And I looked up, at the tall mountains, which had sheltered us from the worst of the Age. After the fall of Mulcarn, the world shifted, we became nomads, taking refuge wherever we could, but now we've found a place where the Amurite tribe can take root and prosper.
Our grandparents had chose this spot because, here, the earth sung. Some say that it was madness, but on a still day, without any wind, you could hear it, the song, coming down from the mountains. And, I was going to find what it was! We had calculated that it isn't too far up, probably emanating from Kylorin's Ridge.
A couple days had passed, and I'm ready now, I have my tools, a little rod of Fire Mana, passed down through the generations, and my backpack, full of food, and parchment, for I intended making notes of whatever was up there.
I walked to the end of the village, where Thalina was waiting. She was a summer older than me, and rather good-looking, if a little temperamental.
After we cleared the bushgrowth at the first couple of yards, we stumbled across a crude path, which made the next leg of the journey easier. And, I realized, there was something to the old tales, for the higher we climbed, the louder, clearer, and more beautiful the song became.
Days, weeks passed, but it seemed like eternity. We climbed endlessly, and the song got louder, clearer, but it seemed to be coming from ourselves, instead of the earth, for when I got close to Thalina, I sensed her song, a different tune, but still unmistakeably the same wild, unerebusian instruments. And, one day, as the sun rose out of the mists, it sparkled across the rock, and disappeared for a moment behind a cloud, but another light shone out. We approached the source, and when the mist vanished in front of us, we saw a dull rock, jagged, pieces jutting out in every angle. We got closer, and the closer we got, the louder the song became, and, I took my glove off, and went to touch it, to see what it was, but Thalina grabbed my hand. "We both do it together, or not at all, it could be dangerous." So, we both reached out together, and as my skin touched the firm rock, I felt a surge of energy fly through me, and I couldn't let go, even if I wanted to. It felt wild, and I felt something ancient stir in my blood, lighting up my vision, like this was the first time I had ever opened my eyes, but there was more, I could hear the song, both mine and Thalina's, but it had changed, the wild beating had settled down into a constant, thrilling rhythm, fixating itself in every particle of my existence. And, I felt the rock underneath, a pulsating rhythm, I felt it, and some part of me shone out, a feeling I had never felt before, and I chased some of my new-found energy out into the rock, I felt it shudder, and, we both stood back together. The dullness of the rock seemed to fade, to shake the ground, a burst of light, then where the rock was, there was a magnificent bunch of crystals, shining and glittering in the sun, throwing beams of light onto the rock face. The cliff was full of an aura, and the mist was illuminated with waves of purple, blue, pink, all light, pale, like the whiteness of the crystal itself. And I saw the power ebb and flow, in a complex pattern known only to the Gods.
I pulled the little crystal of Fire Mana out of my back, and held it in my hands. It felt different now, powerful, like the legends said it should be. But, there was something else, and as I looked up, I realised what it was. This little shard was the same material as the massive crystal, but subtly different. Where the fire in my crystal now seemed awake, but violent, destructive, a wild fusion of emotion and hatred, this massive crystal had a soothing, calming feel, but one tinged with sorrow as well. It was raw, powerful, and it brought back memories, both happy and sad.
On the second day next to the crystal, while we were looking through the ancient scrolls, I saw a droplet fall on the rock beneath Thalina. At first I thought it was rain, then I realized that it was a single tear. I went over to her, comforted her, consoling her, I felt a part of her open up to me inside my mind, and memories, pictures flashed in front of my eyes. Her mother, a beautiful women, crying with laughter as she took her first steps, her first words, and, then, the years passed, and, finally, the memory shifted, becoming dark, stormy, and I saw the Doviello come and drag her mother away, a terrible scream, then nothing. We sat there and cried, for all the lives that had been lost these past centuries. A dove came and landed next to us, but I could tell it was no ordinary being, and as we looked up, in the Dove's place stood a beautiful woman, the women out of Thalina's memories, her mother. I shied back, as she stood up and embraced her lost kin. I felt some words, some heavy, ancient words, full with power, and then she faded away. Thalina looked at me, her eyes raw with hurt, but she blinked, wiped them, and hugged me. "She is with Sirona now, she's happy."
