Iserheim. Iserheim. Iserheim. Over and over. Soft but loud. Suggesting but also commanding. Any time the angel spirit tried any sort of meditation that would be all she heard. The voices that always manifested while on her spiritual journey would no longer say anything else. Unless, of course, that had been what they were always trying to say. Before they were always incoherent. Now Eyir could understand. Just one word. As vague as it was, she knew they were telling her to go back to Iserheim, or as the rest of Ishgar called it, Iceberg. Why they were telling her to return to the frozen wasteland she did not know. Not that it mattered because she did not ask. She did as they said. Out of necessity? Perhaps. To sate her curiosity? Certainly.
Had it been a century since Eyir had last seen Iserheim? Two? She would probably never accurately guess the answer. Time was irrelevant to a being such as she, and as such it became too difficult and taxing to track as the days, months, and years passed. Eyir was content to state that it had been a very long time since her ethereal wings last soared through the frigid winds of the land. Now that she had made her return after so much time had passed one thing was immediately evident. Nothing had changed. The frozen land was just as nearly dead as it had been back then. Not a single soul was within her line of sight. As it had been for centuries even before she existed the way she was currently. Ever since the calamity the remaining citizens of Iserheim called the Fimbulvinter. Or so she had been told long ago.
Now that the angelic spirit was in the country there was the matter of where in Iserheim she was meant to be. As dead as it was with just tribal communities spread out throughout the land it was still a large country. The voices spoke to her no longer. Not while she was fully conscious. They would be giving no more answers. Eyir did not desire to stop in the middle of the snow plains to try communicating either. She had to assume that there was only one place they would want her to go. Her course changed in the direction of the mountain peaks furthest to the north.
Eyir made her landing in front of the entrance to a large cave that led into the mountain. Still abandoned, just as it was when she had left. It had once been the home of an old Iser mage that had left his tribe to live in solitude within the mountains. "Havardr." The angel spirit's voice was softly spoken, the otherworldly bells and chimes that accompanied it also gently echoing over the wind. The name was one she had not forgotten in all that time. He had been the one to find her during her awakening. The one to have given her the name she still held onto that very day. Perhaps even her first and only friend as well as teacher. Unfortunately he was already old by that time as well as mortal. He succumbed to death long ago. That was why she had left Iserheim. There was nothing to keep her there and it had been an open opportunity to see the lands beyond all of the snow and ice. Now she had returned, but for what purpose? The only way to find out was to enter the long abandoned cave.
It had been dark at first. Only the light from her wings shed any amount of light. The silence was also strong. The only sounds being the sound of her plated boots making contact with the solid ground. The snow was left behind at the entrance, as was the howling wind. As she ventured further the unlit torches that were on the cavern walls sparked with life. The way was now lit by the bright flames that had become active by a spell that had remained dormant until then.
The long cavernous corridor eventually led the angel spirit to the center of the cave. The main part that Havardr had called home. Even though some belongings were still present they were now far from being of any use. Decay and bitter cold had ruined it all. Aside from that there was nothing out of the ordinary. Eyir was now at a loss on what she was supposed to do now. Maybe the whispers would give further clarity.
There, at the center of the room, Eyir stood. Motionless. Part of her consciousness had left that reality as she meditated. The whispers immediately began to speak. Inaudible. Incoherent. They made no sense. Eyir concentrated harder and pleaded for clarity. They listened.
The whispers combined into one voice. So softly spoken that it was as if it barely existed at all. Upon realizing the familiarity of the voice Eyir understood why. Havardr. That was his voice. Was he speaking through the realm of death? Or was it an echo of him that had been left in the cavern by a spell he had cast? She did not have the time to contemplate the answer fully. The voice kept speaking to her. Short one worded sentences. Returned. Growth. Power. Listen. See. Legacy.
The whisper said her name a final time before the world around her shimmered and changed. It was a vision of the past. Not a memory of her own but instead a small fragment in time within the cavern. Havardr was there, or a past incarnation of him that was seemingly unaware of her current presence. He walked towards a wall. Bare as Eyir had always seen it, but with a wave of his hand columns and rows of glowing runes appeared upon the wall. He tapped certain ones, their light flickering out as he did. It was a sequence. A combination to a lock Eyir quickly found out. A small portion of the wall opened up. The vision ended. Eyir was back to viewing the present and quite alone in the cave.
Eyir now knew what to do. She approached the same wall that Havardr had in the vision. The runic symbols appeared before her without a need for her to do anything. Strange. Had he set them to know her presence before he passed? Or was this again the theory of him reaching out through death? Regardless of what it was she did not hesitate to continue on with following the vision. Eyir knew the sequence. Her gloved fingers tapped each one in the correct order. The magic within them had faded greatly for their glow was barely present. Fortunately she had not been too late.
The runes activated after the sequence was complete. The runes flickered and a golden light traced the outline of a doorway. The cave rumbled and echoed as the wall split open, revealing a very small room that had but one object within. A stone pillar stood in the room and upon it was a libram. The book looked quite ordinary at first, but with her touch the libram shimmered with a radiant light. It opened up on its own, revealing Havardr's name for a mere moment before it was erased and replaced by her own. It was hers now. Havardr had long been dead and she herself had finally reached a point where she was worthy to be considered as the successor of its knowledge. Interestingly enough she had no idea that the Iser had even owned the libram. There was much more in the past than she realized.
For now though she would be stuck in the present seeking the future. Searching the past would have to wait. That became clear the moment Eyir noticed that only a very small portion of the libram's contents was available to her. The book would not allow her to turn to the pages past that. The whispers spoke around her again. This time without her needing to meditate. A rarity. Alone what they spoke would have been confusing, but together they formed the name of a guild Eyir had come to know about previously. As if further clarity was needed in the message, the very recognizable symbol of the pink rose was magically drawn on the page below her name.
That was all Eyir needed. The voices had marked a path for her to follow. Havardr had left an important tool for her to use. Where it all would eventually lead was uncertain, but she knew the next step. Eyir would seek out the Luminous Rose guild and join its ranks. It had already been something that was on her mind prior to returning to Iserheim. Perhaps being a part of its member base would give her the experiences needed to grow further and unlock the rest of libram's contents. Perhaps she would become more than what she currently was.
With the libram in her possession Eyir left the cave. There was nothing left there for her to see. Not yet. For now it was goodbye once more.
(Word Count: 1520)
Had it been a century since Eyir had last seen Iserheim? Two? She would probably never accurately guess the answer. Time was irrelevant to a being such as she, and as such it became too difficult and taxing to track as the days, months, and years passed. Eyir was content to state that it had been a very long time since her ethereal wings last soared through the frigid winds of the land. Now that she had made her return after so much time had passed one thing was immediately evident. Nothing had changed. The frozen land was just as nearly dead as it had been back then. Not a single soul was within her line of sight. As it had been for centuries even before she existed the way she was currently. Ever since the calamity the remaining citizens of Iserheim called the Fimbulvinter. Or so she had been told long ago.
Now that the angelic spirit was in the country there was the matter of where in Iserheim she was meant to be. As dead as it was with just tribal communities spread out throughout the land it was still a large country. The voices spoke to her no longer. Not while she was fully conscious. They would be giving no more answers. Eyir did not desire to stop in the middle of the snow plains to try communicating either. She had to assume that there was only one place they would want her to go. Her course changed in the direction of the mountain peaks furthest to the north.
Eyir made her landing in front of the entrance to a large cave that led into the mountain. Still abandoned, just as it was when she had left. It had once been the home of an old Iser mage that had left his tribe to live in solitude within the mountains. "Havardr." The angel spirit's voice was softly spoken, the otherworldly bells and chimes that accompanied it also gently echoing over the wind. The name was one she had not forgotten in all that time. He had been the one to find her during her awakening. The one to have given her the name she still held onto that very day. Perhaps even her first and only friend as well as teacher. Unfortunately he was already old by that time as well as mortal. He succumbed to death long ago. That was why she had left Iserheim. There was nothing to keep her there and it had been an open opportunity to see the lands beyond all of the snow and ice. Now she had returned, but for what purpose? The only way to find out was to enter the long abandoned cave.
It had been dark at first. Only the light from her wings shed any amount of light. The silence was also strong. The only sounds being the sound of her plated boots making contact with the solid ground. The snow was left behind at the entrance, as was the howling wind. As she ventured further the unlit torches that were on the cavern walls sparked with life. The way was now lit by the bright flames that had become active by a spell that had remained dormant until then.
The long cavernous corridor eventually led the angel spirit to the center of the cave. The main part that Havardr had called home. Even though some belongings were still present they were now far from being of any use. Decay and bitter cold had ruined it all. Aside from that there was nothing out of the ordinary. Eyir was now at a loss on what she was supposed to do now. Maybe the whispers would give further clarity.
There, at the center of the room, Eyir stood. Motionless. Part of her consciousness had left that reality as she meditated. The whispers immediately began to speak. Inaudible. Incoherent. They made no sense. Eyir concentrated harder and pleaded for clarity. They listened.
The whispers combined into one voice. So softly spoken that it was as if it barely existed at all. Upon realizing the familiarity of the voice Eyir understood why. Havardr. That was his voice. Was he speaking through the realm of death? Or was it an echo of him that had been left in the cavern by a spell he had cast? She did not have the time to contemplate the answer fully. The voice kept speaking to her. Short one worded sentences. Returned. Growth. Power. Listen. See. Legacy.
The whisper said her name a final time before the world around her shimmered and changed. It was a vision of the past. Not a memory of her own but instead a small fragment in time within the cavern. Havardr was there, or a past incarnation of him that was seemingly unaware of her current presence. He walked towards a wall. Bare as Eyir had always seen it, but with a wave of his hand columns and rows of glowing runes appeared upon the wall. He tapped certain ones, their light flickering out as he did. It was a sequence. A combination to a lock Eyir quickly found out. A small portion of the wall opened up. The vision ended. Eyir was back to viewing the present and quite alone in the cave.
Eyir now knew what to do. She approached the same wall that Havardr had in the vision. The runic symbols appeared before her without a need for her to do anything. Strange. Had he set them to know her presence before he passed? Or was this again the theory of him reaching out through death? Regardless of what it was she did not hesitate to continue on with following the vision. Eyir knew the sequence. Her gloved fingers tapped each one in the correct order. The magic within them had faded greatly for their glow was barely present. Fortunately she had not been too late.
The runes activated after the sequence was complete. The runes flickered and a golden light traced the outline of a doorway. The cave rumbled and echoed as the wall split open, revealing a very small room that had but one object within. A stone pillar stood in the room and upon it was a libram. The book looked quite ordinary at first, but with her touch the libram shimmered with a radiant light. It opened up on its own, revealing Havardr's name for a mere moment before it was erased and replaced by her own. It was hers now. Havardr had long been dead and she herself had finally reached a point where she was worthy to be considered as the successor of its knowledge. Interestingly enough she had no idea that the Iser had even owned the libram. There was much more in the past than she realized.
For now though she would be stuck in the present seeking the future. Searching the past would have to wait. That became clear the moment Eyir noticed that only a very small portion of the libram's contents was available to her. The book would not allow her to turn to the pages past that. The whispers spoke around her again. This time without her needing to meditate. A rarity. Alone what they spoke would have been confusing, but together they formed the name of a guild Eyir had come to know about previously. As if further clarity was needed in the message, the very recognizable symbol of the pink rose was magically drawn on the page below her name.
That was all Eyir needed. The voices had marked a path for her to follow. Havardr had left an important tool for her to use. Where it all would eventually lead was uncertain, but she knew the next step. Eyir would seek out the Luminous Rose guild and join its ranks. It had already been something that was on her mind prior to returning to Iserheim. Perhaps being a part of its member base would give her the experiences needed to grow further and unlock the rest of libram's contents. Perhaps she would become more than what she currently was.
With the libram in her possession Eyir left the cave. There was nothing left there for her to see. Not yet. For now it was goodbye once more.
(Word Count: 1520)
