The Snake Which Cannot Cast Its Skin Has to Die

by **Mauriel** on October 24th, 2018, 4:16 pm

80th of Fall, 518 AV
sometime before Dawn

It was the first time in days that Mauriel has genuinely looked forward to going to work. Her new body gave her a lot of headache, both in terms of explaining it to people and dealing with her appearance. But oddly, the longer she occupied it, the more she felt at ease with herself. Even more than in her perfect little Leth-gifted form she was born as, she dared to think.

She thought a lot about why that was. Partially, she did not feel the pressure she felt before to honor her body at all times. She was still hygienic, good looking, and elegant, but constant anxiety about little goofy motions or a bit of natural odor was gone. Somehow her change shattered the picture she had in her head of how others saw her, this perfect unspoiled flower, without a flaw. And perhaps they did see her that way, but she no longer understood her own urge to maintain the illusion. To honor Leth? What a lame excuse! He gave her the body she had to use it to achieve her goals, not to hinder her by making her waste time and attention on a charade. To be a more popular bard? Yes, as if lacking character and playing out a script that was out of date before the Valterrian would make people take notice.

And this lesson was not just taken in selectively and applied locally. She felt so much freer in so many aspects of her life. She rethought things she considered an obligation to Leth, keeping appearances being just one of them, and realized she had no obligation she would not voluntarily take. All of those that weighed heavily on her were just excuses formed in her own mind to justify servicing her own insecurities. No, her nightly form was not a time for spreading Leth's influence, all of her time was the right time, as long as she did not have other needs and wishes to attend to. And no, she did not have to feel guilty all the time. That too was an excuse, albeit a very pervasive and annoying form. She felt as if she had paid her debts at least in part in the pain she caused herself, so that she could continue to not strive with all of her being towards her dreams. The experience was so eye-opening it still brought tears to her eyes just thinking about it.

Of course, she still struggled. She relapsed, she caught herself in her old habits, she was lazy or judgmental. But she was now aware of it and aware of exactly where it was coming from, all thanks to this new body of hers.

And the most ironic part was, all of the things she was feeling before were exactly in line with what she did in her previous lives. Just another form of escapism, excuses, and living for others, for rules, customs, community. No more. Now she lived for herself.

by **Mauriel** on October 24th, 2018, 5:11 pm

Her gaze yet again wandered to the stone that enabled all of this. While putting two and two together endeared Leth to her yet again, and made her able to bury her misplaced anger, something was still both annoying and captivating in the stone's resemblance of the God in some way. She approached to take it, as she packed it in her bag every day for work. However, as she reached for it, the rock disintegrated, flowing like spilled water, turning into millions of little shiny dust particles before her eyes. She felt nothing, everything happened so fast that it escaped her ability to process it.

A voice filled her head, gentle yet fierce. She was frozen in a gulf of inexplicable emotions, nostalgia and joy, like only He could inspire. Like a mother's lullabye, like the one she sung to herself as this strange sequence of events started, the voice soothed her, and yet its presence in her mind made her feel very self-aware. She felt naked, vulnerable, and imperfect, but not like she felt those things before. It felt scary, but empowering. Like she was braving unexplored land for hidden treasure and unexploited resources, risky but rewarding, rather than cowering in fear and getting nowhere.

"As the rays of my beloved Syna reach across the horizon, I wish to give you this bit of insight," the voice begun. "The changes you’ve experienced were not without a purpose. They were meant to serve as a source of reflection. Change is an important force that drives all life. How you dealt with the changes you were faced with; changes in body, mind and even in the minds of others, speaks greatly to who you are as a person. As you continue to live your life, take time to reflect on what you experienced and ponder your reactions to the change. Did you hide them or hide from them? Did you embrace them? Did you exploit them or use them for the betterment of others? As you search for the deeper meaning of change and how you deal with it, know that I, Leth, God of Thought and Change have gifted you that opportunity. Also, as a gift and a reminder, I offer a piece of my light. The stone you discovered contains a piece of starfire. In your hands, it will undergo its own change. Take it with my blessing."

The voice was no more and in the place of the strange rock is a small piece of an unknown silver colored substance that burns with a silver flame. It is cool to the touch and very light in weight. As Mauriel held it, there was a brilliant explosion of silver light. In her hands, she could feel movement as the strange substance shifted and changed until it took on a solid form.

It was a miniature earring, just big enough to fit around one's earlobe, with a simplistic crescent moon design. She looked at it in disbelief, turning it around in her hand. She left out a nervous chuckle. So he was watching over her, huh? Nothing could have ever filled her soul with happiness as much as that realization, and she wanted nothing more than to get on with her day, happy and secure in thought that she was finally on the right track, and that Leth gave her another push when she most needed it. "Thank you," her quivering voice whispered, as she clutched the small piece of jewelry.

It was time for work now. But she knew it was time to pierce her ear after. And now I have a decoration worthy of the beauty Leth has gifted me. She chuckled at her own uninspired joke as she stepped out to greet Syna.