Pain.
There had to be pain. Excruciating agony like the one she had felt when Yanosh’s powers had collided with the dhrowghost. When the holy powers were to collide with her fake life-core, it would, without a doubt, tear her body and smash her soul into pieces. After all, the power of the Two Gods was what held the magic of the Binshi in check; what purified and protected the Gods’ children from malignant ghosts.
But Lorelei wasn’t afraid of pain. She was prepared to endure for as long as she could. This was all she could do to give Neli and the people in the temple a chance.
Yet the pain never came.
A stream of warmth flowed into Lorelei like a calming river. A feeling of comfort spread throughout her body like she was lying in a sea of lukewarm honey. Her strained nerves, her freezing feet, and her bleeding heart were covered with a healing balm. All her fears, worries, and anger were washed away. The painful memories and the ominous premonitions of the future dissolved into blurry nothingness. All that was left behind was peace. Sweet, glorious peace.
Like a tidal wave, the warmth and lulling comfort of the light pushed up and up, away from the cold and the darkness that surrounded her. Lorelei let herself be carried by the stream of elation. Just a bit more. Just a bit higher. Just a bit further. Up and away the light pushed her, like a petal taken by the playful gale. And she became lighter and lighter - not a petal but a feather; a soon-to-be wisp of smoke from a dying candle.
A sudden pull jerked her mind and body. Amidst the sea of golden splendor, a silver thread spun out of her chest and disappeared into the distance. A familiar whisper brushed past Lorelei’s ears like a gust of spring wind:
“So disappointing. Have you already forgotten why you are risking your life, little sister? Get yourself together, or your spirit will ascend and be forever gone!”
“Ya..nosh…?” mumbled Lorelei with great difficulty.
Why was she hearing the shaman’s voice? No, what was he even doing here? Was it a hallucination? His actual spirit had no way of opposing the purifying power of the Two Fathers. Right?
“If you don’t reign in this energy and let the flow drag you away, your death will be in vain, no, it will be a transgression.” Yanosh’s whisper waxed and waned like an echo traveling between mountain tops. “If not contained, the holy power will explode and kill everyone here. Are you so bitter and desperate to wish harm to others?”
“No…” Lorelei’s lips were hardly able to move. If they could move properly, she would have screamed at Yanosh and cursed him for all the chaos he had started and left unfinished. For all the burdens he had placed on Noah’s shoulder. And for trying to make her comply with his wishes and suffer even instead of disappearing in bliss. How dare he pop out all of a sudden right now!? Where was he when they needed him earlier? When Shana was injured? When Noah was fighting against the encroachment of Nerodris? Why didn’t he help wake up Gregor? Or purge the Red Hands?
Lorelei wanted to tell Yanosh that she didn’t need his meddling. But the truth was that she did. And in this instance, he was right - she had no intention to cause harm to anyone. But how was she supposed to control this enormous stream of holy powers?
As if able to read her mind, Yanosh’s voice echoed again.
“Magic is a force ever-flowing, permeating all. A shaman is a conduit and a dam - gathering and directing the flow to reshape the world.”
‘But I’m not a shaman,’ thought Lorelei, feeling the golden warmth starting to envelop her tighter and tighter like a cozy duvet. ‘And this is no magic.’
“Is that so? Then what is magic?”
His words jolted Lorelei. The question she had asked herself so many times sounded different when coming from Yanosh - there was a tinge of glee, indicating that he was more than aware of the answer.
Anger churned in Lorelei’s chest, forcing the golden light to shake and swirl. That damn ghost was playing games. He and Orhana, the two only meddled, ordered people around, and then observed the chaos as spectators without making their hands dirty.
‘If you know how to control this power, then do it yourself!’ she hissed with some effort.
“Unfortunately, a living body is needed to channel and contain the holy powers. And besides, the dead should not meddle directly in the world of the living.”
‘Then what are you doing here?’
“Giving advice doesn’t count.”
‘But I have no idea what to do. And I don’t have the strength to do anything anyway.’
“Says the one who has been resisting a huge amount of pure energy and arguing with me at the same time. I will teach you what to do, so don’t worry. But we should start now, we don’t have much time.”
‘How long do we have?’
“In mortal terms… about a minute.”
‘A minute!’ Panic burst the bubble of sleepy coziness that enveloped Lorelei. The pleasant warmth of the light suddenly turned into a scorching heat.
“Calm down. Rein in your fear. Strong emotions make any power unstable.”
‘But it’s all over!’
“It isn’t. Space and time are strange things, especially when it comes to the depths of one’s mind.”
‘What?’
“Time right now is relative. You can experience a lifetime of knowledge in a split second.”
‘How?’
“Allow me to merge my soul with yours.”
Lorelei shuddered. It was insane! To allow a ghost freely to occupy her body was something even she, as naive and inexperienced in Norden’s customs as she was, was not foolish enough to do. On the other hand, what other options did she have?
‘All because of my stupid actions…’ She sighed as anger and shame burned inside her.
“Impulsive - yes. But, considering the situation, it was a good move.”
‘Enough flattery. Do it!’
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A sudden chill enveloped her. It was such a stark contrast to the warm light of the holy powers that it made her wince. She hadn’t felt anything like this even in the deepest winter. For the first time since she had touched the barrier pole, she felt her body in the material world with crystal clarity. From the end of her toes to the tips of her fingers, the chill within her soul manifested in her body, making it convulse and shiver, engulfed by a sea of gold.
“Don’t fight the cold.” Yanosh's voice resonated from the very depths of her being. “You are an ice shard. And you need the warmth and light of spring to thaw. The holy powers are spring. Let them flow in, spread to every corner of your body.”
Following his words, Lorelei tried to guide the sea of holy powers that washed and churned around her. Little by little, like a trickling stream, the swirling energy entered her body. And the more they poured in, the more suffocating it felt. She was a goblet that was about to overflow. A dam, hammered by the currents and on the verge of breaking.
“Don’t give up!” With Yanosh’s words, the cold that had subsided flared up again, suppressing the raging holy powers for a brief moment. “You must distribute the energy equally to calm and contain it. Follow my guidance. Fill every channel.”
Thousands upon thousands of thin ice strings branched from her heart throughout her body akin to the intricate webbing of a leaf, reaching every bone, nerve, and organ, every fiber and drop of blood. There were so many that Lorelei couldn’t even distinguish them from one another. She tried to make the holy powers follow the paths Yanosh had drawn, but it was impossible. The energy was wild and unsubmissive. It jumped from branch to branch, twisting and ripping them apart, and gaining momentum instead of calming down.
“Damn! It is too much for your mind to handle!”
Yanosh’s spirit wavered as he cursed and continued creating new ice veins without halting even for a moment. But despite his efforts, Lorelei felt that what they were doing was futile. Maybe if she had more time to concentrate and study the intricate webbing, or if the barrier created by Bishop Petronius had been weaker, she would have stood a chance. Subduing the flowing river of power was impossible, even with the ghost’s help. Wave after wave of energy shook her body, threatening to break the fragile husk that was imprisoning them.
Sensing a strong surge targeting her heart, Lorelei instinctively redirected it, only for the power to collide with her lungs, driving the last sips of air out of them. It felt like she was drowning. Like she had fallen again in the savage depths of Tight-Pass Fjord - getting pulled by its traitorous currents and hungry whirlpools that mercilessly sucked in everything.
Another gust of energy was deflected from her heart and whirled several times before punching her stomach. To Lorelei’s surprise, the resulting impact, though nauseating, was less than expected.
A sudden thought shot through her mind. It was another gamble, but right now it was better than nothing.
When another surge of power broke free from Yanosh’s net, Lorelei caught it and guided the current around the center of her body, just below her heart. With immense effort, she willed the strand to rotate - once, twice, thrice - until there was no longer a clear distinction between its beginning and its end. The next wisp of energy too landed in the same place, twisting and coiling around the first. Then came the third and the fourth, and the fifth, and each new strand of power was easier to merge than the one before. Soon, the vortex under her heart sucked up every last bit of holy power, keeping it subdued yet in perpetual motion.
“A-amazing!” The sincere admiration in Yanosh’s voice made Lorelei gush with pride. “I never imagined such a method existed. How did you come up with it?!”
“Almost… drowned… once,” replied Lorelei exhausted. “Ever noticed that whatever gets trapped inside a whirlpool seldomlely comes out?”
“Fascinating.” Although Lorelei couldn’t see Yanosh’s face, she could very well hear the excitement in his voice. “If one could combine this with the energy branching that we Binshi are taught, this could solve the trouble with retaining soul-dust after collecting it…”
The ghost’s voice trailed off. After a moment of silence, he continued with a more somber tone.
“You seem to be safe for now, little sister. But be careful, should you decide to use this power since you still lack the training. And when you go back to Ildemar, let Akasha have a look at you to be sure all is safe.”
“Wait, are you planning to disappear somewhere again!?” Lorelei was appalled by his impudence. “If you are already here, you’d better stay and help us defeat those things! Are you going to run away and leave Noah alone? And Shana, what about her?”
“I don’t have much choice on the matter, little sister.” Lorelei noticed that his voice started to wane. “I am almost gone. My presence now won’t be of much help, only a distraction. Besides, you and Noah are more than capable of solving this. And Shana… it would be better for her not to see me…. Then goodbye, little sister. We will likely never see each other again.”
“No! Don’t go! Wait!”
Taking in a powerful breath, Lorelei sat upright, her eyes ripping wide open. Her mind lagged just a split second behind before a question buzzed between her temples:
Why was she on the ground?
The second one followed:
Why was her forehead hurting so much?
And then came the third one:
Why was Castor leaning over her with teary eyes and a bleeding nose?
“Praised be the Fathers!” the youth twanged, pinching his nostrils. “You woke up, Duchess! I thought-”
“What happened? How long was I out?” The questions shot out of Lorelei’s mouth while she was rubbing her aching forehead. Then it dawned on her and her cheeks flushed. “Oh, Castor, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to…”
“On the contrary, my lady, I am grateful for your sturdy build.” The young nobleman threw her a puzzled and worried look. “You fainted and then had convulsions for about two minutes. Do you feel anything amiss with your body now? Or your soul?”
“Nothing worth mentioning,” stated Lorelei, but secretly, she clenched the hand that had touched the golden pillar.
Not only her palm, but in fact her whole body felt like… like an overfilled wineskin? Like a hand being covered by a glove a size too small. Deep in her chest, she felt the swirling vortex of holy powers. For a moment, she feared that if she moved again, her skin would burst, but as she fidgeted a bit and nothing happened, her worries lessened.
She couldn’t hide her apprehension as well as she wanted. Castor’s brows furrowed and he gave her a condemning look.
“How did you even come to the idea of touching a holy barrier, my lady? By all means, you should have died on the spot!”
“Did it work?” Lorelei chose to abstain from further explanations. After all, she too had no idea what had happened and also had no intention to discuss Yanosh’s interference with the youth. Judging by the lack of golden light inside of the chapel, the barrier was no more.
Her heart drummed loudly as she ignored Castor’s avalanche of questions and his accusatory glares and crawled toward Rasha’s body which was now sprawling on the floor. As she passed by one of the barrier’s poles, golden sparks buzzed and crackled between her and the rod’s metal surface, making her yelp a curse and shrink back. When nothing more happened, she heaved in relief and hurried toward her still-unconscious target.
She gently put the young Binshi’s head on her lap and patted her cheeks.
“Rasha, dear, please, open your eyes!” she mumbled and choked, a giant knot forming in the pit of her stomach.
What if she never woke up? What if the forceful breaking of the barrier had damaged her soul or mind, or both!? Why didn’t she think of the dangers earlier? What if her suicidal attempt had cost the poor girl’s life!?
Just then, the girl’s fine, white lashes fluttered and a profoundly blue gaze drowsily peered at her from underneath the drooping eyelids.
“Rasha! Thank the Gods!” Lorelei pulled the confused girl into a bear hug. Tears rolled down her cheeks yet again, but this time it was from happiness.
“Star-hounds bite me! What happened?” mumbled the Binshi and clumsily patted her mistress’ shoulder. “There, there! Don’t cry, Lorelei. If you continue, you’ll puff up like a foraging squirrel.”
The moment she heard those words, Lorelei abruptly separated from the girl and gripped her shoulders, pushing her away. She studied the Binshi’s face. The features were the same that she remembered. But the blue of Rasha’s eyes extended beyond the iris and into the sclera like a boundless, star-filled sea.
Lorelei’s mouth became dry and her heart skipped a beat. Her nails dug into the Binshi’s shoulders.
“Rasha… no, Rish? You are Rish, right?! H-how…?!”