Remember who you were. (Solo)

[Veldrys]

Fall 45, 511 AV

As the sun set, Veldrys returned to his humble quarters, as usual. He had decided to spend the evening going through his stock of herbs, of teas and potions to see if there was anything that needed replacing and to see if he still had enough of everything. As he inspected the shelf where he kept his supples, he noticed that the container with the willow bark was almost empty. He used it frequently to treat fever. He didn’t have enough garlic left either, and he’d used the last bit of alcohol to clean somebody’s wound.

With a sigh he went to the small table that stood in the center of his room and lit a candle. He had decided that he would make a list of the things he would have to buy the next day. He placed a piece of paper in front of him, dipped the quill into the vial of ink that stood there and began to write. As he wrote, he couldn’t help but think about what had happened a few days ago, those strange occurences at the festival, the appearance of Leth and Syna.

Remember who you are. He didn’t realize it, but he had said the words out loud. He had sat at a table in a house much like this one before, writing something, although the things he had written about had been different, darker. He, his past self, had been given a prophecy as well, and then ... and then ... the Symenestra clutched his heart. He didn’t want to think about it, didn’t want to know, to remember, but the images forced themselves on him nevertheless ... the final days, the pain, his own fault. Of course it was always his own fault. He had lived countless lives, but he had never learned ...

And then the scenery around him changed, and he was not in the dimly lit chamber in Denval anymore, but in a bigger room, a bedroom. A large four poster bed stood there. The curtains had been pulled back so that he could see the man that was lying in it. He was human, blue eyed, with hair that was the color of the sunlight. He had been handsome once, but a disease had taken his youth and his strength, and it would soon take his life, long before his time ...

A young woman was tending to him. She wore a dress that seemed strangely old fashioned. „Miss?“ he adressed her, hoping that she could explain, but she didn’t even look at him. „She can’t hear you“, he heard a voice from somewhere behind him. „She can’t hear us. We are just watching, from somewhere outside of time. This room seems familiar, doesn’t it? The man in the bed, he is you or another version of you. I am you as well. We are all one. This is our past, and it could very well be our future, if you do not finally learn.“

„Do you know why he is dying?“

[Veldrys]

The Symenestra shook his head, and the faceless man answered, „He is dying because he wanted too much. He knew that he was doomed from an early age on. They call him a prophet. He was marked by a god, just like you, although he carries a different god’s mark. He thought that he would be able to prevent his death if he only became powerful enough. There was a time when he thought that he could single-handedly prevent the Valterrian, but a mere human cannot challenge the gods. A human cannot change that which is unchangeable. Does any of this seem familiar to you, Veldrys of the Vervain Web?“

The Symenestra didn’t answer, but just kept looking at the dying man. „What kind of disease is he suffering from?“ he wanted to know. „Surely a skilled enough doctor, a man that carries Viratas‘ or Rak’keli’s mark could help him ...“ The faceless man laughed as he heard this. „He is beyond help. He is a mage, just like you, although he practices a different kind of magic, which one isn’t important right now. He thought that he would be able to prevent his death with magic. He practiced frequently, but magic always comes with a price. His body is faling, falling apart, just like his mind. There is barely enough left of him ...“

„But I have always been careful“, Veldrys said. The faceless man laughed again. „Have you been careful enough? A risk always remains. You are playing with fire.“ He paused, and then he asked another question. „Do you know what he regrets the most?“ Veldrys shook his head again. How could he know when he had never met the dying prophet before? „He regrets that he is dying alone. He sacrificed his one chance at a family, his own happiness for the so called greater good. He thought that he couldn’t burden anybody with his problems, but he regrets it now. Not even a prophet who carries a god’s mark can live entirely without human company. You cannot live alone, either, Veldrys of the Vervain Web, although you seem to think so, just like him ...“

„Do you ever wonder what your life would have been like if you had given in to your feelings? Do you ever think of Nisana of Web Curare? You enjoyed her company, didn’t you? If things had been different, she might have become your wife. You could have been happy together. What of the boy Seven, the one that showed you that race doesn’t matter? Do you ever regret leaving Lhavit? And what of the Kelvic Lucette that shares a small part of your life now? Are you really content with visiting the Temple of Nikali every once in a while and spending most of your nights alone in the Chapel? Is this what you want your future to be like? Is that what you want to become?“

„An old man that cuts himself in the name of his god, that doesn’t let anybody get close to him and tries to single-handedly save his race from extinction? Do you want to die alone, Veldrys of the Vervain Web, without a wife, without a husband or a lover, without children, without anybody that mourns your passing?“

„What if you fail? You may never find that one thing that will save your people ...“