I do not bow to any entity or mortal other than Fata and the eyes of █████████. However, if the king of the Arctic himself would lend an ear to hear, I would not be opposed to telling a story I once heard whispered on the wind.
A story, huh? He cackled rather loudly, intrigue highlighting his devilishly large smile. Let’s hear what you have to say, Diviner…
there once lived a girl
not quite like the others
her voice was that of an angels
yet her eyes were just as odd
as those of the beasts in tapestry
in halls that are locked off
she came to the forests edge
looking for something new
yet all that she found
was a violent song and
an endless throng of
souls yet to be found
seeking salvation
redemption
repentance
she once bound
a single branch
so she may be found by
the eyes that see
and the leaves that weep
but she poisoned this land
her hands stained red
with the blood of the gods
and that silent lamb
the trees do not weep for
sýstir’s curse
or her endless wallows
that brought a hearse
to take what remained of this holy land
and place it in our hands
tonight at dawn
there is a whisper of song
as ghostly as it may seem
as haunting as it be
once belonged
to a girl with a mother
to a girl with a song
to a girl who’s name will never be gone.
Sýstir’s curse? Ha! Superstitions like that are always such a joke! He returned once again to that devilish smile and laugh from before, a rather serious and bitter look on his face appearing soon after.
No one’s name can last forever. Eventually both you and I will fade into obscurity, no matter how long that takes. I may be the King of this frost-laden barren wasteland for now, but as time takes its course, nothing can stop it. Time is the only curse that truly exists, and its the only one can befall both mortals and immortals alike. Time destroys everything any world can ever create…
An interesting tale, but one that is… flawed in its perception of the world.
Beryl huffs, smiling softly. Her eyes narrow but they tell a story of pity rather than anger.
A superstition is a tale told of old that holds no strength against our lives; Sýstir’s curse is not superstition. █████████ and I have suffered for years because of what s̵͖̖̘̗̠̬̯͕̃̈̑̇͛̍̌̀͌̀͐͘͘͝͝h̴̦̍̍̊͊̅̌͝ȩ̶͓̣͍̯̼̲̦̩͚̫̙̻̐̈ did. How she H̸͖̱̜̩̟͇̻̻̃̐̎Ṳ̸̜̟̭̬̉̾̉̃́̆͗͘͜͝Ř̸̨̡͇̘̲̜͓͕͉̰̳͔͊͠T̸͚̲̼͕̠̾́̀̈́̐̉̃̓̚͘͘ our people. Our land. Do not expect me to sit idly by while you make fool of our tale, of our stories.
Time is like water. It flows and it corrodes the steady land beside its home, but that which it takes it gives back. Time takes; our age, our strength, our memory, but it gives back. And in that water, the sediments are savored and carried on ripples of wave until there is nothing left of them, because they have become one with the ocean. We all become one with time someday, but that doesn’t mean that we are forgotten.
Lui’s eyes narrowed as well, that same intrigue from before returning to his slightly scrunched face.
Perhaps you speak the truth…
After all, I’m decently well acquainted with the spirit world. Longinus, my beloved pet dragon and the source of my power originates from there, same as most other power in this world. That place requires a certain balance of good and evil that I suppose can only be achieved through something like a curse. Huh… that makes quite a bit of sense. Ha!
He once again bursted out into a wild, toothy laughter, which eventually subsided, though his tone still contained a hint of his previous outburst.
I’ll admit, you’ve got an impressive way with words, Madam. You managed to do what most can’t; change my mind. Perhaps curses do exist after all…
His voice shifted again to a more serious, relaxed tone.
On the topic of time, I once met someone who is considered the embodiment of time itself. She referred to herself as the… “warden” of time. I believe she said something along the lines of, “despite everything they try, most humans will inevitably be forgotten as time passes. There simply isn’t a long enough life to remind people of those who have been lost. I am not part of humanity, so perhaps I am rather irrelevant in the grand scheme of memories, but in my experience, those who truly attempt to cement their names in history will one day, even if it takes ten thousand years or more, be lost within the ever-changing landscape of time.”
I hold her words close, as should you. Time is a fearsome force, and it can erase anything and anyone from existence…
