Water droplets ran down Iris's forearm and dripped onto the tiled floor as she raised her hand to her head. Massaging her temples felt like it helped to deal with her skull-bursting headache but just as the pain was going away it migrated somewhere else, burning an untouchable trail of fire in its wake.
Unfortunately for the risen her race made pain something rare, even bathing in the cold water she only felt the mild chill on her skin rather than the icy knives others would feel. So when her body didn't block the phantasmal pain the elf was at the end of her wit. Tiny streaks of crimson stained Iris's teeth as she bit her lip and lifted herself from the bath taking her chance to leave while the pain tormented her with a brief feeling of relief and hope.
A pool of water surrounded Iris as she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her athletic body unable to even think about the possibility of putting her clothes back on. Like an automaton she gathered her hair starting from the black strands at the nape of her neck into a ponytail, the wet locks slipping easily through her fingers. She pulled her hair back through her closed hand forming a sleek, unified cascade of water falling onto the wet floor.
The locked door opened and the tired hoplite expecting her head to throb with renewed pain at any time swung it open. The bedroom looked exactly like when Iris had left with a neatly done bed in the centre of the room between her and the desk at which the great necromancer was still hard at work.
Iris's creator didn't appear to notice her looking completely and utterly focused on the work in front of her. If only the risen didn't feel like a pile of dung, she would have loved to walk closer to Kia and remind her why sticking out her tongue near her was a bad idea.
"Gor." The elf gripped her head as the pain came back causing the naughty creation to lower herself onto the bed.
Her damp head sunk into the soft pillow and almost instantly Iris felt the automotive force which puppeted her reconstructed body shrive up deep into her body causing her to go limp. Out of instinct rather than intelligent thought the Anchor of Undeath and its Herald fought against the powerlessness taking over her, trying to keep one of her eyes opened to watch over the room. Her saviour looked so defenceless to the hoplite worrying suddenly about all the security issues which had flooded her mind en masse, from the overly large windows anyone could step through to the doubt about having locked the door.
"What's happening to me?" In a dizzying shift of attention, the elf cursed under her nose as she gripped her head at the headache return which felt like a dwarf was mining her skull with a pickaxe.
The sound of fabric tearing reverberated inside the risen's head as her claws dug into the bed and something pulled her soul into a dark void.
"Iris! Iris sweety wake up." A honeyed voice caused the pointy ear to twitch.
"Mom, a bell more." The girl with messy black hair grumbled as she turned over to the other side.
"I guess that means that I can eat the honey cakes I made." The woman leaned closer and whispered into the ear of the younger copy of herself.
"Nyo!" The young elf threw her blanket to the side and jumped off her bed bumping into the mature version of herself causing her bum to land on the bed.
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"Be careful Iris," Her mother held her hand in the air waiting for Iris to take it. "Those are your special cakes for this special birthday." She said helping her daughter onto her feet before leading her into the kitchen.
"Thank you, Mom." The tall teenager leaned heavily on the shoulder of a slightly taller adult as they both sat down on the table.
"Why did you say that? Are you going somewhere after today?" Her mother wrapped her warm arm around Iris with a wide smile on her face.
"Mother! Of course not, not today. The young elf protested puffing her chest out trying to appear bigger than her mother.
"You're so adorable sometimes that mommy sometimes wants to eat you up so you can be back in my belly." The older elf rubbed her nose with her daughter's before finishing speaking. "Wouldn't you like that?"
"Mom!" Iris's lavender eyes opened wide open as she was faced with an infectious smile.
"I know, I know my little translator wants to explore the world but it's hard for me as a mother to not be sad. To me, you will always be your father's and mine precious little pearl."
"I know." The teenager resisted the urge to roll her eyes, this whole year her mother had already been imagining her as some sort of adventurer getting herself into danger whenever possible.
"I'm doing it again," Her mother looked out the window and her bright smile lessened. "Quick let us pray and eat your cakes, it would be unthinkable for you to not be present during the ceremony." She spoke lightly grasping Iris's hand and raising their arms into the air.
Warm honey flowed down her gullet as Iris bit into the white pastry baked by her mother but before she could enjoy the trio of palm-sized treats her mother began to dress her into a white ceremonial dress.
"Do I have to wear a dress?" The boyish young woman asked, trying not to look down.
"Of course, you have to, this will be no time for play." The tailor inside the older elf showed itself as she smoothened and tugged on various parts of the immaculately white dress until it became perfect in her trained eyes.
Holding the last honey cake in her mouth, she exited her house with her mother right behind her. The Night was still ruling the world but the tyranny's end was almost in sight as streaks of colour pierced the dark heavens above them with righteous might.
They headed toward the temple, passing the administrators from the Havenfall itself. Villagers buzzed around the temple gate awaiting the priest's signal. In the crowd, Iris could see two dozen humans also dressed in pure white. Only five of them were from the same village as the others seemed to have come from nearby villages although she didn't know which ones.
Just as they arrived, the priest of Elemosina the Aspect of Mercy, Love and Destiny opened the gates allowing the crowd to funnel into the stone building. A distant bleat of a goat resonated through the circular hall getting louder and louder before its small grey and black form emerged from behind the Dove Throne.
Iris felt her mother's hands push her forward toward the front where a carpet of flowers had been created with circles evenly spaced out. Having been staring at the floral carpet for a moment appreciating its strangely morbid beauty only one space was left for her.The priest raised a silver dagger and cut into the goat on the altar. Chanting filled the temple with magical energy as steaming hot blood stained the stone under the goat and the first light of the sun touched the golden crown on the priest's head through the circular window above the door. The black stone in the centre of the crown opened up like an eye turning into a deeply green colour.
"Hear me Children of the Divine and come to me to receive your gifts." The old priest's voice felt powerful enough to shatter everyone present if he so wished but instead with two bloody fingers he drew a sign of destiny on the first child's forehead and turned them toward the light. Above the teenager's head, a box appeared with large letters spelling out what gift Aspects bestowed onto him.
Wildheart Tamer
Farmer
Bowman
Blood
Sea Singer
Evangelist
Bladebound Warden
...
Eventually, every single human in front of Iris had a bloody circle on their forehead and it was her turn to receive her gift. Careful to not prematurely touch the ray of light Iris walked toward the priest. The power the gem radiated almost forced the fifteen-year-old to kneel but she put all her strength to remain standing as the priest marked her head with blood.
"Face toward the Light, child." A whisper entered Iris's ear and she was gently nudged toward the crowd.
Blinded by the light Iris could only feel everyone's eyes lingering on her. Iris felt her chest fill with pride as a stupid grin appeared on the sun-struck face of an adult.
"Iris!"
The sound of metal pounding on stone filled the circular hall as someone was running toward her. The priest's hand on her shoulder shook her slightly as the ruckus grew louder causing the elf's eye wince and peer into the congregation. A pale woman with a blue flower braided into her jet-black hair stared at Iris from where her dear mother was supposed to be before darkness seized her sight.