Woman of Sorrows-The Black-Veiled Woman

Repentance

Out onto the water she walked, as though it was dry land. Beneath her feet, it rippled, but the sea stood calm. Not a single wave splashed onto her, but instead all was calm as far as the eye could see. Even the white dress she wore did not draw water, but remained dry even as it was exposed to the seawater. The further away from shore she drew, the stronger the wind became. In her ears was the gentle music of the universe as the planets hummed in rhythm, but it soon turned to a vengeful war chant; a battle cry echoing through the night.

The wind threw up her hair, and sent her dress lashing out into the air. Now, a ways off of shore, she stopped. Letting out an ear piercing shriek, she let her arms come away from her sides, palm up and tense as though under great strain. Around her, the previously peaceful ocean lurked up high into the air, creating a wall all around her. For a moment, she let her hands extend above her head, but then threw them down with extreme force.

Tarre soon returned to the seashore to see the great wall of water. The forceful wind brought the haunting cries of his mistress back to the shore. The sound of her lamenting filled his ears. Inside the great barrier of water, orange light began to glow with forceful magnitude. It bled through the water, showing a green hue to the liquid but losing none of its intensity.

Inside her newfound isolation, Chalandra screamed again and again. The power of her hands did not cease to create the elements, first water, then air, followed by fire. All around her, the swirling water became intertwined with the glow and heat of flames. Breathless, she sank to her knees and began to weep. The fire soon dulled, and became replaced by ice. The passion of her hate replaced by the coldness of her heart. It longed to love again. Burying her face in her hands, she lamented her crimes, her fate, and her reality. If only one thing preyed on her heart, it was her separation from Thane. Nothing hurt her more deeply than her parting from him.

Finally, breathing deeply and inhaling the cold now surrounding her, she stood. Her legs were weak, her knees shook as she rose. Her whole body trembled as she called upon more strength from her spent body. Exiting her cavern of ice, frozen in outreaching hands and beckoning icicles, she walked back across the water. On the shore, Tarre stood, waiting. He waded out to reach her, seeing she was weak. Once she reached the shallows, he reached out and grabbed her fair shoulder, helping her back towards shore as best he could. Leaning on him, she reached the sand and sank to the earth, gasping for air.

Her white dress pooled around her; her wind-tossed golden hair framed around her face as she panted, sweat beading on her brow. She pressed her palms into the sand, struggling to recover. Tarre placed a hand on her shoulder, trying his best to comfort his mistress in her time of need.

"My lady, is everything alright?" he asked timidly.

Chasing away her tears with a sniffle and swallowing hard, she nodded.

"I will be, soon, for I know what I must do," she answered breathlessly.

"You have never been spent before, are you hurt in anyway?"

"No, no, I am fine. I have never spent so much power before."

"Surely that is not true. You are all-powerful. You have laid armies to waste with a wave of your hand, you surely do not mean that was the most power you have ever used?"

"But it was. For if I am taking life, I create nothing. Instead, I destroy what is there. This was different. When I killed...," she stuttered, her voice trembling, "When I killed, it was devoid of emotion. This was all emotion. I created more than any Dendä ever has out of nothing in just a few moments, and it fed off of my raw emotion."

"I fear I fail to understand what you mean by emotion."

She smiled a little in midst of her lament, then nodded and answered: "You still believe, that as all those books of old have told you, that you should keep your emotions ever in check. That you must not feel lest you should give you enemy a hold over you. But do you not see now that emotions are more powerful, more raw energy, than anything else in the world? Yet since you have not yet seen it, experienced, it, I will explain it to you. That was my pain, Tarre. All my pain."

"How do you mean pain, my lady?" he asked.

"It was the agony of my separation. You asked me once if I believed I needed a man to complete me, and I very rightly said no. I never have believed that. I need no one, but I desire someone. If it were not for Thane, I would desire no one, and need no one. But I love him, and I want to be reunited with him. I do not need him to complete me, but I long to be by his side again. And that separation created pain. Deep, agonizing, pain. And furthermore, I can see now. I can see and understand what I have done, that I have done great wrong. Wrongs that I will never be able to right, yet that I must fervently try to correct if I ever desire to be accepted by Thane, or to even be permitted to return to his side. But now, I know what I must do."