Rynisia, are you doing something?

No, what would I be doing? She replied.

Rynisia felt some sort of ripple along their link, then Meyriv collapsed where he was standing.

Meyriv? She asked, worried.

She watched him closely and his soul shuddered, then seemed to shimmer and pulse. After a few moments he coughed and pushed himself to his feet.

Are you alright? What happened?

As a matter of fact, I’ve never been better.
We have much to discuss.

- - -

Rynisia had been observing him closely ever since his sudden collapse, and what she saw confused him more. He seemed…more happy? Some invisible weight had been lifted from his shoulders, there was a spring in his step and his eyes seemed to greedily take in every sight before him.
“What happened? Is this good or has he finally snapped?”

Meyriv walked into her glade.

She had already prepared a seat for him across from hers, along with a table covered in fresh fruit and vegetables.

He smiled at the table of food and grabbed a few morsels before sitting down. “Thank you, I  hadn’t been expecting refreshment.”

“Alright, who are you and what have you done with Meyriv?” She asked while shaking her head.

“Allow me some time to explain what happened…”, he requested

He only made it partway through explaining the encounter before she stopped him; “Eirian is dead?!” She gasped “How…why are you so happy?!” He seemed shocked and angry at her reaction, but suddenly his expression softened and he sighed,
“Please understand, she was a very different person to me than she was to you. You know something of what she did to me. I cannot deny a certain amount of satisfaction that some of that karma caught up with her. Despite that, my cheerfulness is not primarily from her fate.
If you will allow me to finish my account, there is much more to tell.”

Rynisia took a deep breath and forced herself to relax before nodding, but tears still slid down her cheeks as he recounted his experience.

“…So all their work and planning was for nothing? But Irotem…he gave all his power to my garden so I could contain the Swamp!”

“We don’t know which of their actions were compromised. For now, it still appears to have been a good thing to contain it.”

“And what part in all of that made you so happy?” She demanded, “Getting some ancient treasure is nice, but it doesn’t explain such a stark difference.”

He grinned.
“It’s not the treasure, it’s what it does! As far as I can tell, it’s an artifact with an absurdly powerful aspect of empathy. It gave her the power to curse me, but now it has given me the power to expand the curse to encompass more than just pain! I still feel all pain around me, true, but I’m now able to draw upon the intrinsic personal context of that pain!” He said triumphantly.

“The intrin—…what?”

He sighed patiently. “When I felt your sorrow moments ago, I not only felt the pain, but also gained an understanding of why. Not only that, I was able to benefit from your own strength and tenacity when bearing it!” He spoke quickly, barely pausing to breathe in his excitement,
“Instead of suffering everything myself, even if I sense the suffering of fifty people at once, I will also benefit from the strength of those same people! It is still somewhat of a burden, but now it is also a boon! That is why I’m happy! I’m free!”

A smile slowly grew on her face as she grasped the implications. I did it! I saved him!…or at least I was able to keep him sane enough to get this far.

“I…wow. That’s…I’m so happy for you!”

- - -

“So what will do you now?” Rynisia asked Meyriv. She seemed strangely withdrawn.

He considered.

“I’ll travel to Lem. As ruthless as Eirian was, she probably had a point. Whatever ‘Yarn’ is will need to be dealt with, and I cannot prepare without information.”

“Yes. That’s probably a good idea…” She said quietly. A rush of sadness Reflected from her. He was amazed at how different reflections were, now. He felt her sorrow, and so much more. She wanted him free to do what Eirian could not, but she felt she was being abandoned. She could not leave her garden.

He finally understood: Rynisia saw him as the only one who could befriend or hope to understand her, because he, too, would never age.

He saw her in a new light: Not as an alien, disconnected entity of incomprehensible power, but as a sad, lonely young woman who had been endlessly caught in events and designs beyond her control or understanding. Robbed of any semblance of a normal upbringing, she was struggling to carve some sense of normalcy and stability from her situation.

Only now could he see: She teetered on the brink of despair, despite all her power and apparent confidence.

He wasn’t certain how to help her. He was unused to showing or being shown either kindness or affection, but he was determined to do something. So he hesitantly, carefully, stepped forward, and wrapped his arms around her. To his surprise and relief, she leaned in and started to sob.

“…I’m so sorry.” He whispered.