Moment That Ceased Upon Waking From Grand Dreams

Moment That Ceased Upon Waking From Grand Dreams is an Artifact in the set Disenchantment in Deep Shadow.

Description

It was a time before the Tsaritsa, who now rules Snezhnaya, had ascended the throne in Zapolyarny Palace,
a time when the land of ice and snow had not yet, due to the Harbingers, forbidden all practice of the art of alchemy.
Somewhere beneath the long shadow of the Snow-King, a young alchemist with long black hair was finally being unshackled,
so he could conduct research that would defy every single taboo in existence.

To the young man, the world was but an assemblage of elements, and meaning was something that could only be found on the material plane.
To him, life was but an accidental puzzle assembled by nature over millennia, a mosaic that human intellect, reigning sovereign over all, could freely cut and paste at will.
And thus he grew wings on four-legged beasts, and insect wings and casques on tigers and leopards.
Though his reshaping of life impressed many of his peers, he remained unsatisfied.
After all, beasts were but lives governed by witless souls, whereas the vessels of those possessing intellect should be far more complex and fascinating.
Finally, in a move that was all but suicide, he turned his hands toward the fae, who still held power at that time.

This should have been the end of the young man's life. Instead, his crimes drew the attention of the Snow-King,
who sent him to labor at the institute where all taboos are touched, and where lines were mere suggestions and the basis for further experiments.
It was on that very afternoon that the gloomy alchemist first met the silver-haired maiden.
However, her gentle words and tenderness only wounded his pride.
Driven by spite, or perhaps by a desire to provoke her into fear and drive her away,
the alchemist used the brief moment of their handshake to work a secret art, causing an ear to grow within her palm.

"Ah, I see now, so this is the art you have mastered.
This will be of great use to our endeavor indeed."

The maiden covered her mouth with the hand that bore the ear and whispered to it.
It was only when she saw the confusion on the alchemist's face that she realized he could not hear through the ear in her palm.
It was, after all, meant to be just a temporary modification of the flesh using secret arts, nothing more than a loathsome prank.
The extra organ soon fell away like a scab, dissolving into a puddle of mud. The maiden, however, felt a trace of regret.

"That was quite fascinating. However, you should understand that there are strict rules and procedures in this place.
The next time you intend to attempt such a thing, remember to submit a request to me beforehand. Also,
Time is short, and your schedule is written here."

The encounter left the dark-haired young man in a trancelike state for the rest of the afternoon.
In this daze, he perceived something invisible, something intangible, that rose above material life,
And the world was no longer a mere puzzle of countless accidents haphazardly pieced together.
Within it, he found something that stung, yet also stirred yearning within him...

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Disenchantment in Deep Shadow Artifacts Flower of Life Iridescence That Ceased Amidst Glory Plume of Death Sharpness That Ceased Upon Wondrous Creation Sands of Eon Moment That Ceased Upon Waking From Grand Dreams Goblet of Eonothem Ovations That Ceased Upon Festivity Circlet of Logos Pendulum That Ceased Amidst a Great Fall