Chapter 144
The Crone
Monday
Alexa and the old orcish crone watched as a healed, but not yet fully recovered Kelvin Mackie exited through the portal. A quick glance of the image showed the entrance to Bottomless Gorge, an image that quickly shifted and altered to a vast dark countryside a moment later.
Clink, rattle.
There was the sound of chains grinding and dragging against each other. With a look, Alexa saw that the old crone was now holding a long stretch of metal chains. Looking at them, Alexa just waited to see what the old crone would do.
With Alexa staring at her, the old crone paused for a moment, locked eyes, or at least attempted to as it was clear that the white orbs that the old crone had were not quite natural. That or Alexa figured that the eyes could not quite see the world the exact way her eyes could. Given the way she was, Alexa felt that she likely had a class related power that was like her ability to identify different energy types. Alexa’s ability to identify different energy types was something that seemed to be ingrained into the very core of her being, something that even should she eventually get to the point where her eyes were no longer capable of seeing, she felt she would still be able to identify energy types. Looking at the old crone, Alexa was certain that her eyesight was similar, in that she clearly could see and perceive things that no one else could.
Staring.
“Let me guess.” The old crone began, “you wish to know how I knew you had a soul mate?”
Blinking.
Alexa felt like she had been punched by the sudden question. Honestly it was something she had been thinking about, but not what she had been thinking about at that exact second.
“Oh, I see. You were distracted by my eyes. Very observant.” The crone said, nodding to herself, as she continued to take in Alexa’s full measure.
Alexa watched her for a moment and then found herself asking the question that seemed most obvious to her. “You can see the future?”
“The future, the past, the present, all the same thing. But yes, I can see different paths that the future might travel.” The old crone said, it took a second, before Alexa realized she had switched back to her orcish tongue. Having been given many languages throughout her travels, hearing the different tongues and responding to them in kind was as natural as breathing to her by this point.
“So, you don’t know what will happen, just what is most likely to happen?” Alexa pressed, figuring this to be the case.
Shaking her head, the crone responded, “no, I know what will happen, just not how that will impact the future, until that time comes, when the waters compress back to their natural state, and I can once again gaze upon their movements clearly.”
Alexa nodded, thinking she could understand what was being said. “So, there are moments in time that you know will happen, but not what will happen during them, the minor details like words said, people interacted with will vary based on the exact scenario, but you will not be able to predict how that will change the future until everything calms down enough for the next focal point to occur?”
Cackle.
“There might be room for you to become one of us yet.” The old crone said giddily, “but alas, your future was chosen for you long ago.”
“My future?”
“Yes, you are not the first to have been given this path, not even the first of your kind. You are the one who has made it the farthest, but that doesn’t mean much at this point. Your insights, your ability to intuitively know what is happening, that has served you well thus far, but it will ultimately mean nothing if you are not prepared for the next focal point.” The crone said.
Hearing the words, it was clear, at least clear to Alexa, that the crone was alluding to a future event that would be very important, but one that the crone herself could not directly point to. Off the top of her head, Alexa could name and identify quite a few moments that would be important, ones where not only her personal direction would change, but the direction of how the world would go. The most obvious would be the Integration, that would happen in just under six weeks’ time. Then the next most obvious one would be, “the funeral?”
At that the crone nodded, a slightly somber tone covering her face. One that was further reinforced by her status. “Yes, it is good that you know it is a critical event. Also, I do approve of what you have done to prepare for it, though know that it might not be enough.”
Alexa nodded her understanding, there was always more to do. Though it did put her slightly on guard knowing that her working so hard to effectively force herself to awaken early and gain a full class might not be enough. “So, you think there will be another attack during the funeral?”
The old crone just shook her head, “I don’t think. I know there will be another attack.”
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There was a slight pause, but before Alexa could ask her next question, the crone held up her hand to stop Alexa from asking any further questions. “I cannot answer any more questions without drastically altering the future. Just know that you will have to be prepared.”
Alexa understood the concept, the fact that the crone had all but confirmed her suspicions was big. Currently, Alexa saw this as a moment when Earth’s strongest Supers would all be assembled. Having so many important people present would only make it so they would be one tempting target to anyone wishing to make it so Earth would fall easier during the integration. Logically, it was a perfect point to cripple the pre-integration supers and make it so the regular people of Earth were little more than lambs to the slaughter of whoever came to conquer them. Realizing the importance of dad’s funeral, Alexa swore she would be powerful enough to at the very least save those she loved. The thought of those she loved, invariably brought her back to a topic the crone had brought up, but then quickly dismissed.
“You spoke of soul mates?” Alexa asked.
At that the crone nodded in an odd way, as if she had read the ripples of conversation too soon and interjected a thought too early.
“Yes, I did.”
“And Gina is my soul mate?”
“Was.” A slight pause, “Gina was your soul mate.”
At that a note of confusion crossed Alexa’s face. “What does that mean, you just told Kelvin that…”
“Calm down. You don’t understand.” The old crone said, shaking her head, and holding up her hand in an obvious stalling tactic, as it was clear she was looking for the right way to say things. Then finally after a second of regaining her composure, she paused and nodded to herself. “Let me begin with this, do you know what a soul mate is?”
At that Alexa paused, “I assume it is someone who is perfect for you?”
The old crone held up a finger, then paused. “Yes, and no.”
Alexa just stared.
“How to explain.” A slight pause, “all right, imagine the soul as a puzzle piece. You will be able to do ‘X’. You will be able to grow this tall, barring any complications. You will be this smart, barring any complications. Basically, it is a blueprint for everything you will be capable of. Now a soul mate, is a unique soul that perfectly molds with your flaws, one who is designed to correct your shortcomings. A yin to your yang, but that is still a very over simplified way of viewing this interaction. Basically, this secondary soul is someone who will have many of the same advantages as you, and then be able to support you in ways you never needed. Now remember, this is only what happens at first, before your spirits are sent to this plane of existence.”
There was a slight pause, as the old crone let that idea sink in. After a sufficiently long enough time had passed, the crone continued.
“Now remember, this is the shape of your soul before you come here. As you go through life, you experience changes that forever alter your soul. If you choose to do bad things, then your soul will be tainted by your actions. Similarly, just being exposed to evil at a young age can have a profound effect on the way you progress.”
At that Alexa nodded, and spoke, “Gina’s heart?”
The crone paused, and then seemed to look off into the distance. It was clear that she seemed to peer at something, then came back to the present. “Among other things. Your own situation is one that could also be considered similar. You both had roadblocks that blocked or hindered your growth, forever altering your souls on some deep level. That doesn’t mean that you two aren’t soul mates, just that if you want to get to an ideal state again, you will both need to work to improve yourself.”
A slight pause.
“And know that this is a continuous effort, just because you fit and make it work at one point doesn’t mean you are done. You will both have to work and grow together to make it work. That is, if you even want it to work.” The crone said.
At that Alexa began to open her mouth to say something.
“No, don’t say anything. Words are meaningless, and regrettable. Whether you want it to work out or not, is entirely up to you.” The crone said.
At that, Alexa paused, thinking to herself. In her mind, she could almost see the images the crone spoke about. She imagined her and Gina’s souls being two puzzle pieces that initially fit and locked together perfectly, only for the shapes and complexity to change over time as she experienced more and more in her life. Could she love? In her heart she had always wanted to, though she knew she was an emotional wreck, and far too callous for most people. She also couldn’t help but feel that there was an undeniable attraction to Gina, whether it was due to her being a soul mate, a good friend, or something else, Alexa didn’t know. All that she knew was that she did enjoy every moment with her, whether that was just a great friendship or more, she didn’t know, but hearing these words Alexa was more than willing to find out.
Finally, after a moment of silence Alexa nodded her consent.
The old crone, having seen this watched Alexa closely for a moment, before she too nodded. Seeing that this conversation was over, she nodded to herself and spoke. “Are you ready for what lays ahead?”
Alexa nodded, and as she did, the old crone held out the clinking chains towards Alexa. Alexa looked down at the chains for a moment, and then back up to the crone, not wanting to do anything currently as she saw the effect that these chains had on Kelvin.
“Try them, you proved that you were capable of removing them with your Telekinesis, at the very least.” The crone said.
Reaching out, Alexa grabbed the chains and looked them over for a moment. The minute she touched the chains, Alexa could feel the way the metal felt instantly cold in an unnerving way. Looking at the chains, it was clear that they were supposed to have a slightly more profound effect on her than they were.
“Very good. You feel the cold but are not bothered by it.” The Crone said.
At that, Alexa just stared at the crone. “Yeah, what is wrong with this metal?”
Shaking her head, the crone spoke, “nothing is wrong with the metal, it is as it always has been. You on the other hand are what is wrong. Well, you and me both.”
Alexa just stared at the crone, cocking her head to the side in a questioning way. This was a practiced gesture, and one that Alexa often used when she had a question but didn’t quite know how to phrase the exact question she wanted answered. Seeing this, the crone smiled lightly, showing rows of sharp orcish teeth, then decided to answer.
“That is demon metal. As you are no doubt aware, the monsters of the deep are poisonous, and able to corrupt the land. If you chain up a demon long enough, they will eventually be able to corrupt the restraints that bind them. That is what you are feeling now, the residual energy of a truly malevolent being. This has draining effect on most of us, which is why chains that have been used to bind a demon until the point where they eventually die, are used as torture devices for the wicked.”
Hearing that Alexa nodded, but it seemed the old crone was not yet done with her explanation.
“You must have gotten your resistances very high to be able to resist the pull of the bound demon inside those chains?”
“A bound demon?”
“Yes, when a demon dies, their soul is released, and if certain conditions are met, that soul can be bound, forever denied the ability to return to their plane of existence. Furthermore, if a demon so chooses, they can bond their soul to any source of metal around them, upon the time of their death. Thus, the chains that bound them, were also the chains they used to hold their soul.”
Looking at the chains in her hands again, Alexa looked at them with disgust. “The elves knew this, and used this as a torture device? Purposefully holding a demon’s soul against a bound person?”
“They did that and more. I’d like to think that most of the crew was oblivious, but the high priestess had to have known something was happening.”
There was a pause, then Alexa found herself asking a seemingly obvious question.
“How did the demon avoid being banished?”
At that the old crone nodded, as a slight smile crept onto her lips. “Good, you noticed. Yes, a spirit that does not wish to be sent back can resist. In the case of the demon soul bound to the chain, they were able to resist, as they used the energy from your friend to shield them from the effects of the ward. While they were weakened by the blast, it was not enough to send their soul back completely.”
At that Alexa just stared at the chains. Then finally Alexa asked the obvious question. “What do we do with the soul now?”
At that the old crone smiled a wicked smile. “Now, it is time that I show you one of the lost secrets of time. I will instruct you on how to permanently destroy a demon soul.”
Rattle, clank.
At that, the chains within Alexa’s hands began to quiver, as Alexa herself could almost feel the cold fear radiating through the chain she now held firmly within her hand.
“Come, let me show you what it means to be one of the chosen.” The old crone said.