Like Light and Dark (by Miriam & Erich) – 24

A gentle breeze was whirling through the temple, carrying the sound of a distant rumbling and the scent of… was it salt water? No, impossible. There was no ocean that close to the palace. Not far above Crystalline’s head, a lovely wind chime was dancing with the current, producing a gentle melody that reminded the Queen of her childhood. Apart from that, it was completely silent here.

“Take your time!”, the high priest’s voice soothed her. “I know it can be a lot the first time you enter this sacred space. You’ll attune to the energy quickly.”

He was right. The whiteness of the portal had already faded, and the light was still bright, but not as blinding as before. She was still buzzing with high energy and could finally take in the temple in all its splendour… Crystalline was totally over the moon when she beheld the giant statue of the Sungoddess Lumina that formed the central point of the sanctuary. “Wow!”, the elven queen exhaled. “She’s so tremendously beautiful…” A happy face, softly glowing, golden curves, shoulder-long hair, well-shaped naked breasts, the seam of her skirt turning into golden flames. She almost looked as if she was alive, meditating and showcasing her treasures with glee. The arms of the Goddess were extended to the sides… one hand holding a golden, reflecting sun, the other a crystal globe that was probably meant to represent a star or the moon. At the bottom of the statue, the words “LUMINA ILLUMINA <3!” were written with the same sparkling gems that ornated the portal entrance, making up a magical mosaic. On her head, the Goddess was not only wearing a filigree, sun diadem but also lightly carrying the weight of a huge crystal bowl that appeared to be filled to the brim with mirror shards. Oh, how vigorously they were reflecting the sunlight into all directions, darting little arrows of light through the whole building. What made the light spectacle even more marvellous to watch was the fact that each surface that was hit by a light arrow contained another reflective decoration object that was shooting the arrow back to another point in the room! There were mirrors, golden suns dangling from the ceiling, glass gems and crystal vases, windows bringing in even more light… No wonder that Crystalline had been blinded! Where did the light start, where did it finish its journey? She couldn’t tell, because everything seemed to be connected and bright. One look towards the ceiling revealed the answer to her question: there was a round skylight opening up in the astrodome, which was the main entrance for the sunlight of the Goddess to come through, especially at noon, the holiest hour of the day for the Sun-Elves.

“Come, Crystalline! Sit by my side!”, the high priest awakened her from her dream, sitting by the statue’s feet. “Are you ready to meet the Goddess within you?”

Still in awe and a bit confused, Crystalline nodded and took her place beside him without any further ado. “Yes. I’m ready to meet Sungoddess Lumina within me and embody her expression through me.” She said it without even thinking about the words, they just appeared. “I’m ready to learn the truth about Örlög, about my legacy, about who I am.”