|
|
| Line 1: |
Line 1: |
| − | * - Back to [[GoldenCat/SixthMovement|Sixth Movement]]
| + | #REDIRECT ADanceOfAngels |
| − | * - Back to [[GoldenCat/DanceOfAngels|A Dance of Angels]]
| |
| − | | |
| − | == Pale and Purple ==
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Vorpal: ''' Nightfall, outskirts of the Spire reborn.
| |
| − | | |
| − | Out here, on the cliff at the very edge of the area that was uncovered when the city bloomed forth from its protective cocoon, one can see a distinct line on the ground. Outside the line the rock and stones are much the way they have always been, smoothened by hundreds of years of rain and snow and icehail. Inside the line, within the borders of Spire's shell, the rock is still sharp, its lines jagged, crumbled bits of millenia-old masonry and worked stone littering the ground only recently exposed to open air.
| |
| − | | |
| − | In short, it is a line between the past and the present.
| |
| − | | |
| − | There is a song wafting in the breeze tonight. Soft and mournful, frail yet strong as the finest feathersteel, it drifts up from a copse of particularly large rocks overlooking the breathtaking chasm of mountainside. The Ghost-Blooded woman is reclining against those rocks, her eyes closed, her long white coat glowing in the moonlight. Her lips move as if on their own, shaping the words with delicacy that is oddly in contrast to the sharp commands one is so accustomed to hearing from her mouth.
| |
| − | | |
| − | The song is old, even by First Age standards. It is a song about death.
| |
| − | | |
| − | The Pale Angel is singing about lonely souls trudging through the field of ash. It is the song she once used to send a dying horse on its way.
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Alexsei Krauser: ''' Footsteps along the rocks, silent as a feather dropping on the smooth surface of a lake.
| |
| − | | |
| − | Here, he is known as Alexsei Krauser, savant of the first age, teacher to those who would seek his word, and soother of the departing souls on their way to the next world. He is a quiet scholar and a gentle spiritual counselor, spreading knowledge where his steps carry him.
| |
| − | | |
| − | However...
| |
| − | | |
| − | In the East, years ago, he was known by other names.
| |
| − | | |
| − | The Blackbird of Sijan.<br>
| |
| − | The Black Wing of Conclusion.
| |
| − | | |
| − | A hunter of the restless dead and one of the soldiers in the violent battles against the followers of the Deathlords. A scourge for the warriors of the Black Chase, and an enemy to those who would side with the defilers of the dead men's rest. To many, the two facets would be difficult to concile, almost impossible to mesh together into a single being...
| |
| − | | |
| − | ''And yet, just like these stones I walk, halfway between old and new - striving to find where my place lies, and how my being can incorporate both faces... ''
| |
| − | | |
| − | His step suddenly comes to a stop, as the breeze brings to him a melody that brings him out of his reverie. A sad, mournful song, and yet one full of respect - an homage, an eulogy. A song of departure, meant to maintain a memory deeply rooted in this reality, while the subject fades away, taking the next step into its long voyage.
| |
| − | | |
| − | Quietly and respectfully, he steps towards the soothing melody, curious and thrilled at the sound of it... Only to find the Pale Angel, sitting on the rocks, sending the mournful gift to the night breeze. He merely stands, head bowed in a respectful offering, eyes downcast, a faint smile on his lips... He listens to the Pale Angel's voice,awaiting for her to finish her powerful present before finally speaking, after granting her enough moment to let her catch her breath.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "A most beautiful gift for the departed, general. Many would think they are ungrateful in their slumber, but that is merely for those who do not hear them."
| |
| − | | |
| − | "Those who decide to stop and pay attention... will realize the departed are most glad for the memories we hold of them."
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Vorpal: ''' The final words of the song drift into the night-time air with a sigh. She lets them go the way one allows rice to flow between one's fingers and down onto the ground. Her head bent back to rest against the rock, her lips still slightly parted and her eyes closed, she breathes the chilly air, silent and at peace.
| |
| − | | |
| − | The Pale Angel is surprised to have audience, but she covers it right away. She takes a calculated moment of silence before languidly opening her eyes to look at the arrival. "You speak truly, star-touched", she finally says, slowly. "Although perhaps not in the way you imagined. There are many kings in the Underworld who were raised to their power by the prayers of the living. Memories and elegies are their nectar of unlife."
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Alexsei Krauser: ''' He nods slowly, gravely, before leaning on the rocks behind him, a sad smile playing on his lips. "What we know is indeed not enough, I am afraid. But the link between the prayers and the strength of those who rule the Underworld has not escaped my notice. It is, in a way, very similar to the laws of Heaven - and to the empowerment the departed get from rememberance."
| |
| − | | |
| − | He gazes upwards for a moment, as if observing something seen only by him. "The dead remain present in this world because we remember them. Their lives remain important, becasue we continue to honor them, to mark their footsteps and quote their words... It is our duty to maintain this trace, this record of their passage in this world."
| |
| − | | |
| − | "Of course... If we go by that, one has to wonder - how long would the Malfeans go, with nobody left to honor and remember them?"
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Vorpal: ''' Vorpal folds her hands across her chest, mulling over the question for a moment. "An interesting thought", she admits, her words accompanied by a puff of frost into the chilly air. "But then again, if we go along the same lines, one should wonder how long the Malfeans would have gone had there not been so many great souls fearing and wondering if their power was gone for good and whether or not they could return from death?"
| |
| − | | |
| − | She falls silent for a moment. When she speaks again, her voice is softer and holds what could be mistaken for a trace of... regret? in it. "I, however, would rather wonder how long the nameless masses of the dead could go on without anyone to remember them. Mighty kings and heroes hoard up all the attention."
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Alexsei Krauser: ''' He looks at her then, and smiles warmly at her comment, taking a seat one one f the nearby rocky outcroppings, staring in the direction the Pale Angel had sent her melody to meet with the departed.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "A very considerate and worthy thought, Pale Angel. We... live in an age of heroes and deeds of might and brilliance - but among gods, heroes, kings and rulers... Most find little time to honor those simple beings whose presence was often seen as barely a kiss upon Creation's surface. But they have lived... They have been around, they have touched this world, and they have played the game we all call "life"... Hanging to the edges, away form the spotlights - but their exitence is no less important nor relevant."
| |
| − | | |
| − | "But I know you understand, Pale Angel - you are a general. Creation is comparable to one vast army... And just like an army, strength is first and foremost found at the base, the foundation - the simple soldiers who trudge in obscurity, risking themselves that the greater goal might be accomplished, away form medals and honors."
| |
| − | | |
| − | "It is those I strive to honor as well, Lady Lillith. Those who would otherwise fall forgotten through the fading pages of history. I send them on their way... And if no one else will, then I will remember."
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Vorpal: ''' "Fu", she lets out a short and hard chuckle, her eyes crunching up into mischievous slits. The corners of her lips inch slightly upwards, revealing the fact that the Pale Angel is pleased with the response she got. "We see eye-to-eye then, star-touched."
| |
| − | | |
| − | Then she grows sober again, and turns her gaze towards the distant glow of the moon and the stars it dims from their sight. "Tell me. Your kind knows much about Fate, don't you? Is every death in this world fated in the dark stars?"
| |
| − |
| |
| − | * Kazuki He ponders for a moment, watching up at the stars... the constellations that build up the intricate circuit that illuminate the night sky, as well as help his kind determine the future and guide it's path. And after a moment, a chuckle escapes his lips, and he shakes his head as he turns back to the Pale Angel.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "I am certain there are those of my... brethren who wish it was. But... Ef
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Alexsei Krauser: '''He ponders for a moment, watching up at the stars... the constellations that build up the intricate circuit that illuminate the night sky, as well as help his kind determine the future and guide it's path. And after a moment, a chuckle escapes his lips, and he shakes his head as he turns back to the Pale Angel.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "I am certain there are those of my... brethren who wish it was. But... Even though they wish for it does not mean it is true." He thumbs the cover of his book, peaking at the leather-bound cover before raising his gaze back to the Pale Angel.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "Fate brings a guideline to the whole of Creation. It helps keep the whole of it in an approximation of order... But what it is, really, is the fresco of all the infinite possibilities in the world. Each action someone takes, each stone turned, could potentially change the course of the Golden Barque... And so, fate calculates the possible probbilities, and tries to deal with it accordingly."
| |
| − | | |
| − | "But, if Fate was such a strong leash, then there would be no need for us StarChosen. The element of chaos and improbability is present in its structure as well - and I think one of the problems of my fellows is that they are trying to squish the improbability, rather than embrace it. Nothing, in my opinion, can operate without balance. Creation is no exception, and thus exist people, through shovel or sword, who will eventually change the course of this world, and carve their own destinies."
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Vorpal: ''' ''Yes. Uh-huh. Ah. I see. ''
| |
| − | | |
| − | Vorpal nods several times, gravely, and seems to listen intently through the entire lecture.
| |
| − | | |
| − | ''You and Sublime Opal have much in common. ''
| |
| − | | |
| − | "So..." she begins, slowly, after the Sidereal has finished his discourse. "If there is an element of chaos in Fate, if the coincidences pile up for long enough, it is possible for something completely..." Her mouth twists with the next word, her lips hewing it out of air like some glistening black and rough-edged thing, "''unnatural'' to happen?"
| |
| − | | |
| − | ''Such as the coincidence of a woman heavy with a child riding a carriage on a dark and stormy night. The coincidence of outlaws happening along the same road just that very night. The coincidence of them chancing upon each other. The coincidence of the woman dying, yet the child living on in death? ''
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Alexsei Krauser: ''' His expression turns more... serious, at the woman's question. "Several occurances that have not been planned or wanted, piling up on each other, you mean?" He nods towards her, before returning his gaze towards the night sky. "It could happen. The StarChosen certainly lament the fact there were occurances throughout history that even they could not foresee nor prevent."
| |
| − | | |
| − | "I do believe it is possible, lady Lilith, for an event to happen by your definition. The question, as it stands, would be if such an occurance would have to be called 'unnatural'..."
| |
| − | | |
| − | "For even though Fate governs Creation as the canvas upon which our world is painted... Who is to say an event happening outside of its plans is not needed to this world?"
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Vorpal: ''' Vorpal feels tempted to press the subject then. She'd like to present an example of Fate conspiring through a long series of unfortunate coincidences, all of it culminating in a child that had been sired in the land of the living and born in the grey realms of the dead. ''This'', if anything, goes against the natural order of life, yet it happened nonetheless.
| |
| − | | |
| − | But, she doesn't. There is no point, not with a stranger. Already she had revealed to him more than she had intended.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "I'll admit defeat", she says, holding the palm of one hand out in a gesture of surrender. "That goes too deep for me."
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Alexsei Krauser: ''' He chuckles then, bowing his head in apology as he clutches the book to his chest. "My apologies then, as it was not what I had intended." A smile crosses his lips, and he lifts his head back up, looking directly into the general's eyes. "I suppose what I am trying to say is -- Even if others have forgotten, I still maintain I am a servant of Creation, and not a servant of Fate's Will."
| |
| − | | |
| − | He peers back into the stars, as if to reasure himself of something, then once again turns violet eyes towards the pale-haired general. "And that is why I believe, Lady Lillith, that we can carve our own paths with our own hands... And find our place with our own will, should we have enough conviction in our goals."
| |
| − | | |
| − | He smiles, shaking his head again. "But there I go rambling again. I am sorry I have interrupted your contemplation, my lady - it is late, and there is no doubt much left for you to do... I only wanted to witness your offering to the departed, and tell you it is truly noble on your part. I thank you, both in my name... And theirs."
| |
| − | | |
| − | He smiles then, inclining his head once more before turning around towards the small path...
| |
| − | | |
| − | "Thank you for hearing me out, Pale Angel."
| |
| − | | |
| − | ''And thank you again, for taking the time to keep alive those that have already faded. ''
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Vorpal: ''' "My pleasure", the Pale Angel responds, hiding her bemusement and uncertainty behind a slanted smile and a lazy wave of hand. "Let's share a drink one of these days. Say hello to the little healer for me."
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Noble', huh. ''
| |
| − | | |
| − | The smile melting from her face, she turns back to stare at the silent and unjudging moon.
| |
| − | | |
| − | ''No-one has ever described a banshee's song like that before. ''
| |
| − | | |
| − | | |
| − | | |
| − | | |
| − | | |
| − | ----
| |
| − | | |
| − | * - Back to [[GoldenCat/SixthMovement|Sixth Movement]]
| |
| − | * - Back to [[GoldenCat/DanceOfAngels|A Dance of Angels]]
| |
