Spirit's Lullaby

by J E Mueller

  “Glad you’re catching on.” Danni nodded before turning toward me. “We need three pieces to make your plan work, Tella. Mist doesn't have to succeed at whatever strange thing she seems to be planning. A pure soul, that amulet, and we’re good.”

  I sat down and thought about everything. “That amulet is with a Creator. How are we supposed to find one? And a pure soul?” I replied angrily. I clenched my fists, feeling my anger boil. “I cannot sacrifice a soul.”

  “It’s not so much what you think,” Danni replied carefully. “Someone has to guide the souls. Someone has to be in charge of getting the lost souls to the plane and take them to the gate when they are ready.”

  “That doesn’t sound much different than sacrifice.” I shook my head.

  Danni nodded. “Just slightly. Sure, they’d have to give up everything, but they wouldn’t have to be killed in some elaborate ritual. They’d just need to be the main part of this new realm, this new place for spirits. The demons wouldn’t be able to steal away souls and make corrupt contracts. The angels wouldn’t be able to start contracts either, but their miracles would be less needed considering the demons would be, in a sense, removed. The small realm wouldn’t allow them to have direct contact with souls. Their magic would simply move through it, and they’d be on the other side. Same with the angels. They’d get the energies they need to live, but the lives of people and souls wouldn't be harshly impacted.”

  “That sounds nearly perfect,” I agreed as I considered her words. “What did you mean by main part of the realm?”

  “That person, that pure soul, well…” Danni motioned vaguely for a moment. “They’d have to leave here permanently. Their essence would be what stabilises and keeps the realm what it is. So, it’s giving up a lot, but at the same time there would be no bloodshed.”

  “That is a livable sacrifice…” I considered the idea.

  “There are always down-sides to any realm, though,” Danni admitted.

  “How do you know all of this?” I asked.

  “It’s why I said Mist would want me dead. Now that I saw my past…” Danni gave a small laugh, pulled something out of her pocket and tossed it to me. “Creators can go wherever, whenever, however they want. It’s just a matter of remembering once you’ve been reborn.” Danni shrugged as I stared dumbfounded at the amulet in my hands. “The problem is, a realm like that is exactly like this current spirit realm. It’s temporary. It would help fix things until loopholes are found. Until new problems and flaws are discovered. We can’t make anything perfect, but at least it’s worth a shot.”

  I nodded, unsure what to say. There were so many possibilities now. I wondered what Lydia would say. Lydia! We needed to be heading back. She would keep up this diversion until she knew we were safe. “We should get back, then. I hope we can get everyone back safely.”

  Nodding, Danni took the lead back.

  Chapter 21

  As we neared Reawakening, I could feel exactly where the action was going on and gripped my sword tightly. We should have zero problems getting back in. I caught Danni’s eye.

  “Head back,” I ordered.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” She crossed her arms.

  “Going to try and save my friends,” I replied. “I can fight them.”

  “You’ll be an instant target for all of them and will be killed for sure,” Danni argued.

  “Eh, if Key could survive her trial against them all, I’ve got a shot,” I replied. Danni had no idea what I was referring to. “Just trust me.”

  Danni shook her head. “I’ll be joining you shortly,” she replied, heading back toward safety.

  I stared at her curiously for a moment, and then took off. I knew I could find Lydia in no time. I let my magic scan out ahead of me and felt her signature and several others I knew. Excitement rushed through me as I was able to identify each one. I had no idea why Key, Lee, or Emmyth were nearby, but I was more surprised to see Rosalie and Jareth. I hadn’t seen them in close to a year. Nonetheless, I was thankful.

  Running with all my might, I came to a screeching halt next to Lydia. “Bless my sword,” I demanded.

  “The hell are you doing here?” she yelled as she removed her sword from a demon.

  “Helping,” I replied as I felt her magic pass through me.

  I could tell she was beyond mad, but she didn’t say anything. “I don’t think these demons know who they are looking for so swing away.”

  “After you,” I teased. I watched as the next one met her, claw to sword, but knew she had it under control.

  Taking the opening, I went to see if anyone else needed my help.

  As I stabbed one for Key, successfully vanquishing it, I caught her smile.

  “Can’t resist getting into trouble, eh?” she said, taking in her surroundings. Nodding, I saw Lee was nearby but struggling with a large number, so off we went to help.

  Things seemed to be winding down, giving me a sense of unease. It couldn’t be this easy. Not when they knew they needed to be after someone.

  “You probably shouldn’t be here, Tells,” Lee said, glancing around. Not seeing another demon he gave me his full attention. “I would like to know what’s going on, though.”

  “I say we rush towards Reawakening, and give details later,” I replied nervously. Things were getting too quiet.

  Lee caught my expression. “What’s wrong?”

  I had already started heading back and was glad to see they were following. “Any time it seems quiet or off, something devastating has happened and I’d like to avoid that again.”

  “What’s been going on?” Key asked curiously. “Why is Reawakening considered a safe zone?”

  Lee shrugged, unsure, and I just didn't have the energy to explain.

  “There are certain neutral areas,” Emmyth explained. “No evil intentions allowed, as well as no intentions for contracts even by the Blessed. This is one of those places.”

  “How does that even work?” Key asked as she thought about it. “It does make sense that it would be a good place for Cursed born to go.”

  I felt a rumble course through the ground, and a strong pulse of magic. “Let’s go!” I called, instantly snapping into my running magic, knowing full well what was coming.

  That thing… the demon called Beleth from that portal was here, and back, and I wasn’t certain if we had time to make it to safety. I knew he’d remember me though, so I knew I had to distance myself.

  “Run!” I called to the others and took off.

  I tried to make a beeline back but felt a strange tingle in front of me. I managed to slow down in time and only just hit the wall in front of me. Damn invisible shields. I cursed loudly and moved quickly, magic full blast, along the side of the wall. It felt endless, even with how quickly I was going. How could it be so large?

  I stopped. Beleth was following me and had the magic to spare. One of us would tire first, and since this creature had just joined the fight, all bets were on me. Clever. I punched the wall. It didn’t help the situation, but it helped clear my mind.

  “So, I’m stuck on this side, and that’s that huh?” I said aloud. I could feel that more demons were spawning. “You know you can’t get more than two feet in there, so you’re keeping me out here.” There was still some magic in my sword. I could fight a bit longer, but this was not going to end in my favor.

  I let my magic stretch a moment. In my haste to get around the wall, I had gone much too far for anyone to be able to reach me in a reasonable amount of time.

  I could hear cackling behind me. There was no reason to turn around. I had already felt their approach. Lesser demons – four of them. I could take down two fairly easily. Four would be tough, maybe even impossible. Not to mention Beleth was blocking me here.

  Finally turning to face the demons, I shook my head. They all had turned their arms into spears, ready to fight. The cackling hadn’t stopped and I was fairly certain one was muttering ‘contract’ while the other
three went on about how quickly I was going to die. It wasn’t impressive. Everything I had heard from all the fights I was in before.

  Not waiting for them to strike, I launched myself forward. My quickness caught them off guard and one was soon vanquished. The Blessed magic in my blade dropped drastically. Without even trying to fight another, I took off away from Reawakening, the other three close at my heels.

  I made the call to continue running away from aid. If I did die, they still stood a chance of living, and Danni would need all the extra help she could get.

  Halting suddenly, two of the demons sped past me and I was able to take a swing at the third. It managed to block and lash back at me. A rhythm quickly picked up to the fight but I let it drop and took off running once the other two made it back. Continuing my run, I tried to keep Reawakening a short distance from myself. A wide arc around it was better than heading off into even more unknown trouble.

  Again, I halted and was able to vanquish a second demon. Two down, two to go, but my sword barely had enough Blessed magic in it for a third. Not giving myself time to think about the depleting magic, I picked up my run again.

  Something felt wrong ahead of me and I skidded to a stop. Both myself and the demons chasing me hit the wall, though I hit it less intensely. Taking advantage of the moment, I stabbed the one closest to me, ending its time in this world.

  There was no more Blessed magic on my side. I could feel Beleth’s magic shield surrounding me. I felt for the runes hiding in my pockets. Carefully, I cracked one open and instead of calling a shield over myself I cast it on the demon. Surprised, it didn't halt for long before trying to strike at me. The shield prevented it from hitting – instead the claws hit the walls of the shield.

  “Can’t be broken by force from the inside.” I smirked. “So until that wears out…” I glanced around, trying to figure out my next move.

  The demon tried slamming into me and I sidestepped it, letting it fall. It hissed at me, but I continued to ignore it. I needed a plan before it figured out it just needed to run into something hard enough a number of times. I watched it continue to hiss at me and beat on the inside. Maybe I did have time.

  Of course, that would have been too easy. Beleth decided to finally show himself. His towering height made me stagger back a few feet and I found myself pressed up against the wall. With a smirk he smashed down on the demon’s protective shield, destroying it. The demon laughed with glee, just before Beleth snapped his fingers, causing it to go up in smoke. If the show of power was meant to scare me, it worked.

  “I guess this is the part where you offer me a contract?” I asked, half joking, half too terrified to think of what fate was about to fall upon me.

  He shook his head and said nothing.

  “Guess that saves us both from arguing about why I’m stupidly declining.” My laugh didn’t sound like it was coming from me. The hysterics were slowly settling in.

  He conjured a sword, and with another snap of his fingers, it was on fire. Of course it was on fire. Couldn’t just stab me with a plain old boring sword could he? What was it these creatures fed on again? Fear? Determination? I had no idea. I tried to calm myself down, remind myself of what was important. Danni was safe. Lydia should have made it back to safety. Everyone should have for that matter. I think I successfully had all eyes on me. While this wasn’t a good thing, everyone else was safe. I guessed I would just have to take this fight up on the other side.

  I closed my eyes as he moved to stab me.

  Suddenly, everything felt cold and I gasped for air. I looked over to see Danni in her spirit form dragging me back. I went through the wall! I looked at her in shock.

  “Well, get running, idiot!” she yelled at me, thrust me back into my body, and was gone.

  For a moment I stood on shaky feet. I could see the demon, Beleth, was equally surprised.

  Then I was gone.

  I don't remember the forest ever moving so fast around me. Or my heart beating so fast. Everything was a whirlwind but I couldn’t stop. I needed to be as far into safety as possible.

  When I saw the buildings I knew and realised I was safe. I let myself collapse near the middle of Reawakening’s land. Several people walked by confused as to what was going on. Some stopped, but I waved them on. Not knowing me, or what else to do, they continued on their way.

  I took deep breaths and sent out my energy trying to find the others. They were all together, it seemed just on the outskirts. I knew they’d recognise my magic and decided to let myself relax. The hysterics were still causing my body to shake.

  “You’re an idiot,” I heard Danni say as she sat down next to me.

  “But everyone is alive,” I replied. I didn’t have a great argument.

  “Barely. You almost died,” Danni countered.

  “True. Thank you.” I tried to nod my thanks as best as I could from the ground. “I’ve no idea how you found me in time.”

  “I had been watching you from the spirit realm since I got back to safety,” she explained. “I knew it wasn’t much longer once you were trapped, but I needed that demon to appear before I could actually sneak in and help. He would have certainly noticed me otherwise.”

  “It was brilliant!” I agreed. “I wasn’t ready for that trap.”

  Danni nodded slowly. “That is new. He seems much more powerful than before. I’m not sure how that’s possible. I don’t know if I want an answer, but we may need to get it.” She glanced away from us. “Oh, there are your friends.”

  I could hear them running and decided to finally sit up.

  Lydia flung herself around me and we crashed back onto the ground.

  “What did you do, you dummy?” She hugged me tightly. “I knew that signature from the terrible battle at Ashgrove and there was no way you could have gotten out of it easily.”

  “Who said it was easy?” I laughed, looking over at Danni. “Spirit magic has its perks and Danni knows how to use them well.”

  Danni shrugged, not sure what to say to the whole group.

  “Can you tell us what exactly is going on now?” Lee asked, concerned.

  “And why so many of us were called to help?” Rosalie chimed in.

  I nodded. “Let’s get somewhere a little less public.” I watched the curious faces continue to stare at our group as they went about their day.

  Danni nodded. “This way,” she said, leading us toward the temple.

  Lydia helped me up but wouldn’t let go of me as we walked. “I thought you were gone.”

  “Me too.” I held onto her just as tightly. “Me too.” I didn’t know what all needed to be done, but I didn’t know if I was ready for whatever else was on the other side of safety. Not after that encounter.

  Chapter 22

  Once we were all in the back room with the shrine Danni took over talking and explained what was going on. Key didn’t seem bothered or surprised by most of the news. Lee and Emmyth kept looking at me for confirmation. Poor Rosalie and Jareth had the hardest time taking in what was going on. The angels weren’t saying a word to any of them about this, and their denial was strong. Lydia took over talking for a bit there, having already gone through her own anger, denial, and more anger again. Then the stage was Danni’s once more.

  Danni seemed tired, but a lot more comfortable talking to others than usual. What had she seen in her past lives? It seemed to be having an impact. Instead of shrugging every other sentence, she was standing tall. It was strange knowing so much suddenly. Knowing, in so many lives, I had control over the gate time and again. I knew how to see the true value of a soul, where it needed to be to learn, grow, or just be sent away since there was nothing more I could do for it. I knew I was just a player stuck in this endless loop – trying to balance out the demons and angels. There had to be a better way.

  “So what now?” Lydia asked, nudging me.

  “I’ve no clue,” I admitted honestly. “There’s an easy way to fix the stupid gate so that things can go bac
k to exactly how they were. I don’t want the easy way. It’s clearly not right and I’m not going to murder an innocent to let it continue on this way.” I huffed.

  Everyone was staring at me.

  So, I explained without mentioning what type of soul was needed. If it was possible, I was going to avoid that route altogether.

  Rosalie stood up, and walked over to the door. “This is a temple, right?”

  Danni nodded. “The main room has all the common deity statues present.”

  “Thank you.” She nodded and left.

  Jareth shook his head. “So, angels are okay with sacrificing someone if it means fixing this, huh?”

  “The ones that helped with the initial setup were.” Danni shrugged, resuming more of her normal posture. “I can’t say if they all actually know or not.”

  “That goes against pretty much everything I believe.” Jareth sighed and hung his head.

  “Well, while we’re giving everyone a life crisis here, may I join in?” Key smiled and moved to sit next to me.

  “How so?” I asked curiously.

  “It would appear that the Mad King is still up to his misdeeds despite us previously thinking he was gone for good,” Key explained calmly. “How do we actually get rid of him once and for all? He was confirmed to be vanquished. Regardless of fixing the gates or not fixing them and doing something else… I’m tired of him haunting me.”

  That was a great question. This whole disaster was his fault and getting rid of him and whomever his apprentice was would certainly help prevent a lot of future problems.