'Look Rai…isn't it beautiful? Back when I was your age, grandma showed me the Northern Lights on a cold Glaciem night. As I sat on her knee, she would tell me stories of Reverie and her daughters and said that when an angel dies, the Celestials come down from the heavens to take them to the skies as a star…'

When he heard of what was happening in the Ancense Mountains, he allowed himself to go along with a friend of a friend. He wasn't entirely interested in what was going on, but it was less awkward to go with somebody you knew. While Belen had run off to who knows where, Raizel was sitting by himself watching the winged creatures and their riders sail through the starry skies. The aurora and its heavenly glow were beautiful, but he felt no joy when gazed on it. It reminded him of things he'd rather forget. When he was a child he had believed what his mother had told him, but he was older now and the haze of nostalgia had long worn off. If mother had been right, then had she become a star too? He mused over the thought as the lights in the skies continued their celestial cadence. The longer he stared at it, the more he could see figures that looked awfully like her… Part of him wished that were true.

The Ancense were quite far from Arri and Parnassia, and the coolness of the mountains was different from the warmth and sun of the desert kingdom. Aidoneus was still learning about the world which had changed while he had slept, and by now he knew the names of all the current deities. This one named Raith was an interesting being; in some ways he reminded the eidolon of his brother Colias. The grand show of power, this majestic display of the heavens within earth's reach felt all so familiar. Yet, there were differences. Raith was like a burning star in the blackness of the Void, with waves of intense light radiating like fire. Colias had been like what the people of Revaliir called the Sun, warm and radiant yet somewhat distant. With the fate of the eidolons of Parnassia ending with him, the auroras were a melancholy reminder of how the cycles of time had been when they still were denizens of the great beyond. The old Parnassia in its prime was like such a celestial phenomenon, but ever-present. There were no boundaries between 'land' and 'sky' in the Void, and they both walked and flew. The swirling colors of the astral lights reminded him of happier days back when he had been ignorant of the concept, and it made a pleasant yet aching feeling inside his chest.

According to the children of this world, they called it 'nostalgia'. It also went by many other names, like 'grief', 'remembrance', and 'longing'. Regardless of what it was called, those who had experienced it before would understand the feeling when described. As his eyes followed the winged beasts and creatures dancing across the starry skies, he thought he saw shapes in the aurora that looked so familiar. Shifting and never permanent, it was as if…he could see his brother and sister-in-law flying through the clouds. If only he could reach out to them. If only he could come closer… 

While he had accepted the fact that they had perished, there was a part of Aidoneus that vainly wished that it were not so. Instead of returning to the Origin, they had lingered in the world's aether, invisible to the eye only to reemerge as a part of the celestial train. Instead of being forever separated by time and space, they had never left and were waiting to meet him. It was a hope that was intangible and fleeting, like grasping at the wind. No matter how hard or fast you closed your hands, it would slip away from your fingers. The conflict between the truth and his desires was painful, but he couldn't let go. He didn't know how. For a being who could barely grasp the concept of impermanence, the memories of the past and reality of the present would never fade. He forced himself to look away at last, turning his eyes towards anything other than the aurora. It was then that he saw someone looking up with the same feelings etched into their face.

It was grief mixed with gladness, but with something else muddying it all. The wondrous sight which should have brought joy to all had failed for the young man sitting by himself in the midst of the excitement and voices. Why was this boy here? What was it that made him so unhappy?

"Do you mind if I sit beside you?" The voice of a stranger brought him back to the present. He looked to the side, seeing a man with dull red eyes and hair that looked either black-blue or a dark green. "I don't." Raizel paused before answering as for a moment he thought he was talking to one of his potential half-siblings spawned from that womanizer of a man known as his sire. And if he was, he didn't want to know either. The way this stranger spoke and carried himself was different from the chaos of that house, so maybe he was jumping to conclusions. With a heavy sigh, he turned his attention to the crowds of onlookers and travelers who had come to see the celestial lights. Since there was nothing else holding him here, he might as well prepare to leave. It shouldn't be taking Belen this long to get a few odds and ends from the magical beasts flocking here. There was an awkward silence as the two sat side by side. Raizel wasn't exactly a people person, and he had a habit of being naturally wary of people he didn't know well. The only exceptions were the people who were his family only by blood, but they could make up the entire list for reasons why he was this way.

He couldn't tell what this man's motives were, but he was also trying to avoid starting up small talk. It was something he would dread whenever he had to spend time with strangers in close proximity. And so, the best way he knew how to go about it was to avoid eye contact. The seconds felt like hours with the atmosphere being so stifling, and when he finally couldn't take it anymore–the stranger made the first move. "The aurora is quite beautiful, isn't it? It must be a rare sight for the local denizens and travelers from nearby lands." Internally Raizel groaned. It was happening again. He knew he should have left when he had the chance. While he didn't enjoy idle chatter, the man seemed polite enough that he didn't feel like brushing him off without a word. It wouldn't hurt to say a few things then give an excuse to step out. "Yeah, I guess so. You sound like you've seen this sort of thing pretty often."