A life of lethargy is hardly a life at all. Between her idle hands and monotonous routine, Sally considered herself cursed. Cast out by the fates, forsaken to this island that was in any other eye, a paradise. A prison.
A generation or so ago, Sally’s clan leased her to the mabeast. As conflict crept unto the neighboring isles, the voyagers moved to intervene. Supposedly, in an effort to keep the fighting from taking root there. Hearsay, as Sally hadn’t received any word from then since her arrival.
Whatever the outcome, she’d never become involved. After a few years of struggling to make heads or tales of her role, the unicorns took pity on her, and took her on as a live in apprentice.
In terms of academia, this would have been a dream come true. Sally had been a quick study in several of the arcane arts. Forging an astral bond, a familiar in her previous life, and doing so in impressive time in her following incarnation.
Some suggested she was a prodigy. Sadly, it was all she had left. The thirst for adversity and exploration ran deep in her soul. “There was always more to learn”, but Sally had seen her fill. For raw and untamed magic, it felt despondent in the sanctuary of the alicorn.
Caught between classes, and a loss for the next nuance of study, Sally’s mind began to wander. A current passed across the veil of the island. The mana of her avatar roamed the island regularly. It was similarly underwhelmed, but remained passive and kept to land.
This current, as it shifted, drew her avatar out. Well beyond the island, and where the sea breeze was crisp and bitter. The stale aura of the shell began to resonate, allowing her familiar to tap into the line, and an energy from beyond to enter.
Sally felt her breath catch, as the barrier warred with her consciousness. A tunnel vision bore into her mind's eye unbidden.
An elephant, quelled by a single seed. A young child harassed again and again by the abyss. A boy of fire, and an impossible choice. A mountain’s heart, and within, the dragons keep. A dark blade, and a corrupt magic that flooded the summit star. A war, waged by creatures of all shapes and sizes. An army that fought like demons, and another disorderly. A clash of black and white, and… stillness.
A steady pressure, a stilled heartbeat. A tower that breached the surface, and shook the veil. The same tunnel that linked her minds eye snapped closed.
Sally gripped her brow, the experience causing her senses to strobe. Gradually, the isle came back into view, however the connection still burned in her mind. A path traced across the island, blowing away the cobwebs, and bringing clarity along the way.
It was long overdue that she left this island. With the vision fresh in her mind, she followed the path and sought to take a heading for her own.
