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Pyraxis is a land of fire, smoke and ash, lava and turmoil. While there is much that could be told like its history, what it's like living in the heat every day, how do we survive and the niche details of how to survive. That's a lot of long boring details that i don't find as interesting, so you might not either.
While this land isn't perfect, there's something about it that makes me never want to leave. This is where me and Aurex found our freedom. It wasn't our particular choice but this place means a lot. We found freedom, we settled down into our lives, and now it's where I found my career. It's a dying tradition that some don't care or find the value in anymore, mostly locals, but there are the rare travelers that come out to visit my shop.
I am Xen and I run a candle shop. Selling candles in a world made of fire and lava is like trying to sell seashells on a beach covered in them, but these ones are special. A tribe in the area had taught me these techniques and only a few are left who know how to keep this tradition alive.
So my shop is also partly a cremation facility, which may be very unusual to most anyone, even the people from here but here's the thing. There are very special magma columns that push out a beautiful fiery magma with a slight iridescent shine to it. It's beautiful to look at but it's just magma, when it cools off, then it's just rock but if you use that heat and ignite a fire when it's still burning hot from the ground, it'll create something special. With that fire, you should immediately begin the cremation process of your loved one. The ashes will collect into a tray that, with the utmost care, needs to be mixed into a wax mixture fueled by the burning magma to make sure the magic stays alive for several hours, stirring regularly. Now you don't want to mix it too much or else the qualities that make it special will burn with it. When the candle wax obtains the beautiful sheen, that's when you pour it into the mold but make sure it keeps that sheen, if it fades, heat it back up again to keep it nice and vibrant just to kindle that shine because that's the most important part. Once the candle is set, then it's done.
You may be asking "What's done Xen?" but let me tell you. That candle is now a very special candle, with each tick, each hour that the wax burns, you'll be able to experience the memories your loved one remembered the most. See what they saw, hear what they heard, feel what they felt in those moments, all as if you were there in their shoes. You'll only get those moments once, which makes the preparation process so precious, but when done right, what you'll gain is something that no amount of money could replicate.
This is a special practice that has faded with time. Sometimes there are the odd requests, like some detectives are trying to identify a mysterious victim or try to identify what happened. Of course, those are the hardest and saddest kinds of memories and in the end, it does help the investigation but the victims' families don't always want their lost one returned to them. In these situations, it's ok, it can be difficult to bear in the heart so they stay with me, and I get to remember them. I won't let them burn away in one day but they keep me company in the shop. I get to tell them about the day. Ruby loves to gossip so I'll tell her about all the drama that happens outside the store. James loves making people smile so he sits on the front of the shelf while i work. Moira is shy so they stay with Dimitri in the back room. If they would have met, I'm more than sure they would have been great friends.
While it's all a bit unconventional, this is my little shop of candle memories