113 -  Man in the Mirror

It was barely a flash of light - he stepped through the tree and, just as if walking through an open door, Magnus found himself once more within the familiar woods of his own Sleeping Forest. With a single whisper of intent he exited the Ether altogether, entering back into his fleshly body - still bound by invisible ropes in the ruins of Kloster.

It was morning, a quiet air and lifeless wind unsettled the new formed piles of dust and rubble. There was no sign of anyone, of anything - the silver suited man and his silver cloud were long gone.

Magnus moved, struggling against the constraints yet unable to break free and fell limp once more. No matter what he tried before, no matter what he tried now, he could not be free - he simply could not regain control over his own body.

Hob . . Hob owns me. I am his slave, ain't I? If he doesn't want me to move, I can't. If he doesn't want me to strike out, I can't. It don't matter what I think, what I want . . Hob . . and his master, that big bloody tree. Ah hells . . what am I to them?

Nothing more than a pawn - a bloody piece in their bloody game!

Ah hells, ah hells . . .

Look at this place . . . what a mess. It was a mess when the Alchemists were here playing their little experiments and all I've gone and done is make it more of a mess, ain't I? What does it matter, what does it matter? There wasn't anyone left alive anyways . . except for Rolf, right? He's alive, ain't he? He has to be . . Festus must've taken him for a reason. Festus was Pontius' student, right? That old Alchemist who tried to break into my forest and got absorbed - he was Festus master, yeah, yeah - small world, ain't it?

How long has it been?

Three months? Only three months?

Hells, the world has changed, ain't it? Nah . . the world is the same, the same . . its me thats changed. I've died and died and found a strength - a god! I'm a god, right? A bloody God! The pet god of a bloody snivelling doppelganger and his bloody tree master!

Who can I trust? All the people I loved, all the people I could trust, they're all dead - right here, buried beneath the ruins of Kloster, of my home . . .

Kujata, hells, I can't trust her - can I? She's in it for her own thing, she made that clear, right? To save her Celestials, right, right - but she wouldn't hesitate to stomp on any who'd get in her way - just like she did to me. And she didn't seem to care much above a lick when she found out Sif died . .

Hob . . Hob . . ah hells, my shadow, my inner self - what a crock of shit!

It happens again and again, don't it? Always, ever since I left to go to the east - from the very start . .

Across the ruins of Kloster approached a figure, illuminated by the first rays of the sun it looked like a ghost floating over the ruins, almost as if it were floating above the rubble.

Closer and closer, until it was obvious that the approaching figure was a woman - her clothes made from cloth of a hundred different colours, her hair down to her waist. Magnus, his face in the dirt, saw her coming in the corner of one eye - walking straight through the upturned and crushed walls and houses, over the cracked street - right to him.  

She stopped just outside the woods-for-trees formation, looking right through all the barriers and concealments - her eyes meeting his.

A bright smile on her face, her eyes warm looking at Magnus helpless on the ground.

"We've not met, but we have been together for a long time, and a long time coming Lord Magnus." She clasped her hands, brass armbands jangling together, and she bowed he head. "My name is Mother Marion, your consecration of the land fills us with joy."  

Mother Marion? Mother Marion? That was the name of the gypsy who'd told Caj how to lift his curse . .

Magnus felt his body grew more and more tense, a disquieting sensation rising from the seat of his gut - with a sudden contraction his belly became taut, a fiery liquid rising up his throat and forcing its way out of his mouth and nose -

"Blech!"

A mix of black bile and blood spilled out onto the ground - Magnus gasped for air, more and more foul liquid vomited out into a stinking puddle.

"Magnus!"

In an instant the bonds that held him in place fell away, the ghost like image of Hob appearing next to him in the ruins of Kloster.

Magnus sat up covered in filth - as soon as he did another spasm shot through his gut, and another belly full of bile erupted out of his mouth.

His body convulsed, his belly emptying itself onto the dirt as Hob flittered about him.

"Oh Magnus! I'm sorry! What's wrong? Your body . . that silver cloud! It must have been poisoned! I knew it! Oh, I was wrong to do this to you, but you see? It was the right thing! If you had fought against him you would have been dead - or worse!"

Magnus sat up woozily, his head pounding as Hob babbled on and on. Poison? No . . this felt all too familiar - the same as when he'd absorbed the Griffon in the cliffs of the Horn - his body was casting off all its impurities - down to the very marrow of his bones and beyond - down to the very molecular structure of his cells. Magnus knew it - he felt it - the black bile poured out of him and left behind a feeling of vigour far beyond anything he'd felt before - he felt as if he had the strength of a giant even when sitting still.

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"It is the strength of the world." Mother Marion spoke, "You have received the blessing of the Land, its acceptance. When you entered into the ancient ley lines you became a part of us, and we a part of you."

"A part of what?" Magnus voice cracked.

"A part of the whole." Mother Marion replied.

". . Poison, you see Magnus, it was for you own good! We have to . . you say something? Hello? Magnus?" Hob's semi transparent body passed through Magnus, a ghostly hand waving in front of his face.

"He cannot see or hear me. He is a creature of the Above, and I am of the Below. You, Magnus, stand with a foot in the Below and a foot in the Above, between two worlds." Mother Marion continued, her voice as refreshing as a spring breeze, washing away the aches and pains in Magnus' head.

Magnus examined her carefully, looking her up and down. "You're another one of them, ain't you? Another one of them who wants nothing more than to play me for a fool."

"No! I'm you, Magnus! I told you, we are the same! The same person! You live, I live - you die, I die! We are brothers! One and the same!" Hob pranced around Magnus.

"You are the Lord, we are your servants. The Land, what you have claimed of it, is yours." Mother Marion got down on her knees and bowed to Magnus.

"And the business with Caj? What was that about?"

"Caj? Caj?" Hob looked around in confusion.

"A coincidence, Lord. Caj came to us for advice and aid, and we provided what we could."

Magnus shook his head, "You really do think me a fool. A coincidence?" He spat on the ground, "Just like the others . ."

"Delirium . . . it must be the Poison! Are you feeling alright Magnus? Who are you talking to?"

"I'm talking to you. Hob. It isn't poison, I'm fine. My body is just being purified, must be a celestial thing, right?" Magnus got to his feet. "I feel fine, better than ever."

"Truly? You ain't mad that . . you ain't angry at me?"

"No, I ain't. I understand, Hob. You only were doing what was best for me, right?"

"Thats right! Ahaha! I knew you'd understand! I had to, you see, I had to leave you tied up for this long because, because, uh, I had to make sure that Borges was gone! I couldn't risk it, you see? But it's all better now! Now we can go -"

Magnus felt the worm that he'd sent into Hob's heart twist and settle deep within Hob's chest. What did the black worm do? Was it some sort of Celestial power? He had no one to ask, no one that could give him any guidance at this time . . the best he could do was experiment with it - see what effects it would have on Hob.

Willing it, Magnus had the worm grow, expanding inside of Hob and wrapping around his heart. Hobs real body was within the Ether - what he saw flittering around him now was nothing more than a spirit projection - but as soon as Magnus willed the worm to grow, he saw a flash of pain in Hobs expression.

"What the blazes . . Oww! I've been poisoned! Oww! You feel that, Magnus?"

"Isn't there a danger of him finding us again?"

"Oww . . oww . . ahh, that's right! Oh, that's true . . well, now that we know he is here it'll be fine! We can just find a place, hole up until the danger has passed, just for a while, alright, right, it's so hard to breath all of a sudden . ."

"You mean hole up and hide like Kujata? Not gonna do that Hob. We're going to Juteheim."

"To the Capital? But . . but . . Magnus! Hold up! You can't go there! What if Borges, what if the twelve are waiting for you? What if the Alchemists have set a trap? No! No, no, no! You have to stay hidden! It is much safer!"

Magnus strode forwards through the ruins, Mother Marion stood and watched him go.

"You not coming?" Magnus called out to her.

"We are the Land . . where ever you go, we are."

"Of course I'm coming! I can't let you ruin things . . I mean, I'm part of you, of course I have to go!" Hob scurried behind Magnus. "I'm sorry . . but this is for your own good . . "

Magnus felt it - an intent bearing down on him - he hadn't been able to grasp it the first time, entirely unable to resist its force - the same force that had made him change from his celestial form into human the night before, the same force that had tied him up and kept him face down in the dirt.

It bore down on him like a thousand iron shackles - but at the same time Magnus focused his mind on the black worm within Hob - having it thrash and grow at a tremendous rate.

"AHHHH!" Hob shrieked, the intent vanishing in an instant. Inside of the Sleeping Forest Hob fell to the ground, his body convulsing, his spirit form disappearing from beside Magnus.  

Magnus strode on, soon leaving the ruins of Kloster - now crushed by a single giant footprint - far behind.