i. reflections.
he cannot seem to get the sight of those eyes out of his head. red-hot as coals, burning with the fury of magic as they advance slowly towards the crowd. the silver smile practically dripping as the false king crept closer and closer, the people ahead of him bumping backward as they tried to avoid the effigy.
with a blink, he tosses the memory out of his skull for the third time that day. one question lingers, however: how did it come to life? what kind of magic was it? plant manipulation, for the thorns and branches? was it all simply an illusion, like his own powers? the ash that fell from it after its grisly demise certainly seemed real enough; though he hadn't had a chance to touch it. perhaps lady aria had. was it some sort of…necromantic reanimation? (of an inanimate object? no, the thought even sounded absurd when it came to him.)
life. they did seem rather obsessed with it; according to them, seas, fires, and petrified stones would all "come alive." what did they mean by that? were these…hollow peoples spread all throughout the world, and by awakening, would carry the world with them? was it more metaphorical than that? for this question, yinuo had very slim hopes.
then there was the addition of "asleep for the past millennia." or three, the jesters in his mind mocked. over a thousand years was a long time, longer than even frigoria had lain in slumber. perhaps the palace of sotera had a library; though sagas only knew what he was searching for. maybe if he just looked back far enough, he could find something. a…a hint, or a clue, a mention, something.
...it was a feeble attempt. but at least it was something to do, rather than just sitting around and waiting for people to figure things out. already he could hear rumors whispered around palace corners, rumors that endangered his very stay at the castle.
...at least libraries were intended to be silent.
