Upon her Altar
Enter the Temple of the Four Winds, a place where Alchemic energy fills the air and the very fabric of reality is as malleable as clay.
Join Kar'Eth in his earliest days, learning to bend the world to his will through the power of Alchemy.
I remember it fondly, the overwhelming scent of salt in the air and the sound of the distant waves upon the mountainous barrier that surrounded the Temple of the Four Winds. So different it all seemed from the darkness of that prison they called Arlan's Watch. I remember standing there upon the shore, staring in awe at the waters which separated the temple from the barrier beyond. In truth this place was no more than another prison, thought it was magnificent in its own right, a gilded cage is still just a cage.
I stood there for what felt like hours, watching the suns as they set over the mountains beyond until their light faded entirely, the darkness bringing with it the true beauty of the stars above and bringing the blue-green hues of the celestial rings to their true majesty. I felt in that moment that I might truly be free, that I might truly be able to live as my mother had wanted for us; how wrong I was. For in this moment, how could I have known the bond I shared with her? How could I have known that even in freedom, I would still suffer the anguish inflicted upon my sister?
Standing there in that moment, I felt at peace for the first time since I could remember, but the silence was soon to be broken.
"There you are," came a voice from behind me, one soft as sea is vast and gentle as a mothers touch. "Val'Den told me we had a new arrival." she continued as I turned. How horrific I must have looked to her in that moment, a creature naked as the day I was born, half-drenched in blood and caked in dirt and grime and yet, she smiled at me all the same.
Val'Den?
The name should have been foreign to me and yet, I knew it as if it'd been a part of my memory since I was born. It was the name of the woman who offered me hope; who had offered me mercy. It was the name of the being who would soon become my mentor and who - eventually - would come to curse the day she saved me from my masters.
"Who are you?" I managed to ask, studying the almost feline girl who had been my first encounter in this new life I'd been given.
"My name is Arenia," she replied, though it hardly registered in the moment. I was too fixated on her golden eyes, her ebony fur and the almost hypnotic way her tail swayed behind her. I must have stared for a moment at her, because before I could speak my name in turn, her smile broadened, a quiet giggle escaping her.
"My name is Kar'Eth,"
Eventually Arenia led me up the winding paths to the temple above, all the while regaling me with stories of her homelands in the Southern Isles. All the while I couldn't help but wonder, what would my own life have been had I not been born as a Kerosai? What could have been had the universe not shown my people such cruelty? Those question however, melted away when I first laid eyes on the temple grounds. Built of fine marble and polished stone with waterfalls cascading seemingly from the sky itself, the sight of my new home left me stunned when I first laid eyes on it. Every hue imaginable was represented in the tapestries that adorned the outer walls, the fabrics billowing with the ever-present breeze that I would come to miss when I would inevitably leave this place.
I took it in for as long as I could, standing in awe of the size and scope of this so-called temple. In truth, it was the size of a town if not bigger. Multiple buildings adorned the edges of the courtyard, some small and simple while others stretched seemingly to the heavens above. I could have lost myself in the sight of it all, I could have forgotten the pain and suffering that had plagued my very existence thus far were it not for what caught my eye next.
A young Annari, a fox by the looks of him stood not far from one of the smaller buildings, rubbing his paws together as he stared at a block of stone before him. It was as if he could see something in it that no one else could and for a moment I believed he would reach for some tool - a chisel perhaps - to begin sculpting it into something more. However, no tool was produced as he simply laid his paws against its surface and closed his eyes.
I would have believed him a madman were it not for what happened next. It wasn't with tool or with the application of force that he worked, but with his will alone. Some unseen force began to shape the stone, almost like a sculptor would mold clay. Solid rock became so malleable that even the faint winds of this place could alter its surface. Amidst the spectacle I could feel the ebb and flow of a sort of energy, one that should have felt foreign and yet it was strangely familiar.
The stone changed slowly at first, like the tentative brushstrokes of a painter unsure of his canvas but sure enough, the subtle shifting of the stone began to grow more frantic. The perfectly carved block became a towering pillar, spiraling easily to fifteen feet before broadening. If it had simply stopped there I would have been impressed, but soon the finer details began to take form.
What had once been a mere block of stone had become a towering statue of a maiden, the simple gown adorning her body billowing like fine silk in the wind before becoming solid once more. The detail in each and every tuft of fur, each shapely or subtle curve of her body was exquisite and had I not witnessed the creation of it with my own eyes, I would have thought it a masterpiece shaped over a lifetime.
When the Annari's eyes opened once more it was with a look of disbelief, as if he'd not expected this outcome. He stood in awe at his own creation, even as Arenia practically skipped up to him and belted out, "What a beautiful statue!" The sound of her voice seemed to startle him at first, but the expression was short-lived as he realized who it was.
"I know, right?" he said with a barely audible chuckle, his voice far deeper than I would have expected of one so small. "I didn't think it would work at first, but--" he trailed off, looking to his creation with an expression that could only be described as equal measures of pride and confusion.
"But nothing, you did it!" Arenia chimed, her voice filled to bursting with enthusiasm. "Feels good, doesn't it?"
They spoke like old friends, like two people who had known each other since either of them could remember and yet I knew enough to know better. Felis - the cat-like people of our world - hailed from the Southern Isles while the Annari likely came from the mysterious and untamed lands far to the north. Their homelands were from nearly a world apart and yet, they seemed so comfortable in the others presence. If only this peace could be known beyond the walls of this temple, perhaps then my life - my choices - would have been different.
The next few days felt like a blur, learning the ins and outs of the temple grounds and meeting the other students whom I would share the majority of my life with. These should be fond memories of dear friends but in truth, they bring me little joy even now.
Ka'Vala - the Annari sculptor - was a gentle fellow, though I had been right in my assumptions as to where his homeland was. The statue I soon learned was of his mother, someone who would be his muse for several more majestic pieces made in her memory.
Osara - the Ursan chef - whose love of food was second to none. He was the quiet sort, a man of few words until you asked him to explain a recipe. His tribe had been all but lost to famine and yet, the pain that he held was never evident.
Kajari - the Drakonis forge-master - was known to be brash and yet, had a touch as gentle as silk when he wanted it to be. He was bold, speaking his mind to any who would listen and regaling them with tales of his militaristic ancestry.
Lucian - the Equis farmer - whose love of all living things was apparent. He was never one for conflict and though he was impossibly strong, he desired peace over all else. I thought him naive at first, I came to respect his decisions all the more when I learned of his past.
Za'Rishi - the Arian musician - was ever the awkward young thing. She could barely keep her balance with her feet on the ground and yet, she had the grace of a dancer whenever she took flight.
Arenia - the Felis tailor - was always the friendly sort. She was the one who pushed us to better ourselves and to grow. Had I but known how our lives would turn out, perhaps I would have listened closer to her wisdom and learned from her kindness.
Sigarri - the Verris artist - was far more than he seemed. Whether he painted with his brush or with his words, he could bring beauty to even the most macabre moments. I would come to envy his spirit in time, unshakable in every way and noble even in the face of true darkness.
Karina - the Aquean jeweler - had a way of seeing the beauty in even the simplest of things. To her the world was full of wonder, even if she could not see any of it as we could. How she could see to the heart of all things without her sight is a mystery to me even now.
These people would come to be some of my closest friends, each of them as close to me as family and yet, if I knew how utterly cruel this world could be? I would have kept them each at far more of a distance. If I held any regrets, it would be that I allowed these people to witness the truly wicked creature I would become.