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All the lights in the castle seemed dim in comparison to the glow of the Grand Creator.
She glowed like a star, a bright halo and prismatic aura that exuded power like no other thing in the universe surrounding her. She was like the inverse of the abyss that Saho had glimpsed through the tear in reality: her, the culmination of everything in existence– and the void, the complete and total lack of any and all things.
Saho’s decision to banish the orc there was brought upon in a moment of stress, and he truly believed that there was no other option available at the time.
As he knelt before her, he hoped his patron would agree.
“Rise, Saho. What has occurred in my absence?” Her voice was melodious and mesmerizing, like a thousand musical instruments playing in harmony.
“Please forgive me, 𓋾𓏘𓏛 𓊹𓏏𓂋𓏏 𓁛𓇳, I could not think of another way!” He cried. She would surely punish him for what he had done. Perhaps she would subject him to the same fate that he had given to the orc, or maybe–
He felt her hand touch softly upon his shoulder, her presence overwhelming but calming at the same time.
“Calm yourself Saho. And when you are ready, explain.”
He took several deep breaths before he spoke. And the more he talked, the easier it became.
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“It was not your fault Saho. From what you have told me, there were few other choices, and with the pressure placed upon you, you chose the best path that you could think of.”
Saho all but collapsed at his patron’s words. He let exhaustion finally grip him, sagging like a puppet without strings. All he could say was a mumbled thanks as the weight of a thousand worries fell from his shoulders.
Akira gave him a kind smile. “Take a rest Saho. Sleep for a while, and let yourself relax.” He bowed as much as he could, and teleported away, to his private room. He did not spend much time undressing, and quickly dragged himself into his bed.
He was asleep before his eyes closed completely.
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The rabbit gave Kaede another foul look. She had never gotten so many in such a short period of time.
Usually it would only be one or two whenever she would enter a town, or a handful when someone would see her in the woods with Conan. She doubted the rabbit's hateful gaze had anything to do with her being a dark-elf, and more than likely was motivated by a general hatred for anything and everything, but still it was unusual.
“Do you hate me for being a dark-elf?” might as well ask it, she supposed.
It stopped trying to chew through the bars of the cage to give her another scathing glare, one that gave her the sense that she had offended it, before returning to its fruitless attempt to escape (and possibly kill her and Conan as a bonus).
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Kaede just sighed. It still didn’t have any thoughts she could read, though it clearly understood what she was saying, so it had to have something going on in its head. “I won’t be bothering you for much longer, you know. Once we reach the northern plains I’ll release you.” At the word ‘release’ the rabbit perked up, and almost seemed to consider something.
Kaede continued. “The only reason I’m carrying you is because you don’t belong in the eastern forests. The northern plains are much better suited for you.”
The rabbit shook its head, and went back to chewing at the bars, albeit slightly slower. Kaede sighed, and dropped another leaf into the cage.
The journey from the eastern forests to the northern plains was a relatively long one, and fraught with danger. Large portions of it passed through rocky valleys where golems and bandits lurked, and taking a wrong turn could easily land a traveller in the territory of a fenrir pack, or wetlands infested with cancer the size of houses.
Kaede would also have to worry about packs of wild goblins, orc hunting parties, and skaven raiders, although there was a chance they would leave her be upon noticing the dark tone of her elven skin.
The sad truth was, despite her following of the Grand creator, even going so far as to sacrifice supplies that she needed to survive in worship, she would often find more comradery among those who opposed her because of said worship than those who shared it with her.
Certainly she was not as devout as a cleric or paladin, who spend enormous portions of their lives studying, worshiping, and training in the church, even going so far as to sometimes sacrifice parts of their body to the Grand creator, but she was still faithful.
Worship of the Grand creator was unique for elves. They would gather in churches, make their sacrifices, and pray, all in complete silence. To make any noise was a great disrespect, and would often result in exile, if not death or enslavement.
There were some differences across the different cultures of course. Dwarves would pray out loud, in shameless chants that shook the mountains they lived in. Humans would gather around their churches to sacrifice, and pray in small groups. Beastkin, when they were independent, worshiped in almost complete private. Exact details of the prayer process were different for each individual, and sharing them was an act of utmost love and trust.
She did not have a church out in the wild, so she would construct shrines from rocks, wood, leaves, flowers, and just about anything else she could find, including bones.
Though she never remained in towns for long, sometimes she would worship there, although it was rare. She preferred the wild, where no one would bother her, and where she could pray to the Grand Creator as she was taught to do. And in the wild, if she was about to be interrupted for whatever reason, Conan was there to deal with it. Bringing carriage-sized wolves into towns wasn’t a great idea, but out in the wild no one was there to scream about it.
Kaede was torn from her thoughts by Conan sniffing the air.
In the cage, the rabbit perked up.
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Saho awoke slowly. He reached awareness after a short time, but did not rise immediately.
His dreams had been strange. Usually he would dream of the adventures he had with his friends, or of his family, but this one had been different. It had been strange, with people he didn’t recognize, in a place he wasn’t familiar with.
He hadn’t quite been able to make out what they were saying. He wasn’t even sure if they were speaking in a language he knew. It sounded like he was underwater, and they were several meters away. He couldn’t even make out what they looked like. They were blurry, hard to focus on. He knew he didn’t know them, but other than that they were a complete mystery.
He knew he had witnessed something important, but he wasn’t sure what.
A knock on the door of his chamber alerted him. He rose, dressed, and opened the door.
It was an angel. Smaller than others he had seen, and glowing softly.
“Hero,” it began. “The Grand creator has summoned you.”
Saho wrinkled his brow. That didn’t sound good. “Do you know why?”
The angel looked away, in the same way a child might when thinking. “It might have something to do with the letter.”
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