Aeliana
The first pale rays of dawn woke Aeliana from her troubled sleep. She lay motionless, covered in a sheen of sweat as she stared at her ceiling, the ticking of a clock the only thing breaking the silence. Soon, an ethereal bell tolled, jolting Aeliana from her stupor.
Not long after the bell stopped ringing a great will swept over the district. As the will passed over her, Aeliana closed her eyes and focused. Soon, the will faded away and her eyes opened, revealing the despair within them.
After taking a deep breath, she got her emotions under control and got up to prepare for the day. It was a Thursday, and as such her cleaner would be coming over in the afternoon to tidy up the house. In a quick and efficient manner, Aeliana took her bath, put on a morning dress, and proceeded to make herself a light breakfast.
She had just finished eating breakfast when she heard knocking on her front door. Almost instantaneously, she became nervous. Her hand reached out to her neck, feeling a necklace with inlaid black onyx before she got some level of confidence. Cautiously she moved to the door and peeped out through the spyhole, wanting to know who was there before she opened the door.
Standing on the landing, she spotted a man with tussled brown hair and an excited grin on his face. He word a white shirt, with gray trousers, and a plain gray robe thrown over all of it. He was someone she knew. Theron.
As she opened the door she couldn't help but ask. "Theron, what are you doing here so early?"
The moment the door was open wide enough, Theron walked into the house and began speaking excitedly. "You wouldn't believe this Ana, I think I found a way. Someone appeared late yesterday evening, and best I can tell he isn't affiliated with any of the mad gods, or any of them for that matter. If we play our cards right, we might be able to get him to help us."
"Good morning, Theron," Aeliana greeted calmly and Theron seemed to return to himself.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. Good morning." Then looking around the room he remarked. "You're done with breakfast. That's good."
Aeliana motioned for him to follow her before settling on one of the chairs in the living room. "Okay, explain. And slowly this time, I'm not one of Eidara's Devotees, I can only process so much at a time."
He sat opposite her, his happy smile still on his face as he leaned forward. "Alright, so it all started around six yesterday evening, I had a premonition that something strange had happened. Yes, I know, things have been pretty strange lately, but this was different. However, I couldn't pinpoint what it was, so I decided to follow my intuition and peek through the veil."
In concern, Aeliana raised her voice. "Theron, why would you do that? It's dangerous now. Vorgraz-"
Theron slightly raised his hands, interrupting her. "I understand the risks Ana, but I did it either way, and I'm glad I did."
With her curiosity now stoked, Aeliana couldn't refrain from asking, "What did you see?"
"It was a man. He had dark skin, and long, silky black hair. He was floating in the sky, above the ocean, with a sword in one hand, while the other pointed at the sky. In the ocean, I saw a city, it looked like it had been long forgotten. And all around the ocean was filled with blood and corpses, but they mostly belonged to the followers of the mad gods."
Quickly connecting the dots, Aeliana inquired, "And that man… was he the source of the disturbance?" Theron nodded, looking like a giddy school-boy.
Theron continued, "Anyway, I decided to do some snooping yesterday, and I found him. The man from the vision. He's in the city right now, doing god knows what. He might be able to help."
At this point, Aeliana shook her head. "No, no. It's much too dangerous for him. We can't go dragging strangers into this. Besides, what makes you so sure he'll agree to help?"
Theron reached out and laid a hand on hers, then looking into her eyes he spoke. "Aeliana. You can't win this alone. If we want to be able to get there safely, we need all the help we can get. And, from my visions, we can at least know that this man is going to oppose the mad gods. Since no other Devotee is willing to do so, who better to help us than him? And as for him agreeing to help, I believe that all we need to do is show him out sincerity. Do you remember three months ago?"
Looking at Theron's knowing expression, Aeliana could not help but recall a day three months ago when Theron had abruptly visited her and demanded she make an item for apparently no reason.
"You want me to give him the bracelet?"
Theron nodded. "It's the only thing that might be able to convince someone of his caliber."
Aeliana went quite as she drifted into deep thought. The bracelet was one that held a particularly valuable aspect of herself. If it were made known, even Paragons would battle to get their hands on it. Yet they were to give it to a stranger just like that? It did not sit well with her.
But still, even the Paragon of Secrets had abandoned her in her time of need. And keeping the bracelet was of no use to her. So, in such a case, wouldn't it be wiser to use it to gain the assistance of someone powerful? It would, but only on the condition that the person was truly powerful.
Turning to Theron, she asked. "How sure are you that he's strong enough to help us? I'd rather not get an innocent man killed because of me."
"The vision I saw beyond the veil. Although it was brief, I could sense the power he wields. But, if that isn't enough for you, then we can test him."
"How?"
"Your shadow concealment. Only those at least at the level of an Ascendant can see through it, or at least know that there is someone near them. If we visit him under the cover of the concealment and he can see us, then it means he's strong enough. Aeliana, time is running out, and this is the most hope we've had in a long time. Let's make good use of it. Besides, I have reason to believe it was all planned by Eidara. So?"
"Alright," Aeliana said with a deep sigh. "Let's do it."
Theron smiled, and stretched out his hand to her. "Well, in that case, shall we leave, My Lady?"