[Stargrace]

No noise could be heard from the Outlands nor from the shrine except for the occasional squawk of distant birds as they greeted the dawn of the new brightening. It was almost too quiet, unearthly so. A cool breeze shifted through the air teasing any loose strands of hair it could find or lifting up clothing material with its invisible daring fingers. Footprints of fellow beings could be clearly seen upon the ground as one arrived at the shrine, but as one cast their gaze upon the stone lantern and its surrounding area, the place held the feeling of deep uneasiness and restlessness. It was not hard to imagine spirits visiting a place such as this; the very air was only one element that haunted the shrine.

The stone lantern was always cool to touch even on the warmest of brightenings. Some believe this is because the stone lantern itself dwelt in both the living realm and that of the dead. The stone lantern held the look of knowing many ageless mysteries and being privy to many whispered secrets. It was familiar with the touch of death; the lantern was well acquainted with the warmth of the candle flame; and it looked upon the longing that entered into the living’s eyes as they lit their candles and voiced the names of the deceased.

Unseen eyes viewed the two beings as they entered into the shrine. They felt their curiosity as well as the feelings of sadness, caution and loss that penetrated from them both. The wind set its mind from playing with all it could grasp, to voicing its existence. The sound was enough to send the meek running from the vicinity as the sound would change from what sounded like a loud shriek to a deep moan, to a soft whisper and ending in snatches of a broken lullaby filled with endless grief. The wind retreated as the female Elf brought flame to the lantern’s heart. All listened intently as a name was pronounced and the wind carried the name away.

Time passed in the living realm and the stillness enveloped the shrine. Eeriness consumed the place and not even the squawk of the birds could be heard. It seemed as life had drawn to a halt. The flame in the stone lantern flickered once, twice, and then went out. Before any action could be taken to rekindle the flame it came back to life and grew in volume and brightness until it looked like it was going to engulf the lantern. At that moment the ground seemed to vibrate as if a whole cemetery of the dead were trying to rise from their graves. The earth-shaking drew to a halt and the shrine fell to silence again. A whisper rose in the air, the words were hard to understand at first; it seemed as though many voices were speaking at once, the different tones rose and fell; clashed and collided.

One voice rose above the others and only one word was able to be understood. “Daughters...” The voice became faint, other voices could be heard in the distance; occasionally their voices rose in volume and then would seem to fade; yet their words were unfamiliar and unable to comprehend. Only one voice made sense, the one voice that was requested and wanted. “Daughters, you are well?" His voice faded as if he did not have the strength to say anymore. There was so much to say, so many queries....except there was not much time and to communicate took so much effort. The flame in the lantern knew this and its light flickered.

Deep emotion and intensity hang thickly in the air. His tone conveyed anxiety as he whispered “Why did you call me forth? What is wrong?” His voice began to fade. His last words were soft as if he almost did not dare or want to say them. “The Rhasic...” The flame in the lantern began to flicker again as if it was battling to stay alight, fighting for the communication to continue; was this for the sake of the living or for the sake of the deceased? Only the lantern knew of such matters.