[God Quest] One Light

Sah

The sun had risen and Sah found himself sprinting to the shrine to complete his quest. Slowing down as he arrived, the hybrid approached and placed his bag down. Taking out his offerings, he placed them on the altar. This time he brought a sapphire-studded sheath for the dagger he'd previously offered, and a delicate glass sculpture of shooting stars. The dagger he'd had to get quite a bit of assistance from a jeweler, and the sculpture had taken a nearly embarrassing number of attempts to complete. But he was satisfied with them. 

Reaching down, Sah took out and unfolded a cloth to reveal two bloodied, gold pendant necklaces and placed them beside the sculpture. The pendants each had a small sun on them. It felt somewhat odd to place something with the sun on it before the Goddess of the stars. But the symbol was a small homage to Soleil's childhood nickname, Little Sun. Sah couldn't have possibly chosen which of his children to craft an item for first. There was no way to predict which the Family would target. They could have focused on Luka to finish him off, or they'd expect Sah to predict that and instead gone for Soleil. Unable to choose, Sah had instead flipped an improvised coin to make a decision. Soleil was first.

Kneeling and bowing his head, Sah prayed. "Safrin, I've completed the first quest and am ready to begin the second." The past few days had been a flurry of activity between his quest and Hadama's, but now he was here. The first of his quests was completed and the Demi-god was better prepared for Starfall.

~
Sah has completed the quest given to him in Shine Bright like a Diamond

1. Complete a thread finding or have made two whatever (stones, necklaces, rings, etc) to serve as the item

• Two places at once Created two pendant necklaces with small suns on them.
  

2. Complete a thread bleeding on both items

• Two drops Bled on them and made sure the pendants were suitably coated.
  

3. Leave them out beneath the starlight

• Guiding Stars Sat with them under the stars all night in his front yard.
  

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

every bait and switch was a work of art

The shrine did not answer immediately.

Instead, a hush fell over the surrounding snow, so profound that even the wind seemed to still in reverence. Then—softly, deliberately—the air shifted. It was not heat that arrived, but warmth nonetheless, suffused with something ancient and immense. Starlight bloomed like frostfire across the altar as Safrin appeared, not in haste or grandeur, but with the poise of someone who had already seen the moment unfold countless times in the weave of the cosmos.

She stepped forward in silence, her gown trailing behind her like the memory of night, until she stood before Sah. Her eyes—still shadowed with grief, but steadier now—fell upon the offerings he had laid out. One by one, her gaze lingered: the sapphire-studded sheath, the glass sculpture, the pendants. And though she said nothing at first, the faint tremble at the corner of her mouth betrayed the way the sun-shaped necklaces pierced something deep.

With reverent care, she reached down and touched the pendants. Not for long, just enough for the blood to vanish in a shimmer of light, leaving them shining and whole. Safrin turned her gaze to him fully then, her expression unreadable. "You’ve done well, Sah," she said quietly.

---

Sah has received

Little Sun | Twin pendants. When the button of one is pressed, it teleports the holder to the other pendant regardless of distance. One use only.

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

Sah

Safrin appeared and immediately Sah was concerned. His eyes tracked her silent approach and the tremble he wasn't sure he was meant to see, made his heart ache. He remained silent until she spoke, nodding at her words. "Thank you." His voice was soft, slightly uncertain in the face of this version of his Goddess. It made the Wild Thunder desperately wish to help, just as much as he wished to start his quest anew for Luka.

He was no stranger to pain and grief, or even the loss of a child. When Sah had come to Caido, he'd been certain that he'd left Soleil and Luka behind. That they'd died alongside his original home. He had been incalculably blessed that they had instead returned to him later, but the echos of the time without them would haunt him forever.

Sah wasn't a Demi-god. He wasn't Deimos. He wasn't privy to the connection or depth of loyalty and love that they shared with Safrin. But he was still hers, and that gave him the courage to speak again, even if he wasn't certain about the exact reason for her distress. The question was quiet but sincere, "Is there anything that I can do?" There likely wasn't, and even if there was it likely was outside of the realm of what a hybrid could do. Yet, if there was even one small thing that he could do to ease her pain, he would do it without hesitation.

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

every bait and switch was a work of art

Safrin’s gaze remained on the pendants for a long moment, her expression caught somewhere between memory and mourning. The soft ripple of Sah’s voice drew her eyes slowly back to his, and though she did not smile, something in her gaze eased—just enough to soften the unspoken weight between them. "There’s nothing I need," she said gently, her voice like starlight stretched thin across silence. "Not right now.”

She stepped closer, until the hem of her gown brushed against his knees, until the air shimmered faintly with the heat of closeness and not power. One hand lifted to rest, briefly, against the crown of his head—a benediction, a quiet tether between them. "Just keep them safe," she whispered. "That is more than enough."

The starlight behind her began to dim, threads of her presence already loosening from the cold air. As she withdrew her hand, the frost glittered in her wake. "When you are ready to begin the second amulet," she added, her voice returning to something steadier, more certain, "come and find me."

And with that, Safrin vanished once more into the hush of snow and dawn.

~FIN

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