Private A Call to Bear Witness

[Darlyn Excron]

Something called to him.
Something Old.
Something Dark.
And he would answer it.

---

​

Darlyn was speeding along the forest floors of Domhanda, gripping the controls of his speeder tightly, and with Auburn clinging tightly to him as they went. Dangerously so in fact, as trees barely missed their heads repeatedly in his single-minded determination to reach the destination. He had said little to Auburn about where they were going, trusting that she would trust him entirely as he absconded with her on this... task of his. Auburn Sioda 's main potential flaw was her implicit trust in him and he hoped to effectively exploit it in so far as getting her to come with him. That said, he had no idea why she had to come, it was simply a feeling he had, something that he knew without knowing why he knew. Her presence was necessary, and it was no small fortune of fate that she'd joined him.

Their destination, as well, was unknown, though one might assume Auburn would know where they were. Truthfully, they spent the near entirety of the day moving, and any familiarity would have washed away long ago as vegetation gave way to more and more overgrowth. Steadily it worsened, until finally it all simply, gave way. The overgrown jungle ceased, and a strange, not quite barren landscape was left. There were trees growing, grass, but everything looked to be struggling to grow. Darlyn stopped the speeder, and gently helped both himself and Auburn off, before he looked out at the struggling trees and grass. Even without feeling outward, he knew this wasn't a product of bad water, or bad soil. Though, the bad soil wasn't entirely far off.

"Can you feel that Auburn? Something... happened here. It's not quite right...."

 

[Auburn Sioda]

Auburn did not question Darlyn when he asked her to join him. Something in the look he gave her told her not to, that this was too important to him to ask questions. That did not change the fact that she did have questions, such as why he was speeding even faster than she usually did. She clutched onto him tightly as he weaved through the trees and ferns, a pit of worry growing in her stomach as the foliage got worse.

And then it all fell away.

Everything here felt... Sad.

Auburn took Darlyn's hand to get off the speeder, and walked just a bit away, before kneeling down and running her hand across the sparsely growing grass. It was all alive, but only barely. Something about this place felt... old. Cold. Desperate.

"What happened here... It's as though the light of the Loche can not touch this place, but why?"

 

[Darlyn Excron]

"It's not that the light doesn't reach here though, I can still feel the Loche, distantly. But instead of how it feels in the city it's more like... a distant memory?"

Darlyn didn't know if the words he was using were right, but he wasn't lying. The light of the Loche felt present but, as though it were little more than a memory of days long, long gone. Yet he knew, they both knew, that the Loche was alive, well, and had been healing this planet for countless years at this point. It should have restored the vibrant forest to the planet entirely by now, instead this patch of land seemed... unwilling. Both to die and to be restored, like a cornered animal refusing help. He turned to look at Auburn as he spoke next, disrupting his train of thought.

"... That said... there isn't much Light here, at all..."

Very suddenly, Darlyn would go from looking at Auburn Sioda , to whipping his head around and peering off towards the rough center of this strange area. He could've sworn he saw something. His hand drifted to his lightsaber, unclipping it and holding it by his side, turned off still but ready. He motioned her to look in that direction, and slowly took a few steps in that direction.

Come, come we must hurry, or everything is lost! The priests are waiting for this!

Who was speaking? The words were in Darlyn's head, like a memory being remembered rather than something being heard aloud. He glanced at Auburn, whispering to her. "Did, you hear anyone speak?"

 

[Auburn Sioda]

A quiet hum came from Auburn as she stood, tilting her head to the side at Darlyn's words. He was right, now that she was paying more attention. It was almost like this area was... Lost in time. A memory of a time long gone, but just how long? A time before the Return? Before the Collapse?

What was this place? Was it calling to Darlyn? But for what reason...

Then.

A voice. A voice filled with urgency. Desperation. Talk of the priesthood. Could it be?

"Yes, but... It was like a memory. I didn't hear it in my ears, but as though I recalled the words someone spoke to me long ago... Aaron, I think I have an idea of where we may be, but I could be wrong. I hope I'm wrong."

 

[Darlyn Excron]

She didn't sound too pleased at all by what she was thinking. Still, it wasn't like they really had confirmation yet, that would require investigation. "Well, there's only one way to find out isn't there?" The concern Darlyn felt over her vaguely distressed state was still present in his voice, but that same concern was making him curious as to where they were, what had happened, and what was happening. He made a small motion to Auburn for her to follow, before he started to follow where the voices had seemed to be headed...

Deeper into the cold.

It took only a short while before again, Darlyn could hear voices, distant and far off memories it felt like. Or, more aptly, like a memory of a film playing, distinctly separate from his reality. All that felt real was the blackened ground underfoot, and the close presence of Auburn Sioda . At least, until things... changed. Like stepping into a holographic landscape, everything suddenly seemed to be alive around him, a beautiful forest clearing with...

People everywhere? Anam, taller than him, with their clear and distinct ears poking out of their crimson hair. They moved, to and fro, around the area in a hurry, looking through them as though neither of them existed. Not to mention, like a hologram, everything felt muted unlike Auburn or himself, when he glanced back at her, until Darlyn approached a rock, which existed in the real world by how it felt present when he put his hand to it, to find standing there in quite ornate garb... a woman, who looked less muted than the rest of the world. Her hair was done into a rather extravagant braid, and around her neck was a necklace with a familiar crystal dangling. When she turned her head towards him, unlike the others it was clear she made eye contact with him, saw him.

"Welcome home little flame. Don't worry about me, I mean you no harm, nor your companion. I'm just here to talk, if you will listen."

Darlyn was very much on edge now, and glanced back at Auburn. "Do you recognize anything?" As he gripped his lightsaber tighter, not wanting to ignite it suddenly and frighten Auburn, but lifting it in anticipation all the same...

 

[Auburn Sioda]

Auburn pressed her lips together in a frown. The concern had not left Darlyn Excron 's voice, but he was so determined to go forward... Was this a good idea? If they were where she thought they were...

She followed.

Memories of a time and place long gone played, separate from the reality she and Aaron were in. It was cold, but she could still feel her beloved so all was well, even if nothing but the ground beneath their feet felt real. Than, like a veil being lifted, the cold was filled with the warmth of Life. The once barren clearing was surrounded by trees, and filled with Anam bustling here and there. She couldn't hear them, but she could see them talking.

A voice?

Auburn whipped her head to where she heard a woman speak, and looked at Aaron. He was ready for a fight, if him lifting his lightsaber was any indication. Taking a closer look around, Auburn took in all the details. All of these Anam were in the priesthood. But what could they be doing in a clearing with no markings? They had outdoor rituals, but they were always in clear, marked, sacred spaces.

The woman who felt Real.

Her robes were familiar, to Auburn. They were ornate, almost like her own, but not quite as detailed.

"You... You are, or were, a Rook, yes? All of you are priests, but you... You're of the highest rank among them. Tell me, what's going on here?"

 

[Darlyn Excron]

"You ask a question, young one, that you already know the answer to. Search your heart and open yourself to the Flow, and She might answer."

The woman waved her hand, and from Darlyn's perspective, the form of Auburn seemed to fade away. He was distinctly aware of her presence still, so he knew it was only an illusion, but he had no way of knowing if she could feel his presence as he could hers. Either way, there wasn't much else to do but play along with this... whatever this was... and remain cautious. "Alright then, talk. Before I lose interest and figure out how to cleave you into two."

The woman simply laughed gently, and motioned him to follow her, deeper into the dreamlike landscape. "What a strange man you are. So quick to offer violence, yet speaking so gently as you do so. A curious contradiction, I can't help but wonder if you actually mean what you say. Regardless, I would like you to join me for something, important. For both of us."

Deeper in they went, until there was a right and proper clearing. Priests of all sorts had gathered, it looked like. Judging by the robes, and how Auburn had surmised that this woman had a fairly high rank, they didn't seem to be on her level. Except one, a larger man that was clearly directing everyone in the Anam tongue, moving positionings and supplies. Now he could positively taste the desperate fear in the air, to the point it was somewhat distracting... almost not noticing the large circlular formation that was drawn into the ground.

"You want to explain what's going on?"

"In time, little flame. For now, I would like you to watch..."

 

[Auburn Sioda]

Auburn's face twisted in confusion, and she opened her mouth to speak to the Rook, but was cut off as everything... Faded, with a wave of the Rook's hand. The verdant forest was still surrounding her, and she could feel Darlyn Excron nearby. She wanted to scream in frustration. Run away. Far, far away from this cursed clearing.

But something was pulling at her.

"Search my heart, and open myself, huh?"

Sitting down, Auburn closed her eyes, and breathed. Felt her lungs Burn ever so slightly from the air. Felt her Flame wax and wane with each inhale and exhale. After a few moments, she opened her eyes, and bit back a scream of surprise as she was greeted with the form of a silver-scaled Beannacht. The Beannacht had curled itself around Auburn, resting it's large head just a few meters in front of the queen.

"Ah... You are... <One of the Blessings, aren't you?>"

The Beannacht laughed quietly as Auburn began to speak in their tongue, and nodded it's head.

"You are correct, Child. I was the First of us to realize we were... not as immortal as our worshipers would come to believe."