Void Rift (rp) - Intermission

"In what way?"

 

Sometimes I’d start thinking about food, or talking about hunts. You usually woke up with a rumbling stomach shortly after.

 

"Any water can be used to heal, you just need to know how," Gaia says, smiling, "It has the closest connection to life, as water brings it."


"Use these tokens when you feel hungry, you can have any food you want with it." The note reads. Underneath are three rectangular wooden tokens, a bit larger than a human hand.

 

“Water is used to preserve but not heal back at home. I’m still curious to see it in action.”


Amethyst picks up a token, looking it over.
“Okay, thanks person I don’t know... but why didn’t you tell me how to use it?” She mumbles.

 

"That explains those morning hungers. Those were rough."

 

Gaia thinks for a moment.

"We could take a tour around my gardens. My children heal one another if they get hurt, though death bares no consequence here." Gaia explains.


Amethyst's room is quiet, and still. Almost as if the room itself is at rest.

 

“I’m serious. Don’t steal anything. Not gems, not books, not a potted plant. Understand?”

 

I suppose this is payback for those times.

“Fine.”
“Say yes.”
“I said fine.”

Gaia cringes.
“That sounds too much like what Atavul subjects his forces to. I don’t know if I could stomach that.”


She peeks out of her room, a bit curious about the silence.

 

"I can assure you, this is a safe haven where my children can flourish and live a wonderful afterlife. Not some...twisted torture chamber." Gaia says with a bit of spite at the end.


Amethyst's room seems to have some kind of hologram displayed in front of it, reading 'DO NOT ENTER'. There also seem to be a few burnt out candles and smaller gifts around too. The hallway it leads out to is quiet, though she can hear activity coming from the direction leading outside.

 

Gaia nods.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything. I’ll follow your lead.”


She heads towards outside, confused.

 

Gaia heads out from the enclosed forest clearing, trees sinking into the ground to create a tunnel through the dense forest. On the other side, the forest thins out into fields dotted with trees and strange, large open flowers. Guardians of many types seem to be about, though most appear to be forest guardians. A kind looking female forest guardian grows a large rose in front of an earth guardian boy. She picks the flower and gives it to him, and he runs over to a fire guardian girl who seems to be around his age. The earth guardian gives the fire guardian the rose, who blushes and hugs him. Elsewhere, a pair of teenage forest guardians seem to be practising their archery and control over nature by attacking each other; arrows flying, walls of wood growing, and vines grabbing.

"I created these gardens as a sanctuary for myself, but after seeing the pure souls of my children return to me once their time had ended, I decided to share it with them." Gaia explains, smiling.


A patrolling guard notices Amethyst, quickening his pace over to her. His metal armour shines a bright silver, reflecting the light of his body that peeks through. His sword remains in his hilt, however.

"Miss Amethyst! You're awake! Are you feeling well?" The guard asks, concerned.

 

"I wish I could do mine such a service. Unfortunately, the role of bringing closure falls to Idhaenna..." Gaia mumbles, seeming a bit envious of the sights before her.


"Yes, I think the nap was too short to qualify as hibernation. I do have a few questions, though... particularly regarding the candles. Was I assumed dead?" She yawns, wings disintegrating into threads as she weaves herself a robe on the spot.

 

"Well.. sort of. I didn't knew you were doing it, so I can't call it payback."

 

Fair enough. I still guess I had something like this coming, though.

 

"..hehe.."

 

"Mortius handles the...tainted souls and those that manage to live past their time." Gaia mentions.

One of the large flowers - the only one that was closed - begins to bloom. A broad-shouldered forest guardian steps out from inside the flower, and a pair of forest guardian run over to him. He smiles, leaning down and embracing the pair of them in a hug. A female forest guardian follows behind the children, who he looks up to and smiles at.


"Not at all. We actually assumed you were in a state similar to hibernation, and some of your admirers came to leave you presents and show respect." The guard says.

 

“I trust Mortius far more than Idhaenna.”


“I have... what?” Amethyst asks, uneasy and blushing. “I did literally one thing. Nobody even knows if I can do something comparable!”

What?

 

Gaia smiles at first, before looking a bit unnerved as she realises what her counterpart means.


"Well, your 'one thing' was pretty grand." The guard says happily.

 

“I suppose we’d find a few more water guardians in their respective garden?” Gaia asks, trying to take her counterpart’s mind off her implications.


“I suppose that I did stumble across a good time to show off my abilities... it really isn’t much more than a meal, though. At least, that’s pretty much the caliber I’d make to get food on the table... I don’t understand why it’s appreciated so much more here.”

 

"Yes, my personal ocean," Gaia says happily, "Would you like to go see it?"


"We've never seen such skill before. I suppose you must come from a wondrous world if that's not considered overwhelmingly impressive." The guard says positively.