Yuriko took a swallow of water from her condenser canister, frowning as she noted how little it refilled. Barely a notch, a single mouthful. Her throat felt parched and the air was particularly dry.

“We need supplies,” she muttered to Tiernan who nodded his head like a bird.

“Yes. Water, too,” Tiernan patted his own condenser canteen which was slotted into his belt.

She glanced back the way they came and she could see all the way to the wall, and the gate. The main road was completely straight. It sloped upwards, too, up the side of the mountain’s gentle slope. It was odd, the way her vision was restricted. From the foot, she should have been able to see the rest of the town clearly since the wall was at the lowest elevation. Yet, except for the wooden pillar, everything else was blurry.

When she looked back now, all the details that had been hidden appeared clearly. She could see the roads. They radiated from the Temple at the base of the root and led directly to the wall. At even intervals, they were intersected by roads that circled around the centre, reaching the rest of the town. At every main intersection, there were small squares that were natural gathering spots for people. She could see the houses were oriented towards the gathering squares, too.

The roofs were flat, just like those back home. An aide to ranged warfare geared towards protecting the town. Towards the sides, Euphoria was protected by the rock faces and cliffs. She could see dense tangles of wood, offshoots of the gigantic pillar. From what she could see, they were thick enough to look like a proper forest, if they actually had leaves. Which meant trying to attack or enter the town through the sides was an exercise in hard work, and probably futility.

Yuriko wanted to rub her eyes. She had seen nothing while they approached the town. All she saw had been the grey stone of the walls and the grey slope of the mountain. Worry wormed its way into her belly, making it flutter with butterflies. Added to the fact how Damien’s voice had been squelched like a bug and she felt all the tension that disappeared when she finally had a bite to eat, returning with a vengeance.

“I…I don’t think this is a Waypoint,” Yuriko finally said.

“You’re right,” Tiernan muttered. “Nobody builds a settlement in a Waypoint, or if they did, they don’t stay as a Waypoint. They can become planes in their own right.”

“Eh, really?” Yuriko exclaimed.

“Uh, yes.” He eyed her strangely. “Aren’t you from Sharo…oh, uh, sorry.”

Yuriko sighed as she pointed at the Temple. “Let’s go in.”

Tong! Tong!

The deep sound of a large bell rolled from the Temple, seemingly coming from the bare walls. Yuriko and Tiernan jumped in surprise, but it didn’t seem to be an alarm. Instead, they saw the grey robed populace start to walk towards the Temple square. Those already here proceeded up the steps to the double doors, still made of grey stone, but ornately engraved with vines and leaves. They swung open, revealing a dimly lit hallway with long benches.

Before they knew it, the press of the sudden crowd swept Yuriko and Tiernan inside. She could have held still of course, and she was sure that the crowd would have as much effect on her as a boulder withstanding crashing waves. But she didn’t want to stand out too much. Besides, she was also curious.

When they entered, the crowd funneled them towards the front rows, though thankfully, not at the very front. Yuriko and Tiernan sat near the aisle, on a stone bench that felt hard enough to bruise, judging by how the cadet officer winced.

The chamber was filled with the muted buzz of whispered conversation. The place absorbed some sounds but reflected others, leaving the words distorted and mostly unintelligible. Everyone still had their hoods down, their heads uncovered. Their faces were solemn but there was no lack of happy faces. It was an odd bit of normalcy that Yuriko didn’t expect.

The last time she’d been in a gathering like this was during the Harvest Moon back home, when Alderman Rivos had spoken of duty to the new young adults. Well, she also recalled the Academy’s welcome speech but that had been quite dull.

A middle aged man sat next to Tiernan, who nodded in greeting with an expectant and warm smile. The woman next to him did the same but her eyes lingered on Yuriko’s face.

“It must be your first time attending the Blessing,” she said.

“Indeed. We are travellers and we came upon Euphoril just this afternoon,” Yuriko answered politely.

“Ah, I was right.” The woman’s laugh was a pleasant tinkle. “I was once like you when I came to Euphoril and the Pure Lands. A wanderer, blown by the Chaos winds. Here, I found peace. We all did.” Her smile was bright, blinding. “You will find peace here, too, from whatever troubles you. You’ll see.”

Tiernan nodded at her words and smiled in acceptance but they left an odd twinge in Yuriko’s Anima. For a moment anyway, before calm resolution filled her mind. She felt her Anima ripple and flare, but it didn’t expand past her skin. A quick envisioning within showed nothing strange, so she shrugged and left it at that. When she opened her eyes, people had gathered at the raised stage at the front.

The bottom of the stage was at about eye level to Yuriko, so she and the others in her row had to look up to see. There were seven people, all in grey robes similar to what she and the rest of the people wore, who climbed up using the stairs at the side. She wasn’t sure who the Celebrant was, actually, since none of them stepped forward. Instead, they gathered in a line and faced the congregation, then started singing a haunting, but wordless, song.

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A moment later, everyone started to do it.

She felt a pull, a desire to sing with them, but she brushed it aside. Tiernan was singing, even though his eyes were swimming in confusion. She grabbed his arm, unsure of what to do, but the seven above turned their gazes to her, and she felt the compulsion. She opened her mouth, but no music came from her throat. She mimicked the movement of their lips, but that was it. All the while, her fingers tightened on Tiernan’s arm.

In a few minutes, the back of the stage opened, revealing the mountain behind it and the giant root.

Here, she could see details she missed before. The bark had been cut in some places, revealing paler wood underneath, which glistened with whitish liquid. She could see small patches spread across the root, signs of digging and harvesting.

All of a sudden, her tummy felt warm, and she could feel a searing current spread from her middle to the rest of her. But something even warmer, Radiant, empowered her body and Anima to fight the invading warmth off. She barely noticed it.

The square patches of the root emitted a rainbow light that filled the chamber, and this one she couldn’t fight.

Her surroundings faded away, and the song erupted from her lips even as her fear, and sudden despair was replaced by…peace.

_______

Who are you?

I…who am I?

Traveller.

Warrior.

Fighter.

Blood stains the hand that wields the blade. No matter how long the handle, no matter the cover, blood stains the hand.

No.

Yes.

Who are you?

Peace.

I give you Peace.

You don’t have to fight.

You don’t have to suffer.

Take rest.

Heal.

Sleep.

Eat.

Sing.

Sadness.

Anger.

Pain.

Loneliness.

You don’t have to.

You need not suffer.

Sing.

Yes.

_______

Tsk. Still too green.

The dreamscape. Where reality and illusion intertwined, and where one slipped into the other as a wave creasing on the shore. The sand and the water mixed, making it difficult to tell where one ended and one began. More often than not, they were mixed so well that it was impossible to withdraw sand from the churning surf, or scoop water absent of sediment. One would have to wait until the surf settled, but that was utterly impossible. The tides don’t cease, just as life moves and breathes, never staying still.

Damien sat cross-legged in the dreamscape, but so did Yuriko. Their images overlapped, and the girl was often the one in ascendance.

Until something else attempted to take over, something that sought to warp and change. The Anima was the seat of consciousness, and the dreamscape was the way one accessed the Anima of the world. Unless one had strength or skill, one cannot walk the dreamscape.

But of course, Elanna’s gambit…

Damien shuddered as the thought caused both his and Yuriko’s image to waver as though a candle flame struggling against the wind.

It took several minutes to stabilise, and in the process, the force that had been attempting to invade them through the dreamscape, and hence, their Anima, managed to worm its way deeper.

Fool.

Damien’s lips curled, though at the moment, he wasn’t sure if he was referring to himself, Yuriko, or the invading force.

You want to enter, then go ahead.

His savage grin belied the precariousness of their position, but his confidence couldn’t be firmer. Radiant energy suffused Yuriko’s Anima, and at the very centre of it, at the centre of her core, a mote of Radiant Essence floated.

And that made all the difference.

______

Yuriko blinked in confusion. The people sang, and Tiernan with them, but her mind had cleared. She briefly recalled something about feeling warm, then she nodded off for a moment. The jerk her head made when she almost fell over had woken her up. Which was a relief, since no matter how tough her body was now, hitting her nose on the back of a stone bench would have broken it.

The seven on the stage were no longer looking at her, and she had stopped mimicking the song. Instead, her mind turned with worries.

She didn’t feel any kind of hostility here but she knew quite well that she and Tiernan were in grave danger. She wanted to leave and return to looking for the Ebon Horizon. But Tiernan wouldn’t last long outside should they find themselves in a battle.

She nudged the young cadet officer, who frowned but didn’t stop singing.

Gritting her teeth, she considered just getting up and leaving, but they were at the front. Any unusual movement would focus all attention on them. Maybe this wouldn’t last too long.

Maybe she could envelop him with her Anima instead? It would be difficult to shape the flare up around his body rather than spreading out evenly.

She grabbed his arm and slowly flared her Anima, forcing it to expand through her hand. Her Anima resisted, wanting to spread out in all its glory or fold around her like a protective shroud. But for some reason, after that brief stubborn flare, it became incredibly easy to manipulate.

Her Anima slowly sheathed around the boy, and in the process, showed her his entire being.

“Oh, Ancestors!” she muttered, her face burning red. But she persisted. She wouldn’t leave him a thrall to whatever held these people.

The moment her Anima covered him, he frowned and stopped singing, confusing replacing the bliss that had covered his face.

“What?”

“Shh, keep singing. And wait,” Yuriko whispered.

Tiernan shivered but nodded obediently. His mouth opened to sing, and he hesitated. Neither of them knew the words of the song. He mimicked the movement and the sounds of those around them, but softly, so as not to betray their ignorance.

It took a couple of hours before the blessing ended and people streamed out of the building, carrying the two unwilling travellers with them. Yuriko kept her hand clasped around his arm, despite the knowing glances passersby gave them. She didn’t mind, but Tiernan’s face had turned scarlet.

Once they were far enough away from the Temple, Yuriko released him and withdrew her Anima. Tiernan stumbled, but he didn’t seem any worse for wear. He patted himself a couple of times and frowned at her and the Temple.

“What happened?”

“Something tried to influence you.”

He rolled his eyes then stared at her pointedly. “That’s pretty obvious.”

“Well, I stopped them.” Yuriko sighed. “I think we should just get out as soon as we can. Hang the supplies, I don’t think what they have here is worth risking our minds.”

Tiernan nodded slowly. “Yes, I suppose you’re right.”

Yuriko sighed with relief. At least he hadn’t been influenced. But he stared at her intently and from how his shoulders were rounded and his head tilted down, he was still deeply uncomfortable.

“Tell me what to do.”

“Let’s just go.”

“Yes, Mistr…Miss Davar.”

She glared down at him.

“Yes, Yuriko.”

She sniffed then marched away, Tiernan following behind her like a puppy.