The past day and a half flew by in the blink of a eye. After the elders announced that they would be formally accepting me as the star keeper of the generation and giving me a waloiki the village became lively and busy.
I found out quickly that celebrations and the like fell under the supervision of Elder Imani. After Elder Luna and I emerged from the council room Elder Imani rushed me like a hurricane and started going over the specifics of the waloiki ceremony. I spent the better part of the day learning the spiritual reasons that the tribe practices while barely learning the more practical reasons.
I did manage to learn how the ceremony helps with mana control from Imani, though learning that much was like pulling teeth from a titan. The ceremony uses our trauma to map out how a person reacts to certain situations then creates channels throughout the body that mana can flow through. The ceremony was the physical system that I was looking for, admittedly on a less specialized scale than what I had been hoping for. It would be a starting point however.
When I was finally left alone long enough to breath I started going over my grandma's research journal. I learned that creating a enchanted item is no different than creating a spell, all I need to do is carve runes into the object I wish to enchant; and to be sure to use rhank if it is a non-mana conductive material; and I'll be able to cast spell scribed on the object.
It was incredibly easy and straightforward, which made it surprising that no splicers outside of the Tolapo tribe knew about it.
Currently I was standing in Elder Luna's living room while she and her two attendants tried to tailor a Fr'ankuli, a ceremonial robe of sorts that is worn by during a waloiki. The came in a variety of colors but the one that Elder Luna and the others were trying to tailor for me was a deep blue with tribal markings embroidered into it with a sparkling silver thread.
Like a lot of male styles in the village there was only one sleeve in the robe and it left a good portion of my chest exposed. While technically a robe I had a pair of pants that were embroidered with the same tribal patters as the robe. The robe, material also changed once you got past the waist to a almost see through material that only highlighted the silver embroidery of the pants.
"Auntie, how did you manage to get a Fr'ankuli on such a short notice?" I asked as one of the attendants measured and remeasured my waist and got to work pinning the robe.
"It was your great, great, great, grandfathers." Elder Luna replied with a fond smile. She stepped in front of me and wrapped a sash around my waist which the her attendant quickly fastened to the robe. "Fr'ankuli's are passed down along the male and female members of a family. This one belongs to the male side of ours."
"I see…no wonder it feels so warm." I said softly. I glanced out the window and saw that the sun was starting to set. The waloiki was set for sunset and admittedly I had no idea how much longer it would take them to finish with the robe. I stood in silence while Elder Luna and the others worked on me, letting time pass and trying not to think about the memories I would soon be reliving.
"Are you nervous?" Elder Luna asked suddenly, taking a moment from sewing the sash onto the robe to look up at me.
"Terrified…" I admitted.
"Me too…" Elder Luna said. "I've known for years that my sister was dead…but to suddenly be shown how she spent her last moments…it weighs heavily on my heart…"
A uneasy silence fell over the room as the Elder Luna and the attendants finished up their work on my robe. When they finished Elder Luna and both attendants turned stood in front of me and admired their work.
"You look…oh Lulu'nala you'd be so proud." Elder Luna said with tears in her eyes.
"Oh please don't cry! You start crying and then I start crying and it's not a good look for anyone!" I gasped, fighting back tears. Elder Luna wiped away her tears then reached up and wiped away mine.
"You're right, no tears. Lulu would hate to see either of us crying." Elder Luna said.
There was a knock on the front dour and one of Elder Luna's attendants rushed over to answer it. The moment she opened the door Abra'bo rushed into the house.
"What is taking so long! The tribe is alread gathered in the villlage square!" Abra'bo groaned as he made his way into the living room. I scowled and crossed my arms at the elder.
"People usually wait to be invited in to someone else's home back where I'm from." I said in a snarky tone. Elder Luna sighed and shook her head.
"We normally do the same here but sadly bad sadly Abra'bo isn't known for respecting other peoples boundries." Elder Luna said then shot Abra'bo a steely glare. "Explains Dwarm'mond's conception…"
Other than a quick glare Abra'bo barely reacted to Elder Luna's jab. Which was a little disappointing since it was so good.
"Apologies Luna'nala but the tribe is waiting for it's star keeper. How much longer is this going to take?" Abra'bo asked.
"We're already finished. If you had waited just a few moments, we would already be heading to the square." Elder Luna said.
"Well lets not dawdle now, the sun has already set." Abra'bo insisted as he turned and walked back out the door. Elder Luna groaned and rolled her eyes.
"I've lost all patience for that man." She said then turned to me. "Are you ready Chase?"
"Ready as I'll ever be…" I replied and flashed her a wary smile.
"Remember how Imani explained the ceremony. I will guide you to the square, my attendants will be right behind us." Elder Luna said.
"I remember." I said. Elder Luna smiled then turned and headed towards the door. I followed closely behind as one of the attendants opened the door for us and we walked out into the night.
Elder Luna's house sat near the southern gate out of the village where there was plenty of traffic moving past and people walking around. Yet despite this it was usually quiet and dark. The street lamps weren't lit and all the houses along the street were dark, the only light coming from the cosmos of stars that twinkled above.
I gasped as I looked up and saw them all, many fond memories of sitting on my grandparents porch and looking up to see the stars on clear nights flooded my brain.
"This way…" Elder Luna said and made her way down the street. I followed after her with her attendants at my flank like she said they would be. the streets were empty and I was glad for it. I would have been too embarrassed to step out of the house in all the ceremonial garb and have a bunch of people see me in it.
"Be calm starlight…" Elder Luna said softly just before we rounded a bend. "Lulu'nala is with us."
As we turned the corner onto the main street to the square I saw people lined both sides of the sidewalk, each dressed in a robe or dress similar to mine but different in interesting and beautiful ways. They held their hands close to their chests, cradling a eerie purple flame in their palms.
We walked down the center of the street and as we approached the villagers they held their hands and the flames flew from them to me. They didn't crash into me however, they slowed just before they could and started to circle around me. As we continued toward the square I had hundreds, followed by thousands of of those purple flames circling me. The villagers that we passed started to follow us to and closed behind us.
The moment we step foot onto the square all the flames stopped circling me and gathered in the center of the square, forming one giant fireball the levitated above the tower.
Villagers started chanting, softly at first, so soft I couldn't make it out. With every step however their voices got louder, clearer, and more empowered by emotion.
"Bless the stars, bless the shard. Bless the stars, bless the shard. Bless this keeper, forever hearth." They chanted over and over again.
I looked past Elder Luna and saw Jane, Iris, and Baset standing with the other elders in a welcoming semi-circle, their faces highlighted by the light of the flames above. I saw Astrid, Damon, and Alberto off to the side, they were chanting like everyone else.
Elder Luna stopped just before she reached the others and stepped to the side to let me make the last few steps for myself. I flashed her a thankful smile as I continued on. Under the pale violet light of the fireball above the silver in my robe almost glowed with the same light.
It stopped just in front of the elders and the others and bowed just as I had been taught by Imani. They all bowed back and Elder Luna took her place in front of them.
"We gather here tonight under the blessed cosmos and light of the one true star to grant Chase Kingston; keeper of the star shard and grandson of Lulu'lana our judgement for the life he has lived and the trials that he has overcome!" Elder Luna exclaimed. She turned to make eye contact with every member of the village before she continued and addressed me. "Chase Kingston, by the fire of the one true star you will be judged, you will feel pain, but you will come out of it stronger and one with the beating heart of the Tolapo tribe!"
Everyone in the square cheered and shouted encouragements. I looked to Jane and Iris. I broke down and told them late last night what my biggest trial was. They both looked back at me with worry in their eyes but smiled to try and hide it.
Elder Luna snapped her fingers and everyone stepped back, clearing a giant circle in the village. I looked up and saw the purple fireball descending slowly until it was a few feet from my head. I felt the heat from the flames but it didn't burn.
I reached up to touch the flames, my finger just barely grazing it. The fireball exploded into a tornado of flames, engulfing me and lifting me off the ground. I felt no pain, not heat, and slowly one by one my senses started to fade. I closed my eyes and didn't resist, feeling my conciousness being pulled somewhere, a familiar time, a hated time.