[SE] A lonely mile in the moonlight

He had a great deal to be grateful for in this season of rest, and he knew to whom he owed his thanks. Although he loved Torchline and the shrine at Aumakua there he had heard of other shrines dedicated to Safrin around Caido, and he had set himself the task of visiting them and paying his honors to his goddess and her creator at each one that he could now reach.

The snow in King's End was not yet as deep as it would become later in the season, but walking through it had been a challenge in its own right. Hadama had at least come prepared after Halo, wrapped in a thick coat and boots, and a grey scarf and gloves of fine wool. He climbed to the highest Barrow, forgoing his teleportation to make the last leg of the journey on his own. The altar there had other gifts spread across its surface already, so Hadama simply found an empty span of stone to lay his own offerings: a lantern of clearest crystal and a small crescent moon carved from alabaster and glinting with silver sparkles inlaid across its surface.

He knelt in the snow with his hands resting on his thighs and bowed his head, sinking into prayer and a deep meditation on gratitude for the blessings he had been given by the lady of stars.

He was so deep in his contemplation of the divine that he failed to notice the trio of villi that followed in his tracks, ghosting soundlessly over the moonlit snow as they began to converge on the defenseless Tidebreaker.

Sah

Sah

After Torchline, Sah needed to be in Safrin's presence, even if it was just a shrine. He'd considered returning to the lighthouse but staying in the region for any longer than necessarily made his skin crawl. He needed space, and he needed his Goddess. Grabbing a map, he'd figured out where a shrine dedicated to Safrin and Vi specifically was before heading out.

He'd brought flowers to the shrine with shaking hands and a bowed head. Taking his time, he'd confessed to Safrin what had happened and simply spoke to the air, pouring out his distress. The endeavor had lessened some of the burden on his heart, at least for the moment. Afterward, the Wild Thunder had donned his armor and taken his companions out to hunt in an attempt to try and take his mind off of everything.

Pad was the one who reacted first, his hackles rising and a quiet growl rumbling in his chest. Seeing through the wolf's eyes, Sah's own widened as he took in a trio of villi passing by and headed in the direction of the shrine that he'd just left. Worried, the Wild Thunder silently followed the creatures with a furrowed brow.

It was as they took a bend that he spotted Hadama and how close the creatures were to the unsuspecting Demi-god. "Hadama, duck!" The warning wasn't necessary; the Wild Thunder's aim was too precise. But after what had happened with Melita, he'd rather be safe than sorry, especially as he called forth his lighting.

Sah may still have had reservations about using the element against allies, but he would never hesitate to use it on an enemy. Lighting arched from his fingers and struck the three villi in quick succession. The creatures let out harrowing wails before dissipating into the air. Letting out a sigh of relief, Sah jogged over to Hadama, "Are you ok?"

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

A voice cracked through the moonlit night, shattering its silence and serenity both. Hadama was disinclined to duck and instead twisted his head sharply to the side to find its source as power gathered around him, a faint and misty haze poised to coalesce into something as yet untested--

But lightning flickered across the snow, striking each incorporeal spirit and somehow dispersing them. The King rose to his feet, seeking the source of the magic until his eyes rested on the young mage he had fought in the tournament.

"Sah," he rumbled, inclining his head in gratitude. "Thank you. I am unharmed." But the night was dark and deep, and they were far from civilization. Stranger coincidences had happened on Caido - and did, on a regular basis - but the emerald gaze that contemplated the Halovian did not jump to any conclusions without further proof. "What brings you to King's End?"

Sah

Sah relaxed marginally at the sound of Hadama's voice. The villi had gone down shockingly fast, but the sounds of not-so-distant wailing suggested that they weren't completely out of the clear.

The King's question made Sah reach up and rub the back of his neck sheepishly, "The same purpose as you, it seems." The Abandoned looked at the altar with a wistful expression, "After....after what happened...I needed to be close to Safrin. He swallowed harshly, I couldn't bring myself to stay in Torchline, not with all of the looks I was getting, so I came here and told her everything through prayer. I'm sure she already knew...but I thought she should hear it from me." The last thing Sah wanted for his sworn Goddess to think was that he'd try to hide his mistakes from her or deceive her in any way.

Sah glanced at Hadama with a tired expression, meeting the observant eyes studying him, "I suppose you have questions." Melita was a Demi-god and a citizen of Torchline. Hadama was well in his right to interrogate him.

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

Hadama listened solemnly to the young man's answer, nodding slowly in acknowledgment of the explanation that followed. There was solace in prayer as he could well attest, and while Melita's trauma was likely greater she was also an extremely resilient young woman, her mettle long-since tested, tried, and true. He was less familiar with the Wild Thunder, but the distress that was hinted at between the words and in the eyes of the mage was genuine.

And not without good reason.

"I do not," the Tidebreaker reassured him as to questions. "There is always risk in combat. Even in training." And it had been a genuine accident; that much had been clear to everyone watching. "Have you spoken with Melita?" The only one whose opinion truly mattered in the situation, in Hadama's eyes. Eyes that left Sah's face occasionally to scan around them, alert now for further danger beneath the starlight, though his posture remained erect but at ease. It was disturbing to be attacked at a shrine, especially one dedicated to his goddess. It was, however, reassuring that Sah had come to pray at it, and Hadama was keenly curious as to the Wild Thunder's reasons for doing so. A curiosity that could wait until after he had reassured the young man that there was no blame to be cast on him from this half of Torchline's rulership, at least.

Sah

Sah blinked in surprise when Hadama didn't interrogate him, letting himself relax in the man's presence. The one question posed, however, had him grimacing, "Not yet. I fully intend to do so within the coming weeks. I just thought it'd be best to give us both a little bit of space to process first."

He let out a heavy sigh, "I've been brainstorming what to say and... I don't think any words could possibly convey how sorry I am." Accident or not, he owed the woman a hell of an apology and most likely some kind of retribution. Sah wouldn't put it off, either. The Wild Thunder was willing to do what he had to do to make things right.

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

"Indeed," the Tidebreaker acknowledged gravely. Considering the Honeybee's volatile nature it was something of a coin toss as to whether Sah's strategy would help things or make them worse. Only Melita could decide how she would respond to the distance - or silence - from the man who had accidentally (if temporarily) killed her. Hadama had not spent much time with his old friend since the advent of Starfall, but he would never have tried to anticipate her reaction to such a situation.

Not only was it a very unique circumstance, but she was an agent of gleeful chaos at the best of times. The only one who knew how she would react was Melita herself. And there was the chance that no matter what he did now, Sah may have made himself... if not an enemy, then an antagonist for the foreseeable future.

"I wish you luck in finding them." Hadama's words were not without sympathy. The young man was in an unenviable position, but the King respected the mage enough to trust him to handle the situation on his own.

Reaching up to adjust his scarf, he looked back at the shrine and then his gaze returned to the Wild Thunder with a questioning tilt of his head as he considered what had been said earlier. She?"Are you also one of Safrin's faithful?" A reasonable assumption given who the shrine was dedicated to, but many on Caido prayed to many gods without being sworn exclusively to one. Perhaps Sah had simply sought solace in the Star-eyed goddess's light due to the shrine's nearness when he needed it.

Sah

Sah smiled grimly, "Thank you." He would need all of the luck that he could. The Wild Thunder didn't want to make an enemy out of someone that he'd previously called a tentative friend. He and Melita had had fun in the past goofing off and testing each other's capabilities. Losing that would be worth grieving. More pragmatically, he knew that making an enemy out of a Demi-god was a terrible thing. Especially with a war looming where they'd need to cooperate.

The Wild Thunder tilted his head as the King's expression changed. The question shouldn't have surprised him, but the shift in topic did. Sah softened, tense muscles relaxing, and his smile turned genuine. "Yes, I'm hers. I swore my loyalty to her right before the prior war." He glanced up at the stars reverently, "I never would have expected her to accept me, but she did. I'll be forever grateful." Sah might not be hers in the way that Safrin's Demi-gods or Deimos were, nor had he earned the right to be. But Safrin was his goddess and she had accepted his vow of loyalty.

As an Abandoned Outlander who had previously been sworn to a goddess from his home world, Safrin's invitation had been a shock. He'd gone to her for help in preparing for the war and ensuring that he'd be able to come home to his children, who were still young at the time. After completing his quest, the starry goddess flipped the script on him and asked if he wished to swear himself to her. The Wild Thunder hadn't made his choice lightly. One should never make a vow without deep contemplation and genuine intent. He'd meant every word of his oath to Safrin.

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

The Tidebreaker tilted his head in acknowledgment of the thanks, but there was little else he could do for the young man aside from the assurance he had already given: that no grudge was held by Torchline’s King. He missed Melita and their own days of carefree desserts and growing stronger together. But now that she was Ludo’s as completely as he was Safrin’s it was even less likely that things would ever go back to the way they had been between them.

That was not Sah’s weight to bear, however, and Hadama set the heavy thought aside for later contemplation.

Safrin’s name summoned a smile to the Wild Thunder’s face and the corners of Hadama’s eyes crinkled in understanding, his own smile more implied than visible but warm nonetheless to hear Sah’s praise of his goddess. ”What drew you to her?” came the slow, curious question. Emerald eyes turned up towards the stars as well as they spoke, seeking out the constellations of Deepfrost that had guided sailors for as long as humans had sailed ships beyond the sight of shore. It was calming to speak of his lady, and affirming to do so with someone who held her in such reverence.

Sah

The answer to the King’s question was a complex one. A mix of emotions, desperation, logic, and calculated risk. “I was scared.” That was a good place to start. “I was still relatively new to Caido and my children had only just arrived. We’re all Outlanders, and I had thought that I’d never see them again…” The Wild Thunder took a shaky breath, “I’d thought that they were dead, lost to my fallen world.” It had been some time since he’d recalled his own death and rebirth and although the pain had dulled, it still burned.

Regaining himself, Sah continued. “I refused to lose them or orphan them. So I went to Safrin. I knew that people I trusted had sworn themselves to her or had at least spoken highly of her. As a mother and as a goddess, that is. And then she made it so that all of Caido’s children would survive the war.” The relief when he recalled the announcement had almost sent him to his knees. The Wild Thunder had been terrified that their new world’s war would steal his children away once more.

Sah’s face twisted into something determined, “I decided to take the chance and ask for her help in ensuring that I would survive to get back to my children.” They needed him, more so than ever before. A new world was hard enough, but being a new species made it all the more challenging.

“She helped me. And afterward, when she asked for my loyalty, it didn’t take me long to decide. It felt right, so I did.”

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

Hadama may have been silent while Sah spoke, but he was listening to every word. He turned his head to regard the other man with quiet compassion as the Abandoned spoke of his fears and the pain of his past with a forthright honesty and courage that the Tidebreaker found commendable. He inclined his head in respect for all that Sah had overcome, and for the determination that he had displayed to protect his children - to protect Soleil, who had become a young woman of vibrant spirit and the potential to change the world.

"Of all the gods," he rumbled, returning his gaze to the sky. "I believe she has the closest relationship to her loyal followers." If she was the most jealous of her chosen, she was also the most involved in their lives - for better or for worse, as some would say. For Hadama, at least, it had been for the better, and he was quietly glad to hear that Sah felt the same. "If you need help in the future, please call on me. I will come if I am able." This, too, felt right to support one who had pledged himself to Safrin, in whatever form that might take in the future.