Dessicated dust crunched beneath her hooves, as Avehi stepped out into the Bone Wastes. She winced, gazing out at shattered remains of Auchidoun. Immediately, her thoughts turned to Unkhra’huun… and all the worries of what had happened to him washed over her along with them. It had been weeks - maybe months - since she heard anything from the Auchenai. And she hadn’t learned much herself through her own investigation. Hopefully, it meant he was resting again, at last… But none of that was why she came here now.
The perpetual overcast gloomily hung over the landscape, leaving little contrast between earth and sky. The wind howled fiercely, sweeping through the desolate plains unhindered. It wasn’t always like this. Avehi closed her eyes, trying to imagine Talador as it once was. Seeing it again during the Iron Horde campaign was a much needed reminder of how things were before Death’s caress reached out for Draenor. Vibrant trees, proud crystalline structures, water as clear as glass… Now, it only existed in her memories. Draenor felt like the most devastating losses the Draenei people experienced. Coming back to it was always a grim reminder; as comfortable as life ever seemed, complacency would certainly be their downfall.
This business with the Afterlife was yet another case. The Fourth War had ended. The Old God threat was on the decline. But as comforting a thought as that was, dangers continued to lurk on the horizon. Dangers not everyone saw. She’d tried to explain that to Argonas in Uldum, but he was reluctant to hear the truth. Too rigid in his false beliefs. It wasn’t too surprising, looking back on it.
But the encounter had raised a lot of questions in the aftermath. Why was he there at all? He had a baby to look after, didn’t he? Sinafay should’ve had their child by now. Avehi knew Sinafay herself had no intention to keep it… Had Argonas decided he didn’t want it after all? No, not him. He was tradition given Draenei form - and as rare as Draenei children were, he wouldn’t neglect his duties in raising one of his own.
Something must’ve happened.
Avehi had met Sinafay on the alternate Draenor. They got along well, despite recent disagreements about her ridiculous choice. Nonetheless, she still considered Sinafay a friend. One of the few she had left. Worry clouded the Death Knight’s mind. She hadn’t seen Sinafay in a long time. And after looking for her, one glaring possibility was too overwhelming to ignore any longer - what if she died? It worried Avehi enough normally. But with all that was happening beyond the grave, she was all the more concerned. She came here, to Auchindoun, to look for answers to that pressing and troubling question.
She didn’t dare to venture into the city itself, however. Her presence was an affront to the resting dead here. She’d only made her way into the city under the guidance of a Soul Arbiter, before. She wouldn’t seek to go further without Dunkori. Here on the outskirts was close enough for her purposes, anyway. Auchindoun was a point where the veil between life and death was thin. Communing with the other side was easier in such places. Clearer. If she was going to find out if Sinafay was lost in the afterlife, this was the best way to do it.
She hoped she was wrong. She hoped her friend was still alive.
But hope had let her down in the past.
She knelt down, and focused her mind. Slowly, her soul separated from her lifeless body - a jarring sensation, no matter how many times she’d done it. She felt it immediately; how much more power flowed through the Shadowlands since the last time she’d stepped through. She couldn’t tell if it was just from wraith walking in a place like this, or if the dire well pulling all the departed souls into it was gaining more strength. She hoped for the former… but couldn’t help but believe it to be the latter. Troubling, nonetheless.
She calmed her mind, focusing on Sinafay’s face. Traveling here was unlike traveling in the real world. She had to will herself to various places. And focusing on certain people she knew led her soul to them. She focused intently, keeping Sinafay fully in her mind’s eye. If she were dead, Avehi would know. Avehi would sense it.
At first, there was nothing. The ambient “noise” of the Maw thrummed lowly. To and fro, in and out, like an ocean wave crashing against the shore. The ebb and flow of the afterlife was oddly soothing and jarring at the same time. It was hard to get used to it. Hard to see through the noise, and find what you were seeking. But Avehi had gained some experience in it, in her searches for other old friends. Thankfully, she found none in this terrifying place.
Until now.
Her heart sank; she could feel her! A thousand questions all raced through her head. What happened? How did she die? How long had she been dead? She grunted, focusing on her friend’s essence more intently. But… something was different about her. Very different. As she drew closer to her… that strange feeling grew stronger.
She worried even more. What had happened to her to change her like this?
~*~
Time was irrelevant in the Maw. Nothing but eternal darkness and nightmares. There was no way of telling how long Sinafay had been here, but it felt like forever. Not that it mattered… she’d begrudgingly accepted her fate the moment she’d arrived. The devastation of realizing where’d she’d been sent had done her in.
After all she’d done to help other people… the sacrifices she and Argonas had made…
Argonas… she was happy he wasn’t being tortured here like she was. Hopefully he was one with the Light… where she had hoped to be with him for eternity. Was he reunited with Kairei while she suffered eternal damnation? Had he bothered to search for her at all? She felt jealousy rise inside her, literally burning her.
She shook her head as tears rolled down her cheeks. Emotions turned against her here, amplifying emotional pain into physical. She had to numb herself, lest it served as a beacon for the monsters to find her. They’d find her eventually… they always did. Ripping her apart, limb from limb, leaving her in pieces to be reformed and hunted again. Over and over…
Her tail twitched as she felt something approaching. Her nails dug into the ground as she curled in on herself, trying to be as small and unnoticeable as possible. Was it already too late? Her body trembled, but she couldn’t help but look up. She’d initially been relieved to have her sight restored in death, but soon realized it was a curse to have to see the horrors and atrocities that happened around her.
But what was coming felt different than the hunting aberrations. This felt somehow… benign.
“Who… who’s there?” She called out.
“Forgot me already, did you?”
The Death Knight could feel her - the strong fighter’s spirit railing against death itself was unmistakably Sinafay’s. And yet, it felt so weary, flickering in and out of defiance and utter hopelessness. The Maw must have broken her quickly.
After a few moments, Avehi’s ethereal form came into view, hooves touching down into more grey, desolate dust. She looked down at the curled-up Draenei before her, face conflicted; happy to have found her, but distraught to have found her here.
“Sina…” she reached out. “How did this happen? How did you die?”
Sinafay was wary of the woman. She acted familiar, yet the shaman had never seen her before. She tilted her head, looking the figure over. She knew some of the living had ways of reaching out to the dead. But why would anyone reach out to her? If it was a trick, it was a new one she hadn’t experienced before.
“I… died on Argus,” she answered, straightening up some, “Argonas and I… together in an explosion.”
She kept looking the woman over, now more curious than anything else.
“I’m sorry… I don’t recognize who you are.”
“--On Argus? That…”
Avehi retracted her hand, and looked the woman over more closely. Eyes wide, yet peering. Appraising. It was beginning to come together; she felt different. She didn’t recognize Avehi. That could only mean this wasn’t Sinafay. Not the one she was expecting, anyway.
The Death Knight’s brow furrowed. There was a comfort knowing this wasn’t the Sinafay she knew. She didn’t sense her anywhere else, which led her to believe she was still alive somewhere. But having found the other Sinafay… complicated things. Clearly, her death on Argus happened after the wheel was broken. It went back further than she thought. And this one thought Argonas died with her.
“... Apologies. I am Avehi the Adamant. Once a Vindicator, now a Death Knight of the Ebon Blade. You recall them, I presume?” she explained, tone calm, even… and devoid of previous familiarity. “I came here looking for the other Sinafay. The one from alternate Draenor. Instead… I found you.”
Sinafay couldn’t help but frown at the mention of her alternate self. Her tail flickered in annoyance. How was her dumb double still relevant to anything anymore? She’d stayed on her own Draenor and the portals had closed, never to be opened again… right?
It was odd, Avehi reintroducing herself. After all she’d heard about her, both from Argonas and the Sinafay she actually knew, meeting this one felt strange. She felt both like she knew this Sinafay well enough, and yet not at all. This one had been a shaman, in life - that itself was a comfort to Avehi. Mierne had shown her that shamanism, ties to spirits and elements, was a benevolent power. Far less judgmental than the Light. Avehi definitely had grown to favor it over the Light, in recent years.
It also meant this Sinafay knew what it felt like to be set apart from their kin. Avehi knew that well enough, too.
“I’ve come to help, if I can. Tell me what’s been happening here - but be quick. It won’t be long before the denizens of this place find me out.”
“I’m not sure,” her voice was steadier now, not broken up as it had been before, “There’s a lot of people coming in everyday… I thought the Maw was made for the worst of the worst, but there are so many people here. I thought I’d join the Light with Argonas but…”
She shook her head again, closing her eyes And bringing her hands up to her head as though she had a headache. That wasn’t too far off, she couldn’t bear to hope she’d been sent here by mistake.
“Of course everything is wrong with this place. It’s the Maw! Nothing… nothing makes sense!”
"--Temper yourself!" Avehi scolded her. "Your emotions will betray you!"
Sinafay didn’t need Avehi’s warning. She knew well enough what her negative emotions would bring about. Still, having someone at her side to snap her mind back in place was a luxury she usually didn’t have. She calmed herself, listening to Avehi’s words intently. The Death Knight had been through the dark depths of the Shadowlands enough times before...
It was for this reason she was mindful of what to tell this Sinafay. Her emotions would only draw more dangers to them both. And Avehi being from the world of the living was already drawing enough attention; she could sense the dangerous horrors growing ever closer, even now.
But Sinafay deserved to know. She couldn't be left to think she was damned to this place intentionally.
"You're perceptive; this is not as it should be." Avehi told her, keeping calm. "Malevolent forces have disrupted the afterlife. Now, everyone who dies is sent here… whether they deserve it or not. And the many you've seen are casualties of yet another war on Azeroth, sparked after the victory over the Legion on Argus."
That sparked something Sinafay hadn’t felt in a long time - hope. Something she had always clung to in life, no matter how dire the situation. If what Avehi said was true, it meant a possibility of leaving this place someday! It was obvious in Sinafay’s face, the way the glow in her white eyes returned… the way her shoulders straightened. The fighting spirit she had lost was returning.
“Everyone…” she mused, “So… you’re saying Argo is here somewhere as well?”
"--Tch… no. Argonas is not here." Avehi replied, expression betraying a hint of displeasure in him still being alive. "Somehow, he survived that explosion that took your life. He's on Azeroth once more."
She pondered how much more to tell this Sinafay. Seeing her renewed like this, was it wise to tell her about the other Sinafay, and their baby? She withheld it for now…
"But if he had died, he would be. He doesn't know it, or understand it." she went on. "It's… irritating how bull-headed he can be. --Aah, but you know this, I'm sure."
“He… He’s alive… and thinks I’m with the Light, now,” she thought out loud, “That’s why he never tried to reach out to me.”
She smiled wide, bringing a hand up to her mouth as she couldn’t help but chuckle. Avehi described him all too well for this all to be a trick. She wanted to wrap her arms around the ethereal form in a tight hug, but knew that wasn’t possible.
A realization struck Avehi; this chance meeting could prove to Argonas that her actions and intentions were good. Finding his dead wife in the Maw? Even he couldn't dispute that the cycle of death was broken and flawed.
"Listen… if he knew you were here, I believe he would help me, yes?" Avehi explained. "His grieving you for well over a year tells me you meant a great deal to him. Even now, I get the sense he's unable to fully let you go… this can be of all our benefits. I need to prove to him you're stuck here."
“Of course! I’ll help in any way I can! You can locate me here again? If I stay in pla--”
She gasped, suddenly peering over her shoulder with wide eyes. Their time was short! Her radiating happiness brought about just as much attention as her sorrow. Happy souls here were usually targets to be broken.
“They’re coming... “ She turned to face Avehi one last time, her expression determined, “You need to leave. Now.”
The Death Knight grunted, glancing back behind Sinafay. She could feel them, too - monstrosities of the Maw. They were closing in fast - on her or Sinafay, she couldn't tell. Both, probably. She turned to depart, centering herself and focusing her mind once more…
"--Wait!" she called out. "How do I prove to him I met you here? Something only you know? Something only he would know?"
“Just tell him I said to stop being a dumbass and that he’d better have some alcohol ready for when he brings me home!”
Avehi smirked - already, she was starting to like this Sinafay better. She nodded once, before her ethereal form began to dissipate, joining again with her body in the Bone Wastes.
"Stay safe…" she bid Sinafay, before vanishing.
Sinafay smirked. Obviously, Avehi didn’t know her at all. She turned to face the approaching swarm defiantly. She had no weapon, and her shamanism didn’t work in this place, but she still intended to put up one hell of a fight!
((Co-written with @kidcatgemini. Both Sinafays belong to her! @archmage-stillwater for mention, creator of both Unkhra’huun and Dunkori! ))
Auchindoun’s halls
When Miaarhi was learning how to be an Anchorite on Draenor, she had to visit Auchindoun and learn a few things from the Auchenaï, especially on how they percieved the Void.
She was astonished by the architecture and the wide, wide halls. She never got to visit "her" Auchindoun on Outland because she was too young then.(The background is a vectorized screen)
Please don’t use this in any circumstance.
A personal piece of my toon Zeyia. I really had fun combining the soulvest concept with the mooncloth robe. ♥
♥ Reblog is appreciated to help an artist grow ♥
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There were days when Aulos considered finding an anchorite and asking them to take away the memories of all that had happened over the past several decades. Not that the majority of them would agree to such a thing, of course. That thought represented nothing but pure selfishness and as such, was borderline dishonorable. Aulos banished it as soon as he caught himself thinking about it.
Some had to remember and one of those might as well be him, even if his memory had more holes in it than a Rangari’s archery target. Had to remember so they never repeated the mistake that led to the destruction of Auchindoun again. Had to…
Aulos blinked, coming back to full awareness with a jolt. Annoyed, he went about the motions of making tea. He sat down on one of the cushioned benches that had come with the small house, and stared at the steam that rose in wisps from the mug.
On days like this, when he had little to do after his drills besides drink tea and tend to trees… on days like this, the memories came back. Even if he didn’t want them to.
Aulos stood up, ignoring the bench as it clattered to the floor. He lifted the warhammer from its rack by the door, even though the small orchard that he called his temporary home held very few threats.
Temporary it was, because eventually they would return to their own timeline and leave this strange, haunted version of Draenor behind. He couldn’t bring himself to go see Auchindoun. Seeing what used to be… no. Too many bad memories there, memories and pain and death.
Walking along the rows of trees in the small orchard brought back fragments of other memories, better ones. Before he had started training as a vindicator, before he joined the Auchenai. Orchards, fruit, watching seedlings grow into mature trees. Planting trees in Auchindoun after the last stones had been laid.
Aulos stopped in front of a tree and then sat down underneath one of the branches. He set the warhammer down next to himself and put a hand on it before closing his eyes. I’ll think about some of those memories instead. It’s peaceful here… and I promised that I would make more of an effort to remember the good things. This is a good time to try.
