Chapter Text
Temenos found himself in an empty void, somewhere both familiar and brand-new to him. He knew where he was, and had been here before, but the reason why was fuzzy, every time he almost remembered it would slip away from his grasp.
He looked around the space and tried to grasp his bearings.
Looking around, he found nothing, it was simply a dark space with nothing in it but him. Temenos felt weightless, as if gravity had suddenly stopped working, time felt slowed and he turned around to see a light.
“That’s... Not right...” Temenos thought.
Bright and warm, the light was in stark contrast to everything else in the void, although there wasn't anything in the void so Temenos supposed that really anything could be in stark contrast to it. He stared at the light for a few seconds, just barely able to make out a figure in the center, but quickly looked away when it began to hurt his head.
It was then that the light spoke to him.
”Cleric Chosen.”
“Oh, that’s definitely not right.” He whispered to himself.
“Do you know where you are?”
This was… different then usual.
Admittedly, Temenos did, kind of, know where he was, this was a sort of limbo between life and death. He knew that he would return to the mortal coil soon enough, but this was different. The void wasn’t insufferably dark or lonely or cold, it was warm, because of the light, which was now speaking.
Temenos had a sinking feeling that if he wasn’t careful with his words, and didn’t bend the truth perfectly, he wouldn’t be getting home anytime soon, or maybe ever.
He took a deep breath before answering.
“Nope, not in the slightest. Do you know? Because I would very much appreciate it if you told me.” He replied.
“Cleric Chosen.”
There it is again, only a few people in all of Solistia knew about the gods’ favorite little playthings that had been dubbed ‘chosen’, at least this helped him narrow who the light was down to about… ten (ish) people, although, Temenos had a sinking feeling he already knew who it was…
“Yes?” Temenos asked.
”You are dead, and in limbo.” The light said flatly.
Temenos sighed, “I know, this isn’t my first time here.”
The light flickered and dimmed before speaking again. ”You had said you did not know where you were.”
Temenos took a moment before replying, debating on whether or not to tell the truth, ”I was lying,” he admitted, “Sorry about that.”
The light rapidly approached Temenos, glowing brighter as it did, “And It would be unwise to do so again.”
The clerics’ eyes briefly widened, before quickly returning to his usual composure, “I don’t plan on it,” he looked to the ground, “I should be gone soon anyway, Castti will wake me up with an olive or something and I’ll be out of your hair,” “hopefully forever.” Temenos added under his breath. The light felt like it was staring into his soul after he added that last part, so he smiled, in some sorry attempt to regain the lights' trust.
”That… will not be happening.” It said.
“Excuse me, what?”
“Your body will not be found for another two days, far exceeding the time at which you could be revived.”
“Wh-What are you talking about, Castti and the others were right—“ It was at that moment Temenos remembered why he was here, he had tried to fight Kaldena alone. It was all coming back to him now, the secret basement, the book of night, Stormhail, Crick… And Crick was why he was fighting Kaldena… right? Funny, that part was still a bit fuzzy…
And that’s when it hit him, Temenos was dead, Temenos was actually dead. He had tried to cheat death one too many times and this is what he gets for it. He failed in trying to stop Kaldena, and he couldn’t do anything about her anymore. Temenos had unfinished business! He couldn’t die now!
Before he let himself spiral any further, he tried to change the subject.
“Who are you anyway?” Temenos said, not letting the complete and utter terror that had consumed him over these newfound revelations slip through his placid mask.
The light flickered for a moment, “You know exactly who I am, Cleric Chosen,”
Temenos hated to admit it, but the light was right. He had recognized who it was the moment he saw the light, but he really didn’t want to admit it actually was the Flamebringer.
“Lord Aelfric,” he gritted his teeth and forced a smile. "Why is it that you brought me here?” Temenos looked directly at him in some form of defiance to the god.
“You, Cleric Chosen, are far too valuable to me to be left dead, however, I cannot allow you to return to your home-realm, so, I offer you a proposition.”
Temenos raised an eyebrow.
“I can either leave you to die, banished to the afterlife, accursed to walk the lands you once did in life for all of eternity,”
”Or?”
”I can send you somewhere else.”
”… And where would that be?” Temenos asked cautiously, mildly dreading the answer.
Aelfric took a moment before answering, as if he did not want to say.
”Another realm, one unknown to you, in a time beyond yours”
Great, that’s pretty much useless. Temenos’ two options were absolutely wonderful. Either die, and deal with whatever the afterlife has to offer, or go somewhere where he knows no one, and has no idea how anything works. Absolutely wonderful…
On the one hand, death was completely unknown, but on the other hand, wherever it is he ends up would be just as unknown. No matter what he did he would have to start from square one when it came to information, and gaining people's trust and respect, which was… not great…
He needs to stop Kaldena, that was Temenos’ main priority at the moment… other than this strange situation, and he would do it by any means necessary. Temenos thought that it must be easier to get from this new place back to Solistia rather than from getting back from hell, hopefully.
“I’ve made my decision,” Temenos muttered.
“And what might that be?” Aelfric asked, Temenos realized that as he continued to speak with the god, the more he was becoming more physical and less bright.
“I’ve decided to go to this new place.” Temenos replied, looking directly into Aelfric's now visible eyes attempting to gain some sort of power over the situation, even though he knew that that was impossible under these circumstances.
The Flamebringer sighed, “As was expected”
“Go forth, Cleric Chosen,” He pointed his finger to the opposite side of the void, revealing a portal, spinning and rotating in ways that didn’t make sense. “To the realm of Orsterra!”
Before Temenos could speak, or even think another thought he was pushed through the portal by a gust of random magic. The colors and shapes swirled in ways that didn’t seem possible. Temenos started fading in and out of consciousness, and it seemed like both seconds, and all of eternity before he found himself in another place completely foreign to him.
Temenos felt like he could collapse any second. He felt nauseous and like his organs had been rearranged. He attempted to prop himself up on his staff, (Oh good, he still has that, unlike everything else he had lost along with his dignity.) he saw a figure appear standing above him.
Temenos weakly rasped a few gibberish words before collapsing at the strangers feet.