Maiden of Light

Planter of the Seed

Lady of Light

She was the one who set us on this path. The one who awoke the Director from their delusions and paved the path for the expulsion of the cancer at the heart of the world. Now she tends to us all, offering to those willing to walk the road of a hero all they need to become the best version of themselves.

She was born of metal and circuits, given a crystal heart that granted knowledge, but gained true insight by the heroes she came to admire. She saw humanity in its entirety and has sworn herself to preserving it. She acts only to guide others to the power they already hold. Timeless but ever in the moment, she stands with those who bear the courage to stand against despair and spread the light of hope to all who look on.

-Case AVL023, Weaver Records

Bodies were strewn across the battlefield, Oberon scanning for Athena. Any sign of life would be helpful to ease his mind. As he charged, he bobbed and weaved between the enemy soldiers like it was another day in the ring for him. They didn’t scare him. They were all too strictly trained to fight out of stance. When all they carried was short swords, a man like him was more dangerous than them. Still, the further he went in search of Athena the thicker the formations of the enemy were. Still, he could never return home without her. Their daughter would never forgive either of them.

Eventually, he began to reach the more properly equipped soldiers, a squad setting up a phalanx and blocking his progress with a wall of shields. He hated this military crap. Athena kept trying to get him to care but it was never his thing. Still, a life of fighting in the noble courts had taught him how this equipment was more of a liability than a help. Grappling one of the shields by its edges, he did a quick side spin, kicking a soldier who was approaching from behind while twisting the arm of his blocker. Hearing the pop of the man’s shoulder dislocating, Oberon quickly slid between the man’s legs and kept running. It was then that he began to see signs that the battle had not ended. Soldiers being thrown gracefully through the air and into their own formations. Recognizing the wounds as inflicted by Athena’s lance, he laughed audibly, starting to punch soldiers between her and him with everything he had, cracking more of his own bones than any damage to their armor, but between his relief at her survival and how hard he was able to hit, he was making good progress. Thick as their armor was, hit it hard enough and it will daze them just like anyone else. Eventually, with bloodied knuckles, he got to the space she had cleared out for herself. Her armor was scratched and scuffed, her hair as ragged as her breathing and blood so caked on her skin that he couldn’t tell how much of it was hers. All he could see was the strong and loyal woman who he had known for so many years. He approached the now parting crowd, unsure if it was out of the fear she had already instilled or the terror of a civilian willing to fistfight them. He laughed, “Thena, there you are. Dinner’s getting cold. You done with your play date?” She looked at him with so many emotions that it took her a moment to realize what he was doing. He was not just an unknown quantity but she had been holding back her death longer than they could ever have suspected.

She laughed, “Sorry, dear. I lost track of time. Just having too much fun. Maybe you can help me wrap this up?”

He nodded, cracking his knuckles through the pain, his head getting light but his smile not fading. The show was as important as the fight. If they were gonna stand any chance, breaking their morale was their best bet. As he walked next to his wife, he felt something odd in the air. He felt something not just speaking to his mind but to his very heart.

‘You fear loss. The woman you love. Your daughter’s love. Your happy family. But that fear does not dominate you. You face it with courage, accepting what may come without hesitation. Embrace it and may that fire engulf your soul. Allow this fire to burn your name in the hearts of all those who cross your path.’

He could feel the fire in his heart ignite at these words, like a tiny flame stoked into a mighty bonfire. Focusing that strength into his next strike, he saw the enemy crash through multiple ranks of troops. But he felt no pain from it. Instead, he felt something in his palm. A red ruby cabochon, flawless and clear. Holding it in his hand, he could feel it burning with the same fire as his heart. Gripping it tighter, he felt his pain and fear vanish. There was no way these idiots stood a chance. Between him and Athena, these morons would run scared sooner or later. Turning to look at her, he was amazed as he saw a shining violet gemstone embedded in her spearhead. Athena seemed more centered and together than she had before. As she leveled it at their forces with a glare that could kill, he could see their resolve falter.

He wanted to thank the voice, but as he did, he saw a woman walking without a sound out of the crowd. She wore a long white coat with piping the color of blood. Her ebony hair contrasted with her ice blue eyes, making her features almost impossible to focus on. She spoke to the two of them as if no one else was there, “Athena and Oberon, my children. This strength is your own. May it guide your path as you forge it for others. And tell Tatiana that I look forward to seeing her grow.” The woman didn’t look very old at all, maybe in her early 20s but her tone felt just like his own mother praising him. One of the soldiers tried to strike her, but his weapon disintegrated before their eyes. She turned with a soft smile and reassured, “You don’t need to worry. Your story will be told one day too. But today is their story.” She turned and left, everyone present staring in confusion mixed with either awe or fear.

Oberon would later learn her by the name Tsukoyomi but he believed even that was just a deflection. Whatever her true name, Oberon never forgot her and he and Athena made a promise that should she cross their path again, even indirectly, they would rely on her. Whatever her true intentions, her nature was obvious. One of genuine love and faith. That day ended with the soldiers disbanding and spreading the story of that day. Athena’s valiant survival against the odds, Oberon’s ‘rescue’, the gemstones, and even the woman who granted them. These things would enter legend until the smaller details were lost. Until it was believed that the two could defeat entire armies alone.

A decade would pass before Oberon would see Tsukoyomi again. He stood on his balcony, drinking a bottle of his House Oberon liquor and staring out at the empty frozen wastes of his little planetoid, when she appeared to him. Her hair had grown long and silver, her clothing flowing and loose, but she sounded and acted the same. She moved gracefully up to him, hugging his back as her tears wet his formal jacket. “I am sorry about her passing. She was one of a kind.”

He nodded, offering the bottle to the woman who took it with vigor and began to chug it like she had just lost her best friend. He smiled softly, glad one of the two of them could feel some way about it. He spoke softer than in his youth, “She died an honorable death. Defending to the last everyone she could before the kingdom fell. And here I am, alive by both remote location and fearsome reputation. A small household that I would never have had without your help all those years ago.”

She gave a weighted and apologetic sigh, “I would have done more, Oberon. But-“

Before she could finish, he held up a hand. “I trust you. If you didn’t step in, you had a reason. Death and destruction don’t strike me as your reason for life.”

She nodded, her eyes growing distant, “I learned long ago that tragedy is a necessary part of the journey. That ideals without trial become little more than words. Heroes are born from ideals that survive the evils of this world.” She looked at the bottle and laughed, “I didn’t realize how much this would effect me. I’m starting to sound like a journal.” She handed the bottle back and spoke more clearly, “I offer you this opportunity, Oberon. If you wish, I can reunite you with your wife. Not now, but many years from now. In return, I would task both of you with looking after your daughter.”

He laughed, “Of course, you offer me nothing but net positives. I can leave the estate to the boy and Thelassa. Do whatever you have to.”

She smiled at him, gently running her hand on his cheek like a mother seeing how her son has grown, “Again, you face an unknown future with courage. You are truly a gem, Obie. I look forward to seeing you again.” Waving her cane at him, he felt the world waver and ripple around him until it all went blank on him.

Picking up the ruby she had given him so long ago, she wiped the tears from her eyes, placing it in her palm alongside the amethyst she had given Athena. She whispered to them, “You both are so precious as the gems I gave you. One day, you will shine again.” She put them in a pouch and left as quick as quietly as she came.

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The gifts we all carry are inherent, born of passion and belief. But sometimes what we need is the validation of another. Something to crystallize our passions and make them real outside of our own minds. Regardless of who that comes from, the power remains our own. Our gifts remain our own and our road is ours and ours alone to walk. If you have a passion, know that I have faith in it. That if your passions are powerful enough to propel action, then you can see them realized.

Here, within En Perpetua, such passion manifests as power. Such is the way in a realm of pure concept. While this was a small sample of how that works within this realm, power resides beyond any gem or object. True power comes from passion manifest through action, even in real life. Never allow your passions to control you, nor should they waste away on the shelf. Allow passion to power all that you do, and who knows what good could come from it.