[Quest] at last, I have found you.

[Random Events]

in the dead of night

The night was still, the chirps of crickets and the croaks of bullfrogs long gone quiet. The wind did not stir the leaves on the trees; the sun did not yet dare to break Caliga’s hold on the dark. Solis himself was loathe to disturb this surreal period. 

Nothing moved; nothing made a sound. It was as if the whole of Terrastella were holding their collective breaths. Waiting for something not yet seen, not yet known, but believing wholeheartedly in what was to take place.

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It will be this odd silence that awakens Israfel. Drawn from a dreamless sleep by the feeling that something is amiss, or perhaps something is simply missing from the world. It’s to quite, too seemingly close to death—for a brief span of time all of the life and vigor has been sucked out like marrow from a bone, leaving the southwestern corner of Novus an empty shell of itself, color replaced with endless tones of black and gray beneath the moonless sky. 

Israfel may feel a tug on her heart: invisible but powerful, beckoning to her. If she heeds it, the unseen line will draw her out of the comfort of her bed, trading the warmth of her blankets for the cool of the open air. It pulls her from her chambers and down a silent hallway, hoofbeats echoing loudly down the empty stone corridor. The farther she walks, the stronger the tug becomes—until at last she stops before a single south-facing window, thrown open already to the outside. The stars shimmer in the sky, blinking silently from afar as the waves crash and roil mutely. 

It is here Israfel shall wait with all the other midnight creatures of her Court, quiet and patient, listening to the silence whisper. 

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It appears first as a speck, a flash of bright light on the distant horizon. But slowly, steadily, it expands: a burning heat radiates from its molten core, accelerating quickly over the sea. Wings can be made out from the indistinct shape, formed of the purest of golds. 

It crests the waves, glides over the rolling dunes of the beach, and heads for the Court. 

It had been a long journey, but at last the phoenix crosses the final leg. Her quest is nearly finished, her excitement growing and materializing as bright light tracing along the edges of her silk-like body.

Nor does she does not slow until the last second—bursting through the open window in a magnificent shower of feathers and light, illuminating the hallway from the inside out. 

”I have been looking for you.”

Her words burn inside of Israfel’s mind as she turns proudly to face her, beaming with dignity and joy. She has reached her bonded at last, her chosen one. 

Like cotton being pulled from the ears of the world, a crescendo of crashing waves and chirping crickets fills the silence from before, color rushing back in to fill the world once more.

And all is right again.

---

When @Israfel is awakened by the odd silence, she will feel called to join the seemingly unspoken waiting that the rest of Terrastella is locked in. It is here that she will watch the phoenix ascend upon her in a brilliant show of light and feathers. There is nothing conspicuous about the meeting; Solaris wants to be seen and welcomed in every way as the magnificent creature she is.

Israfel has met her bonded.


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Enjoy! -sid

[Israfel]

Israfel

Silence.

It was the silence that woke her. Israfel’s eyes slid open. Not in a rush, but slowly, snowy lashes parting to reveal fiery depths of vermilion underneath. Not a sound met her ears. No insects chirped outside her window. No owls hooted in the night. It was as if the world in its entirety had gone mute, unable to vocalize the myriad of sounds that inevitably came with being alive. Slowly the shield-maiden rolled and shifted, unfolding nimble legs so that she could push herself upright with a grunt. Even the simple sounds of her moving sounded off, as if there were some strange buffer absorbing all of the sounds in the world.

It was strange, this silence. Strange and unnerving.

A quick, cursory glance towards her windows showed that daylight had not yet arrived. The night was young and still. Israfel’s eyes narrowed. The world outside of her windows seemed amiss, seemed off. Those were not the same cliffs and prairies that she passionately patrolled. Even with the cascade of night covering the world, there was something strange about it all. The familiar colors of Terrastella seemed bland, as though the life from the land had been drained away or was missing. The stars in the sky did not glitter brightly like she remembered, nor did the scenery hold the same tranquil beauty that she associated with Dusk. It wasn’t right. What was happening?

She was moving before she had even realized it, ducking from her private chamber where the familiar warmth had otherwise deserted her. Something tugged her onwards, guiding her down the correct hallways, her hooves echoing through the empty halls. Not a soul lingered nearby, but Israfel did not feel concerned. Where worry should lay resided nothing but an unspoken yearning, her body possessed and seemingly moving on its own accord. She had heard, briefly, of those who had ‘out of body’ experiences… Was this one of those? Nothing truly felt real. The world had seemed to have frozen, halted in the middle of the night. Why? Why had it happened…? But, perhaps a more pressing worry was why she was not more concerned?

An open window awaited her up ahead. Israfel eyed the open pane cautiously as she approached as though a demon may haul itself inside, her pace slowing, the invisible specter that had clutched her so tightly finally relenting, freeing her from its hold. Something still felt out of sorts, but what it could be, she couldn’t fathom. The Warden twisted her head, looking beyond the window, watching the dull horizon through the dim-night sky. War brimmed within her pale breast.

A dream. Yes. This had to be a dream. She had awoken, but maybe she was still sleeping. A dream within a dream. Could such things happen?

On the horizon, dark as it was, something ignited. A speck, bright and beautiful illuminated the horizon, growing and taking shape. It rose, higher, higher, and higher, shooting into the sky like a rocket. It grew in size and shape, a light piercing through the deepest of darkness, and Israfel could only watch as the flame danced through the skies, approaching quickly, too quickly. The gilded woman had but a moment to take a step backwards before the creature burst through the open window, aflame and magnificent, illuminating the hallway in a mighty display of flame and light. Israfel could only stare, lips parted, watching in awe as the Phoenix turned her gaze knowingly upon the Sun Daughter. She seemed to smile, and her words, oh, so beautiful words, were spoken passionately within her head.

’I have been looking for you.’

“Me?” The question came suddenly and without much thought. So lost as she was with the bizarre scene in front of her now, Israfel was unaware as the life returned to the world around them. The world had been waiting and watching, and now, it could breathe. All was right. The troubled feeling, the beckoning pull, they were all gone. She could breathe again, could think again. She felt whole.

The Phoenix seemed pleased, her feathers ruffling in satisfaction. Her flames ebbed away but the warmth remained, and Israfel was reminded of her own Godly magics that had been absent since her rebirth. ’Yes, you. It took me a very long time, but I’ve found you at last.’ Warmth flooded between them, intimate and familiar. The Sun Daughter’s vermilion eyes were rooted upon the wise, knowing gaze of the mythic settled before her, and despite her confusion and surprise, she felt welcomed. Safe. Loved. The Phoenix went on with a flick of a long, elegant tail feather. ’I am Solaris. You will never be alone now that I’m here, Israfel.’

Solaris. That was her name, and unable to help it, Israfel smiled.

It felt good. It felt right. It felt like coming home. Looking back, that would be all that truly mattered.

“… Thank you.”

x - x

@Random Events - Thank you so much! I can't wait to see what these two will get up to during their time in Novus! <3