Noctisardor Bypass ave verum corpus

her sorrow, her anguish, gilded with golden arrows. he drinks from it as if it is his lifeblood.
allow me to guide you, he says it gingerly, more a plead than a command. renew yourself. bathe in the water and be born-again. He will see it, see you, and He will reward your faith.
crickets sing their hymnals. the father pulls away in modesty, jaw grinding; after my wife died, and my kids left, i felt-- i was at my rock bottom. i had lost everything. my family, and my home, and-- for a year, i wished only to go with her. i roamed, i mourned. i almost-- i almost lost touch with God. but then;
i turned back to Him. and He brought me to rivenwood. to you. and i think, he reaches for her again, cups her slender jaw with a calloused palm. he brought us together to help one another.
vulnerable. tender. chameleon.
do you trust Him, heda? he asks, breath caught tight in his throat. do you trust me?