I heard the noon bells ringing. I'm kneeling on a carpet of reeds, by a shallow pool of water. It was called a pool of clear water, a focal point among our community. My hands rest on my thighs, relaxed. Full of calluses after years of training, but clean. I'm wearing a simple gray robe with a simple cotton tunic underneath. At the heart is an embroidered symbol of eldath. The waterfall descends into a calm pool.
I feel the sunshine on my skin, reflecting through the window, marking dusty golden bars, across the rocky meditation hall. The air in the temple is cool, smelling of parchments, polished wood, and after a weak clean rain. Eldath's hallmark.
The morning prayers are already ready. The goddess's peace is a gentle hum in my blood, a familiar comforting feeling.
But today it didn't seem to be enough.
Already during the weeks, restlessness has only grown inside me. I have heard whispers and rumors from pilgrims and traveling merchants. Their stories have crept into the silence of a peaceful allenar forest. Stories of banditry on Merchant's Pass. Rumors of strange and sick plagues in fading swamps. Stories of villages looking for protectors, no one to stand for them, and the darkness that creeps ever closer.
I feel the call. I don't show up, or an explosive call. But only a silent call, a persistent pull in my soul. The same one that led me from the son of a farmer of the land to the service of eldath. Peace is not always just the absence of conflict. It's something that needs to be fed, protected... and sometimes defend with all their might.
I hear quiet footsteps. An older sister, a calm elf named mavaria. She has clearly noticed my distractions. I haven't been normal focused myself. She stands under the arches of the door. Arms crossed inside her sleeves.
"I notice that your spirit is restless today, Marcon," her voice split through space, like the wind blowing through the leaves. "The reflection of your water is mixed"
I sigh loudly and talk to her. The question that has burned my insides. "I feel like I could be of help out there in the outside world. To help those who need it. If I stay here, all those rumors of spreading shadows will stir my steady heart." I look at her with appreciation. "What should I do?"
Mavaria's silver eyes held my own eyes in their grip for a long time. They see not only the spoken words but also the devotional conflict behind them. She is silent for a long time,
Only a distant murmur of water from the central spring of the temple can be heard in the background.
"You have a tender heart Marcon," she said with a smile, her voice still soft, but still bearing the weight of centuries. "Eldath teaches us that peace is a garden. It can be treated here, behind these walls, safely. But a garden can also be a seed that can be carried by the wind. Planting in barren soil."
She steps closer to me. The hem of her gray robe touches the stone tiles on the floor. Thanks to her elven heritage, she still looks beautiful. Like my age, but older on the inside, wiser. "The rumors you hear... They are not just whispers. The world outside this forest hurts. The balance has been upsetting. " She tilts his head to the side slightly." Question 'What should I do?'. You already know the answer deep in your heart, which is now restless. The question is not 'what', but are you ready?"
She points to the calm pool in front of me. "Look. Tell me what you see. Not with your eyes, but with the peace that the eldath has planted in you."
I looked down into the calm pool. My own reflection was visible on the surface of the water. A young man with dark hair and sky-blue eyes and a strong chin but kindness around his mouth. But when I focused my gaze, letting the sounds of the temple soak in me. Then the picture in the water looked like ... change.
For a moment, I couldn't see my reflection in the water. There was a glimpse in the water of a busy crossroads city under the harsh sun. The air was thick with spices and dust. I heard the distant bang of metal, not in battle, but in the blacksmith's shop. In my hand, I feel the weight that comes from the shield.
The vision disappeared as quickly as it appeared. Leaving only a startled reflection fluttering on the surface of the water.
Mavaria nodded, just as she saw the same thing as I did. "The path of a protector is never easy. It is to be a shield, not a sword. To protect quiet and peaceful hearts. Even when others try to violently break them." She placed his cool and perfect hand on my shoulder. "The temple will bless your path, no matter what you decide. You wouldn't leave as a master, but as a seeker. Eldath's outstretched hand."
She takes his hands away and crosses them again. "The choice is yours, Marcon Astorio. Will you stay here to take care of the garden, or will you carry its seed to the outside world?"
"Thank you, Elder Sister Mavaria, now I know what my path is. It is to take that seed to the outside world and plant it outside this garden."
A gentle but approving smile touched Mavaria's lips. A very rare sight that speaks to deep pride. "Then the seed has found the soil it deserves," she said. "Come, you won't leave empty-handed"
She led me out of the meditation chamber through the sunlit temple and into the temple armory. A small, decent room that smelled of oiled leather and metal. From the rack she gave me a durable wooden shield; its top side was simple but polished smoothly. The symbol of Eldath painted fresh. "Your first shield. May it push out all the harm, so that only peace can follow it."
From the chest she takes a well-made long sword, in a simple scabbard. It is not decorated, but its balance is absolute, and sharp. "Last resort," she recalls, her tone serious. "Eldath's authentic weapon is a steady heart and a strong mind. But sometimes protected peace requires a protected hand.
Finally, she puts a simple silver necklace around my neck. It has an engraved symbol, a drop of water dripping into a circle. "A symbol of your faith. Let it remind you of Still Pool, and that genuine power emanates from serenity."
She led me away from the armory and into the sunny temple courtyard. The cool wind of the forest sways my robe. "Where do your steps lead you, Marcon?" The leaves move with the wind in the courtyard ground. "The world is vast. Merchant's Pass is in the south and is the center of commerce and problems. The villages in the east of the starview plains are tender but vulnerable. Or maybe you're drawn to the rumors that have disturbed your sleep?"
"I think I should travel to the city of Leskyir first. Then see where the goddess leads me." I replied to her.
Mavaria's smile widened, with a glimmer of knowledge in his ancient eyes. "Leskyir," she repeated, as if tasting the word. "Merchant Pass Heart. A city of dust, a place of coins, and thousands of conflicting desires. A difficult place to plant a seed, which is why it needs it the most.
She grabbed my shoulders with both hands and pronounced the last official blessing. "Go with the blessing of Eldath, Marcon. Remember: you carry her peace within you. In the glamor of the market, under the staring of the desert sun. Listen to it, it will guide your path."
I nodded to the older sister mavaria. Then I turn and pass through the enchanted gates of the temple, stepping into the paths of the elfen forest, which blows cool air.