by J E Mueller
I hoped she was right.
20
Lydia left shortly after and started her morning practice alone in the general direction she expected help to be coming from. I was worried she’d be reckless and try to help them, leaving safety, but there was no way to stop her aside from her being just as reckless and coming with us. Silently, I prayed for my friends’ souls as Danni and I made ready to leave.
The second Lliam appeared, we left. All he gave us was a nod and went off toward the gate.
“Do you think this is going to end all right?” I asked Danni quietly as we neared the forest.
“No. But I also didn’t think I’d make it here alive, so I’m okay with being wrong,” Danni replied.
“Sounds like a good thing to be wrong about, I agree.” It did nothing to help resolve my fear, but at least it was out in the open.
Taking a deep breath, I could feel the high energy of demon activity. It was directed away from us, but it was still much too close for comfort. I knew Danni could feel it as well, but we said nothing about it. We pushed on instead, hoping to never need to make a move to protect ourselves.
Somehow, we reached the shrine. Several times a demon felt too close and we’d veer off the trail to stay a safe distance away. But we made it. Seeing Lliam in the distance was an odd beacon of hope.
“So that’s it….” Danni whispered, amused. “I can feel the magic, no problem, but a little shrine with broken pillars and a smashed altar? I was expecting something… I don’t know… larger?”
Lliam shrugged. “I think it makes sense. Passerbys would leave it be, unsure what it was. It looks like a family shrine to me.”
“Well, let's get to work.” I could feel a sense of purpose fill me, and another strange thought of what to do next came to me.
Danni paused for a moment but quickly caught up with me. “Do you feel like it’s… it’s telling you what to do?”
Her eyes were wide as I nodded. “It did when I visited here as a spirit too, but I couldn’t move anything.”
“Stones are much harder to move as a spirit.” Dani agreed, helping me move and restack things.
“What do you mean? It’s not impossible?” I asked as we went about the task, instructions filling us magically as we went.
“Not at all. Though it’s so much more difficult and energy consuming to manage. Most can’t actually accomplish it, so it’s no surprise it wasn’t mentioned.”
“But you can?” I asked, surprised.
“I seem to be good at these stranger tasks.” Danni smiled. “Still prefer my guiding role, so hopefully we can get to that soon.”
As we finished moving all the debris, something in me screamed to complete the repair, that the soul needed was here, but I ignored it. Instead, I glanced at Danni.
“Any more instructions on your end?” I asked carefully.
She shrugged. “Guard the altar.”
Nodding, I took a breath and placed my hands on the altar. I could feel the magic humming much more strongly now, but I wasn’t sure what to do. Lliam joined me.
“You need to dive into it,” he stated.
“What?” I asked, surprised.
“Become a spirit and it’ll make sense,” Lliam encouraged.
Of course, that was always the answer anymore. I sat down with my back leaning against the altar and as quickly as I could, took on my spirit form.
The altar glowed a dark but sparkly and pretty purple. Something about the intensity of the glimmer and the depth of the color captivated my attention for a moment. There was more to do, so I pulled my attention back to reality. Danni was only a few steps away watching the forest. She was just close enough that I could see the swirling magic of the altar trying to reach out for her. It had already started swirling around my feet and was making its way up my legs. It didn’t hurt so I ignored it. Once more I placed my hands on the altar and felt like it was trying to pull me inside of it.
This must have been what Lliam was referring to.
Closing my eyes, I let the magic around me take hold and felt myself being whisked away. When I reopened them, I was in a room with black floors and gold walls. The ceiling looked like a stormy sky. Inside the room, there were no objects, but instead there were several dozen people. I knew them all.
They were me.
The ages varied, the genders too. For the most part, none of us looked alike, and yet…. I knew every one of them. Their lives, their stories. Mist was right. I always took up the gate after her, and she always took it after me.
“What do we do to fix this?” I asked them all, hoping they’d already understand.
A much younger me from three lives ago spoke up. “If you find a Creator, they can fix this.”
“How do I even find one?” I asked myself. Myselves? I tried not to think too much. The first me nodded my way. I hadn’t lived a long life, but I was there for the creation of the gates. I knew how they worked, and I knew what a Creator’s magic looked like. But that me had an amulet that revealed all the different kinds of magic. We didn’t know where it had gone.
The second me had heard of the amulet, as had the third. The fourth knew the Creator had taken it, so it wouldn’t get lost. Then the Creator was reborn, but somehow all the past versions of myself were sure they still had it, and they were always in this area. A picture came to mind. It was a simple silver plated charm. The oval body had a star, moon, and sun engraved on the front and a planet on the back.
I felt all the knowledge from my past slowly come to my mind. I had never liked the setup, and now was the first real chance I had to change things. But could I change them for the better?
There was a problem though, one that didn’t make sense.
A moment later I blinked against the light of the afternoon sun. It didn’t feel like I was gone too long, but it was hard to tell for sure. Danni hadn’t moved and neither had Lliam.
“Did you get your answers?” Lliam asked me curiously.
“Almost. I have a better direction. Past me also seemed to really dislike this setup, but I’m still powerless to change it, unless I can find a Creator.”
“What would you have the Creator do?” Danni asked curiously.
“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “Maybe they could create something that doesn’t involve such a hefty sacrifice to fix? Maybe they can just get rid of this extra magic and we could simply have souls go directly to the gate themselves?”
“Who would direct the souls at the gate?” Danni asked. “What about those not ready to cross? How would getting rid of the extra magic help anything?”
Great questions, but only the last I was ready to answer. “Demons and angels would have no power here anymore,” I replied tiredly. “No magic, no deals for souls, no corruption.”
She nodded. “But you’d need someone to direct the souls, and something for the lost souls still.”
“It’s not a perfect plan,” I admitted.
“I wonder if past me has any advice…” She glanced at the altar. “You weren’t gone but a minute so it can’t hurt to check.”
With that said, she was already in spirit form. The swirling magic greeted her eagerly and she let it consume her, vanishing.
“I’ll never get used to this crazy spirit magic,” I said to Lliam.
Lliam nodded. “I wasn’t meant to get used to it either, but here I am…” He shrugged. “Maybe a plane for the lost souls?” He suggested.
“That might work, but that would involve magic, and I really don't know if I like that idea. Why does magic need sacrifices?” I sighed. Magic was my whole life, and here I was wanting to take it down just to end this nonsense. “I don’t want these beings using souls the way they are anymore.”
“The role of good and evil, the balance that needs to continue could continue there somehow,” he suggested. “It’s worth the thought, at least.”
I nodded and considered his words. “I suppose… maybe a place with angel and demon influence, but they can’
t harvest souls? The souls can just fight on whatever side they choose and once they grow tired of proving their worth and are ready to cross they could easily be collected.” I shook my head. “Prove their worth? That sounds terrible.”
“Maybe a small plane filled with only the basic angel and demon influence. The souls can choose their own side, fight for what they believe in, and when they ‘die’ again they should be ready to go, having had a chance to fulfill something bigger than themselves.”
“Maybe.” I shrugged.
Danni was back. Her eyes were wide with shock.
“What did you learn?” I asked.
She shook her head and rejoined her body. Back in her physical form, she paced as she thought about whatever it was she had learned.
After a few moments, I joined her.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, surprised.
Instead of answering she just laughed. “You’re looking for an amulet?”
“Yes…” I watched her carefully. “How do you even know that?
“I know where it is.” Danni continued. “How I know that is… I don’t know. It’s a mess to explain. I just wanted to know if there was a way to fix it. I like what you mentioned about not offering up someone as a sacrifice. And there were suddenly answers. The past knows too much. I doubt Mist expected me to see that past. She probably only meant for you to go here…” Her voice trailed off as she got lost in her thoughts once more.
“What are you talking about?” I glanced from her to Lliam.
Lliam shrugged at me. “I’m dead, I can’t make this place work for me.” He grumbled, letting the disappointment clearly show.
“I’m surprised there was actually something to this…” My thoughts felt scattered. So, this trick only worked for the living that could access the spirit realm. “I wish I knew how it worked.”
Danni shrugged. “It only works for those who were part of the creation of the spirit realm. Our souls are tied to the realm and are meant to be continuously reborn to help keep the new generations of guides and so on in check. We’re part of its balance, but even you must have noticed the balance here is disrupted.”
“Some memories are hazy or missing. It stands out but doesn't make sense. How can they be missing?” I finally voiced my concern.
“Someone manipulated the shrine. This wasn’t meant to be a permanent solution, it was meant to change as the world did. Someone wants it to remain the only solution. Likely, they want me dead. It would be an easy way to patch the gate and temporarily keep me from alerting anyone to their plans… Somehow this gate situation may be a blessing.”
“What are you going on about?” I asked, slightly scared that she was right. Mist did say she wanted a soul just like Danni’s. Mist was very determined to fix this problem her way, right away, and was very reluctant to let me think things over. She had to leave me with a choice or I’d never agree with her on this… “Danni, are you saying what I think you are?”
Danni shrugged. “Depends on which parts you’ve caught on to.” She gave a nervous laugh and glanced at Lliam.
Lliam shrugged. “I’ve no idea what’s going on, but I’m all for toppling and foiling evil plans. So, who are we bringing down? A why would be nice too.”
Danni paced for a moment, stopped, and started walking again. “Mist isn’t who we thought she was, Lliam.”
“I’d say I’m surprised, but things like this keep happening. Angels aren’t informing us about things, demons actually want to destroy a realm, and now Mist? Sure. I’ll roll with it. She refused to talk to anyone unless they had information and half the information about people who could see spirits seemed to fail. The person she gained information about would quickly be found dead. I thought it was odd until Tella seemed to survive everything. I had at first thought Mist wanted them all dead, but then Tella was fine, so clearly I was wrong. Apparently, I’m wrong again. Clearly, she only wanted Tella alive so this gate thing could be fixed.”
“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.
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 friend,” 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.
“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 toward 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.”