A statement of a soul | Raphael x Reader

19. The dance

'Well met! I am a magical projection of Gale of Waterdeep,' the figure of wizard enshrouded with violet and blue light waves at you. 'And if you see this manifestation, that means I have prematurely perished.'

'WHAT?!' you jump closer to the hologram, not quite registering the information yet. 'What happened? Gale, I- How did, what happened to you?' you try to turn your head towards the camp to call your teammates, but your breath hitches inside your throat, tightened by a sudden wave of grief.

'I am unfortunately unable to provide the details about the perish of Gale of Waterdeep, as I am a carefully crafted spell that have not witnessed the situation,' the hologram responds. 'I recall fetching the crown from the muddy floor of Chionthar. The task was surprisingly straightforward, even given my newly acquired tentacled form,' he says. 'I recall standing on the riverside, the icy chill of Netherese metal in my hands, and then... Nothing.'

There is a moment of silence before the projection speaks again.
'The good news is, I am here to assist in cushioning of heavy feelings that might emerge at the sight of me. Of course, I am not the great wizard Gale himself, but I can deliver his written words. His last letter. I was entrusted to deliver it to the one who cared most for me in life.'

The image of your friend waves his hand and soon a hard case containing a letter materializes. He hands it over to you. You accept it and grit your teeth to not burst into tears.

'Is there anything else I could assist with before I blink out of existence?' the projection asks.

You tilt your head and feel the tears making it's way down your cheek. You take a step forward and try to embrace the projection within your arms, but the magic surrounds your limbs, dodging you like something unwelcome. Cold tingling sensation dances on your skin before you pull away to look at the image of Gale.

'How fortunate I was to know someone like you,' the projection says and then disappears in a silent explosion of light.
You make your way to a dry, fallen tree log and sit on it, allowing your tears to fall freely.

You aren't yet ready to open the letter, so instead you breathe deeply, trying to calm yourself. There is a sound coming from the other side of the log and you tilt your head to look at a fluffy, winged cat.

'Tara?' you ask weakly. 'It's a pleasure to meet you.'

'Oh, yes. I'm certain it is. And you must be Tav? The one who helped Gale save Baldur's Gate?' you nod and the cat continues. 'Oh... How much would I give to snuggle up in his lap once again.'

You put your elbows on your knees and lean forward, wiping your tears with the back of your hand. 'Yea.'

'Maybe you would like to come meet Gale's mother one day? It would delight her to speak to someone who knew him for how he truly was.'

'I'd love to,' you sob quietly. You look at the cat, staring at you with wide pupils accustomed to seeing in the night. 'May I scratch you?'

Tara sits down and wiggles the tip of her tail with interest.
'I suppose Gale would be pleased to know we've made friends, wouldn't he?' she approaches you and you scratch her on the side of the neck, your fingers sinking inside soft fur.

As you pet the cat of your fallen friend, you open the case containing a letter and read it. Gale asks you to live your life to full extend, not allowing the grief to poison your heart. There is no explanation as to what happened after the defeat of the Netherbrain.

You sigh and spend some time with Tara, before standing up to your feet and joining your companions at the table. At some point, you look for Raphael, who skulks somewhere outside of the ring of light cast by nearby standing torches. You turn your attention elsewhere, glancing up at a rock in the very center of the camp with an unknown bard playing on top of it. The man is surrounded by spiritual instruments and plays a very nice, soothing tune.