Cracks in the Glass

The sea breeze comforted Heli as they walked along the shoreline of Turm. Dressed in an unusual attire of shorts and the long sleeved sweater usually hidden by their coat, Heli had left their cloak at home to soak up some sun. Their boots in one hand and a fishing rod in the other, the lighthouse keeper paced casually along the wet sand looking for small pockets of fish. They usually come up from the reefs after a heavy rainfall and Turm had been gloomy the past few days, earning Heli plenty of food and extras to sell for some shimmer. The cold waters of the ocean swept past their bare ankles and earned a small shiver as the seafoam lapped at the sands.

Heli's sprite, Petrol, gave a soft growl once Heli had cast their line. Curiously turning towards their slick black canine companion, seeing a figure rushing their way towards Heli made them pause. Gently patting their Sprite's head as they tucked themselves protectively behind Heli, the figure approached quickly. It took only a moment to recognize the appearance of Rendenakka, though looking unusually angry and seemed to be clutching his staff tight.

"Rendenakka..? What are you doing here-" Heli said as they drew in their fishing line, but was quickly cut off by the older man.

"We need to talk. Now. Can we go into the lighthouse or... or I don't know, anywhere else?" The man was out of breath and his brow furrowed tight. He usually kept his composure and Heli was not thrown off whenever he had one of his mood swings, but this was... different. Something happened and Heli could feel the tension from the other man. Heli gave a concerned look as the older form of Rendenakka started to flicker for just a moment.

"Alright- yes. Sure, follow me." Heli gave Petrol a hand gesture and he broke his guard stance from behind the lighthouse keeper, still keeping an eye on Rendenakka but not about to protect Heli if he got too close.

Hurrying along the sands and following a weather worn set of cobblestones that soon lead through soft cliffside grass, the two approached the lighthouse. The sea was still choppy from the storm waves the last few days, sending large sprays of mist into the air as blue waves crashed against the cliffside. It matched Rendenakkas anger, the unpredictable nature of the other man's mood matched with the sea. Heli hopped on one leg as they tugged on their boots before unlocking and entering the lighthouse.

The interior has a bit more decoration than what most had seen previously. A thick woven rug sat at the entryway and everything felt less like it was falling apart. No more stray ocean breezes as Heli had all the windows and cracks fixed. Setting their Seelenhalter on its hook on the wall, Heli gestured for Rendenakka to sit as they went to make some hot water.

Pacing the room and taking deep, shaking breaths, Ren did not settle down. As soon as the door closed and Heli gestured to him, the man started to speak with an anger Heli rarely has seen.

"Rodin the spineless COWARD... Gegnerin had told everyone SPECIFICALLY NOT TO TELL PROTAGONISTIN about the talent show and what does he do? Open his stupid beak- mouth- WHATEVER!" Rendenakka turned to face the confused Heli. "We all found Gegnerin in Schloss, fuckin bleeding out and unconscious... Everyone was standing around and of course I was trying to figure out what happened but that BIRD spilled that he told Protagoninstin about the event! Apparently the two patrons know each other pretty damn well because this might not be the first time this has happened." Rendenakka took a breath in and seemed to take a moment to gather his thoughts.

Heli stood in the little kitchen of theirs clutching a kettle. The water inside slowly started to boil as they gripped the metal with both hands, face turning a few shades paler as the man retold the story.

"Pro...Protag might have done something..?" Heli asked in a weak tone that earned a strange look from Rendenakka.

"Might have? Heli, its all people are talking about now. Protagoninstin ABUSED Gegnerin to the point of them being unconscious in Schloss. That damn Rodin helped cause this too. I don't... I don't know what to do now. We can't trust that damn patron but we also lack real proof. People are talking sure but-"

Heli hissed in pain as the kettle began to whistle in their hands, dropping the boiling water onto the floor and they stepped back.

"Heli are you-"

"I'm fine. It's fine, what were you saying?" Heli quickly spoke as they clutched their shaking hands. Focusing on the water, it bubbled up from the wood floor and led itself into the sink, a fresh pot being made on the stove.

Rendenakka didn't seem to believe Heli's words but continued anyway. "I can't stand around while that patron just abuses Gegnerin but I don't have enough of a plan to do anything about it. I'm still dealing with THIS-" Rendenakka waves around his staff and a small pile of sand from the doorway wiggles to life as a tiny construct, before collapsing on itself. "I just... I thought you at least should know about what happened.."

Heli nodded slowly as they poured honey into a ceramic tea cup, tossing two bundles of tea leaves in after. They refrained from commenting much, their head spinning with all this new information. Was the god they worshiped really... as bad as everyone said? Could there be some kind of mistake? A mix-up or just false rumors going around? A wave of nausea washed over Heli and they stumbled forward, clutching the two tea cups in hand. Rendenakka quickly reached out to steady them and gently placed them on their usual rocking chair.

"I apologize I just... feel slightly sick all of a sudden. This news is.. a lot to take in." Heli said after taking a few breaths. The base of their wrist started to burn slightly and they hid their tattoo from Rendenakka.

"I'm sorry to drop all this on you. You were just the first person I thought of to tell all this to.." The older man settled into a recliner and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He seemed to have calmed down for the most part but still looked pissed that the entire interaction with Rodin happened. "We can think of what to do later. Maybe after the talent show.."

Heli tried to focus on not boiling their tea once Rendenakka said 'what we can do'. Did he expect Heli to go against Protag? To try and get to the bottom of all this? Heli barely knew what was going on with Gegnerin and Protag, how did he expect Heli to think of ways to figure out, what... a couples counseling session? If Protagoninstin was abusing Gegnerin and she wasn't coming for help, then its deeper than any of the Autonomous could work out. Heli felt small compared to half of the population so going against a patron was just foolish.

Rendenakka stayed for a few more hours, calming down and eventually talking at Heli about some new construct ideas. He very quickly got back to his usual self and after another cup of tea, left Heli alone in the fading lights of the lighthouse.

The tattoo burned. The thin black line that had grown into a pair of wings at the base of their palm itched and felt angry. Heli clutched it and pressed down on the foreign marking and leaned forward, forehead resting on their knees. Protag... Protag... Heli barely spoke a few sentences to the god after those first meetings weeks ago. If they tried to ask about the events now, it could easily make things worse and if Heli becomes the cause of another one of Gegnerin's beatings..

The tattoo burned even more intensely and Heli let out a hiss of pain as they turned their hand over and quickly caught their breath in their throat. Black eye markings stared back at Heli, but when they blinked it was gone. They ran their fingertips along the symbol, the raised ink from their skin smooth and dark. The usual warmth Heli felt while thinking about Protagoninstin was replaced with ice water in their veins. Like the cold unforgiving ocean, this problem felt vast and deeper than Heli can handle on their own.

Turning to look at their Seelenhalter, their own reflection gazed back. Warped and submerged in the softly glowing waters, Heli felt suffocated with this new knowledge. The lantern that once gave them comfort and light sat darkened in the lighthouse.

The nights in Turm are cold and many boats rely on the light from the lighthouse to guide them back safely to shore. For the first time since Regenazu's creation, the lighthouse sat darkened on the cliffside. A young keeper stood gazing out towards the black ocean, stars reflected on the surface of the unforgiving waves. The lighthouse stays dark for the night, and all of Turm felt that much colder without it.