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.”
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.”
@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
