We Stayed For Too Long

____The horizon screamed with the colored conflagration of the sun’s setting, captivating eye and mind as it bathed the cityscape below in burning reds, pinks, oranges. Despite all of its beauty, a part of us wondered if the star’s prophecy would ever come to pass. As the image smoldered throughout our thoughts, a shift in the wind’s tide shifted, tearing us from our reverie with chilled hands. The sudden influx of sensation was jarring as our ears washed in the bow of the crickets’ harp, the low drone of the cicadas’ song. Our nostrils flooded with the sweet floral musk, earthen scents intermingled with the haunting scent of after-rain that rose from dampened soil. With the return of sense came a realization; darkness was falling upon us. It was time to return home. Home. A wry chuckle escaped me, soon turning into a hacking cough as my lungs struggled to steady. Maudlin tears watered my eyes, sticky and reeking of pine’s blood. They clung to my hand as I scraped them away, the emotion rising as it echoed between myself and El’yen. I felt the tickle of feathers at my side, a pressing reassurance stemming the flow of melancholy. The presence alone was enough; it conveyed all that it needed. We would be home, truly home, soon enough. I recollected my thought and gathered my wit at El’yen’s prompt, our chests swelling in breath’s renewal as we rose to hoof and wing. With a wayward glance behind, we set out, the sky darkening with each step as we hiked through briar and copse, riding the troughs and crests of the mountain’s ridge.

____Blinking stars hung in the sky, our arrival wardened by a moon half risen as we reached the grounds we once called our own. We lingered at the grove’s threshold, a budding sorrow welling in our hearts as we gaze over the shell of former sanctuary. Despite the sprawling vegetation, it appeared cold and devoid of life, a weight around our ankles that chained us to the city’s fringes. A whisper sifted through the trees, calling out to us in an intoxicating allure of words unformed. A strange sensation overtook us, drawing our gaze to the idol that loomed over the gardens. The wood-and-bone visage of the All-Mother stared down at us, her expression simultaneously soft and stern, wicked and motherly. The air buzzed with electric tension, igniting a spark of memory.

…

The All-Mother’s effigy stood proud and tall, unaffected by the passage of earthbound time. Afternoon sun filtered through the canopy, speckling the underbrush with odd spots of light. A warm breeze scraped over the mountain, bumping through the leaves and tugging at my hair. My heart swelled in a pang of longing as we enjoyed the springtime scene, savoring the bird-chatter and verdant luster that flavored the air. Our gaze lowered as a gruff voice shattered the serenity, a sharp breath inhaled as we recognized a scene of the year past.

Eight figures huddled underneath Estel’s watch, encircling a shallow ditch in the soil. Our hearts fluttered and we dared not breathe for fear of losing the moment we had found ourselves in. The wildered Talisin addressed faces we had nearly forgotten: Darian, Viatrix, Cazna, Kuzma, Filinae, and ourselves. Their – our – faces brimmed with heartfelt determination, of a dutiful promise to the Goddess we had stood before. Our skin fluttered with hopeful anticipation of an impossible journey, an insurmountable mountain we’d united to conquer. El’yen and I held where we were, eyes narrowed and ears strained as we sought to remark all that we could. To our dismay, much detail was lost to the fog of memory; though the outcome of the gathering was clear. This was the rebirth of the Pri’oris, a rededication towards freeing a deity chained.

That felt like a lifetime ago.

…

____The vision soon dispersed, leaving us with an aching sadness and nothing more. In the stark emptiness, I became aware of myself once more. My joints ached and my body burdened with heavy tire. My face felt cold. I lifted a hand to my cheek, only to find I’d been crying. A foreign yet familiar comfort invaded my perception: El’yen, once again, acknowledging our shared pain. A question passed between us, one we already knew the answer to.

Why do we care?

____The question hung in the air as we trudged across the clearing, a collective sigh escaping us as we collapsed into our respective nests. Though my body yearned for rest, our minds were caught in endless wander as thoughts bubbled and stewed. Have we spent too much time here? Why? In retrospect, each month seemed a growing lapse in judgment. We’d loitered for too long, and gleaned little more in a re-purposing of the quest that had led us here. At least we would be returning with something, even if intangible.

____As our minds continued to stir, it soon became clear that this would be a sleepless night. We roused from our covers and ventured down the hillside, gathering bundles of tinder, kindling, and branches. The mindless action seemed a blur of motion; the next thing I knew, we had found ourselves at the fire’s side, drawn to the heat like the moths that had deigned to join us. The flames popped and crackled, the coiled embers and smoldering charcoal luring our attention towards the inferno’s hypnotic core. A sense of calm overtook me, in the blanketing comfort of the heat and smoke and light. Suspended over a sea of dread and uncertainty, but a calm nonetheless.

…

I opened my eyes to a sea of blazing light, the air thick and heavy with smog. The heat was scorching to the skin as it closed in, tearing through the courtyard we had found ourselves in. It was impossible to tell which way we faced; all around were ghastly shrieks and wailing cries, their sources hidden amongst the inferno. Burning hair and wood and flesh bombarded our lungs, choked down with smoke as we gasped for breath. A shape emerged from the flames, hardly distinguishable from the hellscape it came from as it blindly barreled towards us. We soon found out why. The figure was engulfed head to toe in white-hot flame, the Yanar’s very skin combusting as they knocked into me. We fell with a conjoined scream, stifled and smothered by the burning body hooked around me. My vision grew hazy as it was consumed by whites and oranges and reds, skin screaming in agony as the fire spread and blistered and burned. Though I writhed and struggled and screamed, it was to no avail. I sunk further and further into the flames, until I could see and feel and smell and taste no more. All that remained was the ever-starving blaze.

…

____We woke with an earth-shattering scream, blind panic tangling me in my rags as I scrambled to distance myself from the fire pit. My body trembled and my heart raced in adrenalized hysteria, my hands blindly beating at a fire that remained in the realm of dream. I was startled to find myself alive and unscathed, safe and sound in our haven. The fire had since died out, reduced to a few smoldering embers. With the nightmare still fresh in our minds, I kicked my legs out, burying what remained with upturned dirt. My heartbeat pounded in my ears, the violent terror spurring us to action. With restlessness renewed, we scattered the fireside stones and collected our meager belongings. We needed to do something, to move, to keep the haunting thoughts at bay. The moon dangled above, bathing us in a cool and silky light as my feet led us forwards, trailing a path we'd taken countless times before.

Left. Right. Left. Right.

____Every fiber of my focus poured into steady thrum of beating hoof, our thoughts pounded into the ground with each step. The scenery crawled by and the moon began its descent, sinking lower and lower as we travelled. Walking soon became mechanical; our thoughts began to wander once more.

...

Two years and two, almost three, months. It seemed a short span, in the grand scheme of things, barely more than the blink of an eye to one older than us. In three hundred years, we probably wouldn't remember much of our travels.

If we lived that long.

Two years and two, almost three, months. They seemed to crawl by at a snail's pace, only propelled forwards by tragedy following tragedy following tragedy. It was no wonder we recognized only so few faces; rare was the foreigner to endure the trials we've faced here, and stayed. A part of us wonders, and always will, the fates of those who've continued on. Did they return home? Have they been killed, captured, enslaved? What of our own people? The resurgent Allorn is terrifying, to say the least. We may rely on faith that they have been spared, that the All-Mother or her stewards have kept any harm at bay. Oh, there's so much to tell them.

If we can find them.

...

___The rose of dawn bloomed beyond the mountain's mighty shoulder, scattering stray strings of light throughout the valley. After many hours of travel, and many more breaks, we were finally greeted with the skeletal ribs stretching out across the earth's maw. We lingered at the ravine's edge, steeling ourselves for the last trial that lay ahead. It was more than tempting to succumb to desire, to return to the simple life of weeding and gardening and maintaining. To forget both ourselves and our mission. With teeth grit and a jaw set, we began our descent into the gorge and its accompanying temple. We dared not linger long, and so our actions were rushed and sloppy. A hand was pressed into the marble wall, which molded like clay under our direction. A talon dug into the wall beside, leaving its own marking. An oaken staff, corrupted in crystal, was laid beside, sistered by a Farran Cane flute and dried Areu’llei-oná root. An idol of Estel, sculpted from riverside sandstone, was left on the throne.

...

When all was said and done, the Ciellonian pair fled as the sun's rays began to creep along the canyon's wall. They ran and flew as fast as they might, until leg and wing could go no further. In a cave just shy of the northern reaches of the city, they slept, and slept, and slept. They dreamed of talking rocks and uncovered ruins; of a troupe of thieves headed by a shadowed figure; of Arken masquerading as a god. They dreamed of a city strangled under vamperic hold; of voidal invasions; of a talking tree hidden in the jungle; of a dear friend who changed with the seasons.

Lastly, they dreamed of their woodland home. Of foxes and bears and coyotes forged from strands of moonlight, of man masquerading as beast; a life not of their own, but it sure felt it.

The rest would come later.

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A bit of a lore story and goodbye all wrapped up in one. I'd like to thank all of the wonderful people that I've found and befriended during my time on Massive (almost a decade, if you can believe it?!), as well as others I never got to know as well. Y'all really made my time here, and I'm so glad to have met you. I could go on and on, but I'm getting teary enough as is. My discord DMs are always open if you ever want to talk. Wish you all the best.✌️