Beneath His Gaze

[Silvarn]

He staggered onward, deeper into the desert.

What a sight he must be: his electric blue hair mildly bleached, his fair skin unhealthily pink, his eyes bleary and bloodshot, all from constant exposure to the sun. But he did not mind, not in the slightest.

He trudged onward, an odd expression on his face -- a smile. Not a mild, deranged smirk, but a full-fledged beaming smile of unbounded joy.

When he finally reached his destination, he slumped to his knees, his arms hanging limp, his eyes and mouth wide with excitement. He gazed up at the rock with a crystal circle embedded in it. He alone gazed upon it, for he had forbidden his followers to follow him.

He waited, waited for something to happen. But not in boredom, no -- every moment was worth the wait. The sun was setting and soon, unbeknown to the kneeling cleric, the light would catch on the crystal.

He waited.

[leonatio]

Leonatio trudged into the desert with curious gaze. Why had his travels brought him to such a place? What was there in this vast, empty, and tiring desert? Was it something to help unlock his past, or was this all just some wild goose chase, with nothing but the stench of death and decay waiting at the end?

With these questions racing through his head, Leonatio continued onward through the restless sun that it feel as if he was walking on a never-ending bed of hot coals.

As he continued on, he paid attention to his surroundings carefully; the last thing he wanted was to get lost in this dead, hot place that seemed almost devoid of any hopes of survival if it hadn't been for the nearby ocean.

While he was eying the surrounding territory, he spotted something that didn't fit with the desert atmosphere...at least, with it's usual aura of impending death. It was a figure he'd never seen before, standing next to a rock, as if waiting for the rock to make a move (or something similar).

Leonatio's curiosity always overstepped his common sense; for all he knew, the figure could be hostile, but it didn't matter. He diverted his direction over to the figure, as gathered himself and spoke as he approached close behind. "Are you lost?" he called out loudly, but not with enough force to where it'd take from his strength that the desert was already slowly stealing away from him.

[Silvarn]

He barely heard the voice, a mere whisper in the smoldering silence.

"No," he croaked, "I am the farthest thing from lost."

He stared at the crystal still, baking in the heat and light reflecting off the bright sand.

"If you are patient, you will witness His glory. You may even hear His voice. I was lost, while I wandered this world of shadows, called Valear. Now..."

He broke his adamant attention from the crystal, turning his aether-blue eyes to the newcomer, spying a boy not any older than himself, even dressed similarly. He indicated the space to his immediate left.

"Kneel, and you may witness His glory. Once, I was lost. Now, I am called." he smiled, radiating an inner sunshine.

[leonatio]

Leonatio scratched his head, somewhat puzzled at what this peculiar person was talking about. Him? Who was this him that he was referring to exactly? His glory?

He felt slightly uneasy at both the sight, and what he was hearing. Did he want to stick around to find out who this "him" was? Or did he want to high tail it out of there, before he was in the midst of something dark and evil?

Whatever was going to happen, something in his gut told him that he didn't want to be there. But when he had the impulse to leave, something in his body made him want to stay to see the events unfold.

Whatever was going to happen though, he was at a complete loss for words. What could he say to something like this? That the person was possibly insane? Ask him what he was talking about, only to hear more of the man's preachings to this unspoken holy one?

[Silvarn]

He did not notice the other boy remain still, and bowed his head in reverence. Any moment, the glory of the Sun-God would be revealed. He waited patiently, for he knew being impatient would offend his patron deity.

Any moment now.

And then, the sun dipped beneath the horizon.

He looked up, the shock spelled clearly on his face.

He had waited...for nothing?

No matter, it simply was not time yet. He would wait; he would be patient.

With a halfhearted smile, he turned back to the other boy. "Sorry to get your hopes up." he apologized, "I believed something more spectacular would happen."

He rose to stand even with the other, smiling in the most friendly manner, "My name is Helion," he extended an intensely sunburned hand, "Who are you?"

[leonatio]

He didn't know what to say. He was somewhat taken back at the sudden change in behavior of this strange person. First he seemed like a devoted slave, and now a friendly man...it made Leonatio wonder if this man had other...more violent mood swings that had yet to show themselves.

Leonatio decided to throw his curiosity and worry aside and give into the moment of this man's friendliness, as he extended his gloved hand as well. "I'm Leonatio, it's nice to meet you" he said with a toothy smile.

[Silvarn]

Helion beamed at his new-found friend. There was no need to utilize the Sun-God's gift of serenity on him -- he seemed peaceful enough.

Upon clasping the other boy's hand, he felt a surge of strange energy brush against his skin. He retracted his hand suddenly, clasping it protectively with its mate, looking at Leonatio with skeptic hesitation.

"Forgive me if I seem unfriendly," he gradually relaxed his posture, "but you feel like nature."

He had felt that power before. It had resisted him. He had conquered over the pagan spirits in the name of his Sun-God. Turned them from the light of flame to the light of the Sun.

Though he had only met Leonatio, Helion sincerely hoped he would not have to exercise that power again on him. Especially with night approaching.

He smiled to cover his worries, asking "What brings you out into the desert, Leonatio?" but the worries crept into his voice nevertheless.

[leonatio]

What was with this man? A friendly gesture had turned into him taking back his hand, as if he was afraid of Leonatio using some unforseen power to blast it off of its socket. This man seemed to be an even bigger mystery to him than a very intricate Chinese puzzle box. And what did he mean "you feel like nature?"

Nothing about this man made sense at all, and even his question to Leonatio had a hint of uneasiness to it. Was he actually scared of something about him? Nevertheless, Leonatio tried to not let it bother him, but instead looked around the desert as if unsure of what it was he was here for in the first place.

"I don't really know exactly...the best I can tell you is that I'm trying to find out who I am, and my travels led me here. As to why, I couldn't tell you, because I don't know." He replied with a tone as unsure as the look on his face.

[Silvarn]

Helion's drooping spirits perked again. He sat cross-legged on the ground, an excited look on his face. One lesson he learned from the Sun-God was everything happened for a reason. There was a reason the two of them had wandered into the desert and had stumbled into each other. And he was excited to learn why.

Then he realized: the day was finished -- night was setting in, and Sol Invictus had retired for his rest.

He scrambled for something to say to his new friend, so that the air would not hang heavy with awkwardness.

"I used to feel like nature, too, you know. I could sing apples into fruition, months before they would normally be harvested. Can you sing to the trees and make them grow fruit faster, too?"

Perhaps it was not the best idea to open a conversation with a discussion of pagan talents, especially having converted to the Solar Faith. But, Sol Invictus was in bed, and would only dream of this blasphemy.

[leonatio]

Leonatio was beginning to understand what Helion meant by feeling like nature, with what he said he could do, but he could only shrug at the idea of singing to the trees. The trees he'd conversed with never were ones to enjoy the idea of being sung to by someone with his...lack of proper voice training.

He looked around at the sky that was now covered in the veil of night, giving off a slightly cool breeze through the desert. As he watched, he could have sworn he had heard the wind whispering something, but he shook off the feeling almost immediately and brought his way back to answering Helion's question.

"Well, no. I just ask them if I can have a fruit from their branches if I'm really , and thank them for it if I get one." Leonatio said as he looked around at the lack of nature surrounding the area. "Well, I used to be able to, I should say. I can't anymore." he said as he felt as if a large weight had been set on him.

[Silvarn]

Misery loves company. Maybe that was why they found each other here, in this desert. They shared a similar background.

"I know, I cannot speak to the trees anymore." a twisting sensation built up in his stomach, building to his chest, then his throat, constricting it. Did he actually regret turning from his pagan ways? No! He embraced the Sun-God and his teachings wholeheartedly!

Did he not?

"Not so much that I cannot any longer; but, more that I am not allowed." He instantly regretted uttering those blasphemous words. He had surrendered his druidic powers for those of the cleric. Speaking of which, the night was growing dark and cold. Channeling his faith into a tangible form, Helion dropped an ingot of solar flame onto the sand, where it hovered an inch above the shifting ground. The flame was bright and cheery, a pleasant warmth emanating from it.

As he became comfortable and drowsy, his stomach suddenly grumbled in ire. He jumped at the unprovoked sound, then looked at Leonatio with a sheepish, apologetic grin.

Night would go and day would come, and food was not important. Helion fought the notion to cast himself upon the sands and sleep away the night, that he may wake with the dawn. But, that would be incredibly rude toward his guest.

"Are you alone?" Helion asked with honest naivete.

[leonatio]

Leonatio looked at the man with a interested expression at his statement of not being allowed to talk to nature. It made him wonder just who it was that he worshiped or clinged to that had forbidden him to converse with the elements of mother nature. But it was none of his business to pry, and he was far from being a mind reader to be able to hear it in his head.

The sight of the flame should have surprised him, seeing as how he wasn't used to the sight of magic. But instead, it'd made his stomach turn at the sight of it. The sight of this flame had triggered something in his mind, something horrible...but what was it?

As he was trying to figure it out, his brain had flashed it to him in a matter of seconds. Corpses scattering across an unknown territory, the all too familiar sounds of gunfire coming from the distance, and the men who could conjure up fire, burning the buildings that they had come across.

All Leonatio could do was watch it; watch as all of this was happening. He watched as if it were a dream, and as he watched, he caught sight of one of the fire throwers looking at him, and signaling his comrades. The scene had changed; he was now running for his life away in a forest that he'd never seen before, as he tripped on a rock. "In here boy!" a voice had called as Leonatio looked around for the source.

As he looked, he saw what looked to be a tree branch beckoning to him, attached to what looked to be an old oak tree with a hole at the bottom...big enough for anyone to climb inside and hide in. Leonatio took the opportunity to run to the tree and hide in it as the men chasing him had approached, stopping near the oak tree.

He waited, his heart thumping fast in his chest, as the two men begun conversing Leonatio's whereabouts, as his worst fears came alive. They had begun advancing towards the oak tree...did they suspect that he was inside?

Before he could answer, the scene had disappeared, and Leonatio was back in reality, standing there, looking at the flame with the same intensity and unease as when he'd first seen it. He had almost missed the man's question, as he just nodded slowly, his eyes focused on the flame, as he answered with a simple "Yes."

[Silvarn]

He waited for the answer to his question, but it was a long time coming. He watched with anxiety as a wildness entered Leonatio's eyes. He wanted to help, but he recognized that wildness. Too often, he lain a friendly hand on the afflicted's shoulder, trying to imbue them with some of the Sun-God's serenity, only to have them retaliate. Tristan was forced to act against Helion's wishes at this point, and violently remove them from the young man he followed.

How he wished Helion were here with him, in this dark desert, to protect him. He always felt safe with Tristan nearby.

He watched as the wildness snapped out Leonatio's eyes, but were slowly restored to sanity.

'Yes.' came the response, at last.

Helion, honestly, did not know how to respond.

"Stay here with me, then. For now, I am alone as well. Shall we be alone together?" he asked with a cautious smile.

[leonatio]

Leonatio was still a bit taken back from what had happened. What HAD happened anyways? What was that memory, and who was he running from? Was it from the fire throwers that had seen him, or was it someone else?

All of this running through his head almost made him miss Helion's question, but it had flown in and broke his train of thought. "Hmm?" he asked softly, as he had realized what Helion had asked him. "Oh, yeah, I'll stay with you." Leonatio said with a faint smile, not knowing what to think at the moment.

Then again, this was the first person he'd met since he'd left his village, and this person wasn't being in the least bit hostile towards him at all. Leonatio shook his head quickly as the smile grew wider, and he let out a small chuckle. "I'm sorry, my mind is just a little distracted right now. I would love to stay with you." he corrected as he let out another small chuckle.

He rubbed his hand around the left side of his head, trying to sort the thoughts out. There was more to the story than what he'd seen, but he had a feeling in his gut that it'd be a decent chunk of time before he'd ever unlock all of the memories that were slumbering deep within him.

One thing had bugged him though: who were those men who were destroying the buildings? And was Leonatio one of the villagers that was being terrorized by these people...or was he somehow involved with them? Almost immediately thinking about this, he closed his eyes for a quick second as if to discard the thought. Silly thing to even think about; I couldn't have been involved with them. He thought to himself.

[Silvarn]

Helion smiled radiantly at Leonatio's response. His smile faded, slowly, as he watched his company extract himself from reality, withdrawing into his memories. Helion kept a hopeful grin on his face, waiting for the moment when Leonatio would return.

But, he did not. Although his eyes darted back and forth, he did not see with them. Helion's hope eventually faded, and a depressing pressure built in his sternum. His eyes trailed from Leonatio's face to his summoned droplet of bright golden flame. He stared into the fires, wishing he could see it source -- the perfect white sphere, this reality's interpretation of Sol Invictus' glory.

His eyelids closed tentatively of their own volition. He felt his head fall down to the ground, but he caught it at the last moment, preventing himself from falling asleep. Yet, when he looked at where Lady Luna had been but an instant before, She had vanished. The stars escorting her had shifted, stars he did not recognize. He rubbed at his eyes, yet he felt strangely refreshed. His ingot had vanished as well, plunging the two into darkness, illuminated only by starlight.

Then he realized.

His ingot burned for exactly twelve hours. A little longer in summer, a little less in winter, based on the Sun-God's influence over the current season. The flame was intended to last from the Sun's setting to it next rise, so that its bearer would never be truly in the dark. Yet, it had been extinguished.

He shivered, but not from the growing cold, and curled in around himself, trying to not believe the impossible:

The Sun had not risen. Even after twelve, or more, hours, the skies were still stained with the dark of night. Not even the faint wisp of dawn graced the horizon. The Sun had not risen.

He cried silently, suddenly so very, very sad and scared.