The End of the Dream

[Kamalia Timandre]

36th Day of Winter, 509 AV A child's smile, a cherry blossom and a lover's embrace; loveliest are the things that surely must end. Dawn is hope, but true beauty is found only in twilight, when all that is fades away. Sunset and moonrise—the heartrending scene of the descent of Syna and the rise of Leth— framed the crescent isle, and the city of Mura once again gleamed in its dream-like, infinite beauty like a jewel in the twilight. For the Timandre family, the day ended in the chapel halls, in an assembly of prayer and praise to the Mother Goddess of all konti, and the patron gods that safeguarded the White Isle. Although these ceremonies took many forms, they were always sacred, impressive affairs. The chapel itself inspired awe, carved as it was from a gleaming mass of white stone. Circles of seats surrounded a central platform, each row higher than the last so all could see the silver altar—an elaborate crystal basin filled with the mystical vision water. Graceful curving glass-like pillars buttressed the circular room and met at the top of the domed chamber, becoming part of an enormous sculpture of the Oracle Mother—the Goddess Avalis, holding a crystal orb with her left hand and a seer’s lily with the right. Tonight, the ritual was grand, formal and sacrosanct, for this fateful episode would mark heartrending ends and momentous beginnings. At the heart of the chapel, the silver waters on the basin began to whirl and sprout and dance, rerunning a scene that would forever change some lives, some hearts, some destinies. May Avalis have mercy on their souls. . . [ Place holder for an epic thread – Gromhir, Satu, Aselia Timandre/Alice]