statue and dried Creosote she had gotten at the market earlier, along with a few other herbs and some flint to use to help start a small fire. She also pulled out one of her knives and placed it beside the flint. "That's everything, now to wait for moon-high." Onyx glanced at the sky through the large hole in the ceiling that allowed the moonlight in to illuminate the room, and would perfectly frame the moon overhead when it was time for her to start.
While she waited, Onyx prepared a little more. She thought about what she would say, and what she hoped she would hear in response, while she prepared the herbs in the bowl and the Creosote braid she cut in half, mixing one half of it with the herbs in the bowl and saving the rest to hold as it burned while she did her ritual. When moon-high finally came, she was ready.
First Onyx lit the herbs in the bowl by striking the flint against her knife, causing sparks that caught the dried leaves easily, and then lit the end of the remaining half of the Creosote braid off of the small flame that was in the bowl. Once the flame on both Items had died, Onyx put away her knife and the flint, and placed the honey statue in the bowl on top of the now-smoking herbs there.
Inhaling the sweet-scented mixture deeply, Onyx closed her eyes and began to speak. "Lord Fellagang, I seek your guidance. Please, answer me here, at the root of your power and link to our tribe, where I know spirits of Olias have gathered to bear witness to your answer." Onyx paused for a second as a small chill went through the air. "I recognize you, as I always have, the patron of Soul. I also recognize and accept that you have blessed me with a stronger heart than most, though I wish to ask what you wish for my path."
As Onyx spoke, she could feel the air grow colder. She listened for a moment, and when she heard nothing she went on. "Speaking with the outsider Tarentek helped me to remember a story that my mother, a diplomat blessed by you, once told me about the times of the beginning of our people, when we were just learning the best ways to decide the role of a member of the tribe, and when the roles of diplomats, traders, and prophets came into being. Back then, we as a people mostly ignored Heillias as the patron of heart because of our perception of the usefulness of the gifts of our heart. He was losing his battle with you, as we looked more to you and to the gifts of our souls, so he took our souls from us."
"Without the strengths of the soul, our leaders and warriors were unable to make decisions for the tribes and in battle, and many lives were lost due to this sudden weakness. As our people began to slowly die out, leaders that were blessed by you with a strong heart began to try and reach out to the other tribes, to negotiate an end to fighting through any means necessary, while others found a way to strengthen the tribes through trade between them. As Heillias had planned, the loss of soul had made us turn from you and realize the potential of the gifts of the heart. We continued in these new practices, staying strong but unable to get stronger, until the first Prophet began to travel between the tribes and explain the reasons for our troubles."
"Many still disagree about who that Prophet served, be it you, Heillias, or the spirits of Olias. What is known is that with the message the Prophet gave, we learned of the battle between you and Heillias and of the fact that the one who actually strengthens our soul is Heillias, while you gave us strong enough hearts to be able to survive the absence of our soul. Thank you for that, even though once we learned that we began to look more to Heillias than to you."
"In those times, we were nearly destroyed because we were too dependent on the strength of our soul, and with the threat of this new empire, we may be near destruction once again because of our soul. Those with strong souls, our leaders and sentries, have kept us closed off from the outsiders in a way that meant that we would become as we are now. Still fighting among ourselves as tribes and with the other races around us, and leaving us nearly helpless against such a large unified force as this empire."
"One outsider in particular has helped me to realize this, and he also said something else, about my strength of heart being a sign of the changing of the world and the new coming necessity for people who have a strong heart. Fellagang, I know my place is as one of these roles, but which one? My mother became a diplomat, could I be destined for the same path? Or am I to become a trader like Jai'san and Haku'gil?" Onyx went silent as she finally noticed the heat in her hands and opened her eyes.
The Creosote braid that she had been holding had burned down into her hand, also burning her. At first glance, Onyx could tell that the burn wasn't severe, it would heal by morning if she put some salve on it before she went to bed. The next thing she noticed was that she was no longer alone. Standing in front of her was an Elissic with pure black fur and wings, and unnaturally blue eyes. Before Onyx could say anything he knelt down beside her and took her burned hand, tracing the burn with his fingers. As he did so, the burn healed completely, her soft fur regrowing over it pure white.
"I am a spirit of Olias, and I have been watching you. In life I was a Prophet of Fellagang himself, now I am here to tell you that you will be too." He looked her in the eyes as he said this and then showed her his own hand, with the same white burn mark she now had. He smiled at her and stood back up, helping her to her feet as well. "Now, Onyx bright, speak this at your coming of age ritual. 'Thine eye that shines as white snow, Blessed me my wings of golden heart.' It is your personal Caantam and will show that you truly do know your path."
Onyx had so many things she wished to ask, but she could feel herself falling asleep where she stood. "Not falling, rising. You will find that none of this happened, and your words left unspoken bring you to the new day." She heard the echo of his words in the room, and opened her eyes to the lightness of the predawn sky showing through the large hole in the ceiling. She sat up and looked around, finding everything was as she had prepared it before she had lit the herbs, and also finding that the honey statue was missing entirely, though the sweet scent of it clung to her as if she had bathed in it.
She silently and quickly gathered up everything, and left the bowl of herbs and the unlit Creosote braid on the outer balcony by the entrance before she left. She did not think as she flew back to her den, and she did not remember to do any cleaning or check on Tarentek before she went to her bed and lay, trying to fall asleep while the Caantam the dark Elissic had told her ran through her mind over and over.
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