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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lylandra" data-source="post: 9819260" data-attributes="member: 6816692">Well... the story does have a short epilogue that plays out somewhere between 15-20 years after "the end", sooo... I guess it could be somehow incorporated into the story <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />Now up to the promised Auryn-interspections. There are two of them, one short paragraph regarding the Eddie story and the longer regarding her own state.Regarding Eddie:Auryn was, of course, relieved that the Vantrys murder case has finally been solved and closed. Even though the result was disastrous and had once again shown her where blind conviction and personal pain could lead if left to run rampant. Unlike for Vardanis, she felt only pity for Eddie, as he certainly hadn't chosen his fate. Considering all that Gabriel had told her about his former comrade, Eddie must have been a gentle, loyal and kind person in his first life, and it troubled her that Srasama's essence could transform someone like him into such a haunted, destructive figure. She also felt sorry for Gabriel... after all, he had cared for Eddie all these years and tried to help him. Only to then be forced to kill his oldest friend. She knew all too well how such a loss felt and vowed that she'd be there for Gabriel. Regarding herself:Once again, Auryn's path had taken a turn she hadn't seen coming, though this time she welcomed it with open arms.The world had fallen into chaos, that much was clear. And it was difficult to navigate this chaos. All around her, entire countries were succumbing to madness and fanaticism, while others were blind to the dangers threatening Lanjyr from outside.Auryn had wondered how it had come to this, and for a long time she had found no answer. But in the end, it was she herself who had given her the decisive clue, as she herself had almost fallen into the spiral of cascading conclusions of this new world.Sure, she still didn't know if she would return from her journey unscathed. Whether she'd return as the woman she was now. Whether she would still be a mortal or something else. But she would surely not sacrifice herself without a fight. She was attached to this life, just as she was attached to this world. Just as Gabriel was attached to her. Ultimately, it had been him who had given her solid ground again. If she was “his light,” unwavering and incorruptible in following her path, lighting the way, then he was her rock, giving her stability.It had been wrong to distance herself from “ordinary life” after Nightfall, to distance herself from her feelings. Only now did Auryn realize how good it felt to get the weight off her chest. A weight she had ignored as though it was invisible. To see how wrong she had interpreted signals. How much she had seen things quite naturally from the perspective of an Eladrin. How she had not wanted to dispute Gabriel's supreme privilege as a husband to be his wife's last true defense. When it was him, in return, who trusted in her strength and valued her more than any tradition or time-honored protocol.She felt something old and familiar rise up within her and join the light that dwelled within her, the light she wanted to be for all the others out there: her inner fire. After the loss of Morris, she had become cold, though happy at times, her light being more the persistent light of Av, than the vitalizing blaze of Vona. She would have to cultivate this fire, that much was certain. But she would also no longer hold back and would speak her desires and thoughts openly.She was Auryn, daughter of Matriarchs, Dawn Knight, bringer of light, Baroness of Bole, conqueror of the Mad King, bearer of the Hook of Triegenes, and Lady of the Unseen Court, not just the lover of a king. (I...somehow read this now like it was the announcement of a Game of Thrones Character with their unending list of titles <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />)And anyone who underestimated her was making a grave mistake. Vardanis had learned that the hard way. Now his empire was on the verge of collapse, and hopefully Elfaivar could find a new beginning. Without the threat of domination by the devils of the Golden Legion. She hoped that enough of the empire's Eladrin understood the danger they were in. That the devil's blood meant nothing but dependence and perversion.And then there was Crisillyir. Part of her wanted to agree with Gabriel's thoughts: perhaps it would be better for everyone if the old empire, this terrible theocracy, came to an end. If it could be ensured that the Clergy would never again be able to harm anyone, especially not her people. If it could be ensured that Crisillyir would never be able to wage war against Risur or Elfaivar. And if these madmen used the very ritual with which they had forced Srasama to manifest in Dala and nearly destroyed her people to bring about their own destruction, wouldn't it be a kind of bittersweet justice if Crisillyir chose the same kind of demise?But there was still that nagging conscience that asked her if she wasn't better than that. Whether it was right that innocents should suffer because of the fanaticism of a few. Whether there wasn't another way to ensure once and for all that the Crisillyiri would never set foot in their homeland again. And whether she could maybe add “paragon of change” to her long list of heroic deeds.So... from what I see, these are almost my last notes of inner reflection for Auryn with only one entry left that's covering the entry sections of Chapter 12&13, which we did in parallel. A decision that almost ended up in a catastrophe. But we'll come to that later.I'd also so love to see something similar regarding Carlyle's inner thoughts, but he didn't write down anything even if we talked regularly about the two Character's motivations. As unbelieveable as it may sound, but, from what I got, he didn't get as deeply into Carlyle as he got into Cuin'halar, his Taranesti elf from WotBS. Which is... another story that I need to finish someday.</blockquote>

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