He had been here less than a full year and yet the weather still never lost its... charm. He meant the word with all the possible ire he could muster, not particularly well versed in sarcasm but certainly embracing it for his description of Halo's frigid landscapes, empty and devoid of anything but the cold that seemed to seep into every pore of his body if he didn't take steps to actively chase it away. It was certainly a change from what Ephrem was used to, Torchline's tropical climate admittedly far preferable... but he left his old home for a reason, and could scarce abandon his new post now, when there was still so much to do, still so much undiscovered. No, he would not be leaving Halo, as inhospitable as it sometimes seemed to be, even when his veins turned to ice and redoubled the pain he felt on the daily a thousandfold.
It was the price he had to pay for everything he would become. All he needed to do was be patient, though it had never been a virtue of his. Even he wasn't stupid enough to repeat past mistakes, however... he was more focused on moving on to make new ones. That, too, brought a bitter grimace of amusement to his soul. Destiny was a cruel mistress. Perhaps even crueler than the gods.
Nevertheless, future conquests could only be left to a body that could function in the future; and as it stood, between the cold and his sleepless nights getting used to his new position in Halo's Arcane Academy - carrying books too and fro and, generally, doing things his body screamed at him for by the end of the day - Ephrem needed a break. Back when he was first leaving Torchline's coasts, the poor sod who had been assigned to care for him as best as they could told him to at least partake in the land's hot springs on a semi frequent basis to chase away the worst of the pain, and he wasn't so prideful as to not listen to their sound advice. It had become a weekly addition to his schedule, ending his days by letting the magical warmth seep into overstimulated nerves and, perhaps not heal them (he had yet to find anything that would permanently cure him, to his clear disappointment) but certainly calm them down.
A pleasant shiver cascaded down his spine when he sunk down into the warm waters, clothes neatly abandoned next to the pool far enough away not to fall in, their magic taking almost instantly. A soft, pleased noise ripped itself from his chest before he could stop it, the pain melting away into nothing more than a dull throb in his limbs. Eyes closed, he let his head lull back, steadying his breathing down to the rhythm of the lapping waves.
— EGO NIHILITAS NON QUAESIVIT, SCINDITUR MIHI APERTIS
It was the price he had to pay for everything he would become. All he needed to do was be patient, though it had never been a virtue of his. Even he wasn't stupid enough to repeat past mistakes, however... he was more focused on moving on to make new ones. That, too, brought a bitter grimace of amusement to his soul. Destiny was a cruel mistress. Perhaps even crueler than the gods.
Nevertheless, future conquests could only be left to a body that could function in the future; and as it stood, between the cold and his sleepless nights getting used to his new position in Halo's Arcane Academy - carrying books too and fro and, generally, doing things his body screamed at him for by the end of the day - Ephrem needed a break. Back when he was first leaving Torchline's coasts, the poor sod who had been assigned to care for him as best as they could told him to at least partake in the land's hot springs on a semi frequent basis to chase away the worst of the pain, and he wasn't so prideful as to not listen to their sound advice. It had become a weekly addition to his schedule, ending his days by letting the magical warmth seep into overstimulated nerves and, perhaps not heal them (he had yet to find anything that would permanently cure him, to his clear disappointment) but certainly calm them down.
A pleasant shiver cascaded down his spine when he sunk down into the warm waters, clothes neatly abandoned next to the pool far enough away not to fall in, their magic taking almost instantly. A soft, pleased noise ripped itself from his chest before he could stop it, the pain melting away into nothing more than a dull throb in his limbs. Eyes closed, he let his head lull back, steadying his breathing down to the rhythm of the lapping waves.
