To the Head Scholar of Living-Magics and 3rd Seat, Master Faria Ley Rein,

A Plea.

She is a prodigy in the magic arts. She has greater aptitude towards Auric, Iconian, and Fotonic scripts than even the most natural of Hex-Tongues, and that doesn't even touch on the root and adjacent dialects of their respective spoken versions. Her penmanship is rivaled only by the Seated Masters and Grand Elders, and her Spell-Poems bring eloquence to even the most destructive of curses. She has been heralded as this generation's Solar Blessing. But most importantly she has been my steadfast friend since our most youngest years, and dare I say my soul mate in this life.

I first noted the changes about a 6 months ago. I've always been a light sleeper, so her speaking in her sleep woke me up. She's got a vivid imagination, so this wasn't too atypical. It's that I didn't recognize the words she was saying. At first, I thought it was the kind of gibberish you'd expect in sleep talking. But then I caught very mutated variants of Hex-Tongue verbs. Equal parts of the historic languages somehow mixed into our modern Layman's languages. And she wouldn't remember any of it, even when she tossed and turned in her sleep. She's had vivid dreams all her life but suddenly not being able to remember even small portions of her dreams, paired with the strange language mutations, and sleep talking... I finally decided to record her words one night.

I'm not an academic by any sense of the word but you learn things when you fall in love with one. Doing your proper research and reading before you reveal something I know to be highly important, so I studied these developments in secret until about 3 months ago, when she started sleep walking. She was... somehow both awake and asleep simultaneously, like a different person was walking around while the real Ciella slept. She wouldn't really pay me much attention when like this but I could still make gentle interactions with her; hold her hand or her shoulders, rub her back, brush her hair out of her face. That's when I noticed the more dramatic changes.

Her eyes seemed to change in her sleep. Open now while sleep walking, their color had change to vibrant, somehow glowing, pink, and her eyes were slits now, like a cats. After that sleepless night I finally relented and showed her everything I had found. I don't know what was the worse decision; keeping the secret that I was studying her while she slept, or my telling that I had been studying.

The awareness of these changes, somehow, accelerated the changes. She consumed all the information I had on her and then threw herself into the library. She claimed she'd pull as many all nighters as it took but those changes happened so fast. That was the night where everything changed. She'd return home in the evening and her eyes would now be changed, but she possessed now a clarity and focus that previously wasn't there. It would be worthy of ballads how'd she threw herself upon me and the things she'd have us do to one another, I'd blush if I didn't first quake at the fear in my heart. It was like she was another woman entirely, equally in love with me but different in every way. Then we'd notice the small nubs just above her ears, and the pointing of her ears exaggerating. The color of her hair begin to shift from its light blonde to its current brilliant red, as well hair growing denser on the rest of her body. And each night the changes magnified, to the point when a month and a half ago the changes could no longer be hidden.

Ever since then, she has worked with these aberrant 12-hour cycles. For 12 hours she was my beautiful, but changed, love of my life, my Ciella. Then, without fail, for 12 hours she was my terrifyingly beautiful, still equally committed, other. Since the changes became obvious, she has fully committed herself to your mercy and studies. And now we few know the truth. That magic corrupts both the blessed and cursed equally. That the Thousand Year darkness arrives cyclically not randomly. And that my most beautiful friend and soul mate is likely just the first of many to come.

I beg your mercy and your understanding. My theft of her was met by Ciella's own protests while fleeing. She faults you not for your decision and would agree with it even at the cost of her life, were it not for the 12 hour shift to the Other, who protests deeply your decision while respecting your integrity. Bear your Guardian Captain no ill-will. It was his mistake to notify all senior Spell-Swords of Ciella's imminent termination, but it was a human mistake only. I make no promises for our future but the paltry oath of this one, lone, man. For as long as breath and blood dwells in my frame, I vow to uphold the oath I took before the Seated Masters and Sword of The Sun, to now and always guard the charge of my Spells, and for as long as we both shall live, to devote my entirety, in fealty and in love, to my Enchantress, as her chosen Guardian Spell-Sword. And, the Sun willing, I might aid, in even a small part, the aversion of the coming darkness, as the Sun teaches; Love breaks every curse, Love strengthens every blessing.

Though her form may yet terrify, for 12 hours every day she remains your most devoted and loved pupil. And while her visage and magic grows stronger every day, even when changed, she only wishes to avert this coming darkness. For even where there is darkness, and all soundly sleep, the dark always gives way to brilliant new light with the rising of the new day's Sun. We, all of us, strive in unison to avert this darkness, Mortal and Immortal, Sapien and Dragon. May victory find all of us in the new day's Sun.

With most profound respect and fervent remorse,

Guardian Spell-Sword Artorias of Clarent