Caves of mercy

The caves weren't anything special though it was strangely never dark. They mostly walked straight forward with an oceaconal turn to the right or left. Eris noticed after a while that there were crystals that glowed a beautiful orange light which was probably why the caves were so bright.

The crystals stopped appearing and the warm light became blue instead. Looking up Eris noticed it was a huge block of ice. She couldn't take her eyes off it, noticing small plants in the block as well. They were close at the end and that's when she saw something unbelievable. A person, her hand reaching out and her eyes were wide. She slowed down so she could observe the person closer. The girl had olive skin with short hair and a fish tail. Their skin was covered in green scales as well.

Finally, Eris thought. She found someone who looked similar to her and the urge to save her only grew stronger. She wanted to get to know this person and find out how they appeared in that block of ice… Eris kept staring at the person and the girl's eyes moved and they made eye contact. Eris' heart almost jumped out of her chest as she quickly ran after the others. She tried to tell herself she was just imagining it, that it was Evodine pulling tricks on her… But Evodine didn't laugh.

It wasn't too long after they arrived at the actual caves of mercy however it looked more like a big city. Compared to the surface where everything was covered in ice, this place was much more colorful and warm. Houses were crafted inside the cave walls where they skillfully used crystals and gems to give it more personality. A group of priests were waiting for them to take care of their wounds.

Before they started to make their way towards the healing quarters everyone began to bow and the rest followed.

"Priestess Morgensen"

"General, are these the ones who seeked help?"

"Yes your grace" The priestess made a hand gesture and everyone straightened themselves. Eris' eyes widened when she saw the priestess. She has never seen anything like her before. She was extremely tall, double Eris' size. Her skin was covered in red scales with yellow and orange details. She had long horns on top of her head which was decorated in jewelry, making it look like it was a crown. On her back she had large wings which were elegantly held and eventually Eris noticed her long tail as well. Everything seemed so different from a normal human. Yet she spoke so lovingly, her posture was proud and her eyes had so much warmth. She wore a very light and see through fabric which was also decorated in golden jewelry.

The priestess looked at everyone with caring eyes before she spoke up again.

"Satyrs…"

"We assume they come from the city Frosa. It's the only place close by from where they fell."

"Then quickly tend to them, the outside is not caring to those who are not human." With that they kept walking and the priestess followed as well, talking to the general in a low voice. Eris observed her surroundings and noticed more people who looked like the priestess but in other colors like brown, dark green and orange to name a few. Most of them usually flew instead of walking and greeted each other with smiles. They came in different heights as well but the priestess was far the tallest one and the only red one as well.

Arriving at the healing quarters, the group was divided into men and women. Brem insisted on staying with Edeltria but the priest explained to him that she is in good care and as soon as she is better he gets to see her. With that Brem joined the others. Eris gave him a reassuring look as well before leaving with the others. The priests took Edeltria away from the others and many different kinds of flasks and herbs. Eris had similar but she didn't recognize any of them.

They were instructed to undress later which made sense why they were divided into two groups. However Eris didn't feel comfortable with the thought of undressing. She backed away and stayed in a corner, hugging herself tightly. When everyone left to the springs of healing Eris finally breathed out when she was alone. Thinking she could sneak away but two priestess stopped her. They were wearing red robes and had similar golden jewelry that the high priestess had.

"Let us help you miss, untreated wounds can become infected. Show us please so we can help you"

"N-no, I'm fine. Really!" Eris put up her hands as she kept backing away. The priestess stayed silent and gently grabbed her hand. Eris stared at them surprised and watched them looking at each other worryingly. Was there something wrong with her?

"I'll speak to the high priestess, please wait here with Priestess Velde." The second one quickly left and the one who stayed slowly let go of Eris' hand.

"Is there something wrong with me?" Her voice was filled with insecurity and the woman gave her a kind and warming smile.

"We didn't mean to scare you. It's just that the springs here won't be able to treat your wounds. We have to ask for permission to use Her Grace's private one." Priestess Velde explained and also explained a bit how the waters worked. It's said to come from the Edel mountain that was blessed by the goddess Edel herself.

"Follow me child. I'll personally escort you." The high priestess arrived and the other two nodded towards Eris. She did as she was told and followed the tall woman. There was a staircase which they went up on and instead of the orange crystals that lit up the way it was green and blue instead, having a more relaxed feel. She noticed how everything beneath her became smaller and smaller so she moved closer to the inner wall.

Eventually they arrived at a steaming pool, surrounded with colorful gems and statues that looked similar to the priestess but less human. Eris looked to the priestess who began to undress as well, letting her see through robes fall on the ground before slowly walking down into the pool of water and slowly sat down.

"You don't have to worry dear child, this is a safe space. Just you and I" She didn't even look at Eris but relaxed into the water. Eris took a deep breath before quickly undressing and quickly stepped into the water so the priestess wouldn't have time to look at the rest of her body. The water was much warmer than she expected, it was almost extremely hot. The priestess let out a small laugh as she moved closer and gently touched Eris' hair and made a simple updo.

"May I see your hands?" The woman moved away after she was done with Eris' hair then placed her hand in front of Eris. Eris took a deep breath and gently placed her hand into the woman's. The cracks were still extremely visible but the dryness was almost gone. She felt her body relax more and more as the pain from her hands also slowly washed away.

"What's your name, child?" The woman asked as she kept observing Eris' hands and eventually gestured to look at the other one as well.

"Eris… Eris Villot" She replied and noticed how the priestess began to whisper to herself when she noticed the butterfly mark.

"Your Grace?"

"Ah, sorry.. I just didn't recognize the symbol on your hand." She slowly let go of Eris' hand and let them sink into the water.

"Tell me about yourself dear child. Have you always been able to use magic? Where are you from?"

"Oh… No. I was offered magic by Evodine. And I come from a small village with the name of Greenfair. I lived there with my Granny, Mei. I gained magical abilities right before I had to leave the village…" The memories of the screams and how she controlled the trees and and the lake flashed by and she felt how she began to slowly zone out.

"We can talk more about this later. I can teach you about magic, things your patron hasn't told you. I'm just curious… It's rare to see someone like you out of water." Eris looked at the priestess confused when she said the last part.

"What do you mean? I've always been on land and I've never seen anyone…" The person in the frozen ocean popped into my mind.

"Except that girl…"

"Dear child… I have much to explain."