Spirit Suspended

Aurelia

there's a heart here cast in stone
and there's a past i must atone

The lighthouse stood sentinel on the cliff's edge, its beacon a silent guardian against the encroaching darkness. Within its weathered walls, a shrine to Safrin glowed with the soft light of countless candles, casting flickering shadows across the sacred space. Aurelia paused at the threshold, her heart thrumming with a mix of reverence and trepidation.

In her hands, she cradled a small, velvet-lined box. Within its depths lay her offering, a meticulously crafted rose fashioned from fragments of sea glass. Each shard, once jagged and sharp, had been patiently smoothed by the relentless caress of the ocean, transformed into a delicate petal of shimmering beauty.

With a deep breath, she stepped into the shrine, the scent of beeswax and incense enveloping her like a comforting embrace. The flickering candlelight painted the walls with a warm glow, illuminating the intricate carvings and offerings left by countless devotees.

Aurelia knelt before the altar, her gaze fixed, her heart heavy with the weight of her past mistakes and the fervent hope for redemption. She opened the box, revealing the shimmering rose, its delicate petals catching the light in a mesmerizing dance.

"Goddess Safrin," she began, her voice hushed with reverence, "I come before you humbled and contrite. I offer this token of my devotion, a symbol of my transformation and my unwavering loyalty. I know I have erred in the past, that I abandoned my duties to you and the people, but I have learned from my mistakes. I have grown, I have changed. I am ready to serve you once more, to use my strength and compassion to bring light to this world." Aurelia paused, her voice gaining a steely resolve. "I know there are forces at work that would see harm done to Caido, to its people, to the gods themselves... I want to help stop it, to protect this land that has become my home. Grant me your guidance, your wisdom, and your strength."

She placed the rose gently on the altar, its iridescent glow a beacon of hope in the candlelit chamber.

"Please, Safrin... I was hurt, I lost the one person I loved more than anything," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion, "let me earn your forgiveness, let me feel your light once more - though I do not deserve it. I will be yours to command. Let me be your instrument in the fight against darkness."

Aurelia bowed her head, her heart filled with a quiet plea. The silence that followed was profound, broken only by the soft crackle of the flames and the distant crash of waves against the cliffs. She waited, her spirit suspended in a delicate balance of hope and uncertainty.

---

Regional Score bonus: +7 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc.

Paying for a reroll if needed.

there were moments i thrust away
now there's a keeper i must pay

every bait and switch was a work of art

For a moment nothing at all happens, and the silence of the shrine will be of the sort that has Aurelia very aware of the pounding of her heartbeat in her own ears. Then, one by one, the flames on each candle spit and wave and the rose placed upon the shrine begins to wilt.

Black edges race down the delicate petals curling them inward until there is nothing left but a dark husk.

But then..

Moonlight bleeds through the charred petals and as the light presses them apart, they're covered in an opalescent light that bleeds colour and life back into them. 

"That this was one of your first stops coming back to Torchline has not gone unnoticed." The goddess muses, appearing in a whisp of sea breeze and moonlight made flesh. How had Jack put it? Ballsy? Where the captain and his crew might not have appreciated it, Safrin certainly did.

"You say you've changed Fireheart, but I hope you know that actions are what will have me believe that."

you're the one prize i'd cheat to win

Aurelia

there's a heart here cast in stone
and there's a past i must atone

The transformation of the rose, from withered husk to radiant bloom, filled Aurelia with a mixture of awe and trepidation. It was a stark demonstration of Safrin's power; her ability to manipulate life and death with a mere thought. But it was also a glimmer of hope, a sign that perhaps forgiveness was not beyond reach.

Safrin's words, delivered in a voice as ethereal as the moonlight that bathed her form, resonated within Aurelia's soul. The goddess had seen her pilgrimage, her first act upon returning to Torchline.

"I understand," Aurelia replied, her voice still laced with humility as she continued, "I know words alone cannot erase the past, but that's exactly why I came here: to prove my devotion through action, to show you that I have truly changed. But.. I don't know where to start.. Please, guide me, Safrin. Show me how I can truly make a difference in this world, how I can atone for my past and become a warrior of light."

She met Safrin's gaze, her own eyes reflecting the flickering candlelight.

there were moments i thrust away
now there's a keeper i must pay

every bait and switch was a work of art

"A warrior of light?" The goddess smiles, turning more fully towards the Fireheart and stretching her hands out to her. "And what sort of warrior would you be? I keep many weapons in my arsenal and tricks up my sleeve, as you must know." Safrin adds, her eyes narrowing at the corners ever so slightly as a smile of pure mischief danced across her painted lips.

"Items of healing, of illusion, of protection.." She lifts a brow, her fingers splayed as her palm rolls as if to suggest that the options were limitless. "Perhaps even a new shift." Safrin adds with a small shrug. All things were possible, if, as Safrin had already noted, the former queen was willing to put in the work.

you're the one prize i'd cheat to win

Aurelia

there's a heart here cast in stone
and there's a past i must atone

The goddess's offer, a dazzling array of possibilities, hung in the air, momentarily stealing Aurelia's breath. A wave of gratitude mingled with a surge of determination. She wouldn't squander this opportunity, this chance to become the warrior she yearned to be.

Her gaze fell upon the shield bangle, a radiant reminder of Safrin's protection. But a shield alone was not enough. Not anymore.

"A warrior of light, yes," Aurelia echoed, her voice firm and resolute, "but not one who merely defends. I want to be a force that pushes back the darkness, I will seek out the Void and confront it head-on."

Her eyes, once clouded by doubt and regret, now burned with a fierce intensity. "These creatures will learn to fear the light, to regret the day they dared to emerge from the shadows."

She raised her arm, the shield bangle shimmering in the moon and candlelight. "You granted me the means to protect, but a shield alone cannot win a war. I need a weapon, a blade of light to pierce the heart of darkness."

Her hand clenched into a fist, her resolve solidifying with each beat of her heart. "I know such a weapon cannot be simply gifted," she continued, her voice unwavering. "and I am ready to prove my worth, to undertake any trial, any quest, to earn the right to wield such power. Show me the path I must walk, the challenges I must overcome, to claim this blade."

there were moments i thrust away
now there's a keeper i must pay

every bait and switch was a work of art

As she listens, Safrin's lips twist into an approving smile. For all the time Aurelia had been gone her spirit had not been dampened by the grief and isolation she experienced, at least not to the point of going out completely. "You have always had fire in your heart." The herald murmurs with a sly smile.

"Indeed it won't be a gift, but given all that you've been through, don't think of it as a punishment either. I have the luxury of immortality—5 years are hardly anything to me, but to those you were once closest to? Those you'd now seek to protect?" She gives her head a little shake, not needing to elaborate for Aurelia had already seen the effects of her absence for herself.

"You already have the right to wield such power, especially in my name. Now what you must do is prove to those around you that when the time comes, you'll still be here." Stretching out her hand, an elegant sword appears. Stars and cosmic etchings have been lovingly placed into the blade, and as Aurelia holds it, she'll find the hilt already perfectly suited for her hand.

---

Aurelia has been given a quest! She must

1. Complete 2 training threads with her sword to get a feel for it
2. Use her sword to protect/defend someone
3. Use her sword to kill something

you're the one prize i'd cheat to win

Aurelia

there's a heart here cast in stone
and there's a past i must atone

Safrin's words about the passage of time, the stark contrast between her immortal perspective and the fleeting nature of mortal lives, struck a chord within Aurelia. The weight of her absence, the missed opportunities to connect and protect, settled heavily upon her shoulders.

As Safrin extended her hand, a breathtaking sword materialized, its celestial beauty a testament to the goddess's power and grace. Aurelia reached out, her fingers closing around the hilt with a sense of reverence and awe. The weapon felt like an extension of herself, its energy humming in harmony with her own.

"Thank you, Safrin," she whispered, her voice filled with gratitude and a newfound sense of purpose. The sword represented not only a weapon against the Void but also a symbol of her redemption and her commitment to protect those she held dear. "I will prove myself," she vowed, her gaze steady, "I will show them that I am here to stay, that I will fight for them, that I will never abandon them again."

With the sword in hand, Aurelia felt a surge of power; a clarity of purpose that had eluded her for years. She was ready to face the challenges ahead, to prove her worth.

---

[fin]

there were moments i thrust away
now there's a keeper i must pay