Pahhu: Shifting Sands of Time 3.5: Blast From The Past, Propelled Towards The Future

It was dark. So dark that Pahhu couldn’t even see her own hands in front of her face. She couldn’t tell if her eyes were open or closed. This was different than when she sometimes ran so fast she could see the place with the wind, dust, and howling storms. Had her magic gone wrong and she’d gone past that? Or maybe she was buried under the dust of those storms. She gasped and tried to claw out into the darkness, but she felt nothing. She tried to scream for help, looking for anyone, or anything in the emptiness.
 
A prismatic point of light, starbursting in every direction in ephemeral rays soon winked into existence at the very limits of Pahhu’s awareness. Pahhu willed herself towards it, she’d be running hard if she could feel her feet. The light slowly became larger, brighter, clearer and finally at the periphery of the bright oasis Pahhu could make out her own form in the dim light given off. As she got closer and could see she felt herself coming back to her as she drifted towards the oasis in the darkness.
 
Pahhu’s feet touched down in a meadow, filled with life. Wildflowers of every colors dotted the ground, and the vibrant blue sky hosted a prominent rainbow which arced from a stone dais near a pond. Pahhu felt compelled to follow the rainbow, and drifted alongside it.
 
As she soars through the air on top of the rainbow a bunch of colorful butterflies decides to fly next to her and tickle her as she lands at the dais. And there, on a throne made entirely from bismuth sits Thyse. He has bunches of grapes sitting in a bowl next to him and snacks on them idly. As Pahhu flies down the rainbow then he looks up at her with a soft smile on his face.
 
“Well darling, lovely seeing you drop in. Or well, I am not sure if it is good to see you, because that means that you unfortunately died.” He gestures with his hand in front of him as another chair appears for Pahhu to sit in “Well dear; I don’t have that long with you before you hopefully return to the world below. So I just want to give a few tips to the material planes biggest hero while I still can. Pahhu darling please always keep the spark of childhood joy. You spread joy to everyone you meet. And my dearest Pahhu if you would do me a favor if you decide to go back, because I am sure Ed isn’t going to let you stay here. Would you please continue my mission? Spread the light wherever you can. Bring the happiness of the rainbow to whoever you can and perhaps also learn from my mistakes… Don’t kill assholes just because they are dicks and hurt animals.”
 
Pahhu drifts in stunned silence. Her mouth opens to form words, but already her form in this place is discorporating, leaving her silent. “I’m… dead?” She considers it for the briefest of moments, as she feels the inexorable tug begin to drag her from this place. She turns wide-eyed to Thyse and can only nod as she begins to fade.
 
He looks up and sighs a bit and just whispers. “Yes yes dear lady I will send her on now”
“Well I am sorry darling but it seems like our time was too short.” His eyes start to glow with holy light as his long pink hair starts to burn. Pahhu has seen this happen many times. He then holds out his hand ready to release his rainbow light.
 
“Last thing… My mom in Waterdeep has my dog. Please make sure it’s ok... I love you dear.”
He then releases the wave of rainbow energy that wash over Pahhu as she gets hurled away from Thyse’ personal sanctum.
 
Pahhu felt herself being pulled, the sense of speed being dizzying even for her as the darkness once again overwhelmed her and pulled her back… Back home. Pahhu’s back arched as she breathed into raw lungs, her mouth impossibly dry, even for having spent days in the desert. She gasped and tried to claw at her facemask, only to feebly flap her wrist. “Thyse, wait…!” she whispered in confusion.
 
“Careful, my child.” Quinton stared at Pahhu with some relief visible on his normally stony expression. Past him she could see Imna, and Sister Wenifre, and Ed. She was in Ilmater’s chapel at Hyssop Home. “Paw… Nan…” Pahhu reached towards her adoptive parents instinctively, her mind halting for a moment as she realizes her mother and father are still out there as well, but the quick embrace of Imna melts that worry away as she feebly hugs her Nan back.
 
“Paw, you gotta help… Charva.” Pahhu plucks a brass scale from a pouch and holds it up towards Quinton, her hand shaking, but her eyes focused. Quinton looks confused at the scale, but accepts it, giving a sidelong glance towards Ed. “Yes, my daughter. But for now you must rest. Your mother and the sisters will take care of you.” Pahhu felt the strength drain from her as the scale was taken from her, the weight of it had seemed so incredibly immense in her weakness.
 
Pahhu awoke the next day in her own bed. The room had been cleaned some. No doubt the sisters had been horrified to see the state it had been when they brought her here. Pahhu held up her hand and looked at it, it seemed solid and real, and also very clean. Not like how she’d looked in the dark place. She ran it across the covers, which also felt real and warm. Pahhu had a lot to think about. Was that what death was like she wondered.
 
Somehow she’d found Thyse, or Thyse had found her and helped her. That much Pahhu was sure of. But there was a lot more to be uncertain of now. Paw and Nan were here and they would always be her Paw and Nan, but Habib had told her she had a mom and dad too. Sariandi and Abaka, that they’d gone to the ice in the north. That they’d gone to the ice in the north without her.
 
Pahhu considered for the first time that she had been abandoned by people who did it out of choice. It didn’t feel good, but not much did feel good. Her whole body was sore, and her heart was no less tender now. Why hadn’t they wanted her? It was a hard question to ask, and even more so knowing that she had been born out of love. Pahhu yearned to run wild in the streets and leave these thoughts behind but even she knew she’d barely make it down the hall. So there she was, and there the thoughts were, and they weren’t going away.
 
“If mom and dad didn’t want me then why do all these other people want me now?” Pahhu considered the question. Her whole life she’d been that dirty girl that was always a problem underfoot. It was only recently that she’d made friends who really seemed to want her around. Now people like the Thayans and others seemed very interested in her. Who were the nice people any more? The situation was confusing and everything just… hurts. There was only one choice in her mind. She’d have to find her mom and dad and ask them right out.
 
Pahhu stewed on the situation in her bed rest, her discordant feelings continuing as her strength and magic returned to her with time. It kept coming back to time.
 
Pahhu reaches level 12, taking her 9th level in Stone Sorcerer. Her continuously disruptive time magic has given her insight into creating difficult to control temporal distortions which disorient and desynchronize foes in battle. She calls this new spell Desynchronization (Synaptic Static.) Additionally she has fallen out of practice of calling the Mists of Time (Fog Cloud) having relied on her eversmoking bottle, instead she has learned of Clockwork Circles (Teleportation Circle) from Charva.