I had been told to remain completely still as the hooded figures, or Hands, took various measurements of my body.

One them used a razor and shaved my hair and eyebrows and to be honest, something about that felt liberating.

I wouldn’t have to comb out countless knots and stuff for a long time.

We were still in the chamber where I awoke and I hadn’t eaten in quite some time.

“Sit up, please.” Lham instructed.

I did as he said before one of the Hands handed me what looked like an old knee length dress.

I accepted and slipped into the dress while Lham walked towards the chamber’s entrance.

“Come.” He said as the other Hands move away from me, allowing me the space to walk towards Lham, who opened the door before leading me out of the chamber.

We found ourselves in a long, dark hallway which was lined with several doors.

Lham led me down the hall and we eventually arrived at a large open chamber with a large platform at its center.

Sitting around the platform were several Hands who had their hands clasped together.

It looked like they were praying, but there was nothing on the platform. Only a pillar of light that came from somewhere high above.

The chamber itself was made from dark, smooth stone and the floor was covered in a dark brown mat.

“Welcome to Mount Nuru. Home of the Hands of the Sun. This place will be your home for the next few days.” Lham said while leading me towards a certain duo of knights who stood next to what appeared to be the exit.

“Thank you for bringing her here. She seems like the perfect ball of clay. Primed and ready for sculpting.”

“I am simply glad I could help.” The knight said before turning to face me.

“Oh, I do not believe I got the chance to introduce myself. My name is Kaeligo, member of the Black Scribes.”

“N-nice to meet you.” I said with a deep bow and like before, I felt drowsy around him.

“Anyway, allow us to accompany you out.” Lham said.

Kaeligo nodded before he and his comrade joined me following Lham out of the chamber.

I gasped upon seeing that the home of the Hands sat in the middle of a mountain.

We found ourselves on a platform that overlooked a great forest that went on for as long as I could see.

Sitting at the center of the platform was a strange elevated, but much smaller platform beside which sat two Hands, who had their eyes closed and their hands pressed together.

Their bodies bathed in the light of the afternoon sun and even though it was quite hot, they were in their dark robes.

Kaeligo and his comrade stood on the smaller platform.

“Say… where is your captain?”

“Hehe, calm down, Brother Lham. She is back home and no, I will not ask her to visit.” Kaeligo said with a gentle smile only for Lham to loudly let out fake coughs.

“A-alright, then. Off you go. Back home I assume?” Lham asked.

“Yes.”

“Alright. Off to Araemis.“ Lham said and almost instantly after, Kaeligo and his comrade disappeared.

I tried my best to hide my shock, but I must’ve done a terrible job because Lham giggled at my reaction.

“Are you aware of how magic works?” Lham asked while leading me toward the edge of the platform allowing me a better view of the forest and the mountains beyond.

“No.” I said dryly. I hadn’t had a drop of water for hours and the pain in my stomach intensified with every passing second.

Lham raised his hand and squeezed in tightly.

“Unfortunately, I cannot use magic or bend the aspects to my will, but I will teach you everything you need to know in the coming days.” Lham said as two hands approached.

Lham then removed his robe, revealing that his rather sturdy torso.

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Lham looked like he was about fifty years old and yet most of his muscles were clearly defined. A fact aided by his smooth, tanned skin.

I also noticed faint golden lines on his skin as he stretched.

Left with only a pair of loose fitting brown pants, Lham led me to the smaller platform.

“For you to personally train a newcomer… I am the slightest bit envious.”

One of the Hands said, but Lham dismissively waved his hand.

“What else was I going to do? Sit by and watch while you all botch the sacred rites?” Lham retorted only for his fellow Hands to chuckle.

“Take us to the bottom.” Lham said and almost instantly after, I felt the air around me shift.

I blinked once and saw that Lham and I now stood in the middle of a thick forest.

Lham walked up to a spot in front of me before raising his index finger.

“Zuri. You claim you want to join our order and tend to the prince and his choir. I will now see if you are worthy by allowing you to experience the Five Rites of the Hands. Your objective will be to return to the temple in exactly five days. Sounds simple enough, no?”

I nervously nodded as my heart powerfully thumped.

“I, on the other hand, will watch you closely while using my time in this forest to reflect on myself and reaffirm my beliefs.” Lham said as he walked into the forest deep.

“Which direction is the mountain?” I asked only for Lham to chuckle.

“That is for you to figure out.” He said before disappearing into the green.

I tightly clasped my hands together while standing on trembling legs.

I looked around and saw that I was surrounded by tall dark trees and to make things worse, the forest floor was covered with tall bushes that made it hard to see too far.

I’d need to head back the mountain…

Mountains were really high places, so I started walking with the hopes that I would be able to tell that the terrain was getting steeper

.

..

I fell to my knees upon finding a stream of water.

I hurriedly drank the clear liquid wile cautiously eying my surroundings.

I wasn’t sure, but it sounded like something was following me.

The trees and leaves all moved so erratically that it was hard to tell what was going on.

A strong wind had also blown in and my barely covered self quickly grew cold.

I messily drank the water while biting my teeth.

I had hurt my feet and fell over several times meaning my legs were covered in scars.

I dipped them into the cool water before sitting by the riverbank for a bit.

I was tired.

Very tired.

But this was all for Adia.

This pain would be worth it if I could see him smile again.

“Would it really?” I muttered aloud.

I knew the answer was yes, but the past few weeks had been nothing but pain for me.

Was it so wrong to wonder when it would all end?

Was it so wrong of me to wonder if fulfilling this role wasn’t worth it?

I looked at my reflection and gazed into two bland brown eyes and a face that I honestly didn’t think was that special.

I looked up at the blazing sun and smiled as it’s heat gently Bathed my cold body.

Was this the touch of Summus?

Adia had received his powers from some higher place and it wouldn’t be so strange if Summus was responsible.

I wanted to thank him for giving the boy something to hold on to while we toiled away in this world.

“T-thank you.” I whispered.

It made sense.

It was he who brought us into this world and it was he who gave Adia his powers.

I was sent here along side Adia to get him to the Hand’s and by extension, the Golden Prince.

My duty had been fulfilled, but what remained.

What use was I when all was said and done?

I thought back to my time on earth.

From early on, I realized that I had no purpose or will of my own. I simply reacted to my circumstances accordingly.

If I became a Hand of the Sun, I wouldn’t have to live like that anymore right?

I could become a vessel for a higher will. That which blessed Adia with so much.

“Yes!”

I looked down into my reflection and saw a person with the potential to do things. To change things for herself and those around her.

My only question was whether there was any room for my ambitions in Summus’s Will?

I stumbled onto my feet, but just as my vision adjusted, I saw that some clouds were rolling in and I could hear the distant sounds of thunder.

I needed to find somewhere to take cover from the rain and so I followed the riverbank in the hopes that I would either catch a glimpse of Mount Nuru or a place to rest.

.

..

A few hours had passed and it was raining heavily.

My eyes trembled as a wild dog circled me while loudly barking and snarling.

I stood by the streams edge as it got ever closer.

The beast lashed out to bite me, but I quickly dove into the stream.

I quickly swam to the other side and watched in horror as the dog swam after me.

I quickly emerged on the other side and ran into the forest deep, but my shoeless feet were impaled by countless sharp things that I couldn’t see in the darkness of the evening.

I fell and painfully groaned while desperately trying to get back onto my feet, but the pain was far to severe and so I grabbed a nearby rock and just as the first of the dog jumped out towards me, I tried bashing it in the head.

I missed the dog’s head and the beast bit at my left forearm.

“AHHH!” I cried while bashing the dog’s head repeatedly.

It’s teeth got ever deeper into my arm, but even as the pain grew, I bashed away at its now exposed skull.

The beast eventually weakened slightly allowing me to get up and mount it.

I then wildly struck it’s head up until no parts of its mongrel head remained.

I motionlessly sat above the dog’s still warm corpse as I loudly wheezed.

My heart then fell as more howls and snarls filled the air.

I dropped my arms and awaited my gruesome death.

“I am the hand that holds up the cradle atop which the sun sits…”

A voice said from the forest deep.

“Zuri, do you still want to become a hand?” Lham asked as he walked towards me.

His body wet and his eyes narrowed.

“Y-“ I wheezed.

“Raise your head and speak with all your heart.” He said before stopping just in front of me.

“Yes.” I groaned.

“Good! Let us begin with a history lesson.” Lham said before sitting in front of me and even though the howls in the air hadn’t disappeared, he appeared completely calm.

“All that was, is and will ever be is both a part of and a creation of Summus. Well… everything apart from the darkness of the void. You see, at first, there was naught but darkness, light and chaos. These elements al twisted and churned in the universes infancy in an endless struggle for dominance. Summus, the ultimate being of light and embodiment of good, envisioned a cosmos bound by a Holy Order and so he created the universe you and I live in today. He cast away the darkness and ushered in the following ages. Ages where his children could live without fearing the darkness. But alas, chaos is by nature… undefined and unconstrained. It has crept into the Summus’s bosom and its evil threatens to return all that is to a state of constant change and torment.”