He took her enthusiasm in with a smile, hoping more than ever that this would indeed work. As he led her through he explained what she would need to do, “The ceremony does not take much time, and even if this doesn’t work, no harm will come to you from it.” When they made it outside, the emerald blades of grass were still collecting predawn dew. His feet were slicked all over again by the time they made it to the ever glowing Hikari no Michi. As he led her through it he felt himself becoming rejuvenated from the rush of energy it always gave him, chasing away any fatigue that may have still been lingering from being up for so long,

“All you need to do is sit and rest, but be sure not to move until everything is complete. I’ll come and find you at that time, all right…?” He stopped at the heart of the Light’s Path, walls of light surrounding them with only the sky as a ceiling. Wind rustled overhead and he ran his fingers along one of the walls; trails of even brighter light following wherever they touched, “Sit here, it shouldn’t take longer than a few minutes. The sun will be up soon and once its rays touch down everything will be finished. Just remember what I said: do not move until I come for you.” When he was sure that she was settled he wove his way out of the maze-like promenade and back to the entrance.

With a flick of his wrists Torinasu appeared in one hand, and his crescent staff appeared in the other. Both of them were needed for the cleansing as always. A line of blue spread along the horizon: the sun was about to come up. He went through the usual ritual, careful not to go faster than usual despite his anticipation, and when it was all finished he gazed upon Hikari no Michi: shining with light even more radiant than an hour ago now that the blessing had been completed. The extra boost of healing he’d flowed into it surely helped with that. Of course, that extra step had been taken for Vinsue’s sake. As he came back to the heart of the walkway he looked upon her, “How do you feel…?” he asked in a hopeful tone.

Vinsue sat as she was told and whited for Noata  to return. Despite the excitement and hope that it worked she stayed still. once he returned she retched for her necklaces and gave it a jerk. It did not cone off but pulled her head forward a bit. great that was a fail. She lifted her hand and let it sing as she attempted to set flame In it. It two was a fail. That said the scar on her right arm had disappeared.

"It did not work." She said as she again tried to set flam to both hands. Her eyes shined as she kept the tars from flowing. Her eyes staring at her hand as the disappointment started to show. her thoughts stared to flash to the night she spent chained to a wall left to look at horrid devices that the imagination could barley start to wander there uses. She than remembered being stuck unable to attack or stop a fight before it got ruff and before she got cut. She started to shake at the thoughts. she knew that the temple was safe but she knew that she had stayed longer than most and knew that she could not hide forever. She was at the braking point and sat down. "I… I Cant live like this." She was known to be strong but she broke into tears that ran down her cheeks. Besides the breaths that sounded forced her cry was silent. 

Even without her saying it, the signs were all there: it hadn’t worked. His shoulders slowly sagged and his own eyes saddened as he moved forward and sat next to her. She was crying, he didn’t blame her. Not having control of your own body was a horrible thing: you were trapped within yourself, and though it had been a few years now, he still remembered what that was like. Aside from that though, there was a pit of guilt. There was always that chance that what he was going to try wouldn’t work, but that still planted a seed of hope. And nothing had come to fruition.

What would the next step be now…? One person came to mind, Angela, but what if they were looking at this the wrong way? What if it wasn’t a matter of healing and cleansing? After letting her get it out for a few minutes, he turned his head to look at her, keeping his voice soft, “Everything can be undone, sometimes it just takes a while…” All his life he expected to be stuck with his own curse and nothing had helped him escape it no matter where he went or how hard he tried. Only when The Voice blessed him with ascension was he free of his own malady. And while he was cured through deity hood, his sister still struggled with her own curse. This was all bringing up bad memories, and it wasn’t the time nor place to be pondering over such things.

“Tell me more about the one that did this to you…” Perhaps Angela wasn’t the one to direct her towards,  Angela’s husband might be a better fit. He was the deity of knowledge and the arcane after all. This seemed to be a nice rolled up package of both, and for all they knew he could have the answer somewhere in his expansive library. “Have you considered visiting Adraejen, the deity of Knowledge…? I could pass this along to him if you’d like, all of us might be able to put our heads together…”

She took in a breath to stop the tears. Naota was right everything could be undone it just took time and knowledge. She wiped her tears on her sleeves to dry her face. "It Was Xunatar that gave me the curse. " he voice had not quite got the not crying voice back yet so she again breathed and resaid the answer. "Xunatar put the necklace on me to see what hex it had." she looked at Naota. She had met The deity of knowledge once a long time ago. 

"Adraejen has crossed my mind for he helped me before when I first got my galvanizing element." Truthfully she had not gone to him yet for two reasons she was already indebted to him and did not want deeper. She also had a filling that her may think she was in the wrong and through he would likely help she had not wanted the overly fatherly advice of I do hope you learned a lession. "Actually I would rather be the one to tell him." She said not quite ready to get up and go yet she wanted to be the one to tell him and if he could not help then she droughted anyone could. 

Xunatar. His jaw locked, the usual gentle emerald of his eyes flashing instantly to deep ruby as that oh too familiar smirk danced in his thoughts; glinted in hair as white and cold as the stab of bone through broken flesh. It wasn’t often that someone could take him from calm to angry so quickly, but if there was one person that could…it was Xunatar. In truth, he’d only had one actual interaction with him, but it had been enough, and that was before Xunatar had ascended to deity hood. Yes, The Voice did work in mysterious ways and he tried not to question it. If all of them had to be balanced then perhaps that was why he and Xunatar were deities during the same cycle: they were perfect foils to one another.

And now? Now he was learning that he’d hexed this poor girl out of mere curiosity? The monster. Somehow it struck him personally. That man…Everything about him was his opposite; a mistake that needed correcting. The white markings on his skin started to fade into red…not something he’d ever seen them do, not even when in the presence of Minasé. His eyes instantly closed, willing himself to be calmer and stopping the change to red before it could take over. When his eyes opened they were their natural emerald once more and his markings were as pure white as ever. That man…

“Xunatar has done this to you…” He breathed out slowly through his nose, reminding himself over and over again to trust in The Voice’s judgment. “Yes, of course Vinsue, you should go to Drae when you’re ready…” Perhaps it was time for him to stop in and make an official greeting to the newest member of the conclave himself…Unfortunately for all of them, Xunatar was no fool and that was what made him so dangerous, someone with that level of power could do some serious damage.

“In the meantime,” he gently placed a hand on her shoulder, his touch feather light as he continued, “Please allow me to cast a strong blessing over you to keep you safe…As of now I’m not sure how to stop this hex of Xunatar’s, but I can serve to aid in protecting you from another unfortunate blow.” Good intentions or not, a blessing of that personal nature was heavy for a mortal. “In truth, this cleaning and blessing I’ve already performed while you are in Hikari no Michi is something powerful in itself…But I want to do something a bit extra for you, if you’ll allow me.”

At his anger flash she was glad that she was not the target. The red glow was not like his fun cheery self. It was scary yet nice to know that he cared that strongly of the situation and hated the chaos weaver more than her. She just watched him untell he was calm again. "Yes Xuanader did this to me." She said her voice back to normal. 

The soft touch was conferring. A protection blessing. She thought about it as she stood up. To have a tun of worries of death and pain gone souded so nice and two great but her thoughts turned to a less likely idea. "It would be great but i will decline. I need to know i can still stand on my own even if it is in this weak body." She said. One of many reasons that she thought of. She did not want deeper in debt and knew all to well that if it sounds to good to be true than you missed the worning label. In her last thought one of disgust at her self for being weak enough to actually think of needing protection. Than the thought of manners came into play. "I do thank you for all you have done. It is more than most have ever done. I will go pack my things."

She than turned and walked into the palace and up the stairs to her room. She left the door open as she packed.

He felt the last of his anger leave him as she stood up, listening to her words. As much as he wanted to insist on giving her his offered blessing, there was something to be said about wanting to handle things on your own. Honestly, he was the same way, and offered her a gentle smile, though it was laced in worry. As he’d said previously, the cleansing and blessing he’d already done would keep her safe enough, but now that he knew Xunatar had at one point had sights set on her, he couldn’t extinguish that concern. Drae would be able to help her in her next branch off of this journey, and he entrusted him greatly.

“It’s a noble decision to make Vinsue…just remember that help is always there. All you need to do is ask, even if it isn’t from me. Either way, you are always welcomed here…” He dipped his head to her respectfully when she thanked him, and he watched silently from his still seated spot as she made her way through the path. People came and went in his temple on a nearly daily basis so this was nothing new to him. He just hoped that she would listen to all that he’d been able to tell her. Everyone had their limits, even deities.

For now though, he leaned back comfortably against one of the walls of light and looked up towards the sky. The sky was a lighter blue now that the sun had risen higher, and the start of a new moon’s cycle always left him feeling refreshed, even without the ceremonial blessing he did at each new cycle’s start. His eyes slowly closed and he listened to the quiet of Hikari no Michi. It wouldn’t be too long before others started to walk along it again. Some seeking guidance, some needing grounding, even some that just wanted a leisurely stroll in solitude. No matter the reason, Suisho no Kyuden was always opened for those that needed it. The day was set to be a busy one, but right now all he could think of were his wife and children, grateful that they were here and out of harm’s way.

With a gentle exhale The Lord of Light stood up and flickered away, leaving the path even more silent than it had been now that it was completely empty. When he reappeared it was in their children’s nursery. Their cheeks were still pink with youth for they were scarcely two months old now. It was still so early he wondered if Echo would still be in their bedchambers, but for now he walked around the nursery, his fingers leaving swirls of light as he did so: blessing and protecting his children as he often did to keep them safe. They too were mortal and fragile, so very fragile, especially at this point of their lives. One day they would be harmed, be it by sickness, blades, or heartbreak. He hoped the gap between then and now was a large one. For now, he enjoyed the precious time he had and laid down on the daybed of the nursery; easing himself back into rest from the comfort of his children’s gentle breathing.