Monastery

It was early in the morning - if it could be even called that - when Elric was summoned out of his meditation. He had been in the monastery for twenty three years, but he was still not quite used to getting up before the sun. He did not particularly need the all night rest, but he much appreciated it, as it gave him time to think over what he had been taught throughout the day. He had many questions, and he had already been turned by his elders a few times, saying that Rillifane would take care of the things that needed to be so. But he had a hard time believing that - if it were so, he did not believe he would have been placed in the monastery in the first place.

They gathered in the hall for morning training. Though the wood elves were born with darkvision, it was still a limiting sight, which made it an ideal time for training the body. The body had not need of sight if it could hear and feel. By training in the dark, the monks taught themselves to use their other senses to detect their opponent, deflect its attacks, and strike at its weakpoints as they threw their own strikes. The cold morning air on their skin enhanced the sensations, making it easier to feel the movements of the air around them - of course, it couldn't always be easy, and in the afternoon training under the hot sun, their senses were dulled by the heat and sweat that weighed upon them.

This was one of the questions that Elric carried with him. If, as he was taught, Rillifane would care for all things, and granted those under his ward skillful hunting and safe passage through the woods, why should he have to concern himself with physical training and self defense? If their god could smite any target with a single arrow from his magical bow, why did he never deign to intervene as Elric was sent to hunt for the monastery? Why did no one ever find an animal with one of said arrows already piercing its flesh along their path? And why did they train if they never left the monastery's grounds?

He had been informed time and time again that a healthy body was essential to a healthy mind. He did not disagree. But he could not wrap his mind around the questions that plagued him. Perhaps the answers would come with time, for the older members of the monastery were certain in their beliefs and teachings. Perhaps he needed additional age.

But he was an adult, was he not? And if this was his role in the world, to what extent did it play a part? If he never left the walls of his home, was he even truly a part of the world?

He hoped that someday, Rillifane would answer.