The Lights Return to the Water
Trial 13 of Zida 718
It was early in Zi'da but it was already very cold. Like so many other people in Rharne Yrmellyn was uncomfortable and freezing. She avoided to go out if it wasn't a must. The snow hadn't come yet, but she expected it to happen soon. It was after all Zida and time only went in one direction, forward toward Cylus. But, Yrmellyn was outdoors despite the weather. The reason was that the colourful orbs she had heard about but missed in Ashan.
The orbs had come back to Lake Lovalus and they were once again surrounding the mysterious Isle Vyrelle. The citizen's had come to think that the orbs had no ill intent. They seemed harmless, as nothing bad had happened, at least not yet.
Being an artist Yrmellyn felt that it was a must for her to go there and watch the rare phenomenon. She had brought warm blankets with her but still felt unsure of how long she would be able to endure the weather. But, when she arrived she could see the lovely colourful orbs all across the lake. The water was swimming with ribbons of multicoloured light. She felt like she could endure anything to get to watch them for a long time.
These orbs stayed out of reach for the people on the shore though. Yrmellyn felt a bit disappointed. She had hoped to get to touch one of them but it seemed like it wouldn't happen. She didn't say anything, but she heard other people express similar feelings. To be honest it was mostly children who whined and they soon forgot it again and accepted that the orbs were "watch but not touch".
"Get yourself a place at a campfire" suggested a sturdy woman who wore both a warm cloak and a blanket. Yrmellyn recognized her. If she wasn't mistaken the woman was working in a bakery in the Earth Quarters.
"I will ..." said Yrmellyn, but didn't do it at once. She was too fascinated by the view to want to join other people right now.
"Some say it's done by the spirits. There are spirits here they say. It can be good to know. " The sturdy woman seemed to be in need of a chat. "Those who interacted with the orbs last time I was here found that the colour transferred to their skin. It dissipated over the next break or so, but I for one am not going to take the risk to expose me to it."
Yrmellyn nodded. It was the second season she suffered from a gross skin illness, caused by magic of some kind, it seemed. She wasn't going to say it, but to her, it seemed harmless with a change of skin colour which only lasted for one break. She would be happy to take that instead of the odd rash that made her skin look like a mix of rust and fish scales. For cosmetic reasons, she had kept treating it with something named All-Purpose Elixir. If it had made her skin look better was debatable. Yrmellyn preferred the fish scale look to the rust look though.
The only problem was that it came with a compulsive need to bath. Oliver Elixo at Hannah's healers had warned her and told her to stop taking the drug. He had the theory that if she used it for a too long time it could turn her into a mer. Merified, he said. A crazy theory. She didn't believe in it. Nonetheless, she had to admit that she felt drawn to the water right now, regardless of the cold. Common sense told her that it would be terrible to bath this time of the year.
She looked around. Citizens of Rharne were preparing to spend the night on the shore. They were lighting campfires along the water's edge, and bundling up with blankets. Nobody seemed to plan to leave any time near. If Yrmellyn would be as bold as to undress and jump into the lake it would be a scandal. Not only would she offend people by taking off her clothes. They would also see the rash. Worse, they would find her weird.
She couldn't take a bath without making people upset, that was obvious. But ... she could pretend that all she was looking to do was to touch an orb, couldn't she? Other people were already trying to reach out and touch one of them. She could do the same and only reach out more and "happen" to fall into the lake.
A mere accident.
A bit later a murmur of awe arose from the citizens who were gathered to watch the odd phenomenon. Lights appeared far out on the lake. It was more orbs . In the beginning, the spectators could only see the shimmer of the new beauties. Yrmellyn detected it early on as her eyesight was good and she had no problems with seeing a small light at a distance.
The new orbs approached at a slow pace. After a while, she began to detect a faint touch of colour in the golden and silvery shine them emitted. In her mutated mind, the enriched impressions mutation came into play. It made her think of music. It was a “shimmering” kind of music, in lack of better description. The new orbs approached the shore gracefully as ballet dancers over the lake’s dark water.
The citizens of Rharne didn’t know what they saw or why it happened. But, it was a beautiful sight, the dance of the shimmering orbs. Many felt that it was a welcome comfort in the dangerous times they lived in. Some wanted to think that it was a sign from higher powers the city and its people were protected by higher powers. This interpretation gained more than one eager believer when the audience began to speak about what they saw and what they thought about it.
When the new orbs were even nearer the shore of Lake Lovalus they became even more beautiful. A thousand colours seemed to swirl and dance in them. Rumour had it they weren’t dangerous and so, people who were curious about them wanted to have a closer look. A crowd went to the waterline in the hopes to be able to touch an orb, if they would come that near them. They stood there, men, woman and children, holding their hands out like beggars asking for money. If someone had asked them why they did it, it was probable that they wouldn’t have known. They did as all others did, that was all.
Yrmellyn followed the other people’s example. Not only was she curious. She also wanted to have a close look at an orb so she could use the memory for future paintings. In addition... she felt that odd urge to bath, a side effect of the merweed based alchemic All-Purpose Elixir. The ice-cold water of the lake held a special allure to her. Now, it seemed like the turn of events would help her get that bath. She could do it without raising suspicions or seeming weird.
She had been one of the first to arrive at the waterline and didn’t need to elbow her way through the crowd. Instead, she felt the pressure from the crowd behind her. When an orb danced past a bit to the left of her the people on that part of the shore went wild. Those who stood at the waterline were pushed out into the water. They screamed when the water found its way into their boots. Then they scrambled up on the shore again, laughing more than they were swearing. The orbs were such a beautiful and enigmatic presence that nobody wanted to get angry. This kind of small accidents was part of the entertainment.
A wonderful orb came floating her way. Yrmellyn felt other people pushing against her back. She took the opportunity to pretend to stumble and have to make a long leap forward and dive into the lake. People screamed and laughed behind her, depending on if they found the splash terrible or fun.
The painter felt happy as a fish in the water. It didn’t matter to her that it was the coldest bath she had ever taken. It was great. It was what she had wanted to do all time since she had begun to use the All-Purpose Elixir and continued with it despite the risk of being ... “merified”. She dove and was as lucky as to come up inside the shimmering orb. It enclosed her in its marvellous light. She felt like it was the best that had happened to her during the whole long cursed cold season of this arc. It soothed her. She felt relaxed for the first time since she had caught the mystic rash that plagued her. The light and the colours filled her whole mind until it was like nothing else existed. She forgot time and room.
And so the painter became one of the people who had managed to touch an orb. Afterwards, the people who had pulled her up from the lake told her that they thought the coldness of the water had numbed her. The sturdy matron who had spoken to her earlier had taken charge of the rescue and wrapped Yrmellyn in borrowed clothing and warm blankets. They had chalked what looked like fish scales on the painter's body up to her long contact with the orb. Those had a lot of fun temporary effects. Several people were bragging about their own spectacular "abilities". The painter's shiny scale effects were supposed to fade out an disappear, as the golden and glittering shine on her face did after a break or so.
Yrmellyn drank hot tea and participated in the fun socialization around the campfires. Life felt good. The mystic rash had stopped itching. She felt a secret hope that they orb had done more than giving her a temporary glamour glow and fun entertainment. She felt no need to bath anymore. All she felt was inner peace. Her meeting with the orb felt meaningful. It felt like everything would get better from now on.
(She couldn't know it, but the magic rash had reached its peak and perhaps it had also been affected by the elixir and by the contact with the orb ... This was concealed to Yrmellyn. She would never get an explanation of the relationships if any. It would forever remain a mystery. Still, that evening at Lake Lovalus, her recovery began.)
Being an artist Yrmellyn felt that it was a must for her to go there and watch the rare phenomenon. She had brought warm blankets with her but still felt unsure of how long she would be able to endure the weather. But, when she arrived she could see the lovely colourful orbs all across the lake. The water was swimming with ribbons of multicoloured light. She felt like she could endure anything to get to watch them for a long time.
These orbs stayed out of reach for the people on the shore though. Yrmellyn felt a bit disappointed. She had hoped to get to touch one of them but it seemed like it wouldn't happen. She didn't say anything, but she heard other people express similar feelings. To be honest it was mostly children who whined and they soon forgot it again and accepted that the orbs were "watch but not touch".
"Get yourself a place at a campfire" suggested a sturdy woman who wore both a warm cloak and a blanket. Yrmellyn recognized her. If she wasn't mistaken the woman was working in a bakery in the Earth Quarters.
"I will ..." said Yrmellyn, but didn't do it at once. She was too fascinated by the view to want to join other people right now.
"Some say it's done by the spirits. There are spirits here they say. It can be good to know. " The sturdy woman seemed to be in need of a chat. "Those who interacted with the orbs last time I was here found that the colour transferred to their skin. It dissipated over the next break or so, but I for one am not going to take the risk to expose me to it."
Yrmellyn nodded. It was the second season she suffered from a gross skin illness, caused by magic of some kind, it seemed. She wasn't going to say it, but to her, it seemed harmless with a change of skin colour which only lasted for one break. She would be happy to take that instead of the odd rash that made her skin look like a mix of rust and fish scales. For cosmetic reasons, she had kept treating it with something named All-Purpose Elixir. If it had made her skin look better was debatable. Yrmellyn preferred the fish scale look to the rust look though.
The only problem was that it came with a compulsive need to bath. Oliver Elixo at Hannah's healers had warned her and told her to stop taking the drug. He had the theory that if she used it for a too long time it could turn her into a mer. Merified, he said. A crazy theory. She didn't believe in it. Nonetheless, she had to admit that she felt drawn to the water right now, regardless of the cold. Common sense told her that it would be terrible to bath this time of the year.
She looked around. Citizens of Rharne were preparing to spend the night on the shore. They were lighting campfires along the water's edge, and bundling up with blankets. Nobody seemed to plan to leave any time near. If Yrmellyn would be as bold as to undress and jump into the lake it would be a scandal. Not only would she offend people by taking off her clothes. They would also see the rash. Worse, they would find her weird.
She couldn't take a bath without making people upset, that was obvious. But ... she could pretend that all she was looking to do was to touch an orb, couldn't she? Other people were already trying to reach out and touch one of them. She could do the same and only reach out more and "happen" to fall into the lake.
A mere accident.
A bit later a murmur of awe arose from the citizens who were gathered to watch the odd phenomenon. Lights appeared far out on the lake. It was more orbs . In the beginning, the spectators could only see the shimmer of the new beauties. Yrmellyn detected it early on as her eyesight was good and she had no problems with seeing a small light at a distance.
The new orbs approached at a slow pace. After a while, she began to detect a faint touch of colour in the golden and silvery shine them emitted. In her mutated mind, the enriched impressions mutation came into play. It made her think of music. It was a “shimmering” kind of music, in lack of better description. The new orbs approached the shore gracefully as ballet dancers over the lake’s dark water.
The citizens of Rharne didn’t know what they saw or why it happened. But, it was a beautiful sight, the dance of the shimmering orbs. Many felt that it was a welcome comfort in the dangerous times they lived in. Some wanted to think that it was a sign from higher powers the city and its people were protected by higher powers. This interpretation gained more than one eager believer when the audience began to speak about what they saw and what they thought about it.
When the new orbs were even nearer the shore of Lake Lovalus they became even more beautiful. A thousand colours seemed to swirl and dance in them. Rumour had it they weren’t dangerous and so, people who were curious about them wanted to have a closer look. A crowd went to the waterline in the hopes to be able to touch an orb, if they would come that near them. They stood there, men, woman and children, holding their hands out like beggars asking for money. If someone had asked them why they did it, it was probable that they wouldn’t have known. They did as all others did, that was all.
Yrmellyn followed the other people’s example. Not only was she curious. She also wanted to have a close look at an orb so she could use the memory for future paintings. In addition... she felt that odd urge to bath, a side effect of the merweed based alchemic All-Purpose Elixir. The ice-cold water of the lake held a special allure to her. Now, it seemed like the turn of events would help her get that bath. She could do it without raising suspicions or seeming weird.
She had been one of the first to arrive at the waterline and didn’t need to elbow her way through the crowd. Instead, she felt the pressure from the crowd behind her. When an orb danced past a bit to the left of her the people on that part of the shore went wild. Those who stood at the waterline were pushed out into the water. They screamed when the water found its way into their boots. Then they scrambled up on the shore again, laughing more than they were swearing. The orbs were such a beautiful and enigmatic presence that nobody wanted to get angry. This kind of small accidents was part of the entertainment.
A wonderful orb came floating her way. Yrmellyn felt other people pushing against her back. She took the opportunity to pretend to stumble and have to make a long leap forward and dive into the lake. People screamed and laughed behind her, depending on if they found the splash terrible or fun.
The painter felt happy as a fish in the water. It didn’t matter to her that it was the coldest bath she had ever taken. It was great. It was what she had wanted to do all time since she had begun to use the All-Purpose Elixir and continued with it despite the risk of being ... “merified”. She dove and was as lucky as to come up inside the shimmering orb. It enclosed her in its marvellous light. She felt like it was the best that had happened to her during the whole long cursed cold season of this arc. It soothed her. She felt relaxed for the first time since she had caught the mystic rash that plagued her. The light and the colours filled her whole mind until it was like nothing else existed. She forgot time and room.
And so the painter became one of the people who had managed to touch an orb. Afterwards, the people who had pulled her up from the lake told her that they thought the coldness of the water had numbed her. The sturdy matron who had spoken to her earlier had taken charge of the rescue and wrapped Yrmellyn in borrowed clothing and warm blankets. They had chalked what looked like fish scales on the painter's body up to her long contact with the orb. Those had a lot of fun temporary effects. Several people were bragging about their own spectacular "abilities". The painter's shiny scale effects were supposed to fade out an disappear, as the golden and glittering shine on her face did after a break or so.
Yrmellyn drank hot tea and participated in the fun socialization around the campfires. Life felt good. The mystic rash had stopped itching. She felt a secret hope that they orb had done more than giving her a temporary glamour glow and fun entertainment. She felt no need to bath anymore. All she felt was inner peace. Her meeting with the orb felt meaningful. It felt like everything would get better from now on.
(She couldn't know it, but the magic rash had reached its peak and perhaps it had also been affected by the elixir and by the contact with the orb ... This was concealed to Yrmellyn. She would never get an explanation of the relationships if any. It would forever remain a mystery. Still, that evening at Lake Lovalus, her recovery began.)
