All the assembled Elementals held their breath and waited...
Air waited impatiently, stamping her feet on the ground.
Fire wondered aloud why they were always kept waiting.
Earth said it had always been this way.
Winter moved off on the horizon and disappeared.
All was still.
A curtain of mist fell across the landscape, and the assembled Elementals all held their breath.
Then, the curtain parted, and she stepped from the Beyond in a delicate shimmering cloak that glittered with all the power of starlight and dreaming. Droplets of water most pure intertwined to form the sheer silver fabric that took four maidens to hold up
It was time for the flowers and the land to be awakened, and only her touch could do it.
All bowed before the Lady Kiyomi when she walked by, and she nodded in their direction.
Where she passed, gentle rain called the flowers forth.
Air, Fire, and Earth all sighed. They knew they were in the presence of pure endless beauty, and their beloved one had returned.
The wait had been worth it, and the world bloomed into its Ethereal Spring.
Special Thanks to Kiyomi A. Gaines for supporting EC.
Story and Art by Amanda Bergloff
