by napsii » Sun Mar 03, 2013 1:35 am
"Aetherine!"
Synderica beamed giddily and leaned in intensely to study the letter, recognizing the distinct flair of her sister's handwriting. It had been so long since she had last seen her sister, but the noblewoman could never forget the day she'd set off. Her mother had been flooding the ground with tears of fear and joy, but her father had been scowling as her sister boarded an elegant ship to travel to lands far and wide across Eversaigh. That had always been Aetherine: to her peers in college, she had been known as an arrogant, cunning, a worshiper of her own power and disenchanted with the Everelder's traditions, but also deeply respectful of her family. The red-eyed mage sighed wistfully, remembering all of the tricks and pranks her sister used to manipulate her with in order to further her experiments... or just get a laugh. Aetherine was sometimes careless and had always been condescending to her, but Synderica knew that she had never let her unprecedented power corrupt the love that was in her heart. She was a role model, not just to her younger sister but to her countless peers as well: she was one of the only four magi in the history of the city's Arcana college to ever score universally in the 100th percentile across all of her classes. Her papers and projects on the study of magic had won recognition from several acclaimed scholarly groups across Eversaigh. Perhaps most frighteningly of all, though, she had defeated every mage who had dueled her. The noblewoman felt her heart flutter with admiration. Aetherine was the strongest mage ever!
But Synderica remembered that it had never been enough for her. After she had graduated, she had been presented with countless work opportunities, but contrary to what everyone had expected, she had simply tossed away all of that prestige as if it were worthless. She turned her shoulder to all of her achievements and recognition, and just like that, announced that she would be departing to travel the land by herself. Their father had been furious -- angered that his eldest daughter was throwing away all that he had done for her in order to pursue what he saw as an asinine quest that was ill-fitting of a woman like her and would lead only to misery and misfortune. But Aetherine wasn't shaken, and just like that, she was gone. It had been years since then, and contact was rare, but the Silimaure household had mostly gotten over it. Her mother still eagerly awaited the day that she returned, but since then, her father had always been strict. There were times when Synderica wondered if he simply didn't want her to turn out like Aetherine and vanish for lands beyond. Out of respect, Synderica wanted to fulfill his wishes, but there was something about this letter that... unsettled her. It was not like her elder sister to write of things such as destiny and catastrophe. The noblewoman's smile dissolved and her palms became damp with sweat as she read on. Anxiety started to spark. She would always drink in whatever Aetherine had to say, but this was... stunning. Angels, too! The noblewoman grew silent.
Never once had she doubted that Aetherine would unravel many great mysteries in her time, but she, too, had seen Angels? Synderica shifted, uncomfortable with this omen. She had no reason to doubt her elder sister's writings, but having the burden to protect the world placed on her shoulders was something she could hardly believe. It seemed like a claim spun from myth or folklore, not something her elder sister would ever say. Eversaigh was a land of such things, as history would tell: legends, myths, heroines and villains. As a child, Synderica had often pictured herself as the next legend, but as she matured, those fantasies started to crumble. Knowing this letter was personal, the noblewoman eventually moved away from the window and took the message to her desk where she could read more comfortably. Yes, there were many myths and epics, and then there was the greatest legend of all: the tale of the great disasters that landed upon Eversaigh when the borders between the realms had thinned in ages long past. A war between the Arcana and the Mefasta that changed the face of the land forever. That her elder sister was paraphrasing a verse from that epic frightened Synderica, but this was an incredible claim to accept! The mage dabbed her forehead with a kerchief, stunned and fatigued. The letter, on top of the day's events, was exhausting. Unsure what to make of the message, Synderica pondered the last lines for a while before folding it away, sinking into her seat. Angels powerful enough to destroy the world...?
There are more... she thought glumly. That should have been a given. Certainly, Lumi wasn't the only Angel that could have existed, but seeing Aetherine write so negatively of them set the red-eyed mage's teeth on edge. First the Hiyumans claimed to be able to sever the Arcana, then a holy Angel appeared to save her, and now her elder sister contacted her after so long, warning of a great catastrophe? The noblewoman already felt her dramatic side start to piece together a story that would keep her up all night. Was there any connection, or was this pure chance?
She sighed. Magi shouldn't believe in chance.
"I wonder what she meant by 'fall into the wrong hands'." she wondered aloud, figuring that Lumi had read with her. It was strange, but Synderica was comforted having someone to talk to, even if it was one of the Angels that Aetherine seemed concerned about.
"I can't picture you as ever destroying the world, though!" she nodded confidently. On that note, she quickly tucked the letter away into one of her desk's many complex drawers. She knew from the start that it was a bad idea to show her parents this letter.
"But she's coming home... she must be very certain." mumbled the noblewoman, tracing a finger across her desk. If she knew that Aetherine would never deviate from her own wishes unless she needed to, then that mean this was all true?
Again, she sighed, unable to come to any conclusions. She had wanted to hear back from her sister, but not like this.
