Chapter Text
Kieran
The Fade, it is said, could be a strange and dangerous place. Kieran had never experienced such dangers himself, but he was certainly aware of them. As a young boy, his mother had drilled them into his mind, advising him not to be afraid of the Fade, but also to be aware of the dangers within and the Spirits who might try to tempt him.
But Kieran had never been a regular child. His very existence was an abnormality. Born not out of love, nor a happy accident, but of necessity. He was a vessel, holding within him not only his own soul, but that of a god.
He thought that it was his twin soul that made him less susceptible to possession than most. His dreams had always been colourful and expansive. When describing them to others growing up, he had always been struck by how elaborate his dreams seemed compared to those of his peers. Where they were dreaming of serving as knights or marrying their crushes, he was exploring vast environments and magnificent castles.
Kieran was also more keenly aware of the presence of spirits in his dreams. To him, they often appeared in their true form, not masquerading as a part of someone's dream. Curiosity, Discovery, and Valour were the most frequent visitors, often engaging him in deep, questioning conversations. Kieran was happy to offer his input, though he suspected that they wanted to converse with the god in his head rather than with him. Luckily, Kieran could see the memories of June in his head, or at least the ones that he wanted him to see.
Living with a god in your head was not as bad as it seemed, or at least it was now that June's powers had been stripped away. As a child, the presence of June in his mind had been overpowering, rendering Kieran as a rather odd and brooding child. June hadn't taken over him, nor had he ever pushed such, but his presence had always been the most dominating one in his brain. A balance between the two had been bridged after his grandmother stripped the remnant of June's powers from him. The powers were gone, but Flemeth had failed to uproot the presence from within. Given what happened to his mother, Kieran suspected that only death would separate the two of them.
In his dream, Kieran found himself in a vast green meadow, bordered by swaying trees and plants. He could hear the sound of birdsong nearby, but could see no bird where it might have come from. He was not alone in the meadow, joined by a Spirit of Valour appearing as the glowing armour of a Chevalier, and the incorporeal form of a Spirit of Curiosity. Despite the peace of their surroundings, both spirits seemed unusually agitated, and Kieran could not quite discern why. Even June could provide no answers, only whispering in Kieran’s mind what he already knew, that something had unsettled these spirits.
“What ails you, friends?” Kieran asked, trying to pry the information from one or both of them gently. “I can sense you are troubled.”
It was Curiosity who answered. “Can't you feel it? The Fade trembles in anticipation…”
“In anticipation of what?”
But Kieran received no satisfactory answer, only nonsensical ramblings from the two spirits.
We should leave. They are not making sense.
June was unusually insistent about that, but Kieran could sense a hint of unease there, too. He disliked that he couldn't understand their agitation either.
So Kieran obeyed and moved away from them and towards the trees that bordered the meadow. As he stepped through, a forest grew around him, filled with towering trees, fragrant flowers, and halla grazing peacefully.
Kieran crouched and slowly began to approach a fallen branch, so that he could observe a grazing halla. The branch was within touching distance when suddenly, his dreamscape shifted around him, and he found himself tumbling forward. It was like one of those dreams where you suddenly fell or tripped, only Kieran didn't immediately wake up; he fell, and fell, and fell, until suddenly he found himself sprawled on his belly with his cheek to the floor.
Winded from the sudden fall, it took Kieran a moment to pull himself up onto his knees, and then back onto his feet. Now that he was standing, he was struck by how different this landscape was to the meadow and forest he had been in before. Where the previous landscapes had been colourful and full of life, this place was a bleak, colourless wasteland.
Broken spires haunted the background, and the floor beneath his feet was pebbly and pockmarked with holes. There were vast stretches of empty ruins, separated by great gulfs, so dark and foreboding that Kieran did not dare to venture too close.
This place was unfamiliar to him, and yet, at the same time, there was something familiar about it too. Distracted by his initial fall, it took him far too long to realise that it wasn’t familiar to him; it was familiar to June. And as soon as he realised that fact, he was all too aware of how insistent June was that they leave. Kieran could practically feel the repulsion June had for this place on his own skin. What was this place to him? Why was June so uneasy here?
What would a god have to fear?
“What is this place?” Kieran whispered into the void.
This is the place of my torment. This is our prison.
“Our prison?”
Kieran soon got his answer as to whose prison it was when the environment suddenly shifted and changed, leaving him standing in what seemed to be a vast, empty corridor. Standing at the furthest end of the corridor were two figures. Even before they approached him, Kieran could tell they were huge.
“Brother…” A low, masculine voice rumbled. “We have felt your essence across the Fade. Long did we hope you would return to us.”
The first of the figures to step into the light was an extremely tall and extremely broad male elf. He was wearing gold robes that likely would have glistened like the sun, if not for the monochrome colours of their surroundings. His collar was studded with red gems - or, at least, they looked like gems. He wore atop his head a large crown, which gave him the appearance of some great horned beast. A slight smile tugged at his lips when he first stepped into the light, but it seemed to quickly fade when he spotted Kieran, as his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“What sort of vile trick is this? You are not June!”
Before Kieran could say another word, much less think, he felt a thick tentacle curl itself around his waist, before he was hoisted upside down in the air and found himself face to face with some horrid creature. He assumed that this being must have been an elf too, but it was hard to say for certain. They were exceedingly large, larger than their companion, and looked like some abomination from his worst nightmares. A mask covered their face and was connected to a large, horned headpiece. Kieran thought it was a small blessing their true face was hidden, as he could see what was hidden underneath from his vantage, and the sight alone turned his stomach.
“Who are you, boy, to trespass here!?” The creature - once a woman, he assumed by the voice - growled at him. Her head inclined to the side as she studied him. “I can sense June's essence within you. Who are you to think you can cage a god?”
For a fleeting moment, Kieran raised his hand instinctively, as though he were trying to summon his magic, and then promptly recalled that he was not truly physically in the Fade. His magic had no power here.
The male elf seemed to notice what he had been doing and gave a throaty laugh. “Look at him, Ghilan’nain, see how he fumbles for his magic.”
Ghilan'nain…
The name echoed in his skull forebodingly. Even if June hadn't stirred in recognition, Kieran knew the names of the Elven gods well enough to recognise it.
“Do what you wish with him, sister,” The male elf rumbled, turning away. “We should not waste time with a gnat.”
And truly, like a gnat, he felt trapped in some sort of metaphorical spider’s web. Ghilan'nain’s tentacle tightened around him, nearly choking the breath from him. And then suddenly, her companion called out to her.
“Ghilan’nain, wait.”
Her grip wasn't tightening, but nor did it slacken. “What is it, Elgar’nan?”
Kieran saw it as soon as she did, a growing tear in the sky, getting larger with every second. Without a second thought, Kieran was dropped to the floor, narrowly avoiding landing on his head. As he coughed and spluttered, Ghilan'nain slithered away to join her fellow god, and both of them stared at the widening rift. Kieran stared at it himself and wondered what it was. It was June who gave him that answer. He could feel him straining in his mind, as the other gods were straining to see the rift.
Dread wolf…?
“Dread-”
Before Kieran could finish his words, there was a sudden rush of great wind, as the tear suddenly split wide open. Even if Kieran had managed to muster the strength to rise to his feet, he would not have been able to withstand the great force bearing down upon him.
Almost as soon as the rift was torn wide open, Kieran found himself blown out of the monochromatic landscape, and, to his surprise, found himself on his feet in a forest. It was not the forest he had been in before, but rather a dark and twisted woodland. Not the hospitable place to most, but to him, this was a safe place. This was home. This was the Korcari Wilds.
Feeling safer and more at ease now, Kieran put a hand on his chest, taking a few deep gulps of breath, and feeling his heartbeat settle. He tried to reach out to June in his mind, but the god seemed oddly subdued, clearly rattled from what they had just witnessed.
“What was that?” Kieran said, voicing his concerns out loud. It was easier to try and process what he had witnessed.
He was still thinking this over when he heard the snapping of a twig behind him. Kieran turned sharply on his heel, staring at a familiar face. He felt June stir briefly.
Mythal?
“Mother.”
His mother, Morrigan, regarded him warily. “You should not be here, Kieran. It is too dangerous for you right now.”
“What's going on?”
“I cannot say right now,” Morrigan shook her head. “You need to leave. Now.”
“Mother, I-” Kieran debated pleading with her to stay, to press her for more information and then thought better of it. “I saw something in the Fade.”
“I know,” She said, catching his gaze. Morrigan took a step towards him. “Wake now, my son. I will come to you soon.”
She touched her hand to his chest, and instantly, Kieran found himself sitting bolt upright in bed. A sheen of sweat clung to his brow, and he wiped it away with the back of his hand. His room was dim, with only a faint glow emanating from the hearth. Rain pelted the window, and he could hear thunder rumbling somewhere in the distance.
Unsettled from his slumber, he stood from his bed to pour himself a glass of water and tried to make more sense of his dream. As he drank quietly in the gloom, Kieran couldn't understand it, and June was being resistant to his gentle prodding.
But what he did know, somewhere deep inside of him, was that the world outside was already changing.