A Hand-Woven Universe
/ A Hand-Woven Universe 1 1. The Beginning?
They dashed through the halls recklessly, nearly overturning a sun-stone stand, a group of the elderly, and at least one odd minecart filled with flowers. Following closely behind them was a young man of thin stature, the model definition of a scholar. Complete with books and ancient robes, of which he was quite proud and would clean every night.
"Please slow down!" Liters legs got caught up in his robe. While very good at completing his scholarly image, they were not very good for running, apparently. "Isn't running like that bad for the child!?"
"Bah! What do you know" The young lady dragging Stara turned back and scoffed at the librarian. A teasing light could be seen in her eyes.
Stara smiled sympathetically at Liter. Liter smiled wryly in return. They were both too familiar with this young lady to try to reason with her. However, the energetic woman was not out of line. In truth, the people of Tapestry could run a marathon while sick and labored without much extra effort.
Stara was towards the end of her pregnancy expecting her first child any day now, and though it wasn't exactly comfortable running around, it really did not pose any problems. Their physical dispositions have always been very sturdy.
As they passed, people who recognized them called out, asking about the child. When they heard it would be here soon congratulations would ring out in the halls.
For the humans of Tapestry, births were a rare thing. On average, the oldest that they could age was 500 years. As such, their birth rate was very low. Only a few children would be born a year. Just a couple years ago, a very strong fire-attuned child was born, to have another potentially strong powerhouse come so soon left the entire conclave excited.
There was endless talk about it. Guesses to the attunement and strength of the child. Some thought it would fall on the mother's side, others the father.
When seen, close family who recognized them began to join the run, following along, saying their greetings. It was a very heartwarming scene.
"Will someone go inform Elder Azelle to meet us in the attunal room?" Liter called out, his thin frame easily becoming lost in the growing stampede of family. It had always been custom that an elder preside over a birth.
"Already done!" a voice yelled out from the stampede, somehow managing to be heard over the patting of bare feet on stone.
They arrived in the halls of the attunal rooms after only a few minutes. The walls here were smooth and soft to the touch despite being carved from the same stone as the rest of Tapestry. A gentle breeze flowed through the halls, sun stones lined with ceiling providing a warm glow, on the breeze - a light mist carried pleasant outer world scents.
Because of the remote nature of Tapestry, built into the earth as it is, none of these things were natural. In a room above the attunal halls, people sat bringing the energy out from different elemental stones and dispersing it to make the area feel almost heavenly. Especially so for the people of Tapestry.
The closest friends and family of Stara went with her to a subdivided room as the rest waited in the courtyard, talking and catching up.
At this moment a small girl made her way to Stara, "Stara! Stara! Can I come too!"
This small girl was Adria, the girl born 4 years ago with an astonishing fire affinity. True to her attunement, her entire being screamed unrestrained energy. She wasn't too pale, despite living in the cave city of Tapestry her whole life. She had a stack of bright red hair, and eyes that looked like a sea of flames. She practically glowed with fiery light.
In fact, she really did glow red.
If there were a stranger in Tapestry, the first thing they would notice would be the people.
The people of Tapestry are a race unique to themselves. Humans, but with skin tones the color of earth. Varying colors across the board, some are white or speckled like granite, brown like soil, or dark like stone. The men are all bald, while the women all have very full healthy hair, of all sorts of colors.
The second thing a stranger would notice would be that it was never truly dark as long as a citizen of Tapestry was around. Every person glowed. Along the bodies of everyone who is born in Tapestry, are lines of power. Like veins, glowing with light on the surface of the ski. It looked eerily similar to the lines in marble stone. These lines are colored depending on people's affinities, flowing with elemental and universal power.
Little Adria had lines orange like lava that seemed to pulse on her skin. To have power that bright at such a young age was truly a unique and curious circumstance.
Stara looked at Adria with love, ever since Adria had found out that Stara was pregnant, she had visited often to check in on her. At times she even seemed to contest Stara in excitement for the child.
"Of course Adria," Stara rustled her hair, "I would love if you would be there for him." Adria beamed up at her. Everyone looking on was fond of the young girl and no one objected.
They made their way into a room specifically for nourishing a newborn, all at once people spread out to put items of special essences and elemental stones on the croppings in the wall. For a newborn, one of their most important aspects would be their affinity and attunement. As such friends and family would not be shy in filling the room with as much of the essences of attunement as they can.
There was a knock on the door, it cracked open and someone looked in. "I... Mi sorry, the elder won't be able to make it. There was an accident in the mine… the elder is there trying to help."
Some of the family in the room cast worried looks at each other, to not have an elder preside over the birth was for the most part unheard of. It was not that the elder was necessary for the birth though. As they all have very high resiliency, a simple birth poses no threat for them.
"It's okay, please tell the elder to expect a strong and healthy child." Stara felt no anxiety at all, she has been preparing for this day for almost a year. Elder or not she was determined to have an incredible child.
The door closed, and the room quieted down. All light within the room was that which pulsed out of every person's body. Especially Adria.
"Alright Everyone!" The librarian moved forward with a book and pencil in hand. "Please start suppressing your energies." The room immediately dimmed even further, darkening it into almost pure blackness.
Adria screwed up her face as she tried to suppress the raging energy within her small form. After a moment of concentration, she could only dim it halfway. She cast a worried glance towards the adults around her, who were now waiting. Before anyone had a chance to say anything, Stara took off her coat and laid it lightly over the girl's shoulders.
Adria smiled up at her, a bright and thankful smile.
In the first moment a child is born, their body glows with the attunement they will most likely inherit when they mature and it solidifies. This is considered a very important moment that will set the child in the right direction for their future. It is said that when Adria was born, it was so bright the people in the room were subsequently blinded for the minute after.
Time passed, and the tension rose. Many hours swept by in dark silence. They could tell it would be soon. A small gasp escaped from Stara. Her breath sped up by a touch.
"Adria?"
"Yes Stara?" She responded nervously. Though she was usually rambunctious, in this moment she was feeling very timid.
"Hold my hand."
"Mm."
A short time passed in the darkness with subtle breathing filling the chamber.
Stara broke the Silence.
"It's coming."
Everyone focused on Stara, the room was tense. Stara's mother was there to swaddle the baby when it came.
Stara yelled out and gave a large push! Excitement shown on everyone's faces as they prepared for light of a newborn to flood the room... Stara's mother held the newborn child…
but…
There was no light.
There was no glow…
Stara immediately realized what occurred.
"No…" her whole body shook. "No…." Her soft and calm voice cracked as she whispered to herself, staring at her mother.
Adria did not fully understand but she knew something was wrong. Stara's mother swaddled up the boy. "Stara… I am so sorry."
Everyone in the room broke through their shock and began rushing over to Stara to comfort her.
At this moment though, an unmistakable and unexpected cry rang out. This cry did not belong to Stara.
The cry of a newborn.
For the second time the room froze.
"He's… Alive?!"
"I can't feel any energy off him!"
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"Where's his light!"
"He's crying?! Out Loud!?"
To understand the degree of shock which filled the small room in Tapestry at this moment, there is a third thing a stranger would need to notice about the people of Tapestry. It was completely silent within the city.
Since the dawn of time the people of Tapestry have never needed to speak out loud. Every person is telepathically linked with each other. Thus, even newborns never cry out loud. Until this day.
Chapter end
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