Page 2 of Fire & Ice

Dear Diary,

I think I’ve been among those counted as fragile too long, for one of their sayings is stuck in my head. ‘All is well, that ends well.’

I think it might be true, but what about those who are blessed to have life with a longer trajectory?

I guess a better saying for the gifted and halflings might be, ‘All is well, that lives well’?

On living well, I still petition the fates that the pain I felt at Sara’s twenty-fifth moonday was all for nought and that she is living life well. Even though the pain I felt at losing access to a friend was unspeakable, I was happy for her. It’s just the fact that she was whisked away without a goodbye that made it harsh. I know it’s protocol, so I don't understand why I'm whining.

I get it. You must learn to control the new power culled inside of you if you are blessed to be a Halfling. Beyond that, everything else to me is a mystery. I just hope that we will see each other again and that the last quarter moon will not have been our final true moment as friends.

Forgive the melancholy twining around the words of my pen. It’s just that tomorrow is already here. Tomorrow is now Today.

My own twenty-fifth moonday approaches. The day I know if Sara and I will meet again or if our paths will come to a fork in the road. The day I know what I am truly meant to be.

Will I be who I am now; gifted, but with an expiration date, or will I be more?

Either way the pendulum swings, there are things I know for certain.

None thus far has ever been bestowed with a gift they could not learn to control.

Blood never lies.

Sacrifice is the way of our world and Radiance shines upon us when we present ourselves as offerings upon our 25th year, bringing about a culmination of what can only be described as either ascension, retention, or disappointment depending on our individual expectations.

Me?

My expectations are that I will remain as I am. Maybe losing a friend but keeping myself. For I do not know how I will adjust. But, maybe just maybe, more will be given to me, and I will not only get to keep my friend but gain more of our world in turn.

Either way, I believe that I am ready. I must be, for if not, why has the little death not taken me and allowed me the rest required for all that is happening in just a few short hours.

I will not lie and say that the uncertainty of what the future holds is not suffocating, and even the rhythmic sound of my breathing, or my familiar fire, can't ease the tension coiled deep within my chest. But I know that I must gather my courage and walk towards my future with my head held high. Even if it means leaving behind everything and everyone I have ever known.

As I sit here, staring out at the city skyline under the waning moonlight writing, I can't help but wonder what my life will be like if I am blessed to become a Halfling. Will I be able to control it, the elevation of my gift? Will I be accepted as one of few to know all our secrets? Will I be happy?

All these questions and more are swirling around in my head, like a never-ending storm. But amidst the chaos, there is a glimmer of hope. I hope that one day, I will be able to make a difference in our world.

And as our planet Sangre’s sun begins to rise, maybe I will try to allow the little death's embrace to grab me once more before the day has stretched on too long, bringing with it my 25th moon day.

Blood and Honor

~ Tempest

Chapter 2

Tempest

Frustrated, I tossed the leather-bound journal. Flopping back into the pillows, I tossed and turned, trying to find comfort in the plush bedding. Normally, rest would come easily. All it took was for my thick black curls mixed with fire to touch the pillow, and I would be pulled into the small death’s embrace. But tonight, it eluded me.

My fingers trailed across my scalp before running through hair that had grown long enough to fall in waves around my shoulders. Even my hair was exuding frustration. Tonight, instead of lying still, my curls bounced and swayed around my head and face like a wild, chaotic ball of energy, licked by fire along the ends. I could feel each strand move as though it had a life of its own, each one dancing like a playful blade of fire, as if my gift was bored and decided to make its own game.

My mind wandered as it ran away from rest. I looked about my room, it was full of luxurious knick-knacks and, fabrics—all fire retardant thanks to the never-ending inventions of the fragiles.

“Goddess!” I groaned, when my eyes landed on my bedside clock, as if I needed the confirmation that the sun was waning in the sky. I’m going to look like a complete mess on the new moon, if I don’t get any rest. Sighing, I lay back onto the bed, my eyes tracing the ceiling.

“I would welcome the small death tonight,” I whispered, “especially if it brought more of him.”

Sighing again, I closed my eyes and tried to picture him. He was the only man I had ever been with, but it was only in my dreams. I truly had no idea who he was—if he was real, maybe someone I had met in passing once, just a figment of my overactive imagination or a vision of my future. But no matter who he was, he always appeared to me in the same way. Engulfed in shadows. Broad shoulders that dwarfed my own frame. A pale chiseled chest that glinted under the moonlight and piercing blue eyes that seemed to see right through me. In my dreams, I could feel his strong arms enveloping me, holding me close, protecting me from the world. He had a coolness within him that seemed to turn my fire into a gentle warmth, and I had been dreaming of him almost nightly since my twenty-fourth moon. Last night was no exception.

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