Known as the best huntress in Farnloss, 20-year-old Raya does her best to provide for the people within her village. However, this becomes a near-impossible task with the terrible drought that has consistently plagued them for the last few seasons...
"I'm sorry?" Raya stammered, dumbstruck once again for a brief moment. I mean, sure, she was talking to a bow—but seeing a giantess with wings was certainly out of the ordinary, right?
The woman, Seria, took a step forward. "I know it has been a long time, Tarius, but I didn't think you'd forget about me so easily." She looked sad with the admission.
"I believe there is a misunderstanding, Seria," Tarius glinted in the early morning light. "This woman is Raya."
Seria looked at Raya confused. "Tarius, why are you not speaking from your vessel's mouth?"
"Because my vessel has no mouth. Raya, can you lift me up, please?"
Raya lifted Tarius up with both hands as if offering the bow to Seria. The woman looked down at the bow and a glimmer of recognition made its way across her face.
"How is this possible? I thought you died. When I felt your presence again, I couldn't believe it. Is it true? You have been recovering since your battle with Mojhu?"
The name didn't seem familiar, but Raya assumed that it was the archaic god that Tarius had fallen to.
"I was weakened and had attempted to take a vessel before I fell. Instead, I allowed my spirit and my weapon to merge. It took a long time to regain my strength, but I am awake and ready to fulfil my duty."
Seria was quiet for a moment and it took Raya a few seconds to notice that the Enochi woman was crying.
"We were able to stop the Grace Removal ritual? I thought you were dead, but when I felt your presence again, I tried not to hope too hard. My beloved comrade, I am grateful that the new gods have allowed you to survive and to have us reunited once more," She gingerly took the bow from Raya's hands, running her hand along the string. She stopped abruptly, her attention now focused on Raya.
"So, since you must now be wielded, you have chosen this woman?"
"Yes. Raya's presence woke me and we are compatible. She is a skilled huntress and has shown that she is willing to do what it takes to take care of her village."
"This has more to do with just your village, Raya," Seria said, "you understand that you are now a part of something that will change the world?"
"Yes," Raya said without hesitation, "I know enough to understand that I will be facing gods. It will be an honor to fight alongside someone who has been there since the beginning," Raya bit her cheek to try to hide her worry.
Seria nodded, a small smile on her lips, "well, then we must see you trained properly. Enochi weapons are similar to humans', but you'll need to train in order to handle a bow as you ought to—"
"What in the name of the Gods is going on?!"
Raya and Seria turned to see Awen standing a few feet away. His eyes were locked onto Seria's imposing form, his face pale. Seria looked from him to Raya and then down to Tarius.
"You've lifted the mist from another mortal's eyes as well? You have regained your strength, I see," Seria said with a smile.
"Yes, this man and Raya found me in the riverbed. He has... charisma."
Seria laughed and her wings unfurled to their full span. Awen looked as though he was going to faint.
"Raya, please tell me that I'm dreaming."
"Not a dream," Raya said, brushing a black feather from her shoulder, "I'm going to be training with an Enochi on how to wield Tarius and save the world."
"Of course you are," Awen said, "but that doesn't mean that you're doing this alone."
Seria watched the exchange with a gleam in her eye. She gave Tarius back to Raya, the human settling the bow on her back once more.
"So, it's decided then. Raya, please climb on my back and hold on," She bent down to a crouch in order for Raya to scramble in between her wings. Raya wrapped her arms around Seria's neck as the Enochi stood up to her full height.
Awen moved in closer, "okay, you're definitely not allowed to just kidnap my friend like this. So, where am I gonna be?"
As quick as lightning, Seria reached out to scoop Awen into her arms, wrapping them around the man's shoulders and knees, cradling him like a baby. Awen sputtered in discontent, but as Seria began to flap her wings, he shut his mouth.
The Enochi took to the sky with one giant flap of her wings, the warming air of morning stinging the humans' faces. They hovered for a moment, then Seria flapped her wings once more to launch them above the clouds.
Raya had never seen such a beautiful sight. The clouds were billowing beneath them like grass, the only sound that could be heard was the flapping of Seria's wings, the wind in her hair, and Awen's whimpering as she made her way towards the west.
After what only seemed like a few minutes, the clouds made way to an island floating in the sky. There were pillars of marble streaked with gold and a large colosseum made of the same material as well as other buildings sprinkled throughout. However, the sight that most took Raya's breath away was the green leaves of the hundreds of trees littering the island. There were flowers in bloom along the grass in between the buildings and a large waterfall that cascaded through the entirety of the island.
Seria smiled and began to descend.
"Welcome to the Oratorium."
[Chapter Word Count: 1,660] [Overall Word Count: 5,642] [02.21.2020]
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