[Stryx] Wisp Hunt Week 5: Chapter 1

“What’s wrong, Zaid? It’s not like you to sulk.”

The gentle rumbling of Sunblessed’s steps, accented by the splash of the water she strides through, announces the Stryx’s arrival just as well as the words only he can understand. Zaid hears the water above him rush angrily around her to continue towards the artificial waterfall that had been created at the end of this open hall, but she pays none of it any mind. 

“I’m not sulking, Sunblessed. I’m just… thinking.” 

“And worrying. And isolating yourself from your family and advisors. You’re sulking.” 

“I’m not— fine. If you insist.” The king crosses his arms, looking out over the city before him. “I’m just worried for the future of Tasou. I haven’t even seen another of my race in hundreds of years. Not since Mother died. I worry what may happen if I do not have an heir, if there is no longer someone here to bolster the oasis waters once I am gone.” 

He can hear Sunblessed shake her head, letting out a snort. “You are yet young, Zaid. You still have many hundreds of years before you.”

“A hundred years may be a long time for those in the city, Sunblessed, but you of all creatures… a hundred years passes in the blink of an eye, to those who live as we do. These people may not see the end of my rule, nor even their children. But their grandchildren may, or their great grandchildren. They are no less my subjects—“ 

There’s a snap of teeth and a surge of water as Sunblessed leans herself over the edge of the stonework to snarl at him, “I am not implying they aren’t! Do not claim meanings to my words.” She waits, fiery fur bristling, until Zaid inclines his head apologetically. “It is true, a hundred years passes as a moment to me. But that does not make it any less time. I have ruled these sands far longer than you, and will rule long after Tasou falls to ruin. I have seen cities rise and fall, peoples prosper and perish. Perhaps that is why I do not see sense in your desperation for an heir, for a legacy. All things end, Zaid. Whether Tasou ends with you or not is something you only have so much control over.”

She waits, but he has been chastised into silence. After allowing another moment of sulking, Sunblessed sighs and retreats back to the top of the hallway. For all his years, he is still young, she must remember that. She reaches a wing-claw down, gesturing. 

“…Come, there is something I wish to show you.”

A moment later, she feels him grab onto her claw, and she carefully lifts him to her back. When they make formal appearances in the city or elsewhere, she has finely-crafted tack that she wears — but when she is lounging around the castle, or when they go on flights of their own accord, there is nothing between him and her sun-touched fur, nothing keeping him from being lost to the skies save his own grip. The way flying is meant to be. 

Sunblessed launches herself from the rooftop, allowing the water to once again flow freely. She snaps her wings open, sending droplets scattering into the sunlight, reflecting — just briefly — the shimmering tones of fire that dance across her wings. 

She arcs away from the city, toward the rising sun. Effortlessly, she glides into territory yet unknown to her rider. She takes him beyond the cliff-sheltered city he’s known his whole life, away from the route they normally fly. Finally, well away from the city, an unusual sight comes into view. Among the sands rises a swirling wave of glass, rising into the sky. And around the jagged tower extends a glasswork explosion, spiderwebbing several hundred feet from the structure. 

It is at the edge of this scar upon the dunes that Sunblessed lands. Zaid hesitates at first, but she glances over her shoulder at him. “Do not worry. The worms do not hunt these lands.” 

Reassured, the king slips from her back, walking softly along the uneven glass toward the tower. Behind him, Sunblessed follows — the glass so thick, it does not even crack beneath her weight. 

“What… is this place?” 

“Once, many years ago, a young upstart sought to rule these lands. Unlike your ancestors, however, he did not approach me with respect and an offer of cooperation. He sought to usurp me. He brought armies, slew the beasts of my desert.” A blue light, almost like a star, glows to life beneath the glass. Then another, and another. Sunblessed continues. “So I slew his men. Here was the location of our final confrontation.”

The blue lights rise up from the glass, taking the forms of spectral wolves, owls, deer… all manner of creature from beyond the desert. Sensing his curiosity, Sunblessed answers, “Wisps. Souls of the dead who wish not to move on, as I believe.” The spirits dance around her, casting a pale blue glow upon her fur. Zaid watches in wonder, reminded once again of just how regal and powerful this ancient being is. 

“Here, my children were laid low. Here, the worms feasted upon the intruders with my favor. And here, I met him for the first time head-on. If he wished to take my desert, he would have to prove himself more capable of it’s stewardship.” She stops at the base of the whirling tower of glass, glancing around the scene. “He failed in that task.” 

The wisps gather and dance among the glass sculpture, the monument to Sunblessed’s power. The blue light echoes and reflects, painting the area in a mimicry of blue fire. 

“This place… is a wonder, Sunblessed. And the story… a true testament to your power. But… why did you bring me here?” 

No sooner does the question leave him than a red glow appears from below, darting upward towards his feet. Sunblessed reacts first, shoving him back and catching the angry red spirit in her teeth. It howls, struggling and scratching at her, reaching and clawing to get to Zaid. 

But Sunblessed lets out a heavy breath — and with it, flames lick around the furious wisp and out of the corners of her mouth. Slowly, the creature stops squirming, the angry red fading into a calmer blue. Only then does Sunblessed release the wisp, letting it rejoin its brethren. 

“In this place, I unleashed the full blessing of the sun I have been given. If he had survived, and I had met my end, I would have accepted that there was another more fit to rule this desert than I. But he did not survive, and I remained. Now, his spirit lingers, tainted and corrupted by the anger of his life. But it is not just anger that can corrupt a spirit, Zaid. An obsession with one’s life before.” She fixes him with a serious look. “All things must come to an end. You must let them end when they are meant to.”