The steam from the kettle rose into the air, casting lazy shadows through the small cabin. The room was small, but the lack of furniture made it seem larger. In the center of the room was a small fire-pit, enclosed by white stones that showed no signs of ash or imperfection.
Charlie sat before the pit with crossed knees and open palms, his face looked up at the ceiling where a small skylight showing the coming moon. As the moon hit the center of the skylight, its beams centered on the stones. Charlie looked down and lit incense, letting the smoke mix with the moonlight.
"My lady... please... Appear to me."
A woman's form appeared in the smoke. Even though she was a projection, her sharp silver eyes softened as she looked at him. "My dear child... why have you called upon me? I have done nothing to deserve such treatment."
"Lady Viirin, I must ask something of you. Please, you must let me see my grandmother. I know she is one of your servants. Please, may I speak with her?" Charlie begged.
The goddess looked at him carefully. She kneeled and cupped his cheek in pity. "My poor child. You simply do not understand what happened all those years ago. I am afraid you cannot see your grandmother, for she never returned with me to paradise when she passed."
Charlie looked up, tears streaming down his face. "I do not believe you."
"but you must, for it is the truth. I am not able to lie, Charles Hemerson. The Council declared that your grandmother was so powerful that she must be reborn so that she could fight the evil she created. She has been reborn, as another. If you think back to that night, so long ago, you will find the answer to whom you seek."
He hung his head, hands clentched. "That night was the worst of my life. I lost both my mother and my grandmother—all the family I had. I couldn't have ever comprehended it. Why had it even happened at all?"
"you aren't thinking about the most important piece of the night. What happened to separate you and your mother in the first place? And im not talking about a silly inanimate object."
Tears streamed down his face. "My... the child! The child of the bastard couple!" he raged. "She is the one who my grandmother's soul traveled into? How could this be?"
Viirin looked at him with love in her eyes. "She is mortal, raised as a human. You've already found her sister, and now you must seek her out. Seek out Yaara. She will know nothing of this world, but her soul will burn for yours, like it did for your grandfather's. Look for fire, my child. Fire is the key to everything." She started to fade. "Find her, and save everyone. Without her, your soul will never be satisfied. Good luck..."
