A Mountain's Bones

[Taelian Edevane]

43rd of Ash, Year 120 of the Sixth Age

Ard Sgiath loomed what was certainly miles away, but he could already see it in the distance. They'd passed through a small village on the reasonably short journey from Skyhaven to here, descending onto the broken pavement before settling down for a short while to eat and drink. For the rest of the journey, Taelian wanted to walk, to see the castle he called his home from the riverbed as he looked upon its towering frame pressed against the earth, being revealed to him from behind the form of a grand hill. He wanted the moment to be as breathtaking as it was now, in fact, as he viewed the parapets from beyond and below. He could see its tall, stony frame... and he almost gawked with enthusiasm.

This was a symbol of how far he'd come: from a rube, an urchin boy, to a man who wielded his own castle-fortress at the heart of one of the world's most powerful Kingdoms. Skyhaven would always be a home to him and his Arlaed, but this place was something different and distinguished; a hearth of his ambitions. The core of his business, of his political aims, of many other deeds.

And it was there, raw, before him. Something like this... in Sil-Elaine it would only have ever belonged to a Huntsman or one of their beloved progenies. He would look upon structures like this with awe and curiosity, not even being allowed to step inside. It was as grand as Melitene was, though much less of it was devoted to rooms and lodging. It was a place of protection, with rooms substituted for barracks with beds piled up and strewn along the walls. A place for a powerful Lord to safely wield his crown.

"Come on," he whispered to the other man. It was rare that Taelian didn't look to his Arlaed as he called on him -- Riven was handsome and he always liked to view him when he could. Right now, though, his eyes didn't break away from the fortified walls, nor the crowning shape of the fort. 'Fjord Dal' it was named before. The man who built it had what he thought to be a discerning taste.

Taelian opened a portal through which they could both emerge at the castle gate. It was suspended from the rest of the ground, with an elevated drawbridge running across the small river to its opening. It had been constructed clearly for defense. With the drawbridge raised, intruders would need to climb the vertically shaped stones with a river beneath them to hamper their mobility. Trying to scale the walls was difficult, if not impossible for most mundane troops.

Stepping through, he noticed the gate was shut. He supposed they'd forgotten to open it for him after the purchase, which for most would've been a consuming issue. With his portals and Riven's wings, Taelian had two ways of getting inside. He opened another portal on the interior, within the opening courtyard, and stepped forward to pull hard on the lever. The gate began to rise so that Riven could step through, though he knew the man didn't need it.

"Isn't it awesome?" Taelian asked, beyond excited. His grin was as wide as it had ever been. "We're going to meet other members of the Covenant here, soon. I've effectively invited them to set up shop here whenever they wish, as they've done the same for me with Melitene. I think it would be good and would ward off intruders -- an ever fluctuating troupe of elite mages and their constructs. This place feels so abandoned and stark... but it will be alive before long," he remarked.

Taelian beckoned for the other man to follow, as he stepped through the courtyard. There was grass growing from the cracks along the stone floors. Much of the length of the castle's wall appeared to be in mild disrepair, not actively falling apart but somewhat withered through time. It hadn't been maintained in so long.

It still looked good, and it was built on solid foundation. Everything still appeared strong, firm, and made to last. Up a dirt path was another gate surrounded by walls, leading to the interior courtyard. Taelian continued to walk, noting that this gate was open unlike the entrance one. Once inside, he noted how overgrown it looked. It appeared as if the center of it was intended to be a garden, and now much of it was overcome by a variety of weeds.

There was also a well to the right, along a wall, and some overhead wooden rafters that appeared to previously host some... shops, or something of the like. Taelian eyed every detail with profound curiosity.

"I know it might be odd that I went and bought a castle, but..." he turned to the other man, "...don't you think it's wonderful? When we have so many children that we can't fit them in Skyhaven, we can offload the rest here. It's brilliant."

[Riven]

Riven couldn't believe Taelian had bought a castle. There was something about Ebon Knights and their bank accounts he wouldn't complain about, for sure. The smile on Taelian's face when he told him was probably proportional to the jaw drop in Riven's; he really remembered wondering why the spirits would he want such a huge building. Well, now that he saw it, Ard Sgiath wasn't as massive as he had depicted it in his head... but it was still big. And, heavily fortified, it seemed. But he couldn't deny that the castle was beautiful. The old stone and the hill it leaned gave the fortress an aura of past times and legends, like the tales Riven used to read when he was little. He smiled; he wondered if that was why Taelian felt so cheerful, but something told him it wasn't exactly the case. He had insisted on walking there though, and carrying him did tire Riven a bit more than a normal flight. The path was comfortable enough though, and he could always hover or glide a bit if the terrain got coarse. Another wonderful day. He watched Taelian; he walked head high, shoulders squared, chest inflated, light on his feet. He seemed happier than usual, and he usually was either happy, or a stone mask.

His bond had become second-nature to him already; he could ignore it or just have it work as an entity perfectly melded with his mind, and in a sense, it was. He took a while to notice what Taelian was feeling though; pride. Brightening, boosting, inflated pride. He grinned; he had much to be proud of. And Riven was proud of him, too.

And all of a sudden, Taelian was done walking. He just opened a portal in front of them and took him to the front gate of the castle, with a dawbridge (Just like the one in books, Riven thought) over a small running river. The gate was closed though; Taelian just teleported inside and opened it, though Riven was already taking off when he noticed; he just thought he'd be courteous and turned mid-air, gliding into the half-opened gate. He apologetically smiled as he landed next to him

"It does look pretty awesome, love." He didn't respond to the Covenant thing; Taelian kept mentioning the organization, and they knew about him, but Riven didn't know much. He hadn't ever met any of them. He guessed he would soon though. He followed him close, staring around. The castle was old, but there was so much Riven could fix. It lacked manteinance, but it wasn't anything he couldn't do, for sure. "I can help you bring it back to life if you'd like me to. It looks like it could use some work... but I wouldn't take too long." he offered with a soft smile; he thought making his new place look even brighter and more majestic would make his boyfriend happy, and Riven was all about that.

He followed him to the inner courtyard. Of course, it did look rather abandoned... but it wasn't nothing Riven couldn't cleanse with no time. He was used to gardening using his magic; this couldn't be too different. Easier, even.

"I agree, Tae. This place looks pretty awesome" He said with a smirk; the word was very fitting, even if it wasn't too refined. Still, Ard Sgiath was really... "Magnificent. That's what I would call this place. And I'd love to help you make it feel like a second home to you. Or whatever you want it to be; I've learned a few new tricks." He said with a smirk "I still can't get a man pregnant, though. But given that determination of yours, I think I should go back to Loregard to buy some contraceptive tea."

[Taelian Edevane]

Shortly after Riven concurred with him, the other man offered to spruce the place up a bit, restoring some of its features to their pre-abandonment glory. Taelian's brow rose slightly and his eyes twinkled, seeming to latch onto Riven's complexion again. His lip began to curve upward curiously as he asked, "Really?" before shortly after continuing his walk. Now his mind was buzzing with a plethora of other possibilities -- he was searching for places that needed fixing, and perhaps any expansion that Riven could make. At first, absent-mindedly, he thought the other man meant he could physically build upon the walls and mend them through construction and labor.

It wasn't until he offered again, and mentioned his 'new tricks', that it clicked for Taelian just what he meant. "Oh! Elementalism!" the Knight called out enthusiastically. His expression suddenly appeared even more enthusiastic; if he was happy before, he was certainly happy now. It wouldn't even take days or weeks to make adjustments, just... minutes and some aether. Sometimes Taelian forgot about the utility of Riven's power. He remembered it for its sheer power, the way it quickened him and conjured heat and flame. But he had access to all manner of elements, and could access them in a plethora of different ways. 'Tricks', as Riven might call them. Taelian was intrigued.

Unsurprisingly, his curiosity was overcome by the nature of Riven's joke. Taelian rolled his eyes. "I know a way already," he said. "Necromancy -- that's how they do it in Daravin, right? You don't need to do any research; it's an established phenomena."

He realized that raising said methods only made him sound more determined -- which brought a scarlet hue onto his cheeks. Riven had already almost wounded him with his mention of contraceptive tea, and the mage didn't want the man to notice the kernel of genuine interest within his jokes. Not immediately and not soon, but -- they'd never talked about it. Taelian wouldn't have minded talking about it. Though now wasn't the time.

"Your tea won't work," he retorted smugly. "I'm just that determined."

And with that, he turned away and stepped towards the wall, beginning to trace his fingertips along the battered stone length. It seemed as if a battle had actually been fought here, though he already knew vaguely of it. Some points along the wall appeared to have been rebuilt over, as if they had actually been punctured in an assault. He curiously examined the spots most peculiar, before looking back to Riven one more time.

"Hey, I was thinking..." he began lowly. "Why don't you make me an Elementalist?" Taelian asked. "We've already shared one Rune, we share our lives -- our futures. I'd like to be able to explore the world with you from the sky, within the wind, or in the ocean or the earth." Taelian seemed almost wistful thinking about it, staring into blank space as his eyes emptily scanned the stones. "Riven... I know you've always carried me through the skies, but I would love to fly with you some time. On my own wings, of sorts. And I'd love to experience the world as you do; with every detail around Skyhaven, the lakes, forests, winds and mountains filled with life and potential. I've always been envious of the fullness you bring to every journey," he confessed.

The mage realized it was perhaps sudden. They'd only recently endured Riven's initiation, and the relief from that moment was still fresh. But he'd been curious for a long time, only afraid to ask for what consequences could come. The Covenant, though, had already put him through dangerous ardors and as a man who had been initiated four times, and being a Siltori, his risks were far less significant. There was little reason to be worried.

[Riven]

Riven let out a soft laugh when Taelian realized what he meant. He had taken a little to click; he usually was way faster, but he seemed to be so fascinated by every wall and every door. It was really cute; Riven had noticed he had been staring at his boyfriend the whole time, but he just couldn't help it. He was bound to be much more interesting than those walls. Though, he had to admit it. The castle was beautiful. "Yeah, Elementalism. I could fix all those cracks, do some gardening, add some structure, substitutions..." He said with a smile. It'd still take a few days, but Taelian didn't need to hire an army of builders if he could roam around the castle, fly around the towers... Earth was a stubborn element, at least when it came to Riven, but even him could mold it in such ways, it wasn't that hard. And if he had any problems, he could use a little convincing fire.

His joke seemingly agitated Taelian though. He was excited to talk about Necromancy all of a sudden; the Daravin method to fix baby issues. Riven had heard of it, but suddenly Taelian shut down, blushing. And blushing hard; his cheeks were tinted red and his elven ears were getting some degree of color as well. And Riven felt a tad like an idiot. He wasn't ready to have children, not yet; sometimes Taelian seemed to forget about his age or the little amount of the world he had experienced. But the Sil was much quicker to jump into things than he was; and as such, Riven understood the source of his expression change. And his reply, in an exaggerated and boastful way, hid a bit of a hurt pride and plans for the future. Riven wasn't repelled by the idea though, even if they needed some kind of necromantic uterus. Just, not that soon. He embraced Taelian from behind lovingly, energetically rubbing a hand on his belly as he surrounded his shoulders with his other arm. "I guess I'll surrender then" he said, with sweet kiss on his head that actually meant 'I love you and I wanna spend my life with you, but maybe this conversation can wait a little'.

However, when he made his request, Riven almost tried to have him repeat it. He didn't, because he knew perfectly the answer wouldn't change; Taelian had asked what he had asked. And in many ways, it was legitimate; he had given Riven his eldritch rune of Summoning, and in a way he felt closer to him because of it. It wasn't an entirely absurd request, and yet... the death possibility was there still. "I mean... I guess I could, Tae, but..." He stopped. He didn't wanna discourage him, but he wanted him to think about it. "Well, what makes me fly is the couple of wings I was born with; Elementalism would only keep a man your size floating for a few minutes before the amount of aether needed to hold you up for so long made you overstep." He said, shrugging "And... you know about the risks. Besides, the initiation wouldn't be like it was for Summoning, love." he argued. "Even if you survived, you'll be sick. At least for several hours, and it won't be easy; it's usually painful. I remember my initiation extremely clearly. I was screaming in agony for three days before it subsided. I was weaker than you are now, of course, but still... We'd be stuck here, or I'd have to take you back to hour house."

He didn't mention the fact that his life had taken a hard turn when he was initiated, and that some part of his mind irrationally wanted to prevent that from happening to him. And that he didn't want to be the responsible of killing him, and he wouldn't have been able to handle it. And that he could die at any point of the process. Ugh. He was worried, but... part of it wanted to share that connection with his surroundings with Taelian.

[Taelian Edevane]

He had to admit that a part of him felt a bit... let down, learning that he wouldn't be able to use the air to fly like Riven could. But it was alright -- one never knew what changes a Rune could bring, and Taelian could already leap heights of hundreds of feet. He could use air to glide, to lessen his descent. Or... any number of creative things he hadn't yet thought of. It didn't matter anyway; shared flight with the Avialae wasn't the only thing he was interested in. There was considerably more.

Like him, though, Riven was reluctant to just go and initiate the Siltori without much thought. Like he said, there were risks involved, though Riven had likely overestimated them. Taelian's thoughts from before echoed again in his mind; how it was much less dangerous for him than the other man. Quickly, he thought to inform him as his Arlaed listed off his worries and woes.

"It's not so dangerous for me," he said. "Like you have the power of flight, natural to your birth, I have my own unique traits. Siltori overstep slower, and less -- and we die less often from initiation. Magic is a part of our blood, seeped into the fabric of our bodies. And besides... I've been initiated four times already. Sigilic Pyromancy, Summoning, Transposition, Reaving. My body is much more used to the aethereal strain, and so the chance of my death is very low." Taelian spoke in a calm tone, keeping his eyes upon Riven's. It was all truth, and he hoped it would alleviate the worries of the other man.

The one thing that worried him was the 'days of screaming agony' Riven had spoken of. Taelian didn't quite enjoy the thought of that, but his Arlaed was younger and less experienced back then. Taelian was always adept at handling pain. He had experienced a great deal of it as an Ebon Knight -- physical and emotional. He could only recall the number of times he'd been cut, beaten, burned. Many of those old scars had faded into basically nothing, unnoticeable from the coloration of his skin. But he still felt their memory.

"I'll be okay," Taelian softly replied. "You didn't have me back then. I could've made you feel better -- lessened the pain a bit. Your presence will be enough to help the pain subside. And besides -- I think it would be alright to be trapped here for a while. I can learn about the place, and the view is stunning. They say from the rooms you can see all across the valley, the trees, the rivers, the mountains. All I'll need is a seat on the balcony and I'll be able to relax. Don't count me out, Mister Bird," he teased. Taelian's expression was lit by a sharp grin.

"I want it," he made clear. Taelian had few doubts. The mage began to peel off his shirt, removing his buttons and laces, before wrapping it around his mid-section and waist, tied around him one of the strings. First, he pointed to his chest, before his expression appeared to stumble. He peered at Riven awkwardly. "Wait, actually..." he frowned. Taelian then pulled back his hand and traced along the edges of his arm, gesturing for Riven to draw the Rune there. "There. And... I'm stronger than you realize, I think, Arlaed. It will be alright. I'm not going to leave you behind."

[Riven]

Taelian argued that it wasn't as dangerous for him, and he made good points. It was true; his body could have adapted itself to the strain initiations caused. However, mages dying after mastering several disciplines wasn't unheard of. That thing about being a Siltori... well, Riven guessed it could be true. Taelian seemed to be particularly... stubborn, he could say, but he had seen him use magic widely, and there was a wide treshold before he did seem to be careful. Riven had attributed it to carelessness, but he had a small notch of stamina left in situations where the Avialae would have given up on using his aether anymore. And sharing his gift with him... Riven had learned to love Elementalism, his own connection to the land; the small buzz that his Rune allowed him to hear gave him peace, strangely. Even if he had hated the fact that he was a mage before, and even he had used his Rune to do awful things, and enjoyed them. But Taelian wasn't that young or that beaten, and he was free to act and love the chances it gave him as he pleased.

Initiation still worried him, of course, but he had learned a while ago that, had an Elementalist been by his side, he wouldn't have had such a hard time enduring the symptoms. And he would be by Taelian's side, taking care of the imbalances in his spirit with his own magic. It would still be awful... but maybe not as much. And that was inevitable; it was his death that had worried Riven anyway. So in a way, Taelian was right. He would help the pain subside. He still seemed to underestimate the sickness though; he wouldn't have much time to learn about the palace.

"I won't count you out, Silvertongue." He said with a bit of a mocking wink; Taelian particularly disliked bad translations of the word Siltori. He looked as Taelian, determined, began to take off his shirt, pointing at his left pectoral muscle (a really nice pectoral muscle) first; however, he changed his mind, and pointed at his right arm; a mirror of Riven's own rune. He wanted Riven to place the rune there. It did move him that he would choose that place, but still. The risks... He sighed.

"Okay, I'll do it... and I guess I'll do it right now, Gods and spirits. Wait here; I have to pick a couple things up for the ritual." He said, leaving Taelian in the middle of the courtyard as he flew upwards, getting out; he had activated the Jetstream. He didn't want to make him wait for long. He flew towards the river in front of the gate, filling up a small bottle with clear water; he then approached the mountain Ard Sgiath leaned on, and grabbed a couple of rocks from its surface. He quickly got back, placing the items next to a confused Taelian while pointing at the floor, making him sit down. He approached the broken stalls and grabbed a couple pieces of wood that he placed in front of the sitting Siltori.

"I needed physical elements for the rune; apparently, conjured elements don't work properly. And... I wanted to make it with items from this place. I'll need you to sit still; this might hurt a little, but it'll heal quickly. I'll need you to endure what comes afterwards, though." He explained, placing the items he had picked up in front of Taelian: the wood, the open water bottle, and the rocks. It was his first time initiating somebody, but he had studied the process. And he remembered his own initiation as if it had happened that same day. The traditional rune formed an ornate circle; however, his was adapted to his arm, in a motif similar to a flame or a lotus bud. He would have to replicate it. He knelt before Taelian, staring at him in the eye. "I love you, Arlaed." He said, leaning in and kissing him deeply, running a hand under his right arm. He closed his eyes as they separated; he was ready. It would be quick anyway. He set fire to the wood; the blue flame slowly started to glow the usual orange as Riven released his grasp over it; he allowed the fire to burn on its own.

The first element was earth ; it was also the most delicate step. Grabbing the two small rocks, he allowed them to float in front of him, splintering them into shards and them melding them again in the form of a stone knife, a tribal-looking tool. He didn't bother to grab it; he pushed his hand closer to Taelian's chest and allowed the knife to follow his will as it started to carve the rune on his skin, cutting it open. He slowly drew the first spiral and the straight angular lines that symbolized earth, forming one of the lower tips; in the opposite side, the spiral and pointed waves that formed water, forming another petal; fire was next and on top, with ascending and pointed curves around its spiral, and air was last, swirls generated by its symbol. He cut in the flame shape around them and the multiple, pointed runes that represented the wide array of reality. In the peak of the symbol, he drew the last spiral, fed by all elemental symbols, depicting the root ofthe whole magic in aether.

Taelian's skin had started to bleed profusely, and Riven had to act quickly and finish the rune; the carving was done. He extracted the water from the bottle and placed the floating mass over Taelian's left pectoral; he made the water within the bubble swirl and revolve, extracting the stone particles left in and cleaning all the blood; when all was clean, he breathed in, and dumped the bloody water back in the bottle. He'd apologize for that later. He focused on the fire; extracting a few wisps and gathering them on one of his fingertips, he watched the flames quickly go from orange to blue. He drew over the carved rune as fast as he could, before it started to bleed again; however, Taelian's fire-resistant skin resisted his advances, and so he was forced to increase the intensity of the flame, making it brighter. The flames cauterized the wound and closed it as they went over it. Riven could feel Taelian's pain; he was suffering a good deal. Lastly, air. Gathering air from their surroundings, Riven formed a current, gentle breezes that he directed at Taelian's arm, turning them into a steady wind that cooled and healed the cauterization scars. Lastly, he pressed his palm on the newly formed rune; discharging the smallest amount of aether, he activated it, finishing the initiation. The rune on Taelian's chest started to glow weakly; the sickness would manifest itself soon.

[Taelian Edevane]

Silvertongue. Taelian grinned; despite what Riven thought, maybe, he actually liked the name. It fit him well, at least these days. Sly, eloquent, perhaps even charming at times. Taelian thought back to the coarse asshole he was when the two of them met . . . how things had changed.

They'd changed for the better. Both of them were stronger, wiser, happier. Things weren't just better -- they were better men. And Taelian was good enough to be unwilling to risk leaving Riven behind for power or some other silly thing. He only allowed the man to initiate him because he knew he would live. Even if it hurt -- even if at some point it would seem as if he were close to meeting his limit. Riven was clearly anxious, it was in his expression, his body language, and more obviously his words. Still, he decided to go along with it and Taelian quietly waited as the other man left, doing so tremendously quickly, before he returned. He didn't have to wait long. Riven had gathered the elements for him, with the last element -- the one closest to Riven's heart -- one he did not need to gather, as he already had it. The same went with air, the power of wind. It was what gave Riven the great power of his wings, unobtained by others. Perhaps it was Jetstream Taelian was most envious of; the alacrity with which his Arlaed moved, zipping through the skies like a creature from legends.

Seeing him use it now only steeled his resolve. Upon being asked to sit, he did so eagerly, smiling up at the towering and lovely man he called his own.

Taelian appeared giddy. If there was one part of him he did not show to others, it was his sweetness, which sometimes illuminated his boyish enthusiasm. "I can't wait," he said. "I've really admired your control over the elements for a long time, Riv. I'm so excited to share it with you," the Siltori added. He was being genuine. Magic was something that felt second nature to him, and each Rune... it was like finding an extension of himself he didn't know was there before. A new limb, a new organ. One that opened so many possibilities; new ways to witness, and live within, their world.

Riven kissed him and told him he loved him. Taelian smiled brightly back, and the feeling he transmitted to Riven through their Bond was one of sheer warmth. It was obvious without even saying it just how much he loved the other man -- and how he wanted to stay with him. How confident he felt that he would.

"I love you too," he said softly, spelling out his feelings. As if they weren't obvious enough already. "More than anything in this world, and in the world that comes after."

He said that only in case he died. As sure as he was... he never knew. The future was unforeseen. What if he really did go? He'd want Riven to remember him, to look for him the life over.

The initiation began. It was painful -- he was being carved into, forming such an incredibly elaborate shape. Each trace and curve was grueling, and there were so many of them. He drew shapes and contours to inscribe each element, though before long he completed the pattern, formed in carved skin and red blood. Taelian was wincing the entire time; he grimaced, even at times finding himself unable to hold back a pained expression of woe. He almost cried, but held back his tears so that Riven could stay focused on carving. It wasn't all too different from inscribing the Rune of Summoning, only somehow he knew the process wasn't over. It was about to become worse.

Riven began to clean the carved wound. It was the first reprieve in all of it; he recognized then how he was using the elements. An earthen knife, a watery cleanse, then...

Fire. The mage's eyes widened as he began to form the blue flame within his hands. Then, those same eyes shut as he ran the heat over his wounds to burn them shut, blood trickling down his skin from so many different places across the pattern. He was effectively being branded, but it was not one simple stamp onto his skin, it was a long and harrowing process. Every inch of the pattern needed to be permanently instilled. The wounds needed to be closed. It hurt; it stung. But luckily Taelian was strongly resistant to fire -- so resistant that Riven would in fact need to hold the flame to his wounds for much longer before they would cauterize.

He realized that he wasn't lucky at all. An Ebon Knight was to be cauterized by Exigency, nothing else. This method of giving the Rune permanence was one that his Sigilic Pyromancy unintentionally rejected, and so the process was drawn out wildly.

He'd had to be burned for quite a while. By the end of it, Taelian was crying. It hurt more than when he received the Rune within the Black Sigil. He'd been burned for so long, bleeding, with searing and stinging open wounds. He felt rotten for allowing himself to feel the pain so lucidly, and to let that show upon his face. He didn't expect the fire to hurt so much.

The end of the process came and the wounds cooled. That felt good at least, like a reprieve. When Riven finally sealed the Rune to his soul with aether, the patterns lighting up, Taelian exhaled a breath of relief. Unfortunately not even that lasted long -- as he tried to clear the tears from his eyes and catch himself, Taelian began to feel violently ill.

And then he began to feel as if he were suffocating; like he couldn't breathe at all. The mage began to hyperventilate, only for the sensation to terrify him. His expression appeared pained and horrified, and he began to frantically clap at his back, before thudding his closed fist against the center of his chest. He still couldn't breathe.

"Help!" he cried out desperately to Riven. "I think I'm dying, Riven, I..." he stopped, his voice straining. Taelian fell onto his chest, shaking. Most of it was anxiety and fear, though his suffocation was real.

After a while longer of desperate gasping, he gripped onto Riven's arm tightly and tried to control his breath. A few minutes later it mostly stilled, and he felt himself regaining control of his body and lungs. Taelian still felt sick, but the fear that had gripped him began to subside, replaced by a lingering but severe nausea and an excess of mucus and spit in his mouth. He practically coughed it out, hacking it up onto the floor. His skin began to feel sensitive and strange, and his head light.

Taelian his eyes again. The only thing he focused on was breathing through his nostrils. His head began to feel... delirious, as if everything around him was reverberating, but so slowly. He felt Riven there, though, around him. The mage let himself feel safe.

"I love you, Riv," he said quietly. Taelian felt... tired. "I'm okay. I'm okay."

[Riven]

Watching Taelian's expression of woe as the tears rolled down his cheeks was painful enough; feeling all of it through their Bond was even worse. Heartbroken, he looked at him as he had finished imprinting the Rune. He didn't remember it to be so painful, but at that time pain was the thing he remembered the most, and so the initiation hadn't been so different. It was probably the first time he had seen Taelian be so vulnerable about something so... physical, and he was unbearable. As soon as he was done, Riven leaned in to hug him, to tell him everything would be fine.

But the aether strain hit hard, and sooner than he expected. Out of the blue, Taelian was hyperventilating, but not really breathing; there was no real air flow, and he began to panic. Of course, Riven's reaction was similar. Terror started to get the better of him and he stared in shock, moving insecurely as Taelian started to brutally try and force himself to breathe. A full blown panic attack, but it was worse, even. And then he started crying for help. 'I think I'm dying'. The sole mention of death filled him with dread, but he just couldn't let Taelian die there; he was supposed to be helping him. Tears started runnning down his face as he frantically searched for solutions mentally; Taelian kept gasping for air.

"NO!" he bawled, refusing to lose his love. He held Taelian close to him as he gripped onto his arm, both their eyes reflecting the extreme fear they felt. He could see Taelian's moves slowly weaken as he fought for a single breath of air. He needed to focus; one wrong move and he would kill his beloved. Weakly but steadily, he used Elementalism to push an air current through his airways; one that forced him to open his lungs and stayed there for some time before releasing; he did it again. The balance was extremely delicate; a little more and he would make Taelian's lungs explode; weaker, and it wouldn't have worked. Slowly, Taelian regained his breath as Riven looked at him in tears. As he kept going, Riven and Taelian found the same thing; an excessive amount of mucus that had kept him from breathing. The Siltori had pushed most out, but Riven slowly modified the airflow to pull all the mucus to the surface; controlling air within Taelian's lungs just by pushing and pulling from the outside was terribly hard. He managed to discharge the rest and throw the mucus somehwere far from there; he had better things to think about than where it landed.

And after that, Taelian looked disoriented; dizzy, had a hard time following Riven's finger when he moved them in front o f him; Taelian clung to his arm again, Riven smiling. "I love you too, Tae. You don't know how much I love you, but I do. I don't think there can be any end to that. I'm so happy you're okay, Tae. I almost..." He said, leaning in to kiss Taelian. Nothing he had could be spread anyway. Taelian had new symptoms though; he had to take care of those. He picked his boyfriend up and carried him into one of the rooms, finding several beds there. He placed Taelian on one of them. Taelian's body was strarting to get colder, and so he summoned flame on both his hands and run them over him, without ever touching the Siltori with his fire. He just kept going, tending to his love's quick bodily changes; he summoned a water ring that he placed around his head, cleansing it and cooling it down as well. He could manage; he heated Taelian up while he used water on his head, trying to clear up his headspace; however, the symptoms kept changing. Riven stayed by Taelian's side; he'd conjure each of his elemental manifestations out of aether if necessary, just to keep him safe and as comfortable as possible.

He watched as Taelian slowly slipped into unconsciousness; he then breathed in, checked everything was stabilized, and walked to one of the cabinets to fetch a few blankets; he also went back to the courtyard to fetch the water bottle and fill it again. He tried to calm down as he walked back; watching Taelian almost die had been one of the scariest experiences of his whole life. Even now, the bond seemed to be affected by the initiation, and the reads he got from Taelian were strange and confusing; at least he knew the Siltori was still alive. He got back in, checking his temperature; he had a really high fever. He buried him in blankets and started to make water around his head circulate again, cleaning his sweat and lowering the temperature. He had to be ready for anything; he could peak again in the following hours. Riven still remembered his own torn skin; he hoped they never reached that point.

[Haldir]

Oh Dear, you seem to have contracted a REVIEW!

XP:

• 8 XP{Can be used for Elementalism}

Pieces of knowledge:

• Elementalism: The Rune of Elementalism
  Elementalism: The Initiation
  Elementalism: Extreme Initiation Drawbacks
  Elementalism: Severe Overstepping Penalties
  Elementalism: The Four Elements

Loot: +1 Rune of Elementalism

Injuries: N/A

Comments:

• If you have any questions, comments or concerns, let me know. Riven if you wish to add your lores to this please let me know via DM on-site or on Discord and I'll gladly add them in for ya! Enjoy your rewards!