The breeze against his neck was foreign yet extremely satisfying; he had finally taken a dagger to his long locks, cutting them off so that they could no longer fall into his face or brush against his neck. Raith’s disgust at the feel of them had been palpable; he had been unable to keep the disgust from his face whenever he felt his hair touch his bare skin and that morning he had finally had enough, cutting them with the aid of Silence’s eyes until his locks were short.
It had been odd to see himself through his little Dragon’s eyes without the dark hair falling past his shoulders to frame his face. His slightly pointed, Elven-like ears were now more apparent since his hair no longer hid it from view and he seemed somewhat younger in appearance. He could have cared less about all of that, so long as he no longer had to feel it against his skin.

Since their encounter with Xyaban there had been a shift in Raith’s attitude. While Alairia had already changed the man’s priorities in life the ‘incident’ with the Dragoness had caused a complete shift in his perspectives. He would never see himself as anything other than full of darkness – Alairia was the light to his shadow – however his no longer gave a damn about his prior agenda against his mother; centuries spent loathing the woman had been replaced with a need to protect his lover from ever getting hurt again.
He had failed her. Badly. Alairia had suffered physical and mental torture at the hands of Xyaban because of his actions and that was something he could not abide; Ria accepted who he was and had even accepted what he had done – she did not blame him for what had happened with that wretched Dragoness even though it had been because of him that they had been captured and hurt as they had… a fact he could not live with himself. His darkness had grown but it was no longer aimed at his mother… it was all for Xyaban. It had been because of her that he had cut his hair – all he could think of when he felt it was her claws entangled in it, pulling his head back to kiss him forcefully. Ria had yet to find out about the extreme change to his person but he had something he needed to do.

Raith had a healthy respect for the Gods; while he had never really had much dealings with them personally (other than asking those of his homeworld to send him to Revaliir after his exiled mother) he respected what they were even if he had never had any allegiance to any of them. He was, and he wasn’t ashamed to admit it, a narcissist. He had no use for the Gods and they had no use for him – so long as they left him alone he had no quarrel with them… but now he was seeking one out. Adraejen – God of Knowledge and the Arcane – other than the Goddess of Death it was Adraejen that garnered Raith’s greatest respect and interest; given that Raith had been born blind he had always worked hard to learn as much as he could for knowledge was power. Now he needed more power; he needed to be stronger, needed to ensure that he could protect Alairia from any further harm…

The wonder of the God’s Temple was lost to the blind man; he had not brought Silence with him – preferring the little Dragon to remain with Alairia so that he had eyes on her regardless of the distance between them… he needed to ensure that she was safe and sound at all times. The journey had taken time but he knew that it was his penance for what had happened with his lover; upon reaching the door the man had run his hands along it, looking for a handle or way to open it – as his fingers had run across the lettering he had smiled at the raised ‘I’ pressing it and entering the main entranceway.
Stepping through Raith furled his wings against his back and stopped, cocking his head to one side as he listened to the sounds within. The man might not be able to see in the conventional sense but that did not matter. ”I seek an audience with Adraejen, known as the One with the Silvered Tongue, if he permits it.”

"Interesting," Drae mused from his place in the Occulus, his index finger and his thumb rubbing his bearded chin thoughtfully. He looked at the celestial pelted cat that was the manifestation of his godly power, and gave a slight nod with his head. Tar Eisalae purred and stood before it leapt from the Occulus and landed remarkably silently upon the floor below. 

Tar circled the blind man, gauging him, relaying all it saw to its master high above. Soft growls escaped the cat and it moved up to the stranger, warm breath washing over his face as it stood at eye-level within inches of his nose. 

"Bring him to me…." the voice echoed around them. Tar Eisalae purred and moved over to Raith's side, its soft flank within reach of Raith's hand. It waited for the touch of the man before the massive cat walked with the man to the emblem of the Keeper that rested on the floor before the Tree of Clarity. Tar Eisalae paused upon the emblem. There was a magical hum as the emblem lit up with arcane light and steadily began to rise through the air upward toward the Occulus high at the top of the Temple. 

There was a shift in the air and an odd scent that had not been there before. Raith tilted his head the other way, listening carefully for the slightest shift in the air when the growls began. So, something had come to join him then. He remained still as the creature came close, its breath against his skin. He was not intimidated by this; after their encounter with Xyaban there was very little, beyond a threat again Alairia, that could affect the man's inner calm. Instead, he merely raised an eyebrow at the unknown, unseen creature. 

He turned his head at the voice, bowing slightly in silent thanks for the accepted audience, his hand immediately resting against the cat's flank as he felt the vibrations of the beasts purrs by his hand. He would have managed to be lead without the physical touch but it was best to take the help offered in the God's domain for now - Raith had no intention of insulting Adraejen within the man's house… not when he needed him… and he did. 

As they stood upon the emblem he both heard the magic's hum and tasted it upon the air - there were few who were as aware of the taste of magic as he was. Once in the Occulus he bowed once more, both in thanks to the cat that had brought him to this place, and to the God who had accepted him into his house. "I am grateful for the audience. Do you have a title you prefer to be addressed with?" Raith asked, he might be a confident man but he had always remembered his manners… one of the few lessons he had taken in from his parents. 

As the disk came to rest and firmly in place Tar Eisalae left Raith's side and moved to curl up on Drae's lap, shrinking to be the size of a house cat. 

"I have many names. Lord Drae, Keeper, Silver Tongued, whichever you prefer. Lord Drae is simple enough," Drae answered as he lightly stroked Tar Eisalae's pelt. "And you are Raith. What have you come here seeking?" he asked curiously. He shifted in his chair and Tar Eisalae got up and jumped from his lap and curled up on the top of the Keeper's throne. He stood up, his boots clicking on the magic stone ground, his robes swishing down the steps as he made his way to stand before Raith. 

"Intriguing… you have no sight but you don't let that stop you. I sense that there is a creature that lends you its sight, correct? It is elsewhere I see."

As respectful as Raith was to the God's position he still had his pride… and there was something about calling the man 'Lord' that stuck in his craw; he respected Drae's position, but as yet he did not respect the man, as such, that would be earned over time. Keeper. That seemed appropriate enough and settled the bile threatening to rise within his throat. 

"Knowledge," he replied simply. "I have never denied who, nor what, I am. I walk on the side of the shadows, I have no intention of stepping out of them… however recent actions, for which I have no remorse, have led to my beloved Alairia being dragged into my world in a way I had hoped to avoid, she is the light to my darkness and she did not deserve the atrocities she suffered." 
As he spoke it was clear that he was reliving those moments, his hands balled into fists, wings trembling, as he fought to swallow the raging fire of fury that continued to lurk in his heart, since Xyaban had taken them prisoner. "I was not strong enough to protect her; not strong enough to realise I had been mislead. I will not allow that to happen again. I have come here to seek your teachings, to seek power so that I can protect her from my world. She loves me and I love her, something I never expected, nor dreamt of in fact. I cannot change who I am, nor do I intend to, but I will change the fact that I do not know enough to keep her safe. If you will lend me your aid." 

He tilted his head as the Deity spoke of his sight and he sneered slightly, as he so often did when his disability was mentioned. "There was too much to achieve, and I have other means of sight. Silence I acquired here; I have left him to watch over Alairia so that I can ensure her safety. I have spent more years without his aid than with it, I still find 'seeing' overwhelming. My world has always been dark, I have adapted to that, and as you say I have let nothing stop me, I see the world in ways that others cannot, or will not." 

"Knowledge can be found here in abundance. There is much knowledge in the shadows, and I would not expect you to step out of them for any reason that you do not deem fit for your own reasons."

He looked at Raith, at how he struggled to keep his anger in check. It was clear there was a deep unsettled rage that burned in this winged man. It was a rage he was pretty sure he had known once before. 

"Caution yourself, Raith… there is a difference between knowledge and power. Knowledge and power, I can teach both. But what do you wish to learn exactly?" he asked curiously. He placed a hand on Raith's shoulder and guided him towards his throne. A wave of his hand, and there was second chair situated before his throne so Raith could sit and converse with the God. 

"Can I offer you a drink, Raith?"

Good, at least the Keeper understood him; though Raith had expected no less of the God if he was truly honest. The more the man spoke, the more Raith began to respect him and he knew he had made the right decision to come here and seek aid from Adraejen. 

"Apologies. The sting of what was done to her lingers, the Dragon that woke within me is still new, and the rage in my soul is deep seated and inherited from my mother's side - her race are not known for having stable emotions." He shook his head, concentrated on his breathing and took in the world he found himself in. The various scents were new to him and forced him to focus on them, which immediately extinguished the fire in his heart. 

"I want to ensure I am never tricked again, and that I can protect what is mine," Raith replied, relaxing into the man's touch and allowing himself to be led to the chair that Drae called up. Settling into it he gave a small, rare, genuine smile. "I would not say no, though anything but whiskey - it reacts with my mother's half of me and I would be drunk quickly." He snorted. 

"Whiskey is not much my drink either. I'd only drink it with one other individual… and sadly there will be no more drinking with her. I do offer the finest Sularian wine though," Drae said as he summoned up a decanter and two sparkling glasses. He poured wine into both glasses and handed one of the glasses to Raith. 

"I can understand the not wanting to be tricked. You wish for insight. To learn when one is being deceptive and to turn that deception against your enemy. It takes a great deal of training to turn the art of deception to your good," Drae said with a smile as he leaned back in his chair and smirked, his eyes flashing. "The tricky part is that you will not be able to see the visual cues. We'll have to work around that…"

Interesting, there was almost a hesitation in the God's words as he spoke of the other. A loss then? Someone he grieved? Yes. His words said as much, and the tone said that the loss was fresh. 
Raith had not known Dalanesca, but he knew of her, and of the events that had unfurled while he and Alairia had been within Xyaban's grasp. He felt nothing for the Goddess' passing, how could he? Though the death of a God was always somewhat intriguing. 
Taking the wine, he bowed his head in thanks. "Thank you, then I shall drink it with you gladly." He said, raising the glass to Drae slightly before he took a sip. 

"I have been blind since birth, from what I know of eyesight you can be just as easily led by the lies your eyes can see as you can the ones you hear. I am susceptible to shifts in body language and in tone, you can sense the shift of a person who lies just as easily by listening as you can by watching them. The one who misled me used the scent of my lover, and her body language against me. I was foolish, too love-struck to notice the subtle differences between that foul creature and my beloved Alairia. I have no intention of being led by anyone like that again," he swiftly sipped his wine, using the action as a distraction from the rage that ever threatened to spill over him. "As you say, I have my Silence, his eyes are my own, it would be useful to work alongside him in regards to the visual cues he might pick up, since such things are utterly foreign to me."

Drae raised his glass in return to Raith as he gave his small polite toast. The Keeper sipped his wine and listened intently. As he did, a small smirk crossed his face and he lifted a hand to caress his beard. A thought occurred to him as Raith told his story as to how he had been duped. He did not wish to take away from any of the young man's current abilities, but rather would have liked to expand on them. 

"The tricky part is helping you in a way that will not take away from your already acquired skills. While it would be easy enough to just give you the ability to see, I think it might be more of a detriment. Your abilities are impressive so far, but as you said, scent and mannerisms can be faked. So what I'd like to do is teach you something that will allow you to see what cannot be faked: one's aura. Everyone's aura is unique to them, much like their scent. But many people don't realize that it can be an identifier simply because it isn't readily visible. What do you say?"