Fall 17, 511 A.V. Since Xelhes had arrived in this settlement and become familiar with the individuals of the place, he had been spending much of his free time looking for new sources of knowledge. He knew that his current knowledge was insufficient, like the mind of a young child. Outside of this settlement, he would not last, something or someone would kill him, or he would run out of resources. It was for those reasons that he studied, for knowledge was his key to leaving this place, and beginning his travels to the other places of the world. Taking a book from one of the shelves, he carefully read the first few pages of the book, trying his best to handle the literature with care. Almost all of the books in the settlement were very old, the covers faded, and sometimes even pages missing. After believing that the book was indeed what he wanted, a brief, basic recording of various plants that existed around Denval, or once existed. It was not often a book actually yielded the desired knowledge Xelhes wanted however, for as often as he saw one book claim something, another would state a completely opposite view. It showed him just how often humans seemed to try and prove others wrong, books simply being one of the many signs he had observed. Walking towards one of the windows, he gazed out onto the settlement, or what he could see. It was a rather nice place, with the people being kind, despite his seeming indifference to them. As unjust as Xelhes' treatment to the people looked, he was truly grateful to everyone who had taken him in, however showing such feelings were difficult. Rudeness was not something he was trying to express, but he simply did not want to have others inserted into his affairs, or to apart of theirs. No, the company of others was something he did not seek of his own accord, not when the chance was always there that he would be abandoned, or used. With the moonlight gently brushing his skin, the organ seemed to glow, a faint luminescence radiating from his pale, marble skin. To be an Ethaefal apparently meant that he was a being of beauty, but Xelhes could not come to terms with that. Flawless skin and a seemingly well designed body were not enough, for every time he saw an image of himself, he did not see beauty. All that could be seen was a faint light of the radiance he once possessed, before his fall. The only part he now liked were the horns protruding from his head, snow white and glowing even brighter than his skin, acting almost as small lamps. Taking a leaning position against the wall, he began to read a book he had picked before, one that contain various basic cryptograms and puzzles, each one having the cipher written beside the puzzle with the answer. After many readings, he had learned to ignore these until he had completed the cryptograms himself, or got stuck. Still a novice at understanding the puzzles, more often than not he was forced to look at the answers, and even then think hard before the answer made sense to him. Yet it was for that very reason that he enjoyed the puzzles so much, along with Botany. Different from a puzzle, the sheer amount of plants was uncountable, and while many look similar, if one simply had a different hue, it would be enough to indicate if the plant was edible or poisonous. Slowly flipping through the pages of the cryptogram book, Xelhes' mind began to focus solely on the puzzles, removing the outside world from his senses. No longer could he hear the wind or sounds of the building, and in this celestial form his body would not disturb him for nourishment. In this place he could read and solve to his hearts content, to the point where there was nothing to learn, or he got kicked out. This place was almost like his second home, the company of the books helping to ease the solitude of his life. After countless minutes he set down the book, reaching for another that he grabbed and began to read it. A book on some of the myths surrounding the Gods of this world, Mizahar, telling of various tales kept alive through generations, along with the myth of the Gods blessing the mortals of this land with fragments of their power. It was a book that entranced Xelhes, for the subject of the deities of the world had always made him wonder, for he knew only of Leth and Syna. There were tellings of the power to heal wounds, the occurrence of random events, manipulation of the body, and one that caught his attention more than the others, divination. Beside one of the myths regarding it was a small scribbled statement, almost illegible, but not to the point that Xelhes could not understand it. ...Augury? It seemed like an interesting ability indeed, and the Goddess who bestowed the power just as interesting. |