Sermon of the Crimson Dawn

(Originally delivered on the third anniversary of the Day of Sundering)

Brothers. Sisters. Gather close. Let your breath become mist in the cold air. Let your hearts quake beneath your ribs. For tonight, we remember the day the stars trembled… and the mountain itself bowed before our Lord’s will.

Listen, and let your ears be cleansed of the lies of the spirits.

For countless ages, the priests of Skyfang Shrine kept their vigil upon the mountain’s crown. They spoke of balance. Of order. Of seals that must remain unbroken. They told us we were safe, that we should kneel beneath the 'protection' of the Koru Shinzo, as though they alone held the keys to our salvation.

But all the while, the spirits wove shackles of silver around our throats. They sealed away the true power that dwells beyond the veil. They whispered half-truths and called it wisdom. They taught us to fear the Rift… for they knew that once it opened, their dominion would crumble into dust.

Yet Akeron, Demon King of Ashkarath, gazed through the cracks in their lies and beheld Renna.

Ah… Renna. Born a child of shadows beneath the boughs of her sister’s perfect bloom. A thorn forced to grow crooked, reaching for light denied. The spirits called her unworthy. The priests called her a blight. But Akeron saw what they could not.

He saw the storm coiling in her heart.

So He placed His whisper into her veins. A promised breath of Riftwind that grew into a gale. And on the Day of Ascension, by His unseen hand, Renna’s name was inscribed upon the sacred scrolls despite her transgressions in the student tournament. The priests trembled and fumbled with their parchments, blind to the power rewriting fate itself.

So it came to pass that Renna, who was forbidden, who was condemned, who bore the cane kissed by Riftlight, ascended the mountain beside her sister.

Listen, Children of the Rift, and see it as I see it in my dreams: twin silhouettes climbing Skyfang’s winding spine, snow falling like pale ash, the winds howling with secrets. Each step carried the weight of a realm’s destiny.

They reached the Shrine. The bells tolled. The incense curled into shapes like writhing serpents. The elders stood in a trembling ring, their hands raised to shield their eyes from what was to come.

First, Yurei stepped forward. Perfect Yurei, the rose in full bloom. She placed her palms upon the crystal, and the spirits surged into her in emerald streams. The crowd fell to their knees, singing praises, weeping with joy.

And then - and then, my brothers and sisters - Renna advanced.

A hush fell so deep that even the wind dared not intrude.

But Renna’s eyes glowed like twin crimson moons, and the cane in her hand pulsed with the breath of another world.

She reached for the crystal and the spirits recoiled as though scalded by flame.

Where Yurei’s touch summoned grace, Renna’s summoned revelation. The crystal split with a shriek that echoed from peak to valley. And from Renna’s trembling hands erupted an orb of pure Riftmagic - a flaming sphere of screaming faces accompanied by tendrils of violet lightning.

Some fell prostrate, worshipful, their eyes wide with holy terror. Others laughed or wept, entranced by visions only they could see. For in that sphere, the truth was laid bare: the spirits so beloved by the Koru Shinzo and the old priests were tyrants; the seal on Skyfang Shrine was a cage; and freedom waited beyond the veil.

At Renna's might the Shrine’s pillars cracked like brittle bones. Stones fell in avalanches. The mountain itself buckled. And the sacred seal - the barrier the spirits had kept for centuries - shattered into shards of light, dissolving into the Rift’s hungry winds.

Know this, Children of the Rift:

It was not desecration. It was consecration.

For in that instant, Renna was no longer the forgotten sister. She was the Key. The Herald. The First Hand of Akeron.

She turned from her sister, who busied herself trying to save those caught in the mesmerising destruction of the mountain. Feeling His might finally lurch into Sylmara, Renna descended the mountain alone. And in her wake, the gates between worlds gaped open and the armies of Ashkarath began to march.

Let the spirits howl their lamentations. Let the priests scream of doom. For we know the truth:

Renna freed us.

Where they saw destruction, we see deliverance.

Where they speak of betrayal, we speak of destiny.

Where they whisper fear, we shout praise!

Praise be to Renna, Thorn Unbound, Crimson Witch and Sovereign of the Rift!

Praise be to Akeron, King of Ashkarath, who comes to claim His rightful dominion!

May the Rift remain ever open, and may our chains be shattered forevermore!

High Voice Reikan of the Sentinels of the Veil

(Recovered by Echo Seeker Cozarth)