Ebook 8: Chapter 6: Spirit Ritual

“You see,” Dar stated, gesturing across the damp, dome-shaped cave, “the area presents glorious resonance. Not as good as one thing constructed for the aim, however superb, nonetheless.”

Victor didn’t know precisely what Dar meant by resonance and even “the aim,” however he tried to fill within the blanks and sound like he had a clue: “You talked about one thing concerning the Spirit Airplane?”

“Right. Inform me, Victor, while you Spirit Stroll from inside a metropolis, what number of buildings do you see on the Spirit Airplane?”

“Normally none.”

“Precisely!” Dar gently ushered Lam towards the middle of the cave. “Sit there on that easy part of stone. Assume a cultivation pose and attempt to tune out our dialog; try to be working to nonetheless your thoughts and put together for a tough ordeal.”

“Oh,” Lam regarded across the cave, illuminated by a brilliant white globe of Vitality that Dar had summoned. She all of the sudden regarded lower than enthusiastic, and Victor couldn’t blame her; this was an enormous leap of religion she was taking. However, she steeled herself and moved to sit down the place Dar had indicated.

“So, Victor, if a constructing doesn’t exist on the Spirit Airplane, can we use it to focus Vitality, creating our crucible for Lam’s spirit?”

“No, however I’ve seen buildings on the Spirit Airplane. Wouldn’t it be potential to—”

“Construct one thing extra exact than a cave beneath my residence? Definitely! Although it will take years to power the essence of such a construction to bleed into that realm. This pure area is completely wonderful, and I feel Lam would slightly not wait.”

“You’re proper, sir,” Lam grunted as she sat and assumed a lotus place on the graceful stone.

“Stand shut, Victor, and hearken to what I say. I’ll be utilizing some spells you’ve not realized, however this will likely be a superb studying expertise, nonetheless. Your main function on this ritual will likely be to provide massive quantities of Vitality as I assemble the crucible.”

“All proper,” Victor moved nearer to the big, stony man. Dar wore one in all his signature pajama-like units of silken clothes. They had been the colour of habañero peppers and regarded very comfy as he gracefully sat earlier than Lam, his massive body dwarfing hers.

“Pay attention, Lam; a part of this ritual entails me separating part of your spirit to maintain secure and safe in your physique. It is going to be the anchor that pulls the remainder of your spirit residence by way of the crucible Victor and I’ll assemble round it.”

“I see.” Lam licked her lips and nodded, her eyes darting to Victor after which again to Dar. Victor needed to sit down beside her, to place his arm over her shoulders and shield her. He banished the impulse, understanding there was much more to Lam than her present nervousness. She was a strolling incarnation of willpower; if she needed to succeed, she would.

“To that finish, you’ll want to slide right into a cultivation trance, opening your self to the Vitality round us. That can assist me entry your spirit from the Spirit Airplane.”

“Is that each one?”

“No, that’s solely step one. When you’re meditating upon your Vitality, I want you to focus your ideas on the a part of your self that’s most cussed, most willful, and most defiant. Utilizing your focus, I’ll have the ability to carve that side away, and it is going to be that shard, with heavy, deep roots, that I’ll go away anchored in your physique.”

“How do I deal with that?”

Stunning himself, Victor answered, “Take into consideration all of the instances you’ve been denied and all of the instances you’ve risen as much as take what individuals stated you couldn’t have. Take into consideration while you fled residence. Take into consideration the way you rose within the Legion regardless of captains who tried to maintain you down. Take into consideration the way you used the Greatbone Mining Consortium to collect wealth and energy, taking a noble title when the previous the Aristocracy tried to maintain you beneath their boots. Take into consideration . . .”

“I feel I’ve it, Victor. Thanks,” Lam’s eyes shimmered with unspent tears as she smiled at him. Possibly she didn’t assume he’d paid consideration to all these issues, however he had.

“Good.” Dar nodded after which motioned for Victor to sit down beside him. “We’ll Spirit Stroll now, Lam. Once you’ve accomplished what I instructed, we’ll realize it.”

“Ought to I summon my coyotes to observe us?” Victor requested.

Dar shook his head. “My guardian side will watch over us, apprentice. Save your Vitality, for I’ll use each drop.”

Victor nodded and sat down, forming a triangle with Dar and Lam. He felt a small surge of Dar’s Vitality and knew the grasp had despatched his spirit onto the Spirit Airplane. Earlier than following him, Victor checked out Lam and stated, “I do know you are able to do this.”

“I do know, Victor. Thanks in your confidence and for being right here with me. If one thing goes improper, please inform . . .”

Victor did as he was advised, following Dar as he moved concerning the circle, seemingly at random, tracing one glowing glyph after one other into the stone cavern flooring. In the meantime, Lam’s spirit grew to become an increasing number of palpable as she opened herself to the Spirit Airplane. Whereas watching, Victor requested, “Is everybody open to the Spirit Airplane after they domesticate?”

“To a point, aye, although Lam’s in a spot the place the barrier between planes could be very skinny, partly due to the character of this cave, however largely since you and I are at the moment spirit strolling right here, our spirits have pierced the veil, and so they maintain the doorway open for our return.”

“Veil? Just like the veil to the land of the useless?”

“No, a extra generic sense of the phrase. There are a lot of veils separating the varied planes, universes, and realities. The veil to the land of the useless is way extra generally talked about, primarily because of Loss of life Casters and their fascination with it.”

“However,” Victor couldn’t assist however fish for solutions to questions that had plagued him ever since he’d realized about Belikot and his death-attuned magic, “what’s that place? If the Spirit Airplane is the place spirits wander, what’s by way of the veil? The one the demise casters are obsessive about? I imply, I met Previous Mom on the Spirit Airplane, and she or he had no intention of going—”

“It’s difficult, Victor. Our spirits are influenced by our lives and our beliefs. When your Previous Mom died, she believed she would wander far as a spirit and begin a brand new life. Her perception strengthened her will, and she or he made it so. Some individuals haven’t any such conviction, and so they’ll wander the Spirit Airplane for some time till their inertia fades, their lingering character disburses, and so they succumb to the pull of one of many locations past the veil. There, they could wallow and wander for millennia and even eons earlier than one thing occurs to spark their want to start anew. Alternatively, some power, some god or equally highly effective entity, pulls them out, and so they make their approach into one other materials airplane to start a brand new life.”

“So, what you imagine impacts what occurs to your spirit?”

“Precisely so. For that purpose, I’m satisfied there are numerous heavens and plenty of hells created from the mixed power of will of hundreds of thousands of spirits believing one factor or one other. Not everyone seems to be fortunate sufficient to be a Spirit Caster, strolling round with out their physique lengthy earlier than they die, studying the universe’s secrets and techniques earlier than their time. Your Previous Mom has probably already wandered far and chosen a wonderous place to start anew.”

“So the place your pal, Grasp Lo’ro,” Victor tried to point out the correct respect, “is taking me by way of that veil, however will he know the place we’re once we step by way of?”

“Oh, he’ll have his theories. It may very well be some model of a hell or limbo, but it surely gained’t be a pleasant place; you’re on the lookout for tormented vestiges of intelligence. It might appear merciless, however you’re probably doing these spirits a service, bringing them forth and exposing them to repeated contact together with your will. It might shorten their torment by 1000’s of years.” Dar stood, and his glowing wand of Vitality disappeared. He brushed his palms off, regarded across the circle, and nodded. “Finished. We’ll cost these sigils with Vitality, strategically intermixing our harsher affinities with our extra encouraging ones. We should take a look at Lam’s spirit, however we have to be cautious to make sure she makes it by way of.”

“Are you going to separate off a shard to maintain secure in her physique?”

“Solely once we’re prepared to start will I pull her spirit by way of, entrapping it on this circle. Then we’ll return to the Materials Airplane along with her shard and coax the remainder of her residence by way of this crucible.” He clasped Victor’s wrist in his huge, surprisingly smooth hand and pulled him towards the sting of the circle. “Once I let you know to channel a sure Vitality, accomplish that; I’ll information it into the sigil.”

“Okay,” Victor nodded, “prepared.”

“Worry,” Dar stated. Victor pulled a ribbon of the darkish, purple-black Vitality out of his Core and despatched it by way of his pathways into Dar’s hand, the place it gripped his wrist. Dar grunted his approval, knelt, and touched a sigil along with his different hand. It flared with the darkish Vitality. “Good!” He moved his hand to a close-by sigil and stated, “Rage.” Victor switched his pull, driving a few of his purple, indignant Vitality into Dar’s hand, and a second later, the sigil flared with crimson hearth. So it went on for almost an hour. Dar led him across the circle, lighting many of the runes with concern or rage, however sometimes, he’d ask for glory or inspiration.

When Dar lastly launched his wrist, he stated, “Relaxation now. I’ll cost the remaining.” Victor noticed that he’d solely helped cost about half the runes. He nodded and sat down close to the misty essence of Lam’s spirit, watching as the large, pajama-clad man nimbly stepped across the circle, effortlessly charging every rune with faucets of his naked toes. Some flared with golden, glowing Vitality, others with orange mild that reminded Victor of Dar’s rune carving rod, and nonetheless others had been populated with chilly, grey Vitality that stuffed Victor’s coronary heart with dread if he regarded too lengthy upon it.

“Stand,” Dar stated, startling Victor out of his ruminations. He blinked, questioning the place he’d gone; he’d misplaced himself trying into these chilly, grey runes. “Watch now as I attain by way of this aperture into Lam’s Core and pull forth her spirit.” He didn’t await Victor to acknowledge his phrases. He simply did precisely what he stated he’d do; he pushed his thick, black hand into the misty golden Vitality hanging on the middle of the circle. He appeared to pay attention for a few seconds, after which he pulled his hand again, gripping the ethereal, translucent form of Lam’s spirit by the wrist.

She was bare, with wild hair and blazing wings, and she or he regarded livid. Her eyes scanned the cave, however they didn’t appear to see Victor or Dar. Victor averted his gaze, by some means feeling soiled Lam’s nakedness, wishing he might banish that glimpse of her breasts from his thoughts. “She gained’t pay attention to us. Her senses on this airplane are wanting. That is her defiant side, the powerful, willful piece of her that you simply helped her to focus upon. After we return to the Materials Airplane, I’ll convey this a part of her with us, however the bulk of her spirit will likely be left behind.”

“Why can’t I see the remainder of her spirit?”

“Effectively, as a result of this side is overbearing—once I pull it residence, what’s left will look comparable, although probably much less . . . indignant.” Dar chuckled, watching Lam’s spirit crouch, palms out, able to claw something that challenged her. Victor had by no means seen such a fierce expression on her face, not even when he’d watched her struggle.

“Are you positive she doesn’t want that a part of her to struggle by way of the crucible?”

“She could, but it surely’s higher to have her strongest side in her physique, clinging tightly to her flesh, forcing the remainder of her to return residence.” Dar clapped Victor on the shoulder. “I do know you’re frightened, however belief me, boy. I do know what I’m doing. Let’s return now.” This time, slightly than prepared the ground, Dar watched Victor till he nodded and severed his connection to the Spirit Stroll.

When he returned to the dim, pure cave, he discovered Lam slumped over, staring on the stone flooring, drool operating down her chin. As he reached out to wipe the saliva from her face and gently push her mouth closed, Dar moved, grunting. He was again in his physique, and he reached out to the touch Lam’s brow. A flash of golden Vitality advised Victor the Spirit Grasp had put the defiant fragment of Lam’s spirit again inside. Her eyes sparkled momentarily, however then she slipped again into catatonia.

“Now, Victor, you’ll take her left hand, and I’ll take her proper. Collectively, we’ll urge her spirit fragment to name the remainder of her spirit residence. We’ll lend her Vitality for the struggle, and her spirit will push its approach by way of the crucible we constructed. When it breaks free and comes residence, Lam will likely be entire however drastically lowered in Vitality potential.”

Victor nodded, virtually feeling like he’d accomplished one thing improper, like he was responsible of one thing, as he took Lam’s hand. Was this a mistake? Ought to he have talked Lam out of this? Between himself and Dar, they’d put a hell of plenty of Vitality into that “crucible.” What if Lam couldn’t make it? What in the event that they took away an excessive amount of of her defiance within the spirit shard they’d left in her physique? “C’mon, hermana,” he growled, gripping her skinny, limp hand. “I’m not letting you get misplaced. Come on! Time to return residence.”