you shine brighter than anyone

Sohalia

Deimos's words were sobering for the young woman. How sad it must have been for him, to have seen monsters attacking innocent people! He seemed to be a good man who wanted to protect others. It was somewhat jarring, to have her beliefs thrown into question in such a way. On the one hand, she desperately clung to her guardian's teachings - that everything in their world had a place. But what place was there for creatures that sought only to harm others? Why were they created in the first place?

She handed over her journal, eager to show off her handiwork to someone more experienced and well-traveled than she. When he offered to remove the water from it, she beamed at him. "Oh, could you?" she asked, relief evident in her voice. She'd been afraid that her work would be destroyed after her impromptu dip in the lake. "That would be wonderful!" She looked on, perhaps a tad nervously, as Deimos flipped through the pages, wondering what he would think of her work. It was probably silly, for her to have kept a journal of her travels - after all, what had she to add to the myriad existing accounts of the world? But there was something special about documenting her own thoughts and observations. "Well, I grew up in the Hollowed Grounds, and after my guardian died, I explored a bit there. Then I went to the Greatwood. I took a skyship to Torchline, briefly, and then flew over here, to the Oerwoud. So... not very many places. Not yet, anyway."

and that's the hope I have
the only thing I know that's keeping me alive