#cotl worldbuilding

[pessimisticshapewithablog]

I noticed something else on the Map of the Old Faith.

Are those pentagram shapes with the converging lines Ley Lines?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ley_line

Ley lines are straight alignments drawn between various historic structures, prehistoric sites, and prominent landmarks...

...esoteric traditions have commonly believed that such ley lines demarcate "earth energies" and serve as guides for alien spacecraft.

Where Heaven and Earth meet...

It might also have something to do with Narinder's, now the Mystic Seller's, doorway.

I had a theory that because when we finally go to confront Narinder in the gateway, the lamb floats upwards, Narinder and his domain are not actually below the world, but above it. At the edge of where heaven and earth meet.

The Gateway is a point of connection to the outer spheres and/or the place between. Life, death, this world, or the next. A boundary between mortals and divinity.

This would, or could, make it a location of supernatural significance within the world of COTL. Hence, all those lay lines meeting there.

If those are Ley Lines, and judging by how many lines meet at those converging points, The Lands of the Old faith might be situated where a large amount of energy, magic, whatever, is being drawn to. That might be the very reason the Bishop's settled there, to draw on this power.

[thedamnedlamb]

I like the idea of the Lamb and Leshy being relatively friendly with each other when they first meet. Leshy doesn’t care what his siblings think if they find out about their conversations with the Lamb. The Lamb and Leshy have a lot in common in the beginning. They are both short, both are looked down upon by others for very different things but they both understand that feeling. They both enjoy the nature of the dark woods, and the chaos that is Leshy’s element. Both are new to being a crown bearer.

And then Heket is killed. This changes their relationship permanently. It’s no longer sweet and childlike (deities and demigods age differently.) Leshy begins to feel guarded around the Lamb he considered a friend. He begins to hate the Lamb and see them as an enemy….

And then Kallamar falls, and basically makes the still very inexperienced bishop the one in charge as Shamura can’t rule on their own with the head injury given to them by Narinder. Leshy learns fast. The Lamb becomes an immortal enemy.

And then Shamura falls…. And that wretched little lamb is the only constant in Leshy’s life.

Friends, enemies, nemesis, friends again, lovers

[livelaughlambbam]

Just like any person who is sane about both Cult of the Lamb and linguistics would do, I responded to the massive monster lofi stream by using my day to turn all the random symbol's in Lamb's notebook into an alphabet for a language of the Old Gods, complete with phonology, grammar, and enough vocabulary to translate the Bee Movie intro and transcribe it onto a commandment stone. Exact translation of the text:

The edicts of flight state that a bee should not fly. Its inferior small wings cannot lift its inferior fat body. Honorably, the bee flies regardless. Why? Bees care not for our edicts.

It's pronounced: Tiirutyi ibri yatru ubribati nachyriapruip chyira yiwyuiba yitu ikri. Yitutiirua shrichyi lutlat trulru naishraubu ti pyichyi nachrik’ubu. Wratrarupru, tiichyira yiwyuiba usyapru. Riya lut? Yitutiit’ruchri yiwyuiba tuprat naubribati.

[harpyco]

Updated version of this

I’ve received sudden urge to draw darkkids. And so here is it.

I’ve seen people made darkkids either living on land or under water. So I thought why not make both?

They are cool concept. I love seeing people making their own darkkids. That makes me want to create my own version and add them to my sky world.

I already had like five darkkid ocs sitting around for months and are yet to be properly introduced. Someday probably. Someday. 👀

[lambouillet]

silly little jester !

[linkedin-offficial]

finally made refs for these two! (+ some doodles)

also some news : im tentatively taking commissions! i never fully announced it anywhere but they are open. you can find more details here!

[amity206]

A while ago I wanted to find some sort of reference for various skykid “skin”/shell tones… after not finding one, I decided to make my own

The ones at the bottom right are much closer to blue, so would fit the shell tones from the Rhythm pants, but in my AU they represent skykids suffering from the corruption (as their light is fading, their skin becomes less warm and more blue, as blue is the color of dying light, like spirits and darkness plants)

Feel free to use this for your art or save to your files!

[justarandomlambblog]

I was possessed by a thought

Modern-ish au but in a "thousands of years post-canon universe"

In which Lamb did not spare Narinder and when they saved the Bishops from Purgatory, actually put them to rest (aka sent them to the After) and oops, the Bishops + Narinder accidentally reincarnated while the Lamb wasn't watching

(Part 2 here)

In this life, the Bishops are still siblings and all were born with magic; Narinder became a priest, and though the other Bishops were raised in the temple alongside him they chose to pursue careers outside of the priesthood. Heket runs a restaurant (of course), Kallamar makes jewelry and sells crystals (he has healing magic so his crystals are literal healing crystals :) ), Leshy is a gardener and Shamura runs a bookshop (I'm sure you're noticing a theme here- their past lives are affecting their new ones). Their past lives' injuries have actually carried over, only instead of being injuries they're disabilities they were born with; Shamura their memory issues, Kallamar is deaf, Heket is mute, Leshy is blind, and Narinder has chronic pain (he WAS in chains for a thousand years, his muscles were ATROPHIED and his joints destROYED, and you cannot convince me otherwise). Not shown here; Narinder also uses a cane and on his really bad days a wheelchair.

Heket: Get a whole pumpkin Narinder, who can't lift more than 20 pounds:

Why do Narinder (and the Bishops) look the same and have the same name? Well. The world may have forgotten them, but the universe hasn't.

Aym and Baal are immortals from their time in the After in this world, and though at first they were resistant to helping the Lamb, eventually they saw they needed Help™ and had no idea what they were doing, and having been witness and aid to Narinder's job for centuries they knew how to help. Over the millennia they fell into the old familiar role of being the guardians of Death (Forneus is also an immortal so don't worry they're not separated again) and are in a constant state of Done With Lamb's Shit (/affectionate).

... I actually really love how Lamb turned out here. It was fun drawing them Older. And quite a flip with making them look older than Narinder. The society that's been built up is still religious but no one recognizes Lamb because they've changed so much over the last two thousand years, and the fact they're a sheep doesn't raise any red flags as sheep have migrated to the Lands from other continents. They're rare but not unheard of.

The Crown fits in by disguising as various types of pets, though no matter its form it always has one eye. This time it's a bird, and it recognized Narinder from a mile away :) The mind forgets but the soul remembers....

[bearandmoon]

Winter ideas ☃️

Inspired by the Dukha and Inuit tribes🦌🐕

[many-gay-magpies]

An expansion of my headcannon of skykids being able to transform into the animals their masks are based off of! Typed versions of the image text and additional notes below the cut, because LORD do I have so much to say about this concept.

Image 1:

Bottom left text:

BODY is just the CONTAINER—Skykid soul is the LIGHT inside

Light takes shape of container at first, but has no one shape

Top right text:

Light grows used to assuming humanoid shape to fit container, but as a skykid strengthens their light, they remember/learn how to assume other shapes and gain the ability to mold their container to their will.

Image 2:

LIGHT is fluid, but the container is stiff and easily broken (at least at first). It takes a lot of slow, hard work to mold it, and MASKS are used to tell the container what shape to take/give the LIGHT a direction.

Skykids imbue their mask with their light so that when they wear it, it connects to them and allows the transformation to occur.

Change happens in increments, not all at once—learning to shape oneself takes TIME.

Small notes: "Small changes first" above the drawing of the two hands, and "Most stick to an anthropomorphic form" beside the fox skykid.

Additional Notes:

This process is also why Skykids are born wearing masks. Because light is fluid and has no single shape, the light of a newborn Skykid has not yet learned how to be humanoid, and is at risk of breaking the fragile body it inhabits, therefore: Megabird gives newborn Skykids a basic mask to “teach” their light how to maintain its shape inside the container. It takes a lot of effort to obtain the blank/“faceless” mask because it takes a lot of effort for Skykids to maintain a humanoid shape without the assistance of a mask.

Also potentially how the chibi mask works (in a world where chibis aren’t just toddlers/babies)—the mask tells the Skykid to be small.

The process of becoming a Morpho (workshopping the name) is long and arduous, and involves a lot of studying the animal one wants to take the shape of, before then making the mask that will guide the shape-change. Though most of the Skykids who take an animal form choose a more anthropomorphic default, it is possible to transform completely into the animal of choice, and this is often done for fun or stress relief.

Possible that the Eden cycle strengthens the body and makes it more malleable to change? Something to do with repeatedly dying and being reincarnated and becoming more familiar with/at home in the body you possess. Kinda like how exercising is just you tearing muscles in your body so that they grow back even stronger.

Masks can also of course be just masks. A lot of Skykids like to wear animal masks without doing any of the actual Becoming; its fun to disguise as a little creature sometimes!

Unlike human beings (and potentially ancestors?), who are all full of guts and bones and stuff, Skykids are pretty much all light in there, and the outside is just a shell. They can eat and drink and everything, and it’s fun, but it all gets burnt up instead of being digested or anything and they don’t need it to survive. Also how Krill work; they’re starved for light, and Skykids are full of it, but there’s this pesky little shell in the way, so the Krill have got to crack it to get the light out.

This is slightly inspired by the legends of the Selkie, with the masks being akin to the seal pelts that the Selkie wear to turn themselves into seals.

The body/container is what protects Skykids from having their light too badly damaged and allows them to walk the realms of Sky, but it is also what limits them in their ability to shape-change. In a hypothetical situation where a Skykid was completely unrestrained (i.e. pure light without a body, like we are in Orbit), they could potentially become any and every light creature available to them.

Essentially: Skykids = light, and light = all light creatures, so Skykids = all light creatures.

I’ll probably think of more stuff to add to this later, but for now that’s about it. I’m already thinking up possible animal forms for my singular sky OC lol (because even though I looked it up and that mask is technically a serow mask, it could very easily be any number of other things, like a dragon or a giraffe).

Bonus content: a little bird guy, and closeups of the random fox guy I made without their cape and hair (because I put way too much detail into parts of their outfit that weren’t even going to be visible). I’m for sure drawing them again <3

[pessimisticshapewithablog]

I just realized something about the building housing the Gateway!

When reading some Shamura's dialogue something caught my eye:

"Five points to a pentagram, five portents of doom, five siblings stood abreast, five Gods and one tomb…"

A tomb? What tomb? We meet the 5 gods but we've never been shown a…

Then it hit me!

The Gateway building where we enter the Realm Beyond, isn't a temple of TOWW, it's his Tomb!

I had a theory that the Bishops had to kill TOWW to get him into the Realm beyond. The statue outside the camp grounds is where they fought and where he died. And how the morgue looked very similar to this building. It never dawned on me the reason why this building was where the chains were. It's likely where TOWW's body, or ashes, were interred. The massive door was there to literally keep TOWW from leaving his grave. All those bones and skeletons might have even been TOWW's old followers buried with him to stifle his worship, once and for all!

TOWW Trophy (left) Unused Challenge Room Entrance(right)

On the right is an unused asset for something called a "challenge room". It stood out to me being the only other asset featuring TOWW besides his trophy statue. Notice how each visage of TOWW is designed differently. One is serene, the other intimidating.

The building being a Tomb instead of a Temple might explain the overall design of TOWW's trophy statue. I always thought the statue of TOWW looked far too…serene. Too peaceful, too nice for someone of TOWW's status and demeanor. He wanted to be worshiped and feared. He has a foreboding air but the statue is one of calm repose. It's like a more idealized memorial than something TOWW would want to be depicted as. And the book addition seems out if place but maybe it's hinting at some hidden aspect of TOWW we aren't shown. Maybe it was commissioned by Shamura and this is how they viewed TOWW.

Funnily enough, there is a thumbnail sketch done by the artist for the The One Who Waits’ steam bundle depicting the lamb leading TOWW out of the Gateway.

Nothing to add lol. I just wanted to share it. It's one of my favorites because it portrays a novel interaction between the Lamb and TOWW. The Lamb is seemingly conversing with a visage of TOWW leaving the Gateway through hilariously conventional means, as he's too big to fit through the door. It kinda looks like the Lamb is trying to reassure TOWW about meeting the cult lol.

[thedamnedlamb]

Lamb of Chaos- you’re my bestest friend Leshy <3

Leshy (Harshly)- I want you to just DIE already

Lamb of chaos- I loooove you too! I’ll tell beloved Narinder hello for you!

Leshy (very quietly and hesitantly)- thank you, wretched beast

[beigetiger]

On one hand, Skykids don’t really have genitals and all probably look like mannequins, meaning that there’s no reason for a theoretical trans Skykid to have surgery scars.

On the OTHER hand, it could be that kids who start out with one gender but end up picking another are supposed to scar/tattoo themselves to symbolize it, which would be fun to explore and would also mean that there’s a ceremonial-type process for it.

[bilehwit]

Hi, another ask kinda indirectly related to the Bilehwit AU

But what are some of your personal headcannons about the bishops, that may or may not be in this au but as a personal interpretation of their character?

+ Who's your fav Bishop(excluding Narinder for now) ?

Favourite has to be Kallamar - gay coward??? Me coded fr fr.

That being said, I somehow always write more about Shamura???

But headcanons!

Kallamar:

🐙My man has a skin tone for gold, and he lets it be known by wearing enough to be heard janglin' a mile away.

🐙He has never once in his life done that! (He has done it 1 billion times, but he must appear better than thou.)

🐙Scared of Shamura when they're not lucid.

🐙Once drunk Leshy under the table only to then get decimated by Heket.

🐙Many spouses, does not like sexual activity. In my eyes he's asexual but a hopeless romantic.

🐙Will stop whole processions to look at bacterial growths on the floor.

🐙East Asian - South Korean, modern day would be a K-Pop beauty influencer.

Leshy:

🌱 Is Chaotic, but not in a fun way, more in a "Oh my God 3 people are dead" way.

🌱Used to biting to show affection.

🌱Cries when he's angry.

🌱Wants Shamura to be proud (they are.)

🌱Turns spouses into Witnesses. Also doesnt know what a spouse is/is for.

🌱Is the most physically violent.

🌱Ate scraps of metal on a dare (digested with no problems.)

🌱Russian.

Heket:

🐸Hates mushrooms (shockingly).

🐸Bought a cowboy hat.

🐸Likes to garden and cook but hates washing up.

🐸Says shit like "four score and twelve moons ago" to piss off Kallamar.

🐸Likes writing on Papyrus.

🐸Egyptian and will complain about heat.

🐸Lesbiab. Lesbaen. WOMAN LIKER.

🐸Tells you to go fuck yourself if you compliment her looks.

Shamura:

🕷When lucid, talks about the good old days.

🕷Most crimes committed as a mortal.

🕷Writes nursery rhymes for their followers.

🕷Used to have dancing rituals to gather sin - now can barely twitch their legs to a beat.

🕷"Oh, thank you Leshy- sorry, Narinder." "I'm Kallamar." "That's what I said." - common occurrence even before.

🕷Wants a pet so so bad. Do not give them one.

🕷Attracted to people with long hair and excellent grammar.

🕷Once did a kickflip so bad they had to kill the elderly congregation watching them.

🕷Tanzanian and speaks swahili when angry.

Narinder:

🪦Likes to bite Kallamar ("I can't help it, cats love fish." "I AM NOT EVEN CLASSIFIED AS A FISH." "You could be.")

🪦Indian, but spent so long in Purgatory he can no longer handle flavourful foods. At least at the start.

🪦Didn't realise Bilehwit had an ACTUAL CRUSH on him and thought they were like. Just that devoted. Pious. That's why they never took a lover.

🪦Cat baths when no one looks - gotta look constantly refined.

🪦Uses his third eye to scare people, namely children.

🪦I Would Never pt, except he definitely is still doing it while you watch.

🪦Finds children hilarious (to torment).

🪦Best dancer, worst singer of the Bishops. Can play music very well though.

🪦First time in Bilehwit's tent, he paid no attention because they were arguing. Then snuck in later to actually see the place.

And that's all my headcanons!

[black-suns-rim]

The Child

This is part two of the Ethereal Star AU story. You can find part one here

Word count: about 10,100

The soft chirping of birds echoed off the walls of the temple. A cool breeze blew through the stone pillars and the long cloth banners that hung from the wall gently swung back and forth. As the sun slowly rose over the mountain of clouds that overcast the village below, slowly, the villagers woke.

Daleth rolled to his side, being woken up by a ray of light shining on his face. Stiffly, he sat up while sighing. He reached his hand out to his night stand, feeling around for his mask but he couldn’t find it. He stood up and walked to the curtains that were holding back the sun’s warm rays and opened up a flood of light that illuminated his whole room. He went back to his night stand but didn’t find his mask. He realized his staff was missing too.

“Alef!” Daleth shouted as he left his room. He went to the remaining windows, opening the curtains of the small hut. “Alef!” he shouted again. He almost tripped over when the small child ran past his legs, “I am the light protector!” Alef giggled as he swung around Daleth’s oversized staff, trying to keep the large mask from falling off of his face. Daleth smiled, “Light protector, may I have my staff and mask back?”

“The light protector needs the staff and mask to fight the evil light snatchers!” Alef swung the staff around more before losing his balance and falling on his butt.

“Well, light protector, the light guider needs the staff and mask for his daily duties.” Daleth spoke softly as he squatted down and held out his hand. “Fine..” Alef handed the mask and staff to Daleth.

“Wash up Little Ember, a full day is ahead of you.”

“Aw, but I thought today I wasn't going to do anything.” Alef pouted.

“Tomorrow is your day of rest.” He sat down on a nearby chair, of which had his shoes under it, “I need you to do your daily chores. Once you are done with those, come to me and I'll give you something else to do if you complete them before it's time for your lessons at the prairie temple.” He places his shoes on.

Alef sighed, “fine..” He washed his face and prepared for the day. As usual, he had breakfast with Daleth at the village's small café. Once he was done, he went off on his own to do his chores in the village.

Help the merchants open their stands, clean out the manta stables and many other smaller tasks around the village that the residents needed help with. Once he was all done, it was about mid morning. He sat at a bench, eating a snack he got from one of the vendors he helped.

“Alef!” Kizuna ran over to him, “Good morning!” She gave him a hug and sat right next to him on the bench, “where'd you get that?” She gestured to his snack.

“I got it from one of the vendors. I helped him and he gave me this.” He handed her a piece and she took it.

“I got all my chores done, how about you?” She swung her legs back and forth as she ate the snack.

“Yeah, all of mine are done. I'm just taking a break. Daleth said I need to go to him after I'm done though.”

“Me and Veluboga are gonna sneak into the caves when she's done with her chores. You wanna come with us?”

“What? But we aren't supposed to go in them.” alef looked at her. She had a big smile on her face.

“But do you ever wonder what they look like inside? My big brother said there's murals all over the walls in the deepest parts of the cave where they rest before going into the trials.”

“I mean yeah, I do wonder, but we will see how they look eventually.” He finished eating his snack.

“C'mon, you're not a coward, are you? It will be fun!” She hopped off the bench and pulled on his arm, “c'mon, c'mon! I wanna see if Veluboga is done yet!” Alef hopped off the bench so he wouldn't fall from Kizuna tugging on him. They ran to Veluboga's place and knocked on the door. A chubby and tired looking father opened the door.

“Is Veluboga done with her chores?” Kizuna asked.

“Yeah,” He yawned, “she's just helping me feed her brother right now.” He stepped out of the way of the door to let Alef and Kizuna in. The two of them entered the home as the father closed the door behind them. They walked over to Veluboga who was giggling at how her baby brother was eating his porridge. It covered his face and was dripping down his chin. The father walked over, grabbing a cloth and wiped it all off, “your friends are here.”

Veluboga looked over to where her dad gestured. She ran over to Kizuna and Alef, giving them both hugs, “Hi guys!”

“Are you ready for an adventure today?” Kizuna couldn't keep still.

“Yeah!” Veluboga grabbed a small brown bag. It held various items in it. Kizuna grabbed her hand and started to head out.

“Don't get too far from the village. Be safe and be back by sundown.” Her dad said as he was feeding the baby.

“Ok, love you daddy!”

“Love you too, my little flower petal.”

They left the home and began their little journey to the camp outside of the trial caves. It was about a mile from the village, but still in sight of the residents. They stopped at a large boulder to take a break from walking. Veluboga was out of breath. She was a bit on the chunky side, but she had been losing weight ever since Alef arrived to the village.

“Did you bring water? I'm thirsty.” She asked both Alef and Kizuna.

“no…” Kizuna looked at her bag, “what did you bring with you?”

“uh, some sweet buns and toys.” She pulled out a bun from her bag. It wasn't wrapped or anything, “You guys want one?”

Alef made a slightly disgusted expression under his mask as Kizuna took it, “You didn't wrap them up? They're gonna get stale and covered in hair.”

Veluboga shrugged and Kizuna ate the bread, “Do you have water Alef?” Veluboga asked.

“No, I'm not even carrying anything on me.”

“oh…” She looked through her bag, “Bun?” She pulled one out.

“I'm good.” Alef turned his gaze to the camp outside of the cave and got an idea, “You know, they might have water.” He pointed at the camp.

“But what if there are people there?” Kizuna was worried about being caught.

“They are usually up and training in the caves by now. Daleth has taken me to the camp before, but he's never taken me inside of the caves.” Kizuna trusted Alef's words, “Alright.”

The three of them headed towards the camp, and like Alef had said, no one was there. The morning camp fire that was used for cooking breakfast was still trailing out smoke had just recently been put out. Alef snuck around the tents, looking for where some water might be stashed. His two friends trailed close behind him. He snuck into one of the large tents while Kizuna and Veluboga stayed outside of it, not daring to go in.

Alef came out with a large stone carved bottle and handed it to Veluboga, “Here's your water.” She took it and began to chug the water down. Once she was done, Alef placed the stone bottle back where he found it.

“Alright, back to our main mission: the caves!” Kizuna grabbed both Alef's and Veluboga's hands, almost dragging them. Once they got to the large entrance of the cave, they stood in front of it for a while.

“Well… are we gonna go in?” Alef stared into the dark cave.

“Yeah… but… I don't like how I can't see in it.” Kizuna was still holding their hands. Her's was getting sweaty which made Alef cringe.

“I don't like the dark Kizuna…” Veluboga wanted to stay back from the creeping darkness.

Alef sighed, “We came all this way out here. I'm not gonna just stand here and look at the cave entrance.” He let go of Kizuna's hand and went into the pitch dark of the cave. Kizuna and Veluboga watched as the dark swallowed him. Suddenly, the cave entrance lit up. The two girls gasp, “Whoa!”

Alef was in awe, “Cool.” He looked back at Kizuna and Veluboga, “Well, aren't you two coming?” He said with a little sass. They both ran to catch up with him. The cave got colder the further in they ventured and it felt uncomfortably moist, as if there was a constant mist. Alef stopped When they got to a stone bridge that was surrounded by clouds on either side.

“I can't see the end of that bridge… and it's not lit up.” He was skeptical of it.

“It's probably fine to walk across it.” Veluboga took a couple of steps towards it before Alef stopped her.

“No, I have a feeling. Hold on…” He grabbed a large rock and threw it at the bridge but it phased right through the bridge as if the bridge didn't exist.

“Uh…” Kizuna was confused, “What-?”

“The bridge must be an illusion.” Alef sat on the floor.

“Wait, how? Why? Why would there be a fake bridge?” Kizuna sat with him and Veluboga did the same.

“I don't know.”

“There has to be another way to get to the other side… if there is one. I can't see anything with those clouds.”

Alef thought for a while, “illusion magic is one of the most simple magics out of the others. I remember a lesson from my teacher, saying how to create an illusion and to break one. I failed at creating one during the lesson, but maybe I can break this one.” He stood up.

“I keep forgetting you have lessons. You're so lucky.” Kizuna and Veluboga kept seated on the floor.

Alef was sloppy with his stance, but he was doing his best from memory. He concentrated on the bridge illusion as he moved his hands from side to side. Kizuna and Veluboga started to chuckle which broke Alef's concentration.

“What's so funny?” He looked back at them.

“You. You look like you have a wedgie.” Kizuna laughed.

“I'm trying my best here!” Alef was a little embarrassed. He sighed and tried again but Veluboga and Kizuna busted out laughing.

“Can you just look away from me while I try to do this!?” He was getting a little frustrated.

“Alright, alright.” Kizuna and Veluboga were still chuckling as they turned their backs to Alef. Once more he tried. He took a deep breath in and then out. He moved his hands from side to side with his feet following the movement of his hands, trying to build up energy - a trick for students who are new to magic use.

Slowly, his hands began to glow yellow. It was very dim but still noticeable. He held his hands out in front of himself and then put them together. He pulled them in towards his chest and then quickly put them out. The dim yellow light that was coming from his hands brightened rapidly as it was forced away from his body and towards the illusion. The illusion broke along with the clouds that were surrounding the bridge, revealing they too were fake. It was like watching golden sparkles fall from the sky.

“Whoa! I actually did it!” Alef smiled under his mask. Veluboga and Kizuna turned around, “Whoa!”

All three of them stared at what was revealed. The bridge illusion led to a deep pit filled with clouds. Alef's heart sank at the sight, his mind raced thinking of what could've happened to Veluboga if she had tried to walk on the bridge. Or any of them. But he also saw a small path that followed the cave's wall.

“Look, a path there!” Alef pointed out, “and it leads further Into the cave.”

The three of them took the path. When they reached the end of it, lights in the cave had already been lit and they could hear faint voices.

“We must be getting close!” Kizuna was excited.

“Shh! They might hear us now.” Alef hushed and she quickly quieted down.

The walls of the cave grew more narrow as they headed towards the voices. They stopped when they saw light murals appear on the walls.

“Whoa!” They all said in unison. Smiles grew on their faces but only Veluboga's was visible since she hasn't been given her mask yet, being the youngest of the three. They pointed, stared and giggled as they ran down the narrow cave hallway, triggering the light murals as they passed. They stopped when they came across a large stone door that was open. They could hear the voices more clearly now, so they became quiet. What they didn't realize was how loud their giggling had been while they were walking down the narrow hallway.

They slowly went towards the open doorway, looking down a ledge that led to a huge open cavern below. The cavern walls were covered in light murals from top to bottom. And on the ground, there were 4 different groups of young adults. They were all being trained by the different elemental prophets. They watched the groups being trained, giggling and whispering in the process. Some of the young adults had noticed the three little kids at the top of the entrance to the cavern but didn't mention anything to the prophets since they didn't want to interrupt their teaching.

They watched for about 15 minutes before mimicking what the students were doing. They played for a while, not noticing how the giant stone door closed, “What are young embers like you doing here?”

The kids immediately stopped their playing and looked to where the voice came from. They saw a very tall, slender and intimidating figure. They fell silent and held still, slightly frightened.

“I'm surprised you got past my illusion.” He began to walk towards the kids before realizing they were scared of him. He stopped and then squatted down to try to seem less intimidating.

“You know you little embers shouldn't be in my trials just yet, right?” Anubis tried to sound more light hearted and gave a faint smile which was barely visible.

“It was my idea! I just wanted to see the murals I heard about.” Alef spoke up to take the blame for Kizuna since it was her idea originally.

“You, you broke my illusion?” Anubis already knew the answer to the question, but he wanted to hear it from Alef.

“y-yeah…” He sheeply answered, “Am I in trouble?...”

“No, not at all.” The elder prophet stood up, “I'm just surprised someone as young as you was able to break that large of an illusion. I'm more so impressed. You must take lessons, yes?”

Alef nodded.

“How about this, I give all three of you a lesson and you head back to the village afterwards? And you young embers don't come back here until it is your time, yeah?”

All three of them nodded. They just didn't want to get in trouble. They were still intimidated by him.

“Good. Come along, the cave hall isn't wide enough for what I have in mind.” He held his hands behind his back as he walked past the three. They looked at each other and then followed the tall and slender prophet. He was leading them to the outside of the cave.

“Um, I have a question…” Alef spoke up.

“Yes?” Anubis answered, not turning his head.

“Why did you make a fake bridge over a cliff?”

“So it would keep curious embers, like you, out. At the bottom, under the clouds, there's a waypoint I created that will send you back to the outside of the cave, unharmed.”

“A waypoint?” Alef wanted to know more.

“Yes.. it's advanced magic. A waypoint can be used for many things. I use it as a safety net. Some use it as a way to keep others out of places.”

“Whoa.. cool.” Alef thought for a little bit before speaking up again, “Are you a teacher or a prophet?”

“I'm both. Though, I do more teaching.”

“How long have you been teaching?”

“Centuries. Before the realms were formed.”

“You must be really old!” Veluboga blurted out. Alef elbowed her, “ow!”

Anubis chuckled, “Yes, I am really old.”

“You don't look old though.” Veluboga was rubbing her arm and glaring at Alef.

“My prophets and I don't age like most people do.”

“Why?” The three kids asked.

“Well, I'm not all too sure actually. But I assume it's because we have a higher purpose given to us by the star mother. She decides our path, but it's our will to fulfill it.”

The kids were starting to become less afraid of him and began to ask more questions. He didn't mind answering what he could. Once they were outside of the cave, he led the kids to the camp.

“Have you three eaten anything recently?” Anubis entered one of the tents and the kids followed.

“We've only had breakfast.” Kizuna stared at all the masks that were hanging from the tent's support beams.

“Then you must be hungry by now. It's almost noon.” He levitated some baskets around to get to a large crate. He levitated a couple of fruits from the crate and then placed the baskets back where they previously were. He handed them the fruit.

They thanked him and ate. When they were done, they followed him out of the tent. He had pulled out a couple of mats and placed them on the ground.

“So, what are you going to teach us?” Kizuna asked as she looked up at Anubis.

“Physical balance.” He sat on one of the mats, “But first, we stretch. Mirror what I do.”

The kids sat in front of him on the mats. He directed them on what stretches to do while showing them. He also explained how to properly stretch. After they were warmed up, he began his little lesson on balance. Kizuna had incredible balance while Alef and Veluboga were wobbly. They fell over a few times while trying to copy Anubis.

By the time he was done teaching them, the sun was high in the sky and it was beginning to get hot. He handed the kids some water as they rested in the cool tents.

“You young embers did good.” Anubis placed the mats back where he pulled them from.

“We kept falling down.” Alef sighed.

“Yes, but you got back up and tried again, didn't you? A good student isn't one who succeeds all the time. A good student is one who keeps trying even after they fail. It's what helps you grow. If you aren't failing, you aren't being challenged. And if you're not challenged, you won't be able to grow.”

Alef thought about that for a bit, “yeah.. I guess that makes sense. Wait, what time is it?” Alef almost forgot about his lessons he needed to go to.

“Noon. So, about 12pm.” Anubis drank some water.

“Oh no! I have to go! I'll see you guys later.” He quickly hugged his friends and ran to the village as fast as he could. Anubis chuckled as he watched Alef run off.

Once he reached the village, Alef looked for Daleth. He saw him at the boat docs and ran over to him. He was out of breath as he reached Daleth.

“Alef! Where have you been? You are late!” Daleth scolded.

“I'm sorry…” He looked down at his feet. Daleth sighed, “Get on the boat.” He gestured to a small stone boat. Alef got on. Daleth handed him a bag that held his school items in it, “Behave yourself. I'll see you later tonight.”

“Wait, will I be in trouble?..”

“No. You just need to be more aware of your time next time Alef.”

“Okay…”

Daleth set the boat to its course - the prairie light temple. Alef sat alone on the small boat. He took off his mask and wiped away the sweat from his face. His once happy mood turned to sadness. Not because of Daleth's scolding. He sat on the boat's floor, pulling his knees to his chest and hugged his legs. He rested his face on his knees.

“I miss you momma…” He whispered to himself.

𓆩✧𓆪

The sun was beginning to set on Prairie. The air was rapidly growing colder and the animals retreated to their homes. Alef held a small lantern in his hands that kept him warm as he tried not to fall asleep. His lessons from today were more active compared to the others he’s had in the past and with what he did this morning, he was so ready to go to bed. He didn’t want to pass out on the boat while on his way back home to the village since he knew Daleth wouldn’t be able to carry him back to the small hut they shared.

His eyelids were heavy and slowly they were weighing down. Alef shook his head and smacked his face to try and get rid of the sleepiness. He looked at the hills of prairie as his boat passed by them. The setting sun was creeping behind the horizon which made the outline of the hills glow a bright yellow. The last bit of mantas were flying towards their nests high up in the cliffs and floating islands. He watched as the sun vanished from sight, leaving its warm remnants on the clouds.

Alef’s mind began to drift to memories of his mother and all the stories she would tell…

𓆩✧𓆪

𓆩✧𓆪

𓆩✧𓆪

“Can you tell me about the story of the manta and butterfly again?”

“Again? Don’t you have this story memorized by now, my little star?” she picked up the small child and tickled his side. He giggled and squealed.

“I wanna hear it again!”

“Alright.” She sat down and grabbed out a small stone carved manta and butterfly from a bag after placing the child down.

“There once was a manta who would soar up high in the clouds. She would race with her friends and play all day where the stars met the clouds.” she handed the child the carved manta, “One day, she found a butterfly high up in the clouds. ‘What are you doing here little butterfly?’ the manta asked, and the butterfly replied, ‘I wanted to explore! But I don't know where to go.’ “

“And the manta said, ‘follow me! I can show you many cool places!’ “ the child held up the manta in the air. The mother chuckled.

“And so, the manta led the butterfly through all the realms, showing them all the cool places where her friends often visited.” the mother held up the butterfly and waved it in the air, “As the sun began to set, the manta and the butterfly rested on the floating islands of the green prairie. ‘Thank you manta for showing me all these places.’ the butterfly said to their new friend.”

“ ‘you’re welcome little butterfly!’ “ the child giggled. He held out his hand for the carved butterfly and his mother gave it to him, “And now I eat you! Raaah!” He hit the two carved toys together.

“That’s not how the story ends.” She chuckled.

“Yes it is! That's how it ends tonight!” he laughed. She shook her head, “you’re so silly.” she began coughing hard and held her side.

“Momma!” He dropped his toys and immediately grabbed her bag. He pulled out a small jar and handed it to her. She took off her mask and grabbed the jar, opening it while she coughed. She scooped out a small portion of thick paste and put it in her mouth. Her coughing became less and less until she had completely stopped.

“Thank you my little Alef.” she put her mask back on. Alef hugged his mother and she hugged him back, “Everything is going to be okay.” she tried to reassure him.

“Is everything good back there?” A deep voice asked. Alef’s mother stood up, moving the cloth curtains out of her way as Alef clung to her side.

“Yes, everything’s fine.” She looked at the birostrian and then at the dark night sky.

“We are almost to our next stop. We have maybe two more hours of travel to go. You and your little ember should get some rest while you can.”

Alef looked at the sandy dunes. He noticed some small glowing embers off in the distance. He then looked at the lanterns that were hung from the decorated caravan. The same embers that flew around freely in the sandy dunes were the same embers that were trapped within those lanterns that lit up their dark path. He then looked up to his mother, “I'm not tired yet.” He quietly said.

“I am. We can stay up a little longer, but we need to sleep soon Alef…

Alef…

Alef…

Alef!”

Alef woke up and rubbed his eyes. Daleth had his hand on his shoulder, “Tiring day?” he chuckled.

“I fell asleep?” Alef put his mask on and groggily grabbed his bag.

“Yep. And you were out cold. I would’ve carried you if I were able to.” He helped Alef out of the boat. It was completely dark in the village except for some lanterns lighting in the pathways. Clouds were starting to roll in, “It’s gonna rain tonight.” Daleth held Alef’s hand as he walked him to their hut, “Are you hungry at all?”

“No. I ate before I left the temple.” he yawned.

“Okay, good. You should bathe before you sleep tonight. You seem like you have sweated a lot.”

“Yeah…”

As they entered the hut, Alef could smell what Daleth had cooked earlier. It smelled like the spicy stew he would always prepare the night before Alef had a day of rest. Daleth helped the tired kid prepare a warm bath. He left the bathing room once the bath was ready. Alef took off all of his clothes and stepped into the warm bath tub. He sat down and splashed the water on his face, making sure to remove all of the dried sweat and dirt from himself.

He washed his short hair and scrubbed his whole body. Once he was done cleaning himself, he laid back in the water. Alef sighed. He noticed some embers fluttering around in the bathroom. He reached out his hand towards them and they fluttered near him. He watched as they danced in the air. A smile creeped onto his face as he moved his hand around - the embers followed. They fluttered away after a while.

Alef got out of the bathtub once his hands began to prune up. He dried himself off with the towel Daleth left for him and he changed into his night clothes. He picked up all his dirty clothes and carried them out of the bathroom. He went to his small room and placed the dirty clothes in the corner of his room. Walking out of his room, he peeked into Daleth’s room to see if he was in there. Daleth had fallen asleep while Alef was taking his bath.

The child walked outside of the small hut and sat on the porch. He wished he was still tired but now he was wide awake. He looked up at the sky that was now covered in clouds. He shivered as the wind blew. He went back inside to grab his cloak and went outside again. He pulled his hood over his head as the wind blew gently. He pulled his legs up to his chest, hugging his legs. As he was thinking about the day, it began to rain.

Alef held his hand out, letting the rain droplets touch his skin. He didn’t want to stay at the hut, but he also knew he shouldn’t roam the village at night by himself. He couldn’t wake Daleth up, he knew he would get mad that he wasn’t in bed. Alef’s eyes began to water up, he tried holding back the tears but once they started to fall down his cheeks, he couldn’t stop them. Sniffling, he wiped away the tears from his face as he tried not to cry too loudly.

“I want you mommy…” He whimpered quietly to himself. Soon, his sleeves became covered in snot from him wiping his nose and tears, “I want you back… I miss you so much.” He stood up. He couldn’t stand to be at the hut right now. Alef ran out of the village as the rain poured heavily. He ran and ran, having no destination in mind but his legs led him to the prophecy cave where he and his friend had been earlier in the day.

He didn't go too far into the cave before his legs gave out and he collapsed onto the floor, crying and out of breath. He sat with his back towards the wall, his face was buried in his knees while he hugged his legs tightly. He sobbed loudly as he hyperventilated. He didn't realize how loud he was since he thought he was alone. A cloaked and slender being slowly approached the crying child and kneeled down in front of him.

“Little ember?” the voice spoke softly but with concern. Alef looked up with blurry vision but he recognized the voice. It was the teacher of the trials. Alef leapt forward and clung to the slender prophet. Anubis didn’t know what to do besides hug the child. He slightly cringed, feeling the snot and tears seep through his clothes. Once alef calmed down, he let go of the prophet.

“What has you so troubled little ember?”

Alef sniffled, “I- I miss my m-mommy… I w-want her back…” he wiped his face.

“I see…”

“I don't want to be here. I want to go home to my old village with my old friends. But I'm stuck here…” his cheeks were sore from the salty tears running down his face. He hugged Anubis again without saying anything. The prophet patted his back as Alef continued to sniffle. When Alef completely stopped, Anubis noticed his hug weakened.

“Little ember?” Anubis nudged. Then he realized the child had cried so much that it had tired him out to the point he passed out.

“Oh boy…” He didn't know who was in charge of this child, but he knew he shouldn’t leave him all by himself in the cave. He picked up the child and kept him safe from the rain under his cloak as he walked out of the cave. Anubis headed to the camp, walking into the tent he shared with the other four prophets.

“So, who was crying?” the prophet of water looked up from a card game she was playing with the prophet of fire.

“This little guy.” Anubis took off his cloak, revealing the small child who was sleeping in his arm.

“Oh sweet star mother, a kid?” she got up, “Hand that poor thing to me.” Anubis handed Alef to her.

“I believe his mother was the traveler that had passed away in the village nearby just a couple weeks ago. He told me he missed her, and I don’t blame him.” Anubis sat down.

“Aw, poor little ember.” The fire prophet assumed the water prophet was done playing cards since she was occupied with holding Alef.

“He must be having a hard time adjusting if he came all the way out here in the rain, crying. Oh you poor baby.” The water prophet sat down gently, making sure she wouldn’t wake up Alef.

“Wow, I haven't seen you this motherly in a long time.” the fire prophet chuckled as he put the cards away.

“Hush you.” she playfully smacked him.

“So, what are we gonna do with the kid? I mean, we can’t just wake up that entire village.” The fire prophet stretched his arms and back.

“We wait until the morning. Either he wakes up and leaves on his own or we will hear a panicked guardian looking for him.” Anubis took off his mask and placed it right by his sleeping mat.

“Yeah, that sounds reasonable.” the fire prophet laid on his sleeping mat, “well, I’m gonna sleep now. Night guys.”

“Good night.” Anubis and water prophet said.

“We might as well sleep too.” Anubis laid back on his mat.

“Yeah…” the water prophet gently placed Alef on her sleeping mat and pulled a blanket over him.

“You wouldn't mind if I laid right next to you, Anubis?” The water prophet took off her mask and dimmed the light in the tent.

“No. You know we’ve been friends for long enough that you don’t have to ask, right?” he chuckled.

“I know, but I still like to make sure.” she placed her mask right next to his and laid right next to him, “I hope this kid can find peace. It always makes my heart ache to see a little ember hurt from loss.”

“I hope he can find peace too… Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

As the rain pelted the tent’s roof, all the prophets fell asleep to its soothing sound.

𓆩✧𓆪

Before the sun rose, Alef woke up to the sweet smell of burning incense. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, a little confused on where he was. He glanced around, realizing he was in a tent. It was oddly warm in the tent...

“Sleep well, young ember?” A familiar voice asked. Alef quickly turned his head to where the voice came from. The slender Prophet was tending to a small fire that had a pot hanging over it. Alef got up to sit right next to Anubis. They sat in silence for a while before Alef spoke up.

“I don't want to go back…”

Anubis looked down at the kid, “You can't stay here forever. You'll worry your guardian.”

Alef sighed. He looked up at Anubis who didn't have his mask on. His face had a large scar across it that went from the left side of his forehead down to the right side of his cheek. His eyes looked tired but relaxed. Alef looked around the tent, seeing all the other Prophets were still asleep.

“If it is your wish to stay here a little longer, you may. But when the people of that little village come looking for you, you must return to them. I will not hide you here.”

“okay.” Alef spoke quietly. He watched the flames of the fire dance around, swaying and flickering.

“Will I ever stop missing my momma?..”

Anubis frowned, “No. A part of you will always miss her. But that doesn't mean you'll always feel like how you do now. Over time, the pain will fade, but it will never leave.” He patted Alef's head to try and comfort him.

“That doesn't mean you won't find someone else to look up to like you did for her. No one can replace her, but someone can fill her parental role.”

Alef scooted right next to Anubis and leaned against him. He just wanted to be held… he wanted someone to hold him. And badly. Anubis put an arm around him. He could tell Alef was hurting.

They sat in silence while Anubis waited for the breakfast to cook. Once it was ready, the other prophets were already awake. Anubis gave Alef a bowl of the hot grainy paste that had been cooking. It didn't look too appetizing, but it smelt really good. He tried it and was surprised by how sweet it was. As the prophets ate, they chatted while Alef kept quiet.

“A new day, a new headache.” The fire prophet said as he opened up the tent door to the rising sun.

“Oh come on, the students aren't that bad.” The air prophet was finishing up their breakfast.

“Try having my group. They are so immature.”

“Aren't all young adults immature?” Anubis chuckled.

“I swear they are worse than the last batch you assigned to me.” The fire prophet took the flames from the firepit in their tent and used his magic to light the other fire pits around the camp without having to move too far from their tent.

“Well today is the last day of their training before they start the sacred trials tomorrow. You won't have to deal with them much longer.” The water prophet said as she was cleaning out the pot the breakfast was cooked in.

“And thank the great star mother for that. You'll have to deal with them.” He chuckled.

She sighed, “Don't remind me.”

The other prophets laughed. Alef's gaze went from one prophet to the next as they spoke to each other. He finished up his bowl and handed it to the water prophet. Without saying anything, Alef walked up to Anubis and hugged his leg. He looked down and placed a hand on Alef's head. The other prophets glanced over at them.

Alef let go and walked out of the tent. He was ready to head back to the village, and so, he left.

“That little guy really likes you.” The water prophet observed.

“I noticed… Usually, young embers are afraid of me. Most likely because of the mask, right?”

“Yeah, the mask will do it.” The earth prophet walked past him, “I know mine's pretty terrifying to young embers.”

The prophets and the overseer began to start their day in the camp. The last bit of lessons they were about to provide their students was the key in helping them to succeed in the ritualistic trials.

When Alef got back to the village, the village residents were just starting to wake up. He entered the small hut quietly, hoping Daleth was still asleep. He was relieved when he heard the old man snoring in his room. Alef changed out from his night clothes into his day clothes. He sat on his bed and pulled out the stone carved manta and butterfly his mother had made for him from the bag she used to carry around with her. He held the stone toys in his hands and sighed.

Alef heard Daleth opening the curtains in the hut. He put his two toys away and walked out of his small room.

“Oh, you're already up.” Daleth sounded a little surprised.

“I've been up for a while..”

“Aw, I thought you would've slept well after that bath last night.” Daleth walked to the little kitchen and pulled out a loaf of bread.

“Are you still having nightmares?”

“Yeah…”

Daleth cut the bread and handed him a slice but Alef shook his head, “I'm not hungry.”

Daleth frowned. He ate the slice of bread and put the loaf away.

“Can I go play with my friends?”

“Yes. Be back before sundown.”

Alef nodded and left the hut. Daleth placed a hand on the back of his neck and huffed. He got ready for the day.

Alef kept himself busy with his friends all day, and by nightfall, he was able to sleep.

𓆩✧𓆪

“Last night, before I went to bed, I saw a small group set up their tents right by the trial cave’s camp.” Kizuna was eating a rather large fruit.

“Ok, and? Travelers are common.” Alef yawned as he followed her. They were on their way to get Veluboga.

“They were different! I saw these really huge guys! Bigger than the cave teacher!”

“Do you mean the teacher with the jackal mask?”

“Yeah. From what I could tell, those guys were probably three times the size of him!” Kizuna handed Alef the fruit she had been eating, now full from it. He didn’t really want it, but kept it in his hands.

Knocking on Vel’s door, Kizuna rocked back and forth from her heels to her toes. Vel opened the door, greeted them and said goodbye to her dad as she left with her friends. Alef handed Vel the fruit Kizuna handed to him.

“So what are we doing today?” Veluboga began to eat the fruit.

“I want to see who camped far out over there.” Kiz gestured and the two looked where she was pointing.

“I don’t think we should bother travelers… we might get in trouble.” Alef sighed. He felt like he was always the voice of reason with her.

“We won’t get in trouble if we’re just looking. Now let's go!” She grabbed both Alef’s and Vel’s arm.

The three of them crept closer to the strange traveler's camp and hid behind a rock that was nearby. They saw a huge figure laying right next to a fire pit with charcoaled logs.

“See, I told you. Bigger than the cave teacher.” Kizuna whispered.

“Whoa… they are a giant.” Veluboga stared.

“Huh… they are huge.” Alef has never seen anyone quite that large before, even when he had traveled from his original village to here.

“I wonder where they are from?...” Kiz noticed how the large guy was dressed, “They look so different. Their tents look very fancy too. Way too fancy to be normal travelers.” She observed.

“What if they are rich travelers?” Vel asked.

“Why would anyone rich wanna come here? No offense, but this place isn't exactly screaming ‘rich people come here.’ ” Alef remarked in a sassy tone.

“Are you saying our village isn't interesting enough for rich people?” Kizuna got a little offended.

“Basically, yeah. I haven't seen anyone rich come here in the 4 weeks I've been here.” Alef kept his sassy tone.

Kizuna was about to argue with Alef until Veluboga pushed Kizuna forward, “You go touch them.” Vel gestured to the large traveler sleeping by the dead campfire as she giggled. Her tone was daring.

“No! I'm not gonna! What if they get angry?” Kizuna was distracted from Alef's snarky comments.

“You go and touch them. You suggested it!” Kiz shoved Veluboga, “What? No!”

Alef watched them bicker back and forth for a bit, sighing, “Out of my way, cowards.” He said as he pushed them off to the side. He would rather be the one to get in trouble than them.

He slowly crept up towards the massive, sleeping traveler as Kizuna and Veluboga hid behind the large rock. Alef noticed how they only had a cloak over themselves instead of a blanket. He froze in place when they rolled over to their side. Alef looked towards where his friends were hiding. Veluboga and Kizuna peaked out from behind the rock, frantically gesturing for him to come back. He shook his head, doubling down on the harmless dare Veluboga made.

He looked at the giant traveler once more, creeping closer and closer until he was standing over them. He didn't realize he was holding his breath as he realized just how massive they were… Kizuna was right, they were so much bigger than the jackal masked teacher of the caves. He looked back at his friends again before quickly poking the sleeping traveler on the face. He ran and hid behind one of the nearest tents, not daring to look back just in case they woke up.

After a few seconds of nothing happening, he peaked out from behind the tent and saw that the large traveler didn’t wake up. He looked over to vel and kiz again. They motioned for him to come back again, but he ignored them, feeling a little more confident now. He picked up a small stone and crept back over to them.

“Is he insane?!” Kizuna whispered loudly to Vel. Veluboga was just intensely watching Alef.

Alef placed the small stone on the large traveler's face and snickered. He turned his back to the traveler to look at his friends once more with a smug grin under his mask. Veluboga and Kizuna stared in horror as the large traveler sat up behind Alef. They ran away from behind the large rock when the large traveler stood up. Alef was confused why they suddenly ran.

He turned around just to see the massive traveler standing over him. Alef gasped and then bolted as fast as he could to catch up with Kizuna and Veluboga. It felt like his soul had left his body with the way the traveler had looked at him. When the three of them got back to the village, they were all out of breath.

“THEY ALMOST GOT YOU! DID YOU SEE THAT?!” Veluboga said as she was trying to catch her breath.

“THEY WERE ABOUT TO GRAB YOU!” Kizuna exaggerated.

Alef sat on the ground, panting. Alef took off his mask and wiped the sweat off from his face. He began to laugh, “You should've seen the look on your face Vel! It looked like you were about to crap yourself!” Alef put his mask back on, still chuckling.

“You're crazy!” Veluboga was embarrassed.

“You're the one who wanted someone to touch them. You got your wish.” Alef remarked in a snarky tone.

“You didn't have to go back a second time!” Kizuna still couldn't believe he did that.

“You two are just cowards.” He teased as he got up from the ground, not panting as hard now.

“You're just insane.” Kizuna shook her head. Veluboga patted Alef on the arm and pointed. He looked over to where she was pointing.

“Where did you run off too, young ember? I was looking for you.” Daleth said as he approached the three.

Veluboga was about to speak but Alef cut her off, “We were just playing tag on the outskirts of the village.”

“Ah, I see.” Daleth knew something was up, but he didnt feel like confronting them about it right now, “Come with me Alef, I need your help with a few things. Then you can return to playing with your friends afterwards.”

Alef sighed, “Alright…” He waved goodbye to Kiz and Vel as he followed Daleth.

“What do you need my help with?” He walked right besides Daleth.

“Just some small tasks.”

They went to the boat docks and Daleth had Alef paint over some of the old fading paint on the doc. It didn't take him too long since the doc was small. He also had Alef help him pick out a new cloth for the light temple's decoration. After that, Daleth wanted to head to the village's café to socialize for a bit.

“Why do I have to come along for this?” Alef complained.

“Because, it's good for you to socialize with new people. Plus, you can learn many things from the travelers.” Daleth entered the Café while Alef trailed behind him, slightly pouting.

“Good morning!” Daleth greeted the staff of the café with a cheerful tone. They greeted him back while politely bowing.

“The café smells wonderful as usual.” The old man walked up to the counter.

“We just got done baking this morning's pastries. And they're your favorites.” The café owner matched Daleth's upbeat attitude. She handed Daleth a small plate with 2 large pastries on them, still warm.

“Oh my sweet dear, thank you.” He reached for his pouch to pay her, but she refused.

“Take them.” She insisted.

“You know I feel guilty if I don't, I have to pay you for your hard work.” He placed the currency on the counter.

“Oh would you look at that!” She quickly distracted Daleth and gestured for Alef to put the currency back in his pouch, which he did.

“What is it?”

“The birds. Aren't they just gorgeous?” She pointed to the small birds that were perched outside. She looked down to Alef and winked at him. Alef giggled.

“Oh, they are. Very gorgeous indeed.” Daleth was unaware of what Alef did while he admired the birds. He turned his attention back to the café owner and chatted with her for a while after handing Alef one of the pastries.

Alef ate the warm pastry while Daleth talked. He went around the café, talking to the other people inside. Locals and travelers. He then walked over to a very large stranger in a cloak who was sitting at one of the tables, “Greetings. You seem like you're far from home.” He observed with an upbeat tone. Alef recognized the large stranger from the one he had pranked earlier. He shyly hid behind Daleth.

“I am.” The traveler replied. His voice was incredibly deep which threw Alef off and slightly intimidated him.

“Where are you from?” Daleth was curious.

“Golden city, in the golden dunes.”

“Oh, the golden dunes. I've heard many things about it, but I've never been. I must know, is It true that enforcement there is brutal? I've heard about how harsh they can be.”

The stranger shifted in his seat, almost seeming as if the question bothered them, “Yeah… the enforcers can be brutal at times, but that's only with the newer recruits. More seasoned enforcers are often relaxed after being in the position for so long.”

“I see. Must be all the energy they have. Oh! I almost forgot, how rude of me. I'm Daleth, and you are?” He reached out his hand.

“Tsadi.” He shook Daleth's hand.

“And this here is Alef.” He gestured to the child who was hiding behind him.

Tsadi chuckled, “Your kid is a prankster. He woke me this morning at my camp.”

Alef's face grew red under his mask and he could feel his body heating up from embarrassment.

“Oh! I'm so sorry-” Daleth bowed apologetically.

“It's fine.” One of the waiters brought Tsadi's food to the table and he thanked them. Daleth knew this was his cue to leave.

“It was nice to meet you. Again, I'm so sorry.” Daleth apologized again.

“It's alright.” He said genuinely as he took off his mask to eat.

Daleth headed out of the Café but held Alef by the arm, “Why were you messing with this traveler? Is that why I couldn't find you earlier?” He scolded. Alef looked away from Daleth in shame.

“And you lied to me where you were! Some travelers aren't as forgiving as they were, Alef.” He sounded upset. Alef said nothing. He couldn't bring himself to say anything. Daleth kept a grip on his arm.

“I'm sorry…” He said very quietly. He still couldn't look Daleth in the face. He was too embarrassed and shameful.

“You should be apologizing to that traveler.” His tone was a little more soft now, “Some of these people come a long way, and being rudely woken up like that, it's not fair to them.”Alef looked at his feet while they walked. The silence felt intense.

“I need you to do one more thing for me… then I'll let you go back with your friends.” Daleth stopped, let go of Alef's arm and slowly bent down with the aid of his staff to be at eye level with the child.

“Promise me, you'll behave yourself better?”

Alef bowed his head, “I promise.” He still felt shameful, but tried to speak louder than he did before. Daleth put a hand on his shoulder and he looked at him.

“Your friends may want to get into trouble, but you can always be the responsible one and back away after warning them if they do not listen to you.” Daleth slowly stood back up.

“Now go, play.”

Alef bowed quickly and ran off to find his friends. He found them in the center of the village, playing with the other village kids. He joined them in the game they were playing - sky ball. The oldest kid that was playing with them was about 13. They were showing off their tricks to the younger kids and trying to teach some of their tricks as well. The youngest kid in the group was probably 5. For a few hours, they played with the ball, trying their best to not make it touch the ground while using only their feet and hips to move the ball. The kid who owned the ball eventually had to leave the group, which left them with nothing much to do afterwards.

Alef, Kizuna and Veluboga sat down, slightly tired after playing. After they got their second wind, Kizuna tapped Alef's shoulder, “Look.” She gestured to someone who was sitting on a bench nearby and eating.

“They look really pretty. They also look rich.” She admired the stranger.

Alef stared at the stranger, “They look like a vault worker, but fancier.” He observed.

“How do you know what a vault worker looks like?... and what's a vault worker?” Kizuna asked.

“My mom told me stories about them and she painted small pictures of them. She said they are the keepers of all knowledge and they work in a giant vault that stores it. But they all are dressed the same.” Alef tried to explain.

“Then why did you call that one fancy if they all dress the same?” Vel asked.

“Because they are dressed fancier than what a vault worker looks like, duh.” Alef rolled his eyes.

“If they all dress the same, then a fancy vault worker shouldn't exist.” Kiz copied Alef's attitude.

Alef growled, “Then what would make them?” He gestured to the stranger.

“Rich.” Kizuna sassed.

Alef sighed, “You know what, I'm gonna ask them and prove you wrong.”

Kizuna mocked him as he left. He looked up at the stranger as he approached them, “are you some kind of fancy vault worker?” He asked sheepishly. The stranger gave a soft smile, “Something like that, yeah.” They spoke in a gentle tone that reminded him of his mother. He looked down at his feet and then back up at them, “My friends said there's no such thing as a fancy vault worker because they all dress the same.”

“Well, my job is different from the other vault workers. That's why I'm dressed differently.” They ate the last bit of their food and placed their mask back onto their face.

“What's your job?” He was feeling a bit less shy.

“I'm a soothsayer.”

“What's that?”

“Someone who can foresee the future.”

“Whoa… so you can see the future?” He wanted to make sure he understood them correctly.

“Yes.”

“So can you tell that I'm gonna do this?” Alef kicked his feet in the air, pretending to hit something. The stranger chuckled.

“My ability doesn't work like that. I have to meditate and focus on what is calling to me.” They explained.

“Oh.” Alef suddenly noticed a large stranger standing nearby the bench the other stranger was sitting at. They looked just like the traveler he pranked this morning. He assumed they knew each other.

“Who's that?” He pointed at the large stranger.

They looked at who he was pointing to, “That's my bodyguard.”

“Why do you have a bodyguard?”

“Because my job is so important that I don't often travel. And when I do, I tend to attract attention. So they keep me safe.”

“Oh.” Alef looked back to his friends. They were getting tired of him taking so long, so they walked over to join him.

“They are a fancy vault worker, I was right.” Alef said snarkily to Kizuna. She mocked him again.

“Are you rich?” Kizuna wanted to know.

“Considering my job title… I guess I am.” They had to think about the answer to that question for a bit.

The three of them asked the stranger a few more questions before they had none left to ask. Then Alef remembered he never introduced himself to the stranger.

“I'm Alef, that's Veluboga and this is Kizuna.” He pointed to his friends.

“It's nice to meet all of you. I'm Lamed and this is Anumoh.” She gestured to the guard.

“They're big!” Kizuna stared at the guard, “Why are you so big?”

“I ate my vegetables.” Anumoh said with a straight face. Lamed chuckled at their response.

The three kids chatted with the travelers a little longer before they decided to go do something else. They said goodbye to Lamed and Anumoh before running off.

“See, I told you they were a fancy vault worker.”

“But they also said they were rich.”

“Both of you were right. So stop fighting.” Veluboga spoke up.

The three of them went to the boat docs to bother Daleth and tell him about the “fancy” vault worker that was in the village.

𓆩✧𓆪

Throughout the week, Alef and his friends saw the fancy vault worker and three other vault workers in the village and around in the markets. They also saw those large body guards with them.

At the end of the week, Daleth had Alef help him in the light temple. A wave of new travelers had been coming in for the ceremonial trials and Daleth wanted to greet as many of them as he could. Alef was placing new white candles up at alters when he noticed a small group approaching Daleth. He recognized them - the group he's been seeing all week.

He continued to place the white candles down, but he also watched. He couldn't tell what they were saying, but he noticed how Daleth bowed. A long and deep bow, which he's never seen Daleth do. He quickly finished placing the white candles down, wanting to know what they were talking about. He walked up to Daleth and looked up at Lamed and her group. One of them had handed Daleth a stone tablet, of which was engraved with light.

“Keep this in your temple and let the travelers who pass by see it.” Lamed said.

Daleth nodded, “I will.”

Alef tugged on Daleth's robe, trying to get his attention, “What's that?” He gestured to the stone tablet. Daleth waved his hand at Alef, signaling for him to wait as he talked to Lamed.

“With this new knowledge, my village… we will have many travelers coming to it for the trials, yes?”

“Your village will most definitely have a large increase of travelers. Prepare what you can, for your village is the first to receive my word. You may see an increase as soon as this week.”

“I will keep this in mind. Thank you.” Daleth bowed and they left.

Alef tugged on Daleth's robe again, “What were you talking about and why were you bowing at them like that?”

“That was the oracle. She came here to bring us a prophecy.” Daleth walked over to one of the altars in the temple and placed the stone tablet at the center of it.

“The oracle?..” Alef followed him.

“Yes… she's highly respected across the realms, young ember. She has prophesied many things in the past and they came true. Though, no one ever sees her outside of the vault's doors. Her coming here- it's a very big deal, child.” Daleth seemed like he was excited. Alef’s never seen him this excited.

“Is she like… a realm leader?” He was trying to understand her importance.

“She is more than a realm leader.” Daleth pointed to the stone tablet, “This. She has foretold of a child completing all four trials and becoming our king, making a kingdom out of the scattered realms and unifying us all.”

Alef looked at the stone tablet. He felt unsure about the prophecy, “But, aren't kids not allowed in the trials?...”

“They aren't… but if she says a child will rise up from all four trials, then that's what's going to happen.” Daleth tried to explain.

“I don't wanna go to the trials…” Alef looked up at Daleth.

“Well, you don't have to until you feel you are ready. You are still very young.” He gestured for Alef to follow, “We must let the village know of this. We must arrange for a gathering tonight and plan for what's to come.”

Alef nodded as Daleth led him out of the light temple.

𓆩✧𓆪

For the following weeks after the prophecy spread throughout all the realms, the village of Isle became over overwhelmed with travelers from all corners of each realm. The village grew in population over the span of 3 years. Of the 3 years, Alef wanted to learn as much as he could about the trials with his friends on top of his studies in the realm of prairie. He didn't want to go to the trials, but his friends convinced him that they would go together.

𓆩✧𓆪