-----------------------Chapter 6------------------------

---------------Shear Wind Scraping---------------

1

"Cmon cmon..." I started digging, tearing open this grave site, wisps of energy rose from the ground, I was in no condition to keep pushing myself before and much less now, yet...

My consciousness started to fade, my body weakened, energy soaked my skin as I fell to the dirt. It could be said that the very ground was opening by itself to swallow me, only I could see what was actually happening, I was being met halfway.

The spirit was a semi-physical being, and it had will remaining, that surprised me, but more so did the glowing hands that separated the dirt.

I started to remember...

2

This happened before, from Orthosie, the man who fell to his death, both spirits moved of their own will to attach to me, it was like a strange force of nature that propelled both of them. Soon, we became face to face, but what stared back at me only vaguely resembled the warrior I had just met.

My ears were ringing and my body was numb, only my vision stayed clear, but even my eyes started to burn and burn. Engraved on my mind was magic, like a scar or even tumor, nothing soothed the burning, yet it did not bother me, this had happened many times before, but I had never experienced it so vividly.

Without words, I rose to my feet.

3

My body was distinctly not my own, I had nearly become my own foreign body, instead, magic swelled and filled the gaps, it pushed my lungs giving them air, so much that I coughed out dust and dirt. My muscles were unknotted and my blood was cleansed, I could feel every inch of my body dying and growing, even excess bodily fluids were expelled, I had been rejuvenated.

I took a back seat in my own mind, I suspected this is the battle I was truly ment to fight. Magic grew in a torrent around the graveyard, in the distance I could see Jupiter shielding Europa as the wind picked up its speed. Soon enough it grew sharp enough to pierce the spirits, small as sharp threads of wind rending their blessed forms, and as more fell, magic started to soak the ground, rising from their graves.

It was difficult to navigate my mind, the magic had swelled to deeply within it, leaving me with little space to myself. Each one of these swellings of magic was once a person, one who had gained consciousness, I could not blame them for wanting to hold onto any other scrap of it they could, but I needed my mind back. Searching and searching brought me nothing, I needed to look deeper, but there was an answer in front of me already...

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Approaching me was a man, he had no defining features, let alone a face, but I couldn't have known what he looked like anyways. The only reason I could see him now is because I needed to "Ferryman, I have something I need to repay you for" I heard his voice, but it could have been anyone's, I couldn't have known what he sounded like.

"Consciousness took its toll on me, without anyone I could talk to I slowly grew mad... but in here, so many voices and beings, it all became so overwhelming." I let him keep talking, I was not making any progress with my mind, and it was best to hear out the words of a dead man "You've given me my home Ferryman, and for that I give you a terribly useless magic, but it's what you need to get your body back, I hope I'm of use to you, Ferryman"

Magic is rarely a thing you can intuit, I would not be surprised if someone could never find out what someone's magic is after they gain it. I don't know what a Ferry is, but whatever respect it affords me has already saved my life, I better pay it forward.

4

"Magic eject" my body became my own in an instant, I had found the problem, one large heep of magic that refused to give up the reigns. Physically, I have never been better, and it seemed like I didn't have to wait much time at all to test that...

The wind had died down and surrounded me was a multicolored array of lights flowing from the ground into the sky, and in front of me was a sprit, much like the ones from my blessing, but this one was different, it had form. The shape of a man became clearer, so did the large feathered hat and pickaxe on his person, long flowing fur clothes and a pointed mask with sharp features engraved onto it, more like a demon than a man. But something about this man filled me with emotion, like nothing before, out of the corner of my eye I could see Europa fall to her knees and Jupiter step back in shock, clearly this man was a force to be reckoned with. "I'm sorry but I couldn't let you control my body like that, use that temporary form to act out your desires" I spoke, now I could see him looking at me through the mask. "..." it was clear that he wanted to speak, he had no weapon drawn, only that strange huge pickaxe, I made an attempt to talk to them again. "I don't have any memory of taking your magic, do you know what happened?" He lowered his stance "...", what was he trying to say?, Jupiter made no movements, so I stood my ground, with some distance between us I was ready to take on this spirt. "Elias" it spoke, my name no less "Oh how big you've gotten" "..." who was this?, they know who I am, was I someone to them? "I'll make of this form what I can, Elias, find me, in a cabin deep in the forest where dregs gather" with that the sprit turned and left. With only one last remark "Elias, take care of Europa"