Communion

The two moons slowly rose above the horizon as true night set in. Neither of them were full, allowing the stars, planets, and universes to shine brightly. My limbs were curled beneath me in meditation, underneath my robes. I breathed evenly, reciting the moon prayers. The ocean breeze was cool on my skin, not enough to make me shiver, but enough to relieve the heat of the day. The waves matched my breathing, but my mind couldn't settle, and eventually, I gave up and opened my eyes.

The prayers no longer gave me comfort, and the twelve-cycles of solitude were wearing on me. I thought, when I volunteered, that I could handle the loneliness and isolation, and, until now, I had.

I lifted myself off the sand, my robes flowing around my limbs in the breeze. I divested myself of the garment and my bag, then began to draw sigils in the sand with one of my limbs. I made sure it was big enough so I could fit inside the center, but not so large that I couldn't power it. I was also careful not to draw it too close to the waves so that it wouldn't wash away and break the circle. Drawing the sigils in the sand settled me a bit, letting me feel I was actually doing something, and, while my mind wasn't completely calm, it was calm enough for this.

I moved back to examine my work, then extracted the large, clear crystal from my bag. Slowly and carefully, I stepped over the lines without disturbing them, settling myself in the center. I returned my limbs back to the meditation position, cradling the crystal between my lower limbs.

Picturing them as I last saw them, I took a long, slow breath and sent my energy into the crystal, then bringing in more from the elements around me to fill in the mathematical sigils around me. A pale light rose and flickered in the lines, matching the light coming from the moons, making the sigils flow and sparkle. When the flow steadied, I said the prayer of connection, adding their true name, and a stream of energy flowed up into the heavens, seeking it's recipient.

I waited patiently as the beam of light traveled upwards, past the stars, knowing that it would take time before the connection could be made. The moons continued to slowly travel their path, marking the twelve-counts.

The connection came just as the smaller moon was about to set. The light sparkled and shifted in front of me, forming the image of my beloved. When the image finally coalesced, they moved their limbs in joy. "Aeriasa! Oh, how I've missed you! It has been so long!"

I waved in joy, tinged with sadness. "I've missed you, too, ieriase," I said.

They gazed at me with all of their eyes. "You are sad, dearest. Why so?"

"The distance, ieriase! I don't know if I can do this anymore! The distance between us--" I breathed out, lowering all my limbs. "It aches."

They were quiet for a long moment. "I know."

My emotions made their image flicker, briefly, and I took a few breaths to steady myself. "I shouldn't have called."

"I'm glad you did, aeriasa," they said. "It won't be much longer, beloved, I promise. The twelve-cycles will move quicker than you think. What you're doing is important, truly."

I moved a limb in the affirmative. "I know. It's just hard," I said. "I do still love you and miss you terribly."

"I love you, too," they replied. "And I will still be here when you finally come home." Their image looked at me for another long moment, started to say something else, but the light of the connection flickered and drained from the sigil, the stream of light fading into the stars. The crystal cradled in my limbs went dark and broke in half.

I stared at the pieces in my lap for a long time. Cradling the pieces in my limbs, I moved to the water, throwing the remnants of my last crystal as far as I could. The moonlight allowed me to see the splash of the pieces as they sank into the inky depths of night ocean. I took a few more breaths before I went back to the circle, smoothed out the sand to erase the sigil I had created, then returned to my meditation position. But instead of meditating, I stared at the remaining moon and the vast stars, thinking of my ieriase.

Once the large moon set, leaving me in star-kissed darkness, I gathered my things and left the beach, resigned to continue my lonely vigil.