He kneels beside Shen Yuan, the living heat of Her gift slowly sinking through his gown. He the man form a seal with empty hands--light, uncorrupted by gold. What a beautifully ephemeral little thing, beside the bounty of the Formless Beyond. "This is the blood of His mother, and He is blessed with Her flame."
He still feels a little of his Lord's warmth even now, as they all do. It has brought him comfort, in these hollowed lands. "The Erdtree wanes, and the stars are silent, but His vision brings us into a new light. A new life, as He becomes consort to the most blessed Divinity."
He takes Shen Yuan's hands, feeling the pulse slowly returning to pale fingers. "A life one that all may share, through ennobled blood."
And that is the core mystery of this man. "You have already received some small inoculation, through means unknown to me." But how lovely it is, to know that their Lord's works are everywhere.
"And through this, He has summoned you." While all the rest waited for the awakening of the Divinity. "Have you ever met with another practitioner of the sacred blood? One with red eyes, a marked hand, a trident sigil upon them?"
"Never," Shen Yuan says softly, "Or at least, none that cared to reveal themselves to me." The heat of the fire prickles on his exposed skin, and rouses his nerves back into stinging life as his blood warms and begins to properly flow once more. "But your words send a thrill through me," he whispers, and turns his hands to entwine his finger's with Varre's in possibly a too-tight grip. "My senses and thoughts tell me they are altogether new, but in my spirit and heart..."
He peers at Varre curiously from beneath stone-heavy eyelids, fallen now to half-mast. "It's as though I've heard them all before," he whispers cautiously. "In some dream unremembered, or a song that followed me from a past life...I wonder, if the Luminary Lord is so wise and powerful as to summon me here so far from my home, as we both now know he did, perhaps it was also his will that I should hear these words first from you?"
The grip presses pain into his finger, burning sweet.
"He chose me for this task. To find those who would join our new life." The lost Tarnished, turned from the Golden Order, guided by his words.
"Knights of the Dynasty. They wait in these lands, for our Lord's summons. Only you have been called." And he cannot help but feel a stab of jealousy for this, delicate as a surgeon's knife. Shen Yuan is such a sweet thing, but what will become of him? Will he reside beneath the stars below, seen only in glimpses?
"I'm no knight," Shen Yuan says slowly. "In my homeland, I was a scholar...a poet, even. Here...I don't know..."
He sighs heavily, only to interrupt himself halfway through with a wide, jaw-cracking yawn. "Forgive me," he says, embarrassed, and drops Varre's hand so he might cover his own mouth. "The heat's working, I think -- it's getting so hard to keep my eyes open..."
Suddenly alarmed he reaches back and squeezes Varre's hand. "Will you stay with me?" he pleads. "If I sleep, will...will you still be here when I wake up? Please?"
No. This man is certainly no knight. He is something new. Loathsomely pathetic and achingly beautiful.
"My oath has brought me here." It is his duty to provide others the way to their Lord. "I will stay." But for them, at least, he has the knowledge that they all wait together, bereft of their Lord.
His hand closes tightly around Shen Yuan's, his grip strong. "Rest. You must not be in such a state when you bow before divinity."
"No, of course not," Shen Yuan mumbles his agreement, head already swaying as he lowers himself to the floor. "Need to be respectable...so I can show proper respect..."
He was asleep within seconds -- and it seemed that no sooner had he closed his eyes than he opened them again to behold the garden, sweet-smelling roses seeming fain to glow in the warm afternoon sun. The gate was before him, and gladly did he stretch out his hand to open the latch.
Passing through the gate was as walking from day into night: darkness fell, and yet far above him the sky was lit with thousands of shimmering stars, which provided light enough to see the crumbling stone path before him, winding its way through ancient pillars to a sort of open terrace some ways ahead.
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Date: 2023-06-02 11:27 pm (UTC)He still feels a little of his Lord's warmth even now, as they all do. It has brought him comfort, in these hollowed lands. "The Erdtree wanes, and the stars are silent, but His vision brings us into a new light. A new life, as He becomes consort to the most blessed Divinity."
He takes Shen Yuan's hands, feeling the pulse slowly returning to pale fingers. "A life one that all may share, through ennobled blood."
And that is the core mystery of this man. "You have already received some small inoculation, through means unknown to me." But how lovely it is, to know that their Lord's works are everywhere.
"And through this, He has summoned you." While all the rest waited for the awakening of the Divinity. "Have you ever met with another practitioner of the sacred blood? One with red eyes, a marked hand, a trident sigil upon them?"
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Date: 2023-06-03 05:41 am (UTC)He peers at Varre curiously from beneath stone-heavy eyelids, fallen now to half-mast. "It's as though I've heard them all before," he whispers cautiously. "In some dream unremembered, or a song that followed me from a past life...I wonder, if the Luminary Lord is so wise and powerful as to summon me here so far from my home, as we both now know he did, perhaps it was also his will that I should hear these words first from you?"
no subject
Date: 2023-06-03 10:37 pm (UTC)"He chose me for this task. To find those who would join our new life." The lost Tarnished, turned from the Golden Order, guided by his words.
"Knights of the Dynasty. They wait in these lands, for our Lord's summons. Only you have been called." And he cannot help but feel a stab of jealousy for this, delicate as a surgeon's knife. Shen Yuan is such a sweet thing, but what will become of him? Will he reside beneath the stars below, seen only in glimpses?
no subject
Date: 2023-06-07 07:01 am (UTC)He sighs heavily, only to interrupt himself halfway through with a wide, jaw-cracking yawn. "Forgive me," he says, embarrassed, and drops Varre's hand so he might cover his own mouth. "The heat's working, I think -- it's getting so hard to keep my eyes open..."
Suddenly alarmed he reaches back and squeezes Varre's hand. "Will you stay with me?" he pleads. "If I sleep, will...will you still be here when I wake up? Please?"
no subject
Date: 2023-07-14 10:28 pm (UTC)"My oath has brought me here." It is his duty to provide others the way to their Lord. "I will stay." But for them, at least, he has the knowledge that they all wait together, bereft of their Lord.
His hand closes tightly around Shen Yuan's, his grip strong. "Rest. You must not be in such a state when you bow before divinity."
no subject
Date: 2023-08-02 07:48 am (UTC)He was asleep within seconds -- and it seemed that no sooner had he closed his eyes than he opened them again to behold the garden, sweet-smelling roses seeming fain to glow in the warm afternoon sun. The gate was before him, and gladly did he stretch out his hand to open the latch.
Passing through the gate was as walking from day into night: darkness fell, and yet far above him the sky was lit with thousands of shimmering stars, which provided light enough to see the crumbling stone path before him, winding its way through ancient pillars to a sort of open terrace some ways ahead.