Family Matters

[Flamebird]

”How dare a gnat like you disregard our ways!”

“You are a Lesser Thayne, under our guidance and authority, Gwenael. I always expected better from you...”

“I value freedom and rebellion, but this! It- it is-”

“Unacceptable…”

Gwenael winced at the harsh memories. The brutal disappointment and anger of the Great Ones made his pale cheeks burn red.

“As of now,” Khal’jaren spat in a calm, disapproving voice, “You are barred, Lesser Thayne, from our affairs in this world.”

“As always,” Y’edda crossed her arms, “You have your place in Phantaria and your realm, but that is all. You no longer have the right to meddle in our affairs.”

“If you cannot follow our rules,” Hromagh scowled, “You will not be allowed to govern with us. All of your projects, abandon. We revoke your permissions.”

Gwenael felt his heart sink. He was watching several mortals affected by the Thayne then left, and being told that he was not allowed to see them again was…

He shook his head. A certain individual crossed his mind. She was more than the mortal he was guiding. She was… important to him… Was he truly barred from her? He had promised her he would come back!

“Your mind,” Y’edda raised an eyebrow, “Your mind jumped to a certain being you watch.”

“Good!” Hromagh boomed, “Let him suffer in his thoughts!”

“Wait,” Y’edda’s watchful gaze fell upon him, eyes glowing as she read his mind perfectly, even his subconscious. “This one, we cannot bar.”

Surprise rose from all the Thaynes, save the perfectly still Jomil, as they turned to her.

“Y’edda?” Khal’jaren clasped his insectoid hands, “I have read his mind as well. This will be the most refining part of his punishment.”

“No,” Y’edda did not take her eyes off Gwenael, “No matter what we say, he cannot be kept from that one. I see the roots of rebellion well. We must prevent them from spreading…”

“So we just let him?” Hromagh scoffed in disbelief, “Why?!”

Y’edda’s eyes narrowed. Gwenael felt the strangest sensations as he felt her muddle in his subconsciousness, “This particular shadow is not just a mission, it is a need. Like mortals need air.”

“But she is the reason he rebelled in the first place!” Hromagh stormed.

“Let him return to his root, pathetic and stripped of most rights.” Y’edda finally turned to face them, “And remembering the mercy of the Great Thaynes.”

“Mercy…” Jomil finally spoke, still as ice, before returning to silence.

Khal’jaren sighed, bowing his head to the goddess of trickery, “Very well.”

Hromagh turned to Gwenael, breathing smoke from his nostrils. A roar started, low and low before steadily rising to a deafening wind. As Gwenael ducked, bracing under his wrath, Hromagh screamed, “Now get out of here!”

Gwenael immediately obliged. As he left their presence, he was acutely aware of Jomil’s silent glare.

Gwenael sighed. He leaned against a dead tree as the landscape of Corone stretched outwards. His faith was shaken, yet he remained under their thumbs. Confusion swirled. He had found a handful of individuals with potential, then was forced to abandon all but one. He mourned for them. The young warrior of Raiaera, blessed by Trisgen for saving a village singlehandedly from the undead. The scientist of Alerar, blessed by Khal’jaren after many prayers to learn the secrets of cancer. Gwenael was forced to, after taking on the role of a guide, abandon them.

Tears were streaming from his eyes.

Yet, the Thayne allowed him to return to one. The one who came from a small lineage blessed by Hromagh, then Jomil. The Rhyolite family was full of remarkable people, but Felicity Rhyolite was by far the greatest. Gwenael was convinced she could leave an impact on Althanas as a whole, go down in the history books. Yet, she was more than that to him. She was a friend, the only one he had. Yes, certain Lesser Thayne like Trisgen and Am’aleh pitied him and had warm thoughts, but they were not personal friends. Felicity Rhyolite, however, encouraged him in his Thaynehood and constantly affirmed him. She was one of the only people who could reach his isolated, lonely heart. His thoughts burned for her, and his desire to be with her, somehow closer, grew stronger daily. She was constantly in his thoughts. And even his body felt strange, though he did not know why, when he thought of her.

Gwenael wiped the tears from his eyes. The Thayne truly spared him despair when they allowed him to continue his shadowing of her. For this, he remembered their mercy despite his disobedience. With thoughts swirling in his head, he looked up to the darkening sky. Tonight, he returned to her, where he felt truly appreciated.

The Thayne never gave him such kinship.