If her assessment of the mortals was correct, they would likely ask for a break soon — something neither she nor her disciple needed. They had travelled for a little while already; the sun that had stood high in the sky before now slowly dipped past the horizon.
Their pace was already slow, and the idea of stopping for a break was not one she looked forward to, but there was something else that bothered the All-Mother. Caethya had for some time now taken on a thoughtful expression, and had been stealing glances at her and intermittently shaking her head.
Aperio finally turned to face Caethya, curiosity getting the better of her. A touch of her magic ensured the mortals would not be privy to their conversation, and it was not until she was satisfied with the level of privacy that she asked, “Is something wrong? You seem… distracted.“
“I guess?” Caethya responded after a moment of continued silence. “I just have trouble understanding, well, you.” She took a breath of the cold air, holding it for a moment before letting it go. “You remember more of your mortal life than that of the All-Mother, no?”
After Aperio gave a hesitant nod, Caethya pressed on. "I do not know how you appeared back then, but I can only presume that you have some semblance to your former self. Why do you cling to the form that was subject to so much pain? You could be anyone, or anything. You are the All-Mother!" After a moment, she added, "It's not that I want you to change, but you cannot deny the fact that staying as you are will continue to draw attention."
The All-Mother considered her disciple’s words for a moment, idly looking at herself through her aura. “Because it is my choice,“ she replied after a while. “For the first time, I enjoy how I look; who I am. What they had tried so hard to destroy is now better than ever and beyond their reach. It might be vain of me to cling to physicality as I do, but it helps.
“I agree that it is perhaps a bit much,“ Aperio continued, balling her hand into a fist and observing how the muscles shifted beneath her skin, “but this is who I am.“ Who I want to be.
Perhaps it was a bit irrational to not want to change any aspect of how she looked, but at the moment it was a burden she was willing to bear. Perhaps just creating an illusion would be enough?
“A few small things, then,” Caethya said. “Like a few wrinkles in your hands, or perhaps make your face not as perfectly symmetrical. And maybe a bit more warmth for strangers. I know you do not trust them, but you have to open up a little.” She took Aperio’s hand into her own before she continued, uncaring that the mortals would see. “And you can always rely on me.”
“For tips on how to look worse?“ Aperio asked, in an attempt to lighten the mood.
Despite understanding the need to change her appearance, Aperio found herself unwilling. Merely hiding her wings gnawed on her mind — already caused a small amount of pain — and the prospect of further changing her appearance was appalling. Anything less than perfection was not desirable — even if the mortals found it weird or distracting.
A part of her was vehemently against the mere suggestion of further altering her form. It felt akin to bowing her head in shame, accepting that her former masters did not like who she had become. It was, of course, just an unpleasant reflection of the past, as nobody could force her to do anything she did not want, but it unfortunately did not stop her mind from supplying such unpleasant suggestions.
“Advice on how to fit in,” Caethya said, a small smile briefly flashing over her face before she turned serious again. “I doubt it is the reason for your unwillingness, but I will say it anyway. To me, it does not matter how you choose to look; I like you for who you are.”
The words of her disciple filled her with a surprising but not unwelcome warmth, one that made her want to wrap the Elf in a hug. That was not an option at the moment, but a touch of her magic dancing around Caethya was an excellent substitute.
“I have never before been able to choose,“ Aperio said after a while, a small, bitter laugh preceding her next words. “Before, I was weak, my body mutilated. Changed to fit the desires of my masters. Not anymore.“
The All-Mother sighed after a moment, a small breeze brushing past them in reply to the accidental loosening of her iron grip on her aura. “But, I guess changing might be the only way to comfortably mingle with the mortals. Some compromises will have to be made.“
Caethya gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, a calming touch of her disciple’s magic brushing against the edges of her mind. At the moment, however, the minuscule nature of her magic only underlined the issue.
An unneeded wave of her free hand dissolved the magic that had blocked sound from reaching the mortals. There was nothing more to discuss that the mortals were not supposed to hear. In fact, Aperio had a few questions of her own about the city she could sense not too distant from them.
It housed the dungeon she had come to destroy, and scattered in its proximity were numerous people who were only slightly weaker than Caethya. Definitely not something normal for a mortal city. Or is Ebenlowe just weak?
With a slight shake of her head, she pushed the thought from her mind. “Does the Adventurers Guild control the dungeon here?“ she asked instead, focusing her senses on the mortals behind her.
“No,” Jikoh replied. “His majesty controls it. I had thought such knowledge would make it past our little continent.”
“Fel’Erreyth would never let those filthy adventurers control his dungeon,” Tiko spat. “He controls it and, one day, will become one with it.”
The words gave Aperio pause. Become one with the dungeon? The mere idea caused a shudder to run down her spine. She did not want to believe that someone would voluntarily do such a thing as absorbing so much pure mana, let alone having the audacity to steal her memories. But they don’t know…
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“I hope for his sake that he has not done that yet,“ Aperio said. “The dungeon has something that belongs to me. If he has already taken it… that would be problematic.“
“What would you do if he took them?” Caethya asked, tightening the grip on her hand slightly.
“I do not know,“ Aperio replied, a mental message telling her disciple that she would get her memories back one way or another.
“What do you intend to do when we reach Ullier?” Jikoh asked, hesitating for a moment before he added, “Lady Aperio.”
“Retrieve what has been stolen from me,“ she replied. “After that? Perhaps explore these lands a little. It would be interesting if I could find something worthy to fight.“ Though I doubt that exists. Maybe I can spar with Caethya when she ascends?
Aperio still would like a bout with her daughter, but she was not sure what their relationship was at the moment. Ferio continued to reply to her inquiries with nothing more than a simple "I'm busy," something that had led the All-Mother to briefly check if her daughter was actually okay. Luckily, she had not been able to find anything wrong. Physically, at least.
Caethya moved a little closer to her, the bond they shared likely making her sadness obvious to the Elf. Aperio had to note, however, that the bond was no longer as prevalent as it used to be. Good. The stronger her disciple became, the less the connection seemed to matter — the more she could trust Caethya’s affection to be genuine.
On the other hand, the rather abrupt change in attitude Jikoh had displayed worried her. It had been too abrupt, as if her dislike for his wariness had taken that from him. There was of course the possibility that he was merely curious, but Aperio had her doubts. She already knew that her will — her emotions — influenced the world and the people. Just like they do to me.
“You make it sound like whoever stole from you is hiding in the dungeon,” Jikoh began. “But only Fel’Erreyth and his court live in the Valley of Everlasting Fire; the lower floors of the dungeon.”
"That is because the dungeon is exactly where it is," Caethya replied. A touch of her magic brushed against the All-Mother's cheek — she had clearly taken note of Aperio's irritated expression — and she all but mumbled her next words. "I hope Fel'Erreyth is not too attached to the dungeon..."
The brief quiet that had settled over the group was broken by a snorting laugh coming from Tiko. “Do you think the dungeon stole from you? Those things don’t even think. They are mindless monsters that can only be tamed by the truly strong.”
Aperio only shook her head in reply. It made sense that the mortals did not know, of course, but she knew that the dungeons were very much things that could think. It was a truth that worried her even more about Fel'Erreyth's potential bond with the dungeon. The idea that he would get her memories, would see her life...
She let out a breath despite the lack of air in her lungs, the clouds that had started to gather far above them stopping their race to darken the skies. Why is my influence on the world so much more pronounced here? There was nothing special about Procul; nothing she could feel at least. Perhaps it is the dungeon?
“The weather is odd today,” Ilo said quietly, taking Aperio from her thoughts. It was the first time he had spoken since Aperio met the group. “Perhaps his majesty is angry?”
“Of course he is angry!” Tiko rebutted. “You tried to steal from one of his messengers!”
“I doubt that was him,” Caethya said, her eyes fixed on Aperio as she removed her hand from the All-Mother’s, resting it against the small of her back instead. The movement was accompanied by a warming touch of her magic flowing through Aperio’s body.
The mana of her disciple should have been barely noticeable in the flood that coursed through her body, but it still managed to bring a warmth to her being that she had not expected. One she was not certain came entirely from Caethya’s mana.
“Is your… master doing that?” one of the leather-clad Dragonkin asked. He also mumbled something about the master and disciple thing being a lie, but Aperio ignored that comment. Disciple was just one of the many things Caethya was, and definitely not all she could become.
“Yes,“ Aperio replied after a while, her eyes fixed on the distant gates of the city. “Something here is… resonating with my magic.“ Does the mana the dungeon stole know I have come?
It was not unthinkable. Her mana — just like anything she had created — reacted to her emotions; her thoughts. There had been a few occasions before when her mana had been seemingly happy to get used, almost as if it was eager to shape reality to her will. But mana doesn’t think.
Jikoh scratched the back of his head, the claws of his hand scraping over the scales that covered most of his form. “What was stolen, anyway?”
“Upsetting an Elder seems like a stupid idea,” Ilo mumbled, his eyes flicking between Aperio and the slowly dispersing clouds. “Like a walking calamity,” he added, even quieter than before.
“What has been stolen is none of your concern,“ Aperio replied, letting her senses wander through the busy streets of the city ahead. She had no intention of telling them about her lost memories, and neither did she want to make something up. “That something has been taken is enough.“
The reply silenced the mortals for a moment, the group exchanging a few glances before the quiet seemingly became unbearing and the other leather-clad figures spoke. “Do Elves usually share such an… intimate bond with their students?”
Caethya raised a brow at the question, not stopping the gentle movement of her hand against Aperio’s back. “Do you not comfort your friends?”
“Comfort?” Jikoh asked, not quite sure what to make of the words.
“Calm would be a better word,“ Aperio replied, a slight smile forming at the absence of the feeling of wrongness she had half expected to return. “I usually do not leave my home,“ she continued, taking extra care not to mention anything that would contradict her cover as an Elder. “Dealing with people who do not know how to conduct themselves is not one of my strong suits.“
It had been obvious that her comment had been directed at Tiko, the woman falling slightly behind as she stole a few glances at the sky above. The other mortals also fell behind, muttering various things that included what sounded like assorted prayers to various deities.
Aperio did not mind. Her attempt to appear like a mortal had already been foiled by her own actions, and as soon as she had reached the city it would have been moot anyway. Mortals don’t destroy dungeons, after all.
Still, her test had been helpful. She now knew what she had to do the next time she went to mingle with the mortals. I just hope a few small changes are enough… With a slight shake of her head, Aperio pushed the thoughts from her mind, focusing on the city that drew ever closer. Soon.