Submission (#6714) Approved

Niyari was finally back home with their family and had time to decompress from their long travel. It wasn't easy being away for so long but they had also forgotten - or maybe willfully ignored - how chaotic life with three little kids could be. A quiet morning could easily be interrupted by early rising Kittoms and afternoon naps were pretty much a thing of the past. But it was a great kind of chaos, it was lively and friendly, not the panic you felt during an ambush or the rush of energy while confronting an enemy. Niyari was happy to play with the kids and use their sneaky ways to get the upper hand during hide and seek. It might not be fair against children but Niyari thought it was a great balance for the size difference. There weren't as many hiding spots left when you were a full grown Elnin!
The rest Niyari got was over way too soon though and it was time to get back to work. Niyari would have to travel once again, this time to an estate where a noble Nin would be hosting a party. Getting the invite wasn't too hard, Niyari had made several connections to higher ranking Elnin over the years and some unsuspecting party-goers saw them so regularly that it was now almost expected for Niyari to attend a social gathering. Prying on information while eating delicious snacks from a buffet was definitely better than doing the dirty work on the road. It had still been hard to explain to their and Lunes children why they were away for so long but the money had to come from somewhere. And honestly, Niyari loved their job. They were good at it. Parenting still felt like a test and Niyari was waiting for the moment Lune had enough and would just take the kids and leave Niyari. Logically they knew that wouldn't happen, the children apparently adored Niyari and every parent made some mistakes or got overwhelmed in certain situations. It was still a learning process and they would figure it out together...

Before Niyari was ready to leave again they decided to visit their favourite shrine. It was a relatively small shrine, not as impressive and beautiful as some of the other ones Niyari had already seen, but the most important part was the location and the intent behind it. There was a story of two lovers meeting in secret behind their families backs, sneaking out whenever they could. They had a place they tried to meet up at every other night but sometimes one of them didn't manage to sneak out or got otherwise hindered. So it became a ritual for the lovers to leave notes and little gifts if they couldn't meet face to face. The story sadly though didn't have a good ending. One of the lovers never showed up again, notes and gifts piling up. The Elnin never knew what happened to their partner but they didn't give up hope and continued to write notes and brought little gifts to special occasions. After some time the spot got discovered by other Elnin as well and the story spread around. It was a story of hope and heartbreak and it touched the hearts of many. They helped shielding the gifts and notes from weather so they wouldn't be destroyed in case the lost Lover ever came back. The simple shelter they built got bigger and bigger until the story of the Lovers slowly got forgotten and only the structure and gifts could be seen. It took another few years with the structure ever changing before it became a shrine for everyone to put their offerings on. The original meaning might be lost but the love and hope was forever imbued into the place.

So when Niyari reached the shrine to bring an offering and ask for a quiet and untroubled journey they were shocked to see said shrine destroyed. Niyaris fur bristled and they stopped to look around and listen, ears perked up as they waited for anything that might give away the presence of someone else - be it Elnin or creature. Nothing happened though. The forest around them seemed as peaceful and bright as ever, the shrine itself being the only thing different. The shrine and... the dark aura that it was covered in, the crystals growing from out of the destroyed wood. The earth next to it seemed to be scorched but not from fire but... with some sort of dark purple residue? Niyari carefully got closer. The handcrafted decorations were lying on the floor, seemingly crushed with shards of purple miasma cutting into them. The shrine was only standing in parts, the complete top structure that formed a sheltering roof for the offerings was gone and the platform had been cracked in thirds, one of those thirds also crumbled on the ground. Dark miasma was mixing with splinters, clouds in the sky, sharp crystal splinters making the ground into a minefield, ready to cut your paws. There were wood and stone elements mixed together, likely wood from the original shrine and the stone that had been added later to make the shrine sturdier. Now all that effort was gone, destroyed by the miasma and it's poisoning nature. Sad corner pillars were still standing without anything to hold up.
The worst sight though were the offerings. They had been crushed, spilled and torn apart. Niyaris heart hurt as they even saw some of the original notes torn and slightly burnt. Niyari had never thought of the miasma to be hot but seeing the destruction now it seemed like the corruption burned hot before exploding, like a dying star covering everything . The air was thick with the miasmas residue. Breathing became harder but they had to be strong and push back the looming panic.
Niyari got as close as they dared with all the miasma crystals and gently picked up one of the slightly burnt letters and pressed it to their chest. No giving up. Just like the lover from back then they would not give up hope. They could repair this. Maybe not alone but that was the beautiful thing - Niyari wasn't alone anymore. The community had come together to build this shelter, this shrine. They could do it again. They would not let themself be overpowered and destroyed. The miasma poisoning was strong here but they would find a way to clear the region and rebuild the shrine.