Precedent scene: Floilogn (https://www.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/floilogn/2952841/) First scene of the story-arc: Chaos and Death (https://www.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/chaos-and-death/2889324/?p&ca) ________________________________________ It was the middle of the night. Delphine was comfortably sleeping in her bed when somebody knocked at her door. " Uhmmm." she moaned, bothered in her sleep. It knocked again, slightly stronger. " Uhmmm, what? she said for herself." It knocked again. "Wh... Who is it? Asked Delphine half asleep. - It's Mina. Can I come in? - Mina? Just a second. She sat and rubbed her eyes, then put a hand on her earings on the night stand and pointed a finger with her other to the candle next to her. Concentrating a little, she felt the magic force bending through the magical stones of her earings and from her pointed finger a small dart of fire appeared, lighting the candle. Then she did the same with the one on the other side of her bed. " Come in." Minalva entered. " Sorry to bother, she said. - That's okay. Why are... she stopped, suddenly realising something. Mina!!! You can't walk naked in the corridors of the inn! You are among humans, not in your tribe anymore. - Oups, responded her friend laughing and looking at her naked body, I haven't thought of that." In front of so much offhand manner, Delphine could only sighed. " Why are you here Mina? Everything is alright ? - Yes, but I had a dream. She said approaching the bed and lying on it. - You had a dream?! Delphine was quite baffled by the reason why her friend had awaken her. - Since I have started my druidic training, I have this recurring dream and I would like to have your advice about it. - A recurring dream? repeated the magician with more interest. Haven't you asked to your mother about it? She probably would have been more helpful than me. - Well, the last time I had this dream I thought that if it was happening again I'll ask her. But in the meantime, Marina, her sister and you, Filimly; while saying the elven nickname she gave to her friend she touched Delphine's golden hair; came to my clan to ask me and my lovely dwarf to accompany you for a rescue quest. - Oh! Well, I'll do my best to help you. What is your dream about? - So, Minalva took a deep breath, I am not really present in the dream. It's more like if I was there to observe the scene. It is in a forest, but not my forest. This forest is more luxuriant, but in the same time it looks less wild. There are at least three persons for sure. My little brother Kar-Yol and Fiëndel, both adults and both really handsome I must say, she added, laughing." Delphine smiled at the remark of her friend but didn't let it distracted her. " They are adults, but still young, around 30 or 40 years old, 50 max. They are both armed, with bows and daggers and I think Fifi is also wearing magical stones. She already shows interest in the druidic ways, you know." Delphine nodded. " And the third person? You said they were three right? Do you know it too? - Uhm, no and yes. It's where it starts to be weird, because I could swear that I know that man, it's a male by the way, but at the same time I am positive I have never seen him. " Can you describe him? - He is a wood elf, but a little shorter and stronger looking than the average. He has red hair, his face is very blurry to me and I can't describe it. But like I said, I'm sure I know him and I definitely feel a connection with him. - He is not from your tribe? Could he be coming from another one? - No. I think I'll remember a physic like his. - If it's some kind of premonitory dream, because it is what you think, right?" Minalva confirmed with a head gesture. " Well, it might be someone you haven't met yet. In the dream realm, the space and time barriers are not there, so your "deep soul" might recognise him, even if you don't know him yet. - You might be right. But I must say that this impression of knowing him without actually knowing him is kind of unsettling. - I understand. I never made a premonitory dream before, but I have read things on it and it can be disturbing sometimes." They both stayed silent for a moment, thinking. " Is there other persons? You said they were three at least. - Well, It's not clear. I can see shadows near them. Not "evil" shadows, but more like faint presences that I can't visualise. I don't know if they are people with them, or even if they are real or not. - For what I know, the future is not carved in stone, so it might be persons or being hypotetically present with Kar-Yol and others, in the place. The clear presence of your brother, Fïendel and this other elf, make them probably certain to be there. Like I said, future is not certain, but there are some theories that say that it exists some nodes in time bound to happen. The road leading to them and their outcomes are not absolute. It is also why so many apocalyptic predictions, if you take the real ones and put aside the many false made by crazy people, never happened. It's because some persons have being able to prevent them, in different ways." She took a pause to think a second. "I must say, this conversation makes me more and more intrigued for this dream. What is happening exactely in it? " Like I said, they are in a forest. They are heading for some place and I follow them for a while. They finally arrive in an opening in the forest, with a sort of shrine or dais in the middle of it. There is a pecular atmosphere in the place, very ancient and kind of eerie. Maybe because of the absolute silence of the place. They are doing and saying things that I can not identify, but it looks important. First nothing happens, after they finished, but then, there is this portal opening in the middle of the dais and a humanoid form emerge from it. This being is surrounded and is emitting a golden light. I think it's masculine, but its form and traits are not very define, so it might as well be a woman. The golden light emitting from "it", for lack of better word, is so bright that it is hurting the eyes of Kar, Fifi and the other wood elf, as much as mines and a powerful energy can be feel. - Fascinating! Abeing coming from a portal and a bright golden light, you said?... Could it be Lum? - Lum? Lum... Ah, you mean Bann? Father Sun. No I don't think so. I already felt his energy during druidic meditations and it was not the same feeling." Somebody else could have been surpised or perplexed by the last statement of Minalva, but Delphine being a magician was well aware of the fact you could feel the divinities presence and that each one has its own energy. Delphine took some time to think about what the being could be. After a moment she asked: " Could it be a gold elf? - A gold elf? responded Minalva thoughful." The Gold Elves were the ancestors, almost Gods like, of all the Elves. But their existence was so long ago that even the oldest of the High Elf couldn't say anything about them. Simply because, when Gold Elves were existing, High and Dark Elves were not. There was very few stories talking of them and those there were, were contradicting. Even the reasons of why the unique race of the Gold Elves became the two races of the High and Dark Elves were not clear. Some said it was because they offended the Gods, other said it was because of a spell that went wrong, some stories said it was the last cursed of the Demon Lords before they were banned out of the world and others even said that it has been done on purpose by the Elves themselves for some unknowned reasons. One thing was sure about them though, it was that they were not existing anymore, because they "transformed" into something else. That was why the idea of the glowing being, being one of them, never came to the mind of Minalva. " Could it be? No it can't... But in the same time..." Minalva where struggling with her thoughts. " I understand it might be hard to conceive that. But for now, it's the only thing that comes to my mind, said Delphine. What is happening next? Maybe it could help me more. - Well, it is basically the end of the dream. The light emitting from the being becomes more and more bright until it envelops everything. And then I wake up. - Oh, responded Delphine a little disappointed. And that light, what does it inspire you? - It's both soft and warm and at the same time there is something scary about it. It's difficult to describ." Another silence took place for a moment. " Do you really think it could be a gold elf? Asked Minalva. - Well, if you say it is not the God Lum, it is the only other thing coming to my mind. Tell me if I am wrong, but did not the Gold Elves known to have a golden glow around them? - No. Not really. But maybe. Some of the wisest of them, just a handful, were supposed to have some kind of a glowing aura around them. But it's not clear if it has to be taken literally or not. But do you imagine? If it is a gold elf! It would be, if it's even possible, incredible! It would like if one of your ancestors, to you humans, the... the... I'm sorry, I actually don't know what your ancestors were called. - That's okay, smilled Delphine. We don't know really either. We came from the south, that you know I'm sure, but for the rest, our origin story is as much contradicting as why the Gold Elves were split into two races. There are some constants but..." The girls continued to discuss for a long moment of the creation myths of humans and elves. Delphine asked for more precisions of the dream of Minalva and they talked of its philosophical and worldly repercution it could have if it was really a premonitory dream. They came to a point were nothing more was needed to be added and the fatigue started to be felt again, when Minalva noticed the earrings of Delphine on her night stand. " Oh! Your earrings are beautiful. - Thank you. It is a gift that Omdeo gave me before we leave." While looking at the earrings she blushed a little, which did not escaped to the sharp eyes of the elf and the awakening of her curious nature made her sleepiness go away. " You are blushing, Filimli. Does that mean that you have feelings for Omdeo? - What! No! Not at all. What are you talking about? she responded laughing, quite embarrassed. - You are blushing even more. responded Minalva with a big smile. - I tell you I don't. I love him like a mentor but that is all. - Ah! You just said you love him. - Yes, like MENTOR. And even if I loved him, which I don't, he has the age to be my fath... My grand... He is almost 350 years older than me! - I don't see the problem, said Minalva frowning her eyebrows in reflection. I have mylsef been in love with someone of his age, when I was younger. - Yes, but things are different. I am a human and you are a forever young elf. - I don't understand. her reflections making her frowned even more her eyebrows. - It is different that's all. You'll have to figure it by yourself, Mina" Minalva sat on the bed and crossed her arms, thinking deeply for a moment. " I give up! I really don't understand. Ha ha!" Delphine sighed and hoped that her elf friend will let down the subject, but Minalva had more things in her mind. "So, if you don't love Omdeo, her eyes and tone were saying she didn't believed in that, did you fell in love with somebody while you were at The Guild?" At that question, the face of a certain red head passed unwillingly in the mind of Delphine and her face became red again. Which Minalva saw right away. " Oooh, so there is somebody. - No, there is not. - Who is he? - There is no He. - There is no He? ask Minalva. So who is She, then? she added with a big smile." The face of the poor Delphine was almost as red as her night dress. " N... No. The... There is no She either. baffled Delphine. I... I don't want to talk of that anymore!" The curiosity of the Wood Elves was known to be very strong and it had put a lot of them in trouble, but even if Minalva wanted to know more, she saw how her friend looked embarrassed, even troubled, and she decided to stop asking questions. " I'm sorry, Delphine. I didn't wanted to annoy you." Minalva might have been immature on some points, but she was a good friend. " It's okay, Mina. You have not really annoyed me. Well, yes you have, they both laughed. But it's not the problem. It's just... she stayed quite for few seconds. It's just that I am a little confused right know." Minalva took her hand. " If you want to talk, I'm here, you know? - I don't want to talk about it. But thank you." Finishing her sentence she could not prevent a big yawn, which made Minalva yawned too. " It is very late. Marina and Sigrid will come around 8 o'clock, so we really should sleep now. said Delphine. - You're right, responded Minalva while entering in the bed. - What are you doing? - I follow your advice, I go to sleep. - In my bed? And Romatzo? - He knows I'm here. she responded smiling." Delphine sighed again, but she was not really annoyed by her friend presence. Since the groupe have separated six months ago, she had missed to not have to sleep next her companions anymore. Which she found funny, because at first, she hated that. They blew the candles and wished goodnight to each others. Minalva tightened to Delphine. The magician didn't mind and feeling the warm body of her friend against hers, by this cold winter night, was agreeable. However, something was wrong. " Uhm, Mina ? - Yes ? - Could you... Could you put your hand elsewhere please. - Oh! Sorry. Ha ha ha! ________________________________________ It took me almost a month, but I have finally finished to write the text for this picture. All I had to do was to put the file on a usb key, take my laptop and go write in another room of the house. For some reason I couldn't focused in front of my desktop pc. Don't really know why, because usually I don't have this problem. Anyway, it's finally done and I hope you have enjoyed both the render and the text. The dream of Minalva might be a teaser for a future story, but actually nothing is written, I just have this premise that I liked. But even if I develop it into a real story, I have no idea when it could be released, considerate how quickly I create the current storyline and that I already have the next one in my head. About Minalva saying that her brother and Fïendel are looking between 30 and 50 years old, it's because if elves are forever young, their physiognomy is evolving slighly while they getting older. It's not easy for a human to tell, but an elf can see the differences. Like you can see, Delphine might have some feelings for Marina (and for Omdeo, despite what she says), even if she is a little lost right now. I know where I want to go with this, but I don't know which road to take to go there yet. I'll improvised along the way. :D The "argument" between Minalva and Delphine at the end is probably settled too easily, but I didn't wanted to drag the text any longer. Now it's time to work on the next picture! I have already started it, but it's a complicated one, so it might be a little long to finish it. DS is already crashing when I try to do a test render, because it demands to much memory, even if I haven't put eveything and everyone in the scene yet. The text should be quicker to write, though, because it will be mostly a description of what is going on.