“Come on in dearie, we don’t have all day. Have some tea with me.” I found myself in a perfectly white space with a simple table and an elderly human woman sitting there, an ornate tea set sitting on the table in front of her. I fought a bit of fear down as she looked me in the eyes, as hers were golden and the pupils seemed to be gateways into the void itself. As I sat down, she continued with her unnerving gaze, “Oh, oh bless your heart! It pains us to see the trials and tribulations our mortal children go through, but fate has dealt you a rather worse hand than most. No, the banalitea won’t do. Here, have some of the tranquilitea.” With a wave of her hand, the bland white tea set was replaced with one that had swirling blues and greens on a background of white, and just the aroma promised to relax my body.
Shaking off the effects for a second, I sat down and took a sip. Oh, how it relaxed me! It was like drinking childhood memories of camping by the fire as grandmother read us stories from her rocking chair. Or being tucked into bed by mom and dad, the blankets so tight you couldn’t move. “Ah, my thanks grandmother. I hadn’t realized the stress I had been carrying.” I said, nodding to the old lady who simply smiled.
“Ah, to see that some of the younglings still honor some of the older ways. If I still had a heart, I’m sure it would be warmed by the knowledge.”
“While nothing would make me happier than enjoying this tea with you, I’m certain that your perceptive eyes have noticed the hurry I am in. I apologi-“ I started, only to be interrupted with a wave of her hand.
“Pay no mind, child. You mortals are always worried about time, probably because you are given so little of it. I promise I take no offence, and even if I could, I am but a remnant of a goddess left behind to aid where I may. Now, might I see your palms?” I nodded, placing both of my hands palm up on the table, surprised when they were grasped in an ice like grip. The old lady stared at them with such intensity that I could see the golden light shining from her eyes on the table, and it was as if she were reading my entire past and future. After a bit, she slumped back into her chair and sighed. “Bless your heart child, if I were myself I would have a word with old Fate for what he has wrought here. Alas, I can offer you a few choices. The first will be easiest on your soul, but hardest upon your heart. Continue upon the ice path. You can be guaranteed a third tier evolution, and can stay by the side of your tree.”
I shook my head and said, “You have probably read my answer to that already Grandmother. That is a path that I will not be able to walk. It is something that would breed resentment in me for the rest of my days.”
“I know dearie, I know. But your other options involve splitting into your soul, and it will cause you harm no matter how gently it is done. Compounding that, you are not whole in your mind. In order to proceed with any chance of success, we have to deal with certain issues beforehand.”
“And how long would this take?”
“To do it properly? Months. Months and months, maybe until the day you die. You have deep wounds dear, and they weep constantly despite the patching you have attempted to do to them. Contrary to wounds of the body, wounds of the mind and heart will not heal on their own. Ignoring them as you have done often makes them worse.”
I sat there for a moment, pondering her words. Wounds of the mind and heart? That could only mean my brothers. Even thinking about them hurt, and that was just as a general idea, not even evoking their names. But something was off about what she said. “Grandmother. You said to do it properly would take months. We both know that I don’t have that kind of time. Is there some other way it can be done? One that is far faster?
I watched as a tear tracked down her face. “And so it comes. I apologize my dear, but in every future you have asked that question, no matter what I do, you choose the most dangerous option. There is one other way. It is fraught with danger, and not just to your mind. You may split your mind and soul, shattering your psyche irreparably. If I were to break it down, you have a 2 in 5 chance of never speaking or moving again, simply living your life in a mental prison as your body drools on your shoulder. You have a 1 in 5 chance of death, which would be easier on all involved. A 1 in 5 chance of splitting your mind into multiple personalities, switching around them on a whim. Sean might eventually find the triggers to bringing out the personality he wants, but that wouldn’t matter for long. The last 1 in 5 chance is that you recover with minimal personality changes.”
“How long will this method take?”
“Here dear. Have a cookie. This is called chocolate chip, and it is from Sean’s home. I’ll explain while you eat, it’s the least I can do. Death or comatose will end within a day. Your body will appear outside the tower as it was when it went in. A split mind will take between one and three days. You will evolve, but might not reach the full longevity of your new race. If you defy the odds and make it through with minimal changes, it can take anywhere from three to five days.” As she explained, I bit into the cookie and relished the flavor. What other miracles can come from Sean’s world? If they could make a dessert like this, was there anything they couldn’t do? Soon enough the cookie was gone, and a last sip of tea helped to clear my mind and mouth.
“I thank you for your kindness and concern, Grandmother. If it’s all right with you, I will be choosing the fastest method of evolution. Would you kindly provide me with my options?”
“I cannot.” She shook her head slowly. “For how you perform and how your mind and heart handle the strain will determine your final evolution. All I can do is to encourage you to climb toward the light.” With that, I found myself falling into a dark hole as the chair beneath me no longer existed. I fell for a while before splashing into some unknown liquid. As I sunk for a second, gravity oddly reasserted itself and I found myself falling toward the liquid air barrier again. Only this time I couldn’t pass through. Panicking, I started pounding my fist on the barrier as my lungs were screaming for air.
Before I lost all bit of reason, a cruel voice from my past cut through my struggles. “Idiot sister, simply breathe. The darkness here is wondrous!” I turned to see my older brother, Duerse, sneering at me with Olearis by his side. But they were different from my brothers of old. Their eyes contained an infinite depth of cruelty and malice, their posture screaming entitlement. Instead of the fairly tight clothing of our people that facilitated movement in the forest, they both wore black plate. Duerse’s was gold trimmed, Olearis with silver. Wicked barbed hooks jutted out from any joint that could be used in an attack, and the chest sported a snake swallowing the world. But that wasn’t the worst. Oh no. The shadows that rose from behind, winged snakes with snares driven into the backs of my brothers were far worse. Glaring down at me with poison dripping from their fangs. Poison that hissed whenever it contacted my brother’s skin, though they showed no sign of discomfort.
Scuttling backwards, I couldn’t help my fear as they both laughed at me. “What? How are you here?”
Oleander mocked me with his higher toned voice, “What? How are you here?” Drawing a chuckle from Duerse. “What do you think we are here for Elendria? We want to return you to your rightful place. But we will be a bit more merciful this time, as we have already consolidated our power. Instead of selling you into slavery, you can spend your days on your knees aiding our rule.”
Duerse continued, “Indeed. We can unlock your soul powers for you, and you can tell us who dares to lie. That will make the war effort so much easier, and soon we can welcome Apophis into our world.”
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Spoiler: Spoiler
“Ah, the war, that reminds me brother.” Olearis said, turning and placing a hand on Duerse’s shoulder. “We will need to rebuild our population, as obviously some will perish. Perhaps she can also be broodmare?”
“Broodmare?” Duerse seemed as disgusted as I was. “Why would we sully ourselves with the likes of her?”
“Ah, but you misunderstand. Of course we wouldn’t dare to sully ourselves, but she needs to know her place, and being on her knees in the court just wouldn’t do. And what do we care if we replenish our armies with half elves, so long as the other half is from a powerful enough species? We can use her formerly human lover. A champions bastards will undoubtedly be powerful. Of course, we will have to cripple him. Destroy his ability to use mana, remove his arms and legs at the joints. A bit of alchemy to keep him aroused, and Elendria shall impregnate herself or keep trying while she watches our court for liars! HAHAHAHAHA!” Olearis cackled maniacally as Duerse looked on in thought.
“The more I think about it, brother, the more I like your plan. She gets to debase herself in front of our court, and we get army fodder. So long as the champion isn’t killed, they can’t summon another. We can even use him as a reward for especially loyal followers!”
I screamed, “YOU BASTARDS! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU TO TURN YOU INTO THIS?”
Duerse replied in an even tone, “Why, you did sister dear! It’s all your fault. You were with us for so long, how could you not notice the shadow inside?” As he spoke, both brothers slowly closed in on me.
“That’s right sister, you were the closest to us. Didn’t you notice the shadows we had? You can see souls! Why didn’t you use your power to save us?” Olearis accused.
“No, no! That’s not how it was!” I whispered.
“It is! You had the ability! It’s your fault!” Duerse thundered.
“You’ve given our people over to shadow! You accepted the slave’s collar! You never tried to escape!” Olearis added on.
“No….” My voice quavered as I felt the guilt, a crushing pressure emitted by both of my brothers. Tears streaming down my face as I fell to my knees.
“YOU WILL CAUSE THE DOWNFALL OF VITAE!” Their voices thundered in unison, rattling my chest and popping free the necklace that Sean had given me.
“Find your light.” Grandmother’s words came back to me as I stared at the pendant, cupping it gently in my hands. Memories flowed, of my time spent with Sean. As I stared at the pendant, the sapphire started glowing.
“We’ll free your brothers from the shadows if we can.” Sean’s voice filtered into my head. “And if we can’t, then we shall set them free from their suffering.” Along with those words, came all the times at night he had comforted me. Held me. Reassured me. Reminded me that everyone was responsible for their own actions, and only their own actions. That one of the worst betrayals was an abuser blaming his victim for their predicament, convincing them that all the abuse was because of the victim’s actions. That just wasn’t true, but it was so hard to realize when you were in the cycle of abuse.
“Think about it this way hun.” His voice entered my head, and I could feel his arms around my shoulders. “Say I walk up to someone on the street and punch them in the face. Whose fault is it?”
“Yours.” I immediately replied. “You punched him for no reason.”
“Exactly. Now, I know it hurts, but I want you to think back. Did you ask your brothers to place a slave collar on you?” I remember at the time I immediately flinched, staring at him. “You didn’t, did you? Or all those times you had sadistic masters that would punish you for no reason. They would say it was for whatever reason, but look back on those episodes with a clear mind. I’m willing to bet most of the times one of these was true: either you didn’t do it, there was no way to prevent it, or it was something they asked of you. The bastard punishing you didn’t want an actual reason, they wanted an excuse. Any excuse. It doesn’t matter how flimsy, they wanted to pit the blame on you.” And thinking back, I could see it.
“No.” I calmly said, eyes dry and confidence returning. “No, I’ll not take the blame for your actions.” I stood up, staring at my brothers. “You chose to accept the darkness, you chose to enslave and sell me, and you chose to BETRAY OUR PEOPLE!” As my confidence rose, a wind of icy air started swirling around me. “Even now, I can see the shadows that you have welcomed. Unclean spirits. Beware brothers, for I am coming! I will set you free, one way or another! And I won’t be alone! For you see, I’ve found a tree. A tree that will rival the legendary World Tree, soaring to unforeseen heights! And I shall be his support, helping him to realize his potential! And the first part of that is to strengthen myself! And so no, I will not accept your accusations! I will never take the blame for your actions! But I will come, and I will judge your souls. Prepare yourselves!” I was snarling at the end, channeling both my ice and my soul powers. Shards of ice shot out, ignoring their bodies and impaling their souls. With shocked faces, their bodies silently faded away into nothingness.
As my magic slowly calmed, I heard a mocking clap coming from behind me. “Well done girl, very well done. Can’t say I’ve ever been a fan of misogynistic bastards like that, but we have a problem. What makes you think that I’m going to let you claim my husband?” I turned to see a woman glaring at me. She had on strange pants and a blue shirt, and wavy hair down to her shoulders. Piercing blue eyes stared daggers at me, and I couldn’t help but gasp at her beauty. She had a strong jawline, but oddly soft cheeks and a slightly wide nose.
“And you must be Danielle.” I said, not giving her an inch.
“I am. Why do you think you can take my husband?”
I gently shook my head. “I’ve no intention of taking your husband from you. I never-“
*CRACK*
My neck twisted to the side as she slapped me. “Bullshit.” She snarled, getting up in my face. “I know what you are, hussy. You’ll take what you can from Sean, use him up, and toss him to the side when he has nothing left to give! I’ve seen your kind before, and I’ll be damned if I allow you to-“
I interrupted her with a hug. A gentle one, simply holding her close. “Despite what we have forged, never once have I tried to make him forget you. You should see the way his face lights up when something reminds him of you or Isabelle. I could never come close to causing that reaction, and I would never want to drive the source of such happiness away.”
“What-“
I interrupted her again, “Shhh. We have time to figure this out, but know this. You are his wife. If you decide that he is not to be with any other, I will gladly leave. I will live out the rest of my life and never cling to another. Our Sean will be the only one for me, and above all else I desire his and your happiness. So keep me at whatever distance you need. For a hundred years I practiced keeping a silent face despite the emotions that were raging inside. For you, Isabelle, and Sean, I would gladly do it for the rest of eternity. I can be another mommy, a fun aunt, a distant relative, or nothing at all.” I don’t know when the body had disappeared, but it had done so just after it had returned the hug. As I stood there with my eyes closed, reveling in the smell of her hair, I felt things shifting. Opening my eyes revealed a blue screen but more importantly, the sun rising over a forest. Within that forest was one tree that towered over the others, but kept a smaller tree nearby with a sapling between them. Entwined between all their branches was a vine tinged in blue, that radiated a subtle chill that didn’t seem to bother any of the trees.
Evolutionary trial complete!
Despite all the odds, you have managed to look within your troubled soul and seek out a way to evolve along a new path! As a new dawn arises, feel the strength of your newly healed soul.
You have evolved!
Your new race is Arbiter of Mahapadma
As one with the knowledge to reach the coldest temperatures the universe allows, as well as containing the ability to see into the soul of others, you have unlocked the race Arbiter of Mahapadma. Mahapadma is the coldest of the Narakas, with temperatures so low the body bursts open and the internal organs freeze. Those whose accumulated karma are sent here spend 2.56 x 1021 years to become free. The Arbiters are those that travel through the worlds, judging the accumulated karma of souls and sending the worst to the proper Naraka. As the most powerful, only the Arbiters of Mahapadma can send souls to the coldest Naraka, though they can also send them to any of the lesser Narakas.
Unique ability:
Frozen judgement: Once per month, judge a soul based on its accumulated karma and send it to the proper Naraka. There are very few ways to resist this ability.
Frigid future: Once per month, you may offer those who have started to accumulate negative karma a possible glimpse into the Naraka they may fall into should they not change their ways. Only use it on those you believe might be saved.