[Video]

[secondborn]

[Alastair is sitting on a roof, looking out at the city. He has a couple of blades next to him. It looks like he might have been in the process of sharpening them when he took a break.]

The change of seasons here is pretty dramatic, isn't it? One moment we still have green, the next...

[He nods out to the suddenly awe-inspiring fall colors of the trees.]

Did it happen like this before? I'm ashamed to say I didn't notice if it did, I was... [He wets his lips and ducks his head a moment,] ...preoccupied. [Preoccupied with being corrupted. Oops.

He lifts his head and smiles.]

Regardless, it's lovely, even if it's a bit sudden. Back home... [A distant sort of look comes over his face as he remembers.] Back home it was always very slow. There was never any one day you could say "now is the end of summer," because when things were Balanced, or at least close to it, it was a slow transition from one season to the next. Maybe our seasons were longer, it's hard to tell.

[He sighs deeply and is quiet for a long moment, then smiles again.]

There's beauty in the world, everywhere. Sometimes it's hard to find it, but every now and then you have to stop and look around and remind yourself why you're fighting.

[His grin turns sheepish and he shakes his head.]

It may seem silly, and believe me, I sound a little ridiculous to myself sometimes, but do me a favor and take a moment out of your day to just appreciate the beauty around you, and remember the beauty of home.

Comments

[daddyissues]

[ 'Not just humans,' Connor thinks, but doesn't say, since that might be all there is in Alastair's world. He just waits for more explanation about Keepers, taking another bite of his cookie. ]

[secondborn]

For each aspect of the Balance there is one person who is Keeper of it. It's a position that's something like royalty, a power that's passed from one person to their closest living relation when they die. The Keeper has a great deal of power, able to control both sides of their aspect of the Balance, with the goal of Keeping their aspect of the Balance... well, Balanced.

[He takes a breath and continues.]

In addition to the Keeper, there are many people in a Keeper's lands who are gifted with a single power related to one side of the Balance. So in the lands where the Keeper of Life and Death reside, there are some people who are healers of people, healers of animals, some people who can make plants grow, or even control emotion. There are also others who can see when it's a person's time to die, or can kill a person with a touch. They are also tasked with helping uphold the Balance, in their own way.

[daddyissues]

[ This is sounding a bit like Asgard houses to Connor, with way more talents. He tilts his head curiously. ]

Which are you? A Keeper or one of the people with powers?

[secondborn]

For a long time my sister was the Keeper of Life and Death, and then when she died while trying to right the Imbalance, her powers and duties passed to me. So... both, actually.

[daddyissues]

...I'm sorry. [ He doesn't know what else to say for a moment, just wondering what Alastair's sister was like and how she died, then recovers awkwardly. ] What are they? The powers and duties.

[secondborn]

[He nods, acknowledging Connor's sympathy. It's just one more aspect of grief he has to deal with.]

Having any sort of gift means having a connection with the Balance, understanding what will Balance it and what won't, usually only in direct relation to their own gift, but with some basic understanding and connection to the Balance at large.

The Keeper, on the other hand, is connected to every part of their aspect of the Balance. It's... an extremely intimate connection to the world, and I'm sure it would be wonderful under the right conditions.

[He sighs.]

Unfortunately, neither my sister nor I ever got to experience those conditions.