Chapter 5 wishes to be granted
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The Sanctuary, home of the foxes.
A Few moments before Astrada's dream trial.
High atop a long alabaster pillar sat a woman dressed in black-and-gold silk robes, detailed with the finest star patterns across her smooth, dark skin, her hair tied in long, thick locks.
The mature female feathered foxes' large ears perked up, twisting slightly toward the main foxes' home village in the far distance as they sensed a new presence inside.
A curious smile appeared on her face as she tapped her lip slightly with a thought in mind.
'Hmm, seems that a new face has arrived. And one of a powerful hollow energy user at that; whoever they are, I can see her outline from here, with my eyes, as she sits inside the trial. Currently, Astrada possesses no ill intent towards us, provided the stream of different emotions flowing outward from her body inside the dream trial is being taken.'
Shortly after, the mature feathered fox stands up, dusting off her silk garments, then transforms into a small black fox with golden-tipped tails.
Leaping from the large tower high above, she landed back into sanctuary, jumping from house to house until she finally made her way towards
the trial held with Shoki and Astrada.
In the distance, two tall male feathered fox Guards standing by notice a golden light of hollow energy approaching as a radiating figure makes her way to the entrance of the dream trial. Almost immediately, both bow their heads in reverence and respect for the guardian of the sanctuary and protector of feathered foxes.
" Lady Silvia, it is an honor for you to come here; usually you are out on travels across the astral world, adventuring between different realms and battling beings of great strength to protect our sanctuary… so... what is it that would bring you here?" One of the guards lifted his head back with a confused but curious expression.
Transforming back into her previous state, as her black and gold silk garments lay nicely on her skin, she smiled warmly and said in an even tone:
"I've come to see the newcomer Shoki brought here. I sensed the immense amount of hollow energy emanating from the trial and wanted to know who, and how, someone of a caliber to the strongest fox guardians and me made it into our home."
The two guards looked at each other, then back to Siliva as one of them spoke up.
"She came here around seven days ago and has been staying here since you've been gone, recovering after her harrowing battle with an aged and battle-torn cosmic serpent, which she managed to defeat and kill in battle, although judging from what Shoki told us before entering the dream trial, it seems that the woman who is named Astrada came here to learn the ways of us feathered foxes and deepen her knowledge of the astral world and the spirits
Alongside a few other things, Shoki wouldn't fully explain to us about the mystery woman, but told us that she brings no harm and would only learn."
Silvia stood there and thought to herself for a few moments without a word to the two guards, then began walking into the trial room. Her beautiful locs swayed in the breeze as the door opened, and for a second she turned to look back at the two guards, telling them:
"I'll be in the trial of dreams & meet this astrada face to face so that I can make my own judgment of her actions and character. While she may pose no harm to us as of right now, we must always be vigilant against any forms of unknowns in the astral world, whether friendly or not."
Both guards nodded in agreement and pushed the doors fully open for Silivia to pass.
As she walked slowly down the long, narrow hallways of the dream trial Shoki manifested for the sage, Silivia could sense the pain, sorrow, and loneliness of Astrada's hollow energy swirling around the entire area, and it seemed that she was still deep within her trial even after seven whole days' worth of time; the apex of her transformation finally came to be.
***
By the seventh day, Astrda had fully awakened and completed her trial of dreams; she battled through countless nightmares and endured the pain of her soul reshaping itself down to the very core as all of her memories were shattered, then brought back together hundreds of thousands of times over as she continued enduring what felt like endless harrowing torture.
What was worse was that by the seventh day, when she reached the crux of her transcendence, she'd have to complete the ultimate and final test of strength: battle a nightmare version of herself to fully merge all aspects of the mind, body, and soul once and for all.
However, before she could face her nightmare self in battle, Astrada, floating mid-air deep within thought, sensed someone approaching her and Shoki inside the trial.
"Who is coming, Shoki? I sense a radiant presence from outside making their way here"
Shoki, across the other side of the room, her calm expression turned softer than before as she said in a familiar tone of voice to Astrada:
"My closest friend & companion Silvia is here now."
The sage's eyes perked up after hearing Shoki say that, and she noticed the softness in her once calm face change to a warmer expression. Shortly after, Astrada then turned her head to the figure now walking into the trial room; the nomadic deity saw a tall, regal woman with a beautiful aura of radiating golden-white hollow energy emanating from her firm and well-endowed body, alongside the supple but soft, dewy dark skin as well the woman's pointed fox ears that were completely black, and fingernails that were claw-like in nature as Astrada saw Siliva is in black and golden silk garments covered with countless pieces of jewelry and gold markings that wrapped her figure as she could only imagine how old and amount of tails this feathered fox would possess as elder leader.
Silivia enters the room looking directly towards Shoki; she smiles at her softly, then turns to look at Astrada still floating mid-air:
"My name is Silivia, and I am the current leader of the feathered foxes whom you've now come to meet within these past few days. I was out on an expedition inside the astral realm, and I now come back to once again protect this sanctuary.
It is quite nice to finally see the face of the one about whom I've heard tales. Now, now, the one who calls herself Astrada, tell me why you want to learn of my people and your reasoning behind why you want to walk the path of spirits."