in tenebris est veritas.
In the moonless darkness, the Abandoned’s eyes do not see much. A hump of a shadow appears before them, a streak of black to interrupt the starry ocean with a pair of reflective eyes peering back at them. But the smell of it reaches her, the musk of salted moss and the tang of deep, murky secrets. And the sound of it too: like a short breath through the pulse of the ocean current followed by so many tiny, breaching fish crackling in its wake, and a little grumble of acknowledgement before it gasps for another few decades of air. Chaele’s gaze is pulled away by Maea’s, a gentle grin hidden behind their mask but present in their voice as they reply reverently, “Yes.”
But as the tumsea submerges and continues on its way, all that is left are reminiscences of loss and rebirth. Chaele’s words might seem warm, but they are delivered more like an observation, a cool deduction of facts. “It seems you have found the path forward, or at least a trailhead. This guild... the preservation of knowledge is a worthy endeavor. Through the memories we pass to others, we all get a chance to live on.” A rune-carved hand rises and turns over in a gesture toward the lantern, the ocean, and the horizon.
One question remains unanswered, and perhaps for the better. They had already asked so much-- and there is yet more to ask. “Maea… I must admit that I am stranded here. My boat is damaged, and I do not know how long the island will last. I would owe you a debt if I could return with you.”
But as the tumsea submerges and continues on its way, all that is left are reminiscences of loss and rebirth. Chaele’s words might seem warm, but they are delivered more like an observation, a cool deduction of facts. “It seems you have found the path forward, or at least a trailhead. This guild... the preservation of knowledge is a worthy endeavor. Through the memories we pass to others, we all get a chance to live on.” A rune-carved hand rises and turns over in a gesture toward the lantern, the ocean, and the horizon.
One question remains unanswered, and perhaps for the better. They had already asked so much-- and there is yet more to ask. “Maea… I must admit that I am stranded here. My boat is damaged, and I do not know how long the island will last. I would owe you a debt if I could return with you.”
