With a letter sent off to Primel, Jocelyn and Typhon planned their trip to Derrien. As the evening wore on, the Temple bells rang. Jocelyn kissed Typhon on the cheek and Typhon kissed Jocelyn’s hand, and they parted. Typhon knew the Sister needed to prepare her Temple for evening prayer.
Typhon had learned that all the rage, both his, his spirit totem, and even Khord’s were calm when Jocelyn was there. With her absence, the rage returned, and like before she sat on edge, like bonfire ready to consume everything around her. Rumors of bounty hunters returning to find her had reached Typhon’s ears. Between that and the Tyaanite enemies, nothing felt truly safe – save when she heard Jocelyn’s voice.
Focusing on the sound of her voice, Typhon fell asleep. In her dreams were many women, Jocelyn, Emmeline, Rivanon, Adela, Bella, Mother, Mimeux, Morgan (the real one), Morgan (the mysterious one who took Morgan’s look), Mother, Mother Bear, and lastly her lost sister.
Typhon kept dreaming and heard a voice. At first a whisper. The dreamscape was white and Typhon had no sense of direction or form. He could not see himself at all – just a plane of white which slowly became the icy fields of the uttermost north where summer never came and the sun never set.
The voice was definitely feminine. An anagram of all the female voices he had ever heard. Not a unique voice, but one that was a cacophony of many. “Who are you?” it asked.
Standing proudly, Typhon replied, “I am Typhon Ni Silverleaf. Who are you?”
“That is your name. But is that who you are – the essence of your self? Just a name?” said the voice(s). “We have many names, many faces, but one being, one thought, one purpose. Put aside your pride and answer – who are you, truly?”
Typhon closed her eyes before replying with, “I am one who seeks justice for those who can not stand for themselves. I am one who will jump into a fight to help one who has fallen. I am starting to feel love for someone else, and will do anything to see them smile. I am one who will give their last breath to defend those that I care for.”
“You are justice, you are love, you are a protector,” the voice said. “Will you give your last breath for strangers who cannot stand for themselves?”
Typhon felt deep within herself that it was the truth, before answering, “I will.”
With her statement of “I will” the white surroundings became misty and once more Typhon felt ground upon his feet. Looking down, his feat were not his, but those of another – a man. A trickle of blood ran down them, pooling in the hard ground. Typhon looked up and saw the face of a hobgoblin staring in his eyes with hatred. Typhon dropped his hoe on the ground as he heard women and children screaming. Looking down, he saw the hobgoblin’s blade embedded in his bowels. As the screams continued, fire, smoke, and loss of blood overwhelmed his consciousness. Typhon felt fear. Fear like he never knew. It was a sad fear, a questioning fear. As the blood left his body he felt utter hopelessness, and as unconsciousness came, he fought it, knowing that with the darkness came oblivion.
The voices returned as the suffering continued, “So much lost. So many loves and experiences. So much labor and good works. So much teaching to children and caring for the old. All lost in violence of greed and selfishness. Know then the first secret of faith: all is not lost. Thru Aarith all is preserved. The drop becomes the ocean and the ocean become the drop. All you experience, all you do, continues. Should you be righteous, that which make you, you, continues as well.”
“Know that all who have done evil in their hearts are known to Aarith, and those who are evil innately Aarith will reveal to you.”
“Know that all places that are holy or unholy are known to Aarith, and those places innately Aarith will reveal to you.”
“Know that Aarith is the fount of life, and those whose wounds are made by accident or tragedy or whose body is wracked with poison or disease, Aarith will help you mend.”
Briefly, hope returned, and a word embedded in Typhon’s mind – Annecy…
Waking up in the Temple, Tiffanie immediately felt at ease. It was a holy place. The awareness faded, but Tiffanie knew St. Aria was watching and Aarith was all.