03-12-2022, 01:29 AM
(This post was last modified: 03-12-2022, 01:38 AM by Rowan Finnegan.)
It happened in a blur, Vale had come to her aid and then a gun had appeared in Rowan’s hand. She could have sworn she heard the Holy Father say something as she closed her palm on the weapon. A haze settled over her mind as the blood ran down her back.
The weight that had been crushing Rowan suddenly disappeared and air flooded every particle of her lungs. The haze thickened, but it only helped her to find the serenity she most desperately needed to work her magic.
The Light still would not come, but Rowan could swear that she felt it hiding just out of sight. Irritation bubbled up along the edges of the haze as she pushed herself onto hands and knees.
Vale had indeed pulled the creature off Rowan and was fighting the thing like an Amazonian. Rowan felt herself smile despite the pain in her shoulder. The Light would not come, but the Holy Father had given her a great boon.
“Sister! Drop down now!” Rowan called as Vale followed suit.
A loud pop echoed through the air as the gun fired. The bullet found its target, knocking the monster down into a crumpled heap.
Rowan smiled at her sister and nodded in thanks. Armande and the Holy Father had run off to inspect something on the grounds, as it had quickly become apparent that the last of the monsters had been slain. Despite the clouded mind, Rowan found herself rolling her eyes at her sister as if to say ‘men…’
Armande called out to Rowan and Vale, his voice urgent. Rowan shook her head to desperately clear the mist from her mind, standing slowly on shaky knees. The Light would not come to her. Would the Sight?
Rowan staggered towards Vale, urging her sister to help her close the distance. The pain along her shoulder blade intensified as she found her mind clearing. With a wince, Rowan came to stand before Vale and clasped hands with her.
The world descended into darkness…
The Eyes saw. A large, bronze pillar erupted from a barren landscape. The same pillar from a vision seen long ago. Black clouds covered the sky overhead and a low rumble began off in the distance. Rowan, Armande, Vale, and the Holy Father all came walking towards the pillar – each coming from a different cardinal direction.
Armande came from the North.
The Holy Father came from the East.
Vale came from the South.
Rowan came from the West.
The four joined together around the pillar, each with a look of adoration on their faces.
A light flashed across the darkened clouds and a peal of thunder sounded like the trumpets of Judgement Day. Lightning arced down from the sky, striking the bronze pillar at its heart. The strange language across the pillar glowed with a brilliant, azure light – filling their vision and blinding them.
The lightning subsided and the pillar appeared to be completely destroyed – save for its eastern side. That side now bearing a relief of the face of the Holy Father; the man was nowhere to be seen.
Rowan looked down to see that strange glassy object in her right hand. She looked up to find that Vale and Armande also held similar objects in their hands. Azure light began to pour forth from the objects and a searing pain shot into Rowan’s palm.
With a deafening clap, their three objects shot up into the air and back towards the directions each of them had come from: Armande’s to the North, Vale’s to the South, and Rowan’s to the West.
The world descended into darkness once more.
Rowan opened her eye with a gasp. She found herself on the ground, cradled in Vale’s arms. The other woman was silent, but Rowan knew that she had seen the same vision. Had Armande? She slowly turned her head towards her other lover and called out to him with an effort, “We must head west from here – directly west. We will find the pillar. From the pillar we can find the other three keys.”
Darkness descended upon the world once more, but this time, it was the darkness of sleep come to take Rowan.
The weight that had been crushing Rowan suddenly disappeared and air flooded every particle of her lungs. The haze thickened, but it only helped her to find the serenity she most desperately needed to work her magic.
The Light still would not come, but Rowan could swear that she felt it hiding just out of sight. Irritation bubbled up along the edges of the haze as she pushed herself onto hands and knees.
Vale had indeed pulled the creature off Rowan and was fighting the thing like an Amazonian. Rowan felt herself smile despite the pain in her shoulder. The Light would not come, but the Holy Father had given her a great boon.
“Sister! Drop down now!” Rowan called as Vale followed suit.
A loud pop echoed through the air as the gun fired. The bullet found its target, knocking the monster down into a crumpled heap.
Rowan smiled at her sister and nodded in thanks. Armande and the Holy Father had run off to inspect something on the grounds, as it had quickly become apparent that the last of the monsters had been slain. Despite the clouded mind, Rowan found herself rolling her eyes at her sister as if to say ‘men…’
Armande called out to Rowan and Vale, his voice urgent. Rowan shook her head to desperately clear the mist from her mind, standing slowly on shaky knees. The Light would not come to her. Would the Sight?
Rowan staggered towards Vale, urging her sister to help her close the distance. The pain along her shoulder blade intensified as she found her mind clearing. With a wince, Rowan came to stand before Vale and clasped hands with her.
The world descended into darkness…
The Eyes saw. A large, bronze pillar erupted from a barren landscape. The same pillar from a vision seen long ago. Black clouds covered the sky overhead and a low rumble began off in the distance. Rowan, Armande, Vale, and the Holy Father all came walking towards the pillar – each coming from a different cardinal direction.
Armande came from the North.
The Holy Father came from the East.
Vale came from the South.
Rowan came from the West.
The four joined together around the pillar, each with a look of adoration on their faces.
A light flashed across the darkened clouds and a peal of thunder sounded like the trumpets of Judgement Day. Lightning arced down from the sky, striking the bronze pillar at its heart. The strange language across the pillar glowed with a brilliant, azure light – filling their vision and blinding them.
The lightning subsided and the pillar appeared to be completely destroyed – save for its eastern side. That side now bearing a relief of the face of the Holy Father; the man was nowhere to be seen.
Rowan looked down to see that strange glassy object in her right hand. She looked up to find that Vale and Armande also held similar objects in their hands. Azure light began to pour forth from the objects and a searing pain shot into Rowan’s palm.
With a deafening clap, their three objects shot up into the air and back towards the directions each of them had come from: Armande’s to the North, Vale’s to the South, and Rowan’s to the West.
The world descended into darkness once more.
Rowan opened her eye with a gasp. She found herself on the ground, cradled in Vale’s arms. The other woman was silent, but Rowan knew that she had seen the same vision. Had Armande? She slowly turned her head towards her other lover and called out to him with an effort, “We must head west from here – directly west. We will find the pillar. From the pillar we can find the other three keys.”
Darkness descended upon the world once more, but this time, it was the darkness of sleep come to take Rowan.