Chapter Text
The night was silent as a figure knelt atop a great tower overlooking Liurnia lake. A full moon was rising, nearing its apex that would signal the start of her revolution. Gripping an ornate black dagger, she began to trace a circle on her left forearm – the location of where she would soon be plunging the dagger to trigger a ritual to sunder her soul and discard her flesh.
“Tis interesting… I feel not fear for the morrow of the Lands. Though chaos will reign ere the sun sets on this apocryphal Order of Gold, mine own age will rise in the end. Though I can not bring it about on mine own... I shall need mine other half – my soulmate. I offer mine empyreal flesh so that I may travel through the infinite void and find thee. Whereabouts art thou residing? Tis this unknown that I fear, but neither cost nor time will keep me from finding thee and guiding you into my embrace. This I swear as Ranni the Witch.”
The moon hit its apex in the sky as a shadow crossed over its surface, darkening it. Under the dark full moon many actions occurred simultaneously: several assassins struck key members of the Golden Order, the leader of the Black Knives plunged his blade into Godwyn the Golden eviscerating his soul, a shattering rang out across the Lands Between as Destined Death sent a wave of energy that had far reaching effects throughout all the worlds in the great void, and Ranni decisively plunged her own Black Knife into her fleshly body, sundering her soul in twain as it left her fleshly body for good.
Half of her spirit quickly inhabited a nearby doll made specifically to house her soul and honor her mentor, while the other half rode the wave of Destined Death out of this world and into the great void beyond, relying on a guiding string of fate that would eventually lead to her other half. Knowing that the journey would be a long one, the traveling soul entered a deep slumber while the soul inhabiting the doll awoke to take stock of the new situation in the Lands Between.
***
It was a clear summer night that found a young astrologer resting against a grand oak tree, waiting for a lunar eclipse that their calculations suggested should occur tonight. It had been many seasons since the last one, but they had always felt a connection to the moon, especially on the rare occasion that it was eclipsed in darkness. The air seemed charged with a strange energy that the astrologer could not identify. It felt cold, but somehow comforting.
Feeling that the time was nigh, they began to scale the oak before reaching a comfortable outcropping of tree limbs to be just that much closer to the heavenly body. As the eclipse finally began, and the full moon was shown in its darkened glory, a single word slipped out unbidden from the astrologer’s lips.
"Beautiful…”
“I am glad that thee appreciates the beauty that is the Dark Moon,” a serene voice stated from the darkness behind them. Panicking at the intrusion, the astrologer lost their balance and crashed through the canopy of tree limbs before landing on the ground with a hard thud. Looking up from their new vantage point, they could see a translucent silhouette of the most beautiful individual they had ever laid eyes on. “Art thou stricken mute by my form?” the ephemeral individual smirked as she floated down to hover just overtop the stunned astrologian.
Gathering their bearing, the astrologer hurriedly got up and then knelt before the ghostly woman. “My lady, while the dark moon is indeed beautiful, it is but a candle to the bonfire that is your beauty.” As they gazed up into her face, a sense of being complete settled over them. They could instinctively tell that they belong at this woman’s side and would do anything for her.
“Thou art gifted with a glib tongue. I am Ranni, Witch of the Dark Moon, and I have searched for thee for many years now. Thou art presumptuous to keep a lady such as myself waiting, doth thou not agree?” Where her tone started off imperiously, it had melted away into a warm teasing. It felt as though that had known each other for a lifetime rather than the precious seconds that they had.
As the astrologian began to respond the figure raised one of her fingers to their lips. “Our time in this form is short, I have much to disclose ere the eclipse ends, and this form dissipates. Thou must steel thyself, for thy journey will be long and arduous. We are bound by a string of fate, thou art my other half and I am yours. Come to me. Thou must shed thy fleshly body and follow the dark moon trail through the great void. The path leads through the mists of nearby Boletaria. That is thy first step.”
Stunned by the words of the witch, the astrologer stutters a response, “But Boletaria has been deemed a lost cause! Reports of demons and death are the only things we know about the mist! I am no soldier, just a humble astrologer. How can I hope to survive that godforsaken place?” Desperation and fear dripped from their words. They would gladly walk into the abyss for Ranni, but could they possibly survive this trial?
“Thou art stronger than thy believe. Thy soul is strong, allow me to gift upon thee a fraction of my knowledge in the mystic artes so that thou may eventually arrive at my side and the Age of Stars can truly begin.” Ranni extended her arm once more before settling it atop the astrologian's head. Memories of days spent learning to weave magic from the soul, from the crystals, and from the moonlight rushed into their mind, momentarily overwhelming them. “Our time is almost up. I believe in thee, ne’er forget that fact. My soul will journey with thee and provide what assistance I can. Darken the light to find the path home. Good luck my dear consort eternal.”
With her words fading on the wind as the eclipse ended, the astrologer stood stunned for a moment before rushing back to their house to grab some supplies for the trek. They knew not how long or difficult this journey would be, but they knew with a certainty that they would go to any length to be by Ranni’s side.