There were times when Yovin was afraid. Seeing a Varonada for the first time, their ghastly caws lighting the night skies of his home like demonic screeching. Watching his father take a nasty fall, getting up only after a harrowing procession of seconds that seemed to last an eternity.
There were times when Yovin was sad. When he pondered recent events, that emotion was greater than all the others even greater than the hate he felt for the Man that took his Father from him.
However, he had never been mesmerized by something. So taken by a phenomenon that his entire being ignored anything and everything else.
Yovin was experiencing such an emotion now, as he looked on past a bountiful sea of stars, thousands of millions of lights of different shapes and sizes perched amidst an obsidian backdrop. Even the surface he was standing on was encompassed by those lights, more like floating amongst them than standing. Trying to formulate a proper comparison to that sensation would be like capturing chroma in a bottle.
And yet, it wasn't fear of the unknown that held him so tightly. It was something much more freeing. A sense of unity with his surroundings. Like the weights of his regrets, his traumas, were void amidst such a vast kaleidoscope of distant satellites.
"Beautiful." He muttered, completely enraptured with the scenery.
"I'm glad you think so."
A voice as tender yet gargantuan as the cosmos that surrounded him emerged. Yovin passively looked towards it's source, completely overcome with a sense of calm that coursed across him like waves on a naked shore.
"Welcome to my little abode, Yovin. It's a relief to see you awake."
As his eyes adjusted, the calm that Yovin experienced was shattered in an instant. The feminine voice didn't belong to a person like him. Rather, the entity that had spoke was much more.
It's slender body, similar to that of a large serpent, glittered with pearlescent scales that covered the creature's expanse. Unfurled wings made of similar material to the rest of it's body cast a long shadow over Yovin, his eyes now haunted with an unabashed terror as he contemplated the beast.
The creature was hovering itself a few dozen meters away from Yovin, every pulse of it's wings ejecting coursing sounds of crystalline surfaces gliding against each other. However, their beats carried no wind alongside their course. Like this place was held within a vacuum of some kind.
After a bit of fanfare, the creature landed with a silent thud atop the soupy mass of cloudy plasma that constructed what could be considered the "Floor" of this place.
Still a reasonable distance away from him, Yovin now held a perfect view of just how gargantuan the Creature was, easily trumping his family's cottage in sheer mass. And even still, he felt only fear as he looked on, the previous calm he had experienced gone like a pleasant dream.
"No need to be so on edge, child. I mean you no harm." The Creature's sharp-edged face remained inanimate, it's viper-like eyes offering only scant traces of movement. How it could be speaking without moving it's mouth was beyond Yovin. However, he considered it a small relief, considering he would've been just fine without having to ponder on the size of it's teeth as well.
"Then again, I can understand why you would be frightened. A moment, then." After speaking, the Creature began to emit a scant light from within the pearlescent scales that covered it's body. Over time, that once faint light grew enough to rival even the infinite cosmos that surrounded them. Yovin was forced to cover his eyes with his arm, the luminance blinding what little his eyes could perceive beyond the fold of his extremity.
The light diminished as soon as it appeared, giving Yovin a chance to look at it's source.
And to his baffling confusion, the creature was no longer present, replaced instead by a woman with pearlescent hair and eyes of a similar hue that dazzled like the stars around them.
Her steps were light, each one carrying her closer and closer to Yovin, who could only bask in wonderment at the barrage of insane phenomena one after another. However, he took notice of the spectral beauty this person showcased, a motherly sense of apprehension filling her eyes as she pondered him quietly, a few meters away.
"Again, my deepest apologies. I forget myself sometimes, as silly as that may seem." The woman conjoined her admonishment with a light giggle that tickled Yovin's trembling ears. The fear he felt in that moment was great, and yet, with every passing second, he could feel himself slowly acclimate to her familiar guise.
"For starters, I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Mei Lin. However, I'd appreciate if you simply referred to me as Mistress for the time being." As the woman spoke, she gave Yovin a small bow, one that offered a modicum of respect towards the receiving party. He couldn't unravel the situation even if he was given a millennium to puzzle it together.
So he did what anyone would do.
"Umm... Mistress? What is going on?" Yovin's words were dripping with disjointed emotion. Every synapse in his mind had been assaulted by so many different revelations that he couldn't help but cast aside formality for the sake of some semblance of closure.
"Of course. I imagine Alya stuck to her word, then. In that case, allow me to explain." Mei cupped one of her elbows in her hand, the other playing with her bottom lip as she attempted to formulate a congruent explanation for the boy.
Yovin's attention was completely at this woman's beck and call, his gaze pleading for an answer. Something Mei took immediate notice of, her lips parting as words began to flow from them.
"As Stewardess of the Cantimire Valley, and those who preside within it, I am responsible for any and all anomalous instances or individuals that come to my attention. The Disaster at Catarina, by extension, can be placed solely in that same responsibility."
"I have been aware of you for quite some time. As soon as you were given access to the Power, in fact. However, with the sordid state of affairs, I felt that now was a good time to bring you into the fold."
"In short, I have taken you in as my own child, in the hopes that I can nurture your ability to the best of my own." Mei uncapped her hand, giving Yovin an expectant look that seemed to allow questions if he had any. And he had plenty.
Almost everything the Woman had said was akin to a non-answer. A deflection meant to conceal a hidden truth. Taken in as her own child? What could she possibly have meant by that?
But for now, confusion still racking his brain, Yovin could only ask one.
"So... Am I going to die?"
The boy's words were like knives to the Woman's heart. She had forgotten herself once again. This was not one of her subordinates, or a contemporary seeking restitution. He was a child, abandoned by a cruel dealing by fate, given scars that would stay with him long after the event left his memory.
And, above all, he was terrified. Of course he would be. Not only had she subjected him to seeing her Primal form, but was given what could be considered a direct order by someone he had no allegiance or loyalty to. Someone much more powerful than he was.
'A steady hand. A light touch. That is what will allow him to heal.' Mei pondered inwardly, cursing herself for being so brutish.
Overcome by that dastardly sense, she couldn't help but lower herself slightly to meet Yovin's gaze, which was only a few centimeters shorter than her own, and relished him with soft smile. One that seemed to soothe the boy's outward constipation.
"No, my child. I'm truly sorry. I spoke without giving you the proper consideration you are owed. As long as you are under my care, no ill harm will fall upon you. I swear that to you on the name bestowed to me."
Mei's words were deeply sincere, if only for the stern yet loving gaze she showered Yovin with. Just slightly, Yovin began to feel a sense of trust with this woman begin to emerge. In truth, he didn't actually think he was in any danger. However, when death was at the forefront of his mind, he couldn't help but consider the possibility.
"I do not wish to hold you hostage. Nor do I wish to lie to you. However, due to my status within Lativa, I can't disclose everything. And for that I must apologize once more. But, my declaration still stands. You are safe here."
Yovin felt, just for a moment, that he could believe this stranger's words.
"However, I refuse to provide you mere sanctuary. I will train you in the Arts of your people, in the hopes that you may offer your services to me. Of course, that will be something we discuss at a later point in time."
And there it was. The Transaction. As the Mistress' words rang out, Yovin couldn't help but remember an adage his Mother had impressed upon him for as long as he could remember.
'If someone offers their help, offer your own in advance.'
As far as Yovin was concerned, this Woman had offered more than just help. She had saved him, even if indirectly. She made it seem as if she was capable of a high level of pull within Lativa, and given the concession of recent events, he could only assume the Mistress was involved in some way regarding his current vitality.
Not to mention that, in truth, he was alone now. Nowhere or one to turn to. And at almost 13 years of age, there were almost no means to which he could adequately support himself. So, to Yovin at least, even if he had to shed blood and tears for this person, he would gladly do it.
The way she was looking at him, just as Alya had, a look filled with love and compassion, bore that premonition deeper into his psyche, turning from idle possibility to resolution within.
"If you feel unsavory about my offer, than by no means-"
"No!"
Yovin couldn't help but automatically reach to cover his agape mouth, surprised by the sudden plea he had shouted. Mei especially appeared taken aback, her previous summation from the few moments they had shared with him being conscious made her assume he was a quiet boy. In most situations, he was. But at least he seemed to appreciate her offer, based on his embarrassed response to his own actions.
Yovin, in part, was just as surprised. And yet, he didn't feel out of place. The words aching to come forth were the ones he held to be true, in his heart of hearts. What would he possibly do without this strange benefactor? The Streets of Lativa weren't kind to orphaned teenagers. He would either be reduced to a vagabond, or left to stifle amongst the laborers that dotted the amaranth mines in the east.
And so, he began to clarify.
"I mean... I'm not against it in the slightest! I'll gladly accept your conditions."
His response was quick and without repose. For the first time since his Mother died, he felt a scant trace of confidence teeming in his words, the strength of this woman's consummation fueling his resolve.
Yet, just below the surface, Yovin could begin to feel another burgeoning thought emerge amidst the gratitude. One of expectation. Being trained in the ways of Chroma was a lifelong dream of his, and even though so much was taken from him, he felt as if this experience would only act to strengthen him.
Mei couldn't help but feel that same resolve blossom from within the boy. In this space, she could see that his emotions were like sheets billowing alongside each other, furiously dancing amidst a starry sky. They told her that this boy held a deep grudge over something she would neither approach or discern. After what he experienced, the boy was due his own sense of warped justice.
"I'm glad. Truly." Her words, matched with an intensifying smile, acted as the final handshake between them, one that would determine both their fates in extraneous ways.