On any other day, long pillars would have been hesitant to draw forth the cherub into the shrines away from his home. Today, he had gathered the courage to head out from the borders he’d stayed inside, fearful of the shadows the desert sun couldn’t chase away. For a long while he had contemplated this venture with Ilaria, wondering nervously if he should. Would he even be answered? Cera didn’t desire anything but celestial comfort, to know if he was walking down the right path. So he had set out from the borders around mid afternoon, knowing Midas would be off his shift around nightfall due to the upcoming war. Was it even upcoming? Another thing Cera wanted to talk about. Was it right for him to wish to fight beside Midas once he was of age, when all he wanted to do was craft? Ilaria acted as his eyes while he jumped and skittered towards the Veins. It felt like all the panic was weighing in on his heart, trying to crush it. Cera didn’t want to live in fear, and hoped that the wisdom of an immortal would guide him. He would never have the knowledge of the Gods, which is why he trusted them so thoroughly.

As he approached it grew warmer, and only once tiny hooves clattered on the rocks did he relax momentarily. This was the shrine of the Gods, surely everyone else would be too busy to care about a tiny colt heading for the flowered shrine of his patron. Hesitant he was not, but he soon found his legs trembling as he approached. The Earth God was his idol, someone he loved deeply in his mile wide heart. He had gifted Cera with Ilaria, the perfect puzzle piece to his heart that he hadn’t even known had been missing. Cera couldn’t be more thankful for that, and Ilaria felt similarly. Irises that reflected the grasses long behind him flickered up to the shrine, remembering how large and all powerful the Earth God had seemed the first and last time he had seen him. Youngling had slipped from the borders without alerting his father, but hoped he would not mind. For he was visiting the god he considered a type of grandfather. Surely that gave him the freedom to do so? It wasn’t too far from the Dragon’s Throat either. The amulet of his patron rested over his chest, the other looped carefully over Ilaria’s neck. Cera approached and slowly lowered himself down to his knees, wings extending to help balance himself as gangly legs met the ground. Only tucking them in once he was settled, Ilaria moving to his right shoulder between his neck and wing base. ”I…I don’t know if you can hear me but…” Cera swallowed shakily, suddenly feeling like he was inches from the brink and ready to burst into tears. Slow inhale calmed him and he spoke once more. ”I-I know that…I will never have your wisdom, Grandpa Earth…will you tell me if I am on the right path? Is it right for me to b-be scared?” Voice wavered dangerously and he cleared his throat and blinked away tears. Staring down at one of the flowers, fearing if he moved his gaze he would crumple. Ilaria cooed understandingly and awkwardly patted her paws over his shoulder in a motion meant to be comforting. ”Ilaria…she is all I ever wanted. I hope never to have to ask you for more. She’s…she’s a part of me I didn’t know I was missing.” Head turning to glance at her loving brown eyes, tail thumping against his spine happily in a dog-like fashion. Gaining strength from her gaze, he continued to speak without removing the eye contact. ”Sometimes I wonder…why he did it?” Cera closed his eyes tight and turned his head from Ilaria. Remembering d’Artagnan was like opening his scar all over again. ”I-I wan’t to hate him sometimes…b-but I can’t seem to…is that n-normal?” It wasn’t awkward for him to speak into emptiness, knowing the immortal being was probably busy with far more important things and didn’t have the time to spare for a single mangled colt on his doorstep. Cera prepared himself the entire way for silence, and now all he could do was let his words drop off and wonder if coming was the right thing.

[[Cera just wants to talk to the Earth God, in a way he's praying for him to visit but doesn't desire anything.]]