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[Eclyse Christian]

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Silence. Nothing here but silence. Eclyse reached her destination as the last hours of twilight slipped away into the west. The Shrine of Sacrifice stood stately and quiet before her. She pressed her open palm against the stone ankh with a deep sigh, and recalled the instructions given by Sir Kaylor.

“Spend time there, meditate, perhaps pray to whatever deity you prefer.”

Eclyse stood before the ankh for a moment, allowing the energy of her soul to commune with the shrine before she pulled her hand reluctantly away. Soft in the silence, a gentle sound like windswept leaves washed in from the north. Eclyse knelt before the shrine and lowered her head as a gentle rain began to fall. She wondered if Sir Kaylor would have found emptiness in her actions, as she meshed herself with the energy of the universe silently. She believed fully that God was everything and everywhere, and in everyone. Her prayers were a simple communion between her soul and that energy which was so much greater than anything she as a human could ever comprehend.

“Contemplate the Virtue of Sacrifice, its deepest meaning to you. Find something within yourself that you are willing to sacrifice, and give it up. It must be something intangible, something that means a great deal to you. And you will sacrifice it for seven days only.”

Eclyse knelt, stone still, before the ankh, and allowed her heart to explore the quest that she’d been given. What had she to sacrifice in the name of virtue? The rain fell steadily over her bowed head, slicking her ebony hair and creating rivulets down her face and body. The cold began to take hold as she knelt in the darkness. After hours of contemplation, her knees ached dully against the cold wet ground. She shivered, sometimes violently, and sought comfort from within herself.

With a quiet smile, she lifted her face into the rain and hummed a song to herself. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around herself against the chill of night rain, and rocked herself ever so slightly as she sang the comforting words that got her through many a dark and lonely night as a child.

I will build my love a bower,
Near yon pure, crystal fountain,
And on it I will pile
All the flowers of the mountain.
Will ye go, lassie go?

And we'll all go together
To pull wild mountain thyme
From aroun' the bloomin' heather
Will ye go, lassie go?

When her song was finished, Eclyse paused. Her deep green eyes flew open with the realization. Here was the one thing dear enough to her to sacrifice. Her voice, her song, her words, for seven days. Silently, she stood, again placing her open palm against the ankh in humble thanks. She pressed a kiss to the cold, wet stone, allowing her hand to fall away to her side. Her sacrifice determined, she turned, and began her journey back to Stonegate Valley.