Chapter 65 – A Vow beneath Azure, Crimson, and Ebony
Chapter 65
A Vow beneath Azure, Crimson, and Ebony
Date : Day 3 of Grimleaf 1024 Aethellgard Concord Year.
Hyoren and Elise ate in silence afterwards. Savoring every spoonful of broth. Slurping the noodles. Enjoying the warm food which filled their belly and heart. The campfire crackled between them. The flames danced and flickered. Casting shadows across their faces. The night air was cool but the fire kept them warm.
The surroundings watched them. The silence was not oppressive. It was the atmosphere of the two who were connected. They didn't need words. They understood each other with every glance. With every twitch of pointed ears. The bond between them had grown strong. Forged through hardship. Tempered by trust.
After a while, Hyoren finished his soup first. He put the bowl on the ground, and exhaled. A long breath of satisfaction. The warmth still lingered in his chest.
"Whew. That was truly delicious..."
He put his hands together. A gesture of gratitude.
"Thanks for the food."
A gesture from his old world. A habit which he still did even now. The words felt natural on his tongue. A small ritual. A moment of appreciation.
Elise also finished her bowl. She set it down carefully beside her.
"I love eating spicy food on cold nights. It might be praising my own cooking but... yeah, I enjoyed this too."
She smiled, then turned around. And picked up a kettle on top of their stove. Steam still rose from the spout. She poured the contents into two mugs she had prepared. The liquid was pale blue. Almost ethereal in the firelight. And gave one to Hyoren.
"Here. My favorite blend of tea. It was made from Yilmint and Blue Tea leaves."
Hyoren took the mug from her. Felt the warmth seep into his fingers. The ceramic was smooth against his palms.
"Thank you, Elise."
He then started sipping the tea. The liquid was almost blue. Unlike any tea he ever drank. The color was strange. Beautiful. But the taste surprised him. His eyes widened slightly.
"Wow. I like this tea, Elise..."
He sipped it again. The refreshing tea was almost like a sencha—a green tea with a fresh and astringent flavor he always drank on Earth. But there was a hint of mint too. It was not overpowering the green tea, but instead it created a harmonious blend. Cool and warm at the same time. Soothing and invigorating.
Elise smiled. The expression was pleased. Happy that he appreciated something she loved.
"I'm glad you like it, Hyoren. I will stock more of it later for us to enjoy."
Hyoren nodded. The thought of sharing more moments like this warmed him.
"That is a good idea, Elise."
Elise then looked up. In the direction of the three moons hanging in the sky. Surrounded by a glittering sea of stars. The celestial display was breathtaking. She silently watched them. Her green eyes reflected the lights above. Lost in thought.
After a while, she turned her face to Hyoren. She took another sip of her tea, before opening her mouth. Hesitation flickered across her features. She seemed to be choosing her words carefully.
"Hey, Hyoren. May I ask a question?"
Hyoren, who was in the middle of sipping his own tea, tilted his head. The question caught his attention.
"Hmm? Why the hesitation, Elise?"
He smiled. Genuine. Encouraging.
"Ask away..."
Elise nodded. She gathered her thoughts. Organized them.
"How to start... Hyoren, you said you are interested in Dark Magic and felt the connection towards Noctynara, right?"
Hyoren sipped his tea before nodding. The warmth spread through him.
"That's right, Elise. Why?"
Elise tapped her mug with her fingers. A rhythmic pattern. Thoughtful.
"It was understandable, I guess. As I know from Noctynara's original teaching, you are indeed aligned towards Her. I already know you for a while, and now I'm sure."
Her emerald eyes locked on his face. Studying him. Reading him.
"Your analytical mind, always craving for new knowledge, always asking questions to learn new things. And you have quite an ambition too. Plus... you are quite pragmatic. I met some Noctynara's true worshippers before, and most of them are similar to you."
Elise listed her observations. Each point was measured. Considered. His qualities were similar to the Noctynara aspect. Knowledge. Ambition.
Hyoren nodded. The assessment made sense.
"I see... I didn't really realize that. But maybe you are right. I felt a connection towards Her... because of my personality, huh?"
Elise then pointed one of her fingers at him. A gesture of emphasis.
"But, after today, I realized another truth. I feel you are also aligned towards Luminara."
Hyoren widened his eyes. The statement was unexpected. Surprising.
"Huh. How, Elise?"
Elise nodded. Her expression was serious. Thoughtful.
"Firstly, you have quite compassion and empathy. You are honest. And I can clearly see you hated injustice. I can see your eyes burning when we talked about the atrocities today."
She smiled widely. The firelight caught the warmth in her features.
"And remember, you saved me from the goblin warbands, disregarding your own safety. To save a random and unknown person."
She raised one finger. A point of evidence.
"Those are qualities of Luminara's worshipper."
She held her mug with both of her hands. The ceramic was warm against her palms.
"But that is actually understandable too. Remember. Your patron Goddess is both of them. They noticed you and both of them gave you their divine protection."
She leaned forward. Her voice dropped an octave. The tone was conspiratorial. Revealing a secret.
"Gods of this world will never notice and give blessings to random people, Hyoren. They give it to people who carry their own aspect. Aligned with them."
She concluded. And sipped her tea again. The conversation settled into silence. Letting the words sink in.
Realization dawned upon him. The pieces clicked together.
He always thought he only felt a connection to Noctynara. Never about Luminara. But what Elise said made sense. Maybe he just never realized it. The aspects of both Goddesses existed within him. Complementary. Not contradictory.
"I see. I see... I never saw myself as the one who is going to uphold justice, Elise... and saving you from the goblin warband was... I just couldn't really turn a blind eye to someone in need."
Elise thrust her finger toward him sharply. A point of victory.
"That! Exactly what Luminara is, Hyoren. You said it yourself."
She then smiled warmly. The expression was knowing. Proud.
Hyoren widened his eyes again. Not realizing he was just emphasizing what Elise was trying to say. The truth had been there all along. He just hadn't seen it. He finally nodded. Acceptance.
"Okay. Maybe I should learn more about Luminara too. And think about learning light magic?"
Elise nodded. Encouraging but not demanding.
"Learning light magic is up to you. I won't say you must learn it. But it will be easier to learn than Dark magic as it's practiced everywhere in Altaria."
Hyoren looked up. He tried to picture Luminara he met in the white void. Her gracefulness. Mother-like aura. Gentle and warm. But her cowering state under Noctynara's stare because of her own carelessness burned through more vividly in his mind.
His image of her was leaning towards clumsy Goddess. Not a Goddess worth following. But despite all that, he finally remembered her warmth. She talked to him like he was her own child. Her voice permeated his body, warming him up. The sensation had been real. Comforting. Maternal.
"I see. I will think about it, Elise."
He finally took a sip from his forgotten mug. His eyebrows raised a bit—the tea was almost cold now. The warmth had faded during their conversation.
Elise smiled, noticing that. She then took the kettle and poured more hot tea into his mug. Warming it again. The steam rose fresh. The blue liquid swirled.
"Here, Hyoren. We still have plenty of tea."
She then also refilled her own. The kettle was still warm. The night was long.
"Thank you, Elise."
Hyoren nodded. Thankful. And sipped the now hot tea again. Savoring it. The flavors bloomed on his tongue. Fresh. Astringent. Minty. The night stretched before them.
***
Elise looked at Hyoren. Her eyes wandered from his face, to her own mug, and to his face again. The motion was repeated. A cycle of uncertainty. She seemed to be wrestling with something. A question that lingered on her tongue. Unspoken.
Hyoren noticed this, and tilted his head. Curiosity flickered in his dark eyes.
"What's wrong, Elise? Want to say something?"
Elise gripped her mug with both of her hands. Warming her two hands. The ceramic was warm against her palms. She seemed to draw strength from the heat.
"Umm. It's related to my last question. You did say you really want to learn Dark Magic. And felt a connection towards Noctynara?"
Hyoren nodded. Urging her to continue. His expression was patient. Open.
"Well, yes. Why do you ask the same question, Elise?"
Elise tried to form the words. Her brow furrowed slightly. She searched for the right way to express her thoughts.
"Well. Do you still want to, despite her bad name in human countries? Despite... some of her followers committing such atrocities?"
Hyoren's dark eyes darkened. The weight of the question settled on him. Noticing this, Elise waved her hands. Panic flickered across her features.
"No, no, no... I won't say you're going to be like those Heretics... But, most people would already turn away and want to avoid Dark Magic after knowing about what the Voided Covenant do. Most of them don't want to get associated with such organizations which commit blatant acts of atrocities."
Elise peeked upward, her face unsure. Vulnerable. She was treading carefully. Afraid of offending him. Afraid of pushing him away.
"So, how do you still want to do it, Hyoren? I won't stop you. And I will support you. I won't leave you even if you learn Dark Magic. But I still want to know your motivation for doing that."
She finally smiled. Assuring him. The expression was warm. Supportive. A promise in her emerald eyes.
Hyoren fell silent for a while. Before taking another sip from his mug. And smiled. The warmth of the tea spread through him. But the warmth of her words spread deeper.
"Thank you for your support, Elise. I truly appreciate it. I was afraid you would bar me from pursuing my aspiration, as most people would. Thank you."
He then looked up at the sky. The three moons hung in the air. Azure. Crimson. Ebony. They were associated with Noctynara, as her symbol contained them. Just as Luminara was the day and its two suns, Noctynara was the night and its three moons. The celestial bodies watched over them. Silent witnesses to their conversation.
He then tried to remember the Noctynara figure from the void where he met her. Her stoic and pragmatic personality. Her cold voice lacked warmth. Her cold eyes which seemed to be piercing his core, knowing all of his secrets. Every thought. Every fear. Every desire.
But despite that, she said she was interested in him. Rebuking Luminara for her carelessness. And sincerely apologized to him. The memory was vivid. Sharp. A goddess who could admit fault. Who could show care in her own way.
He thought. If Luminara was a gentle mother. Noctynara was an awkward father who actually cared for them but raised their own child with discipline. Stern but loving. Cold but sincere.
Then realization dawned over him.
She was just like Dad.
His father. Who raised him alone. Disciplined him. Trained him in survival. Forcing him to do all the harsh training. But it was all because he truly loved him and cared about him. The early mornings. The grueling exercises. The lessons in tracking and hunting. All of it born from love. A love expressed through action rather than words.
He thought again. His father and Noctynara were completely different. They didn't resemble each other at all. But for some reason. He felt she was similar to his dad. The connection was inexplicable. Irrational. But undeniable.
Hyoren chuckled at first, then transformed into a full-blown laugh. The sound echoed through the clearing. Breaking the quiet of the night.
"Hahahaha. Just like Dad, huh. It was apt. Weird. Truly weird... but somehow I can't help but make the comparison. Hahaha."
He covered his face with his own hands. Trying to hold the laughter. His shoulders shook with the force of it. A release of tension. Of emotion. Of the strange and wonderful truth he had discovered.
Elise in front of him was bewildered. Her eyes widened. Lips slightly apart. She didn't understand why Hyoren suddenly laughed so loud. The transformation from serious contemplation to unrestrained laughter was jarring. Unexpected.
She waited until he calmed down a little, before asking. Patience warred with curiosity on her features.
"Hyoren, what happened? Why suddenly laugh so hard?"
Hyoren's laugh slowly turned into a chuckle. The mirth subsided. But a smile remained on his lips.
"Sorry, Elise. This might be weird for you. Something happened. I realized something. It was weird realization. But I can't help thinking like that."
He wiped his eyes, wet from laughing, with the back of his hand. The tears of mirth glistened on his skin.
"But I think the real reason I truly felt a connection towards Noctynara is not because I match with Her aspects."
Elise tilted her head. Confusion evident in her expression.
"Then why, Hyoren?"
Hyoren straightened his posture. His expression became serious. Sincere.
"Because Noctynara reminds me of my dad."
Elise widened her eyes again. Her mouth now made an O shape. Surprise. Bewilderment. Disbelief.
"What? Your dad? A Goddess of Darkness?"
The concept was too hard for Elise to grasp. For her, Gods of this world were entities which were too far away to reach. She worshipped Sylvana, but even then, she never saw her. Never heard her voice. She knew she was blessed by her. But just like that. She only knew about her from stories, clergy, theological books. Basically secondhand knowledge.
And now he said such an Entity was just like his own father. Human. Approachable. Familiar.
Hyoren chuckled again. Then coughed, clearing his own throat. Trying to convey his thoughts to Elise. He needed her to understand. To see what he saw.
"Ehm... How to say it. When I met Noctynara, she was cold. But still caring at the same time..."
He spoke about his own thoughts to Elise. About Noctynara when he met her. His comparison with his own disciplined dad. The words flowed from him. Explaining the unexplainable. Describing the indescribable.
"That's why even I am baffled with my own thoughts. But I can't help making such comparisons."
Elise nodded. She didn't truly grasp everything. But she understood a bit. The picture was forming. Hazy but discernible.
"I see. If you say it like that, then I can picture some resemblance."
She shook her head in disbelief. Her silver hair swayed with her motions. The gesture was automatic. A physical response to mental bewilderment.
"But this is the first time I actually know someone who makes a comparison about his own dad and an entity like a God."
Elise smiled. The expression was warm. Amused. Fond.
"You are truly something, Hyoren."
He always surprised her. But she didn't actually hate it. In fact, she treasured it. His uniqueness. His perspective. His way of seeing the world differently.
"So, that's why you won't change your stance about Her and Dark Magic, huh, Hyoren. Even after knowing Voided Covenant exists."
Hyoren nodded. The motion was firm. Resolute.
"Yes, Elise. And actually. It lit a spark in me."
Elise tilted her head. Confused. The statement was cryptic. Unexpected.
"What do you mean, Hyoren?"
Hyoren straightened his back. His jaw tightened. His eyes turned serious. The playfulness vanished. Replaced by something harder. Something burning.
"After knowing what they did. In that Stonewell Village. The horror in that basement. Voided Covenant makes me angry. They not only commit atrocities, kidnapping, human experimentation, human sacrifice. But they did all those while twisting Noctynara's teaching. They didn't worship Her. They spat on Her."
He clenched his right hand. His knuckles turned white. His dark eyes were almost burning with fire of determination. The rage was contained but palpable. A force ready to strike.
"And I want to eradicate them. I want to bring justice to them. I want to cleanse Noctynara and Dark Magic's names. Bringing back Her true teaching to the masses."
His declaration hung in the air. The words were heavy. Laden with purpose. With conviction.
Fire crackled. Spring gushing. Leaves whistling. But all those sounds in the clearing were suddenly muffled by his strong but absurd declaration. All sounds were gone. Silence descended. As if the world itself paused to listen.
And then, both of them felt something. The three moons—Azure, Crimson, and Ebony—suddenly felt bigger. And their glow intensified. It was like a flare of three colors suddenly shining through the clearing. Blue. Red. Black. The light washed over them. Bathing them in celestial radiance.
Both of them looked up. But as fast as it appeared, the three moons were already back to their usual states.
They were back to their original size. And their glow dimmed. The moment passed. But the sensation lingered. A touch from something greater. Something divine.