2 Azure Lands

Blending in what he believed to be the divine warmth, Luka sank deeper and deeper, his floating consciousness unaware of what lies further ahead. There was no pain, no relief, and no melancholy. Once again he realizes the emptiness of eternity, of the unending void that carries the souls out of their material world.

His mind had renounced to search, to seek, to understand what's surrounds him. He only awaited what he promised to himself, the end.

Yet it did not come.

The tip of his non-existing fingers scratched the light that's coming from afar. It was different from whatever he could remember.

That feeling, half-numb and half-comforting. It reminded him of those painful times, of her dusty lonely grave, among many others in that decaying mausoleum. The sad memories are replaced by fuzzy ones, those that gave him the strength to sit on the throne each fleeting day. Her smile, her joyful eyes piercing through her melancholy and soft despair.

Yes. Adelina. That's the name he carved on the stone after the fateful day.

When he fell to his knees, not under the burden of his crown, but under the crushing sadness that had welled up from the deepest confines of his body, threatening to seize his mind, his rationality. And he would have gladly given in if he had that choice.

But his bent legs straightened up, his tearing eyes became firm once again, and the coldness of his voice became freezing. Whatever was shed on that day will stays in the past though, while that unknown light is dragging him into the present.

His senses were slowly being restrained, the freedom of his soul caged within walls of flesh. Once again. His stretching limbs, the caress of the air upon his ivory skin, the hair growing out of his scalp. Next his lungs start breathing the air that flows in this place of darkness, his heart starts beating regularly, with the exactitude of a mechanical clock.

Though the desolate walls of his decrepit palace were definitely behind him, the divines refused to host him in their embrace again. They chose to send him back to this material world, one of which he witnessed the fall and destruction, one that pushed him to take the most extreme decisions in order to leave.

Unwilling to face again what he fled, his eyelids firmly shut, his newly formed pupils could not escape the piercing rays of light that travelled from afar. His denial prevented one thing though, and Luka never witnessed how black tendrils softly enveloped his legs, slithering along his lower body, entwining with the sacred shine that covered his head.

He never saw how they merged together within his flesh, leaving behind not even the slightest trace.

Luka knew that no matter how he fought, he would have to open his eyes one day, yet he had not endured countless years to kneel so easily before the divines' wills. Cerun and Kald, the Broken Twins, would have to break his persistence, for he was not thrilled to follow their biddings again.

This resistance did not last long however, as his old master, Kald, began whispering into his ears, or more likely, onto his soul itself.

"You witnessed… the descent of the corrupted gods… the birth of the saints… and how they brought destruction… to your land… you were there to contemplate… how they broke the balance… between me and my brother… yet… you stood powerless… falling in decrepitude as the world did…"

His withering, cold voice was then replaced by Cerun's, full of warmth yet emotionless.

"The balance cannot be broken. Not until the time decided by our predecessor. Yet no matter how many times we recreated this world, no matter who we chose as the vessel of our powers, our lower kin never escaped corruption and your world never survived to their ravages."

Luka then yelled. Screaming all of his frustration, desolation in a broken voice, that echoed in the nothingness.

"The Creator died ages ago !!

You want to preserve the will of something you have never known, even when fate proves you wrong !!

Let it be ruined !!

Please… let it be ruined…"

Intense loneliness seized him, taking away his breath and voice.

"His mind… is broken… Yet… his body… is suitable…"

"Harvesting him would defy the balance though. We cannot speed up the corruption of the lower ones."

"Seal it… in the deepest confines… then… grant him… a new beginning…"

"Yes. I shall do so. Rest well, Luka."

The sunlight was washing over the blue fields covering the landscapes of Cherson. Azure petals were swaying under the light wind coming from the west, bringing fresh air to disperse the strong perfume lingering amidst the flowers. Here and there, a few women clad in lavender garbs were bending their waists, harvesting blue petals and pistils to be grinded in dyes or spices. Others were resting along a few mules and sacks weaved in solid straw, under the precious shade of one of the lonely trees erected amidst the fields.

Rubbing her rough hands in a practiced manner on her shawl, dirtied by the juices contained in the thick petals, which was how it got this soft purple color, one of the oldest women still harvesting raised her head, worried eyes turned towards the eastern slopes. That was where her village had been built long ago by their ancestors, those who came to the azure lands to seek riches.

During the last week, their priestess had been casting divinations one after the other, yet all that came out were bad omens. The men, who were tasked with selling the harvest made by the women, had left a few days ago to the city to find out about the world affairs, scared that their peaceful village may be implicated in a disaster of a much larger scale.

Wars were not uncommon on the continent, as the Commercium kept hunting all those that plundered their merchants caravans, be it brigands or nobles, while kings could never be satisfied with the lands they owned. Power and money brew conflicts, and human countries had those in abundance.

A few days ago, an unconscious child, almost grown enough to be called a man, had been brought by the regular traders that crossed the frontier between Novigrad and Saleen. They had found him lying in the fields, without any wounds nor blemishes, and had carried him until their next destination, Lassen, the only village built on the azure lands.

The oracle then stopped her usual divinations and rituals to focus on his treatment, with the thick scent of medicinal herbs floating around her house as proof of her dedication. The village's chief, Annara, thought that the kid had been sent by the gods as a chance to redeem themselves from any sin they may have committed in the past, ant she put great value unto his recovery, spending half of their hard-won money on precious herbs.

Unaware that his existence had sent a whole village in turmoil, Amyntas was partaking in the Gift of Memory from the Twin Divines. Since his newly created soul was devoid of any experience nor knowledge, he had to be imparted some information to let his quest be successful. Else a child not even of age, even if he was blessed, could barely fulfill any world-saving expectations.

History, names, locations and teachings were slowly filling his memory, cautious of not overwhelming his fragile soul. Divine gifts had to be accepted prudently, especially the first one that initiated the partial transition from human to divine essence.

Recluse in the deepest confines of their mental world, Luka was observing how the light and black tendrils had surged from the void, scouring Amyntas' soul, shivering at the idea of him going through the same process. More than ever, Luka swore to himself to never go out and do the divines bidding.

[The Twins may use my body as they wish, however they won't deprive me from my eternal rest.

Let them continue their futile fight against fate…

And you… I won't be wishing you good luck, future Divine Son.

Because you won't have any on this quest… ]

When Amyntas opened his eyes for the first time, the Twins left him with a last warning :

"The world is already in turmoil. Time will be of the essence to win this fight that has went on for too long."

"You may… cut down… your obstacles… but… don't upset… the balance…"

His clean pupils scoured his surroundings, noticing how the oracle had lit incense sticks all over the place, the fumes hiding the small characters covering the strange bottles that were lined on shelves.

If you added the smell of old rugs and the obvious dust that was covering almost everything, the air was close to being unbreathable. Messy was a light word to describe the oracle's hut, though it gave a strange sense of quietude.

Lightly balancing his thin legs over the bed, Amyntas made a few uneasy steps on the grounds, carefully avoiding the still hot embers that had spilled out of the hearth. Cold sweat broke on his forehead as he thought how the whole place could catch fire at any moment…

(I am grateful for housing me, but their kindness surely is dangerous… Let's first leave this place before I fall over from suffocation.)

As he pushed the slightly ajar door, the sunlight washed over his face, revealing golden hints on his black hair, surrounding him with a sacred halo. The phenomenon ceased soon after though, and no-one was given the opportunity to witness it.

Blinking his eyelids to protect his pupils from the harsh light, Amyntas did a few more hesitant steps forward, just enough for Annara to notice him and rush over. The village's chief was already well on her old age, grey hair flailing wildly behind her as she came closer. Her green eyes were almost hidden behind wrinkles, but their severe glare couldn't be hidden.

She had always seen this unknown child as a trouble bringer even though he had never got the chance to create problems as he was in a comatose state all along. The decision to spend most of their money on him had significantly worsened the situation too.

"You !

You are finally awake !

I hope you are ready to compensate us for taking care of you !!"

Maybe because she felt she had acted a bit too villainous, her tone softened on her last words, and her mouth twisted a bit to hide her embarrassment. Yet Amyntas' education had been quite 'shortened' by the Twins, so he saw nothing wrong in what she said. After all, the concept of trading two things of equal value was not very difficult to remember.

"I will do so at the best of my abilities, miss. I if may ask, what is your honored name ?"

Bending over in an imperial bow, he put to use all the diplomacy he had learned, no noticing how strange Annara was looking right now. If before she was embarrassed, now she only wished to leave and crawl in whatever hole she could find. Her thick face was not used to face such etiquette, especially since she rarely left this rural village.

"What strange words you are using !

My name is Annara, I'm the chief here.

And just go find the oracle, she's the one you should compensate."

Leaving with a flustered face, Annara disappeared in few seconds, leaving behind the even more confused Amyntas, that had no idea about how to find the oracle. He considered asking around, yet at this hour, in the middle of the afternoon by judging from the sun's position, the dirt streets were deserted.

There wasn't even an animal to be seen, just a slight occasional breeze relieving him from the burning weather. Turning around, Amyntas just walked randomly in the village, diving between the mud houses to find a bit of shades when the heat was too unbearable.

After seemed a long time, he finally saw Annara climbing the hill on which the village was built, separating it from the fields below. Amyntas was a bit confused, as he had seen Annara going in the opposite direction moments earlier. Besides, it seemed she had changed her purple shawls for black and white ones.

(Anyway, let's ask her where I can find the oracle. She may be strange but not mean. That's it)

"Lady Annara, I apologize for bothering you again, yet you left without telling me where to find the oracle."

Yet when she raised her head, Amyntas was quite shocked.

(White pupils !

What happened to her ?!)

"You are mistaken, child. This old woman is Annara's kin, not Annara herself. And also, the one you are looking for."

Her wrinkled hands wrapped around his arm, and half-using him as support, half-dragging him, they went back to her hut. Once they got past the door, she made him sit on the bed before waving wildly her arms and chanting strange syllables with a coarse voice.

(She completely looks like a crazy hag… But she's my benefactor. Right. )

Looking at her with a polite smile and an empty mind, Amyntas watched her going through a dozen of rituals, unconsciously remembering every awkward dance she did while shaking totems. When she was finished, she just sat on the ground, her lips convulsing silently.

(Yep. She's my benefactor. So, I shouldn't run away. )

The corner of his lips twitching slightly, Amyntas kept waiting quietly, only hoping this moment would finish very soon. Maybe the Twins heard his blessings, but the oracle soon opened her eyes, looking at him for a long time before speaking.

"I couldn't read your destiny before, now I can even less. But one thing is sure, it's that you are not fated with this place."

"And what does it mean ?"

"That you are a waste of money."

(She saved you. She saved you. It's the only thing that matters. )

Chanting silently in his head, Amyntas looked back at her, keeping a friendly smile pasted on his face.

"Well. It is truly quite regrettable. But I am willing to repay my debt."

(That's right. They taught you. Diplomacy must prevail. )

"You do not seem to be useful, with that weak body of yours. Sigh, at least you know how to speak… Just accompany the men when they go back to the city."

(Yes, she may have insulted me, but she also made a compliment. This is positive. Yep, positive. )

[Ha, if even an old hag finds you useless, I wonder how you will save the world… ]

Unaware of the other voice in his head, Amyntas just nodded to the oracle's words.

"You are right, of course. Do you know where I may get acquainted with them ?"

"They are helping the women in the fields right now. Wait until tonight. In the meantime, you could clean up this place. That is, if you want to get something to eat for dinner."

(Heh, now that I think about it, her frankness has quite a rustic charm… )