The Beginning

My earliest memories always take me back to my mother Salena reading stories to me. We weren't particularly well off, especially after my father up and left when I was far too young to remember, but the two of us always got by somewhat happily. I remember being entranced in her stories, and to be honest I don't even remember whether she read them from a book or simply made them up on the spot every night, but they stuck with me. Being lost in her words always inspired my already creative mind to wander, and I very much believe that she is the reason I am who I am today.At the very young age of 16, when I was now of age to begin higher education, that was when my mind began to wander more and more, often getting me in trouble in class for not paying attention. Looking back, I do feel bad for my tutors that put up with my mischief and lack of attention in their classes, but I seemed to be naturally gifted when it came to academia. I guess as a result of this, younger Elouyn saw early schooldays to be not worth her time. I excelled in all of my classes, particularly so when we finally began our studies of the arcane and divine arts.I was enraptured by the possibilities that I had now been introduced to, and I was good at it. Whilst my peers began toying with harmless fiery wisps in their palms, I had begun giving sentience to books and clay figures. I had always loved being read to, but now I could have my books narrate themselves to me whilst I experimented in other arcane fields. I didn't see myself as better than my peers, but many of them took offence to my natural aptitude to it all and often made fun of me for being so engrossed in my studies, coining me the nickname "enchantress", albeit in a fairly sarcastic tone more often than not. It was something about that name that stuck with me though. I knew they were trying to make fun of me, but honestly it spurred me on more than ever, almost as if I wanted to live up to that name.

The Grove

Seasons passed. Years passed. My skills refined further still. By the age of 26 my tutors were awestruck with what I was capable of, and began referring me to one of the most elite of arcane academies, Twilight Grove, in Maladorn. It took some time, but eventually my referral was entertained by Isolde Eildan, the headmistress of the academy. I was one of the youngest students that the academy had ever considered, so I was meticulously examined before being formally invited to join the curriculum at the young age of 27. To humans this may seem a much older age to begin attendance in education of this magnitude, but a full Tyrasian year is only 180 days long, which would have brought me just shy of 14 in Earth years.Twilight Grove was a wondrous place that I will never forget, a place that truly tested the limits of my arcane prowess. I miss the constant feeling of butterflies in my stomach that I had in the upcoming weeks before I officially joined the academy. I miss the first few whimsical days of discovering all of the nooks and crannies of the grounds, the beautiful study halls that I would be learning within, even the musty aroma of the tomes stacked neatly on the shelves upon shelves of long-taught arcane brilliance of the ages.Sadly, those years I will never be able to truly relive, but they were some of the best years of my now, very long, lifetime. I studied at the academy for 12 years, and upon completion of my course, I had become the highest grading student in Enchanting that the academy had ever bare witness to. I was urged by the higher council of the academy to become an Enchanting professor, with Headmistress Isolde prompting me to apply for the position of High Enchantress, seeing as High Enchanter Gilethys was to be retiring at the end of that academic year anyway. I was taken aback by the offer. It was my dream to learn of the arcane, but it was now a newfound dream to be able to pass on my knowledge. So I accepted.I taught at Twilight Grove for over 80 years, before eventually having that dormant thirst for more knowledge and power arise once more in my heart. Both learning and teaching at the academy had given me what was considered to be the best of the best in all of Tyrasia. There were maybe few who excelled in the arcane arts above myself, but they were either long gone, or their whereabouts unheard of by anyone in the last several decades. The hunger grew worse day by day, a feeling that I was wasting my limited mortal lifespan on something that I had seemingly mastered, and yet I felt that I had barely scratched the surface of what was possible. That was until the day I was reminded by my closest friend Caerysia, of a place of legend known as The Glass Steps of Ceirpali. Towering, jagged mountains found on the Northern coast of Ceirpali, comprised almost exclusively of a beautiful translucent obsidian, not unlike clear glass. A wondrous phenomenon thought of by many as a mark of the Divines themselves upon the planet. Legends spoke that those who would seek pilgrimage to the very peak would rise above the clouds, and be able to speak to the Divines directly.

The Climb

This was my chance to prove myself to more than my fellow mortals that I walked amongst. Either I succeeded in my ascent to the summit, and proved it was indeed possible to accomplish, of which was no meagre feat alone, or I would have my Divine thirst fulfilled, and potentially obtain a greater power that I longed for. I set out for Ceirpali later that week, a trip that took several weeks just from the sea voyage alone, but eventually we docked on the eastern shores, and I began my pilgrimage to the north.Just over a week passed before I came face to face with my destiny. The Glass Steps were indeed a reality, and upon finally gazing upon my towering translucent future with my own two eyes, I realised in full that they truly lived up to their legend as a means to prove oneself. The journey was treacherous, even for someone of my capabilities. Northern Ceirpali was known to be cold, but the frequenting flurries of ice and snow made the journey that much more lethal. Days passed as alone I continued to climb up the supernatural behemoth. The translucent nature of my path made even walking a task in itself, often second-guessing myself where solid ground even was, relying more and more on the settling snow to paint a path for me.About two weeks passed since the dawn of my ascent, and the air was thinning to the point of it affecting my consciousness. My steps felt like I was dragging anchors with my legs, and my usual keen Ervan eyesight was beginning to fail me. This latter part was ultimately what changed my life permanently, and as I trudged furthermore, I finally lost my footing. In a burst of adrenaline, I came to my senses in a jolt of panic for what felt like only seconds, before suddenly colliding face first with the steps once more. I lay there momentarily in a state of shock and numbness, some from the cold, but mostly from the impact, before wincing as I pulled my face off of the ground. As my blurred vision began to regain focus, I noticed specks of crimson dotting upon where I had fallen. Clearly I was bleeding, potentially badly, but I had no idea just how bad the situation had become until my adrenaline wavered. My left eye. I couldn't see out of it. I was half-blinded, now realising that the spots of blood had began trickling down my cheek. The pain began to set in, and it was nothing like anything I had experienced before. As the amalgam of the numbness from the cold and my newfound agony surrounded me, my consciousness soon wavered, and I collapsed on the frozen ground.I do not know exactly how or when or even why I regained consciousness after however much time had passed, but I now see it as being my true test of the Steps in the end. With blurred vision and pain numbing once more from the cold, I set off once again towards the summit, and just before the dawn of the next day blessed my remaining eye, I reached the summit. It seems cliche to say that it was the most breathtaking sight I had ever seen, but that is the only way I could truly explain it to a mortal. As the Sky Hearth Ornha bathed me in its radiant embrace upon cresting the horizon, my eye began to blur from the sheer light, until eventually I saw nothing but white surrounding me. When my eye finally grew accustomed to the light, I began to notice a figure, not much taller than I, levitating slightly off of the ground in front of where I was stood.

The Ascension

"You succeeded where others had not." The entity spoke out with a delicate, echoing ring. "Young one, I am Asohi, Herald of Entropic Desire. You reached the mortals' summit alone, against all odds. You set out to walk your chosen path, and succeeded. You are considered worthy by our kin. What is it that you truly wish for?" The Celestial added, her words continuing to reverberate inside my mind. I explained my story. My desires. My needs. We talked for a few moments, or rather I spoke to her mostly, before finally she raised her hand, ushering me to quieten. "You desire power. You desire knowledge. You desire freedom of your mortal shackles. If that is what you truly wish for, let it so be." I nodded to her, confidently, yet staying silent.The Celestial's eyes began to glow a bright light blue, and extended her hand towards me. In a booming surge of energy, I was lifted off of the summit, several tens of feet into the air, and suspended momentarily, before an odd feeling of weightlessness overtook me. My body shone and surged with power unimaginable, and my pain was gone entirely. "Your eye. A gift from our kin. Allow it to teach you more of Aien." Asohi spoke out once more. My left eye was healed. The pain was completely gone. "Elouyn Birieth, you were once a mortal. Rise now, Valjor, The Twilight Enchantress." The Celestial commanded, with a soft smile. A sense of overwhelming pride and joy rushed through my veins. I was no longer a mortal.I spent the next thousand-odd years drifting the cosmos, learning of the various planets that surrounded my own, before eventually deciding I wanted to take the plunge and dive deep into the far reaches of Aien. I eventually returned to my abode, to which I immediately set out to test the limits of my Celestial power. I wished to see more than Tyrasia and the worlds around it, and so I spent time practicing and eventually casting the most potent teleportation spell I could muster. It was a success, to an extent. As the cosmos rushed past me in what seemed like but a few seconds, I emerged with a flashing boom in the bedroom of a female woman of different race. Although clearly alien to me, it seemed like her people had a lot of physical similarities to that of the Lani of Tyrasia. Upon glancing down upon myself, I realised that I had only managed to project the physical manifestation of my soul, and not my physical body itself. Entranced by my appearance, the human woman began to ask me many questions, to which I agreed upon, if she would grant me her physical body as a means for me to assimilate with. Being only of soul and no physical body was extremely limiting, so I required a vessel to continue my studies. Our deal was made, and I successfully became one with her.