Chapter 39: Lantern

“I want you to know, whatever happens, I will always be close to you…”

The haunting words of her mother's letter reverberated through Vina's mind, as memories flooded in and intertwined with one another.

“Someone in this city remembers seeing me work on something. Based on my rune carving knowledge, it is some kind of massive divinity storage vessel.”

In the midst of the creature's oppressive weight bearing down on her, Vina's thoughts raced, connecting the dots she had never before considered. Her mother's words had hinted at something grand, an enormous vessel capable of storing divinity, likely the very lantern before her. Its runes glowed from a distance, and Vina recognized the one rune she had managed to learn: "Soul," she muttered under her breath, her exhale disturbing the soil next to her face.

Prany, too, grasped the significance, her gaze fixated on the crimson lantern. "What a marvel she is," Prany remarked, her eyes filled with understanding. "To hide from The Darkness without Shan, she concealed herself within a shadow dispersion lantern, perhaps even making its interior as spacious as your backpack." She then turned her attention to Alora. "How do we free her from it?"

"I don't know!" Alora whimpered from beneath the creature's weight. "All I know is that she entered the lantern with the aid of someone from their memories!"

"Whose memories?" Prany pressed, a sense of urgency in her voice.

"Lior! But he's dead now. I killed him with my aspect!" Alora's voice cracked, tears streaming down her face.

Vina's gaze fixated on the lantern, the pieces of the puzzle coming together. "Shan mentioned that Lior was the man who discovered the Aspect of Light," she realized.

"Teaching her will require time," Prany said, her gaze filled with sorrow as she regarded the distraught girl. The creature released its hold on Alora, but she remained on the ground, hesitant and bleeding from the spikes of the creature. "Get up, Amets. If you're quick, you may reach the portal ring before Vina's blood runs out. We'll find you another night. Be prepared to learn when we do."

The creature gently lifted Alora to her feet, her tear-stained face betraying her internal struggle. She cast one last sorrowful glance at Vina. "I'm so sorry!" With that, the creature forcefully pushed her towards the portal ring and the girl bolted away.

Prany moved closer to Vina, leaving the lantern behind. Retrieving a small knife from her waist, Prany leaned in, her gaze predatory. "Now... for your punishment. We must unbind you from the lantern." However, before the blade could make contact, the creature abruptly grabbed Prany and flung her aside effortlessly. She gave a screech of fear and pain when she landed hard to the side.

The creature flipped Vina over with deliberate care, its grip on her arms and hands unwavering. With its free hand, it reached for something hidden from Vina's sight, but she knew in her heart it must be the dark spiny echo. Slowly withdrawing its hand, the six-eyed, spiked creature held it up for Vina to see. Then, cautiously, it dragged her closer to the lantern, her boots scraping against the ground as she fought against the pull.

"Wait," Vina pleaded as her shadow lengthened at the lantern's periphery. The truth of her punishment became clear to her. "Wait!" Yet, she was suddenly too close, and the lantern's effects activated. Her shadow vanished, and relief washed over her. But the creature only grumbled, retreating a few steps until her shadow reappeared.

With its six eyes squinting against the light, the creature stood aside, holding her such that her shadow detached from its own. Vina writhed in its grip, resisting with all her might. "Stop!" she screamed until, finally, one of her fingers broke free, and she pressed it against the creature's clenched fist. She activated Blood Stained Hands at the same moment the creature dropped the dark echo onto her shadow.

A chilling embrace seized her, wrapping around her with a vice-like grip. Icy tendrils snaked through her limbs, stealing away her warmth and leaving behind a numbing coldness that penetrated to the core of her being. The shock of the sudden immersion stole her breath away, forcing her lungs to constrict as if trapped in a vice. Panic surged within her as she fought against a weight she couldn’t identify, desperately gasping for air that remained just out of reach. Suffering from the suffocating sensation, the world around her distorted and muted, as if she had been swallowed by a timeless realm where sound and light dissolved into a dark haze.

Gradually, Vina regained awareness, shivering within the creature's grasp. Its six eyes struggled to stay open as black blood trickled down its face. She felt its hand tremble as violently as her own body before it abruptly released her, retreating quickly. A pool of black blood marked its presence on the ground. Kneeling, Vina stared at the eerie pool, shivering uncontrollably, the black blood, once dead to her, shivered with her, and then obediently shifted aside at her request. And amidst the displaced pool, her shadow remained, cast by the light behind her.

"No..." she whispered, her gaze fixed on the distorted figure before her. Silently, her shadow conveyed a horrifying truth. It wasn’t her own.

"What has it done to you?" Prany's voice echoed from the distant darkness.

Vina sprang to her feet, rushing towards her lantern, finding solace in its ability to banish her shadow once more. Taking a deep breath, she activated Refuge Recall, and a window materialized, offering various options. She made her selection, and her entire being was pulled inward, consumed by a minuscule point in space before being expelled into a refuge in Halos.

"Asharaina?" a voice resonated in the vast, empty hall.

Vina ignored it and sprinted out of the refuge to a single building over. She saw now that night had truly fallen on this side of the world, and that the darkness in Termily was entirely due to the falling shadows. But she did not dare focus on anything beyond her immediate goals: recover Amets and figure out what Stine did to her. As she ran, she checked her status screens. Her attributes were her first point of focus.

Divinity: 0 Locked

"Still locked?" she muttered, her attention turning to her afflictions.

You are afflicted by Peace. This is a place of peace. You are afflicted by Retribution. Injury to others is an injury to yourself.

Glaring at the notifications, she found no answers, and they soon disappeared as their aspect’s owners recognized her presence. Everywhere she looked, the truth eluded her. With a renewed sense of purpose, she pushed through the crowds, their murmurs and concerns trailing behind her. Approaching the portal ring building, she brushed past the guards, forcefully swinging open the double doors. Before her stood a deactivated portal ring.

Grasping it firmly, she powered the ring, swiftly dialing the desired address, and without hesitation, she leaped through. On the other side, fearful faces greeted her. Their eyes widened with hope at the sight of her. Activating Blood Call, Vina manipulated her blood, drawing it from the portal ring's aperture, leaving only the torches and her lantern to illuminate the night.

"Asharaina?" an adventurer called out, approaching with a torch in hand. "Can you help us? The portal ring just recently deactivated."

Raising a hand to silence him, Vina moved through the crowd of Termilian refugees, guided solely by Blood Sense. "I'm searching for someone," she announced loudly. "A girl, around sixteen or seventeen years old. Only slightly younger than myself. She would have arrived just moments ago, perhaps covered in blood. Bring her forward. Leave her to me, and I will activate the portal ring to Lampasa."

The adventurer followed her lead, his torch casting a brightness that surpassed her lantern. For a brief moment, her distorted shadow fell upon the ground once more. "Stay away from me!" she snapped, pushing the man forcefully, causing him to stumble backward. Returning her attention to the crowd, she continued her proclamation. "She calls herself Alora! Some may know her as Amets. Though I doubt she would willingly call herself that."

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

"She's here!" a man called from the rear, struggling to hold onto someone who fought against him. "She sneaked in just moments ago!" Dissatisfaction rippled through the crowd as a girl began to scream. Vina rushed over, pushing her way through. Her heart raced as Blood Sense confirmed the man's words. Moments later, she seized hold of Amets, whose clothing was covered in small bloodstains, sourced from countless needle-like punctures. With the man's assistance, they dragged her back to the portal ring, while the crowd watched on, their concern for the girl tempered by their respect for Asharaina.

"Hold her," Vina ordered, her hand reactivating the portal ring once more.

"Vina! I'm sorry! Please!" Alora pleaded, struggling against the man's grip. Yet, when she saw the portal ring activate, her resistance faded into fear once more. "Where are you sending me?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Vina seized Alora's other arm, taking her from the man. Guiding her towards the portal ring, she hissed into her ear, "Valanire!," before thrusting her through.

She waited for a moment and then pulled her blood out once more to kill the connection. The crowd began to make noise in impatience, but Vina dialed the ring immediately. She was beginning to feel the strain on her reserves and placed her infusions back into Hemogenesis.

She sat back down next to the portal ring in mild relief. “I got her.” Vina muttered, reassuring herself as she placed a hand against the portal ring behind her to keep it powered as people began to filter through. “She can’t leave with the bridge still out,” she told herself. There would be time soon enough to ask Amets about every memory she had of her mother.

Frustrated by the lack of answers regarding Stine's actions, Vina found herself fixating on the lantern. “How do I get you out….” she whispered. Flipping it over, she studied the runes carefully, committing them to memory.

"Hey, uh..." a man began, unclipping a pouch from his side. "I have some Trilite. Would you like some?"

Vina turned her gaze towards him and she immediately recognized him as the one she had shoved just moments ago. After all she had witnessed and experienced, his nonchalant tone seemed jarring, however and Vina struggled to shift her emotions out of anger and pain. Though the man flinched slightly under her scrutinizing gaze, she saw he had offered her dried meat. "It's salty and savory. This one is wistral flavored."

Vina hesitated, her stomach audibly rumbling. With a defeated expression, she accepted the flattened meat from him. "I'm a traveler. What is wistral?"

“Oh yeah. I saw that on the bounty,” he pointed at the meat in her hand. "It's a blend of spices. Fairly mild. I think most people find it agreeable." The man gave her a curious look, and she responded with a questioning gaze of her own. He raised his hands defensively. "You'll probably like it."

Taking a bite of the meat, Vina began to chew. "It's earthy," she remarked, savoring the flavors. The initial saltiness and savoriness gave way to a blend of spices that introduced a subtle heat and a delicate sweetness.

The man nodded slowly. "Earthy... I think we have a communication issue."

Vina paused her chewing, letting out a laugh. She covered her mouth and replied, "I mean, it tastes a little bit like dirt, but not in a bad way."

"Yeah, I agree. It is... earthy," the man repeated, joining in her laughter.

Vina gestured with the meat in her hand, expressing her gratitude. "Thank you…," she said, her voice trailing off, waiting for the man to introduce himself.

"Emin," he replied, placing his free hand on his leather armor and offering a slight bend at the waist. "I'm Emin, one of many adventurers in the city. It's nice to meet you."

Taking a closer look at him for the first time, Vina noticed that Emin was slightly shorter than most men she had encountered in this world, standing just an inch taller than herself. His leather armor appeared relatively new, with only minor scratches. He now held a bow in his hand, with a quiver hooked at his belt. The torch had disappeared. A single aspect was bonded above his right eye giving him a distinctive facial feature. He seemed to be only a few years older than herself.

"Nice to meet you too," Vina replied, her tone mild. "Sorry... about earlier, you know, the pushing thing."

Emin nodded understandingly. "It's okay. All forgiven. I get a little aggressive too when I'm hungry."

Vina laughed again, taking another bite of the jerky. She glanced at the crowd still entering the portal ring and activated vibrance tracking to check on Anox's progress. Seeing him steadily approaching them, relief washed over her. Holding the meat between her teeth, she turned her attention back to the lantern.

"Hey, uhm... how did you end up back here? We all saw you leave with Anox’s team," Emin inquired. "Are they okay?"

Setting the lantern down, Vina extracted the jerky from between her teeth with a sigh. "Explaining it all would require more energy than I have right now," she explained, gesturing with her food. "But I can see Anox is still alive. The group is still on their way. Hopefully, they'll reach us before it becomes unsafe to stay. I'll keep the portal ring open as long as I can.”

"Well, I can tell you that we all appreciate that. Can I ask what was going on with that Alora Amets girl?" Emin's innocent curiosity emanated through his vibrance. However, Vina decided to shut it down.

"No. No you can't," Vina replied abruptly.

Emin shrugged. “I figured. We often receive similar responses from The Watch. But do you want a drink?”

Vina nodded slowly, but her suspicion was suddenly aroused. She looked at her half-eaten jerky with a hint of worry. She had been poisoned once before.

"I'll see if I can find something fresh. I've been drinking from my waterskin all day," Emin explained, scanning the surroundings. "I'll be right back."

Vina watched him leave for a moment before returning her focus to the food in her hand. Her hunger prevailed over her suspicion, and she finished the snack while resuming her examination of the lantern. "Soul doesn't connect to the power button!" she scolded herself. "That was so stupid of me to think it was keyed to my soul! She must have concealed that rune within a matrix to isolate it from the others," she mused. Tracing the on and off runes once more, she observed how they folded around the matrix, understanding how easily she had been confused before. After a moment, it clicked. "She separated the activation mechanism of the lantern from the soul matrix! The soul matrix serves an entirely different function. But what function is that?"

Vina traced her fingers slowly along the intricate runes, their insatiable hunger for more blood a constant presence. However, she ignored their cravings, knowing they currently had more than enough. Her mother's script proved challenging to decipher with their distraction, however. The runes, though contained within a matrix, swam across the base of the lantern and illuminated glass, too bright for her to stare at directly. Yet, she hesitated to turn off the lantern, fearful that her shadow would reappear.

"Uhm... Asharaina?" Emin's voice interrupted her concentration.

"Huh?" Vina replied, lifting her head from her focused work, slightly annoyed at herself for disregarding the warning from Blood Sense about his approach.

"One of the innkeepers had this," Emin said, holding out a bottle to her. "It's a sealed bottle of Rolm Juice. It's made from a type of..."

"Berry!" Vina exclaimed excitedly, taking the bottle and contemplating how to open it. "I didn't know they could make it into a juice." Finally managing to open the bottle, she took a quick sip, waiting for any system notifications to appear. When none did, she drank from it more freely.

“Tell me about your lantern.” Emin suggested. “You seem really focused on it.”

Vina glanced at him, considering his request. “I'll tell you, but first, tell me about your aspect.”

Emin shrugged. “Sure. It's a fake Aspect of Journey,” he confessed, pausing as he pulled another bag from his belt. “It suggests the best way toward my goals, well, most of the time. I'm not particularly well attuned to it.”

Memories flashed through her mind as she recalled this being the same aspect that Caja wore on her bracelet. Curiosity piqued, Vina inquired further, "And what's your goal right now?"

Emin chuckled. “”My goal right now is to escape from Termily alive and help as many people as possible along the way. It told me to keep you well-fed.”

Vina focused on the aspect above his eye, seeing Caja’s own stone reflected in her memory. “That's an interesting one. Is it text suggestions or...?”

“More like strings. I see a lot of lines connecting things. I can't always discern which ones have an impact, but this one was clear. The Trilite in my bag was meant for you, but my waterskin was not. There was a thicker and longer line connecting me, you, and the innkeeper. That's how I found the bottle.”

Vina marveled as she reflected on their interaction. “That’s convenient, always knowing generally where you’re supposed to be and what people need.” Vina redirected her attention to the lantern. “The lantern is connected to something as well, isn't it? That's why you're asking.”

Emin gazed at the lantern. “No, not at all. It doesn't align with my current path or goals," he confirmed, pausing as he handed her another small bag. “But these are. They’re just some more dried foods, mostly nuts and berries. I asked about the lantern because you seemed so focused on it.”

“Oh,” Vina responded, taking the bag from him. She opened it and peered inside. “Thanks. This lantern was a gift from someone dear to me, someone I've been searching for ever since I arrived in this world. She made it herself. Tonight, I discovered that the lantern may be the key to finding her.”

Emin nodded thoughtfully. "How poetic. Finding your way through the darkness, searching for someone you care about with the very object they crafted to help you. She must be an extraordinary person."

Vina nodded slowly as she ate from the bag of dried food Emin had given her, her focus still on the lantern. "I hope so."