Celith Kalaben

[EDM Neo]

*Place holder*

More will be added to this post at some point in the future.

Eventually.

[EDM Neo]

He knew the moment would come.

He wasn't even sure why he was delaying so, constantly making excuses, both to himself and to those around him, his closest friends, both new and old. Not a tenday before, he had stood in the same chamber, Aren standing beside him, Teneas and Dy'ner waiting outside to move on. He decided to pass on the opportunity, again. To just move on, again. To delay learning the inevitable, to delay facing his fears.

He was afraid. Afraid that he wouldn't be deemed worthy. Afraid that Entori and Wynter and who knows how many others were right, that his crimes were unforgivable, that he couldn't be redeemed. He knew this, on some level. He knew that Entori had apologized for words spoken in anger and in haste, although despite this, he was sure that he still meant it. He knew that, or at least was confident that Wynter's words were meant only to demoralize him, to crush his spirit. But their words compounded apon his own doubts. He had said the same words to himself, long before they had. He could rationalize his fear, but still could not suppress it.

Until now.

Aren had always said he would know in his heart when the time came. That it would tell him what to do, and that it should always be his guide. He never had much luck with those things. It took him years to realize he had feelings for Meri. By the time he did, hers belonged to another. Then there was Lia'sae, when he acted on what he thought his heart was telling him too quickly. He came to regret it. Finally, when Deldur had shown his true colors, or at least, when the hin had came to see them, it was too late, and he was moving on.

For a short while, he thought he might have had feelings for the priestess who had helped him to leave his old life behind, to start on the long road of redemption. But he knew it wouldn't work. She had sworn against it, and those feelings never rose to the surface, and nothing came of it.

Then he met her. He had seen Aren around, spoken with her briefly, maybe traveled together once or twice. She was amongst the last people he expected to become friendly with, much less so to become involved in a relationship with. To date, he still doesn't know for certain how things between them reached the point that they had, but he didn't care. Somehow, he loved her, and she loved him, and that was all that mattered. He couldn't tell if it was his heart making him do so, but it didn't make a difference. For the first time, it was not leading him towards disappointment, misery and ruin, but towards happiness.

Standing before the fountain in Quasqueton, dedicated to Labelas Enoreth, his love standing beside him... all these thoughts came rushing to him at once. The fear, the encouraging words of Aren and others, and more. He didn't know if it was his heart leading him to do as he did. But he knew the moment had came.

She spoke softly to him in their native tongue, that of the elven people, "You think you'd want to lead a prayer?"

Celith bit his lip and hesitated a long moment before responding, "I... suppose I could..."

She just smiled at him and followed him as he approached the fountain, kneeling before it. He began a brief prayer, his voice barely audible:

Ceoaveelam, ama tymila anirilan aey sila laaa oean ane vmillan yla anira etytyemanyleana ane oelw anira nleamcawva ama laaan, illw anira amelawes ane silna ylaa eo ean illw tyillala ean weaml ane eaniramla.

Lifegiver, we pray that you may see fit to grant us the opportunity to find the knowledge we seek, and the wisdom to make use of it and pass it down to others.

He paused another moment before resuming, on a more personal note:

Illw, laireycw aey faceaela E ils lean amemanira eo laynyir, E tymila anirilan aey veela sa laesa laevl, lae anirilan E sila nleam anirilan E laanecc laaw ane faananam salaaco. Anirilln aey.

And, should you believe I am not worthy of such, I pray that you give me some sign, so that I may know that I still need to better myself. Thank you.

He did not expect an immediate response, nor did he wait for one. He scooped some of the fountain's waters into his hands, and drank of it, his wounds healing as it's regenerative magic coursed through him. He looked over at the red haired woman to his right as she looked back at him, tears in her eyes, after having drank from the fountain's enchanted waters herself. It took him a moment to realize she was smiling. He returned the smile, faintly, and spoke:

Lets rest then?

She responded:

Aye.

Then they kissed. They rested for some time. They left, and made for Dhedluk. He knew that a single prayer did not mean much, and he didn't really expect it to even be so much as noticed. But it was another step in what he hoped, what his heart was telling him, whether he could realize it or not, was the right direction.

[EDM Neo]

He laid back in his bed, and he thought.

He thought about the events of the past few months. Countless battles had been fought, conversations had, events watched unfold. He tried to find something that he learned from each one. He didn't always manage, but there was sometimes a lesson to be found, even if an insignificant one. A lot seemed to have happened, and very quickly. But at the same time, little had actually changed. The Silent Dominion's march on Isinhold and Skull Crag changed hundreds of lives, he knew this. But it didn't effect him, not directly. Not on any permanent level, at least. He remained the same person he had been, those he considered friends remained as they were. It was just one more threat, albeit a more enduring one.

He listened a moment to the soft breathing of the woman laying in reverie beside him, and he thought about the future. He couldn't quite place why, but he was confident that, one way or another, things with the Dominion would work out in the end, and he would just do what he could to help until then. So, he didn't dwell on it. He thought more of the distant future. A year or two ago, the very concept of it seemed alien to him, but it now seemed a very real possibility, eventually settling down with Aren, and maybe even starting a family. Not for a long time, of course... there was too much to be dealt with now. But, eventually. Maybe they'd even clear Quasqueton as she hoped, and restore it as a place of learning. It would be nice, he thought. But it was far too soon to be thinking of such things. Much could happen between now and then, and he knew not what. All he could do was to take it in stride, hope for the best, and attempt to change things for the better.

So he pushed it from his mind, and thought of the present, and of the more immediate future. On a more immediate level, things were changing constantly. Too many changes to count. Most of them were insignificant. In a decade, or even a year, or even a month or a week or a day, they would be forgotten. But some did make a difference. One more evil vanquished, one more life saved, they all had an obvious effect on the present. But what was more important was their effect on the future. Each created a ripple of sorts, each effected countless things. It was hard to predict just what each ripple would bring out. Impossible, even. That young child you just saved, he could end up being a great hero of some sort. Or a mass murderer. That orc you killed, he may have killed hundreds of travelers before his time was done. But his not yet concieved children may have been exceptionally intelligent pacifists, who would dedicate themselves to farming, or something else like that.

But, it wasn't just hard to predict. It was impossible. He could make guesses, and good ones, but he was not perfect. He may end up wrong. Very wrong. But he couldn't let that stop him either. There were changes he could make, and that he may have already made, that truely did or will change the world for the better. He thought, there was only so much that he could do, but he must do whatever he can.

And so, he clutched the holy symbol around his neck, a semicircular golden disk carved to resemble a setting sun, and silently prayed, as he had before resting each night for the past months.

He prayed for the foresight to guess at what his ripples may bring about. He prayed for the hindsight to learn from his past experiences, so that he would not repeat his mistakes. He gave thanks for the long life he was granted so that he could see the results of his ripples, and prayed that the same blessing would be extended to his loved ones, whether they themselves believed they already had said blessing or not. And, while he did not truely expect his prayers to be answered, and he was prepared to do without, he prayed for the power to make more meaningful ripples, to smooth out any negative results that may be brought about, and to generally help himself and others.

And so he closed his eyes, listened to the gentle breathing beside him, and entered reverie.