Secrets of the Void

While the upstairs rooms were usually empty and derelict, there was one that was used more than others. The room, although it appeared as abandoned as the others, had actually been crafted with great care to give off the correct auras needed for his crafts. The light came from an elaborate, old chandelier hanging from the exact centre of the room, measured to the exact inch. The only other light source was a carefully placed, circular window placed at such a trajectory that when the moon was high in the sky, it would place an eldritch, tranquil spotlight within which he would place the recipient of his gifts. The room was sparsely decorated, with ceramic chimes dotted around the edges of the room, gently swaying from a breeze that could not be pinpointed. There were a number of what appeared to be dream-catchers, one on each wall, each a different design, with a different purpose; for balance, chaos, grounding and potential needed to be in harmony for the auras not to become stagnated. The floors were of tessellated wooden boards, in the form of pentagons, the walls following suit with the five-sided designs, the colour of the wood an aged, but healthy looking walnut. The most notable thing, however, was the plaque upon the door, an enchanted, gold plated slate that changed its words every time the clock chimed midnight. For now, the message read the following:

Knowledge can be a burden. Wisdom is weightless.

The sun was close to setting, a crimson, picturesque sunset gleaming in through the circular window, creating a peculiar, reddish-purple spotlight in the centre of the room. It was in the light of this oval that Khross was seated, on the floor, in a deep state of meditation. For you see, there was one who required his counsel, and he had stated to her to pay him a visit in this particular room. He had only heard about the woman through tale and story. She was older than he was, and her powers were whispered about in hushed tones. He had not been researching her, or her gifts, for he knew he would learn more about her in the first five minutes of their meeting than he would in hours of research. In a somewhat ethereal way, his runic staff hovered at his side while he sat, cross-legged, his eyes gently closed and his hands tented in front of him. While it was strangely subtle, you could feel the considerable forces at work, creating almost a zone of pure energy, primordial yet trained to the will of its creator. And despite his initial gift being illusion magic, the energy radiating from the room was all too real.

Khross was eager to meet this old soul, but he would wait. Temperance was a great virtue, patience a boon that was valued highly by the sage.

And just as Aurora could feel the powerful yet almost nonchalent energies within the room, Khross knew that she had neared a short while before he could see her. Time flew like an arrow, built of direction and intention. Therefore, her direction towards the room and intention of counsel was noted before she opened the door. And yet, he stayed, statuesque, his kind eyes opening as she hung her cloak, fixated upon the old soul who seated herself in front of him. As she spoke, his lips curled into a soothing smile, his left hand gently reaching to the side to gracefully pluck his hovering staff from his side. "The pleasure is mine, Aurora. I hope you do not feel too alien about requesting aid; even the mightiest of mountains can be worn down in time." He then gesticulated with his other hand, tilting his head to the side slightly. "But of course, you know much more of time than I do."

With the slightest of gestures, a small rune of power glowed gently from the base of his staff, and between the seated teachers, a dais materialised from seemingly nowhere. While it was, in the most part, an illusion, Khross had prepared this one hours beforehand, and the effects caused would be very real indeed. Within the dais was spookily lifelike, clear water. But in the bottom of the pool, a single electric blue flame danced in hypnotic fashion, its ripples and gentle spasms captivating to watch. "We have much to discuss, and more still to learn. But while our minds may be prepared for the lessons to come, there are forces unseen at work to be primed as well; Inner strength to be channelled, subliminal clarity to be achieved and, most importantly, a centre to be found." The flame began to grow slightly, a gentle steam beginning to rise from the dais, forming a small azure cloud above the container. As this happened, the water level began to drop."For just as knowledge and wisdom are similar, as is strength and power, clarity and realisation, educated cynicism and central grounding." The sky blue steam began to fill the entire room, the haze slightly obscuring, but radiating spiritual energy that would act as both the catalyst and anchor for the Soul Mirror. The water was almost all gone. "I do not know exactly the nature of what you seek, just as you do not know exactly what I can offer. But when answers are obscured by the clouds of uncertainty..." A gentle teal light pulsed from the sapphire in Khross' staff, and the mist condensed itself into a small, clouded crystal, blue of hue with the mist that once covered the room swirling inside it. "The mists that once concealed can, from another perspective, grant more celerity than it blinds." With a gentle smile, he handed her the crystal. It was warm to the touch, brimming with unmistakeable, yet hitherto unknown potential, trembling with the immense weight of what could be. "If you would wish, you can take a moment to extend your senses. Your judgement may be greater than mine, now that you hold the fragment. It is attuned to you, so you will see things that I cannot, and vice-versa." The fragment would serve as both a focus and a grounding stone for the Soul Mirror, for it could be an overwhelming experience, even for one of Aurora's ability and knowledge. Each fragment was individual, completely unique, created from the spiritual energies of their very essence; the water from Aurora's fluid, steady nature, the flame from her ambition, married into the steam from the conflict of the two.

This would prove to be a learning curve for both of them.