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| Details |
| Author: | Saaron |
| Summary: | Gwen and Sandy talk together after a concert at the Dalaran Symphony Orchestra. Sandy makes a few revelations about his training as a shadow priest in the past few months. |
| Rating: | T for Teen |
Sandy sits on the couch of his room, in Dalaran, finally home after a whole evening out. With Gwen, the two went to the Dalaran Symphony Orchestra, enjoying a beautiful show mixing music and magic. He rolls up the left leg of his dark blue tuxedo pants and begins removing his prosthetic, letting out a relieved sigh as he does. Sandy looks up and smiles at Gwen, his heart beating fast. He’s got something to tell her, some big things. But for now, he lets her make herself at home, simply appreciating her beauty.
Gwen is still twirling around the room, dancing to her favorite piece from the orchestra and la-la-laing the melody. "Oh my gourd, Sandy, tonight was amaaaazing! That moment when the entire string section was levitating above the audience? Breathtaking!" She flops down onto the couch beside Sandy to help him with the prosthetic, her freckled face glowing with giddy joy.
Sandy chuckles at her songs. He doesn’t try to join in though. “It was, yeah! I rarely go to shows like that, I’m glad Taevon got me two of those,” he smiles at her. “I’m glad you liked it.”
The prosthetic clicks and detaches from his leg. “Thank you,” Sandy says. His smile fades away for a moment. He seems lost in thought.
Gwen slips her shoes off and curls her feet up on the couch, snuggling against Sandy's side. She idly tugs at his hair, still humming the music. After a few moments she lifts her head and peers at his face. Giving his nose a boop, she says, "You're thinking very loudly. What's churning in that brain of yours?"
Sandy places a hand on Gwen’s, chuckling at her boop. “Sorry, sorry,” he says. “You know, the show made me think a lot. When the light faded at the end and we stayed in the dark a little bit at the end, I really went through a lot of stuff in my head!” He scratches the back of his head. “That I’d like to get back on the Company’s squad, for example, and that, um… I haven’t told you how I’ve been training for that in the past few months.”
Gwen's eyebrows try to meet in an expression of curious concern. "You haven't? I thought you said you were focusing on your shadow magic. I just assumed you were trying to avoid summoning demons. Every since the transformation incident…it's seemed like you've been less inclined to summon." She gives him a little shrug and an encouraging smile, "And I'm sure it would improve your chances of returning to squad duty."
Sandy nods. “That’s right, I have been focused on shadow magic. It will get me back on a Squad for sure!” Sandy pauses. “It’s just…” He closes his eyes, focusing on the power of his love for Gwen, the joy of being alive after everything he went through. And he casts a healing spell on her, sharing the warmth of the Light her way. “I’ve been training as a priest. A… shadow priest, mainly!”
The soothing power of the Light washes over Gwen, bringing a joyous smile to her face. But as her sense of the present returns, the smile falters. "Wait…a priest? A shadow priest? I…I suppose that makes some sense…the shadow bit, I mean. But I didn't even realize you were all that pious. Why didn't you tell me?"
“I- I prayed a lot, when I was,” Sandy doesn’t finish his sentence but his face makes what event he’s referring to pretty clear. Although most of the physical scars from his time as a prisoner of Helyn have gone away, the mental ones are still there. “I thought it was the only thing that might save me at that point. That if I prayed hard enough, the Light would bring you and the others to the place I was trapped in,” he smiles softly. “That thought, and those prayers, they kept me going.”
Gwen nods solemnly. "I did, too. But, I meant…why didn't you tell me about joining the priesthood? That seems like such a major decision. I guess I just feel like it's something you would have talked with me about."
Sandy rubs the back of his neck. “It’s uh, because I didn’t join the priesthood.” His gaze is avoidant. “Not in the Church of the Holy Light, at least. I… I was contacted and trained by the Cult of Forgotten Shadows. Well, individual members of it, they don’t… really have a hierarchy or like, institutions to take decisions like that.”
Gwenivene goes still for the span of several breaths she doesn't take. As a student of Dalaran, the cult is not unknown to her. She unconsciously leans back from him. "Sandy," she says in a tense whisper, "The Cult of Forgotten Shadows was started by Forsaken. It's…it's blasphemy. Their teachings are dangerous. Those texts were locked away for good reason."
“I know, I know!” Sandy nervously fidgets with his shirt. “I've… recently learned what happened with the Forsaken at Wrathgate, so I think I'll stop working with one of them directly, but what the cult teaches isn't that bad, you know? Hm…” He rubs his eyes, trying to put the words in place correctly so as to not misrepresent the teachings he's received. “They say we need balance between the Light and Shadow - which is what they call the material world. That the Light is powerful, but it won't do anything on its own, it's not good or bad. It's up to us to take what it gives us, and to take what the Shadow gives us, and to truly change the world! It's about our strength and will as people.” He exhales, smiling. “Like, when you saved me. Even though I prayed a lot, and it helped me find comfort and hope in the Light, it wouldn't have been enough to free me. It's because you and the others took things into your own hands that you came looking for me. That's what… this is all about!”
Gwen rises and starts walking in nervous circles, wringing her hands. "Did it never occur to you that it was the Light that sent us? That it inspired us in our search for you and helped us find answers?" She pauses her pacing for a moment, turning to look at him with a strained face. "You've been working directly with a Forsaken? Sandy! I thought this was about getting away from bad influences. But you've gone from demons to the undead!"
Sandy wants to get up too, but he’s already removed the prosthetic and doesn’t want to lose balance on one foot. “But inspiration is nothing if you don’t take action! And plenty of bad people use the Light too, like the Scarlet Crusade!” He smiles, but his brows furrow sadly. He looks directly at her. “All you’ve accomplished, you did because you’re you, you’re human, and you fought for these things, not because the Light guided your path. It helps us all, comforts us all, but it will never change things by itself! That’s what the Cult teaches. They say that the ones who act are the most powerful, and that they will shape the world how they want!” He shakes his head rapidly, avoiding her gaze once again. “I know they’re undead, but what they preach doesn’t sound like a bad influence. And the books they use as foundation for their teachings were written by a human!”
"Listen to yourself," Gwen pleads. "You're defending a cult. It's right there in the name! The Cult of Forgotten Shadows. Not Light. Shadows. And they're teaching you to be powerful so you can shape the world? Sandy, that's megalomania. The Light teaches us compassion and justice…not power." She wraps her arms tightly around her middle in a self-comforting hug. "Worst of all," she adds, her voice dropping to a sad whisper, "You kept all this from me. You didn't trust me."
Sandy hops onto his leg and awkwardly jumps her way, almost failing to keep his balance on his way to her. “No, Gwen, no, that’s not… I trust you, that’s why I’m telling you now!” The young man’s eyes get teary. “I was afraid to tell you, afraid to tell everyone. I was waiting to get strong enough to prove that I was able to do it all - be a powerful shadow priest and use the Light!” He shakes his head. “I promise you, it’s probably that I’m not explaining this right, but the Cult isn’t made of bad people. They want balance, that’s all! Isn’t that great, balance?”
Gwenivene shakes her head firmly. Despite her resistance to Sandy, she immediately steps forward to steady him. "It's not great. These creatures have gotten into your head. They're twisting the teachings of the Light. That's not balance. That's corruption." Her voice trembles as her tears well up in her eyes, and she tries to guide him back to the couch. "Sandy…I think you know this is wrong. You don't need a Forsaken cult to teach you how to use Shadow magic safely. Plenty of people in Cobalt Company handle it just fine without cults."
Sandy follows her back to the couch but doesn’t sit back down yet, grabbing the side of her sleeve. “I won’t study under the Forsaken, I promise! I know… it wouldn’t be good if people knew about that, so I’ll stop!” He shakes his head. “But I’ll still follow what the Cult taught me, and maybe I’ll teach it to others too.” Sandy finally sits down. “It’s not only that they taught me how to use it safely! The use of the Light they taught me is a lifeline, if anything goes wrong!” He takes a deep breath. “And they’re also very strict about not going too far into the Shadow. If any of its members give up their will to the Shadow, they’ll handle it immediately. It’s a safety measure for everyone I love too! For you…” He nods confidently. “I’ll never get to that point, I’m sure! But… just in case. They’ll be there.”
Gwen's eyes fall to Sandy's hand clutching her sleeve. She wipes her cheeks with her other wrist. "People knowing isn't the point. It's that you're doing this at all. You're telling me these things about this cult as if they're reasonable, and you can't hear for yourself how insane and dangerous all of this is." She looks up, meeting his eyes, her own brimming with sorrow. "I love you, Sandy. But this path of yours…it goes somewhere I can't be at your side." With a pained, apologetic look she blinks, vanishing and reappearing by the front door, leaving Sandy's hand empty. "I'm sorry," she whispers. The door clicks quietly shut behind her, and she's gone.
“… Gwen,” Sandy whispers as she disappears towards the door. “Gwen!” He repeats a little louder this time. He almost jumps to his feet, his vision getting blurry, but he stops himself and begins reattaching his prosthetic in a rush, failing miserably at doing so. “Gwen, please!” he screams again, not in anger, but in incomprehension. With his prosthetic badly put on, he rushes to the door, far too long after Gwen has left his room. The straps and claps on his leg hurt, but he doesn’t care. That pain is nothing compared to what he’s feeling. At the open door, he falls to his knees and begins sobbing uncontrollably.