It began as agony shared. Not by blade or flame, but by vision. Across the city of Targossas, the Guardians of the Hearth found themselves stricken by glimpses of something unseen yet deeply felt: ephemeral shapes of memory wrought so vividly they struck mind and flesh alike. The visions, identical in their affliction, tethered the faithful together beneath a mystery that would not be ignored.

Drawn by the resonance was Deliri, the Dekh'keraat, her bearing solemn as she sought out the source of the psychic ache. Her inquiries led her to venture forth from Al Qalat, the wind-scoured fortress upon Polyargos, and onwards to the Hearth with a theory: the visions were glimpses of the Lightbringer's own suffering. Lady Aurora, half a century gone since Her departure in an heroic effort to save Targossas by sundering its tether to Memory, wandered those vast reaches with Her fate uncertain beyond the threshold.

Under Deliri's guidance, the Guardians gathered upon sacred ground, hearts and thoughts aligned as they dared to breach the boundary between what Is and what Was. For but a moment, they succeeded. The Veil shimmered. Light stirred. A glimpse, so near, so real, and then shattered. The latent power of Polyargos, though formidable, could not hold such clarity for long. To part the Veil entirely, they would need more than faith. They would need the stars.

So began a great undertaking. Scouring the lands for ancient sites where shards of Ethian had once seeded the world, the Guardians aligned a series of sidereal lenses, each a beacon aimed skyward. One by one, eight celestial anchors were planted while above them the heavens unhurriedly turned. As the final lens locked into place, the nexus of light coalesced into a single beam, radiant and pure, that stretched between comet and continent. The wandering star, the comet, Ethian, was drawn nigh.

Empowered by the stellar alignment, the Guardians returned once more to the edge of Memory. This time, they reached deeper. With eyes closed and minds open, they channelled not just thought but ideal: of Light, of Good, of She who bore them both. Thought touched Memory, and in that place beyond Time She stood revealed.

Aurora. The Lightbringer. The Radiant Warrior. She was not alone.

There, across the flickering plain of recalled truth, stood Her Twin, Apollyon, a fallen Memory made once again flesh. In rebuke, He confronted Her. In resolve, She answered. Speaking not with wrath but with conviction, the Lightbringer swore to bear Suffering. But not to multiply it. To redeem it. To take its weight upon Herself, that the wounds of Creation might be healed.

It was then, as Her eyes turned toward the distant light of Reality, that She felt the call: the thinning Veil, the prayers of Her faithful, and the beam of Ethian's heart made manifest. With a resolute cry, She drew forth the fiery scimitar of Righteousness and cut through the gossamer between realms.

The Veil tore. And Light returned.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Summary: Following a wave of shared afflictions among the citizens of Targossas, the Guardians of the Hearth sought to reconnect with Lady Aurora, Who wandered within the Memory Plane. Under Deliri's guidance, they constructed a network of sidereal lenses anchored in proximity to the ancient landmarks, drawing the comet Ethian close and forging a celestial tether to aid their efforts. Upon the second attempt, they successfully pierced the Veil, finding the Lightbringer in solemn discourse with Her Brother, Apollyon. Declaring Her intent to bear Suffering in order to heal Creation, Aurora heeded the call of Her faithful, sundered the veil, and returned to the Prime Material Plane, forever changed yet more determined than ever to see Her Light prevail.

Penned by My hand on the 5th of Miraman, in the year 975 AF.