(The Eighty-First Day) Epilogue: Birthright [Solo]

[Elhaym]

NoteI received DS permission to post this despite it being spring in order to finish up this story in a realistic timeframe. 62nd Day of Winter, 510 AV The eighyt-first day of Pain's journey had been eventful... but the eighty-second hadn't exactly been a let down either. When she had woken in the morning after her deep slumber, she had been thrust into yet another day of training. She had done as well as could be expected, save for the final class of the day. When it came time for her to practice her newly unlocked astral projection, Pain simply had not been ready. Dama Lai had allowed Pain to sit with her and observe the others, lecturing to her about the theory of the Shinya's most prized artform. When the Acolytes studies for the day had come to a close, Pain and her roommates had headed to the large hall used for meals for their second and final meal of the day. "Hey, Hashin... where has Kota been all day?" Pain said meekly inbetween gargantuan mouthfuls of rice. She had been nervously working up the courage to ask about her mentor's absence without sounding stupid to her new friends. The sly grin that crept across Hashin and Rei's faces alike told her that they knew she had been wondering. "It's not exactly customary for your sponsor to follow you to your classes. I'm sure he only did that yesterday because it was your first day... in Lhavit, and as an Acolyte. Highly irregular..." Hashin said thoughtfully, chewing on some steamed vegetables. "Dian Kota is very handsome and talented. You were lucky to have been chosen as his Acolyte!" Rei nearly squealed, her eyes fluttering as she spoke. Pain looked back and forth between the two, her jaw going slack. "Uhh... I..." But Pain's speech was cut short when her eyes fell upon the topic of their brief discussion. Kota was standing near the doorway, holding something Pain recognized. She recalled hazily that Kota had attempted to give her back the book, but the memory was fuzzy as if it had been a dream. She hadn't given it a second thought. Without a word, Pain stood from the low table and bowed deeply to her two friends. Rei and Hashin both clasped their hands together and lowered their heads briefly in reply as Pain quickly shuffled towards Kota. "Dian, what are you doing here?" Pain asked, but it was a loaded question. She knew he wanted to give her the book. "Ah, hello Pain." Kota said, holding the book out for her to take. "I believe this is yours. I tried to explain to you last night, but you were a bit... well, asleep. Anyhow, come. I have one last task for you this night." Pain gently took the journal from Kota. They began to walk, soon exiting the Pavilion. Pain stayed at Kota's side and slightly behind, as she was not sure of how to navigate the city at all. It was night, and the city was literally alive. The structures that comprised Lhavit seemed to glow, and the people... the people were everywhere. It was so unlike Syliras, with it's drab and meek outlook that seemed to inhabit so many. In Lhavit, there was this life. "First of all, I wanted to show you this..." Kota said, stretching his arms wide. They had stopped short of a large gathering area. People were mingling about, some dancing in small groups or telling stories, others seeming to be conducting business with one another. "This is your city now. You should relish it... come out here, get to know it. This is what you have pledged to defend." "It's... it's really pretty." was all Pain managed to say. The stars shone so brightly in the open air, and with the crowds excitedly just living their lives... it really hit Pain that she had been missing out. Her whole life, crammed into a dimly lit castle... but she belonged here. It wasn't something she could really put into words at the moment. Pain was not extroverted enough to run and join the festivities with strangers. Nor was she one to dance, sing, or tell stories. There was just something right about this place... something right about being here. "It still amazes me, after all this time... night after night." Kota said softly, gesturing for Pain to follow. Pain tried, but the crowd was so thick that soon there was a body in-between them... then two, and then three. Pain was getting frustrated when she felt something take a hold of her hand. Not just grabbing it, but interlocking their fingers with hers. Pain's head snapped in the direction it came from, and saw Kota standing with his hand entwined in hers. Her heart skipped a beat, a storm of butterflies exploding from the fissure of silence that had overtaken her body in that instant. She felt that churning in her stomach, that nervousness... again, not her normal reaction to someone grabbing her. But there he stood, beckoning with one hand while holding her with the other, and that playful smile. "Come, if I lose you in this crowd I won't see you again until morning." Pain nodded quickly, running her tongue over her lips. They had suddenly become dry. Why did that happen? She walked hand in hand with Kota, who seemed oblivious to her reaction. They said nothing as they walked, and Pain was somewhat relieved. If they didn't talk, she could just enjoy the silence, the stars, the noise, his hand's warmth... wait... Pain shook her head back and forth, trying to launch the idea from her mind. "Alright, we're here. I pulled a lot of strings to allow you to do this, but it's going to be fine. That book contains information that the proprietor of this library is interested in keeping on a permanent record. So, if you give it to him... you'll in turn be given total access to everything in this library. You'd be a fool not to do it, you know." Blah blah blah. A Library!? For the smallest of instants, Pain had imagined an elegant restaurant, a musician, flowers... but a damn library!? He had drug her all the way out here to study?

[Elhaym]

After Pain had begrudingly entered the library, her irritation at being ask to spend time with Kota in a place of study rather a more romantic locale dissipated. It was amazing. Pain had never stepped foot inside such a structure; she immediately fell ill at ease. Kota didn't miss a step however, moving swiftly through the grand lobby of the building. Pain followed hesitantly, her eyes fixated on the prismatic crystals that lined the walls of the library. "I thought you might like to learn a little bit about Lhavit... some of these texts contain entire lifetimes of accumulated knowledge. Do you ever read for fun?" "Uhh... no." "Oh. Well... it'll be fun, I promise. Errr..." Kota stuttered, now glancing back and forth between the bookshelves. He had been smiling broadly before, but he hadn't really even considered whether Pain liked to read or not. He of course loved to thumb through the books here, so it hadn't occurred to him that someone else may not. He nearly slapped his forehead when he remembered why they were there. Knowing what he knew, he should have known that this was not her preferred activity. "Well, you lived in Syliras before... why don't I give you something about Syliras' relationship with Lhavit? It'll be a little less foreign to you, in any case." Kota said, almost in a pleading tone. His smile was boyish, almost as if he had made a mistake in bringing her there. Pain wanted to tell him to let her go, so she could sleep... but something about his smile and demeanor seemed, well... expectant. He was her mentor after all. "Okay... guess that would be a good a place to start as any." Pain said, turning in circles and taking in the shear amount of pages that must be contained within these walls. She let out a soft whistle, indicating that despite her lack of interest... she was in fact impressed. "Alright, great! Just have a seat over there, and i'll go find one..." Kota said, motioning for Pain to sit in a lavish chair with a plush ottomon. It hardly seemed like the sort of seating one would find in a library, and was in stark contrast to the furnishings of the Shinyama Pavilion. Obviously, Pain nearly exploded into a run to get into the soft, cushy, delightfully soft chair and prop her weary feet up. Had she been paying attention, she may have noticed that Kota didn't look for a book at all. He merely walked a few paces to the large counter in which a robed man sat behind, pulled a book from it's surface, and returned to her. "Here you are... it was actually written in Syliras by a scholar there, so you should find it a bit easier to read. Are you... thirsty?" Kota said, but he stammered as he spoke the last bit. Pain caught it too. The master was asking the student if he would like something to drink... not exactly a normal occurrence. Pain's face lit up upon this realization, and nodded her head rapidly. Kota nodded, and moved towards the exit presumably to bring back some tea. With Kota gone, Pain stared at the book and sighed. She opened it's heavy cover to reveal an introduction by the author. flip flip flip. "Don't care about your degree... blah blah... okay, here we go..." ... Lhavit and Syliras have maintained a mutual understanding and friendship since the discovery of each others cities. Though they differ culturally and do not worship the same gods, many of the core principles the have outlined the thriving culture and power of these two cities are similar. It is said... Pain scanned the rest of the first few pages, coming to understand the relationship between Syliras and Lhavit. It seemed that though there was no formal military alliance of sorts, they did have sort of verbal agreement between them that should any disturbance set upon one of their cities, then the other would due their best to aid them. Kota was right. Because the book had been written in Common and by someone from Syliras, the sentences flowed a bit easier for Pain than some of the other books she had read by foreigners, even when written in Common. Her eyes steadily followed the pages, until she came across something interesting. ... in order to maintain diplomatic awareness and as a sign of good will, Lhavit and Syliras both will often send diplomats to each others cities. In Lhavit, traditionally there has been only one figure chosen for this task; the Sanim of the Shinya. As a leader of the people and holding considerable weight amongst it's military forces, the Sanim has always been the one to speak on the behalf of Lhavit within the walls of Stormhold. Though the Sanim alone speaks, he or she does not travel alone. They would travel with a small unit of Shinya warriors, led by a Hatul and typically numbering around twenty. However, because of the Tragedy of Sooyun Furuma it is no longer permitted for man and wife both to travel in this fashion at the same time... Pain blinked a couple of times, her eyes rebelling from the strain. It was then that she noticed Kota standing before her, holding two cups of steaming mint tea. She gulped, slightly embaressed that she had been so engrossed as to not even notice him there... was she becoming a nerd like that skinny little twerp Hadrian back in Alvadas? "Hey... thanks, Dian." Pain said, sipping the piping hot liquid ever so slowly. She had already scalded her mouth trying to gulp it down like water once... a lesson well learned. "It's not a problem." Kota said, obviously trying to downplay his odd decision to fetch her something to drink. He spoke again quickly, most likely to change the subject. "Have you found anything of interest?" "Actually... I think so. So, I was reading this and it mentioned something a little weird, but didn't explain it. It was The Tragedy of Sooyun Furuma. What was that about?" Pain said, but of course horribly butchering the name as she spoke. "Oh? You'd like to know more about Sooyun?" Kota said, his entire demeanor shifting from awkward to total excitement in a split second. Pain thought it was as if she had just handed him a thousand gold mizas... kind of odd. "i'll be back in a moment!" He near shouted, slamming his prismatic glass cup down on small table at his side and darting back towards the counter. "I... okay?" What was he so excited about?

[Elhaym]

Pain was still sipping her hot tea when Kota returned with not one, but two books. One was exquisitely bound and decorated, the other merely bound in leather. Pain surmised that one was the original, and the other was a copy. Kota confirmed her thought when he explained that the copy didn't have have any of the beautiful illustrations and lacked some of the finer details that had been lost in translation. Despite, he handed Pain the copied text and held the original for himself. "Sooyun's is a tale that every Shinya knows by heart. Her story is one of struggle, weakness, and failure... of strength, courage, and success, but ultimately... it is a tale of true tragedy. It is my favorite tale... i'm glad you chose it." "Well, if you say it's that good, I guess it'll be worth reading..." Pain said nervously. In truth she had never been so entertained by a book as Kota apparently was, but she tried to feign interest to keep her mentor's spirits high. Oh, and they were high. She hadn't seen Kota this genuinely excited in the two days they spent together. Pain flipped open the book, but at Kota's urging skipped forward a bit and past the first bits of historical information on her early life. "You can read that another day... oh, it's interesting, but I think you should read the main passages before you grow too tired." He explained, nodding solemnly as Pain found the starting point he suggested. ... Sooyun was not the most gifted Acolyte to grace the Pavilion. In fact, her only saving grace was her remarkable physical prowess. She fell short in almost every other area, especially in the revered art of Projection. Sooyun's struggles with the basic skills of an Acolyte assured that her peers all became Shinya before her. In fact, Sooyun did not receive the chance to undergo her Awakening until she was twenty-two winters old... "So, what's so great about her? She doesn't sound like a very good Shinya. I mean, Tomo can do everything, and he's only what... seventeen, eighteen...?" Pain spoke aloud while still scanning the pages. "You shall see." Kota said thoughtfully, sipping his tea and holding his version of the book in his other hand. Apparently he was reading from the same area as Pain, only his copy was written in Lhavitian. ... her Awakening ended in total failure. Zintila had tasked her with plucking the brighest Peony that bloomed on the mountainside to the north of the temple she had been praying within. Sooyun climbed the mountainside to collect the flower, but stopped short of the peak due to her fear that she would fall to her death should she climb any higher. She picked the brightest Peony from the largest tree in the area, and returned for judgement. The leadership of the Shinya dictated that though she had indeed brought back a flower, all of them could honestly say it was not the brightest and most extravagant they had seen in their lifetime. In that brief moment, Sooyun had been doomed to the life of a Viraya, forever a servant. But Sooyun's tale does not end here. In the history of the Shinya and the Awakening Ceremony, not once had Zintila intervened in the process of permanently reducing an Acolyte to a Viraya. On that day, for that Acolyte... Zintila herself near blasted the door apart entering the Shinya's chambers. It was not a plea, nor a request. Sooyun Furuma would become a Shinya; the decision was not to be challenged... Pain looked up from the book, and met Kota's eyes. He had already been looking at her, as if he had known her head would rise at a certain point. "It has not happened since, you know. Sooyun was the first, and thus far the only. Her story would not end that day." Pain nodded, and quickly brought her eyes back to the pages. Despite her earlier reluctance, she found the story interesting. Here was a woman who was somewhat like her; unskilled in almost everything required of her, underestimated and ultimately a failure... but given a second chance by a Goddess. ... Though she had been granted the station of a Shinya, Sooyun held little in the way of respect from her peers. She was incredibly weak when it came to her skills, save one; her ability to fight with body and weaponry was astounding. Her dominance in this area is what carried her for many years as a Shinya, despite her continuing weakness in both Projection and in the habitual meditation that the Shinya thrived upon... ... and because of her success as a mentor, leader, and her growing skill in the arts of Projection, Sooyun had risen to the rank of Socho at the age of thirty-two. Ten years had passed since the famed intervention of Zintila, and all who had condemned her by now wholeheartedly agreed that it was indeed Divine Intervention. Sooyun had become a brilliant tactician, wielding her blades as though they were as much a part of her as fingertips. She had become famous for carrying not two, but three blades. The rumors circulated that with her skill, she could wield all three at once with her Projection... ... and with the passing of the Sanim, a new Shinya rose to take his place. The choice was clear; Sooyun Furuma would become Sanim. She had risen in rank from the humblest of beginnings and proved to be as fierce a warrior as any Shinya who'd ever lived. Zintila herself graced the ceremony, silently attending the coronation of the woman whom owed her every breath she took as a Shinya. Sooyun's reign as the Sanim would be glorious, notably during the period of... Pain hadn't looked up for nearly two bells. She didn't know how many pages she had read, but she had managed to read a giant portion of the text, telling of Sooyun's many battles and wise leadership within the city. Pain half expected Kota to be asleep, but he was watching her as before. There was not a hint of fatigue on his face. "She is amazing, Dian. I wish I could become this talented... I now why you wanted me to read this now. To give me confidence, right? She failed so badly, and was bad at everything but fighting like me. But then, she was given a second chance... and showed everyone they were wrong about her. That makes me feel... it makes me feel like maybe I really can do this." Pain made a move to close the book, but Kota burst forward. His hand clutched the book, opening it back up and began to flip the pages forward. "I'm glad you are inspired... but that is not all. You must know of Sooyun's demise... you haven't yet discovered the Tragedy of Sooyun Furuma."

[Elhaym]

... and when the time came for Sooyun to visit Syliras for the second time as Sanim, she began preparations for her journey. She was with child, thus her husband Nagi Osou would not be left behind. He demanded to be allowed to accompany his wife so that he not miss the birth of his first child, as it would most likely occur in Syliras. The Shinsa allowed this against his better judgement, as Nagi was a Hatul and thus qualified to lead the entourage of Shinya that would accompany their Sanim. To further complicate matters, several of the Shinya who would go on this journey brought their children with them, far from a normal occurrence. Their given reason was to have them witness the birthing of Sooyun's first child... ... but their departure from Syliras was not to be. Delayed by the birth of Sooyun's son, the Shinya rejoiced and celebrated the event within the city walls of Syliras. Sooyun's child was named Eiji, born beautiful and healthy... ... the onset of the plague was quite sudden. Syliras had long been free of malady of this scale, but on this day, at this time... it came. The disease struck the healthy and strong, oddly sparing the young and the elderly. It is believed to have been crafted by enemies of Syliras, though this is speculation. Sooyun and her Shinya soldiers were soon stricken with this plague, along with so many others in Syliras... ... Nagi sat beside Sooyun's deathbed, cradling their newborn son. With his wife bedridden and near death, he was the next in command for the remaining Shinya. Befallen with grief, he had ordered his Shinya subordinates to stay in Syliras. His reasoning was simple; though they may die from this plague, he would not risk ushering such a malady upon Lhavit. Quietly spoken among his peers, they believed that he also did not want his son to grow up far away from the spirit of his mother... "Wait, wait wait..." Pain mumbled, shaking her head and rubbing her weary eyes. "She... she died in Syliras?" "So many battles, so many trials and ambitions met, exceeded even... yet even the mighty Sooyun Furuma was a mortal as you and I. Weak from childbirth, her body could not keep the illness at bay. The text you read is dumbed down and without the beauty of the original text, and many omissions of small details unfortunately occured." Kota said in a low voice, holding his lavishly detailed book in hand and gesturing to it as he spoke. Pain closed her book, content to have Kota finish the story for her. She pushed it aside, and leaned forward with her elbows on her knees and her hands cupping her chin. "So what happened to the Shinya there?" "Sooyun's husband ordered them to stay in Syliras after the passing of Sooyun. However, that was a moot point. Even he was sick at that point. The only ones who would survive were the children of those who had come." "So I guess the Syliran Knights escorted the children back to Lhavit after the Shinya died?" "No, they did not. The authority in Syliras was far too busy handling their stricken city to worry about the children, even if one of them was Sooyun's child. They were simply cared for as best as the city could provide. This information is all relatively new, you know." Kota said, leaning back and biting his lip. He was trying to summarize the events after Sooyun's death, but the reasoning behind some of the Shinya's own actions were hard to explain to someone foreign such as Pain. "I know what you're thinking. The Shinya should have come back to the city and claimed the children, and brought them back to Lhavit. It was not that simple. It was nearly a year before the Shinsa was given the full explanation of his Sanim's disappearance. By that time, those children had adjusted to Syliran culture. Their names had been changed, not out of disrespect, but mostly due to the authorities in Syliras simply not remembering how to correctly pronounce their names. It would have traumatized those children to bring them back here, and leave their parents memory behind. They were to young to love Lhavit as strongly as a grown man or woman..." "So they just left them there to be raised in Syliras? How stupid..." Pain said, exhaling with a tinge of disgust. Yet she noticed that Kota was looking at her, almost expectantly. "What is it, Dian?" "As far as we know, five or six Lhavitian bloodlines remained in Syliras. Of course, aside from their aesthetic they had blended into Syliran culture. Their last names either forgotten by the people of Sylirans, or so badly pronounced that they just... changed. That's a bit of a travesty, don't you think?" Kota said, a smile emerging as he spoke the last bit. He could see the inner workings of Pain's mind beginning to put the pieces together. "Wait, so maybe I am-" Pain began to speak, but Kota had begun speaking and cut her off. Pain's eyes began to widen as his words filled her mind and fueled her thought process. "Furuma. Vuruma. Vuromo. Voromov... Vormav." "You... you're trying to say that you think...?" "I don't think. I know. The Sanim knew the instant he laid eyes upon you, and heard your true name. Sooyun's bloodline was stolen from Lhavit, a true crime... but her blood has returned to us. Her personality and tendancies are no mystery; they were recorded and well kept. You look like her, talk like her, fight like her..." Kota leaned forward, extending his hand and clasping Pain's own. The library was silent save their own heavy breath, and Kota could see the realization in Pain's eyes. They quivered, rapidly pulsing between disbelief, shock, and understanding. "Isn't that a bit of a coincidence, Elhaym Vormav?" - FIN? -

[Ophelia]

Pain: --


Pain: Lhavit (Night), Hand Holding, Bharani Library, Lhavitian-Syliran Relations (Partial), The Role of the Sanim, Sooyun Furuma (Partial), the Tragedy of Sooyun Furuma, Relationship between Elhaym Vormav and Sooyun Furuma


As always, great work. I loved the way you ended it. You conveyed Pain's growing realisation very well. Sad that the Eighty First Day series is over! As always, any questions/comments/chocolates, PM me.