The Mountain and the Trial

[Flamebird]

The bubble faded to black. The ballad of Felicity Knopsnider Rhyolite was over. Over… Alone, on her knees in the darkness, she rested her forehead on the cold glass surface below. As her entire body shook in her bellowing, she whispered. "Why…"

For the longest time she lay there. Her exhaustion due to her travels and the heavy weight of this broken heart was enough to break the glass beneath in her load. Her sediment infested hair covered her face as she shed tears. The long events in her short lifespan made her too tired to even feel anger. She just felt alone. Too alone. Most likely the only person in this mountain, she felt freightingly ready to close her eyes and stay here forever.

The strength to move was absent.

….






…

"What are you afraid of, Felicity?"

She opened her eyes - barely - at the sound of an unfamiliar female voice, "What is holding you back?"

For an elongated time, she did not respond. In this pitch dark void, this isolation, she remained still.

Finally, she gritted her teeth, parting her closed lips. In a drawn out, upturned moment where her small voice bled of chaos, she muttered between her teeth, "What a' you?"

"What is your crutch?" The voice continued pressing.

Unable to fight, she humored her in responding in a low, monotone voice, "Use'ess."

The voice replied to her, "Is your pain really worthless?"

…

"I believe not," he responded, "Your very own abilities say otherwise."

Felicity's abilities crossed her mind. For every time she was hit, every cut and bloodstain, she grew in strength. But of course, this ability had its downsides. If she abused it, if she let her anger get out of hand…

"I wost my own sanity befo'…"

"Yes," the voice responded, "Pain can be used as a tool, but what for? The way I see it, there are two ways…"

The woman explained, "You can use it for harm. You can hurt others in being so guarded. You can chose to believe in cynicism, extremism… you can be a toxin to every person around you. You turn your pain into anger, apathy, hate… You become just as bad as those who inflicted harm. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a leg for a leg. Revenge is a cycle that seems never ending. You take hate, you give hate. It never ends, and everyone is left broken. You know this very well; somebody close to you became this."

Ashla's face immediately crossed Felicity's mind.

"However," the voice continued, "You can also use your pain to do good. You could hurt them, but knowing what it is like to be hurt yourself, you spare them. You dare to love your enemies, thus breaking the cycle. Turn that anger into positive energy, work to make the world a better place. Fire can scorch, but it can also bring light and warmth. You make the world a better place. You show compassion, mercy, and never ending love. Your heart is your greatest weapon."

Felicity pulled herself up, resting her weight on her hands. As she looked down, she noticed something beneath the glass. Beneath the clear solid, a hearth of fire burned. Blue fire, the hottest kind, blazed across the entirety of the room to no end.

"What is 'is?" She whispered.

A hand was made visible to her, handing her her sword. "You have passion, drive, and determination. Use your energy and honor your cousin's words. Do not follow your master's footsteps."

Tears were still falling, slowly, from her eyes. She reached up and grasped the sword carefully by the blade, "Do you believe I can?"

She looked up to see and oddity before her. It was one of her own kin, an elder neanderthal, with wrinkled skin and hair white as the snow outside. She short unkempt hair drenched in sweat. She wore a dark green amulet, made of a stone called peridot, which was tied together by thick animal hair. She wore an animal skin pair of pants, a small shawl covering her chest, but not her waist. She smiled, "Of course you can."

She came to her knees, grasping the hilt of the sword as she looked up to him, "Who a' you?"

She crossed his arms in a traditional stance, "The medicine woman of the Peridot Tribe, Maiara."