Eight Intertwined

45 - Alephan

The inside of this shrine looked, for the most part, identical to the one that had housed the spirit of Aelfric. The primary difference that Cyrus noticed as they began their investigation was the fact that the flames dancing along the wall were not the same white color they had been in Aelfric's shrine. Instead, they were a blue color, standing out stark and bright against the shaded backdrop of the shrine. The flames cast everything in a gentle sapphire glow, and Cyrus found himself examining the rest of his team with curiosity in his eyes at the sight of all of them bathed in blue. 

Cyrus had come to study the gods quite a bit as part of his research into magic. Because of his profession, the subject of the arcane come up at every turn, and the gods were heavily linked with such concepts. The gods were associated with many different things in their own right, and Aelfric was notably said to have ties with the color white. That certainly explained the shade of the flames that had lit the walls in her shrine. Blue was another color linked to a different god, and if Cyrus' theories were correct, he already knew which one they were going to be meeting with. 

The end of the path brought the group to yet another podium sitting on a balcony over an endless void. The same railings as the previous shrine lined the area to make sure nobody tipped over into the darkness below. A small amount of natural sunshine gleamed upon the podium, yet another similarity between the two shrines. As far as Cyrus could tell, the shrines had largely the same physical appearances with a few differences, the flame color being the most notable of those he had already come to list. Another difference was location, though he supposed that made sense. Gathering the power of twelve immensely powerful beings in one place was bound to cause issues if the wrong person got their hands on such strength. 

The final difference that Cyrus could see though was the figure on the top of the podium. In Aelfric's shrine, there had been a set of crystals carved together and assembled with stone. In this situation, there was a rock carving of a book that sat open and simple on the pedestal. Cyrus nodded to himself at the sight; his initial assumptions as to which god this shrine belonged to had been correct. 

Cyrus glanced over to the Ember and saw that it was continuing to flicker brightly with the promise of something new. It was duller than it had been the last time though, likely because the Ember was most closely connected with Aelfric. This shrine appeared to be partnered with Alephan, the scholar god known for his mastery of the magical elements. He was strong with every power of the arcane, a terror on the battlefield with unparalleled magical prowess. Cyrus didn't pray to the gods of Orsterra often, but Alephan had come to be known as the benefactor god of Atlasdam. If he was going to ask for anything of the gods, he always chose to make Alephan the target of his discussions. 

"Well... We all know what happens next, right?" Alfyn questioned as he glanced to the rest of the group. He was reaching for his axe even though he knew that the battle that was bound to follow was only going to be taking place inside their minds. There was no need for physical weapons under such circumstances, but he was prepared as could be despite this. 

Cyrus nodded his agreement with Alfyn's inquiry, and he made sure that the others were as prepared as possible. He wondered distantly what power Alephan was going to be able to offer them, and with that, he found himself reaching out for the pedestal. His fingers graced the stone a moment later, and he was caught by surprise at just how gentle and perfect the rock felt. In fact, it didn't even feel real to Cyrus at a first touch. Then again, if any creature was going to be able to summon such power to deceive those who lived in reality, it was bound to be a god. 

Light flooded the area, and Cyrus' eyes shut against his will. When he next seemed to come to his senses, he knew he was in the same mental plane that Aelfric had brought them to in preparation for their previous encounter. This space looked much the same as it had when Aelfric was the opposing figure with the only notable difference being the color of the flames that lit the battlefield. The fires were sparking to life upon recognizing the oncoming promise of a challenge, ready to rage and move at the commands of their master.