Editing Kanimaeli - Spirit of Air (section)

==A Goddess and Her Garden==

The elegant lady, Milada, welcomed us into her garden with a smile that felt like sunlight on my skin. All my aches and scrapes, the weariness from the elemental planes — it all knitted back together in an instant. It was hard to believe I was standing before a real goddess, one spoken about reverently in the temple back home. Milada, ever the kind goddess, pointed out that we travelled with a God, indicating Xlotl! It seemed that he was a descendant of a deity, of divine nature himself without even realising it (at least that's what he told us). I was learning so much so quickly.

She seemed pleasantly surprised that we were here not to seek her out, but to seek another. Then, Aerali, the Lord of Air, moved forward, the very atmosphere around him becoming taut and still.

He turned to Xlotl, and I was shocked by what he asked: sanctuary. I'd forgotten that Xlotl was a Guardian of the Creator, and now, here in the presence of Aerali, I was reminded of the deep, ancient connections at play. Aerali also presented Kanimaeli, holding it before me, and I watched the Air dance playfully around and pass through it. I was not worthy, although I hungered to hold such beautiful power I knew it would control me and not the other way around. He kept it, but said that one day, if I believed myself worthy then I could meet him in the temple. Then, with a wave of Milada’s hand, he was gone.

It was Kanimar, the Soul of Boundless Ocean, that we should seek next. Milada knew where it was, but it was passing from thief to thief and was not with the Lord of Water as it should be. We must find it before it fell into the wrong hands.

We spoke of Ilyiana, and she knew the name. She explained that Ilyiana, a powerful but ultimately mortal sorcerer, sought to be a goddess herself and, in her ambition, held the key to releasing the other part of Artemis, a primal force and the Lord of Everything, which would unmake the universe. Milada warned us that we must not let that happen.

When we spoke of restoring the temple, she noted the elemental pairs: Fire and Water, and Air and Earth, and even Life and Death, explaining that they should be restored in balance. Fire and Water were the least disruptive, so that is where she would start.

She spoke of her "Uncle" and her "Father Creator," a complicated family drama of cosmic proportions. Her uncle, Lord Admir, controlled Nothing, while her father had control of Everything, but each complex in their own way. It was a lot to take in.

As for me, I learned a surprising and deeply unsettling truth. Xlotl was divine, Pi linked to the divine Lord Admir, Antinniera was unwelcome here as a child of Milada's brother, but still significant. But me? I was just a sacrifice, a meaningless pawn in a larger game. "An expendable nothing," she said, and a chill went through me. But then I remembered my new master, the Watcher, and a growing sense of loyalty to him blossomed in my chest. Perhaps there was a reason I had been chosen after all. One so insignificant could see without interfering, which is just what he desired.

Milada handed me a large, glass jar with a stopper. She told me it would offer me illumination when I was ready, but I had to clear my mind before using it. It was as if she had understood my soul - I desired to better myself but lacked the means without the proper guidance from a master. Perhaps this was a new test, a way to learn from myself.

When we were ready, Milada caused us to disintegrate and reform in a forest somewhere near to where Kanimar could be found.