In the underground section housing the prison.
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-Ophilanna
Illaniyael led me, his steps heavy. The knight's boots were solid metal, the metallic clang echoing through the prison's corridors.
"Miss Ophilanna," he examined me, "this prison is meant for extraordinary specimens. Like.."
Grindingly, he came to a halt. Illaniyael's gaze shifted. First to the left, then the right. There was eerie silence hanging in the air.
"We can proceed. I thought I heard a noise.", his voice sounded monotone, exempt of emotion. "You see, we currently only have two prisoners."
Turning my ahead and looking through the empty cells, there indeed was no soul to be seen.
"If the cells are empty, why are there so many?", I asked him, keeping close to the knight. Without turning, his answer followed suit immediately. "Just in case, Miss. But enough of that..."
I had no intention of pressuring him any further than this. Besides, I was rather intimidated by this hunk of a man - he dwarfed me twice, easily. His sword was nearly my body's length.
Clearly, Illaniyael has the speed, too.
And so, I made the decision to go along with the flow, walking behind him in a comfortable manner, occasionally looking around and inspecting the cells.
After we walked for what felt like an hour, we seemingly arrived. At the end of a corridor, in this damp, stone-cobbled dungeon, a cell held a prisoner.
"Hello, dear Illaniyael.", the voice calmly and expectedly greeted him. I saw the form, but had no way to match it up to any words. Steadily, it became easier, visually, to understand who, what, and why it was.
"My name is Enia. I hope Gaia already introduced me, at least in name?", the being giggled innocently, having assumed the form of a middle-aged woman. Any other feature could not be pinned down - it was like she had them all at once, yet never quite any.
I answered her question quickly after her hand reached out to mine. When gripping hers, it felt quite warm, comfortable.. soothing. Like a mother's touch.
"She has only told me I would meet a special person. That is all. It is nice to meet you.. Lady Enia?"
With a moderate amount of confusion, I stared at her, Illaniyael, and fixed my gaze on her. She chuckled, before speaking up. "I see, she neglected to tell you about the most important part."
Both of her hands, through the gaps between the cold, stiff iron bars, pulled me closer. The knight stepped in. "I can open the cell, Lady Enia. That must be more comfortable for the young lady."
I nodded, processing the current situation. She chimed in. "Yes, please do, my precious knight."
He pulled out a key, put it into the cell's lock, and opened it with the sound of something popping. The door flew open, and so we entered together.
"Come closer, child.", she instructed. I did as she asked, standing in front of her.
Both of Enia's hands cupped my face, while her lips moved without making a single sound. It was quite peculiar, but I felt no malice from her - only calmness and love.
"Who are you?", I interrupted her. Enia's pupils widened, though she did not hesitate to speak.
"I am a Goddess. To be precise, I am shackled here...", pausing to breathe out in a long sigh, "that was framed for a 'crime' I did not commit. Divine law dictates.."
I had a hard time following her, so she paused. "Divinity requires us to follow commandments. The way I was framed.. I broke some of them. Now, I am here. There is a slight problem."
"What is the problem?", my curiosity got the better of me, so I asked her straight-forwardly.
"My powers are sealed. This world, your world.. even Gaia, and this fine knight", she pointed at Illaniyael, "are my children, my make. Even you, Ophilanna. But you.."
Her voice trembled greatly, my hand reached for hers, enveloping it. "You, my dear, are special. To make a long story short.."
I waited, and she thought. It must be quite complicated, but I think I understand.
"There was a world, like Pariah, before this one. It was my make, too, and one I loved dearly. You lived there. While you were unhappy, you died, and in the process of the world being remade, I caught your soul before it went into Limbo - the Nöösphere, where we are currently."
My hand was unsteady, but hers even more so. I could feel how unsettled she felt. Illaniyael, quite stoic earlier, just averted his gaze.
"So.. I died in a world you were rebuilding.. and then?", I recapitulated her words, indicating some kind of understanding on my side.
Her frown turned into a slight chuckle. "You were so.. depressed then. I want my children to be happy. To make you happy.. I let you reincarnate. That, by itself, is fine, and allowed by Divine Law. However...", she choked up. "Something happened. Something I cannot really talk about... It is forbidden. I.. regrettably cannot speak of it. My sincere apologies."
"If you can't speak of it due to other factors, that is not your fault, my Lady.", the knight chimed in. I nodded in agreement. Enia continued. "In any case, you ended up being reborn in this world. You see, this world... is fundamentally flawed. During the recreation, something went terribly wrong. Since you are special, and furthermore the only one I could contact in the vast sea of dreams, I would like you to.. fix this. Please."
Her hands cupped mine. She tugged at my clothing, latching onto me. It appeared as if she shed tears, greatly moving me.
"Lady.. Enia.. Please don't cry. I will do what I can..", I said, taken by surprise.
Enia only coughed, choking on her tears. "I am really grateful, yet it is a horrible feeling to burden a child of mine with this task. I shall do as much as I can to aid you. In that regard..."
Her hand let go of mine, her frown making way for a more serious, determined gaze. She fixated on me, staring right into my eyes. "Gaia sealed your memories, which will soon return. For the full reason behind that, ask her. I will give you a gift through her. Please take it."
I nodded, understand Enia's intention.
"What do I have to do first, Lady Enia?", I asked the Goddess.
"Right, the most important thing is to..", she paused as if she were thinking, "make this world's inhabitants believe in me. You, my child, are my first, and last, Prophetess. The very last Prophet of me, Enia."
With sorrow in his voice, Illaniyael spoke up. "If I could, I would help you, Lady Ophilanna. Unfortunately, I am bound to serve, as part of my duty, Lady Gaia. Though I pray, with great fervor, for your success. Should you need any.. advice, I will always be here."
"That brings me to my next point", Enia continued after the knight's words. "You can visit Limbo every once in a while. For the details, Gaia will brief you soon. Even if she is.. somewhat more crude than you would be left to believe due to your tribe's worship of her, bring yourself to trust her. She really is trustworthy. I wish you success on your journey, my child. Be safe and prosper."
Enia's fingers intertwined with mine, and a faint glow surrounded our hands, blindingly bright.
"I blessed you.", she uttered, her voice somber. Then, the Goddess pushed me out of the cell. Illaniyael locked it once more, leading me out of the prison. As we walked, I turned my head, seeing a Goddess locked like a bird in a cage.
A songbird longing for freedom.
"I'm curious", my sudden question caught his attention, "you said there is one other prisoner."
His face darkened. Illaniyael seemed.. quite displeased with that question being brought up.
"My.. apologies, Sir Illaniyael.", I brushed it off, and we moved on. The rest of the way, the silence between us was awkward.
Before we came out of the underground compartment, he whispered two words.
"The enemy."
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General awaited me. "Did it go well, young Lady?", he probed. I simply nodded, Illaniyael releasing me into the cat-kin's guidance. He then led me through the familiar corridors, the scent of incense and old stone clinging to the air. It was a stark contrast to the damp chill of the prison. Though he was quiet, his usual cold demeanor was replaced with a strange solemnity, a jovial mood.
"Life is just like that, Lady Ophilanna", he yawned, "ultimately, nothing quite matters."
The only thing I gathered from watching him was his cat-like behaviour. "In the end, we are all just pawns to some sort of higher being. I do my part, and he does his", pointing at Illaniyael, "and you do yours."
I wondered if it was the weight of what I had just learned, the revelation of Enia's words... A Goddess, imprisoned, and I, her prophet? It was all so surreal, so overwhelming, but his words made me awake to the responsibility placed on my shoulders.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
We reached Gaia's chamber, the air thick with a palpable energy. She stood before me, her expression unreadable, and gestured for me to sit. I simply obeyed, my legs feeling suddenly heavy. The goddess studied me for a long moment, her eyes piercing, as if she could see right through me. "Mhm. You seemed to talk quite well. I expect no less from a child and its mother maker in meeting", though pausing to pick up a scroll before asking, "The memories.. are returning, are they not?", with a voice so soft, yet firm, coaxing me into being vulnerable enough to tell her.
I blinked, surprised, caught off-guard. "They… they're flashes. Snippets. I don't understand them. My nightmares are fed by them. Do you know anything about them, Lady Gaia?"
Gaia sighed, a sound like the rustling of leaves in a storm. "It is as Enia said. Your memories were sealed, a necessary precaution. Due to your age, and the magic restraints placed upon you as a child, they are now surfacing. They would have overwhelmed you otherwise, you might have.. died. Think of a vessel filled to its maximum, yet more and more inside.. Regardless, you see, Ophilanna, you are… special. More special than you can possibly imagine."
She paused, her gaze softening slightly. "When the world was remade, and your soul lingered in the Nöösphere, Enia… she intervened. She saved you, Ophilanna. But to do so, she had to mark you. When you were a baby, she placed a part of herself within you, a safeguard, a… limitation. It was the only way to protect you, to allow you to be reborn without the burden of your past life’s memories crushing you. But it also meant you could not remember. Not until now."
I choked, my mind reeling. A past life, of all things? Enia, my savior? And Gaia, knowing, understood it all along. Her expression was slightly pained, thinking of my reaction.
"To tell you the truth, I didn't tell you sooner.. because you weren't ready.", she sighed. "Truth is heavy a burden, Ophilanna. The world, it is not kind to those different. No. It *hates* the different. And so, I chose to protect you, even if it was from yourself. I apologise, but ask you to understand, child."
She stood up, her movements graceful and powerful. "Now, Ophilanna, the time has come. The seals must be broken, time must come undone once more. You will face opposition, intense and rough. It will not wait for you to calm, to regain your footing. It will attempt to strike you at your weakest. I need you to trust me, and henceforth.. to let me guide you."
A shiver tingled down my spine. "Guide me?", I asked. "How?"
Gaia's gaze rested on me. "You will be the Prophetess. Enia's, to be exact, and mine. In a way, we are but one, though no one knows of Mother Enia. I, on the other hand, am a force to be reckoned with."
My eyes widened at the ideas springing forth from her words. She continued. "However, I cannot readily change this world as I wish. As such, I shall help you take your steps, child, and grow you to do what you are destined to do. Your mission, therefore, is to make others believe in Enia, and by extension, me. Can you do that?"
I nodded, overwhelmed by this insurmountable task ahead of me. Gaia simply placed her hands on my shoulders, her touch surprisingly warm. "I am glad you are becoming aware of your destiny, Ophilanna. I just need you to.. step aside for now. Let me take over. It won't be long."
My heart pounded in my chest, heavily. "Take over? What do you mean..?"
Her eyes glowed with an otherworldly, strange light. "I mean.. you should just watch me, Ophilanna. Entrust this situation to me. Do not interfere."
A wave of dizziness washed over me. The room seemed to spin, the faces of Gaia and General blurring. I felt a strange sensation, as if I were being pulled away from myself, like a ghost watching its own body. I saw Gaia's lips move, but I couldn't hear the words. Then, everything went black.
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-Erica
The air fervently crackled with vicious energy. Together we stood - Elliot, Mena, and I - bravely squaring off against the Seraphine, with its four wings beating furiously, stirring up a whirlwind of dust and debris.
Its eyes, one quick discerning look would tell, were burning with fanaticism, and its voice dripped with scorn and malice. "Heretics! Weaklings you are!", it scoffed, brazenly pointing its holy spear at us, "You dare defy Aria's Will? Then you shall bear the consequence the same.", the Seraphine croaked and shrieked, now an echo rampaging through the village's remnants.
Clashing ensued. Swords flashed, spell after spell weaved through the air as we faced it off and held it in place. But, unfortunately, it was no use. Sooner than expected, through its powerful, relentless attacks, the winged creature incapacitated Elliot and Mena, leaving me the last line of defense.
I backed against the door of Ophilanna's house, being pushed back over and over, until there was no room to secede. Our defenses crumbled.
The seraphine was too powerful for us to handle, our fatigue too great a factor.
On the sidelines, Elliot's breath sounded ragged, while Mena had enough of difficulty even getting up after the spell rebound she experienced.
"We fight to protect.. Ophilanna", I hesitantly yelled, deflecting the mighty Seraphine's spear, "for what is right, we will not suffer a loss." Though even as I spoke these mighty words, in my mouth, they tasted bitter, since I knew we were losing fast.
A shockwave disturbed my footing, and so I hurled towards the ground. Just as shaken as me, the Seraphine tightly gripped its holy lance, attempting to throw it at and through the door, to hit whatever was behind it - a blinding flash of light erupted from whence the spear flew toward. The seraphine, however, cried out in pain, as we shielded our eyes.
As soon as the light subsided, a wave of heat washed over us, the air thick with a repugnant smell of blood and fire. I stumbled back, heart pounding in my chest. Looking towards the source of light, and the Seraphine, I felt my breath catch on fire and my mouth gag.
Who stood there, with their valiant, powerful and soothing glow of divinity, was Ophilanna. She didn't stand, no, she floated. And the way she did, it barely involved moving a muscle, like an inconsequential action. Nothing so much like breathing.
But.. the winged enemy, was gone. To my shock, and Mena's, whose eyes were steadily fixed on my friend and her student, the winged soldier was turned into blood mist.
Ophilanna's eyes, merely white, seemed empty, and then they flickered to life into a stark, unnatural white, her voice - rather, a chorus of voices speaking simultaneously - audibly proclaiming something. In my shock, it took me a moment to reclaim myself. The voice resonated with incredible power, ancient and terrifying, yet like it held... authority over me. "Greetings, friends of Ophilanna", it said, "my name is Gaia, and I am the Goddess of Nature and of Death."
Ophilanna's body floated upwards, her arms moving elegantly, as if she was orchestrating a symphony. The earth beneath us shook and trembled, as did we, as she spoke once more.
"Those who dare harm this child - the cursed followers of Aria - shall not go unpunished. Do not even dare attempt at her life, lest..", her hand turned to a fist, something rose from the ground.
Before us, higher than any creature or thing, stood a towering colossus of an avatar, bearing three heads donning three masks, and even higher, on its head, was pointed a mighty sword of untold caliber.
*The Sword of Damocles.*
The avatar's body seemed to be chained with powerful, burly links of steel or some otherwise strong metal, and its head turned towards the Novum Divinum, the church that was close by.
With a flick of a finger, Gaia removed the beast's chains, its hand reaching for the Damocles' sword, and it stomped with ferocious speed towards the church.
Gaia's words echoed through the air, freezing everyone in place. "Anyone attempting to harm the sovereign, peaceful nation of Silvale will face divine retribution. It stands under the protection of me, Gaia, known and loved by the elves you so hate and despise."
Her body radiated divine glow. Slowly, impossibly, Ophilanna's body descended. Incapacitating every enemy, the avatar engaged and successfully destroyed any enemy presence but one - a Seraphine to escape, and deliver her message.
"You, who dare threaten my chosen, will see who is the slaughterer, and who is the lamb.", she boomed. While fleeing, the Seraphine, last alive, cowered and cried, shaking and flapping its wings to escape.
The remaining holy energy, dissipating into the environment like mist in the morning sun, that powered the floating churches, was now but a remnant of the past. They were mighty symbols of the Church's power indeed.
Now, in the aftermath, there was an eerily silent battlefield. Only faint, but heavy breathing of those who remained was heard, eyes wide with fear and awe. Gaia's avatar, its body bulking and pulsating, stood amidst the carnage of dead and bodies unburied. It was a silent testament to Gaia's influence, power, will.
As quickly as it appeared, it had to demanifest. All the light then faded, and the colossus of a creature shrunk, becoming a little acorn, buried in the aftermath of this battle.
"It seems to be peaceful now. Very well. I shall return this body to Ophilanna. All three of you", she turned towards us, "you have done well. None of you will be missing my blessing for your efforts. In return, carry the word of the Goddess 'Enia' along with Ophilanna, so that she may not be alone in her forever duty."
Before Gaia fully vanished, her voice soft and gentle, begged us to protect the child whose body she inhabited. "As she is my, and Enia's, prophet, make sure to tell that wretched queen.. I mean, Silvale's queen.. to watch over her as well."
Suddenly, she was gone. Ophilanna's body slumped to the ground, unconscious. We hurried to catch her, and all of us were glad to be alive.
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In the Baroness' mansion, a fresh morning.
A beautiful girl, elven appearance, woke in a bed she seemed not to recognise. Her surroundings were totally out of the ordinary to her. "Where am I?", she uttered, in a tongue completely foreign to the maid that attended to her.
"Lady Fia?", the maid turned her head, "Is something the matter? What are you saying?"
"?", Ophilanna stared the maid down, puzzled at what she said.
Her head began pulsing and hurting, visions flashing across her very eyes.
"Chosen One. You cannot afford to forget."
A voice she so intimately connected with, and felt familiar to, commanded her. It was painful, and the attending maid freaked out and panicked over the spasms Ophilanna was having, until she passed out once more.
Not long after, in the evening, the Baroness visited, along with Erica. They attempted to talk to Ophilanna, but she seemed asleep - or unconscious, rather.
"I shall be taking my leave. Please watch over her, Erica.", said the Baroness, concerned over Ophilanna's situation.
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In the middle of the night, the elf girl woke up, being torn out of her sleep from a nightmare so cruel and malicious. She felt the comfort of a hand, a girl she also couldn't recognise, on hers. Seemingly, this girl was different from the maid.
"Just where am I, here? Isn't this earth? Did Enia keep to her word?", she mumbled, prompting Erica to wake up. Her gaze fixated on the moonlight's glow illuminating the edges and contour of Ophilanna's upper body. She heard some of her mumbling, as well. "Ophi? Are you okay?", she sprang up and into Ophilanna's arms, who embraced her, though bearing a confused expression.
Ophilanna now understood every word of hers, but the things that left her mouth utterly destroyed Erica to her very core.
"I'm sorry.. Who are you?"