Eight Intertwined

4 - Flamesgrace

Ophilia stayed there atop the hill for a long time, her face pressed into the black fabric on her gloves. She cried until there were no tears left in her eyes, and she waited even longer for her cheeks to stop stinging from a combination of the bitterly cold air and the tears on her skin. Ophilia was shaky when she pushed herself to her feet, and she was careful to keep from crushing the gentle snow flowers beneath her. Her walk back to the bottom of the hill was slow, and Ophilia took extra care with each passing step to not slip and fall. She didn't think that she would be able to take on any other stress. She was feeling hopeless enough as it was given that she couldn't do anything to help Lianna beyond offer a shoulder to cry on. 

If only Ophilia could perform the Kindling in Lianna's place. That way, Lianna would have been able to stay at her father's side through these dark times. Lianna was clearly concerned about something happening to Josef while she was gone, and Ophilia was desperate to do anything in her power to make sure that her family was happy. She didn't think that she was deserving of their care, but she was going to try to help anyways. It was the least that she could do after all of the kindness that they had offered her in the years since her arrival at the cathedral a decade and a half prior.

Ophilia was about halfway down the hill when she stopped walking, and a gasp left her lips. What if she did perform the Kindling? It would have been an affront to the religion itself, to enter the Cave of Origin and gather the Ember of the First Flame without permission from the church, but Ophilia didn't know what else to do. She considered herself the sort of person to follow the rules most of the time, but how could she think about the traditions of the church in their full intricacy when Lianna and Josef were suffering? They had done so much for her over the years, and Ophilia couldn't stand by and watch as Lianna crumbled under her grief. Would she even be in the proper condition to perform the Kindling if she wanted to? 

Go to the Cave of Origin.

Ophilia wasn't sure of where the voice had come from, but she began to glance around in confusion. The whisper had originated from the back of her mind, but it didn't sound like any voice that Ophilia had heard before. The voice belonged to a woman, and every word seemed like the apex of strength and power. Ophilia couldn't find anyone present, and when she couldn't name a nearby figure as the culprit, she began to continue her journey down the hill. Somehow, she knew that this was the best option at her disposal. She couldn't leave Lianna to suffer when everything seemed as if it was falling apart. Who cared about sermons or church standards when her family was enduring unimaginable pain? Ophilia had to do this much for them.

By the time that Ophilia had reached the bottom of the hill, she was moving with a new sense of boldness, and each step seemed more confident than the last. She wove between the others in the Flamesgrace town square until she was back at the cathedral. As she entered the chapel itself, Ophilia glanced up at the Sacred Flame at the other end of the hall. The blue and white fire seemed to beckon for her to come closer, and she answered its pleas, her hands coming to her chest to grasp at one another with a silent sense of desperation.

Orsterra needs you. Your family needs you. Do what you must to defend them all.

Ophilia looked up once again when she heard the voice echoing in her mind a second time. Somehow, she felt as if listening to the words that were spoken was the best option for her. She gave the Sacred Flame one final long look before she began to walk as quickly as she could through the cathedral without running into the other clerics. Everything was in chaos because of Josef's sudden sickness, but Ophilia moved with a renewed sense of purpose that she refused to have stolen from her.

As she arrived at her room, Ophilia crouched down and reached under her bed, pulling free a trunk that was hiding beneath the mattress. She undid the latches on either side of the container before pushing the lid open, and Ophilia stuck her hand inside as she pulled out a staff. She had bought the weapon a few years prior after a monster managed to get through the borders of Flamesgrace and hurt the townspeople. Ophilia had hoped that she was never going to need it again, but if the Cave of Origin was truly filled with icy beasts the way that she had heard, she was left with no choice.