The wind blew strong, almost knocking me over as I trudged through the snow. Through the howling wind, the blistering snowstorm, and the dark of night, I couldn't see a thing. The only way I knew I was going in the right direction was thanks to Winter. Her eyes could see further than mine and her connection to my Soul allowed her to send me directions. It was like an instinctual feeling within me, telling me which way was right. We’d only learned that she could do this when the snowstorm first started, right after leaving Morrison’s body. I didn't want to leave him lying there in the middle of the street, but I didn’t have any choice. The girl was running out of time, and the guards were far ahead of me in their search.
“Morrison,” I breathed out his name, letting it dissipate in the wind.
I couldn’t get his face out of my mind. Lifeless eyes that stared straight up at the sky, a small frown forming at the corner of his lips, and a wrinkled nose like he was smelling something bad. He’d even reached for his flask in his final moments, no doubt trying to take one last drink. I’d taken it from his body. I didn’t want anyone else to find it. He didn’t deserve to be remembered with that. That image remained in my mind, fixed at the moment I realized he’d passed.
A throbbing in my leg caused me to stumble, and I fell to my knees. Winter let out a cry overhead and she flew down to me, landing on my shoulder. She didn’t weigh much, but even her small amount added to the pain in my leg. I quickly reinforced my prosthetic, straining my Soul and body to do so after using so much magic without rest, and stood.
“I’m okay girl,” I said, reaching up and petting her head, “C’mon. Keep leading me to the lake.”
She cooed, then took off from my shoulder. I didn’t understand how she flew so well in a storm like this with the wind so strong. She’d spent years out here, learning how to navigate and live in the forest, but no amount of experience should give her the ability to do the impossible. Still, she flew with grace into the white, snowy fog, disappearing into the sky. A few seconds later I felt a sudden jerk within my Soul. Winter’s directions weren’t north, east, or south, like a compass. Instead, she simply gave right, left, or forward. This time, I was to go slightly to the right. I complied.
The path to the lake was completely different compared to the hundreds of times I’d gone up it. This happened each year, the harsh winter bringing down trees and rocks that would force us to make a new way up the mountain, but I’d never seen it like this. Impassable walls of snow forced me to change directions and move around them many times, throwing me off course and irritating Winter, who had to keep correcting me. I could theoretically use my Soul to open up a clear path, but I didn’t want to strain myself any further. There were still dangerous and angered beasts all throughout the forest. The last thing I needed was to fight another Mathear.
I walked with a hand outstretched in front of me and felt it brush up against a smooth rocky surface. Getting a better look, I realized this was the cliff face we always had to climb. It was the hardest part of the path and I’d almost fallen down it many times. Now, I had to do it alone and in the dark. I sighed and started to climb, ignoring the pain the extra exertion was causing in my leg.
I used my sixth sense to feel for snow that had gotten caught on ledges, giving me an easy way of locating hand holds, but was startled by what else I felt around me. There were a few beasts, all of their Souls a raging mess of power and confusion, but none of them were threatening or close. They weren’t what surprised me. Instead, I was caught off guard by what was causing them to go crazy.
Far away at the top of the mountain, so far that I had to stretch my Soul sense to really understand what it was, was a swirling mess of Water Nex. It should be expected since there was a large lake up there, but this power felt strange, and much thicker than normal. It was like all the Nex was gathering up there, being pulled from all over the mountain and towards a fixed point. I could even feel it tugging on my own Soul, trying to pull my own power out of me. I brushed the foreign pull aside and focused on the center of all the Nex.
There, surrounded by the thick cloud of power, were two Souls. One was small and weak, barely there, like a spoonful of water in the ocean. It felt like air, fast and free, completely different, and yet very similar to the giant swirl of Nex around it. Then, there was the other Soul. It shone like a bright sun, blinding my Soul sense for a second by completely enveloping it. This Soul pulled at my own, trying to take everything it could from me. Again, I pushed the pull aside, but the Water Nex at the top of the mountain didn’t. It swelled, then began pouring into the bright Soul, increasing its power.
“It’s her,” I said as I struggled to lift myself upwards.
She had become a bind fiend. I knew she had, but feeling it and hearing it are two different things. All I had to go on was my father’s description of it before this. They made too many Soul Binds, losing themselves in the process. They lose control of their own Souls and just keep pulling in more and more power. However, everyone has their limits. A person can only take in so much power, and once they pass that limit, their body starts to break down. Eventually, they die. Or, as my father once put it, “explode.” I hoped he was just being dramatic, but feeling the power that was still growing at the top of the mountain probably means he wasn’t.
My arm reached upwards and it was met with a mound of snow. It was freezing, but I still held onto the cold ground beneath tightly, lifting myself up and onto a flat surface again. My legs dangled over the edge and I twisted around to stare down into the darkness I had just climbed out of. The memories of this place were so vivid in my mind, and one in particular pushed to the front. From this same vantage point I had once watched Morrison kill a mathear, but he had survived that attack. Restivus had succeeded in saving him back then, and I had failed.
Through the cold I felt a familiar wetness on my hand. I tried to wipe it off on the snow, but it didn’t go away. The feeling was stronger now, multiplied by the weight of Morisson’s death, and I knew it would only grow worse.
“She’s going to die,” I said through gritted teeth.
I have no plan, know very little about Bind Fiends, and if there is even a way to save them. The last time I had gone running into these woods with no plan and no idea what I was doing, I ended up crippled. I’d worked hard and learned how to mitigate the damage thanks to my ice prosthetic, but I could feel it growing weak. With how strained my body and Soul are, there is no way I can repair it again.
Morrison’s final words rang through my mind. I didn’t want to be a hero. Not in the way he thought I was trying to be, at least. I didn’t want to fight against whatever evil was in the world, nor did I desire to be acknowledged as some kind of great man. All I wanted was for my Father to be proud of me. I wanted him to see my actions, and be happy with my choices. All I wanted was to have him back. I let out a sigh and stood, wiping my hand on the front of my coat now. I still had to at least try, for him.
As I drew closer to the lake, light started permeating the woods. It was bluish, illuminating the sky like a clear ocean. It reminded me of one of Restivus’ spells, when he turned the Frost Feast into an aquarium. The light made it easier to find my way through the trees, and my speed picked up. Finally, when I peered from the edges of the trees at the lake, I saw the girl.
She was standing at the center island, underneath the tree where Morrison used to nap. Above her, swirling in a spiral like a tornado of power, was the source of the bluish light. The visible Water Nex was calm, and slowly swirled downwards from the sky and into the girl’s Soul. It shone with the colors of the Northern Lights of Earth, lighting up the sky and the woods around us. I thought about the similarly colored scale in my pack. It too was some kind of visible, solid form of Nex. I didn’t understand how or why the power became visible to the naked eye, but based on how concentrated it was in both the light and the scale, I was beginning to figure it out. However, my theories on magic would have to wait.
I started walking towards her, preparing my Soul to split the water so I could reach her, a feat I wasn’t sure I could pull off in this condition, but then I felt three other Souls nearby. Their power was drowned by the overwhelming gathering of Water Nex, but three burning Souls flared to my left. I turned to get a look at them and saw three flame maned wolves.
One of them had its back to the water, it’s mane a giant flowing flame that burned so brightly it outshone the bluish light. The other two faced it, their teeth bared and manes flickering sporadically. They sometimes swelled to encompass their entire heads, and other times disappeared completely. They shook their heads occasionally, like they were trying to shake something off.
The duo’s Souls were just like their manes, sometimes swelling with power and sometimes dying down, while the other’s was completely calm and controlled. Then I noticed the dull, almost gray part of the lone Sairla’s Soul. No power moved through that part, throwing off the balance in the beast’s Soul, but I recognized the signature. It was familiar, and so very important to me. It was the only living part of my father’s Soul left.
“Ronan!” I called out to the wolf as I charged one of his attackers.
The two crazed Sairla’s turned at the sudden noise, and one of them started bounding towards me, excited at what it thought to be a free meal. I grabbed my bow from where it was attached to my pack and crouched to the ground, steadying myself. Then I reached for an arrow, forming a coating of strengthened ice over the head as I pulled it out of my quiver. The spell was much slower than when I had used it against the mathears. My hands shook as I strained myself to reinforce the arrowhead, and I had it knocked and ready to loose before the spell was even finished. The distance between me and the beast was still great, so I took a second to steady myself, then let the arrow fly through the air.
The arrow missed the Sairla’s head, where I had been aiming, and stuck into its shoulder. The beast fell to the ground, still growling, but clearly unable to get up or walk after the damage. I let my eyes drift back to Ronan and the other wolf, watching as the two sized one another up, waiting for an attack, when the injured Sairla let out a howl. The noise was nowhere near the ear shattering roar of a mathear, but it still echoed through the trees and into the forest. I could feel other beasts deeper within, their Souls flaring at the noise. Whether it was calling for help or was simply crying out in pain, the Sairla was bringing more crazed beasts this direction.
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Out of anger I knocked and reinforced another arrow, taking up more of whatever precious strength I had left, and hit the howling Sairla in between the eyes, silencing it. In the distraction of the noise, Ronan’s foe had turned away for a second, giving him an opportunity to pounce and bite down on the wolf’s neck. It fell limp, and blood dripped from Ronan’s jaws. Then, he bounded straight for me, tackling me and licking me all over. His tongue was hot and wet, and I had no doubt there was now blood all over my face as well as my hand.
“Stop! Stop! I’m happy to see you too!” I laughed, and realized it was the first time I had done so for a long time. Ronan jumped off of me, his tongue lolling to the side of his mouth as he panted. I reached out and scratched the top of his head. “Good boy.”
He had to know about Father. Ronan was connected to him, and there was no way he didn’t feel when it had happened. Still, he was here, spirits high and body strong. I could only be thankful for that. It meant I didn’t have to worry about telling him.
I could feel several beasts drawing closer with my Soul sense, called by the howl of the Sairla, but they weren’t what I was worried about now. Not far down the mountain was a cluster of Souls, each of them dull and gray, yet powerful. The soldiers were drawing closer, and they would kill the girl on sight. I had no idea how, but I had to keep that from happening.
“Come on,” I said to Ronan, “We need to get over there, quick.”
Ronan whined as I pointed over to the island, but still followed me when I started walking over to the lakeshore. A thick sheet of ice covered the water a few meters in, just like the last time I was here. It had prevented me from making it to the island, but this time my Soul had a much stronger sense of the ice thanks to my Soul Bind with Winter. I drove my good leg down against the ice, using my Soul to split it as well as the water beneath.
Just splitting a small area of the water was already taxing on my Soul, so I didn’t dare split it the entire way to the island like Restivus had. I simply split it as Ronan and I walked, closing the path behind us in case any beasts or soldiers tried to follow. Ronan whined the entire time, looking at me, behind us, and at the walls of water that surrounded us. I wondered if he could swim, or how dangerous it would be for him to be submerged in water since his Soul and body were so attuned to fire? Did all fire beasts have an intrinsic fear of water? I resolved to answer that question another time as I split the final part of the lake and opened a path onto the island.
Winter came down and landed on my shoulder as we walked onto land, satisfied that her mission was complete. I could feel her fatigue through our Bind, or perhaps it was my own. Either way, I knew she was tired from flying around and guiding me so much. So, when she jumped and took off flying into the lone tree on the island when we came face to face with the girl, I was a bit surprised. It did not come close to the surprise I felt when I actually looked at her, though.
The runaway orphan girl still had the same features she had when I last saw her. Her long brown hair that flowed down past her waist was messy and disheveled, what was to be expected after years living in the woods, and her eyes were the same color. There was something in them now, though, like they were just as wild as her appearance made her out to be. She wore loose gray scraps of clothing, the fur coat I’d seen her once wearing missing. Her body was thin and short, only coming up to about my chest, and she looked like she hadn’t eaten in days. However, all of that was normal compared to her new changes.
Translucent blue fur, similar to the light that swirled around her, grew up her forearms, and similar claws made of the same power extended from her fingers. I could see through the power and down to her actual fingers, which were completely normal, if not a bit thin, as well as through the fur and down to her real skin. The power was clinging onto her, as well as destroying her. Cracks like lightning covered her upper arms, legs, and face, and they were still spreading as more power was pulled into her unstable Soul.
When she saw us, her eyes went wild, darting between me and Ronan. She growled like an animal and slowly backed away, her arms raised in front of her, claws bared. The energy above her pulsed, then started rushing into her Soul even faster. Once again, her Soul pulled against mine. This time it was much harder to push back against her power, but I was still able to escape her Soul’s grasp. Then, in a sudden burst of speed, she rushed at Ronan.
The Sairla jumped out of the way of the attack, then bit down on the girl’s leg, causing her to fall down in pain. “No! Stop Ronan!” I yelled, and the wolf jumped away, putting distance between the two of them. He whined as she struggled to stand back up, but I told him that it was okay. “Please. We’re only trying to help you.”
She ignored my words and lunged for me. I grabbed her wrists, her claws a centimeter away from my face. She was incredibly light and very weak. It was simple to hold her back, even with my withering prosthetic and the pain in my leg. I pushed her away and she fell to the ground.
Instead of getting back up, she simply laid there, her breathing heavy. Then, the power surrounding her began to rush into her Soul so fast that it started to dim the light in the sky. All of the Water Nex that had been gathered at the lake condensed to just the island. It was so thick that I was unable to breath for a moment, surrounded by a foggy blue light. I was barely able to see in front of me, but the girl was still within my view.
The translucent blue fur was growing up her arms, and the cracks that spread across her skin spread and grew larger. Whatever happened at the end of the life of a Soul Fiend was happening to her. She was reaching the limit of the amount of power her Soul could hold, and soon, she would be overwhelmed by it. There was only so much power a Soul could hold at once. Everyone had their limit.
Except, I’d never hit my limit. After years of training, I still had never come close to the amount of power I could wield. I’d never really tried. There was no reason to when most spells only required so much. However, there was a reason to try now. If I could pull all the Water Nex away from her, like she had tried to do to me, then maybe that would save her. If there was no more Nex to pull in, would her Soul right itself again? There was only one way to know.
I opened my Soul to the Nex. Like usual, it rushed into me, but it was weaker than normal. Most of it was skipping past me and going straight to the girl, ignoring my Soul in favor of the chaotic one. That was a slightly annoying feeling. I pulled at it, forcing it to follow my wishes and come into my Soul. I’d spent years focusing on controlling and directing my Soul, whether it be for certain spells, or for simple sculptures with the tiniest details. So, when I called for the Nex with my Soul, it listened.
In an instant I felt like I was hit by a truck. A powerful river of Nex slammed into me, filling my Soul with power. I watched as the swirling blue energy that was pouring into the girl slowly move around me, the power listening to my directions. My fingertips tingled as I took in more and more, the energy seeming to breathe new life into my exhausted Soul. My body, however, began to feel the effects of so much power.
Just like the girl, I watched as thin cracks on my fingers began to form. They slowly traveled up my hand and then my forearm. They were painful, like someone was tearing off my fingers and toes one by one, then moving slowly upwards, ripping off more of me in tiny chunks. My Soul shook from the pain, and I lost what little hold I had left on the spell around my leg. The ice prosthetic shattered, and I felt myself fall into the soft snow on the ground. The pain in my leg was negligible compared to the shattering of my skin, so I barely felt it. Still, my Soul hadn’t reached its limit yet. It could still take in more power. I could still take in more power.
I had landed on my side, facing the tree. I could still see the nimbus of power surrounding us, but I could tell it was dimming, so I pulled even harder. Around the dimming light, I watched as cracks in the air began to form. They were different from the ones that shone like blue lighting on my skin. These cracks were completely black, and more like a mist than lightning. It was barely noticeable in my blurring vision, and I first thought they were my mind playing tricks on me, but they were definitely real. Then, my entire vision went black.
I could still feel my Soul pulling, but my entire body went numb. I couldn’t feel anything except the power that was rushing into me. Then, I was at school. The memory was so vivid now, and I recognized the whole scene. Kayla greeted me, and we raced each other to the park. Then we were picked up, and we crashed. The feeling of waking up felt weird. I was already awake, and yet I could feel my brain suddenly snapping into action as my eyes opened. Kayla was there, and she gave me the news again.
“Stop,” I heard my real body mumble, but I couldn’t even feel my own lips.
I heard Kayla outside my door, then felt the rain on my skin as Levi beat me up. I saw my Nana at the bottom of the steps, then the paramedics taking her away. All of the memories from my past life I had regained rushed at me, trying to take back control. Trying to take Sean away from me again. Then, I saw something new. Levi had his hand on my collar, his fist raised for a punch. Kayla was trying to push him away, but she wasn’t strong enough. Then everything went black. All that was left was the pulling sensation and the rush of power.
I stopped the memory. I didn’t want old ones or new ones. I didn’t want any of them. I pushed them away, far into a deep corner of my mind. I didn’t need them. They were unnecessary. They weren’t Sean. As the memories were locked away, I regained feeling in my body. It was only filled with blinding pain. I could see the light still, so dim that it was barely there, and I still hadn’t reached any kind of limit on my Soul. Part of me wanted more. The feeling of so much power was exhilarating, so I pulled the rest of it in. instead of black this time, everything went white, and I lost consciousness.
When I woke I didn’t know how much time had passed. Winter was staring down at me, her deep blue blue eyes filled with concern. I sat up, feeling Ronan laying beside me, his body so hot it stung. He was staring over at the girl, who was curled up in the snow. The blue light of the condensed Water Nex had completely disappeared now, likely slowly drained out of my Soul, since I no longer felt the power there, but Ronan’s mane lit up the area well enough to see her.
Her skin no longer had cracks in it, and thankfully neither did mine. The claws and fur that had begun growing on her had completely disappeared as well, leaving her a completely normal looking girl. Well, except for the fact that she looked like she was starving.
I’d done it. I’d saved her. I looked down at my hand, feeling the uncomfortable warmth and wetness I always feel since that day. Gently, I wiped it against the snow, shutting my eyes as I did so. After a short while of nothing changing, I rubbed against the ground harder, then furiously, The feeling didn’t go away. I choked back the tears as I stared at my hand. Why was it still here? Why could I still feel it?
Shouts to my left drew my attention away. On the other side of the lake, within the forest, I could see small lights. I could feel the dull Souls of the soldiers there, fighting against some kind of beast, but they were close. Even though I had stopped the Soul Fiend, I had no doubt these people would try to kill her on sight anyway. They had no way of knowing I had already stopped it, and no reason to trust me if I told them.
I looked back to the girl, who was now awake and sitting up, staring at me. She pushed herself back and looked away, but she was clearly as weak as I was. She gave up, too tired to continue, and reached out her hands in some feeble attempt at defense. She trembled, and I realized she was terrified. I was a stranger, even if she had helped me a few times. She had no reason to trust me.
“What’s your name?” I asked, trying to put on my friendliest smile.
I didn’t know if the smile helped or not, but she responded with, “Isla.”
“Isla. I see. Sorry, I know you're tired, but we need to get out of here.”