#midnightmagicks

Bites Himaa = @soulshards

Enkh Qestir = @midnightmagicks

Ashai Arulaq = @songs-of-light-xiv

Shunbai Kagon = mine

Ezekiel had spent much of his life relying on his hearing. And it was a long life to rely upon it for, so it did, over time, become quite acute. He could pinpoint heartbeats, here the clouds distant rumbles as rain dared to fall upon the horizon.

The Veena’s eyesight was poor. Though he could see - it was all blurs of colours and shapes. The village healers said it was to do with how he was born; different. As a babe he would stumble into things others would not. He had a hard time recalling faces. His parents were not pale, and they suspected something had gone wrong with him.

The child didn’t seem to mind. He soon learned people from their footsteps or their voices. He could hear a hunt before the others could even see it. Where they thought he would fail in being a Guardian, he proved in fact, he could be better.

Yes, he was clinically blind, but that did not stop the young Ezekiel. It spurred him on to train himself to be better, to recognise what shapes were friend or foe. It made him want to be better, despite the shortcomings placed upon him.

He could hardly see. He would not be a burden. He could never be a burden. So he trained, and trained, and trained, until he could hear those first drops of rain spill out of the clouds - until he could hear every heartbeat of the people in his village. He trained until he could hear even the slightest of hesitations in someone's movements, in order to strike hard and fast. Having poor eyesight would not have him be a burden.

He thought himself a burden, anyways - he failed. He failed his home and his family. But the use of his ears continued on. Through every fight, every battle under the Garlean banner, though every hardship he faced - the man relied solely upon his hearing to live. The explosion that made his head right despite not being close to them, the screams and cries for mercy--

Ezekiel would continue. Eyes closed, as if blocking out the sights before him entirely would help imbed it less into his memory. It didn’t.

Though, he found, it helped him focus. Focus less on those noises and on more distant sounds that were unrelated to the horrors he was enacting upon innocent men and women in the name of a people he did not believe in, not belong with. So, despite leaving that life - long after he should have died - his eyes stayed closed as often as he could. So ears could pinpoint those distant sounds, and not those close to him. To focus less on his own thoughts, and more of the world. To focus on anything else, but now.

Eventually, the now become more important than those distant noises. The now became something he wanted to pay a little closer attention to, despite, well, everything. Over time, he found he couldn’t keep that weakened gaze away from a certain Rava. He couldn’t help but watch, even if it was a blur, the way in which they moved or danced. The way ears would wiggle when they were happy, or slump when they were sad. He made an effort to use his gaze, despite the ache behind his eyes from the strain. Despite the fact he could tell what the man was doing with his eyes closed, from his hearing alone. Despite the fact he could hear the way in which the mans heart fluttered in his chest. Despite how he could hear the way in which his tone would change in those subtle ways, when something was wrong. He didn’t need to look at E’mal at all.

from left to right! Callahan, he/him, ~200 years old (apollo's grandson) Apollo, he/him, 270+ y/o Monarch, he/they, 170+ y/o @humblemooncat Idunn, he/him, 300+ y/o @sae-mian Siege, he/him, 200+ y/o @midnightmagicks

Bites Himaa = @soulshards

Enkh Qestir = @midnightmagicks

Ashai Arulaq = @songs-of-light-xiv

Shunbai Kagon = mine

Bites Himaa = @soulshards

Enkh Qestir = @midnightmagicks

Ashai Arulaq = @songs-of-light-xiv

Shunbai Kagon = mine