Submission (#2000) Approved

Quest: Resonance - Act 4
Act Type: Character
Word Count: 1025
Adult Elnin Present: n/a
Regional Affinity: n/a
Claiming Regional Affinity for: n/a
[Noble] Rank Unlock Mini-Requirement: n/a

Deeply immersed in the beauty and wonder of the anima crystals around her, Aria wandered around, admiring them. It made her wonder if these were present in other regions. Surely they were, right? Were they also this colour? Were they bigger or smaller? Perhaps when she was bigger, she’d travel to different regions and try to locate where they were. The thought excited her, and she couldn’t wait to grow up. When she was bigger, she wouldn’t have to worry about being scared, or too small, or… or…

Well… she supposed she technically could travel now. Being a kittom certainly didn’t stop Noctis. Granted, he still stayed within Silveil and his father figure… wasn’t much of a father persay, so that may have explained his independence at an early age. In fact, it felt like he spent more time with her and her foster family than he did with his. Not that… she’d complain. She cherished the time she spent with him, and was happy to know she had a blood relative out there. And then she met Momoko, whose foster family resided in Faerindell, but after a visit to Ealei, she had decided to make it her home, and lived on her own there as her foster family visited on occasion. It was incredibly inspiring and brave, and it made Aria want to attempt to change too.

All her life she would often think she wasn’t good enough, and her crippling anxiety and extreme introvertedness made it hard for her to make friends. Granted, she was adopted by a very loving and affectionate foster family, and grew close with all of them, but deep down she would always fear they were doing it out of obligation. After all, she was always so awkward and shy, and often stuttered over her own words, or talked so softly that they sometimes couldn’t hear her, yet were too polite to ask her to repeat or just nodded. 

Despite this fear, they would tell her that she was overthinking it, and that they loved being with her. Though she always wondered if they were lying for her sake, they never seemed to show it. Not Noctis, or Momoko, or even Twinkle, or Lumia. Konpei seemed to wear her emotions on her sleeve, so if even she said she was happy with Aria the way she was and hoped that she had more confidence in herself, maybe… it was true.

She took a deep breath, and tried to clear her mind. No, no more negative thoughts. No more self-deprecating thoughts. She would change. She WILL change. She didn’t need to grow up to change herself. She could start right here, right now. She was always surrounded by such loving and supportive people, and she knew they loved her as much as she loved them. If she focused on this, she knew she’d be fine. 

Letting this be the focus of her thoughts, she let the positive energy and mana flow around her. Of course, just thinking it wouldn’t make any difference. She’d have to make an effort to change herself, and she planned to. It surely wouldn’t happen overnight, and not right away, but as long as she was dedicated and didn’t slip back into her usual headspace, this was fine.

Clearing her mind and her soul, she took several breaths. In, and out. In, and out. When at last she felt completely in sync with the energy around her, letting positive vibes wash over her entire being, she opened her eyes.

Perhaps she had fallen asleep, or perhaps she was daydreaming, but when she opened her eyes, the forests of Silveil were no longer before her. Not the trees, nor mushrooms, not even the crystals. Even Noctis was gone, and before her was just… a vast emptiness, white and clear. Normally she would panic, trying to wake herself up, and yet she felt… calm. She knew she was in no danger and that she hadn’t magically teleported herself halfway across the world. Though she couldn’t see her current surroundings, she knew she was still in Silveil, still in the forest, and still among the crystals.

She had heard stories of elnins who ended up reaching a zen state when they became highly attuned to the magical energy around them that allowed them to see visions. Visages. Beings that weren’t of this world, and yet… vaguely familiar.

And so before her was one such being. A creature with large feathered wings and long flowing mane. They emitted a shimmering white glow, covered in vibrant blue markings not unlike her own. A pair of glowing yellow eyes greeted hers, and they reached out their hands, cupping Aria’s cheeks.

The kittom breathed softly, raising a paw.

“Are you… me?”

The figure didn’t respond, greeting her with the same curious expression that Aria was sure this was what it felt to be looking into a mirror. A magical mirror of sorts, where instead of seeing yourself, you’d see a distorted version of yourself. Perhaps it was a little crude to be comparing this to the silly mirrors found in funhouses, but it was hard to describe it with anything else.

Aria felt her breathing slow, breath barely audible as the creature continued to stare. Their eyes softened as their lips curled into a smile, expression twinkling with a sort of fondness as one would greet a long forgotten friend. They leaned forward, placing a kiss on Aria’s forehead as the kittom closed her eyes. It felt… warm. Familiar. Nostalgic.

When she opened her eyes, her vision felt blurry, but the vision was gone. Silveil’s forest appeared once more, and she was surrounded by the glow of the crystals again.

It seemed Noctis hadn’t left, having watched over her this whole time, yet with a knowing smile on his face. Had he seen the vision too? Part of her wanted to ask, but a faint laughter echoed in the wind, and she paused. No… it was fine. Whether he knew or not, she didn’t need to know. And if he didn’t? Well, this would just be the one secret she’d keep. For now.