Soul Fire

5.2

Out of nowhere, Bloom emerged behind Miss Faragonda before a crumbling stone structure in a large clearing. The clearing backed up to a cliff, where a waterfall flowed freely in the distance. Tall grass swayed in the breeze as they approached the building.

It was the size of a cathedral, with arched windows and entrances. It was partially open to the elements, lacking a ceiling, with the only enclosed area ahead through a walkway of pillars. The stones were overgrown with moss and vines and large flowers. Parts of the structure were crumbling, any glass on the windows long since destroyed, leaving only the intricate iron frames.

Bloom stepped into the structure, walking through a large stone arch. Pillars were raised all around her, with the identical arches filling the space.

"Care to explain where you brought me?" Bloom asked, surveying the space warily, as if it would collapse at any moment.

"This," Faragonda said, stepping in the center of the ruins, "is an old fae shrine."

A shrine.

Bloom had never seen a shrine like this on Earth, only in movies or in video games.

Bloom walked through the pillars, her footing sure despite the loose stones and roots littering the ground. Her first few steps had been hesitant, until she realized that she could rely on her sharp senses, on the instincts of this body, to avoid any potential pitfalls. "A shrine to what, exactly?"

"To the Dryr, to the nymphs, it isn't exactly clear. It has stood for at least a millennia."

Bloom almost choked. A milenna. To stay in this good condition, it must have been made with special care, with special materials, maybe with magic.

But it had been forgotten, for decades, if the overgrowth was any indication.

Bloom stepped through the arch that led into the only covered portion of the shrine. She had expected it to be smaller, from the outside she couldn't see how far the room went back. It was at least five or six stories tall. Tall narrow windows loomed on either side of her, but with no glass closing her in. They were just open, as if to allow as much fresh air in as possible. Foliage and vines spilled in from the outside.

Opposite the space from her was a large wooden door with crumbling stone stairs on either side of it, leading up to a platform. On that wall, up near the top was a large circular window of purple and yellow stained glass, which was mostly intact, to Bloom's surprise.

Overgrown cathedral, indeed.

Bloom could tell that this structure was old. Ancient, even. From a time that even on Earth would have been difficult to date. But it had endured the tests of time. The structure showed little damage, like The Dimension itself deemed it worthy of standing strong. The detail in the stonework was still visible.

And the ceiling... that alone was enough to make Bloom fall to her knees. The craftsmanship was exquisite. It was a swirl of the finest gold and silver whorls, with symmetrical beams towering from each wall and molding into the arched ceiling where they converged in a sun at the top. And with her faerie eyes, she could see all of it in perfect clarity. As if she had been blind her entire life and had never even realized it.

This could not be real. Bloom had to be dreaming.

She had been brought here, for what? A history lesson? To appreciate the fine work of fae hands? To connect with herself, and her history?

Because fae history was her history, too. It belonged to her, as it belonged to the Ash guild, to her and every other faerie and elf and all creatures in between. Even if she hadn't been able to accept that before now.