Out of Character:
I awoke this morning to a new day. The nightmarish events of the past few weeks felt like a distant dream under the fresh light. I had not seen such bright skies since we departed from Scara Brae; wan and pale in a wintry effort at cheer, but free and full of hope. They did not last long, a roiling wave of dark clouds arriving to obscure the heavens and heralding an afternoon of cold miserable rain, but at long last they offered a brief glimpse of the optimism that perhaps we are doing something right in this war.
Two months have passed since we departed the island nation, three since I arrived at the northern continent. It numbs my mind to think of all that has happened. I have said this before, and I will say it again… by nature I am a scholar, not a warrior. Even when I first signed up with the Legion, it was only as a translator and as a scribe.
And yet, ever since the Warspite was assaulted and abandoned just outside Anebrilith harbour, time has flowed in terms of one long fight after another. After all we have been through, I count my blessings that I am still even alive. The long journey to the safety of the city, the many skirmishes outside the walls, the desperate battle to hold the harbour, the raid on the lair of the Coven of Six…
I owe so much to Lord Arminas and to everybody else in the Legion for this fact. To Glorfindel and Selinde, who have taught me so much of how to wield a sword and have given me the confidence to lose with dignity in our many sparring sessions. To Telchar and Nogeres, who have helped me to understand and manipulate magic in ways that I would never have imagined. Thanks to them all, I am so much more than the person that I used to be.
I can only hope that this will be enough for the times ahead. Xem’zund’s pressure on Anebrilith may have been temporarily alleviated, but this is sure not to last. Within days, or even hours perhaps, the Necromancer will tighten his grip once more upon one of the last free strongholds in this land. When he does, the Legion will undoubtedly be there to face him… but we have only a fraction of the strength of when we set out from Scara Brae.
It is all I can do now to hope, and pray, that the plans we have set in motion are enough.
Of the strange phenomenon that occurred during the first of our battles upon Raiaeran soil, I have nothing new to report. My pendant remains cold and lifeless to the touch, even more so than previously. I even begin to wonder if the strength that flowed from it and sustained me through those dark hours was but a figment of my imagination.
And yet whenever such thoughts cross my mind, Nogeres’s words come back to me. There is great magic here, he said only a couple of days ago as we sheltered under the rocks preparing to storm the Coven, indicating my accessory as he studied it. But it is not my place to tell you of it…
I wish I had a better idea of what he meant. As it is, his enigmatic phrases simply haunt me relentlessly. In this, I suppose he is little different from the ancient masters of the Academy back home, who would only ever speak in riddle and with no regard whatsoever of whether we understood their intent. No wonder Yamato-sensei and Musashi-sensei were so hesitant to attend official functions…
I wonder what things are like right now in Nippon. The day before I left, Yamato-sensei assured me that reconstruction of the Academy was nearly complete, and that the physical scars of the youma attack were well on their way to healing. The political situation gives me more reason for concern, with instability rampant between feuding daimyo and the creatures of the dark ready to take advantage of any weakness. The Imperial court is merely a puppet of the shogun, who himself is a ruthless and ambitious man. But there are many parties that exist to maintain a precarious peaceful balance, including the Academy itself… and, I suppose, there is very little I can achieve by worrying about such things from here. With any luck, the situation has improved with the reconstruction of the Academy, and all my misgivings are completely unnecessary.
Winter would be setting in just about now, the first blankets of heavy snow falling upon the inland mountains, while the coastal cities bustle with seasonal trade. Those with sufficient wealth would be flocking to the onsen hot spring spas for the warmth and associated health benefits offered by the steaming waters. The snow festivals would be in full swing, citizens and samurai alike competing to build sculptures dedicated to the many kami of the land.
I wonder how my family fare… it has been so long since I saw them last. My sister would no doubt be practicing her dance for the grand New Year’s festival; my brother would be preparing to showcase his goods at one of the many stalls that line the temple grounds. My parents…
~ Entry in Ingwe’s Book of Travels
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