After math of the journey to the center of the life stream
13:39] A hand was raised to cut the woman's words short. "Irina, the words that prisoner said. From what I can tell they were mostly true. Witch's came to revere the weaver as their patron. Do you know what this means?"
Her arm's folded across her chest as she would lean back onto the sofa, though as much as she tried to be more serious she could not bring herself to be given her current state and those who sat across from her.
"Under NO circumstance is this alright by me, not one bit."
The girl protesting her friends choice.
"How much more will you sacrifice in order to gain power for your justice?"
(Phoenix Altan)
[13:43] A shake of the head meets the harshness spat. She understood the anger, at the very least.
"This isn't about justice, Phoenix. This is about life itself. It goes beyond my justice now."
As if to emphasize her point; she spins a finger in a circle. Threads of incandescence wreathing from its tip. No doubt, threads of the lifestream itself. That pure, nurturing warmth of the lives they lived, the lives thousands had lived before her.
"I will sacrifice whatever it takes to give everyone a better life. Be it you, Lazuli, or anyone else. I am not thinking of my own gain, I never was."
"And that, is where the stipulation in our terms comes to play. You yourself wished to touch upon the lifestream, so that you could heal yourself, am I wrong?"
(Irina)
[13:49] The girl scoffing lightly, deep down she knew Irina to be this sort of person but still watching her friend endure such was still to much for the priestess to endure. Sapphire hues rested onto the woman as she would lean forward. "I wished to do so yes, In order to strengthen the holy magic in me to heal my heart."
The girl's selfish desire coming to the surface.
"My goal has not changed one bit, but how can you expect me to simply agree to this.. I-Its just as bad as almost using the dark arts. To make a deal with a patron of Witchs!"
her voice yelling now, what would probably be only the first or second time they had seen her do such.
"I can understand giving everyone in these lands a one up on life, it's my goal as a priestess but.."
Her fists clenching, her belief's all screaming at her mentally.
"How is this a fit mean's to an end...."
(Phoenix Altan)
[13:54] With a snap of the finger; those threads fade away, back into her heart in an instant.
"Our agreement was not one of selling my soul, there was no Fel magic involved, nothing as wretched. No, she simply wishes for me to live my life to the fullest. To achieve my goals in making Meranthe better for us all. She finds me interesting, and wishes to watch as I go about my quest."
Seems simple enough, and she certainly hadn't sold her soul. Not a trace of anything black magic related in her, just that constant thrum of life itself exuded from her chest.
"There are many who would give in to the forces of Hel for far less than I've achieved. Those of the Deephold, my Darling Death, so many others have given into it in exchange for power, but I was allowed to remain as I am. She does not want me to sell out, she actively wants me to continue in my pursuits, to be as interesting as the Gods seem to think I am."
To become the King of Life itself.
"Be mad at me, if you must. But... I did not agree to this without taking something from her in kind."
"Aschea fell for Azazel, she is not innocent in her own right. Betrayed the Gods, one of whom you follow. That priest was not innocent, not in the eyes of an Athelios worshipper. Every faith has its flaws, how often do your own followers slip and fall into darkness?"
"This way, at least.. I am able to aid you, in healing your heart. If she did not agree to aid me in that, I'd have never taken this deal. I'd have continued to suffer."
(Irina)
[14:06] A decision to be made in this moment, hearing out the words of both friends he had known for some time and their opinions on the decision made deep into the spider's nest.
With hearing it from Phoenix first, he knew that there were others who wished to speak out against her decision. But many of them had chosen to move forward in silence.
The words of the King of Life sounded more and more of the role she was wishing to fill. This of course meant that more burdens were soon to be met in order for her.
From hearing what Irina was beginning to say, as the belief of Athelios was brought into question he can only raise and eyebrow at what she was attempting to do.
The look seemed to question Irina's words at the very end, knowing well that for the Kitsune, she was very closely attuned to the path of Athelios.
He could feel that this was going to start drifting into a darker territory from here. He only hoped he could prevent it should it get worse.
(Lazuli)
[14:10] A fist was balled up and slammed down onto the table before her. "No person is without sin, even so.. He could have had the chance to redeem himself before we killed him."
Knowing fully well the cause of his death was the action's they all took, a simple truth spoken to those before her. A gaze full of sorrow now resting onto Irina, "Even if you did not sell your soul, she still has a hold on you... A sway in your decisions does she not?"
Phoenix doing her best to calm herself now, wishing to get the full details hoping she was making the right choice in trusting her long time friends words up until now.
(Phoenix Altan)
[14:13] A brief shake of the head, to both statements; she couldn't blame Phoenix for not knowing the extent of the deal. Her wounds were grave, and thus she missed it.
"I gave that many plenty opportunity to redeem himself. I gave him the chance to recall the tales of those he'd killed, and he instead attacked me. Saw them as little more than obstacles to be destroyed, not people. His chance for salvation was given, and he refused."
"As for the Weaver, no. She has no sway in my decisions; that was not part of our agreement. She is allowed to watch my life unfold, allowed to witness the path I walk, but she ultimately does not remotely affect the decisions I make. Those are mine, and mine alone. A mere observer, as I go about my quest. Her interest is not in manipulating me at all, nor is it in having a hand in what it is I do."
"No, her only desire is to see what it is I do, and how interesting I can be. That is all."
(Irina)
[14:17] A small nod of her head was given, the girl finally asking the question that she had been holding herself back from asking. "How does she plan to fix my heart."
The woman asked, with the crystal's of the Aschean goddess imbedded in her heart still. She could feel the lingering effects causing a small amount of mana to pool into her heart. The talk itself of the deity causing a small bit of dread to fill her as her thoughts drifted more on what Irina was saying. A small tinge of pain originating from her chest, a small hand moving over her heart as it rested onto her robe.
"Tell me Rina.. What is it she has planned for me, does she gain something other then enjoyment from this ordeal."
The woman sighing quietly as she would try to focus her attention now, it becoming slightly harder as the crystal's in her activated and the magical energy of Aschea would begin to pump through her blood.
(Phoenix Altan)
[14:20] Another curl of the finger flickers those life threads of hers to life; weaving a tapestry through the air before snapping them off to fall to the ground as little more than a spider's silk. Entirely inert.
"With this. She's left it up to me to help you, so it won't be her that fixes you. If you can find it in yourself to forgive me and accept my aid, now that you understand that this bargain was for little more than an observer, I will be the one to find a way to fix you, with my threads."
That was the ultimate sacrifice she'd made; to be able to help a friend, while shouldering the burden of being a conduit for life itself. Not an easy path to take up, but one she'd wear well, even if it meant her death in the end.
(Irina)
[14:26] The Altan's eyes rested on the threads created, a small gasp being heard. The girl finally giving in to the blue haired woman's choice. Ultimately believing the words that were said. "I will, accept your choice for now."
The woman casting her gaze away from the duo across from her. "But it does not mean I will like it, I worry for you Rina.. In how.. "
Her words falling short as she would come to let her hands rest in her lap.
"It is, not important. You will not listen to the worries of a priestess."
Her figure standing up and then starting to walk about the house, having yet to thoroughly examine it. "What is it you have in mind to aide me? From what I have discovered myself in my own studies holy magic in itself can stabilize my heart but it only does so much."
A small shrug being given before she turned her gaze back to them.
(Phoenix Altan)
[14:30] "You worry that I am shouldering too much of a burden alone, that much I understand. But it is those burdens that empower me. Each promise to make life better only fuels the fire in my heart."
"Even my Darling Death worries for me."
She'd never stop; always looking for new ways to bring about her little Kingdom. Always finding new means of empowering herself so that she could bring about that change, even at the cost of herself.
It was never about her, though. She was merely the catalyst for change, the beacon to light the way for thousands of others after she was gone. A means to an end in life's little games.
"I'll need some time to ponder it, and adapt to my new condition, but at current, my leading theory is to stitch these threads to your circuits; let them empower your magic enough that you can outright expel your afflictions. It might well be enough, when I am strong enough to do so."
(Irina)
[14:38] "Trust me, I have already asked her to hell and back if this is something she's committing to. The answer has and will be the same, and at this point it's up to her to be able to properly shoulder the burden."
There was a small sigh from the Cambion, as he still remembered some time ago when she had first come to him with the goals in mind, even before she decided to fully take on this role.
"But it is good to see you consider this thoroughly Phe, being able to finally conquer something like this...it's amazing really."
To be free of an affliction on the body that normally proved to not be possible in many scenarios...it was something he could only dream of some time ago. But in the now...this dream was something closer to a reality.
"To be truly free..."
From there, the memories of the vow he had made with Irina played back, and even the lengths she was ready to go to help cleanse him of his own affliction.
(Lazuli)
[14:49] A soft gaze was held onto the cambion before her, like the priestess's sister he to wished to try and cleanse himself of the cambion nature inside of him. "You will be one day Laz."
With her figure rising and then moving to gather a few things from the home. "I suppose I will wait and see what you have in mind Irina, though.. Next time you plan to kidnap me make sure it is to the beach. If you have any more.. Adventure's in mind I do not mind coming along but I will just aim to be more prepared for the next time."
A small laugh being heard coming from the kitsune.
"Now then, it might be a good time to head back to Aphros.. I now need to look further into what my brother has been doing."
A heavy sigh heard, something she was not looking forward to.
(Phoenix Altan)