“Sometimes, you just need a moment to yourself, for whatever reason. Listen to that feeling.” - Saying attributed to the Silver Maiden.
“Grandpa,” said Aideen rather quietly later that night when the formalities were mostly done and over with. The Bone Lord and his army had not entered the city, but camped outside its walls instead, as they planned to continue on their trek the following day. The city was of no use to anyone in its current state, and would just be abandoned, in all likelihood.
The two of them were inside the Bone Lord’s personal tent, where they were afforded some privacy and quiet simply because nobody would dare to barge in the tent uninvited. The guards that stood outside – more for show, as the Bone Lord had no real need for guards – were undead constructs, so whatever was said within would remain known only to those present.
Which was exactly how Aideen preferred it, as she wanted to talk with Grandpa Aarin about certain things that touched upon a doubt she had been having about herself and the path she walked. They were rather personal and touchy subjects, so it wasn’t appropriate to discuss them with her charges, who were themselves still young and making their own path in the world.
“Welcome, Child,” greeted Grandpa Aarin – encased in his mortal form this time, unlike when he arrived at Danna in all his glory earlier – kindly as he gestured for Aideen to sit on one of the plush cushions set on the carpeted floor of the tent. “I sense that you have much in your mind. Something you want to talk about with your old Grandpa, I assume?”
“Indeed,” admitted Aideen with a nod. “I have been a witness to something very… humbling, when the incident happened back then. You likely know that I have never been the most devout of people, that I always strive to do things on my own rather than to pray upon the Deities and ask for the help and the like, but even so… to see one of them with my own eyes… it was… something.”
“Rest assured that the sentiment you hold now is something others have shared in the past, Child. I have had the fortune to meet and talk with some people who had been present to witness Igunacio’s Wrath many centuries ago, and they expressed much of the same as you did just now,” said Grandpa Aarin in a reassuring manner. “I have seen the same with others who similarly bear witness to the rage and descent of the Deities in ages past. Each and every time, their reaction is little different than yours today.”
“Before you continue, let me guess. You probably feel small and insignificant after having witnessed the Deity with your own eyes, did you not?” questioned the Bone Lord as he had an undead construct pour some steaming tea for the two of them. “The sight made you feel as if everything you achieved was like nothing compared to what you see before you? Something along those lines?”
“... You have seen more of them than I do, I guess,” said Aideen after she was rendered speechless for a brief moment as Grandpa Aarin said most of the things she was about to say with pinpoint accuracy. “But yes, I do feel most of what you guessed earlier. How do you get over that, the feeling that everything we do might just be an insignificant speck in the course of everything?”
“Well, my Child, the key is to view it from a different way. Sure, what we can do as a person is limited, and would always be so. However, we can also teach others and pass on knowledge, and these in turn would affect more and more people as time goes on,” said the Bone Lord placatingly as he sipped on his tea. “You have already embarked on this path yourself, even if you might not have done so on purpose. What you taught the healers in Alcidea when you visited there had spawned a movement that emphasized the sharing of knowledge last I heard. It’s a good start.”
“Thanks, I guess, Grandpa,” said Aideen as she took a sip of the proffered tea to calm her nerves. The tea was strong, fragrant, but soothing, sweetened just the way she liked it. Of course Grandpa Aarin had enough attention to detail to remember that tidbit even while he was multitasking by talking to her and having his controlled construct make the tea for them.
“You need to take a longer view on the matter, Child, especially since you yourself now have a potential eternity before you. The Deities have existed for ages, and what they did, similarly would echo down through the ages. People remember the taboos, the things done in the past that caused Divine Punishment to descend, and actively avoid them, even when some of the incidents themselves happened long before history was even recorded. Sometimes word of mouth and traditions are all it takes to pass on such things.”
“Who knows? Maybe all those bard’s tales and stories about you, along with the teachings you leave behind, would one day motivate a young brat to pursue the healing arts, and with luck they might discover something that could change the world. If such a thing were to happen, then you would indirectly be responsible for it as well. In such ways, we can always leave our mark on the world, even without direct interference, child.”
“As for the Divine… I had thought to wait another century or two to tell you, but since you have witnessed a deity in close proximity, you will likely be visited by them before too long anyway,” added the Bone Lord in the end with a shake of his head. “I will admit that I am in a position where I am privy to more secrets of the divine than most, due to my unusual situation. It is something you will likely get to share in soon, my Child. All I can advise you is just this: Be not afraid.”
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Here come the path to become an apostle. (Read it from author's first book)