Firefly Glen "Through the Refiner’s Fire" (Malachi 3:3)

Mature Content Warning

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The participants have indicated the following reason(s) for this warning: mentions of death!

Revealing one’s true name gave the other the power to control. The Law of Names, she heard it before. The priests whispered of the law when discussing the underground. Still, it applied to demons, not those in the service of God. Inadmissible! A pure, devout follower could never stray from the path, could never fall for the trickster’s games.

The intensity of her faith is rooted deep within her history. Doctrine was forced upon members from a young age, threatening whoever refused to follow. You are either with us, or against us. Those who spoke against it were taken to the priests for a ‘talk’ they said. Suddenly the opposers were never seen again after the so-called talk. Heretics they said; Hemera never knew what happened to them, what they did to them. Those who escaped were not the same. They always kept their head low, tail between the legs when they passed the higher ups, quiet and never spoke of freedom again. It was all she ever knew: God was her savior, her guiding light, and she must give her life into His service. Straying meant death. She could never let herself stray from the one true path.

„No,” so simple, so sure of herself, „It burns bright as the sun itself, sister Periane.” She needed to be sure. There was no room for doubt. No, no, no. A distant memory of a bathing wolf flooded her; she was a mere child, did not know what the scene meant. The girl sneaked up to one of those talks and witnessed their true nature. Surrounded by the clergy, the bathing wolf never rose from the water again. He swam to shore not long after, they said, then left with his new family, they said, we blessed him and his wife, they said.

„My life’s work is in His Name.” Another statement that solidifies her ambition. Her tone changed now; serious, unnerving. Hemera inhaled sharply, her tail vibrating under the moonlight. Hemera had strayed before, struggled with her belief, yet she was not about to share it. No. It was her burden and she was going to take it to the grave, when the time will come. A light breeze brushed her sand fur, shivering, unsure if it was the wind or the reality of her condition.