45: Judgement
(This chapter has been translated from Ra’lan into the Common tongue for your reading comprehension.)
(A pronunciation guide has also been included at the end of the chapter.)
Pravala’s body ached, but none of it hurt more than the shame. The confusion. The anger. Wounds and scars still laced across her limbs and torso, wrought by Nyx’s blade. Even though they ceased bleeding yesterday, Pravala could still feel her energy dripping free from the cuts. Sapping her strength. She couldn’t even lift her head to try and look up at the Conclave- her entire body sagged under the weight of a woman that could barely manage the effort of moving her tongue.
“I request my trial in absolute truth under the eyes of the Seven.”
The temperature plummeted. Not necessarily for the room, however. It only dropped a few degrees. Meanwhile, Pravala suddenly felt like her blood was freezing in her veins- sending sharp needles of pain through her entire nervous system at such an intensity she couldn’t even make a noise. Since her body wouldn’t move either, all she could do was hang from the metal cuffs digging into her wrists in quiet suffering. Just as quickly as it began, the sensation passed and the temperature of her body seemed to return to almost-normal levels. Still uncomfortably cold, but now the hairs on the back of Pravala’s neck were standing on end with the ever-present feeling that she was being watched from every angle. The fact that the room was so dark that she wouldn’t be able to see her surveyors even had she the strength to look up was yet more unnerving. But still- something about it felt odd. There was something else in this room, looking at her. Watching.
Something not human.
A single voice echoed through the chamber, the acoustics making it impossible to determine if he was speaking from the front or behind her. She’d never met the man, heard him speak, or even saw his face, but Pravala could understand from the presence in her soul that this was One, the Conclave representative for Pollus the Dawn.
“The Seven bear witness to your soul. Let all be known to the Conclave and accept the judgement that shall come to pass. Now, speak your truth.”
Pravala shuddered- or tried to, at least. She could feel the tingling in her chest as much as the weight in her limbs and the metal cuffs breaking the skin of her wrists and making red start to ooze. The tingling in her chest that she knew was her vow of amity as beheld by the Seven.
She knew declaring anything ‘under the eyes of the Seven’ was a dangerous thing. After all, to directly call for the attention of the divine and then forsake that vow would be to insult the Seven. If she were to lie under oath, the best-case scenario would be to drop dead as her soul was torn from her body and returned to the powers that be. Worst-case scenario? Pravala didn’t even want to think about it. The Seven were benevolent. They gave everything to this world. However, they were also cruel beyond comprehension. There were punishments far, far worse than death. Pravala let out a shaky breath.
“I sought to help, not harm. That much I swear.”
A feminine voice chimed up, echoing through the chamber from an unknown direction. Somehow, in Pravala’s heart, she could sense that it was the representative for Amelie the Huntress. Number Six.
“As Echoes, we must maintain the liminal balance of the world. Since your Bestowment, you have done naught but tilt towards the energies of Grihm and have offered nothing to Grohl. You are disrupting the balance we must keep, and such is the definition of the harm you say you avoid.”
Another voice. Eleven. Representative for Talas the Valor.
“You tethered the entire town of Llyne to your soul and murdered two Echoes. Such could have possibly been excused had you done anything to offset the evil you brought into the world, but you did nothing.”
Pravala gave a pained wheeze.
“I enslaved the town so I could become more powerful- that much I admit. However, I was forced to kill both Hadrix and Winona in self-defence. They didn’t agree with my reasoning and tried to stop me.”
Six spoke again. “What reasoning would that be, Deimeious?”
Pravala grit her teeth. The Conclave definitely weren’t going to like this, but she had to speak her truth and hope they saw reason.
“I was acting in sin to prepare for virtue yet to come. By overstepping my boundaries now, then I could become strong enough to fight against coming tragedy when others cannot.”
Another voice- feminine but distinct from the other. Number Five- for Hennel the Crucible. “Coming tragedy? Are you speaking of which I believe you are?”
Pravala managed a weak nod.
“Miknalor.”
At the word, Pravala felt the entire room shift in ambience. It felt colder, but not in a sense of temperature. Something beyond that. Like speaking of annihilation itself leeched away at the presence of reality tethering them all to this moment. The first voice, One, spoke.
“The All-Drowning has not come, and there is no indication that its arrival will be in our lifetimes. Furthermore, the All-Drowning cannot be fought with magic nor blade. Regardless of our strengths, there is naught we Echoes shall be able to do when the ashen clouds of Remnadu’um fall over the world. This is a matter beyond even the Seven.”
“But what if it wasn’t beyond us?” Pravala pleaded. “The Seven grant us power so that we may keep the balance in Tonshlur, because they can’t interfere to the same extent we can. That’s the same reason they have familiars here. Their familiars and their Echoes are their way of bringing about change in a world they can’t directly alter.”
The room was quiet for a moment. “Are you implying that we Echoes may be able to prevent Miknalor?” Four. Vinteus the Martyr.
“Say all the stages of the All-Drowning,” Pravala said. There was unease, but another voice emerged. Number Thirteen- Echo representative of Demeri the Augur and her brother Yerrow, the Keeper. Whereas every other member of the Seven had a representative Echo from each half, the twins of the Oculus only had one between them. After all, it would be difficult to get a second Echo of the Oculus when only one ever existed at a time.
Thirteen’s voice was silky and soft, but seemed to reverberate around the room far more than the others before her.
“Miknalor, the Augur’s first prophecy, is the four events leading to the complete annihilation of Tonshlur. Remnadu’um. Kashna. Ypteknadon. Lox.”
The room was silent in the gap of Thirteen’s speech- until she took a breath and continued.
“When Akkaru’um breaks its shackles and begins swimming through the Stream once more, the waters of Grihm and Grohl will ripple and mix. Energies that should remain separate come together and change the fundamentals of existence. The first stage is Remnadu’um, the Summer of Conquest. The sun shall fall and light the sky ablaze. Ashen clouds will be carried by the winds of ceaseless storms and choke the life from any who dare to walk the surface of Tonshlur.”
Unease followed. Thirteen continued.
“Kashna. The Autumn of Famine. When the flames burning the sky die out, so will the existence of fire itself. Candles will not light. Bonfires cannot blaze, and the world shall be cast in the endless cold of darkness. Ypteknadon. The Winter of War. After the crust of the world freezes and cracks open, the warmth of the underground, too, shall fade. The primordial creatures that live deep in the core of Tonshlur will be released and will find their warmth in the blood of those still living. And lastly, Lox. The Spring of Death. The Final Night.
“Once Akkaru’um finishes devouring the Seven, so too will the connections that bind Tonshlur to the Stream begin to dissolve. The waters of Grihm and Grohl shall rain from the sky and flood the world with magic that tears apart all that exists. When there is nothing left living, Akkaru’um shall swallow what is left of the world and erase every aspect of Tonshlur from existence, including history. Tonshlur and everything from it will cease to exist and will never have existed. Because of that, Akkaru’um shall also disappear. The ripples it leaves in the Stream will fade, the whirlpools shall return to normal, and the Stream will remain without us.”
The room fell silent for a number of moments. Thirteen gave an audible sigh before speaking once more.
“Those are the four stages of Miknalor, the All-Drowning.”
Four piped up yet again. “The All-Drowning is a result of Akkaru’um breaking free from its restraints in the Stream and devouring the Seven. What makes you believe that we Echoes on Tonshlur can do anything about it?”
Pravala let out a tense breath.
“The Seven shackled Akkaru’um the first time. If they can’t do it again, I think it’s because Akkaru’um is here on Tonshlur where the Seven can’t reach it.”
Eight, Echo of Cabal the Reaper, chimed up cautiously. “You are proposing the idea that we Echoes must be responsible for re-chaining Akkaru’um once the Endless Beast escapes?”
Pravala’s fingers were starting to tingle with pain, but she supposed that was a good thing. It meant she was ever-so-slowly getting feeling back. Certainly not enough to try and put up a fight had she even wanted to, but enough to make the act of speaking just a little bit less strained. In fact, she could even lift her head a tiny bit to try and look out into the darkness.
“If it came to it,” Pravala said. “But we can also settle for trying to ensure the shackles don’t break in the first place. Either option forthcoming, we must be strong enough to accomplish our goal. We take in more sin than we can handle and make ourselves as powerful as possible. If we force the world into a dark age for a time, so be it. Either the world suffers a little bit now, or it gets destroyed forever later.”
The room was silent for many moments, so much so that Pravala could hear her own heartbeat. After a time, Thirteen spoke once more.
“Miss Deimeious does provide a reasonable theory. Not something that condones her actions or the results, but it may be worth pursuing in the future under sanction and careful management.”
Twelve, Mizzari the Relict. His voice carried the inflection of disbelief. “You cannot be serious, Vojemala. This council was formed to ensure that Echoes who fall to either side of balance are punished accordingly. You wish to trust the delusions of a madwoman? If we let someone fall so far into sin in a fleeting hope of stopping the All-Drowning, not only do they naturally alter the balance of all, but we place the responsibility of the world in one who has known only evil and selfishness.”
“But if we do nothing, then we accept our fate as lambs in a pen,” Six said. “It is better to die on our feet than live on our knees. Should we have the opportunity to keep Akkaru’um imprisoned, it is our obligation as Echoes to ensure the Endless Beast stays that way.”
Two, Zetherys the Judge, chimed up. “I agree. Even if choosing a guardian, so to speak, that shall fight to ensure the retainment of Akkaru’um disrupts the energies of Grihm and Grohl in the world, there are many other Echoes that can work to restore that lost balance in the meantime.”
One’s voice sounded throughout the chamber again. “Enough. That is another matter that shall be discussed later. We need to determine the judgement of Pravala Deimeious. We have heard her truths. Are there any further points to consider before we cast our votes?”
Three. Kiara the Harbinger. Her Echo’s voice sounded through the chamber. “She enslaved a total of one thousand, six hundred and twelve individuals with her sin of Envy, and even if it was self-defence, she resulted in the deaths of two other Echoes. Not to mention, two hundred and three of the people she bound to herself were killed in that fight because of her ability to heal by draining the life of her enslaved.”
Five. “Despite the atrocities she committed, she fully intended to give back that lost balance later in the form of keeping Akkaru’um chained. If anything, the good that would cause far outweighs the blood on her hands.”
“Intent for good that might not ever happen does not make up for the sins of the past.” Four.
Five again. “Perhaps not, but it does give credence to understanding the possibility. If the woman kneeling before us had managed to evade capture and indeed become powerful enough to ensure the chains on Akkaru’um never break before turning herself in, then we would all be having a very different conversation.”
Stillness. Eventually, One spoke up. “I do believe we are ready to cast our judgement. I shall begin.”
A new light suddenly emerged in the room, about twenty feet up in the darkness, a little towards Pravala’s left and a sizable distance away. It did nothing to illuminate the room or even whatever podium or stand the Conclave were sitting on, but a flickering white candle flame hovering sourcelessly in the air did reveal the face of a stern-looking man.
“I vote that Pravala Deimeious be pardoned for her crimes and released, under the stipulation she no longer concerns herself with the matter of Miknalor until we have had a further discussion regarding the possibility of her theory. She shall work to use the sin she has gathered thus far to restore good right now and correct her balance.”
Two spoke, but no light emerged. “Despite her intentions, I vote that Pravala be put to punishment for her crimes.”
Three. “I also vote that Miss Deimeious shall be punished.”
Four. “I vote that Pravala is punished.”
Pravala let her head hang. She could already see how this was going to go. Even getting one of the Conclave to vote in her favour would have been asking a lot. However, her dimming thoughts were illuminated by another light appearing in front of Five.
“I vote that Deimeious is pardoned.”
Six remained dark. “I vote punishment.”
Seven. Raelan, the Ardor. She was revealed with a flicker of light hanging in front of her face. “I vote for a pardon.” She was joined as another light blinked into existence to her left. Eight.
“I also vote for a pardon.”
Nine. Esmer, the Matriarch. “I vote that Miss Deimeious faces punishment.”
Another light glowed, in front of a man. Ten. The Echo representing Alda, the Promise. The same deity that bestowed Pravala with her own power.
“I vote that she be pardoned.”
Eleven lit up just to Ten’s left. “I vote for a pardon.” They were followed, however, by Twelve who remained dark.
“The madwoman must be punished. That is my vote.”
Pravala’s heart was beating out of her chest. Six vote for, six votes against. One individual left- the same one who always had to settle tied votes as they always voted last. The solitary Echo of the Oculus, and the only member of the Conclave that Pravala heard a proper name of after Twelve had his little outburst. Vojemala. Every nerve in Pravala’s body yearned to see that light flicker in front of the woman’s face. She even leaned forward in her chains, waiting for the glow.
Vojemala’s seat remained dark while her voice rang through the chamber.
“Although she proposed an intriguing theory that deserves no small amount of attention, the steps she has taken up to this point aren’t forgivable. The vote was not unanimous, so Deimeious will not be put to death. Instead, she will be confined in the Aramanthine until the day of her passing.”
All the glowing flames in front of the faces that voted for Pravala’s freedom faded into darkness once again. Six chimed up. “What of the enslaved?”
One responded. “The Amaranthine prevents magic of all kinds when inside. Any connection the enslaved have with Pravala will be blocked for as long as Pravala remains imprisoned. Upon her death of old age, the connection will be completely severed. Either way, Pravala will have no influence of any kind over them and they shall be free.”
Pravala became aware of that tingling sensation in her chest of her vow fading, along with the presence of something else watching her. She wasn’t sure how to feel. Part of her was relieved that she wasn’t going to be executed. Obviously, much of her was disappointed that she wasn’t pardoned of her crimes and let her continue her efforts to become strong enough to find and keep Akkaru’um imprisoned. Another was glad that the Conclave seemed to take her theory seriously and were considering the idea for the future. The rest of her just wanted to throw up.
Then, the metal of her manacles started heating up, but not in a normal way. Instead, that warmth seemed to pour through her wrists and down Pravala’s bloodstream, flooding through every inch of her body that rapidly grew warmer and warmer. Meanwhile, every member of the Conclave began speaking in perfect, uncanny unison.
“Pravala Deimeious. This trial has concluded and your judgement has been chosen. Seven guide you.”
As the heat of the manacles suddenly turned into lethargy and the edges of her vision faded away, all Pravala could manage was to slur out a few drowsy words.
“Seven guide me…”
The already dark chamber went completely black as Pravala was forced unconscious.
Pronunciation Guide:
Pravala Deimeious: Pruh-vaw-luh Day-may-ohss
Nyx: Nicks
Llyne: Leen
Hadrix: Had-riks
Winona: Win-oh-nuh
Grihm: Grimm
Grohl: (Rhymes with Roll)
Miknalor: Meek-nuh-lore
Remnadu'um: Remm-nuh-doom
Kashna: Kosh-nuh
Ypteknadon: Eep-tekk-nuh-donn
Lox: Locks
Tonshlur: Tone-shlurr
Akkaru'um: Aw-kuh-room
Vojemala: Voe-hay-maw-luh
Now all 14 deities of the Seven: (Seven gods being split into two halves, one for each half of the Stream- Grohl and Grihm, and listed in that order for each pair)
The Arbiter:
Pollus, the Dawn (Pole-uhss)
Zetherys, the Judge (Zuh-thare-iss)
The Zenith:
Kiara, the Harbinger (Kee-are-uh)
Vinteus, the Martyr (Vihnn-tee-uhss)
The Primordial:
Hennel, the Crucible (Henn-nell)
Amelie, the Huntress (Awe-muh-lee)
The Cardinal:
Raelan, the Ardor (Ray-lawn)
Cabal, the Reaper (Cuh-bawl)
The Sovereign:
Esmer, the Matriarch (Ezz-murr)
Alda, the Promis (Awl-duh)
The Warden:
Talas, the Valor (Tah-luss)
Mizzari, the Relict (Mizz-are-ee)
The Oculus:
Demeri, the Augur (Dimm-air-ee)
Yerrow, the Keeper (Pronounced like 'Arrow' but with a Y in front.)