10th of Glade, 120th of Steel
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" It wasn't the first time her father had asked her that question in the span of twenty minutes. She stared at him rather bluntly but his face remained solemn. "I'm sorry Leliana, I simply can't emphasize how dangerous this is going to be. We've talked about it over and over, but it's never enough to prepare you for the real thing. I don't want to cause you undue harm, and if we do this that's certainly what will happen. No matter what I do, or how careful I am, you are going to be hurt by this."
The half-elf's face softened then, seeing the genuine worry and distress in the man's features. She was still getting used to his comforting presence, but in this shared moment she reached over and grabbed his hand. He squeezed hers tightly, searching her eyes for some sort of confirmation. He seemed to find it there, because he nodded and picked up his brush and ink.
"Remember what I told you. Tell me now."
"I must fight with everything I have. If I don't fight to win, the Pact will fail and I die. I have to keep contact with my sword at all times, or the Pact will fail and I die." She wasn't just reciting this for him, but also to drill it into herself how serious this was. "I will be hallucinating during the fight. If I let it take over, I will fail and die. The Pact requires I fuse my soul with the weapon during our fight. If I lose control, I will fail and die." Her father's face was grim as he nodded.
"I will draw the Cardinal Rune onto your body--wherever you choose. Once that is done you need to meditate and begin initiating the Pact with your weapon. Start at your own pace. There's no way for us to tell how long this will take. It all depends on you. You've been practicing the breathing exercises I taught you?" She nodded. "Have you chosen where your Rune will go?" Leliana turned and pulled up the back of her shirt, exposing the blank canvas of her pale skin. "This will only take me a few minutes. When I'm done you need to steel yourself and begin. I will be right here until you're ready."
When the brush laden with cold ink touched her skin she knew there would be no going back. Part of her was terrified--that was understandable. She knew her father was terrified as well. What they were doing had a a significant risk of killing her. That had been made known first and foremost, but they both agreed that the payoff if she succeeded would benefit her beyond measure. Arangyl prayed that her Siltori bloodline would lead to an increased resistance to the coming Threshold Sickness.
Leliana closed her eyes, resting on her knees with the sword lying across her thighs. She had one hand on the blade and another wrapped around the hilt, grounding herself through the cold metal's unyielding mass. Her breathing was slow and deliberate. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Inhale, two, three, four--exhale, two three four. The brush traced her spine, connecting lines and subtle shapes carefully. Inhale, two three, four--exhale, two, three, four.
There was complete silence for a several minutes except for the sound of the balmy Glade wind sighing through the trees around their clearing. When the brush finally left her skin, she paused briefly before continuing her breathing. Don't get distracted. There was a faint, foreign tingling sensation starting across her flesh from the point where her father had drawn the Cardinal Rune. Lily heard him rise and move around to her front to kneel down once more.
"Leliana," he began quietly. Inhale, two three, four--exhale, two, three, four. "When you're ready, I want you to focus and reach out with your aether. Imagine it like an aura around you. You can will that aura to do what you want if you focus on it hard enough. It gets easier with time. I want you to bind that aether to your sword now."
He fell into an expectant silence, not daring to interrupt her with further administrations. The half-breed turned her attentions inward, still maintaining the slow tempo of breathing. Inhale, two three, four--exhale, two, three, four. Her brows furrowed slightly as she probed, sifting through nothingness and empty space for what felt like a very long time. It was as if her own consciousness was reaching out for something, grasping empty air. Finally though, she felt a collision with--something.
Arangyl said it would seem like an aura but to her it was almost like a block of clay. Malleable to mental touch. Something to be molded. It shivered and recoiled briefly but soon reached out to her in return as if with a mind of its own. In reality, it was just another part of her that she had yet to explore. An extension of herself that wasn't quite physical but always there. Lily tested it, stretching and pulling, coaxing and guiding it. It was stiff initially, but soon warmed like butter and became almost eager to be utilized.
Without any verbal communication the aether reached out like curious tendrils, brushing the sword in her lap, caressing its length several times before finally latching hold. A shudder ran through her body and the tingling intensified. Inhale, two three, four--exhale, two, three, four. Don't forget to breathe. It was like some sort of silent contract being forged. She could feel the blade now in other respects--more than just touch. It was slight at first, but as her aether burrowed its way inside the weapon, folding and ensnaring it like a serpent, it was almost like she could feel through the blade.
Inhale, two three, four--exhale, two, three, four. Not only was there the sensation of touching the sword with her hands, but she could feel it being touched by her. It was a strange concept to say the least. Carefully, Leliana rose to her feet and opened her eyes. There was an initial rush of vertigo but she caught herself before she could fall and made sure to tighten the grip on her sword. When the world finally stopped spinning she realized slowly that everything had gone silent. The branches in the trees all around the glade still swayed in the wind, and she could feel it on her skin, but there was no sound. No birds. Just silence.
"Let us begin," her father finally said, deafening in the quiet, summoning his own sword and taking up position a few yards away.
The Initiated wasted no time. She lunged at the opposing Siltori, grabbing the hilt with both hands and bringing it up and down in an arcing swing. He parried the blade easily, jostling her shoulders. She lunged again, stepping toward him and stabbing the tip toward his stomach. Again, he swatted the blade away with the flat of his own. Leliana kept moving steadily forward, taking an aggressive approach, chopping and hacking away.
Sweat already beaded her brow from initiating the start of the Pact and soon she was panting in the cool air of early Glade. With each swing there was a strange sensation building in her chest. A tugging, like something was trying to come loose.
"Focus!" her father snapped, voice so loud it made her stumble. Lily shook her head, blinked rapidly a few times and took a shuddering breath. "Don't get too caught up in the fight that you lose hold of the tether with your aether!"
He was on the approached now, battering her with a flurry of swings that had her immediately retreating backwards toward the center of the field. He struck so hard and so fast that it was all she could do to deflect his oncoming sword with her own. There was hardly a break to think, but she tried to concentrate. It felt like something was slipping through her fingers. Her vision started to blur. What was so important that she couldn't remember?
Everything was quiet now. Her father's lips moved, but there was no voice. Their swords met, but there no ring of metal. Her stumbling footsteps were silent on the grass. Even her own panting fell on deaf ears. Everything started to close in. Her vision was murky, dark and hazy around the edges. The sweat on her skin felt like ice. Leliana swung wildly in a clumsy attack, not really seeing what she was doing. Arangyl jumped out the way, narrowly avoiding her feral swipe. His lips moved again, face concerned and earnest, but still nothing.
And then the world turned to blood.
The Pact: Part II
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" It wasn't the first time her father had asked her that question in the span of twenty minutes. She stared at him rather bluntly but his face remained solemn. "I'm sorry Leliana, I simply can't emphasize how dangerous this is going to be. We've talked about it over and over, but it's never enough to prepare you for the real thing. I don't want to cause you undue harm, and if we do this that's certainly what will happen. No matter what I do, or how careful I am, you are going to be hurt by this."
The half-elf's face softened then, seeing the genuine worry and distress in the man's features. She was still getting used to his comforting presence, but in this shared moment she reached over and grabbed his hand. He squeezed hers tightly, searching her eyes for some sort of confirmation. He seemed to find it there, because he nodded and picked up his brush and ink.
"Remember what I told you. Tell me now."
"I must fight with everything I have. If I don't fight to win, the Pact will fail and I die. I have to keep contact with my sword at all times, or the Pact will fail and I die." She wasn't just reciting this for him, but also to drill it into herself how serious this was. "I will be hallucinating during the fight. If I let it take over, I will fail and die. The Pact requires I fuse my soul with the weapon during our fight. If I lose control, I will fail and die." Her father's face was grim as he nodded.
"I will draw the Cardinal Rune onto your body--wherever you choose. Once that is done you need to meditate and begin initiating the Pact with your weapon. Start at your own pace. There's no way for us to tell how long this will take. It all depends on you. You've been practicing the breathing exercises I taught you?" She nodded. "Have you chosen where your Rune will go?" Leliana turned and pulled up the back of her shirt, exposing the blank canvas of her pale skin. "This will only take me a few minutes. When I'm done you need to steel yourself and begin. I will be right here until you're ready."
When the brush laden with cold ink touched her skin she knew there would be no going back. Part of her was terrified--that was understandable. She knew her father was terrified as well. What they were doing had a a significant risk of killing her. That had been made known first and foremost, but they both agreed that the payoff if she succeeded would benefit her beyond measure. Arangyl prayed that her Siltori bloodline would lead to an increased resistance to the coming Threshold Sickness.
Leliana closed her eyes, resting on her knees with the sword lying across her thighs. She had one hand on the blade and another wrapped around the hilt, grounding herself through the cold metal's unyielding mass. Her breathing was slow and deliberate. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Inhale, two, three, four--exhale, two three four. The brush traced her spine, connecting lines and subtle shapes carefully. Inhale, two three, four--exhale, two, three, four.
There was complete silence for a several minutes except for the sound of the balmy Glade wind sighing through the trees around their clearing. When the brush finally left her skin, she paused briefly before continuing her breathing. Don't get distracted. There was a faint, foreign tingling sensation starting across her flesh from the point where her father had drawn the Cardinal Rune. Lily heard him rise and move around to her front to kneel down once more.
"Leliana," he began quietly. Inhale, two three, four--exhale, two, three, four. "When you're ready, I want you to focus and reach out with your aether. Imagine it like an aura around you. You can will that aura to do what you want if you focus on it hard enough. It gets easier with time. I want you to bind that aether to your sword now."
He fell into an expectant silence, not daring to interrupt her with further administrations. The half-breed turned her attentions inward, still maintaining the slow tempo of breathing. Inhale, two three, four--exhale, two, three, four. Her brows furrowed slightly as she probed, sifting through nothingness and empty space for what felt like a very long time. It was as if her own consciousness was reaching out for something, grasping empty air. Finally though, she felt a collision with--something.
Arangyl said it would seem like an aura but to her it was almost like a block of clay. Malleable to mental touch. Something to be molded. It shivered and recoiled briefly but soon reached out to her in return as if with a mind of its own. In reality, it was just another part of her that she had yet to explore. An extension of herself that wasn't quite physical but always there. Lily tested it, stretching and pulling, coaxing and guiding it. It was stiff initially, but soon warmed like butter and became almost eager to be utilized.
Without any verbal communication the aether reached out like curious tendrils, brushing the sword in her lap, caressing its length several times before finally latching hold. A shudder ran through her body and the tingling intensified. Inhale, two three, four--exhale, two, three, four. Don't forget to breathe. It was like some sort of silent contract being forged. She could feel the blade now in other respects--more than just touch. It was slight at first, but as her aether burrowed its way inside the weapon, folding and ensnaring it like a serpent, it was almost like she could feel through the blade.
Inhale, two three, four--exhale, two, three, four. Not only was there the sensation of touching the sword with her hands, but she could feel it being touched by her. It was a strange concept to say the least. Carefully, Leliana rose to her feet and opened her eyes. There was an initial rush of vertigo but she caught herself before she could fall and made sure to tighten the grip on her sword. When the world finally stopped spinning she realized slowly that everything had gone silent. The branches in the trees all around the glade still swayed in the wind, and she could feel it on her skin, but there was no sound. No birds. Just silence.
"Let us begin," her father finally said, deafening in the quiet, summoning his own sword and taking up position a few yards away.
The Initiated wasted no time. She lunged at the opposing Siltori, grabbing the hilt with both hands and bringing it up and down in an arcing swing. He parried the blade easily, jostling her shoulders. She lunged again, stepping toward him and stabbing the tip toward his stomach. Again, he swatted the blade away with the flat of his own. Leliana kept moving steadily forward, taking an aggressive approach, chopping and hacking away.
Sweat already beaded her brow from initiating the start of the Pact and soon she was panting in the cool air of early Glade. With each swing there was a strange sensation building in her chest. A tugging, like something was trying to come loose.
"Focus!" her father snapped, voice so loud it made her stumble. Lily shook her head, blinked rapidly a few times and took a shuddering breath. "Don't get too caught up in the fight that you lose hold of the tether with your aether!"
He was on the approached now, battering her with a flurry of swings that had her immediately retreating backwards toward the center of the field. He struck so hard and so fast that it was all she could do to deflect his oncoming sword with her own. There was hardly a break to think, but she tried to concentrate. It felt like something was slipping through her fingers. Her vision started to blur. What was so important that she couldn't remember?
Everything was quiet now. Her father's lips moved, but there was no voice. Their swords met, but there no ring of metal. Her stumbling footsteps were silent on the grass. Even her own panting fell on deaf ears. Everything started to close in. Her vision was murky, dark and hazy around the edges. The sweat on her skin felt like ice. Leliana swung wildly in a clumsy attack, not really seeing what she was doing. Arangyl jumped out the way, narrowly avoiding her feral swipe. His lips moved again, face concerned and earnest, but still nothing.
And then the world turned to blood.
The Pact: Part II
