During her first visit back home Eclipse decided to take some time to visit with her mother. She managed to slip away from her very nosy but well-meaning family long enough to make the journey to the neighboring island of Aspronisi. After the short swim in the clear water Eclipse pulled herself onto the dock and wrung out her bright red hair before slipping on her sandals and climbing the stone stairway up to the mountain temple.
As she climbed, her skin quickly dried under the warm sun and gusts of wind tussled her damp hair and clothes. She was greeted by several of the nymph attendants at the temple's entrance and she returned their smiles with one of her own.
"The mistress has been expecting you," said one of the nymphs as they ushered Eclipse into the temple.
"She said that you would come to see her soon," the other continued as they made their way through the marble columns to a room with a large fountain in the center.
"Heh, she would know…" Eclipse said as she allowed herself to be nudged towards the familiar water feature.
At the base of the fountain was a large pool of magical spring water and in the center were large carved stones with a hollow in the center large enough to allow the temple's pythia to rest. Surrounding the centerpiece more nymphs were scattered around and was leisurely playing in the clear water.
As the trio approached the fountain the red-haired priestess rose from her seat and made her way through the water over to them.
"Eclipse," Innessa said as she reached over to place a hand under her daughter's chin. "I've heard you have been doing well in your studies." She said was she tilted her daughter's head to the side before leaning down to embrace her.
"You could say that," Eclipse said was she returned the hug with earnest, "But that's not why I'm here."
Innessa studied her daughter once more before she waved her arm and the nymphs took that as a cue to take their leave.
"I see," Innessa said as she motioned for her daughter to follow her to the seat inside the fountain, "What are you here for then my little lo̱tós?"
Once they were both seated on the cool stone bench Eclipse looked up at her mother, "I've been having some very strange dreams mama," she said before looking to the side before returning to her mother's gaze, "Most of them are just silly things but one of them…"
"Have you had this dream often?" Innessa calmly asked her daughter sensing the apprehension.
"At least three times a week! And I always wake up before I can find out what it means," Eclipse said in frustration.
Innessa thought for a moment before taking Eclipse's hand in her own, "Would you let me see this dream?"
"Do you think it would help?" Eclipse asked with a skeptical look on her face.
"We won't know until we try," she said as she waited for her daughter to consider it before nodding in affirmation.
"Very well, just relax and let me find this dream of yours," Innessa closed her eyes and Eclipse did the same as the pythia gently passed through her daughter's mental barriers and reached into her subconscious.
"I can't seem to find…oh," Innessa stopped as she delved into the dark terror that has been plaguing her daughter's sleep. She only managed to get as much of a glimpse as Eclipse did before she was violently pushed out her daughter's psyche.
They separated as if struck by a bolt of electricity and as they recovered Innessa's concerned frown deepened, "My lo̱tós, I wish I could tell you what this dream means for you…but I cannot."
Inneassa gathered her frightened daughter into her arms and tried to comfort her, "There is a dark and dangerous magic powering that dream and it clouds my sight."
Eclipse's face filled with disbelief and she clung to her mother as listened to her mother's shaken voice, "The only thing I know for sure is, one day you will encounter this person, and when you do you will have to find a way to stop them."
Eclipse's visit to her mother left her shaken and she spent most of her visit home scouring the Kosma Aspida archives for any shred of information about the strange necklace that caused to the dreams in the first place.
After hours of searching she eventually gave up and returned upstairs to the family manor above in search of something to eat. When she found her way into the warm and welcoming kitchen she savored the smell of her favorite honey dumplings. She quickly scurried over to the tempting plate of sweet fried dough when she caught the attention of Olena.
"Ekleipsi, you missed dinner," the petite woman said with an arched brow, "You never miss meals so why were you hiding away with dusty old books, hm?"
Eclipse gulped in surprise and tried to avoid her grandmother's all-knowing look, "I didn't mean to miss it Yaya…I was just hoping to find some information about this necklace."
"What necklace?" Olena asked suspiciously as she watched Eclipse remove the metal chain from her neck and hand it over for her grandmother to see.
The older woman gazed down at the emerald pendant for a while before she asked, "Where did you get this?"
Eclipse had just popped a dumpling in her mouth and had to quickly swallow the ball of dough, "It was a gift…" She eventually said with a slight flush to her face.
"A gift? From who?" Her grandmother pursued.
"From a friend!" Eclipse said as she flush brightened.
"What kind of friend?" Olena continued to tease.
"A good friend…? I don't know! It's complicated, ok?" Eclipse said hurriedly.
"I see, well whoever this friend is they managed to get their hands on some powerful magic," She said as she returned the necklace to her frustrated granddaughter, "Did you tell your mother about this?"
Eclipse began to nibble on another dumpling, "Yeah, I showed it to her after I told her about the dreams and how they started after I got it…she says that it is some kind of bond magic."
Olena nodded for Eclipse to continue, "She says that it will channel a person's magic and it is connected to the holder of the necklace's mate…"
Eclipse stared at the half-bitten honey dumpling in front of her in thought, "Eclipse, I think you should be very careful with this new necklace of yours…and with your friend."
The young demi-goddess looked up at her grandmother as she continued, "You have always been different from the humans you go to school with; we all are. And if you aren't careful they will try to take advantage of your gifts."
"Aziya is my friend and I trust her. She wouldn't hurt me." Eclipse said softly as she rubbed the green pendant in her hand.
"Then I hope that she is able to keep that trust."
Eclipse's return to the temple in the desert came with the same bittersweet feeling as before but the young demi-goddess had other thoughts to occupy her mind. When she passed through the portal at the temple's entrance she was greeted by her master with Aziya nowhere to be found.
Namtar affectionately waved her off and she made her way through the hallways and stairs to her quarters. When she opened the door she found her training companion seated on her bed with an unreadable expression on her face.
The demi-goddess could feel a mixture of emotions coming off of the raven-haired girl and she quickly placed her small bag on the dresser next to her.
"You've been gone a while," the raven-haired girl said as she looked up at Eclipse.
"Yeah…I got caught up in family stuff and it just felt nice to be back at home," the redhead answered at bit sheepishly.
Aziya nodded detachedly until something new about Eclipse's appearance caught her attention, "What are those?"
Eclipse tilted her head to the side, "What's what?"
The other girl gestured to her forehead, "Those things on your head."
"Oh, you mean my goggles?" Eclipse asked as she removed the green lenses from her head, "It's something new I'm trying out…"
Aziya lifted herself from the bed and reached out to look at the goggles in Eclipse's hands, "What do you need these for?"
"Well, it's kind of a long story, but a while back my family created goggles that allow people to see spirits and other things that are invisible to the naked eye…" Eclipse carried on as Aziya lifted them to her own eyes, "And since I can already do that, I wanted to try making myself a pair that filters that stuff out."
"And that is what these are intended to do?" Aziya asked as she handed them back to Eclipse.
"Exactly! And they work too!" Eclipse said excitedly, "I tried them out in a graveyard back home and didn't see a single spirit!"
Aziya shook her head and looked at her friend with a strange smile, "Only you would be happy not to see spirits."
Eclipse rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips, "And only people who can't see spirits normally say that they want to."
"Fair enough," Aziya said in a placating tone, "Is that all you did while you were away?"
"Not entirely, I read up on this necklace you gave me…" Eclipse trailed off hesitantly.
"Oh, and what did you find out?" Aziya asked.
"That is does more than focus magical abilities…" The redhead continued a bit uneasily, "And that is bonds the wearer with the one who wears the other part of the matching set."
"And that bothers you?" Aziya asked as she made eye contact with the demi-goddess.
"Not really, but it would have nice to know when you gave it to me," Eclipse said with a simple shrug.
"Then I don't really see a problem, I'm sure you will get used to it with time and you might find that a bond between us is just what you need," Aziya said with a tone of finality as she slipped out of the room leaving Eclipse alone.
Following Eclipse's return to training she began to experience a sort of pull that would often draw her to Aziya and it did not take her long to realize that it was the necklace that was causing it. It would start out small like a small tug to her clothes until she drew nearer and it would be like something was grabbing at her skin and once she was close enough the necklace would resonate at the closeness.
At first it did not both Eclipse that much and she would just ignore the feeling altogether and go about her day as usual but something she would find herself unable to ignore the call.
One time in particular, Eclipse was practicing her sword play with Namtar in the training grounds and the tug through off her concentration entirely. She had been launching a steady barrage of attacks on her master when the feeling overcame her; and when he moved to land a blow of his own she found herself unable to dodge quickly enough. She was stunned when one of her blades sliced through her thick braid sending the red hair to the ground.
Seeing her unusual distraction Namtar stopped and attempted to gain her attention, "Your head is somewhere else…what has your attention?"
Eclipse ignored him for a moment and went to grab at the shorn strands touching her shoulders, "I-i keep getting distracted…"
Her attention was locked onto the fallen braid, "This necklace keeps distracting me…telling me to find Aziya."
"I see," Namtar said in contemplation, "I will talk to her about this…you are too unfocused to train anymore today. Go inside and try to center yourself."
Eclipse heard her master walk away but she barely acknowledged it as her attention was still on the sight of her lost hair and once she felt strong enough she managed to pick up the braid and carry it inside with her.
On her way to her quarters she heard her master talking with Aziya inside the library; his voice was calm but disappointed and she was defiant. She ignored them and once she made it to her room she locked herself away.
She once again looked at her braid and thought about the necklace around her neck and all of the things her grandmother had said before she had returned.
"…she couldn't have meant for that to happen…could she?" She asked herself as tears well up in her eyes.
Eclipse turned to the mirror set on top of the dresser and felt the drops roll down her face. She found a simple knife the drawer and got to work fixing the damage that had been done.
Once she was finished her freshly cut curls barely reached her shoulders and she didn't feel like herself. But she took a breath and turned her attention to the braid once more and she placed both the blade and the lock of hair inside the dresser and threw herself onto her bed.
After the incident the tugs on her necklace stopped and everything beside her nightmares went back to normal. The only true change to speak of was the change in the dynamic of Eclipse and Aziya relationship afterwards. Eclipse stayed locked up in her quarters for a few days before Aziya attempted to apologize and make it up to her.
Aziya found Eclipse curled up in a ball made up of her bedding and after some pleading and physical force she managed to pry apart the fabric to see the demi-goddess' face.
"I-I'm so sorry…" Aziya started out in desperation, "I hadn't intended for any of that to happen…"
Eclipse just stared at the girl next to her awaiting the truth, "I had no idea my feelings were being projected like that…"
The demi-goddess perked up at that, "Your feelings? They were that strong?"
"W-well, yes…" Aziya trailed off and Eclipse finally realized all those frustrated emotions had been directed at her and she sat up next to Aziya.
"You are terrible at expressing yourself," Eclipse mumbled as she closed the short distance between them by chastely pressing her lips to the other girl's.
Aziya sat there stunned by the abrupt motion and by the time that she regained her senses Eclipse had already drawn back, "If you had just been honest about how you felt things would have gone so much easier."
The raven-haired girl nodded a bit numbly with a content smile on her face and Eclipse mirrored it with her own. She knew that they had issues to work out but they had plenty of time for that and they would as long as they could trust each other.
The sudden change in relationship between Eclipse and her training partner was little surprise to their master but it changed how the two of them worked with each other during training. And he soon decided that it would be good for them to take their training elsewhere. But before he prepared them to leave he gave them the chance to visit their families and let them know of their future plans.
Aziya chose to visit her family for only a short while before joining Eclipse on her own visit and was eagerly awaiting the journey to the demi-goddess's island home.
When the two walked through the portal leading from the desert she was greeted with the smell and sight of the ocean. Eclipse grabbed her hand and pulled her up the cliff they stood on and past the sprawling vineyard and pastures until they reached the large manor she called home.
Aziya was overwhelmed by the splendor and just allowed herself to be dragged by the younger girl as they made their way into the bright and warm space, "Welcome to my home Aziya."
"This is where you live?" She asked as she began taking in all the priceless looking artifacts decorating the atrium.
"Well yeah, when I'm not in the desert with you. Almost my entire family lives here."
Hearing the voices in the main entrance a dark haired man walked into the room from the main hall. His expression changed from surprise to joy when he recognized Eclipse, "Ah! I thought I heard your voice, Lipsi."
"Bacchus!" Eclipse called out as she let go of Aziya's hand and hurried over to greet her uncle.
"Eclipse, it is so good to see you home again. What happened to your hair?" He asked as he returned the hug with one arm and reached for the short curly stands that had only started to grow back with the other.
"Well, it's a long story and it isn't really that important. Besides I think it's cute…" She trailed off in the hopes of changing the subject.
"Hmm, I suppose you are forgetting to introduce your friend and that is more important," He said noted as he gestured to Aziya.
"Oh! Um, Bacchus this is my partner Aziya. Aizya this is my uncle Bacchus." She said as she motioned for Aziya to walk over to them.
"It's nice to meet you Aziya, any friend of Eclipse's is welcome to our home." Bacchus said with a bright smile.
"Thank you, your home is so beautiful. I'm a bit overwhelmed."
"But I'm guessing that is not why you are both here," Bacchus said as he motioned for them to follow him to the seating area around the center fountain and took a seat across from them.
"Ah no, Master Namtar has decided that it was time for us to find a new place to train and he wanted us to let our families know."
"I see, has he told you where he plans on taking you yet?" He asked as he studied the teenagers sitting across from him.
The girls both shook their heads and Aziya answered, "He said something about visiting an old friend but he didn't give us any details."
"Master Namtar likes playing the whole mysterious old man gambit," Eclipse continued until she caught sight of two familiar faces peeking around the door frame.
She smiled at her cousins and they slunk into the room behind her seated uncle and attempted to scare him but he turned around in time and caused their prank to backfire. Romulus managed to stay on his feet but Alexia fell backwards on the marble floor with a thud.
"You two still have a lot to work on if you plan on sneaking up on me," He teased them lightly as Romulus helped Alexia up off the floor.
Alexia rolled her gold colored eyes and turned her attention to Eclipse, "So you are only here to tell us you are leaving again? How lame!"
Eclipse sighed but she couldn't help but agree, "I know it sucks, but I'm finally making some progress in my training and the sooner it gets done the sooner I can come home."
The conversation took a lighter turn when Romulus' stomach made its presence known and they took it to the kitchen. Aziya sat back and watched Eclipse interact with her family from afar with a contemplative look on her face.
Before Eclipse and Aziya returned to the temple in the desert they decided to visit the rest of her rather large family and only after her grandmother fretted over her lost locks for a few hours did they manage to escape the fussing. The had also run into Eclipse's best friend, Fayt and her twin brothers Veeon and Vaan on their way back to the portal base.
"Nice haircut, Lipsi," Veeon called out as they made their way over to the girls.
"That is a big change," Vaan continued as he inspected the shorn locks much to Eclipse's displeasure.
"Believe me, I know," Eclipse rolled her green eyes and shook off the comment, "It wasn't exactly planned, but it's fine. It will grow back eventually."
Fayt didn't say anything at first and just studied Aziya before turning to her best friend, "So this is the girlfriend we've heard about?"
Eclipse was a bit surprised at the question but she nodded in confirmation, "Yeah, Aziya and I are a thing," She said as laced her hand with Aziya's.
Fayt was quiet again for a moment before she looked back at Aziya and nodded, "I wish you the best of luck then."
The redhead stared at her friend in confusion as she was pretty sure that line was directed at her despite the fact that the kitsune girl was staring at Aziya. She waved off the strange feeling and released her grip on her companion to embrace her friends in a bundle of fox hugs before she and Aziya continued their journey back to their master's temple.
Following Aziya and Eclipse's return to the temple they began their preparation for travel. Aziya took off to her own room to pack her belongings and Eclipse did the same. However Eclipse had another important thing to do. During her visit home she had managed to sneak off to retrieve the item she had asked her uncle to create for her. After she tossed her clothes and other items into her bags she pulled out the item from its hidden bundle and made her way out of her quarters with it and her belongings in tow.
She was met by Aziya at the entrance to the temple and when she set down her bags she handed the package over to the other girl.
Aziya looked at her and then at the gift, "What is it?"
Eclipse rocked back and forth in anticipation, "Something useful I hope. Just open it."
Aziya nodded and turned her attention to the small package in her hands. When she opened it reveal a pair of goggles almost identical to Eclipse she was a bit unsure of herself.
"Those goggle will let you see the spirits you are always so interested in!" Eclipse blurted out excitedly.
Aziya lifted the lenses to her eyes and watched in amazement as she began to see small swirls of spiritual energy in the air. She gasped when she looked over at Eclipse and saw that many of it seemed to center around the redhead.
"Pretty cool right?" Eclipse asked.
"Very cool, thank you," She said as she inspected the energy around her, "This is going to be really helpful for my studies."