Iavid started his day with a curious sight; a second sun rising in the west. Such radiance could only be the work of their resident Divinity, no doubt using his divine touch to bring yet more vibrancy to these ruined lands. He had no idea the Divinity was in fact tearing the land he loved so much asunder on a trivial training session. In his blissful ignorance, it was a sight for his sore, old eyes. Iavid had seen the horrors Gods could wreak upon the world, especially the Mother of them all. Her wroth bubbled and boiled over, threatening to scorch the world itself, twisting it beyond recognition. But now? To see one such being, a God in his own right, make such an active effort to restore it, when the Pantheon of Marduk's stance was to leave Humanity's fate in their own hands?
It was this decision to help Humanity that became one of the pivotal moments in Iavid's trajectory as a leader these last two years. Though the Monks of the Human Order were blessed with the power to fight Divinities, the Flames of Atavism, Iavid knew there was a better way; To live in harmony with them. After all, when one disregards such trivial, fleeting things like their external as appearance, they were all Children of the same Gods, simply made for different purposes. Some of those purposes were undoubtedly harder than others. Humans were given their unique souls and the freedom to do what their heart desired, and even given the world itself, while many Arali were created with a specific use, perhaps to be discarded once it was completed. It was not a equitable situation for all to start with, but with time, and no small amount of empathy, they could all live together in this world.
Iavid's eyes turned to the west again, his mind trailing. Many Arali had taken shelter beneath Enkidu's metaphorical wing in the aftermath of the Cataclysm. He offered protection, but only if their intent was peace. No blood could be shed between Man and Arali if they were to find a future together. If the Arali would keep to their end of the bargain, he would protect them. Iavid promised the same, that none of his Monks would lift a hand to the Children of the Gods in anger or rage.
Naturally tensions flared up when refugees and migrants traveled to the East coast of Kamiyasumi, humans whose hearts sought succor and safety only to find some of the same
demons that had terrorized them, forcing them to flee their homes in the first place. They built a new life for themselves in the hopeful head-start Humanity had on the Outer Lands, creating the thriving port-town of Dawnport. While not bound by his oath, Iavid nevertheless approached the humans of this now flourishing beacon of life and offered them the same peace he offered the Arali. Peace could only be assured if they all worked together. Though it wasn't entirely unanimous, most of the port's leaders saw the offer for what it was. A genuine attempt at peace. The holdouts were those who would hold grudges against the Gods for the rest of their lives, but as they were in the minority, they were forced to go along with it, bearing a facade of "peace". Then there were those who only saw the coin to be made in such a desirable social contract. The Monks knew this land better than anyone else. Perhaps in time they would share it's secrets, they thought. Iavid saw through those who didn't want for peace immediately, but knew forcing the issue wouldn't help anyone, so he made note of the figures who would one day stand in the way of their peace, and left Dawnport with the loose promise of peace. Naturally there were people, citizens of Dawnport who also held their own grudges, and who made plain their disdain for the "demons of the Cataclysm". Neither Iavid nor even Enkidu could truly excise these lingering feelings on resentment on their own, but they were a thought that weighed on his mind constantly. That if enough people with these dreadful fears banded together, they could ruin everything they hoped to find here, and everything he himself hoped to achieve. Perhaps he was being... Selfish? But he didn't see it as wrong to want to make the world, or even just their small part of it, a better place. A place one could live in peace.
After he finished his meditation and contemplations Iavid took to the streets of Sanctuary. In the years since the barrier was no longer needed, Iavid loved to simply go for walks, see how everyone was doing. It was a simple pleasure that he couldn't have before, and so indulged in it as much as he could now. He would sometimes meet entirely new people, thanks in part to Dawnport allowing for some means of teleportation, allowing instant access to the mainland. The wonders of technology, not that you would find much of it here. In fact the only advancements of Humanity one would find in Sanctuary were those brought in by outsiders. Their presence wasn't banned, but neither was it entirely welcome. The Monks had lasted as long as they had by casting aside such corrupting influences as greed, a lesson one Champion of Humanity learned very intimately in the events that shook the world two years ago. Iavid wondered where those wings of his had taken him now, but his thoughts were interrupted by a somewhat panicked shout for his name. He turned to see Fyarina running in the direction of his home, almost running passed him as she does so. His more cheerful facade drops immediately, and he turns to her with all of the intensity and focus afforded to him by his years in this world.
"Fya? What's wrong?"
"We've got another one..."
Between gasps for breath she points towards the East, and immediately Iavid knew what was happening. He gave the youthful woman a pat on the back and told her to take a moment to compose herself as he began walking towards the East entrance to Sanctuary at a far more brisk pace than his idle wanderings would imply he was capable of.
At the gate he was met with a familiar sight, though one that he could never truly become accustomed to. Flames. Those dazzling, wonderful flames linked to the Human Soul, and cries of fear and uncertainty echoing from within them. At their heart a woman clinging to her child, this time a young man no older than ten. Before the Outer Lands were discovered virtually no one knew about the Human Principal, but now they were known the world over. More and more people were awakening to their potential, especially in the days since the Cataclysm, and in response flocked to Kamiyasumi in an attempt to control and understand the power they could wield. The desire to preserve Humanity, whether it was ones self, a loved one, or humanity as a whole, required a potent event, and the Cataclysm certainly was that and more. Add to that the stresses the world was under in the days since, and throw in a little uncertainty brought about by a change in one's body from growing up, and Iavid wasn't surprised that the child had exploded both figuratively and literally. He looked beyond the flames, watching as the boy's mother clung to him for dear life. Her body was covered in a few burns, though not nearly as much as one would expect from such a violent conflagration. That was a good sign. The flames would never harm any Human one saw as an ally, though the presence of burns at all told a tale of a confused child who had no idea what was happening, and lashing out at those close to him, wildly fluctuating between friend and foe. Fya was right to come straight to him... Without a second thought Iavid walked into the flames, definitively but caringly grabbing the woman and pulling her from the inferno. She was hysterical, begging Iavid to help her son, that he was all she had left after the world fell to shit. He simply smiled, and entered the flames once more.
In that all-consuming ball of flame Iavid saw the boy struggling with himself. Without his mother cradling him he saw the full extent of what he was doing. They looked at one another, and Iavid made a show of checking himself for any burns, to which there were none, giving an obvious chuckle as he drew closer. The boy didn't see him and an enemy, not yet anyway. The Elder Monk took a seat before the young man, and simply breathed in and out. In and out. In. And out. Though he was afraid, the boy saw the intent behind such a simple motion. The Monk was trying to get him to calm down, and knew that if he just started barking orders he might lash out in retaliation. Instead of talking down to him Iavid simply gave him the time and space to come to the conclusion that he needed to calm down, or else he could end up hurting someone, or even himself. Even though he was still afraid, terrified even that his body was letting out such powerful flames, he sat in a similar position to Iavid, and simply began breathing. Ragged, short quick breaths at first. But with Iavid as an anchor, setting the pace, he slowly began to calm down, his breaths becoming longer and less shaky, as the flames too began to die down. Within minutes the boy was expelling embers that petered out quickly upon leaving his form, before even they were quelled entirely. The boy's mother began to rush to him, but Iavid put up a hand, asking for just a moment more. He had to make sure he made his point.
"Well now, doesn't that feel much better?"
The boy didn't respond, simply cradling himself as he gently rocked back and forth, his eyes flickering as though he were on the edge of sleep.
"You might think something is wrong with you, that this is something that needs to be 'fixed'. I promise you, this is something beautiful. You might be afraid now, but please trust me when I say that what you have is a gift from the Gods themselves."
Iavid took a look back at the mother, hiding the burns she had received. The boy notices, then turns away, pretending not to notice his eyes growing heavier with each passing second.
"I know you didn't mean to hurt her. Maybe you are afraid she would abandon you here with us, but you will do it again if you don't understand what these flames are. Please, put your faith in us. If you can just do that one small thing, we can see about getting you home as soon as possible, hm?"
With that the boy's eyes could hold on no longer, his head slumping over as his arms went limp. Iavid instantly got up and leaned the boy back, while Fya approached the mother from behind, preventing her from rushing to her son. Iavid spawned a ball of Atavistic Flame within his hands and placed it down next to the boy. The truth was, he was on the verge of death. The inferno from before wasn't simply spawned from nothing. The boy had spent the better part of the last ten minutes unintentionally expelling a constant stream of flames that were eating away at his spiritual vitality. He was hanging on by a thread, one which Iavid sought to stabilize. Some bystanders who had watched the scene unfold gathered around and began placing their own bonfire-like flames on the ground surrounding the boy, while Fya began dressing the wounds the mother had accumulated. Minutes later he was beginning to stir, and the Monks breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"Your son will be okay, for the moment, but to prevent further outbursts we'll need him to stay here. He needs to learn about the Human Principal."
"B-but I can't just leave him, and I have no money, all my stuff is back in town, and his friends are there, and... And..."
The woman was clearly exhausted. Fyarina placed a hand on the woman's shoulder and gave her a telling smile.
"We wouldn't dare separate you madam, nor would we ask for coin. As for accommodations, they might not be as comfortable as those found in the port town, but Fya here will see to it. If there's anything essential you require just give Fya a list and she'll take care of that as well. And as for friends, I dare say he might have a few admirers already."
Iavid's head tilted towards a small group of young men who saw the display from afar, their eyes still glazed over with excitement at the sheer size of the fireball the new kid could make. The leader of the group, a boy of sixteen or so smiled. The new kid was a fighter, and one he would love to teach. With the crisis averted, Iavid stood up and had some of the fellow Monks help carry the boy to his accommodations along with his mother. It wasn't going to be easy for the two newest arrivals to Sanctuary, but perhaps with a little time they would come to appreciate the way of life the Monks had perfected over millennia. Just another day in their peaceful little slice of paradise...