XxXxX (Trial of the God, Ch 11 part deux)
Pharen's jaw audibly dropped at the scene beyond. Variously colored torches were lit along the walls, small white orbs hung suspended in midair, emanating a soft green glow. The eerie lighting was nothing compared to what sat in the center of the room on a pedestal – an orb, much like Fen'Harel's own, only this one was not glowing with power; it instead sat silent. Dropping Fen's hand and walking closer to it, she noted there was no inscription within it like the orb she had held during the final fight. Furrowing her brow, she turned to a peacefully calm Fen'Harel, questions alight in her eyes. "Ma da'enansal, do you remember speaking to me of the constellations?" Pharen bit her lip and nodded minutely, still stunned by what sat before her.
"All gods of the pantheon have their own constellations. Your final test is to make your own." Pharen's eyes lost their faraway look and stared, shocked, at Fen'Harel. He chuckled. "I am Fenrir. Elgar'nan is Solium, Tenebrium is Falon'Din. I will safely assume that I do not need to continue, ma vhenan." Pharen's shocked expression did not falter; she had never thought that the constellations she so often sought after with Fen'harel's shrine were actually depictions of gods of the pantheon. Fenedhis but she could be inane sometimes.
His expression turned serious once more. "Use your magic on the orb to project the night sky. I trust that you know it well?" He was guiding her closer to the orb on the pedestal, not yet humming with any power. Pharen nodded at his question, her magic flaring within her hands, anxious to get his test over with. Fen'Harel laid a hand on her shoulder, instantly calming her nerves. She lifted her hand to rest over his and gave a gentle squeeze. "I'm ready," she said.
Taking a deep breath, she began casting at the orb, slowly filling it with her own energy. As she did, her normal magic began to take on a green haze, and she watched as she channeled bits of the fade into the artifact. The nether realm twisted and twirled and bent to her will, surrounding and filling both her and her foci. Once the orb was glowing a brilliant shade of green, she began to concentrate on the stars she had so often sought out at night, no matter where her clan had been camped.
She thought of the night that she and Fen'harel had been together, a warm blush rising from her chest into her cheeks as she casted and determinedly averted her eyes from the Wolf. She realized she was pouring a bit of herself into the orb, as the swirling green mist trapped inside began to pulse in time with the beat of her own heart. Calming her breathing and once more focusing on the stars that night, one by one they began to appear in the room around them. Each star, each constellation, each moon was in its proper place.
She mentally chose a spot next to Fenrir, and began to move the stars around it. She chose two bright stars for the tips of the ears, one bright star for the tip of the tail, and four stars for the tips of two paws. Satisfied with her work, and connecting the dots so Fen'Harel could see what she had chosen. Once the final dot was connected along the tail, the power from it surged down into the orb, causing the orb to glow bright white for a mere second before imploding internally on itself.
Pharen looked up proudly to the Dread Wolf, who was smiling in return. "A fennec? Interesting choice, ma vhenan. Though they are not as clever as a wolf, they are playful yet cautious creatures." He hummed his approval next to her. Gesturing her forward to the newly-infused foci, she laid her hand upon it to feel it tingling and vibrating under her touch. Lifting it from its resting place on the pedestal, she began to notice small rings were beginning to form at the foci's heart. Seeming to know she was going to ask a question, Fen'Harel moved to stand next to her and explain. "Those rings are somewhat like a finger print, if you will. They assist us in channeling our power, true, and this helps us to know which of the orbs belongs to whom."
Pharen looked down at the orb that was safely nestled in her arms, not glowing now that there was no power being channeled into it. Suddenly curious about the ritual she took part in, she looked to the Wolf. "What did I drink from the shrine?" He raised a curious eyebrow for a mere moment before the dawning of understanding lightened his features. "Ah. That would be the Well of Eternity, or Vir'bellanaris. The Pathfinder led you there, did it not? That would mean the golden halla found you worthy of drinking from the pool of immortality, alongside my sentinels. Though for now, I believe that is enough questions, and I insist that you sleep."
With that, Pharen entered a dream state in which Fen'Harel was waiting for her. He gathered her up in his arms, kissing her mouth with an intense fire that had yet to be sated, tilting her back until her hair could touch the ground. "Tomorrow, we discover what you should be the goddess of, ma sa'lath." She had never seen him so at peace and so happy, the worry in his brow was gone, and the look he was giving her was more than enough to send her to her knees.