Aldeheid leaned on the window sill and took in the fresh breeze blowing by. It weaved and threaded through his hair like gentle willowy hands, reminding him that he needed to cut it. Below him, in the east garden, Leandyr and Siegfried were going at each other for the umpteenth time. The sounds of their swords clashing rang out into the morning air, and surely woke anyone who was still asleep.
He wanted nothing more than to see Leandyr beat up that brute. The bitterness from their short-lived encounter the previous day was still on his tongue, but he could rest assured that the Swordmaster would avenge him.
The two couldn't be more different. Siegfried was a hard hitter, who wore down his opponents with brutal, unrelenting attacks. But Leandyr was something else entirely – elegant, light on his feet and stylish – a true master of the blade. Every swing of his sword was a work of art, worthy of being framed and hung. It was a level of mastery Aldeheid could only dream of achieving.
A knock on his room door pulled his attention from the fight. He turned just as Kitaya poked her head in. She'd sent a message with an attendant earlier, telling him to get ready.
"Those two are still sparring?" She stepped inside, grimacing at the mess he'd already made of his room. Ether stones and crumpled paper littered the floor from where he'd been practicing. The sheer canopy on his bed was twisted to one side, his bedding was crumpled and his clothes were thrown over the box.
Aldeheid's face burned as Kitaya's eyes scrutinized each misplaced, disorderly thing, her frown deepening. He felt like a child who'd been caught trying to steal cookies. "Where to today?"
Her eyes flicked toward him as she brushed an ether stone aside with her shoe. "Remember I told you I'd find someone who could help you? Well, that's where we're headed."
"N-now...?" Apprehension gripped and dragged him into an involuntary backpedal. He wasn't mentally prepared to speak to anyone about his mountain of problems. Or even try to climb over. If anything he wanted to pretend it didn't exist, even though it towered over him. Even while he stood in its shadow.
"It'll be fine angel eyes, I promise." Kitaya's voice was laced with sincerity, and he had no reason not to trust her. And she was only doing it because she was worried about him. It was etched in her brow every time he came down to breakfast looking ragged and miserable, every time he startled when she tried to talk to him. He owed it to her to at least try, just this once.
"Alright, lead the way," Aldeheid said, hoping and praying that he wouldn't regret those words later. Together they traversed the vast corridors of Castle Kon once more, making their way to the east garden.
Leandyr and Siegfried were taking a break, sitting on the terrace and chugging down glasses of water. Lady Hiroh had the sand pit for herself, and she was whipping and twirling around like a leaf on the breeze, slashing at invisible enemies.
"Warrior maiden, come spar with us," Siegfried called.
Kitaya gave him a dismissive wave. "Not now, Siegfried, I'm busy."
Aldeheid inched closer to her to block her from his view, and resisted the urge to shoot a dirty look at the brute. That's right, she doesn't have time for you. As they ventured further down the winding past, he spotted Jayer and Jetei sitting on one of the many stone benches.
He took longer strides, pulling away from Kitaya and breezing past them like they were naught more than one of the fancy decorative pillars.
"Morning Jayer, Jetei," Kitaya said, he voice fading as he sped away. "I'll uh... sorry, I can't talk now."
Aldeheid heard her fast approaching footfalls as she ran to catch up with him.
"Why are you being so rude today?" She gave him a playful slap on the arm.
"I'm not being rude, I just... don't want to talk to anyone." Especially not Jayer. And he'd rather mentally prepare himself for what's to come.
The headed out the castle's eastern gate and followed the same road they'd used on their arrival. The sun peeked out from behind the drifting clouds, but there was enough wind blowing to mitigate its heat. The marketplace was quiet, and the vendors were just setting up for the day, tidying their displays and sweeping dust and debris from their doorsteps.
Aldeheid looked around, taking in the ambience of the place. The scent of fresh bread mixed with wildflowers. A few of the vendor bid them good morning, but didn't overwhelm them like the crowds from the day before.
Kitaya pointed out various shops to him. A tavern called The Lion's Roar, an inn that looked more like an estate and a jeweler with glittering gems and precious metals in its display. "They make rings for the members of the royal family," she explained, flashing hers.
From there, it was a short walk to the breach, where armoured men and women were patrolling, twice as many as there had been the day before. Over their heads, a score of Lyberra flew around in complex patterns.
Kitaya hurried him through, and out the eastern gate, where Nylarah was waiting with a Lyberra. She was dressed in a simple green robe, white hair held back with a leather thong. Her staff was propped against the outer wall, and she was humming softly to the beast as she stroked its golden mane.
"Good morning," she said with a bright smile.
"Morning." Kitaya sidled up to the Lyberra and joined Nylarah in scratching it mane. The beast released a rumbling purr, craning its neck so they could scratch the underside.
Aldeheid stood back, flashbacks from his Lyberra ride with Kitaya playing through his head. With any luck he wouldn't have to get on the beast.
"At least I don't have to walk back now." She slapped Aldeheid's shoulder. "I'll see you later, angel eyes. Take good care of him, Ny."
"Wait, what?" He gaped at her. "You're not coming with me?"
"Like I said, angel eyes, this isn't something I can help you with." She nodded to Nylarah. "You're in good hands, I promise. Nylarah will bring you back when you're done." With that she hopped onto the Lyberra's back and they bounded off.
As Aldeheid watched her disappear into the breach, apprehension seized him by the throat once more. At least he was with someone he was familiar with and not a complete stranger.
"Nervous?" Nylarah asked, drawing his attention "Kitaya told me you've been having some trouble sleeping, but she didn't tell me why." She pulled her staff from the wall. It was a curious thing, long as Aldeheid was tall and crafted from a sparkling silver metal that reflected the sunlight. A hoop graced its top encrusted with green gems. Three metal cylinders hung from it and chimed whenever they clinked together.
"Well... it's a bit complicated. And not something I'm thrilled to talk about." Aldeheid roughed up his hair, trying to figure out a way out of this.
Nylarah laid her staff horizontal on the air, where it stayed floating of its own volition. "That's quite fine, Aldeheid." She hopped up on the staff and began gliding towards the temple.
Aldeheid hadn't heard a word she said. He was too enthralled by her magical flying stick. What manner of sorcery and mysticism was keeping it afloat? "I'm sorry. I didn't hear you," he said, chasing after her.
"I said it's fine if you don't want to talk. You don't have to say anything." She tapped her staff and it released a melodic chime.
The sound slipped into Aldeheid's ears and filled his head, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. "What do you mean? How is this supposed to work then?"
Nylarah gave him and honey-glazed smile. "You let me worry about that. I set aside my whole day, so we'll have plenty of time to talk. Or not talk. 'Tis your choice."
Aldeheid groaned. Why did all of Kitaya's friends and relatives have to be so strange? Why couldn't they speak in plain words instead of riddles? It left him feeling helpless, but at the same time his apprehension was gone, and he was following her dutifully, like a lost puppy.
Perhaps he should be more wary. Nylarah seemed as sweet and harmless as a flower, but she was Kitaya's sister. Which meant she could probably lift him over her head and fling him into tomorrow. Or something equally as heinous.
As they stepped onto the temple grounds and a low vibration climbed up the soles of his shoes and tingled through his toes. "This place is warded?"
"No, but it is sacred ground." Nylarah dismounted her staff and gave it a graceful flourish. "This is the temple of the creation goddess, Amarah, the torchbearer of all deities and the mother of Magika. Take your shoes off please."
Aldeheid kicked of his boots, leaving them beside the statue. Nylarah was already walking through the temple's open entrance, and he had to jog to catch up to her.
When they stepped into the temple's sanctuary, the vibration grew stronger, reverberating through his whole body. It was accompanied by a low droning sound, like the building was humming to him. The ice god's temple in Wylerra had been nothing like this. This place felt like a live breathing entity. Even the air buzzed with energy.
The sanctuary was open, allowing a shower of morning sunshine through. Standing to the rear of the temple was an even larger likeness of the creation goddess. She stood with her hands cupped in front of her. Vine and flowers ran over palms and hugged her fingers, spilling over to hang over the altar. A few people were kneeling at it, sending up prayers.
Nylarah led him away from them, into a hall to the south. Sconces filled with luminescent beads lined each side and the smell of sweet smoke wafted from the doors that lined either side. At its end a stairwell awaited them it went up several stories before curving away.
"Not much further now." Nylarah mounted the steps, using her staff like a walking stick. Up they went into the higher reaches of the building. There were no windows to gaze at the outside world. Just endless lights and steps.
Aldeheid looked back where they came and only saw a black abyss behind him. His heart flew into his throat and he stumbled forward, catching himself on the handrail. "Nylarah uh..."
"It's just up ahead," she said with a smile.
Aldeheid could only grimace at the endless steps in front of him. There was no turning back now. As their climb continued, time seemed to melt away. He didn't mind the long walk; climbing the mountain with Kitaya had prepared him for such moments. But the difference between this and the mountain was that the mountain had a top.
After what felt like eternity of climbing, an insufferable burn settled in his legs. Every step became an agonizing struggle, but every time he gazed ahead, there seemed to be a thousand more left to climb. Thirst turned his throat into sandpaper, and sweat beaded his brow. This building hadn't appeared nearly so large from the outside. So where did all this space for steps come from?
Meanwhile, Nylarah didn't seem bothered at all by their arduous trek. Her steps were as sure and easy as they had been at the beginning of the climb, like she was taking a stroll through the garden. "Would you like to use my staff?" she asked, offering the item in question.
"No, I'm fine." The lie stung his throat as much as his thirst.
Just as he was about to tell her to hand over her flying stick, she stopped in the middle of the steps.
"Here we are." She slammed the heel of her staff on steps, and a section of the wall sank in before sliding to the side. The circular room beyond was devoid of people. Understandable to Aldeheid, since no one in their right mind would want climb all those steps. It was flooded with ankle-deep water, but none of it spilled out into the stairwell. The floor was made of smooth white marble accented with a spider's web of green veins. Leaves and flowers speckled its surface, surrounding yet another statue of the creation goddess at the room's center.
"This is the meditation chamber," Nylarah said. Leading the way in. As she waded through the pool, the hem of her robe remained dry, dragging along the surface.
Aldeheid stayed back in the stairwell, glancing up and down its length. Perhaps there was still a way to escape this madness.
"Not coming in?" Nylarah stared at him from across the room, serene smile in place.
I don't have to talk, he reminded himself. He didn't have to say anything. He stepped inside, the water enveloping his bare feet. It didn't wet them, nor did it soak the hems of his pants. Some manner of magic was at work here, but it was nothing like Aldeheid had seen or heard of before.
The flowers twirled away as he waded through the pool. "What are we doing here?"
"Well it's a meditation chamber so..."
He made a face. She was Kitaya's sister alright.
"Please sit." Nylarah indicated a spot in front of the statue and he obliged, settling with his legs crossed.
Aldeheid scooped up a little of the water to examine it, but it separated into beads and slipped through his fingers, splashing into the rest without making a sound. The coolness of it still seeped through his clothes to chill his skin. It was a welcomed sensation after the long climb.
Nylarah joined him on the floor, her robe pooling around her legs, and her staff leaned against her shoulder. "Do you want to talk? About what's been bothering you."
He cringed, and looked away from her to watch the leaves and flowers float by. "Not really, no. It's not even something I want to talk to Kitaya about." So imagine you. He left that thought unsaid.
"She told me as much. It's fine, you don't have to say anything." She tapped her staff and it sung, the chime ricocheting off the walls of the chamber. "Let's meditate. Eyes closed, even breaths. Relax and empty your mind."
Aldeheid nodded and did as she said. Most of it. The last bit – emptying his mind – was more difficult than it sounded. There was always something to ponder, but mostly something to worry about. His mind never rested, not even in his dreams."
"Focus on the sound of my chime." Her voice sounded far away, as though she were speaking to him from another room.
The gentle ting of the chime rang out in his head once more, its hum spreading to the edge of his awareness. His body grew light, as though a wind was lifting him up to whisk him away.
Light filtered through his eyelids and he opened his eyes to find himself still in the circular chamber, but instead of the statue in the center, there was him – still sitting cross-legged and suffused in a blue glow.
[A/N]: As promised. Two chapters. I actually had to cut this one short because it was over 4k words. I'll try to get the rest of it up some time through the week. Once again, thanks for reading. Don't forget to vote and comment.