Illuminated Dev 7: Hina Blessing Eivor

[00:00] Hina Lam says, "I finally found the one time where you are wrong."
[00:00] Hina Lam gets off of Eivor and stands back up.
(Hina Lam)
[00:00] Hina Lam asks, "Shouldn't houses and big investments like that be saved for marrying anyways?"
[00:01] Hina Lam says, "At least.. it is what I've been told."
[00:01] Eivor asks, "Why?"
[00:01] Eivor says, "I intend to be with you until I die anyway."
[00:01] Eivor shrugs.
(Eivor)
[00:01] Hina Lam says, "It's like a relationship milestone or something."
[00:02] She suddenly felt a warm and fuzzy feeling in her heart, similar to what it felt like before she had started dating Eivor.

'I intend to be with you until I die anyway.'

Those words moved her little person in some manner that she couldn't understand, but the feelings were mutual.

A larger smile is presented on the Kitsune's face, endearing in its manner and admirable towards Eivor.

Light, soft laughter is made to those words. "I feel the same way, so- I guess it isn't all that bad, maybe."
(Hina Lam)
[00:08] He had meant what he said- he only hoped it wouldn't come to pass in the coming conflict, at least. Regardless, her words are heard, and his only response would be the way his hand presses lightly against the back of her head, snuggling her further into his neck all the while.

A hum does escape outward.

"Have Sheol folks been after you still?" it's asked, almost idly and randomly, "Did you know they'd be the ones defending Fel Garden? So Fel can focus on the frontal attack on Aphros instead."
(Eivor)
[00:24] She'll spectate as the other teenager rises from the ground and approaches, pressing the Kitsune's head back into his shoulder comfortably. It was one of the more memorable things she cherished between them. The warmth of his person, and how soft he was towards her.

"No, not that I am aware of, at least. Not ever since I killed Nerevar." Hina shrugs her shoulders, stepping closer to his person to be just as close as she could possibly get and feel the embrace of his person.

She's silent then, reminiscing on old times, even when her current speech differentiates from those thoughts. "You'll be on those frontlines for the garden, right?"

If Eivor allowed it, Hina would lift her head back up - a worried expression was drawn over her visage. "What if you end up fighting Indulgence again?" Worry laced those words, until they turn rather cold in nature, and that worrisome mien washes off her face. "If you face her, be sure to electrocute her into nothingness.

Those people don't deserve mercy by any means."

Even when Sven had told her a life could be saved. Even when Jokul's own words reverberated in her mind about such situations - it was clear to Hina her utmost intentions when it came to the Witches of Sheol - death, no matter what.

The Kitsune draws in a long, deep breath, making room for Eivor to make any certain replies he'd have in mind, but she does eventually look to him, glancing lovingly into his mismatched eyes. "You know, I'm learning how to fight still - maybe me going with my inexperience would be a bad idea, but I wouldn't want to disappoint you by not going." She'll pause then - she had something in mind, at least to further assist her partner, but for now? She'll leave it at that, just to gain his own insight on the situation.
(Hina Lam)
[00:30] When her head lifts back up, he'd only reach out, fingers of his hand made to caress along the side of her face all the while, brushing past her cheek, to the corners of her lip, and then tracing her bottom lip in those affectionate motions.

Though her words only garner a bit of grin from him.

"That's the plan... she's destined to die by my hands."

It was more than just their past- he had heard her mention Ualdir; following him before something happened to her... and he was curious, in many ways, but-

That train of thought is interrupted when she speaks again, his head tilting to the side.

"You don't have to if you don't think you're ready yet; I'd not be disappointed. Nor will I stop if you insist. Help in whatever ways you feel like- whether while being a fighter, or while not being one."

There's a slower pause, eyebrows knitting together forjust a moment.

"This it will not go like Blood Rose war..."
(Eivor)
[00:48] Those motions of Eivor's hand are felt along her features, and each passing one part of her face at a time is met with glances towards his digits grazing, soft laughter, or soft smiles.

A nod given to his proclamation about the state of Indulgence, adding a touch further of an admiring beam. "Good." It was perfect; for the damage the witch has dealt to either of them? Hina's emotions felt immensely validated, even if they went against the principles of her adoptive father's own faith.

To her, it was fairness. For one who tempted them with Fantasia, captured two unwilling teenagers after trying to get one to sell himself away to occult, and removing an eye from her partner?

A hand lifts up to his face as she'll glimpse at the glass eye, aiming to caress the cheek below it.

That drawn in breath finally is exhaled. "I believe you, and I believe in you. I have faith that this time willbe different than the last, and that you'll prevail." A brief pause then as her thumb gingerly presses into his features. "Ualdir is watching you; I'm sure you're making him proud."

Another pause as she'll reel back her head some, glancing between both mismatched orbs. "If I don't fight, then the least I can do to help you is to pray for you however I can and empower you with hope and further ignite the fires of confidence and aspirations in you."

"Do you accept that?"
(Hina Lam)
[00:55] His good eye averts for a moment- thoughts mostly drifting to battles of past even as his hand continued to idly caress her features; the encounter against Zel'ria, mere steps away from being snuffed out too early... or their capture at the hands of Indulgence; or when the undead defeated him so.

There were triumphs of victories sprinkled at places, but he had failed when it mattered the most- but this time, he would not fail. Or so he firmly believed; vowed to himself, and the Pantheon he walked the path of.

It isn't until her had gingerly presses against his cheek does he finally blink a couple different times, snapping out of that train of thoughts and glancing towards her again.

"I will prevail... and I'll come back to you, alright?"

There's a pause, then, and he'd not respond immediately to her question that follows. Instead, Eivor just leans in, eyes momentarily shifting to a close yet once again as his lips would gently press against hers, lingering for a second or two before breaking that contact.

"I accept. How do we do this?"
(Eivor)
[01:05] "I know you will, Eivor. I have belief in you - and faith." Her soft smile remains ever present, still letting her thumb caress the side of his face, even when Eivor leans in towards her.

Hina's eyes close, and the soft press of their lips encourages more soft laughter, lighthearted in nature and entirely content with the ambiance between them.

She doesn't reel back thus far, remaining close to his features with eyes still closed. "What's a sacred place for you to pray at to Ualdir? Any special place in mind?" Those azure orbs flutter open, and she'll slowly inch her face away from his.

The Kitsune wanted the source of her prayer to be as potent as possible, thus she'd inquire about somewhere in particular that Eivor may often approach to speak to his Pantheon, but- "If you don't, that's okay. If you don't, then please kneel before me."
(Hina Lam)
[01:10] The question garners a bit of frown from him- shifting about where he stood, glancing northward and bringing a single finger to his own temple all the while, scratching a couple different times.

The silence lingers, almost as if contemplating, though half a shrug follows suit. He'd finally reach out again, pressing the palm of his hand to her cheek one last time before shifting in the exit's direction.

"Come with me."
(Eivor)
[01:20] It was quite a distance away- although being the mages they were; the trip didn't particularly take as long; northward, past the snowy entrances of the mountains and closer to one of the scorching caves where he'd finally enter.

It was a large chamber, really; a rugged place, although not quite dark; the streams of pure magma showering it in a scarlet hue. Walls were made of solid black rocks, air warm and carrying a faint scent of sulfur as the ground beneath remained uneven, covered in those coarse, black gravel all the while.

The low rumble of distant volcanoes echoed through the cavern, and stalactites hung from the ceiling like jagged teeth, paired up perfectly with those stalagmites jutting upward from rocky surface below, forming natural pillars, more often than not coated in thin layer of hardened lava, evidence of past eruptions.

Right in the middle of that cave would the Ualdir's child finally turn around, facing Hina- temperature was rather high, truth be told, much more than enough to make them sweat; and definitely more than enough to give heat strokes to those weren't as resilient, who didn't have their superhuman gifts and control over mana.

Right in the middle of Volanic heart; blazing, bold, powerful... just like Ualdir.

Eivor doesn't say anything; he didn't need to. Instead, he'd just close his eyes, and kneel before her, ignoring the way agonized sensations of scorching heat pressing against his legs and knees.
(Eivor)
[01:36] The Kitsune follows in tow, passing through the settlement of Aphros behind Eivor, wherein they find themselves traversing through the plains, the snowy terrain at the base of the volcanic mountains towering above, and climbing the steps and other rubble to appear within the widened confines at the center of it all - a chamber.

Azure eyes drift throughout, taking note of all details; surrounding them were streams of magma undisturbed, bubbling throughout - nearly inaudible and overtaken by volcanic rocks changing unpredictably, causing the reverberations of motion heard in the cavity.

And eventually, those blue eyes of Hina glance to Eivor, kneeling before her amid the stuffy heat surrounding them; it had been an air she was used to, herself, being a wielder of fiery magics.

"It's beautiful here," Hina admits, stepping towards Eivor. The crunch below her high sandals is discernable as she approaches, staring at him with such an admirable expression oft accompanying her features when she sees him.

Both of her arms outstretch forward towards the boy's head, and her hands cup nearby, as if she'd grab his head, though her palms are just an inch away. "Are you ready now?"
(Hina Lam)
[01:43] He remained settled there for a couple more, longer moments- not responding just yet. Instead, long breaths are drawn; sharp, albeit dragged out inhales, followed by slow and controlled exhales all the while.

He figured this would be ideal; amidst the blazes and raw pyres; elements that resonate with both their deities; the fiery God of War, Ualdir and the embodiment of Sun in Jiiuweihu.

His hands shift a bit, index and middle fingers of both of them dragging along the grounds underneath, laced in the volcanic ashes before lifting upward and tracing his features; from his temples to his cheek in a single stroke, then to his chin in another, downward stroke; in fashions so familiar to the seventeen years old; much akin to what he does with the runic paints.

Hina wasn't a priestess of Ualdir, and the primary source of her prayers would be her goddess. Though he didn't particularly mind; he knew Ualdir was watching. He'd always be watching, and his heart was devoted.

"I'm ready."

It's whispered outwards, and there's a brief glance in Hina's direction before his eyes drift to a close for good, palms pressed to his legs.

Quiet, otherwise.
(Eivor)
[02:29] Hina doesn't verbally respond to Eivor's acceptance of her endeavors; rather, she inclines her head, acknowledging his preparedness of her forthcoming empowerment. That warm-hearted smile persists on her features.

The ambiance surrounding her was more palpable than the stuffy heats of the cavity; warm, welcoming, and friendly in its demeanor. Within seconds, Hina's spiritual energy emerges from convergent points of her circuits, surrounding the immediate vicinity of her short statured person, compressed, protective in nature. Eventually, that mana shifts around to expand, aiming to envelop Eivor within it as well.

It's as if the intensified warmth of the caverns was cooling down around them in that fiery preservation thrusting away the hotness, absorbing its energy for herself.

Most of that eminence can be felt casting from the very chest of the Kitsune - symbolism of feelings; the very heart itself exuding those emotions ofpassionate love for the one below her. Every ounce of affection drawn outward to encompass Eivor.

And finally, as Hina inhales in a deep, steady breath of air in her lungs. The mana in her circuits accumulates at the very base of her palms, slowly encircling Eivor's head and connecting itself around him like a soft blanket and penetrating within his temple.

"Jiuweihu, Deity of Eternia's Sun," she begins, tilting her head back towards the ceiling of the cave, as if to glance through the opaque walls and partake in view of the Sunlight. Her azure eyes come to a close, focusing tremendously.

Her essence is made vulnerable in those passing seconds, opening herself up to the Divines of Meranthe's Pantheons, but especially to Jiuweihu, the deity she is loyal to.

Therein, the Lifestream flourishes, surrounding Hina in a pleasant sensation that she embeds in her mana as its directing itself around Eivor, etching him with her buoyant prayer.

"In harmony now, I call upon you and Uladir to instill Eivor with strength, with courage, and with passion in order to defeat any of his doubts within.

Gift him the valor of your light, and imprint him with the proper encouragement towards the path of self improvement. On the path of righteousness will the flame of Ualdir be assured.

Allow he who kneels before me become a battalion of unstoppable fire, made to achieve, under your name, and prevail."

The Kitsune falls silent, allowing the prayer and the essence of Eternia to find itself administered to him.

"Under the guidance of the Sun, and the power of flame, allow me to share in my essence with him. Fortify my strength inside his own." Another pause as the usual endearing smile curls on Hina's lips, reminiscing on old memories in those moments.

"From the day I met him, throughout time, our friendship has grown to prosper under the guidance and trials of our deities.

Our first fight where I unlocked the power in my circuits, to our capture by Indulgence." Hina pauses, soaking in the essence of the world within, and another deep breath is drawn.

"Our escape." Those azure eyes flutter open halfway, staring at the roof of the cave; luminosity shone from those orbs as her powers brandish more, slowly creeping into Eivor's own circuits and invigorating him.

"The night of the dance. Every precious moment between us since that first day when I was attacked by lesser demons and struck by the forces of his magic." A pause then as her head finally inclines, glancing down towards Eivor below her.

"Pass on this short-term gift of my essence, and allow the one here that I love with every inch of my soul to flourish in this life before all of you."

And it is then that her request may be granted, blessing Eivor with the vitality of the Kitsune, a protection of her love forhim.
(Hina Lam)
[02:29] Hina Lam prays for Eivor.
[02:29] Hina Lam prays for Eivor.
[03:09] Eivor doesn't open his eyes, nor does he make any movements; The Ualdir's son would remain settled down, knelt down with those palms pressed to his legs all the while, even as a single drop of sweat trickles down his forehead, tracing the side of his features before dripping down and evaporating on contact with those scorching grounds below.

Yet even amidst the blazing air which surrounds them so, he could feel the touch of that ever so familiar, warm and welcoming ambiance of hers embracing him, enveloping him with her mana.

It felt soothing, comforting and full of affections- coaxing similar emotions within his own person; a sense of belonging and love towards her.

And as that ethereal touch is felt upon his temples, Eivor would finally hear her words.

'In harmony now, I call upon you and Uladir to instill Eivor with strength, with courage, and with passion in order to defeat any of his doubts within.'

And there were many... borne through past experiences and defeats; his own weaknesses and moments that cost him dearly so; unable to save her during their capture, becoming a amidst the first blazes of war upon Blood Rose, and the bitter taste of defeat against Indulgence which saw him lose an eye.

He tried his best to keep moving forward; to keep his spirit intact and to not let thoughts of weakness get to him, and yet... despite his faith, some days were harder than the others.

Yet-

'Gift him the valor of your light, and imprint him with the proper encouragement towards the path of self improvement.'

He understood it. None of those failures mattered in the moment- and none of them would matter in the upcoming conflict to come.

Words of past, following his defeat to Zel'riaecho within him yet once again; courage not being the absence of fear, but that desire to keep moving despite that fear. Strength not being the absence of failure, but that will to fight despite them.

And most importantly, the will is what mattered- as long as his ambitions remain, as long as he walks that right path, and as long as he strives for the same thing- what Hina voiced out, what Ualdir embodies:

To become that torrent of unstoppable pyres; made with no purpose but to simply achieve.

He was going to prevail. He had to prevail for more reasons than just one, because-

'Under the guidance of the Sun, and the power of flame, allow me to share in my essence with him. Fortify my strength inside his own.'

As she continued, he could feel it; both her powers brandishing him, invigorating him, as well as the weight of her words.

From the day they first met in the dark woods.

To their little scuffle, resulting in the blossoming of her magic.

To those moments of vulnerability as consequences of Blood Rose war loomed in their wake.

To their capture by the hands of Indulgence; results of their reckless actions for driven by nothing but the sheer desire to protect each other in their own ways.

To the night of the dance, and the day which followed after, and... many more such moments.

By the time Eivor opened his eyes and pulled himself back up with just the softest of breaths; he could feel the changes... he felt stronger, revitalized, with clarity embracing both his body and mind.

Azure eyes peer into her own, and words are quiet yet clear when they escape.

"I'll join the march to Fel Garden, I'll fight, I'll triumph, and-"

His faith and that will to achieve, to leave his markbehind and etch a name never to be forgotten remained close to his heart.

But it wasn't just that- there was more, something perhaps even closer.

He was going to prevail. He had to prevail for more reasons than just one, because-

"-and I'll come back to you."
(Eivor)
[03:27] Her essence insinuated in the son of Ualdir there is met with reduction of her own lifeforce and power, but to bless one that she loved with her life, who Hina has sought to protect however she could, was a bargain worth permitting.

Thereafter that prayer and blessing, her enveloping embrace of spiritual force is drawn back in of what's remaining, leaving the girl fatigued physically and in quintessence. The intrinsic force of Eternia, the Lifestream, finds itself presently reeling back as Hina closes herself up in those moments, no longer engaging in the prayers and blessings of their deities and the tenets of Jiuweihu and Ualidr.

Her mission there was complete before Eivor, having instilled him with hope, with courage, with the warmth of her passionate love, and the fires of willpower that may help Eivor confront those who oppose him.

"No matter what happens out there in the Fel Garden, Eivor-" She shifts some, slowly declining her arms back to her side. "I believe in the things you can do; your judgements and your goals." Slowly, Hina's head inclines.

This was the place of his own worships to Ualidr, and this would be the place she'd allow her first blessing to permeate, flourish, and be implanted; a place sacred to one's own reverence. Pure in its meaning to Eivor, allowing her honor the codes of conduct and principles of his Pantheon.

"And-" Her left hand raises to meet his cheek, pressing against his features softly. "I'll be by your side through it all."
(Hina Lam)
[03:41] Her touch is felt upon his cheek, and his own hand reaches out to grasp hers beside his features all the while, eyes drifting to a close- his expression laced with a brief sense of comfort there.

"And I'll stand by yours throughout all your judgements and ambitions. I love you. Always have, and will continue to do so," even if the intimacy and form of that love differed throughout, he spoke with all the depth and sincerity he could offer; she was the center of his affections- incomparable, irreplaceable, and immortal in his heart; only one he'd ever feel such way towards, "Until the oceans are dust."

With that, a single step taken over to the Kitsune's side, before his eye flickers towards the cavern's exit.

"You seem fatigued. We can head back, Hina."
(Eivor)
[03:48] 'Until the oceans are dust.'

"And until the Lifestream doesn't support us anymore." Spoken with utmost sincerity in her tone, never wavering her admiration for Eivor.

Her hand lowers down to her side again, watching as her significant other steps forth, prompting them towards the exit to depart together. She gives a confirming incline. "I am; to gift someone with part of your essence in exchange for it being lost on me feeling tiresome, but-"

Hina turns in his direction, letting out the fainted, soft laugh. "It's a burden I'm willing to bear for you." And, with those final words spoken, she'll follow him in tow to wherever he leads.
(Hina Lam)