Sins of the Mother
Genryu begins to comprehend what's happening, before exclaiming "What?!" frantically looking around. "What even is this place?! Why are you talking about leaving the island!?" as he shouts this another powerful quake starts followed by a thunderous explosion from the opposite side of the island. "What's happening, Basmet!?" Genryu cries out as he notices Basmet's horrified expression, Genryu turns around and freezes, A massive hand was protruding out of the side of the mountain. He slowly turns back to Basmet and calmly asks "Basmet... please... what is happening?", Basmet's eyes meet Genryu's they share a mutual sense of dread. "I-I.... must tell you something" Basmet shudders, "After I do, you need to get in that boat and sail away, as far away as you can go, and never look back".
Basmet informs Genryu of the legacy of Kiah island and his mother. Many years ago, before you were even a thought, I met your mother as a young woman. She was around thirteen years old, but even at such a young age, she possessed a powerful fiery spirit with an unparalleled drive for adventure, unlike anyone native to a sleepy town like this one. Her parents told me in confidence that they had decided to move here from the mainland, to hide the fact that their daughter was a mage. She hated it on the island at first, constantly complaining and griping to her parents about how slow it was or how miserable she had become.
They feared for her well-being, because of the rampant increase of raids performed by a group of zealots known as "The Crusaders." These people would hunt down and capture any suspected mages, insidiously torturing them for their crimes and inciting terror in the citizens by blaming them for the increasing monster attacks. This group would later be dealt with by the collective forces of the kingdom but that wouldn't happen until almost six years after they arrived on the island. Luckily, Namira first displayed her magic at home when she was in an argument with her father. The process of awakening due to heightened emotions is very common for mages, their gifts can manifest during fits of extreme emotion, such as anger, stress, or excitement. She conjured powerful winds that seems to respond to her emotions, she quickly gained a mastery of her gifts within a couple of months which allowed her to hide in plain sight.
Namira was never afraid of those who could do her harm, she was confident in her capabilities. After arriving in Kiah, she would seek to help around the village in secret; assisting the townsfolk by conjuring winds for sailing, restoring crops that had perished, or warding off threats like marauders. She was the unknown blessing of the village, which later came to be known as the spirit of bounty and benevolence, "Silverwind''. This legend grew in popularity when a local claimed that he had witnessed a woman shrouded within a cyclone of shimmering winds, protecting his brother from an attempted kidnapping by a scheming band of pirates. These were just a few of the miraculous deeds she had completed during her time on the island.
I was the only one outside of her parents who knew about her powers, and I helped her to push the bounds of what she was capable of. This was not my first time experiencing magic, so I was quite familiar with the process. After training with me for three years, she decided it was time to set out on her own and live a life as free as the winds she controlled. She would always make sure to send letters back to the Kiah for both her parents and I. These missives included pictures, she had drawn depicting her exploits, recipes for new foods she had tried, and lyrics to songs she had her from traveling minstrels. Eventually, she was recruited into the adventurer's guild and befriended several incredible people who helped her grow into the best version of herself.
After some time her letters ceased, and for almost a year we didn't hear anything from her; We started to consider the possibility that the worst had happened. Then one night she appeared on my doorstep, she didn't tell her parents and ask if I would do the same. At the time, I assumed it was because she knew her father had become ill and didn't want to be the cause of any additional worry. She told me of a secret she had uncovered back on the mainland: the cult of dark mages, from the legend of King Solma, were still active and making moves against the kingdom. Now with all the strains on the world and the very thin sense of peace we all enjoyed, this was the proverbial icing on the cake. She expressed to me the danger she was facing, but she added that she could never leave her friends in that kind of danger. She expressed to me that these people were searching for something, an ancient power that might be potent enough to finally call their dark master into this world.
All she knew at the time was that this power was stored inside several crystals scattered across the world, she didn't have all the details but she did uncover that these supposed crystals were hidden away long ago from those who would abuse them. When she returned to the mainland, she would reunite with her party and set out on a quest to locate these objects before the cultists could. She handed over a letter that I was meant to give her parents when the time was right before disappearing into the night once more. After that night, her letters resumed in a regular fashion but they were different this time, they didn't tell of exploits or big accomplishments as the originals did. They were simple correspondences, focused mostly on checking in with her family or about the different landscapes she visited during her travels. It took me months to realize, but she was sending coded messages with information about possible crystal locations, I would use this to investigate her quandaries to the best of my abilities.
Eventually, her father would pass and she would not attend the funeral. The next year, her mother followed and again she was absent. After that mysterious night, I didn't see her again for almost 5 years. The next time she visited Kiah, her eyes were different, less bright than before; she carried numerous scars now from her battles and epic journeys, but she retained that same gentle smile. She took time for herself and stayed on the island for another year before heading out on her own again, during her sabbatical she told me many things. I learned that the cultists were more active and growing in numbers, I learned that there's corruption in the kingdom of "Solma", and the possibility that an event like the scourge may be possibly looming on the horizon. I knew that I was out of my depth, but I didn't care. I knew I would do everything within my power to help her, I had trained her, watched her grow, and been her most trusted ally for years, I cared for her like she was my own daughter.
When she left again, she seemed more determined to face the coming chaos, it would another two years before I would see her again. She had appeared on my doorstep; bruised, scarred, and holding you. You shared your mother's eyes, I knew immediately who you were. I didn't ask any further questions, I just brought you both in and made sure that you had clothes and food. She asked me if I could look after you, to which I agreed. She told me the reason for her return, was because she had finally located one of the ancient crystals that everyone had been searching for. She told me that Kiah Island was housing that very gem, she didn't know if the cultists were scrambling to collect it but she would locate it first and move it somewhere safe. The plan was to scale the mountain that evening, and gain access to the caverns below and search the underground passageways that were referenced in her findings. Her gaze expressed an intense sense of resolve that night, as she looked back toward me while standing in the doorway that night; she thanked me for being so devoted to both her family and herself for all these years. She paused for just a moment before stating that she would do whatever it took to protect those precious to her. That was the last time I saw her smile…"