Broken Pieces

"I apologize for speaking out of turn, Father,” Sophia said as soon as they had gone their separate ways from Layla. "I simply thought-"

"Don't apologize. I understand what it took for you to speak up... and so does that poor table." John snickered, catching the slight blush that colored Sophia's cheeks.

"I apologize for that as well…”

As they exited the Abyssal Market, John activated his Barrier Walker skill to get them a little more privacy. In the calm quiet of their isolated Barrier, John felt much more comfortable than pacing down the noisy streets.

"Why don't we fly back to the Manor together?" John asked.

"Of course. Father," Sophia said, already moving toward him as her wings started to emerge from her back. But John waved her away, smiling softly at the eagerness she showed to carry him.

“Actually, I kind of want to try this on my own while we have the chance. And… while there aren’t others around to laugh at me if I fall,” John said, the last part only half a joke.

“Have you been learning a new technique, Father?”

“Not exactly. I had the idea to use my Elemental Infusion skill to fly all the way back when we were in Paix, but I’ve never really tested it.” The memories of his experimenting with soundproofing a room in the hotel came back to him as well. There was a lot of potential for fine control of elements in ways that didn’t involve using mana that could still be majorly beneficial in a fight or even for basic utility.

“Well, I enjoy carrying you, but nothing would bring me greater joy than to soar at your side,” Sophia swore, smiling slightly as John started to focus.

“I’ll see what I can do,” John promised, as the winds around him began to pick up. Sophia said something, but John couldn’t make out the words over the gale suddenly surrounding him – since he wasn’t using any mana in the spell, it took an absurd amount of wind to get even the slightest lift off the ground. Actually holding himself just a few inches off the sidewalk not only took a lot of effort to find the right wind speeds to avoid shooting up into the air or dropping down again, but also completely drowned out the sound of the world around him.

Wavering slightly in the air as his weight shifted around, John held himself steady long enough to twist the enchanted ring on his finger and link his thoughts to Sophia’s.

”Alright, this is going to take some getting used to,” John noted, still barely able to keep himself from swaying more than a few inches in any direction, much less holding still. Even laying himself down horizontally to give the wind more surface area, he still had to use what felt like a tempest to keep himself aloft. ”Definitely not as graceful as your flight, and I can’t hear a damn thing. If I do this long enough maybe I’ll get a skill that lets me do this more easily – if not, I don’t think it’s very practical in combat unless I work on a more efficient way of doing it, or somehow get crazy good at it.”

”I will follow beside you, Father. Set our pace and I will help you in any way that I can.”

John slowly shifted the wind to his back, and began something between flight and a very awkward fall forward. Sophia followed closely, though they were moving so slowly at first that she was doing little more than hovering in place.

Eventually John made small improvements to both his technique and his concentration. Keeping the wind steady became easier the more he did it, which eventually left him enough spare mental energy to try stabilizing some of the air around him – mostly his ears, eyes, and mouth. Really, his entire facial area. It was difficult – he had to stabilize the wind, but couldn’t hold it perfectly still – even though he didn’t need to breathe anymore, if he held the air perfectly still, he’d still be unable to speak or hear.

”Hang on, back in that motel I could hold the air still enough that I couldn’t pull the door open. Can I make it hold my full weight?”

John stopped flying forward for a moment, and instead of just throwing wind at himself, he started focusing on the wind wrapped around his body. It was a bit of an unusual shape, and John had a hard time perfectly wrapping around his body with the skill – he ended up holding still more of a spherical shape around his entire form than a perfectly wrapped cloak of air, leaving only his head out. But it worked – John stayed perfectly still in the air, surrounded by what felt like a solid object.

”A new technique, Father?”

”No, just a change in strategy,” John replied, experimenting with his new shell of air. John willed it forward and almost fell out of it, his concentration not carrying all the wind at once. After a few tries, John managed to make it the length of an entire building without almost falling out. A few blocks later, he was moving at a fast enough clip to make it noticeably faster than walking.

”This is pretty awesome!” John said aloud, the primal delight of flying filling him now that he wasn’t having to struggle just to stay afloat. Being able to hear his own voice again was a nice touch as well. ”I mean, it’s not perfect, since my body has to be kind of stuck in the same position, but I think if I learn to wrap it more closely around me, I could figure out how to move it with me too. And at least now I can hear and talk to you. I still prefer your wings, though.”

“I am honored,” Sophia said, smiling as they continued down the streets.

Alone in the Barrier with only Sophia by his side, the quiet was deep but calming, now that it wasn’t being drowned out by constant upward drafts. As the two of them flew alongside each other, John basked in the warm comforts of the day’s fading sun a little longer before breaking the silence again.

“Sophia, tomorrow is going to be your day to choose what we do. What would you like to do?”

The pause between his question and her response was a lot longer than John thought it would be, but the answer was exactly what he’d already expected.

“I would like to train, Father.”

John fought back a chuckle, settling for a soft grin and a slight shake of his head. “I might have known. If that’s really what you want, then I can’t deny it to you… but are you sure?”

“Positive.” An answer as certain as the harpy herself.

“Alright. Any preferences on who you want in the party?” John wasn’t really expecting Sophia to weigh in much on party members for a training session, since she seemed to respect everyone but John and their enemies equally. Perhaps that was why this answer caught him so off-guard.

“No one. I want to train alone, Father,” Sophia said, her eyes deadly serious though they remained set on the empty streets ahead of them.

“Alone? Why do you want to train alone?” John asked, quirking an eyebrow up. “Just the two of us can’t clear many dungeons, or at least not very quickly...”

“Not the two of us, Father. I want to train alone.”

John’s jaw actually dropped a bit as they hovered through the air; his unstable flight became so erratic that he had to touch down for a moment before he was able to lift up and remain steady again.

“That’s quite the unusual request. I don’t have a problem with it, but is there a reason?” John asked, his words heavy with curiosity he didn’t bother to hide.

“It is simply something that I know needs to be done,” Sophia said, unusually vague for the blunt woman.

“You’re just full of surprises today! But if that’s what you want, that’s fine with me,” John mused. “Though I’m not sure if-”

A Non-Party Member has entered your Barrier! Barrier Walker has been deactivated.
Your Barrier has been taken over by a higher-level mage!
Your Barrier has become Trap Barrier! You are unable to leave this Barrier without defeating the person controlling it!

The notifications flashed in front of John’s eyes in under a second, catching him off-guard enough to cause him to lose control of his makeshift wind shell. John landed immediately after reading the notification, battle gear already equipped when his feet touched down. Their surroundings hadn't changed; they were still surrounded by a replica of the streets of Springfield, but that wasn’t very comforting considering how many buildings there were someone could have been hiding in.

“Father, I have your back,” Sophia said, just as John heard her circling behind him, keeping only enough distance between them that she could leave her wings extended.

“I don’t see anyone. And I’m not seeing any signs of magic, aside from the Barrier getting taken over. But there’s no reason for them to do that unless they’re going to make a move of some kind.”

“I suppose this might indeed qualify as a move, but you can drop the blade, John Newman. I assure you I have no plans to harm you.”

The voice was feminine, though it was a deeper one at that. It was also unshakably calm, almost amused, as its owner stepped out from around a corner two blocks down. She held her hands out in a placating manner, but John refused to let his guard down – especially when he got a proper look at her.

The woman was wearing an outfit that was perhaps a bit of a menagerie, and each piece more jarring than the last. She wore a red strapless dress and long, elbow-length red gloves that might have been elegant, though they were paired with combat boots of a darker scarlet, with slight elevation to the heels. Her upper body was covered by a large black cloak that hung loosely over her shoulders and around her torso, bound by a gold thread connecting it around her neck.

Something between a skirt and a belt made of cloth hung around her waist, bound in place with another golden band of thread… and upon that thread hung an ornamented set of bones, inlaid with gems and what appeared to be glistening runes. Some of them appeared to be weapons, bone daggers of a sort. Others were simply skulls or other bits of skeletons, dangling with no obvious use as tools.

But all of that was observed from John’s peripheral, because he could hardly tear his eyes away from her face. Half of her face was that of a normal, if beautiful, woman – red hair curled and dangled down her right side, and a soft and playful smile danced there. But the entire left half of her head was transformed or disfigured, John couldn’t quite tell which. She still had most of the skin on her face, though it was discolored into a pale white and yellow sheen that dully covered everything on that side of her head. Her hair had either been matted or transformed entirely into some kind of bone-like structure, an unnatural and disconcerting mimicry of the bouncing locks they mirrored.

Her nose collapsed on that side of her face, as if intentionally flattened rather than being crushed. Her eye was surrounded by what could have been nearly a full inch of eyeliner, but John suspected was fully dead or discolored skin. A slight crater in her left cheek was so deep and sudden her face almost appeared black in that spot as the setting sun’s light passed over the gap entirely.

It took John a moment to understand the physical appearance of what he was seeing, but his new Observe passive showed the truth of the matter immediately – that entire side of her head was emanating an aura of powerful, dark necromantic energy. A cast of his active Observe told John all that he needed to know.

Bella Oferta
Level 139 Necromancer
<Northern Ashes>
HP: 11,210 / 11,210
Relationship: 10
Alignment: -32
Status Effects: Partial Soul [83%, Stable]

"Apologies for surprising you like this,” Bella continued, still slowly approaching. “I had to get your attention before you got too close to Order territory. The Golden Rose aren't too fond of my kind, and they have a knack for sniffing us out no matter how well we conceal ourselves.”

"Last I heard, your “kind” were in the middle of a genocide. Seems like a pretty good reason for distaste."

“I assure you, everything we have done has been for the greater good of all humanity. When we are done, we will make amends for the pain that we have caused.”

“You can’t make amends for the people you’ve killed, the lives and families you’ve destroyed,” John called out. He was glad that Bella was being so talkative – whatever she was planning, John sincerely doubted her claims of not intending to harm him, but as little reassurance as John got from her, at least their conversation gave John plenty of time to dial Moira with his free hand. He was sure his motions behind his back were far from subtle, but so far Bella had made no moves to stop him.

“You may think that, but we would not have begun this war if we did not intend to do far greater good for the world than the pain that we cause. Lady Allaquetz is close, John Newman. Closer than anyone else has ever been, of that I am sure. The barrier between our world and the next is so thin when she weaves her spells you can hear the screams of the damned! A few more pieces of ‘forbidden’ knowledge, another few of you glorious late-bloomers added to our numbers, and we will shatter that barrier entirely. The underworld will be our playground, and the dead will rise again!”

“Ah, so you’re insane, then?” John mused, voice a little louder than it needed to be. He hadn’t checked his phone to see if the call had gone through – or even if he’d hit the right speed dial button – but he could hear the unmistakable tones of a slightly annoyed Warden quickly running the gamut from curious, to worried, then to commanding shouts so loud that John could make out some of the words, and the sound of clanking armor.

“Think what you will. Your belief is not important, but your cooperation may be…” Bella mused, her smile growing slightly. “We were watching you before you disappeared, you know. Ever since information about you began to leak out across the Abyss.”

“Well, don’t I feel special. But I’m no necromancer, and I can’t help with whatever bullshit you think is worth killing thousands of mages and chasing my friends out of their homes for.”

“You are special, even among your peers, but it isn’t just you. We’ve been watching many mages, some late-bloomers like yourself, others talented healers, necromancers, summoners, ritualists… we’ve been preparing for this war for a very long time. You may not believe it, but Lady Allaquetz certainly does. We will not end this war until we have the knowledge we need to bring the dead back to life, in full! Your abilities are-”

“Useless.” The word fell from John’s lips with even more venom than he’d intended, bitter memories surging through his mind of bodies and tears and blood and hate and… and… “For what you’re attempting, they’re useless. So is every other ability. I don’t know what madness your leader has gotten into her head, but I have spoken with one of the Aspects themselves. What you seek is beyond even them.”

“Beyond their permissions… but I doubt beyond their abilities. They are forbidden from breaking the rules of this world, John Newman! The Aspects are but pieces of Gaia; they cannot break her commandments, even while she slumbers. But you of all people know well that we are not bound by those rules. Your magic allows you to bring to life Barrier creatures that should be little more than magical constructs, bind them to reality, and give them new life – create entire new species! You already defy the most sacred rules of magic, John Newman. What’s one more?”

The silence grew between them. Bella stood there with her hand outstretched toward John, as if genuinely believing he would walk to her and take it. When he showed no signs of doing so after several more seconds, Bella let out a soft sigh.

“I was afraid that you would refuse. I was hoping to avoid more ****.”

“If you think I’m going to be easy to capture, you’re going to be disappointed!” John said loudly, with as much confidence and aggression as he could project. But Bella just offered another sigh, heavier with more sadness than John had anticipated.

“I told you, John Newman, I have no intentions of harming you. But I assure you, we have every intention of chasing any lead we have on magic that could help us break the final seals to whatever afterlife awaits us. I did not come here to kidnap you. I came here to offer you a chance to end this war now, without more suffering. We intend to restore the lives we take eventually, but far better to avoid shedding that blood in the first place. Lady Allaquetz does not share my convictions, but I believe that you hold the key to breaking those seals!”

“And I’m telling you it’s useless!” John replied angrily, knuckles white against the hilt of his sword. “If it were possible, I’d do anything, even give my own soul in exchange for hers! But it’s foolish. All you’re doing is killing more people, adding to the suffering of this world. There will be no restored life at the end of your war – only ****, yours and everyone who follows you.”

“...Give your own soul, you say?”

Bella ignored his threats, her smile returning, just as confident and amused as before. She met John’s eyes with a fiery look, amplified by an intense surge in the necromantic aura surrounding the decayed part of her head. Blue light glistened in the iris of her left eye, a gleaming azure flame that danced and flickered with joyous decay.

“How interesting a choice of words, John Newman. You see, the reason I am like this… is because I sacrificed a part of my own soul during one of our rituals. The pain, the agony of splitting a soul… it’s like nothing else. So is what comes after. I can feel that part of my soul still, you see. I can feel the cold desolation of the world it inhabits, vague flickers of the world beyond. And sometimes, just for a moment, just for a fleeting instant, I can feel it when my soul touches another. Flashes of memory invade my mind of lives I’ve never lived, deaths I’ve never died. I’ve touched countless souls since mine joined their ranks, John. I’ve even met some of my old friends that have passed on since then, felt them as that fragment of my soul wandered past their departed form. I’ve studied every soul-based magic there is, John. I know the feeling of a soul, and I never forget it once I’ve felt it resonating.”

“That sounds horrifying,” John growled, the hackles on the back of his neck rising.

“Oh, it can be. But sometimes it’s so very, very fascinating,” Bella said, eye nearly lighting the street with intensity as her glowing gaze met his. “Because would you like to know what I felt just over a year ago?”

“Don’t you fucking dare, I’ll-”

“It was you, John.”

John’s anger and words froze, not gone, but chilled under a layer of ice that suddenly seemed to settle over his mind.