Shine Bright like a Diamond

Sah

Between the attacks on Halo, Luka's torture, Seren's funeral, and the swirl of activity afterward, things had finally settled. At least marginally. Enough that Sah was able to find a quiet moment to seek out his Goddess.

Entering the shrine, he placed his offerings down at the altar, running a finger over the back of Umbra's statue as a final goodbye. The dagger for Safrin lay beside it. The Wild Thunder had never offered the starry goddess a weapon before, but even if she didn't need one, it felt fitting at the moment. The offerings had taken significant effort and multiple tries on his part, so new to such skills as he was, even with the assistance of magic. But the final result was worth it.

Kneeling, the weight of the past few weeks slammed into him. The stress, the fear, and the exhaustion that he'd been pushing back with the momentum of action, all bearing down at once. Taking a breath, Sah closed his eyes and prayed with his head bowed. "Safrin?" Sah's voice cracked on the Goddess' name, and he cleared his throat before trying again. "Safrin, do you have a moment?" Please?

~
Sah offers Seren a small dragon that he carved out of black marble, which resembles Umbra. For Safrin, he offers a dagger he forged with a deep blue star-themed hilt.

Type: Light | Style: Other | Level: Mastered
Lucky Star Earring | A studded star earring that grants the wearer +3 luck when worn. (Made by Sah)

Type: Light | Style: Other | Level: Upgraded
Lucky Wolf Bracelet | A black leather bracelet with a wolf engraved on it. When worn, it grants the user +2 Luck. (Made by Sah)

Regional Score bonus: +7 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +7 should be included). Residents cannot be cursed at shrines in this region.

I think therefore I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?

The air in the Citadel shrine shifted—not with heat or wind, but with something older, deeper. The chill of Halo never truly left the stone walls, but now it seemed to pause, waiting, as if the world itself held its breath. From the shadows cast by flickering candlelight, Safrin appeared.

Not in a burst of starlight nor a thunderclap of divine power, but in the hush that followed his plea. She stepped forward in silence, her form cloaked in layers of deep violet and midnight blue, the edges of her gown dusted in stardust that shimmered and trailed behind her like a comet’s tail. The goddess looked down upon Sah with unreadable eyes, heavy with ancient grief and fierce beauty.

Her gaze dropped to the dagger. 

A single brow arched, a small curl teasing the edge of her mouth. "A weapon?" she mused, her voice as soft as snow and sharp as the blade he had offered. "I wonder, Wild Thunder—do you offer it to me as a tool? Or as something else?"

Though her tone was light, her eyes burned brighter now, flicking from the dagger to his bowed head. Safrin moved closer until her fingers brushed the weapon’s hilt, her touch trailing sparks of light across the altar. "It has been some time since we last spoke," she said—not unkind, but unflinching. "But then you've suffered losses of your own, recently."

Tilting her head, she let the silence stretch just long enough to make him lift his eyes. "Speak, Sah. Tell me what is on your mind."

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Sah

Sah listened as Safrin spoke, some part of him relaxing now that the Goddess had answered his prayer instead of ignoring him. Still, tension remained in his shoulders as Safrin approached with an edge in her voice. He didn't wish to anger her. Or worse, disappoint her. The Wild Thunder raised his head but remained kneeling for the moment as he considered his words. Safrin's beauty took his breath away as usual and he paused before answering.

"The most beautiful things are deadly, and we're at war. It seemed fitting to offer a weapon, as a tool or decoration, even if it'll never compare to one forged by your hands." When Sah had begun to brainstorm what to offer Safrin, the idea of a symbolic and ornate, but functional dagger had stuck with him. Even after considering other options, offerings more typical of him, the concept refused to leave and so the hybrid had run with it.

Sah nodded, "It has been some time." Perhaps it was a character flaw, but Sah could never bring himself to waste Safrin's time with matters that could be solved by mortal means, even after all the years of knowing her. The hybrid was just a speck of dust in the vast cosmos of the Goddess' influence and contented himself with simply praying for guidance and only seeking her out in emergencies. Such as today, a response to the losses Safrin mentioned.

Sah gritted his teeth, "I'm terrified. Not fighting them isn't an option. But I don't know how to do that without losing my family." If Dahlia was willing to kidnap and torture his son over a minor slight, what would she do after he went to Starfall?

"Soleil and Luka are adults, but I still hope to have at least some kind of contingency plan. Either having a way for the twins to get to me or vice-versa in an emergency. Or some other means of protecting them." Sah ran a shaky hand through his hair, "I just don't know what will be the most effective or even what's possible with what time we have left." He'd been a fool. Just because the Family had previously stuck to Demi-gods and those who directly interfered with their plans, he'd assumed that his kids were below their radar. He had been devastatingly wrong, and the guilt and grief mercilessly tore at his heart, forcing Sah to squeeze his eyes shut for a moment to ground himself.

Opening his eyes to Safrin again Sah pleaded, "Would you please help me?"

I think therefore I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?

Safrin studied him in silence. The flickering starlight that limned her form did not warm the room—it only made the shadows around her seem deeper, more watchful. Her hand remained resting lightly on the dagger’s hilt as if weighing more than its craftsmanship. Her gaze never left him, and when Sah finally looked up again, there was no wrath waiting there. Only the cold precision of a goddess who had seen countless generations rise and fall, and who, in spite of it all, still chose to listen.

"You are right to be afraid," she said at last, voice quiet and utterly unyielding. "You think the Family draws lines? That they follow rules?" Her lips curled faintly—not cruelly, but with a bitter kind of knowledge. "They have shown us that they do not."

For a long moment, the air between them pulsed with a gathering pressure, as if the shrine itself had turned inward to hear her next words.

"I would see your children safe," Safrin murmured, her voice lowering with something more intimate now, something near to pain. "Seren was mine, and I believe the void took her from me. While she trusted she was safe."Her jaw tensed, and the stars around her flared just slightly brighter.

She stepped closer, and this time, her hand reached for Sah—not for his weapon, but for his wrist. Her fingers closed around it with measured care, and he would feel the familiar pulse of her power brush against his skin like the tide at his ankles. "I will give you a stone. A charm that belongs only to your blood. You will carry one, and the other you can give to one of your twins. And should the need arise… it will show you the fastest path to them." Her hand squeezed gently, a subtle reassurance. "It is not perfect," she admitted. "And you will have to come back to me to create another, but...for now, it is what we can do with the time we have."

---

In order to create a one-use teleportation item, Sah must:

1. Complete a thread finding or have made two whatever (stones, necklaces, rings, etc) to serve as the item
2. Complete a thread bleeding on both items
3. Leave them out beneath the starlight

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Sah

"They have." The Family was brutal and heartless in the face of their conquest. Undoubtedly, being trapped under their reign would be even worse. Flashes of Luka's bloodied form filled Sah's mind, and he grimaced, eyes burning.

The tension that had returned as the memory resurfaced bled out of him at Safrin's next words, "Thank you." Safrin's willingness to protect his children continued to mean more than he could put into words or ever express through the bond.

Even in his relief, Sah swallowed the sorrow that rose at Seren's name. No matter of reassurance or condolences could possibly help in the face of said grief and Sah didn't dare try. All he could offer was the solemn truth, "She's missed." Seren had been a dearly loved friend. He'd grieved her when she had to return to the stars but that couldn't possibly compare to the grief he felt now that she was truly gone.

As Safrin touched his wrist, Sah let out a sigh, feeling reinvigorated in the face of her strength. He listened intently as she outlined his quest, each world a balm on his soul. "It's more than enough. Thank you so much." It was a plan, a lifeline. Even if it was only for one use, death could come in the briefest of moments. Being able to get to his kids and have the opportunity to help them was a blessing.

When given permission to leave, Sah headed out to start his quest immediately. There wasn't time to waste. 

-[FIN]

I think therefore I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?