The Haunting of the Rose – Chapter 7, Momento Mori
As he would later describe it, Brinor gasped; eyes that were clenched snapped open.
Gone was the Umbrean Pool, the Fragment of the Red Moon, and even the shadowy figure he had seen a moment before.
Now, he stood on a black sandy beach, the setting sun casting orange and pink highlights across a twilight sky, clouds slowly sailing across the heavens. Boulders were scattered here and there, half-sunk in the sand.
As his gaze came lower, he could see among the waves and the sand red shards, and a young kaetyma child desperately trying to pull those same shards free of the lapping tides. As Brinor watched, he tripped over his feet with a cry, tears running down his face as he stood again. The youngster continued trying to fight the ocean for ownership of further shards.
Brinor's heart sank; whatever was going on, that child needed help. He slowly approached, calling out. "Do you need help?
Far from comforting the child, the youngster whirled on Brinor and, looking him up and down, took a poor combat stance, legs prepared to leap or run. "N-no, stay away! You're going to kill me!
Brinor froze, eyebrow ridges raising sharply. He had no such plan; he didn't even have his weapons out. Instead of continuing to march forward, he curled his legs under as best he could, laying on the sand. "... Why do you say that, child?"
The kaetyma, crying even harder now, bared his teeth at Brinor. "I saw it in a vision! You came, I was bathed in light... and then I vanished and I couldn't feel anything anymore! I don't wanna be sent away!"
Brinor's eyes grew sad; this child, the Fragment if he had his guess, was afraid of a misunderstood vision. "I'm... sorry that what you saw scared you. I did not come with any intent to cause harm, but relieve it. I came to heal you."
The child's eyes shifted from outright anger to confusion, staring at him for a moment before also looking out to sea.
Brinor turned to look as well, noticing ghostly, translucent figures floating over the ocean. Members of every known race, creed, and society were gathered, watching Brinor and the Fragment.Insight 18+5 While he couldn't exactly determine who they were, he could at least tell what they were.
These gathered figures were souls, watching the interaction without malice; with his divine senses, he could even feel that they would help him, if asked.
Brinor sighed, looking to the child again. He mulled several ideas, several options to make sure that his goal here was successful before slowly raising his hands. "I'm going to show you that the light I carry is not meant to harm here, okay? I'm pulling out my weapon, so please watch..."
Souls and Fragment all watched as he drew his falchion, laying it across his other hand... before gritting his teeth and slicing into his palm. He let out a soft grunt, huffing softly and lowering his hand so the Fragment could see. Then, his other hand aglow with divine power, he brought his hands together, letting the Fragment see that his wound was being closed due to proximity to his hand.
"Please, let me heal you. I only want to help you take your pain away. This... can't be comfortable." With hands outstretched, Brinor looked around; several shards had washed away as they spoke, the Fragment squaring its shoulders as the tears still flowed. A silver leaf blew in on a nonexistant breeze, making Brinor look off into the distance.
Across the water, on a secluded island, stood a silver tree - the same one he'd seen in his dreams before. The Tree of Possibility had arrived; to what end, he wasn't sure.
"... Fine. It's not like I had a choice, really..." Brinor's head shifted forward again, watching as the Fragment slowly walked up to him, putting a hand on his own. A sudden roar rent the quiet, making Brinor pull the Fragment in close to protect him... only to realize it was his Patron, Ryukhan. The recently-birthed Dragon God.
"Ah. Don't worry; he is my patron, the receptacle of all worship of dragons." As he looked down to the child in front of him, he noticed the Fragment's other hand now rested in his as well. "And you always have a choice, even if sometimes the 'other choice' is so unpleasant or scary that it still doesn't feel like it.
As he gently held both of the smaller kaetyma's hands in his own comparatively bigger ones, Amare stepped out from behind a boulder, looking at Brinor. He opened his mouth, his words coming to Brinor as though whispered into his ear. "Sometimes, all it takes is a single act of kindness to heal the world."
Brinor spared only a moment's confusion, before shaking his head. He had a task to accomplish, and he would do that before pondering anything Amare had to say about it. He tried to recall what he knew about souls; when they left the body that had housed them, there was a brief moment of power, and some casters could tap into that to empower a spell. Religion Lore - 4+6 Now while he wasn't a typical caster himself, and he hadn't heard of anyone doing specifically what he was considering, he though he could be the first.
"O' gathered souls. If you desire to see this Fragment healed like I, please; grant me the power you hold, and let us see him relieved of his worry and strife!"
As he spoke, the world went white again...
This message was last edited by the player at 22:58, Fri 01 Sept 2023.