[Temple of Enlightenment] What have you got to lose, except your soul? (Stargrace)

[Veleraen]

Continued From Here.


The warnings given by the monk did not make the Knight waver or falter in any way. He knew there were risks involved in such an endeavor, like many of his endeavors around the Empire and this one was no different. What was disturbing was that the monk 'knew' that he needed a visit to this 'dungeon of light'. Perhaps some of their Order were enlightened and attuned to the world that they could sense other's states of minds or even their emotions and fears. Whatever the case may have been, the wisdom filled eyes of the monks bored into him like a drill, encasing that look into the Giant's mind forever.

"I understand." Veleraen gave a nod and pulled out three, one hundred bank notes and fifty gold crowns he had on his person and handed it to the monk, swiftly signing the agreement with one of their quills. Monks with legal practice...It was hard to imagine but then again he could not disbelieve what was before his eyes.

The Giant had no way of knowing how long his 'experience' was to take, nor how tired he truly would be after such a venture into the unknown and had decided before hand that he would most likely spend one darkening here before he left back towards Zinn'Sunn just to be safe. Veleraen was about to hand his travel bag off to the monk but then hesitated as he realized it weighed as much as the monk did, if not more.

"I will carry my bag. No disrespect intended, however it weighs...well, as twice as much as you do. I would hate for you to become injured." Veleraen gave a respectful nod in the monk's direction and followed his guide into the room where he put his luggage and then was led to the waiting room. There was nothing but a single chair inside the room and it was too small for the Giant so he simply set it aside and sat down within the somewhat cramped quarters. He had instructed Hakan to stay outside the temple during the duration of his stay as he knew that the bird would be a distraction and Hakan knew that as well.

Slowly but surely, the Knight looked about the room with ease and took a deep breath, undecided as to what he was to do while he waited. He didn't know where he was to go from here nor what was about to happen so instead of worrying about it, Veleraen let fate take him in with her gentle hands and closed his eyes as he began to Meditate.

He had meditated almost every brightening for several Eras now, taking deep, slow breaths and clearing his mind of the horrors of his past. He wiped the slate clean, letting a mental light of clarity sweep over him and warm his insides, sending a tingling feeling down his crossed legs and up his spine. He prayed to Aslan to help guide him on his journey and waited...for whatever was to come.

[Stargrace]

Time passed into the dephs of silence as was often the case with meditation; the meditator did not acknowledge, did not notice, how long he had been in the dream-like state. It was not until the Monk dressed in a red robe with black patterns tapped the Giant on his shoulder and softly said close to his ear "come we must talk" did the Giant realise how long he had been left in the room by the stiffness of his crossed legs as he uncrossed them.

The Monk smiled pleasantly at the Giant "The dungeon is ready to receive you but first...I ask that you speak your demons, your fears, any internal disharmony you have aloud. You must speak it aloud to summon them forth and to acknowledge its existance. Nothing you say will be judged by me or pass from my lips, you have my word as a Monk on that. I can also give you a blessing in the name of Torek if it is your wish." The Monk smiled again in reassurance and cupped his hands together whilst he patiently waited.

[Veleraen]

Time elapsed and the Giant was quite unaware as to how much as his eyes kept him in a state of clarity, his mind focused and ready to accept his fate. That peace was interrupted as he felt a tap of a finger upon his arm and looked down to see a monk who wished to speak with him.

Slowly uncrossing his legs was more of a challenge than he realized as he could feel the stiffness in his muscles as they had begun to cramp up beneath him during his meditation. Veleraen listened to the monk as he indicated the dungeon was ready but first he had to speak his fears, his inner demons and anything else he may have had to speak about before entering so that they could manifest themselves.

"No, that is fine kind sir, but thank you. I do not need blessings to help me confront my fears. I must show Torek I am not afraid to confront that which hides inside me without his help, prayer or not." Veleraen gave a slight nod to the monk and took a deep breath as he prepared himself. His inner demons and fears...they were all clouded and mixed together, it was hard to reach down and grab a hold of their meaning, to grasp the words necessary to give them justice.

Breath passed through his lips and as he pondered upon what he was to say, his mind clicked off and let his heart and soul talk for him, as thinking about what was inside him was not the same as to let his heart talk for him, the real place that knew what sort of terrors he had experienced in this life.

"My soul carries many burdens, many demons that very few could take the full weight of. I have always had a demons stalk my dreams, those of the unliving and beyond, nightmares plague my darkenings and I cannot rid myself of them, their claws pull me back into an abyss each night and I struggle to hold on to the light.

I fear that I will not be able to save those who are in need of saving, who are in need of seeing the light. I fear that my actions will not be enough to stop the rising tide.

My deepest fear is not that I am inadequate. My deepest fear is that I am powerful beyond measure. It is my light, not my darkness that most frightens me. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as I let my own lights shine, I unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As I am liberated from my own fear, my presence automatically liberates others."

[Stargrace]

More for his own understanding, the Monk repeated the Giants words "So my dear Giant what you are saying is that you fear your actions of good and aid will be little or not enough at all to prevent the rising of wrong and evil." The Monk frowned and one could see his deep concentration reflected in the frown before he spoke. "I am sorry my education is limited and I am afraid you have lost me in your last words." The monk quickly added as an afterthought. "Do not fear however I am quite accomplished in matters of internal enlightenment." The Monk smiled warmly as he reached the end of his sentence. He patiently waited in silence for the giant to kindly explain what he meant. He felt is was necessary for him, as the master of the dungeon of light, to fully understand what plagued the Giant so there would be no misunderstandings and in case the Giant afterwards wished to have words with him about his crusade, the Monk would be better able to help if he was meant to do so.

The Monk then remarked on the Giant's dreams in a soft and harmonious voice. "Why do you think you are plagued by dreams? Do you think the demons are your own or otherwise? And what do you believe are their intenitions with communicating to you? Do you think the demons are trying to take your feet away from the righteous path you are walking on? And if so would you not say this has brought forth more determination for your cause? Are you afraid of these demons? Are you ever at all tempted to listen to them, to forsake the light?"

[Veleraen]

OOCSorry for the delay, just been milling over this thread and thinking what I want to post.

"Fear, doubt, insecurity, they all plague my mind and I have to constantly reassure myself that I am stronger than I am. I have to tell myself that my dreams are not my impending future and that I still have a path to walk, a path that brings me to my own salvation and into the lush forests of Sonos. The fear that I will die for nothing, die without honour and die faithless....that is what plagues me..."

Veleraen looked downwards to his knees and sighed and thought about what he had said. As the monk brought up the issues of his dreams, his face hardened and raised itself once more.

"I do not fear the demons, I fear what they represent, what is to come. I do not know if my dreams are visions, as my people interpret dreams more ritualistically than many other cultures...Dreams can mean many things, and my dreams, dreams that are plagued with hordes of undead, the death of innocents, it cannot lead to a just end. I fear my existence will lead many of those innocents to their death but that suspicion is unfounded and I cannot understand why I even think that. I have never been tempted by the evils in this world, at least not in the ways that I have experienced them. I know I am strong enough to resist those feelings of vengeance and hatred, the feelings that lead one down the wrong path, down the path into Aeternia. I could not willingly walk down one such as that. I would rather die right now then be drawn to such evil."

He looked at the monk and hoped that cleared up some of his questions and gave him a clearer look at things. Veleraen was not exactly the most upfront individual when it came to such matters and it was hard to confide in a stranger, even one who was enlightened and disciplined as he was. Trust was hard to come by in this world and there were very few in this life that had earned his.

[Stargrace]

The Monk muttered some words under his breath and when his lips stilled he looked into the eyes of the Giant, blinked and said in a final tone. "Done." The room stayed in silence for a few long moments as his one stated word seemed to snap in the air. The Monk took one step towards the doorway and said in a soft and pleasant tone. "If you will please follow me, it is time." The Monk lead the Giant out of the waiting room and stopped in front of a dark and to the Giant's relief, tall tunnel. As one stared into its depths, the tunnel seemed quite foreboding. The Monk stood to the left of the tunnel with his arms folded behind his back. The Monk did not say another word, he understood the rest was up to the Giant and sometimes the first step into the tunnel was the hardest to do.

Once the Giant had stepped into the tunnel, he would find to his satisfaction that the top of his head was just shorter than the tunnel's roof. It was up to the Giant then on what he did next in the darkness, he had only the choice of standing still or walking further inside, going back to where the Monk waited was not an option. Nothing out of the ordinary seemed to happen once he was completely absorbed in the darkness. The light from the room where the Giant had just been was curiously not visible even though Veleraen had not walked far into the tunnel. It was like the tunnel was sealed shut. Veleraen was indeed trapped. Before the Giant could ponder this any further, a cry erupted into the air. The tone was high pitched and conveyed the terror that was felt. When Veleraen looked around he would see further into the depths of the tunnel, a female lying on the ground with her arms covering her face; stooped over the woman was a disfigured being seeming to be part Zombie, part Orc and complete monster.

As the Giant went forward to the female’s aid the tunnel seemed to disappear. The Giant was walking on dirt, the cold air hit the Giant’s face with force, trees surrounded the area, their branches reached out as if they were trying to prevent the Giant from reaching the female and her attacker. The only thing that remained the same in the mysterious and new surrounding was the darkness.

As the Giant finally reached the female and her foe -- a journey that seemed to take a length of time, the monster rose to his full height and gave Veleraen a chilling look. The face was familiar to the Giant. And then it hit him, the monster was once human, of good quality; he was an innocent the Giant had helped.

“So you do remember me?” The monster’s mouth managed a gruesome grin. “Without your aid my good Sir I would not have survived to become what I am now.” The monster took a deep breath in as if savouring the moment and indeed his new existence. The monster looked down at the pale female, her large blue eyes turned frantically from the Giant to her attacker and then back to the Giant again. The monster looked back at Veleraen. “I am not the first of your innocents to walk the dark path and I will not be the last. Believe what you will but why would I lie to you?