Wiley's Note
This note was delivered to Hypselle Aster sometime before the events of Trailing Memories, and was shared with those around her when she discovered it.
There are several scratched-out iterations of greetings and openings at the top of the paper, as if the writer was unable to decide how to start.
I'll admit that I don't know how to start this, Selle. This is a letter I never thought I would write, yet circumstances seem to have brought me down an unwanted path. There's no easy way to write that if you have received this letter, what I was told has come true: My stars have long since returned to the skies of our mothers, leaving you and our siblings to build a new world without me.
Do you remember the night you and I had sat by the ocean outside of my hut, enjoying one of the first waves of our kin falling from our Mothers' care? Asa and Hallias were mulling over this new drink they had made while Kairdar was busy investigating a small creature that had crawled out of a nearby den. With Asa and Hallias distracted, Kairdar's ability to capture the tiny creature and see how its glowing horns worked was hindered, and you left me for mere moments to help her.
It was there, in the water, that Mother Zenta spoke to me. Her words were like the twinkling of bells and starlight, whispering to me so gently that I feared I would miss something if I spoke up. So I listened until the star's reflection became blurry once more, even though the silence carved out my own heart with it.
Before we descended to join you, I remembered their conversations. Hushed memories that were fuzzy, yet their voices were clear as they created each of us—argued for our descent to be the ones to join you. They spoke of the rumblings of a forgotten brother and the fear they had for you if we joined you.
Mother Zenta reminded me of that brother, Odum. Yet, her fear from back then had multiplied as She warned me that he was stirring—that somehow, He had begun to copy their creations with his mix of tainted power and magic from lightyears away. She warned that when He finally finished, destruction and death would line our home. This was not a distant threat, Selle, but a looming danger.
That there was nothing to do about it.
She did not know how or when it would happen; She just knew that it would. Odum is a vile, ambitious, and jealous being who would do anything to destroy his sister's happiness for trapping him alone. Mother Zenta warned me, and She told me I could not tell a soul. If I did, we would start preparing for the worst en masse…Odum would have done much worse than what I assume happened.
I'm sorry I wasn't there, Selle. I'm sorry I couldn't do more. My heart aches with the weight of this regret. However, if our Mothers have delivered this letter to you, it means that they need to speak once more, and my apologies are a mere addition to the truth of my writing to you.
Find what once was treasured,
From wooden beams we measured,
Mysteries that beg to be unfurled,
In a language all its own, veiled in swirls.
Shadows stealing one's memories,
An item thought lost for centuries.
A creature of myth, a sight to behold,
A terror of the sea, ancient and bold.
Enigmatic verses, a dance,
Guiding your souls to advance.
From waters deep, a message lies,
Cryptic words beneath our eyes,
Whispers of a secret truth,
To be found by our youth.
I wish you luck, my sister. Until we meet again among the stars,
Wiley