The wind scratched across his face like cold fire. So often he was in the safe walls of his home that he needed a reminder every once in a while of what awaited just a few meters down from the mountain’s summit. He’d taken the walk on foot with careful determination not to travel through light as he did so. Sometimes it was nice to take things at a slow pace, even if that meant walking into icy winds. Aside from that, it reminded him of the pain some people had to suffer through in order to even get to his temple. There were many portals he’d set up all across Revaliir for people to take, but some souls were so unfortunate that they had no way to get even to those.

Thankfully, he hadn’t come across any fallen bodies…Frost had collected at the edges of his hair and his lips were lightly tinged purple, but he found himself enjoying it. When you’re a deity of light you spend a lot of time in the sun and warmth, the contrast was nice and the bite made him feel more alive. It was hard to feel the rush of life when you knew you’d live on forever and ever, so he’d take what he could when he could. He stopped for a moment, sitting on a snow dusted outcropping of stones, and pulled his legs up under himself.

From here he could see much of Parvpora, but his gaze always drifted towards Nisshoki. Only because of his extremely heightened eyesight could even make out the outline of some of its highest buildings. Even then, it was all in warping strokes of gray and black, and he turned his sights away. Menomori had been a green dot against his vision, and he longed to go to his childhood home. Gods weren’t welcomed in this continent, yet he and Drae remained strong. Prejudice was a hard thing to work through for many, and his own family was included. The worst of it was that they still loved him, it would have been much easier to be hated and cast out completely than loved and regarded as a possible threat.

He rubbed his eyes, maybe it was time to return to the temple. Echo would rap his ear if she knew what he was doing and how he was thinking. When he returned he wanted it to be with more calm, and brought his hands together in his lap; focusing his energy to that one point between his palms. The snow blowing around him began to slow until it was a lazy revolution, and he heard the wind quiet and still. His own breathing was too loud now against this blanketed solitude, and likewise he could hear his heart thudding steadily in his ears.

The frost in his hair began to melt and trickle down in cold trails along the back of his neck and his cheeks. Where before his lips had been purple, now the proper pink was coming back to them. Suddenly it felt too hot, and his eyes opened to look down at himself. The snow he’d been sitting on had melted and the markings on his body were glowing full force. He smiled, satisfied with his grounding, and allowed himself to flicker back to the temple in a ray of light.

When he reappeared it was at the center of Hikari no Michi, and any other boost he might have needed was instantly restored by that holy path. He walked along it, knowing the way perfectly of course, and coming out one of the many exits that led into the Crystal Garden. Someone was sitting a little ways off at the edge of the water and he tilted his head as he watched him. His movements were slow and calm, precise as he lowered his staff in. By his garb alone he could make out that he was a man of the cloth, but he didn’t immediately recognize him.

While not wanting to disturb any meditation he might be going through, he still wanted to make at least his acquaintance and ventured closer. The recline of his head told him that he was resting, and he eased a bit to know that he wasn’t interrupting a focus of energy. The other man’s head turned in his direction just as he got to his side, and he answered his more surprised look with a gentle smile before seating himself next to him and looking out into the water where his staff was, “I don’t believe I’ve met you just yet…” He turned his head towards him, his own crystalline emerald eyes glowing brighter as the smile returned to his own lips. “I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything…”