As if someone had yanked the starfire key from her hand, it flew into the small oasis before her, disappearing beneath the black surface with nearly no sound. The key, which she had always had an unexplained pull to, even when it was just a rock, before it was a key, was suddenly gone. For the first time in nearly two seasons, she was not touching it, and it felt odd. Still, she could see it, shimmering beneath the surface, seemingly far down. When the voice spoke to her again, she listened.
Choose carefully, it had said. She could stop blindly following this voice now, chalk it up to a dream and not risk drowning, or worse, by following that door. Something told her she likely wouldn’t drown, but that if she continued down this path she could find herself stuck here. Here which was nowhere, and not-reality. She would be stuck wherever this was, in the key on her neck, forever. Then again, perhaps there was something waiting for her. Something that she had to experience. Or, perhaps there wasn’t. Perhaps she dove into this suddenly deep oasis, and she found nothing of note, nothing special. Perhaps she opened her eyes and woke up.
Perhaps it was a dream, in which case following the light would not hurt her. But must she no fear pain in order to do something brave? Could she fear it and do it anyway? Was she not the brave little Knight from all those years ago? Did she fear things unknown? No. There was something there. Someone was telling her to go, but giving the option not to. This told her it was most likely going to be risky… but then again, someone had called her here, hadn’t they? She had to trust herself to be strong enough to face whatever this was.
”Here we go.” She muttered, standing properly. The half-Chaktawe girl had barely learned how to swim as a child, and diving was out of the question. She imagined herself making a graceful arc headfirst into the small pond, but she was large and uncertain, so instead she stepped forward. Her feet sank into the soft sand beneath the liquid, and in less than a few steps she was dunking her head under the water, closing her second lid to protect her eyes. Suddenly, the small oasis was huge around her, and she felt as if she was swimming down a massive well, with only the bright shimmering light of her starfire key as guidance.
I trust that I can handle whatever is down here. She thought the mantra to herself to help build confidence, dragging the water up around her as she neared the light. It was becoming unbearable to look at, and so she let all of her lids fall closed, still thinking towards the voice. I’m trusting you that this is something I need to do. She thought to whoever spoke to her. She had no information to go off of, no idea if this was reality or a dream, but she was doing it regardless.
And then, it seemed, she was no longer swimming down. Her hands broke the surface of water, and her eyes instinctively opened. She trusted whoever brought her here, but her curiosity would force her to evaluate where she was. She was looking up at the moon again, the same giant sphere in her little starfire room, but without the soft blue sky or stars around it. Here was nothing but black. Black, the moon, and the pool she swam it. Almost feeling disrespectful of the silence, she found herself holding her breathe, trying to take in the pure nothingness surrounding her. Had she had some sort of drug without realizing it? She doubted her mind was creative enough to come up with such an utter lack of things.
Slowly, carefully taking small breathes, she swam forward, her feet meeting sand beneath her. It felt as if she was walking up the same path she had walked down in her own oasis, but everything was different. This was a new place, this place was not hers. As she stepped onto the land surrounding the pool, which felt like sand, but she could not see it, Lani instinctively reached her hand out as if she was blind. Only a few steps away from the pool, her hand reached a smooth invisible barrier like in her own oasis. It seemed that this new place was exactly like her starfire room, only empty, and dark.
”Hello?” She finally ventured, seeking guidance from the voice that had been speaking to her.
Tell me a memory of yours, Lani. Tell me something you think of fondly, something you cherish. Lani’s mind did not wait for her to respond to the command, already digging out her most fond memory of her life. What surprised her was that it was not her mother. At first she thought of the countless times her mother had nursed her from illness, or taught her to make jellied tea eggs, or brought her to the tower. Her mind did not show her Madeira’s child face giggling as they played Knight and Queen, or her time spent studying at the University. None of these things showed in her mind, but another face that she had only known briefly, and yet could never truly forget. It was Quett.
”The sky was blue, and the clouds were pink. I think the sun was rising, it was morning. My first morning in The Spires.” She recalled, her storytelling was weak. She was an actor, not a storyteller. She conveyed emotions and behaviors with her body and her tone, not just words. Luckily this was the truth, a rare thing, and thus easier to tell about. Still, her recollection was choppy, and she tried. ”Yeah, it was, and that was when I got my name, my new name, Lani Stranger. But that’s not all, I also met Aquiras for the first time.” Lani let her eyes close against the moon, dragging up as many details as she could.
”I didn’t actually meet him, of course. One does not just meet Gods. But that is when I was first introduced to the concept of him.” She began, settling into a crouch on the sand, and looking back up at the moon as if she was speaking to Leth himself. Her lone audience.
”I was fifteen, my mother had just passed… er, I had just left my mother in the Talderan wilderness.” She winced at the harsh truth. ”I was too old to be an orphan, and I hadn’t had any skills to start a life with. I could not marry… well, not in the Spires. I was useless. Quett, our wilderness guide, had taken me in after the incident on the trail, but he didn’t owe me. His family took care of me for some time, but they didn’t need to. I am grateful for that. But the thing I am most grateful for is the day he named me. Well, we named me.” Lani corrected herself.
”Quett told me of various travelers he had met. A Chaktawe named Shishja the Strange, and her son…. Um… I forgot his name. It started with an ‘A’… or maybe an ‘M’. But it was interesting because I had never heard of Chaktawe before then. And that day I learned that I was one, or at least, half of one. Later I learned I was Eypharian as well, but that day I learned I was Chaktawe. Hey, that rhymes.” She laughed at herself for a tick before remembering to stay in line.
”He also told me of an Inarta human named Lani. She was the only other worshiper of Aquiras he had known, in all of his years, and neither of them had ever heard of Aquiras. If Quett had not told me of the God, and recounted knowing another who followed him, I would think Aquiras isn’t real.” She shrugged as nonchalantly as possible, her heart racing a bit at even muttering such a taboo idea. She didn’t believe it, but the idea still scared her a bit. ”He is just very quiet. He has not spoken to anyone since the destruction of man. We probably offended him, at least that is what I think. To me, that does not matter. A deity whose domain I frequent, who’s divinity I rely on, I will not ignore. Even if he is angry, he is a God and deserving of my worship.” She said, getting a hit of déjà vu as she realized how exactly she had adopted Quett’s words and adapted his ideas to her own. It felt right, it felt real, and it assured her that she was not alone in her faith.
”We decided upon my name, Lani Stranger, inspired by the traveling women he had known. And then he told me about Aquiras. There was not much information but he told me stories and showed me how he expressed his faith. At the time, I was so young, it was so important to me that I learned this. Not only had I received a new name, and I could shed the weight of my mother’s mistakes, but also because I found faith. I found a God whose domain I lived in, and could pay homage to. I had a new name and a future that did not look bleak and dangerous. It is a small memory, and definitely not my most exciting or most compassionate, but the day I was named and the day I learned of Aquiras was the most important event in my life. The most uplifting memory I have for you.” Lani grinned to herself as she finished the short story.
Silence hung in the air after her words, and her mouth was a little dry with all of the talking. Lani was no storyteller, and her rambling had been rough and discontinuous, but she had said all she needed to say on the subject. The warm flowering happiness that the memory of earning her new name brought her did not leave, and she realized she was letting one hand rest gently over her heart, as if she was holding onto the joy that the memory brought her. It occurred to her that she never questioned the command, or thought to ask why, and for a tick she wanted to ask. But she didn’t. Instead she let the words settle in the air around her, filling the darkness, and waited.
If you don't like it that's fine too!
