-Aldril-
I found myself standing in the midst of an immense expanse of beautiful, immaculate grassland. The scent of earth and wet grass flooded my senses with the same force as wild waves crashing against the shore. A fresh, pure breeze kissed my face, instantly restoring that profound peace I had only known the day I learned to accept myself.
"What is this place?" I murmured.
I turned on my heel, searching for answers from left to right, but as far as my eyes could see, the horizon offered me nothing but the vibrant and infinite green of life.
A warm sigh escaped my lips. I had not the slightest idea where I was. Reason dictated that the most logical course would be to explore the terrain before making a false step, but it would be a crime to waste such absolute and unusual peace.
So, with a shrug, I granted myself a truce. I sat upon the earth, closed my eyes, and filled my lungs with that immaculate air. Almost by inertia, I let my weight fall backward, sinking into the soft embrace of the grass. It was a corner so warm and maternal that, inevitably, it awakened in me a deep and sweet desire to sleep.
"Welcoming, is it not?" asked a voice at my side.
To my own surprise, my warrior instincts did not trigger any alarms. On the contrary, the presence of that individual felt incomprehensibly familiar to me, yet at the same time so unknown. His voice was immaculate and primeval, like the echo of the beginning of time, and it awakened in me a deep yearning to keep listening to it for all eternity.
"Too welcoming..." I murmured.
With a slow sigh, I opened my eyes, turned my face slightly, and observed him.
He had brown hair, in perfect harmony with the warmth of his brown eyes, and a finely trimmed beard that framed a jawline chiseled with unreal perfection. He was draped in a white tunic that seemed to glow, touched by the firmament. It was impossible for a being of such purity to walk upon Middle-earth. Not even Lady Varda, whose full stellar splendor I had once witnessed, could rival the beauty and refinement of that divine presence.
With an immaculate hand, the man caressed a bramble brimming with vitality. He smiled slightly after my response, and as he turned his gaze toward me, the tapestry of the constellations spun for a fleeting instant within his pupils. He sat beside me, closed his eyes, and simply enjoyed the stillness.
We both shared the moment. Lost in that absolute calm, the notion of time vanished from my mind. It was a comforting silence; his divinity was neither crushing nor overwhelming. However, I knew I could not stay there forever. After an indefinite time, I opened my eyes.
"Where are we, exactly?" I asked him.
"In the place where the pure of heart shall rest when the end of days arrives," he answered in a serene voice, without even opening his eyes.
I was surprised by the overwhelming naturalness with which I accepted his words; there was no retort on my lips, nor did I feel the need to ask what he meant.
Letting out a sigh of defeat, I returned my gaze to the infinite firmament.
"Then... have I arrived here to embrace eternal rest?"
The man laughed with such softness that the sound seemed to silence all of creation. It was as if the meadow itself held its breath, terrified at the thought of missing the miracle of that smile.
"No," he replied, slowly opening his eyes. "You are here simply because I wished to see you."
In the unfathomable abyss of his pupils, a shower of shooting stars danced for an instant before vanishing in the span of a blink.
"You caught my attention from the moment you crossed the loom of the beginning," he said, extending a hand to me. His immaculate smile did not falter, but focused entirely on me, granting me an honor that my spirit silently appreciated.
I accepted his help. Upon taking his hand, I was surprised by his soft touch, brimming with warmth; he lifted me from the ground with the same ease and delicacy with which a father lifts his young son.
"You bear traces of my essence within you. Not of this world, but of the distant sea of the loom," he murmured, resting his hand upon my shoulder with familiarity. "In your soul, the stain of sin has been forgiven by the sacrifice of my son. It was that grace that granted me the certainty to permit your existence here, in Arda, and even allow this little one to do as he pleased, strengthening you."
I had not noticed, but at some point during our conversation, a bluish light had appeared in his left hand. It was a pure and resplendent sphere, as if all the beauty of the ocean had been compressed into the size of a marble, inside of which faint bluish ripples danced, mimicking the ebb and flow of the waves.
My instinct immediately recognized what it was. That marble contained what had kept me alive in my first days of adventure. It was what unlocked my potential, but above all, it gave me the opportunity to learn from masters who are currently present in every slash or bowshot I make.
"I had forgotten about it for a long time," I murmured, unable to look away.
Once I became strong enough on my own merits, and thanks to the prolonged era of peace, I had completely neglected the System. Sometimes, out of pure habit, I would open my panel, but I only saw the percentage of the explored map change; there were no longer points or rewards like at the beginning. It had remained dormant, as if it knew its mission had concluded, understanding that I no longer needed to strengthen myself beyond the natural limits of Arda.
"Something very singular, I must admit," the man murmured. With a simple touch, he made the translucent marble sink into my chest until it disappeared. "But it is time for you to return."
His single word tore through the stillness of the atmosphere. Suddenly, I felt an invisible force pulling at me, sucking my body into the void. Filled with urgency, I wanted to speak, I wanted to demand he explain why he had called me or what his true purpose was in bringing me here, but my voice drowned out. The only thing I managed to say was:
"Who are you?"
The man barely made a slight gesture with his hand and the suction force grew stronger. Just as my consciousness faded, a microsecond before disappearing completely, I managed to hear his answer:
"I am who I am."
...
-General-
For our dear Half-elf, the encounter in that meadow had lasted an eternity; but in the mortal world, barely a couple of seconds had passed since the detonation. Seconds enough for chaos to erupt in Bag End and for everyone to run desperately outside.
Tauriel led the way. With terror etched on her face, she maneuvered agilely through the wreckage of splintered wood and churned earth. Not even the bulge of her belly could stand in the way of the experience she had honed over the years in the Forest of Rebirth, in those dark ages when it was still known as Mirkwood.
"Aldril! Aldril!" she cried with a broken voice, blindly following the trail of destruction where her beloved had been thrown.
**
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