by Ivan Kal
Kyarra could only nod weakly.
“Ah, there is Lord Olos,” Ashara said. “I really should go and talk to him. To make sure that he isn’t all that mad with me abandoning him for you,” she said playfully. Then, just as suddenly as she had appeared those hours ago, she curtsied and walked away—all before Kyarra could get a word in.
As Ashara walked away, Kyarra was left standing flabbergasted at this sudden turn of events until Ovar stepped up to her side. “At least you took my advice.”
She turned to glare at him. “Ovar, don’t.”
“What? She’s a nice girl. Very nice, if I can say so myself. And how you just went right out and asked her to the feast, that was a move worthy of Ruidan himself. Although he would’ve handled that last part better.”
Kyarra glared at him, trying to remember if there was a spell that could make someone burst into flames from the inside. “Ovar…” she warned again.
“Fine, fine, be like that,” he said, throwing his arms in the air.
They walked over to their carriage, and started on their way home. Kyarra couldn’t help but think both on the night and Ovar’s words. She had never truly had a relationship with someone, friendly or romantic. She didn’t even know how to make such relationships. She had always been far more comfortable in her library than among people. Ashara was unlike anyone she had ever met; she radiated, drawing everyone around to her. Kyarra had seen it in the short time she spent by her side. And even if she were to disregard Ovar’s comments, she had to admit that she was intrigued by her. It felt like an opportunity for her to try and make a friend—and that was something that she used to dream about as a child surrounded by adults telling her of her responsibilities and duty. The only friend she had was Lady Havergrove, and that was a friendship she had inherited from her past life. She wanted—no, needed—something of her own.
And despite her unease with Ovar’s comments, she had to admit that he was right, Ashara was attractive; very attractive, in fact. And that Kyarra had noticed that surprised her. She had never really looked at people in that way. Sure, she had found a few Lords and Ladies of the court attractive. She had never really had a preference, much like many in the court that had relationships with both men and women. Most of her past lives had been the same, comfortable with both. Perhaps the fact that their soul had lived as both genders had something to do with it. But Kyarra had never felt an attraction quite like this, not like what she felt toward Ashara. She was somehow…more.
And that scared Kyarra senseless.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
ASHARA
Ashara spent the entire day in the warehouse replaying the previous night in her mind. Meeting the Eternal Soul had been a complete delight, in more ways than one. She had actually been very surprised when she learned that the Eternal Soul was so young. Everyone knew about the Eternal Soul, even in Amaranthine, but the Eternal Soul was spoken almost as if it were as a force of nature—and then it turned out that she was actually not much older than Ashara herself, and far too adorable when she got flustered.
All in all, the previous night seemed to have been a complete success. Haris was beside himself with joy. He had gotten to make connections with the elite of Tourran, and they had even managed to get a few deals from it. He hadn’t been at all angry with her for leaving him alone for a large portion of the night.
She spent the day making sure that all of their orders were accounted for, and then toward the end of the work day she got a pleasant surprise.
“My lady?” One of the work-hands approached her, followed by a messenger.
“Yes?”
“My lady, I have this for you,” the messenger said, extending a letter.
Ashara took it, opened it and started to read. By the time she was finished she had a big grin on her face. She turned to the messenger. “You can tell Lady Kyarra that I will be there.”
The messenger nodded, and the work-hand escorted him back out. Ashara glanced at the letter again and shook her head in amusement. The Eternal Soul had invited Ashara to her mansion tomorrow for lunch. She had been afraid that she had been too forward, that she had scared Kyarra off—she had acted a bit more open than she ever had. But that was in part because of the atmosphere in Tourran itself. Many things were accepted here, and she had even seen evidence of that in Tourran’s high society. Her desires didn’t seem to be as frowned upon as in Amaranthine, and that had emboldened Ashara; and as it turned out, Kyarra hadn’t been scared off.
Ashara couldn’t wait to see the Eternal Soul again. She would need to get permission from Haris to take the day off, but she doubted that he would object. Having his business associated with the Eternal Soul could only be good for them, not to mention the possibilities of doing business with Eternal Soul’s estate.
She noticed someone standing in the corner of the warehouse, looking at some crates with his back turned to her. She looked around, looking for any other workers, but curiously, she was all alone. The man was dressed in fine clothes, made of red and black silk. Expensive clothes, so she assumed that he was a noble of some kind. She walked over.
“May I help you, my lord?” Ashara asked. The man didn’t respond immediately, and then just as she was about to repeat her question, he slowly turned.
The first thing that struck her were his eyes. Golden in color and almost glowing, and something nagged at the back of her mind at seeing them, but she was so struck with his visage that she couldn’t form a coherent thought. And his face was perfect—cream colored, with just a hint of stubble. She stood there, transfixed by his stare.
“Tell me—if you had a chance to earn a small amount of coin in a single stroke, with little risk, would you do it? Or would you attempt another stroke, one that had a slim chance of success but that would give you something worth a treasure beyond measure?”
Ashara snapped out her trance at his words. And something in his tone made her shiver. She gathered herself and frowned for a moment, considering, wondering if the man had come for some kind of advice. He did not seem like someone who needed it, but he could also be testing her, and she could not turn away a prospective investor.
“It would depend. Will that small amount of coin get me even marginally close to my goal? If not, I would bet on the riskier venture.” Ashara answered.
The man stroked his stubble, thinking. “It is a delicate decision… But I have made gambles before…”
She frowned. “If the winnings of this…gamble…far outweigh what you would lose if it failed, then I think that it is worth it.”
His eyes narrowed at her. “We shall see,” he said, and then he turned and left before she even had a chance to say anything else. She stood there for a moment, dumbstruck at the strange conversation. Something about the man had unsettled her, but she soon returned back to her work, the strange noble forgotten.
Instead, she thought on Kyarra’s invitation and smiled. She finished the rest of her duties without being able to wipe the grin from her face before she finally went home.
* * *
She got up to her room only to find Vin sitting in his usual spot on the floor.
“You’re back,” she said, running forward and getting on her knees to give him a hug.
“I’ve been gone for barely two days,” he said, confused, as he returned her hug tentatively.
“Well, when I saw you I realized just how much I had missed you,” she grinned at him.
“Hm… You’re happy. Something happened while I was gone?”
“Nothing much,” she said loftily. “I went to the gathering at the palace and met the Eternal Soul,” she continued as she stood up and looked proudly down at him—only to have him give her another confused look. She tapped her foot expectantly, waiting for him to say something and then remembered. “Right. Not from this world. You have no idea who I’m talking about.”
One side of his mouth quirked upward in a half smile. “Afraid not.”
“Then trust me at my word. It is very impressive.”
He put his hands against each other, fist to fist, and bowed deeply over them. “Of course, honored one. Your accomplishments make all others pale in comparison. May we all learn from your enlightened graciousness, oh venerable one.”
“Very funny,” she sneered.
Vin gave her a grin of his own as he stood up. “So, want to tell me more about it?”
Ashara walked over to the bed and sat down. “Well… The Eternal Soul is a mage. A powerful one, one which possesses one of the fragments of power.”
Vin looked at her completely lost. “A fragment of power?”
“Right—other world again.” Ashara sighed. “Think of it like a weapon, one that grants the mage great power. It bonds to a person’s soul, making it a weapon that only one person can use until they die.” He nodded at that, and she continued. “Long ago, a mage cast a spell on his own soul, ensuring that he would never pass on to the afterlife. Instead, upon death, his soul finds the closest new host, most often a newborn baby, and is reincarnated, starting a new life. They forget the memories of their previous life, but since their soul doesn’t leave our plane, the connection to the fragment of power remains.”
“Hm… That is interesting. So this Eternal Soul is the ruler?”
“No, no. She is a protector of Tourran, bound to serve the royal family for all of her lives.”
“That does not sound very appealing. If she has so much power, why does she serve?”
“Her first life cast many spells. As I understand it, she can’t disobey the King.”
“That sounds sad,” Vin said slowly.
Ashara opened her mouth to disagree, but stopped herself. The stories of the Eternal Soul told of a proud protector of Tourran—but the person she met last night was nothing like that. To Ashara’s eyes, she did seem a bit sad. A young girl barely older than Ashara that had put up a wall between herself and the world. “Perhaps it is…”
“And what is this Eternal Soul like?”
“She is…compelling,” Ashara said.
“Compelling?”
“Interesting, beautiful but clearly unaware; insecure, and almost shy for all of her power.”
“Ah… That kind of compelling,” Vin said knowingly.
Ashara blushed at his tone. “I didn’t mean it like that. She is interesting to talk to. It is too soon to speak of anything more. My father always taught me to make friends everywhere I could, as one can never know how those friendships could help you later in life. Being a friend to the Eternal Soul would be a great achievement on its own,” Ashara rationalized.
“Of course. As you say, venerable one.”
Ashara ignored the jab. “How was your trip? Did you have a successful hunt?” Ashara asked instead.
Vin nodded, becoming serious once again. “I did.”
“And?”
Vin walked over to his satchel in the corner and pulled out something. He walked back to the table and put a large glowing gem on it. Ashara stood from the bed and approached, looking at it with her mouth open.
“Vin, that is an anima-well. An uncut one. Where did you get that?”
“I cut it out of the beast we hunted down.”
“You hunted a magic beast? Do you know how valuable that thing is?”
“I’ve been told, but I don’t intend to sell it. We have these things on my world as well. This could aid me greatly on the path.”
“What do you intend to do with it?”
“I don’t know just yet—likely I will absorb its ki.”
“Wait—will the gem remain afterward, or do you need it as well?” Ashara asked.
“Well, empty spirit cores can be useful in elixir craft and such, but I don’t think that I can do anything with it.”
“Then we can sell it afterward. The mages drain them anyway, as they have no use for the anima inside. They need them empty so that they can cut them into smaller pieces and store their own anima inside.”
Vin raised his head and scratched above his eyebrow, thinking. “All right then. As I said, I’ll have no use for it afterward.”
“With that coin we could afford better accommodations. I think that it is time that we have separate rooms.”
“Worried that your Eternal Soul will assume something once she finds out you’ve been sharing a room with a man?” Vin grinned.
She slapped his shoulder, but didn’t respond.
* * *
The next day found Ashara renting a carriage to drive her up the hill to the Eternal Soul’s estate. Once she had arrived at the estate, she had been escorted into the mansion and a large receiving room, where she was left to wait. She looked around, seeing the expensive decor and elegant furniture—vases from Kahaldia, paintings of important historical events, and more. She realized that there was probably more wealth in this one room than her family had once possessed in total. It made her feel somewhat small. Tourran was a country far smaller than Amaranthine, but also far richer. It was why everyone wanted to control it.
She heard footsteps and turned in time to see Kyarra enter the room. She gave her best curtsy. “Lady Kyarra.”
“Don’t—there’s no need for that. You are here as a friend.”
Ashara gave her a smile. “A friend already?” Kyarra’s eyes widened, and Ashara spoke quickly. “I’m teasing you. Yes, friends is fine,” she said. The poor girl really was hopeless.
“Sorry, I’m not used to this.”
“I’ve noticed,” Ashara said with a twinkle in her eyes.
“Come, I want to show you something,” Kyarra said and led her through the mansion.
They walked for a while, which only served to illustrate just how large Kyarra’s home was. Then they finally exited the building and stepped into a garden-like area. Kyarra led her to the railing, and Ashara looked in amazement at the city before her. Kyarra’s estate was built on a plateau above the harbor, one which overlooked the entire city.
“This is an amazing view,” she breathed out.
“It is,” Kyarra agreed, although Ashara could detect something off in her tone.
She spotted a bench beneath a tree and led Kyarra to it. “What is it? You had the same expression at the gathering.”
Kyarra opened her mouth and then closed it, turning instead to look at Ashara in concentration. “I’ve met you only once before, and here I am ready to tell you everything about myself.”
“I have that effect on people,” Ashara said. In fact, though, she too was surprised. She could feel a connection with Kyarra, similar to the connection she had with Vin. A feeling of belonging. Of course, this was somewhat different—she was not attracted to Vin.
“And I have never had someone to talk with before. Other than Ovar, but he doesn’t count.” Kyarra shook her head.
“Big older man? Has a bushy beard?”
Kyarra laughed at her description. “Yes, him. He’s my guardian. He practically raised me.”
“It must be lonely, having no one to talk to.”
Kyarra nodded. “It is.”
“I know that we’ve known each other for a short time only,” Ashara said, taking Kyarra’s hand in her own, “but I know that you feel it too, a connection.” Ashara looked deep into Kyarra’s eyes. “I want to be your friend, Kyarra.”
* * *
Later that evening, Ashara walked back home, feeling almost giddy. Kyarra was such a surprise—an honest person that had always felt trapped by her circumstances, her duty to Tourran, much in the same way that Ashara had felt trapped in Amaranthine. Of course, Kyarra was bound by powerful spells that physically prevented her from leaving and Ashara was free to go wherever she wished. Still, they had much in common, and had bonded easily. And it was nice to have a girlfriend; her talks with Vin had started to get a tad vexing, although it was only after she had left Kyarra’s estate that she realized just how close she and Vin had become. She hadn’t shared everything with Kyarra, as they had just started their friendship. But she had no secrets from Vin, and in that mom
ent she had realized that Vin was her best friend. Probably the best friend she had ever had, and they had known each other for just a little over two months.
She reached and entered the room to find Vin sitting at the table, glaring at the anima-well. She walked over and put the large box she had been carrying on the table.
“What is this?” Vin asked.
“A gift from Kyarra. A dress for the feast,” Ashara said. Ashara had been completely blown away at the amount of dresses she had, some of which Kyarra had never even worn, as she preferred to dress in trousers and shirts. Ashara had eagerly accepted once Kyarra had offered her one of the dresses.
Vin grunted, and then continued to glare at the gem.
“What are you doing, exactly?” she asked.
“Trying to make a decision,” he said as his eyes seemed ready to bore holes into the gem.
Ashara shook her head and walked into the bathing area, getting herself ready for bed, leaving Vin to glare at his gem.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
VIN
Kai Zhao Vin sat on the forest floor, surrounded by trees and holding the spirit core in his hands. He had made a short trek outside of the city, seeking a private place to make his final decision. He had spent the last few days walking through the markets of the city, seeking anything that could help him make the decision. He looked for anything that was even close to his people’s elixirs, but he found precious little. The magical potions that were sold here were not the same, and most of them were in fact fake—with his eyes, he could clearly discern those that were real from those that were not. He even tried looking at magically enchanted items, but none did anything close to what he needed.
The spirit core was a great potential boost for him, but it was also very dangerous, as it had not been purified. Spirit artists always purified spirit cores before using them, but the purification process was long and involved and he had no simple means of doing it here. This left him with two options.
He could leave the core for now, hoping to find what he needed later, or he could absorb the ki as it was. It was most certainly enough to push him to the third step, which meant that he would also need to reforge his body. The problem was that using the impure ki as it was would force his core into the beast’s affinity, and that carried with it its own dangers. He would most certainly gain far more power than he would by following the usual way, but he would also be limited in another way.