"I see your face marked with sadness. Does something trouble you?”
“If you would continue to let your fear overrule your drive, then I wish you a good day, safe travels, and to walk in the light of the Crystal.”
“I know you've got a lot to deal with, and this isn't easy. It's not easy. You're facing your fears, even if it's unwillingly. And that makes you braver than most.”
“...One of these days, I'd like not to be brave.”
“Without embracing both sides, in their entirety, you shall remain stunted, and just shy of a true mage. That fear will make becoming a true member of the red impossible for you. Forever.”
“Thoust sought to learn this art... and the element of fire is a part of nature just as the other elements. But words alone cannot help you overcome what you feel of flame.”
“Don't fucking go there.”
“I'm terrified, Natsumi. If it can affect her, it could affect me too and I-- I don't want to die. I don't want to hurt you. Or anyone here. I can't... lose you guys. I can't lose myself.”
“If you don’t leave now, you and the Commander will DIE.”
“I have to find him too! I can’t leave him here!”
“Go! NOW! I’ll find him. He’s my responsibility, not yours! You get your father to safety!”
“DAD!”
“I tried to find him. I tried to bring him home, to no avail. Gods… gods, I miss him. I miss my boy…”
“No. NO! Give him back! GIVE HIM BACK!”
“You made him happy, Ayla. You were brave and you suffered for your bravery and to this sun you continue to make people smile. I just don't want you thinking you're never allowed to put joy aside. Your grief matters as much as everyone's you soothe. He would be proud of you. So, so proud. I hope you know that."
“ It... didn't feel like how it felt before.”
“ Fire can be ferocious, and painful, and terrifying. But it can be gentle. Purifying. Loving. I hope I can show you more of that."
"̷͍̏̋̋̓́̂́͂̍̔͘͝͝Y̵̧̢̟̗̱̱̊̇͋̒̀̈̓̉̃͑̆̄͝o̷̢͓̯̱͓͍͔̺̼̰̗̘̍u̶͓̦̞͕͓̤̘̇͂͜͠ ̸̢̛͉̲̤͇̖͎̟̼̤̈͂̄̈̈́̂r̶̨̰̬̰̺͇̻̞̫͊̿̔͗̌́̄̈́̚͝e̸̢̱̙̮̞̗̬̥̝͓̮͐̑͋̈͜a̴̧͒͌̚l̵͙̖̾̾̑l̴̡̫̞͖̪͇͙͇͊̊̓͑̉̓̈́͑͑̂̿͜͝y̴̬̆̂̑ ̴̧̛̙̱̗͖̣̘̺̯̜͙̅̅̓̌̉͊̈́̐́͂̓̊̏̿͜t̴̨̢̧̛̗͉̩͙̙̼̼̼̘̦̪͖̄̋͗̔̇̀́̈̍͊͘͠͠h̵͓͈̪͑̅͑̆̅̀͂̓í̸̡͕̣͎͇̭͔̞̱͊̑͛͑̂͗̔̽͊̽͝n̵̨̘̮̱͖̮̎͛̎̉̂̐̾̾̊̐́͠k̵̬͕͖̞̤̭̙̥̖͍̟̗̒̏̅́̌̍͘ ̸̡̡̣̹̰̰̟̗̪̗̤̠̬́͋̃͋̀̀̇͂̂̆̂m̸͈͇͉͇͓̣͇̭̞̗̩͈̠̞̜̿́̃̓e̷͎̣̰̙̦̩͉̙͖͋̎̋͒̍̆̈́̑͊̚͘͠͠͝ ̶͕̪̹̼̍̎͊̉̆͋̈́̽̚c̷̻̈́̔͑̑̎̀͠á̴̘̀̾̀͛̌͝p̴̥̂̈́̒͒̽̐̂̕a̵̰̤̣̯̻͇͙̯̺̓̎̉b̶̡͔͍͇͚̼̹̀ͅl̴͙͙̯͓̙͈̣̯̅͌̓̕ȩ̴̯̜̫̤͋͑̂̿̊͛͆̋̇̿͌̀̊͠ͅ ̶̢̡̢͕̳͖̳̻̼̯̤̤͍̣̠̌̆͌́̚͝͠ơ̷̧͕̘̤͕͍͍͙͇̱̠̻͚̅͌͌̒͊̋̑̓̐̉f̶̛̘̟͖͔͉̭̝̟͍̩͍̭̿̏̆̀͘͜͜͝ ̶̡̯̮͍͕̜͈͈̹̭̺̰͓͑̃͌̓́͐̓͑́̂͆̅͠ͅw̸̧̡̛͎̩̜̺͎̱̘͙̮̻̯̆̊i̸̧̭̙̞͎̬̘̹͖̰͗̃͂̈́̑̏̑̎͘͜é̴̹̟͙̗͇̻̦̲̱͗̈́̑̔͒̒̾͛̆̀͐̕l̶̡͚̳̖̝̰͈̣̃̋̄̆͆̏̄̔̽͘ͅd̷͓͎͔̳͍͍̬͓̣͠i̷̘̮͖͎̳̳͚͇͈̐̉͑͋̓̕n̶̨̯̺̱̥͔̠̎͝g̶͖̬̻͔̲̬̘̭̫̭͒͜ ̷̩̠̠̻͓̒͐̌̄͌͜s̶̛̟͓̩̜̜͖͎̼͔̹̯̪͈̟̔̅̋̏͂̈́̉͛̕͘͜͝͠u̸̺̦͔͓͚̠͔̼̳̎͐̑̅͠c̷̱̩͓̺̙͌͐̔̈͗̒͝ḣ̸̢̛̞̤͓̱͖̳͚͌̄̐͑̆̿̇̾̀̊͘͜͠͠ ̴̧̢̧̮̪̫̞͍̯̟̼̰̜̈́͑̋͗̉͒̿͜͝m̴̡̡̢̛̺̹͇̦̫̞̲̼͎͍͖̒͆̂̽̿̉̚ą̴̢̧͍̜̠͓̦͇̠̬̮͎̪̟͒̀́͐̑̏̍͌͘̕̚͝͠͠ģ̵̨̦͙̼̣̈́̇̉̈́͌̚͝ḭ̷̡̧͖̦̦͉̱̲̼͓͉̽̂͌̎̽̚͠c̶̢̡̥̼͂̿́͂͗́̌̈̋?̶̢̖̠͎̩̩̖̗̮͇͇̱̯́̑̒̆̊̅̽̓̚͠ ̸̥̻̙͈̫̖̯͖̬͓̞̼̽̉̈͝ ̸̦̼̜̻̈͊̅̒͒̇̌̾A̷̰͌́̄͌͗̋̓̇̽ ̸̖̇͊͗͊̍͐̏̏̊̚͝͠ḥ̶̼͇̥͕̱̣̦̦̲͔̓̿̍̈́̅͂̽̃̄̀͝ͅẽ̸̡̦͚̠̣̠̯̩͕͔̏͠r̴̛͉̘̝̩̯͆̀̈͌̆͗ỉ̶̜͙̟̖̬̲͑t̴̮͔̩͆̄͘ô̸̢̯̪̱̲̖̲̟͔͕̫͕͚̩͆̽̇̊̍̅̇͠͝͝ȓ̸̡̼̯̯͓̘̝̻̮̤́̍͋̀̌͋͋̊̓̌̑̚͠ ̸̡͚̱̫̜͙̇͆̍͒͘õ̴͖͌͂̈́́̔̔̍͊͘f̴̧̡̗̮̩̰͔̹͇͉̗̳͗̂̚ ̸̺͓͚̏̎͊̏̅̎̃͒͂̕͝ŝ̴͚̔̀̆͒̓̊̽͛͗̒̏̋̕ư̸̠̫̭͙̤̲̿̓̇́̍̑͘͝ç̶̨̛̼͕̤̥̳̗̟̺̆̓͗͜h̵̰̦̰̯̜̖̟̟̩͓̪̙̟̗͎̅̒̈͌ ̴̪̯̞̻̎͒͜s̷̢̧̳̲̫͕̙̦͕͒̋̌̑̇̏̊͛̀͐̅̅̿͝ͅt̷̥̣̠̦͕̝̜͔̀̈́̎̆̉̓̾ǫ̶̼̙͈̠̜̥̠͐̔̏̓͒̑̃͘͜͜r̷̬̦̣̱͋͗i̶̢̭͇̹̜̮̞͑͝e̸̡̢͍̟͓̪͕͎̤̩̍̏͐̈́͐̈́̀̈́̓͑̀̊͜d̵̹̯͎̺̏̍̈́̍͘ ̴̛̣̭̳̤͎̯̙̞̞͈͆̌̓͑͝h̵͙̙̬͇͓̳̙̤͈͙͔͔̻̿͒̀͌̽̉̈́̕i̸̡̧̨̱͙̗̙͍̩̫͇͙͙̦͊́̒͊̏͋͘s̷̨̛̛͎͍̥͇̜̩͇͓͚̓̀͛̏̃͒͑̐͊̈́̀̅͝t̶̬̙̦̹͔̽̓͒̆̇̃̚͝ͅǫ̶̢̬̣͕̤̼̱̻̫̖̪͔̀͋͋̆̄̽͝r̶̡̡̛̖̫̞̪̱̰̟̠̈́͘͝ẏ̷̰̖̞̥̝͚̼̞̬͗̓̎͝͠?̵̛͉͎̗̹̣̆̓͐̅̔͋̃̇"̷̡̛͎͉̩̖̙̮̜͕́̂̎͆̈́̀̚͝
“A legacy to learn. The picture becomes clearer. ‘Tis no wonder you pushed yourself to such a brink. This does this explain your natural ability, too. It resonates deeply with you.”
“That’s really all I've been doing. Chasing her legacy.”
“Remember, 'tis not just the legacy that makes you. You will carve your own path.”
“A slow practice is all that is needed. You cannot become a master in a single day. The fact that you have not burned all of your aether and are not dropping from exhaustion is perhaps a monument to your fortitude.“
The bard sat quietly, after another several hour marathon of practice, shaking all those voices out of her head.
“I guess I was told not to do that again,” Ayla said with a sigh, “Oh well...”
“Rest well, Ayla. The red will be yours for the taking, soon enough.”
The creeping melancholic frown slowly faded, leaving only burgeoning hope in its wake.
“Soon enough...”
