Dreams of Faraway Danger (Nira'lia)

[Eridanus]

Day 20, Summer of 512 AV
1st Bell after Midnight
Order of Transcendence Temporary Headquarters

The first bell struck as the city bells signified the shift of time. It was one bell pass a brand new day, yet most people were asleep, busy recovering the energy needed to pursue their business when Syna climbed the sky. Now, Leth's gaze reigned over all, and the unflinching moonlight washed over a solemn ethaefal lounging just outside a modest looking building.

The illusions of the city had made it such at that, at the moment, they were on a mountain of some sort overlooking a gentle stream, though the ethaefal could not be sure if the water was real or merely an illusion. The building behind him was the temporary base he had rented for the duration of summer for their newly built guild, and it was to here that he moved from the Cubacious Inn for lodging purposes while it was generally unused.

The konti he met back in Zeltiva had came to Alvadas for her Call, and her mother's divination held true for their chavis indeed lay tightly woven together. Eridanus wondered if she was sleeping soundly inside, for he could not today.

The moonlight called to him, as though Leth had a message for him, yet lacked the means to do so. Something in him yearned to go across the Suvan Sea, and the moonlight continued to beckon. There was something stirring within his chest, and it was a mix of apprehension and adrenaline and excitement.

There was something strange afoot, or he could simply just be moon-mad.

[Nira'lia]

She found herself travelling over a huge body of water. The images of the sea fluttered before her, and were gone in almost an instant. The sea was in mayhem, as if being thrown apart by strong powers. She was brought upon a city that was being wrecked by the turmoil of the past season's storm. Even amidst the wreckage and the disorder, there was a nagging feeling that told her she had been here before. Not during this certain time, but she had seen this city in the past. The images weaved through houses, streets... and focused before a tree. It was an oak tree. Soon enough, the scene changed, and the storm was gone – though the surroundings were still in a wreck. The oak tree remained a tree, but it seemed to resonate power from within it, giving Nira'lia a message she couldn't understand, one that was beckoning not only her, but everyone who was able... Nira'lia woke up with a start. The vision vanished from before her and she frantically looked around. She was at the temporary headquarters of the Order of Transcendence. It was the dead of the night, and she could hear the faint sound of the day's first bell. The Konti rubbed her eyes and forced her racing heart to calm down. For someone like Nira'lia, visions sometimes came unwillingly. Images would flash before her without warning, and it was difficult for her to understand what they meant. When they came during the night, she even had to think about whether it had been a simple dream of if it was a vision. She doubted that had been a dream, though... the images were still clear in her mind, and an uneasy feeling enveloped her. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to get some more sleep for now, Nira'lia stood up and made her way to the door. Fresh air would do her good. Opening the door, she stepped outside and was instantly at ease at the coolness of the night air. She took in a deep breath and attempted to understand what she had seen. Since she had not been to a lot of cities, she could pinpoint where that vision had been situated in... Syliras. But what about that tree? She had never seen it before, and she saw nothing special about it. She was so lost in her reverie that Nira'lia almost shrieked when she finally realized that somebody else was there. Gaping, she stared at Eridanus. 'What's he doing here?' "Eridanus..." she called out curiously, attempting to get his attention. OOCVague visions of Syliras's windoak were permitted by Paragon.

[Eridanus]

The ethaefal turned around suddenly at the mention of his name, giving a sigh of relief internally when he realized that it was just the konti. After the continuous dangers that plagued Alvadas for the last two seasons he had gotten jumpy with surprises, though he tried his best not to let that show.

"Trouble sleeping?" He questioned softly as he turned around to face the streaming river, stepping to a side to allow the konti space to stand if she wished to appreciate the sights from his vantage point.

"The air's particularly... electric today," Eridanus remarked inconsequentially, clasping his hands behind his back. For some reason he felt energetic even this late in the night, his eyes actively seeking and searching as if finding for something.

[Nira'lia]

"Uhm... electric?" Nira'lia moved to his side and looked at the scenery that he was facing. There was a gentle stream that gave off a feeling of serenity, and the Konti couldn't help but smile softly. The cold night air, the stream... stepping outside was proving to the be the right choice. She felt much more at ease now. The Konti seemed to hesitate, as if in a battle with herself to figure out if she was going to tell him about what she had seen. 'But, hey... he already knows that I have sight, and maybe he can help me understand it.' With a slight shrug, she decided to answer his previous question. "A dream woke me up. I, uh... I don't really understand it, though..." With a frown, she gathered her thoughts and looked at him. "Any idea why a regular looking tree would visit my dreams?"

[Eridanus]

"Dreams, you say?" Eridanus began sharply, glancing to the side as Nira'lia took up her position beside him. Though she claimed that she could not tell the future with her current mark from Avalis, he was under no illusion that the Konti were indeed borne from the Goddess of Visions. At least some remnant of prophetic ability - no matter how latent - would lie in their blood.

This was no coincidence, it was like the world at large telling them that something was afoot. Yet, he had to make sense of it. It was possible that they were making mountains out of molehills of course, but when both are feeling strange at the same time it would hardly be merely a coincidence.

"I don't know about a regular looking tree," The ethaefal murmured as his brows furrowed in thought. "What else did you dream about?"

[Nira'lia]

'...of course he'd gather nothing if I told him I saw a tree,' thought Nira'lia. Up until this point, she had thought that the tree had special meaning behind it. The last thing she could remember was the tree, but really, what could one conclude from that? "Well, uh... it's across the sea..." she muttered. "I think it was Syliras, but I'm not too sure. It certainly looked like Syliras. Actually, it most probably was Syliras." The Syliras she had seen was being wrecked by a storm. Since she could see the past, she assumed that it was the terrible storm from last season. The storm had left Zeltiva in a mess, and she imagined that Syliras could have had been affected by it just as well. "Okay, so I saw the sea, then I saw Syliras being ravaged by a storm... then I saw a tree. It was there even after the storm was gone, and... I... I don't know," she was utterly confused at this point as she attempted to put herself together. "It was just a tree, but I couldn't help but feel like it was calling people. It's a strong feeling that I can't shake off, as if I want to answer it, but I don't know why..." Nira'lia gave a sheepish laugh as she remembered the last time she had felt this way. Her call had given her the same feeling, and was the reason she was here at this moment. The feeling of needing to answer her call had been much stronger, but it was similar. "It's kind of like that strong feeling that I had which led me here," she explained. "Who knows, maybe answering the tree is my call as well?" she joked. Was it even possible to have two calls? However, for all she knew, arriving at Alvadas had just been the start. 'Nah, that seems unlikely,' she mused.

[Eridanus]

"Syliras?" The ethaefal glanced at the konti. "Did you see a large stone castle in the backdrop of a sea?" He was, of course, referring to the fortress that was Stormhold Castle. He could not claim that he had fully travelled the lands, but he travelled enough to safely say that he had not encountered any other city was a castle as grand as that of Syliras.

Indeed, the djed storm had ravaged the world, and he did not doubt Syliras suffered as much as Alvadas, since they were not very far apart. He did suspect that they might have a better time due to the powerful walls of the Castle. However, the reference to the tree escaped him.

"Is it that strong a feeling, Nira'lia? Can a Konti have two calls though? I'm unaware of the precise mechanics of it."

Clasping his hands behind his back as he looked front again at the winding river, he shivered even though it was not that cold. It was a shiver of anticipation, or apprehension, even excitement. Though he did not know what was happening, his soul could detect something on a primal level.

And that manifested in such unconscious body behaviour.

[Nira'lia]

"Yes, I saw the castle," she replied simply. It was one of the most defining aspects of Syliras, after all. She took a moment to think about his question. Her words had been a joke, and she didn't really believe in it. It was too absurd, and there was no real way of finding an answer to that question. In the end, she just gave a slight shrug. "I don't know..." she admitted, answering his question about the Konti Call. "Probably not...?" Nira'lia stared at him with a blank expression. Did she want to go to Syliras? Yes, she really felt like she should. "Maybe I'll go head back to Syliras, just out of curiosity... it's only about fifteen days away. Would you mind if I left for a while?" she asked impulsively. Her manner of speaking was slow but direct to the point. Nira'lia couldn't tell that he was also feeling beckoned, and as such she was speaking for herself. In her mind, he wouldn't mind, since the need for a healer for the guild wasn't too necessary at its current state. However, she felt like it was just proper to tell him her intentions. "Rather, do you think it would be silly to travel all the way across the sea just because of a strong feeling?" she added with a laugh.

[Eridanus]

Eridanus considered her words gravely, then turned fully to face her. With a solemn expression, he remarked, "I... feel that something is amiss as well. The moonlight beckons to me, warning that there was a mystery - or danger - in the air, yet that was as far as what general impulse can give me. You... you have given voice to my worries."

He knew that he had just started a guild, but he could not allow Nira'lia to venture forth into possible danger herself - not when he felt that he had been similarly called.

"We will leave for Syliras and investigate this. If it is all unfound fears, we will return to Alvadas immediately. If not..." He let his words trail off as he sighed.

"We depart in 5 days. There should be a ship available with that amount of notice. Do what you can to prepare and tie up matters here, I will do that as well."

[Nira'lia]

"You feel something odd as well...?" she asked meekly. The thought comforted her, but it also made her feel more suspicious. Nira'lia did the math in her head. Five days? "But, that's..." she started, but her voice trailed off. Nira'lia looked concerned, but she decided not to say anything else in the end. 'Doesn't matter, I didn't have anything planned on that day anyway...' As soon as she pushed those thoughts of uncertainty away, it struck to her – they were headed to Syliras! She didn't have to sit around wondering about the meaning of her vision. She was going to go to the source and find out for herself. That was a liberty that she didn't usually have. He had decided it all for her, and she was thankful for that. The gratitude that she felt was evident as she gave him an overjoyed expression. Somehow, she also felt more at ease with the fact that he was going to accompany her. Nira'lia knew that it would be safer if she were around him. "Okay!" she said enthusiastically, nodding her head fervently. "Five days, we leave for Syliras!" Still grinning, she turned away from him and stared at the stream. In her mind she was organizing her thoughts, thinking of what she needed to do, and of the things she had to purchase.