~Realm of Shadows~
He could no longer hear the music. He knew Finder’s presence could not exist everywhere, but he had felt that as long as he could hold onto the music, Finder would be able to see and hear him. As he traversed the lands, although they all looked the same to him, he would hum or sing to give himself courage, but slowly the music faded and the shadows seemed to grow deeper around him. Then the attacks began and as his ability to call upon Finder decreased, so did his belief that any moment his friends would magically appear to rescue him from Broddy’s accidental, or was it really an accident, banishment to her land.
She had started whispering to him when the music began to fade, telling him that she understood his anguish, frustration, and sorrow. She could make the attacks stop, make the dark wounds he had suffered close, teach him a different song to fill the void his exile had created. All he had to do was call out to her, reach out to her for strength; give his soul to her.
He resisted the call for almost three years; fighting every day as if it was the last he would ever see, but the attacks, both physically and mentally, took their toll on him and when he reached his breaking point, he screamed one name into the darkness.
“Shar…”
~Now~
Sitting in the simple room, Ayden felt the slight breeze coming in through his window, the heat of the sun shining on him, and tried to find the connection with Finder that once came as naturally as breathing.
~He came to save you after you renounced Shar, gave you the strength to dispel the shadows which were sent to kill you, guided you to the Hall of the Harpers…~
“Now the rest is up to me…”
Ayden did not know what had happened to the finely crafted violin he had once carried, nor did he think he was ready for it if the others managed to carry it all these years. Instead, he took a long drink of water and forced a weak whistle through his cracked lips. It was a weak and flat note, but Ayden held it for as long as he could and when the sound died, he immediately created another and another, until one pure note was created. Ayden tried to keep the note sustained, forced air out of his lungs until he saw spots forming on the edges of his vision, and then it was gone.
~But the music is still there…~
With that thought giving him strength, Ayden closed his eyes and looked towards the sun, knowing it might be the last time he would feel its warmth upon his face.
~Finder…Uncle…the days will be long and my strength will be tested, but they will need your strength more than they will need mine. You have given me a chance to reclaim my life, but I do not know if I have it within me to do so. Do not hold my weakness against them, be with them as you once were and I will do what I must.~
As he finished his prayers, Ayden felt words of power slowly forming in his mind as Finder’s grace filled him. Some of the blessings were familiar to him, but others Ayden wondered if he would have the strength to properly cast.
~As always, he knows more than he is telling…~