Wings of Destruction and Duty

29.3 || Aurnia

It was clear meal time was over. Death had moved onto their next objective and as she made her way across the room, Aurnia's heart stilled at the sudden realisation that Agrona may have been testing her through their conversation. And when she reached the goddess, Aurnia shuddered to feel an unseen wind tangle its fingers through her hair.

The goddess remained silent before saying, "your fate does not have to end with Lily's. You have a life to live, as does she and once our sister regains her freedom, there are things she will have to do alone. Once that happens, you are always free to return here for answers and my compass will always point to me."

"That is very kind of you." Aurnia offered up a small smile but try as she might, she could not ignore the iron lump settling in the pits of her stomach. The gods' help never came without a price and it pained her to admit that she did not trust Agrona not to act upon the years of hurt inflicted by her mother.

Agrona ignored the long pause, instead she pooled her magic in the air. Cobalt lightning, mingled with mist, arched between her outstretched fingers as she murmured a delicate tune. The gentle rustling of feathers reached Aurnia's ears and instinctively, she took a step back only to stop when Death's piercing gaze settled on her face.

Before long, Death's serpent materialised around her shoulder with its coils tightly clutching a whirling orb. A whisper of a smile graced its face as it locked eyes with Aurnia and dropped it neatly into the goddess' waiting hands. Aurnia blinked, then flushed when she realised she'd forgotten to retrieve Agrona's gift after using it.

Frowning, the goddess turned the stone in her hand and said, "I'm not sure whether to be relieved or disappointed that you still hold such familiar traits from your childhood. One ounce of excitement and you forget your wits. It's a good thing I can recall this gift whenever I please."

Stammering, Aurnia scratched the back of her head and found herself wishing she had the dragon's scales once again. Their hardened exterior protected her from most embarrassments."I am truly sorry, Agrona. I got caught up in finally finding your stronghold, it completely slipped my mind."

Death nodded wordlessly before offering the compass to her and Aurnia reached out before faltering. The orb's ability to send the stench of iron and fear coursing through her mind scared her and while she could trust Koa to keep her safe as waves of pain thundered across her limbs, Agrona's gleaming eyes spoke of a curiosity that Aurnia did not want to quench.

"Are you alright?"

"What? Oh yes, I'm fine." Aurnia cleared her throat and upon noting that the orb's markings no longer shone with a golden light, decided that she had no reason not to accept the compass. If it sent her writhing across the floor, then it was a mistake she had to make.

The stone was cold between her fingers but contrary to what she had believed, its magic was still alive and thrumming beneath her fingertips. She blinked and fought to ignore the frantic chatter that began to echo in her mind.

"My gift can do more than unlock your memories and lead you back to me. Your heart's ability to sense the threads of life and spirit have allowed you to carry out the duties your mother assigned to you. But just imagine how much stronger you would be if you not only syphoned the pain of the living, but also the dead." 

Agrona's voice rang out clearly from somewhere behind her and before Aurnia could respond, the goddess' powers engulfed the orb and a new ring of glyphs flared to life on its surface. Aurnia turned to face Death, a slow chill creeping down her back but the goddess motioned for her to listen.

"So long as you align those glyphs, you need not worry about delving into painful memories. The blue light signifies that it's ready and should you decide that you wish to soothe the pains of the spirits you come across on your travels, just hold the orb in your hand and allow my magic to merge with yours." She smiled and as if sensing Aurnia's apprehension, quickly added "Think of it as a pair of glasses honing your sight on what you could never focus on before."