Peek: Nova

Heat and pressure, building...

building...

Building...

BUILDING...

Existence.  The newborn scion takes a few moments to try to adjust and take stock.  While the empty mamga tube she's in is fairly simple to understand, things only get more complex from there.  Her fealty is to a dungeon that looks to be very established.  She's well beneath the surface, but she can feel the reach of her new home spans that impressive distance.

And then the attention of her home is upon her.  Its presence is heavy, almost oppressive, yet the feeling filtering through the bond with it is curiosity.  Thankfully, it's not the kind of curiosity that would take her apart to see what makes her tick.  Instead, it's the kind to watch and figure it out that way.

It... no, he, seems confused by her, though she can't fathom why.  She's a magma wyrm, with nothing unusual, right?  She self-consciously pays more attention to herself, but the lack of finding any particular flaws only increases her anxiety.  Is something wrong with her that she can't even sense?!

The budding panic is nipped as concepts drift through the bond, and she realizes she's going to be named.  Already?  What did she do to deserve such an honor?  The first few potential names sound almost cute, and she finds she likes them.  Her new home, however, finds them lacking.

Crown of Stars seeps through the bond, and the concept nearly takes her breath away.  Could she live up to that kind of majesty?  To that kind of power?  She greatly doubts it.  She sighs in relief as her new home seems to discard the name, before feeling like she's being crushed under the weight of the next name.

Nova.  Death of Stars.  Something so violent and majestic, playing at scales she can feel even the mind behind her home has difficulty comprehending.  How can she even hope to live up to something like that?!

The gentle encouragement from the bond helps her somewhat, but she still feels overwhelmed by the weight of her name alone.  She's still trying to come to terms with it when the Voice appears from nowhere and asks if she's alright.

She, of course, gives a humble greeting to the Voice.  She's not going to let the simple appearance fool her.  She feels barely able to handle her home's attention for a few minutes.  No simple rat would be able to handle being the primary conduit of her home's will.

The Voice echoes the encouragement she felt through the bond, but it's not that simple!  How is she supposed to even start living up to that name?!

He suggests she simply explore and see how things are done, which feels strange to her.  Shouldn't she immediately try to strengthen herself?  Confusion and inadequacy rage in her mind, before she feels something that seems to cut straight through everything.  There is something wrong moving below her.

The Voice encourages her to eradicate it, and so she does.  She doesn't think her handling of it was anything special, but she can feel pride for her through the bond, and she realizes something strange: she wasn't ordered to go kill it.  She was just encouraged to deal with the problem in whatever way she saw fit.

In a way, she finds that rather intimidating, perhaps even more than being ordered.  She could let him order her... but he prefers to guide her, instead.  Her name is a goal to be guided towards, rather than expectation to be met, just like the Voice said.

While it may be easier to be ordered and obey, she can feel her name rejecting that idea.  No... strength and majesty are more than just physical.  She needs the strength of self to actually take the path the Guide shows her.  She must be strong, and do what she needs to, to live up to her name!

Her bravado wilts as she feels how much room the Guide has, how many other scions he has.  The daunting task looms before her, but she also feels another wrong thing in the tubes.  Right... the Voice said to take her time and adjust.  She'll hunt the elementals, at least for now.  It's not an excuse, it's a job that needs to be done.

She can't help but feel like the Guide knows the truth, but he doesn't seem to be upset at her choice.  She gets the feeling she won't be able to hide in the tubes for long, but that will give her time to build up her courage.

Right?