The Reunion

A frenetic knock coursing with unbridled energy broke through her reverie, rapping against the old oak planks in staccato thumps. Proxia tilted her head slightly, still submerged in her dreams. Unwilling to give in to the interloper, she pushed the distracting noise from her mind and slipped back into suspended meditation. However, the refrain of knocks returned swiftly and impatiently. Now fully aware, Proxia frustratedly tucked the current project into the back of her mind and stood up from her creaking fauteuil.

She took a moment to brush the accumulated dust from her attire and hair—this time almost a week’s worth of buildup. The knocking never stopped, slowly building on Proxia’s nerves. As she strode through her sanctum and towards the antechamber, she marveled at Luxera’s audacity—as she did each time she showed up unannounced at her doorstep. None of their godly peers would ever dare risk Proxia’s ire, lest they be denied future commissions.

Proxia motioned at the oak slab covering the entrance of the antechamber with a wave of her fingers. The wooden planks began to shudder to life as thousands of sprouts grew wildly from the various knots in the wood, blossoming into a sea of petals. A gloved hand sailed through the veil of cherry blossoms and Luxera stumbled through right after, her final knock meeting no resistance against the once firm wood.

Proxia watched, arms crossed, as Luxera righted herself before flashing a wild smile. It had been a few years since Proxia last saw Luxera. Her sandy blonde hair was now cropped short and swept to the left, with a short braid tucked behind her right ear. Always choosing function over fashion, her trim blouse and leather pants were covered with fasteners and pockets, each with their own hidden treasures. A small satchel was strapped against her chest. Luxera always adopted the gear and wear of the worlds she went exploring in.

In contrast, Proxia rarely if ever changed her appearance. In fact, whenever she appeared in public, which was already seldom enough, she just donned an illusory enchantment: a flowing gown of sparkling twilight navy with a cinched bodice of gossamer silk. On top she cast a heavy mantle of aubergine velvet, mostly to obfuscate her eyes and unkempt hair. Proxia would often argue with Luxera that her unchanging visage was important for her branding and image, but Luxera just poked fun at her, calling her lazy and unfashionable.

“That took twenty more knocks than the last time!”

With a sigh, Proxia peered up through her messy bangs at the blonde.

“Working on something new, I see?” Luxera curiously rustled about, glancing at the various papers, jewels, bits, and bobs strewn about the ornate desk.

Proxia pushed Luxera’s nosy head away from the desk, annoyed that she had to exert even this much physical energy when she had finally been making some good progress. The smirk on Luxera’s face was unbothered by the exasperated gesture.

“State your business,” Proxia finally spoke, her tone was beautiful and clear even amidst frustration.

“I just got back from traveling through so many different worlds, aren’t you even a little curious what new stories I have for you?” She teased, knowing full well that Proxia would never admit to it.

“World hopping again? How are you able to keep doing that?”

“Not telling!” Luxera giggled.

Proxia’s glare was just as sharp as her tone, “You really ought to be more careful. We’re not just champions anymore and it won’t sit well with the others if they found out.”

“Those brown-nosers are hardheaded sticklers. What’s the point of being a god if you can’t break a rule here and there?” She began to fiddle with a starry ornament hanging from a post, when the swing of a stick hit the back of her hand. Strong enough to sting, light enough to not leave a mark.

“Rules aren’t the only things you are keen to break,” Proxia tucked away the wand inside her robe. “I don’t know about you, but I worked hard to be here and I don’t plan on having any of my hard work undone. Whether it’s by you or by some upstart champion.”

“Don’t worry! If someone challenges you at the next Revelfest, I’ll show them the real power of a god. I owe you one anyway.”

“The only thing you’re good at is stealing and running away. I don’t know how that would be of any use to me.”

“Don’t be such a tsundere, love.”

“A soon…dare?”

Luxera burst out into a laugh, enjoying Proxia’s confused face transitioning into annoyance. Rolling her eyes in frustration, Proxia took a second to readjust the charms and enchantments holding her antechamber together. Luxera reclined on a plush couch and appreciated the splendor and decor of the phantasia and spells in place around the room. Despite her lethargic personality, Proxia was fastidious and meticulous when it came to her profession. She was the most sought-after dream sculptor, capable of extracting the most powerful artifacts from song or story. It wasn’t unusual for even upper-rank gods to provide offerings and alms for a chance of meeting with Proxia.

On the occasion that Proxia took on a new commission, she invited the client into her antechamber, where each fractal, phantasia, and bauble was tuned to match the client’s affinities and preferences. Despite Luxera’s spontaneous visit, she watched in anticipation as Proxia subconsciously tweaked and tuned various enchantments to an adventurous aura.

Tales of Another World

For a handful of minutes, Proxia circled the octagonal room in a dreamlike state, recasting and infusing individual spells. Against the left wall, a cabinet of curios was conjured with all of Luxera’s own past commissions on display, ranked not in order of importance, but in order of Luxera’s satisfaction. Draped from the ceilings were illuminated banners, each highlighting a story and world that Luxera had recounted before during her visits. Luxera felt a swelling of pride in the intricate tapestries woven of her adventures and explorations, and Proxia’s own crystal remembrance of her retellings.

“That scepter you made last time, it was a huge hit!”

“A hit with who?” Proxia obviously knew the answer to this question but wanted to see how Luxera would try to weasel her way out of breaking more rules.

“But you know, that ice dragon was sooo cute. It made me consider getting a pet myself.”

“I really don’t think the local gods would appreciate you calling their guardians ‘cute’.”

“The keeper was adorable too but her personality sure was far from it…” Luxera shuddered as she recalled the cold glare of the Cambrian priest.

“Speaking of Cambria, did you ever find that map I gave you or will you still be needing me to make you a new one?” Proxia’s tone was surprisingly less annoyed and having known her for so long, Luxera could sense a hint of excitement mixed in there too.

“Shoot, I almost forgot about that! When they got their hands on the map I dropped, they definitely knew I wasn’t just a normal member of the Corhazi. I had to leave in a hurry, just in case. ‘Cause of that, I didn’t really get a proper look at how they’ve developed since the last time I visited. I wanted to see if any of the gang was still kicking.“ She pouted, “I was hoping to tease them for getting old.”

“You really are fond of Cambria, aren’t you? But your meddling is going to get you in trouble someday. And I will not be the one to help you out of it.” Proxia’s expression was unchanged. She didn’t quite understand Luxera’s obsessions or favoritism with, quite frankly, anything.

The blonde simply grinned back confidently at her.

Proxia shrugged her shoulders and motioned for Luxera to follow her back to her Sanctum. She placed her fingers on the golden filigree frame of a full-length mirror that almost disappeared into the rafters. The mirror blinked out of existence, opening up into a dark stone corridor. They passed through the threshold, Luxera all the while detailing her encounters with the Corhazi.

The lights and warmth dimmed as they continued down the hallway. The decor became more sparse—books and half-finished models were strewn across the floor. The corridor ended and opened up into a small workshop, drowning in scrawled notes, crumpled papers, and illusory fragments. To anyone else, this room looked like writer’s block made incarnate, but for Luxera, this was a vault of hidden stories and possibilities.

Whenever Proxia took on a commission, she interviewed her client, plumbing the depths of their mind and stories to piece together the essence of their desire. Oftentimes, the sculpted regalia that she handcrafted for them resembled their original intentions in no way shape or form. Lower-ranked champions always requested a weapon, but after one particularly avaricious request, she grew bored of tempering and sharpening blades and sought to craft more intricate and provocative artifacts.

Birth of a New Legend

Sitting back down in her fauteuil, she motioned for Luxera to the seat across from her, but instead, she hopped onto the arm of Proxia’s chair, wiping the dust off with her gloves, and leaned against the backrest, much to Proxia’s frustration. Why she was friends with this infuriating thrillseeker, she sometimes seriously questioned.

However, much like Proxia, Luxera was unparalleled in her calling: hailed as adventure manifest. Her overflowing curiosity and limitless desire for stories drove her to traverse each world she visited, chasing fairytales and myths to their root of origin. That insatiable pursuit led more than a few teams of champions to their untimely demise, unable to keep up or outlast Luxera’s missions. Her ominous reputation meant that she often went out to worlds alone, but that quite suited her style.

After spending some time chit-chatting aimlessly and tussling Proxia’s unkempt hair, Luxera eventually hopped off the fauteuil and sat in the chair opposed to Proxia, squaring her shoulders and leaning forward on her hands conspiratorially.

“I know it’s probably been a while since you last had company,” Luxera lightly picked a dust bunny off of Proxia’s shoulder, “So I’m sure we could keep going but you know I’m not just here to talk your ear off.”

“Always an ulterior motive,” Proxia huffed in response.

“Aw, don’t put it like that! I know you get lonely but that’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Her face turned a bit pink, Luxera’s words were so agonizing because of how pinpointedly accurate Luxera could tease out her inner feelings.

“Where to start… Do you want to hear about how a world almost collapsed because of an artifact created by its gods? Factions fighting to become king, not even knowing the rule imposed on the world that requires sacrifice in exchange for power. Or, how about a world where a portal was created, reflecting the very soul of the world, where heroes are forced to face their greatest opponents–themselves? Oh! You know what, I just remembered one that you’ll definitely be interested in. It’s about this champion that went to Azoth… I think I’ve talked about her before. She’s always coming up with some crazy contraptions but this time, it’s really good.”