'Inhale', 'exhale', 'inhale'
"Kael?"
'Exhale', 'inhale'
"KAEL!"
"Hmmm!"
"What's with the breathing exercise."
"Oh! Well I'm just trying to get myself in the mood."
"Seriously, you're breaking a seal, not about to have sex. You're nervous aren't you?"
"What! No, not one bit."
"..."
"Why are you looking at me like that Asha?"
"I can also fee your emotions remember, so you should think twice the next time you decide to lie terribly in front of me."
I shook my head as a smile broke out on my face. I was sure that even without the bond, she would have known that I was nervous. Of course I was being rather obvious with the whole inhale and exhale routine, my uneasiness was laid bare for everyone to see.
"you don't ha e to do this right now you know, we can wait for a time when you're more comfortable." Asha said to me with a soothing voice.
But I did not want to wait, and I knew she also didn't want to wait either. I could see and feel her anticipation, her worries and her fears, but most especially her hopes. She would support me no matter what, even at the detriment of herself.
She was loyal to a fault, and I loved her for it. And to be honest loving Asha was the most spontaneous thing that's happened to me ever since I woke in this pit, a prisoner, a vampire, with my memories missing. I've understood something so far though, you can't explain love, it just was.
"Don't worry Asha, I'm fine. Let's do this."
Asha nodded her head, and laid flat on her back. She was wearing a gotten shirt that was rolled up in a bunch under breasts, living her stomach exposed to my sight. When I first saw the seal on her stomach I thought it was a work of art. There were so many rune circles, layered one on top of the other and drawn with a flowing gold script that spoke droves about the regality of the person who weaved it. Now with each pulse it released, ting motes of black dust floated up from Asha's stomach.
I didn't need a book to tell me that this was poison, it was decay slowly eating away at Her and the baby in her womb. There was nothing beautiful about this seal, all I could see was malice, and wickedness. I was going to get rid of it, I was going to fight it, and vanquish it.
Because I felt deep inside of me, that it wasn't just Asha and our baby's life that's the line, but the future of something greater and powerful that I could not even begin to comprehend much less understand. I felt somehow that the hand of fate was moving here, that it was pushing me and guiding me to this current battle.
Of it could just be that this was destiny, either Asha's, mine or our baby. Our destinies might have brought us to this point to fulfill something, a purpose or a calling of sorts....what a load of bull shit. I did not give a damn about destiny or fate, and maybe it's because I didn't understand those two concepts, or the fact that ever since I woke up, I've been swept up into. A river of events that I had no control over. The only I did know right now, was that I was alive, and I made my choices. Not fate, and most definitely not destiny. Everything I do from here on out is Kael and Kael alone. I will deal with destiny and her bitch of a sister fate when the time comes.
"Be careful" I heard Xaseah speak up from behind me. But before I could answer, Teluna decided to answer for her.
"You will have more luck teaching a barbarian to sing, he does not know the meaning of the word caution much less the actions to take for it's implementation. He's hopeless."
"YOU BLOODY MPHMMMMMMMMMM" Asare had his hands clamped over my mouth as I screamed all manner of obscenities that should be kept away from a ten year old cynic of a vampire.
"Ahh! Lord Kael, you should calm your temper. You're about to carry out a great undertaking, would you'd let the likings of a little child throw you off your game. Besides you're supposed to be the elder, get a hold of yourself, this is shameful." Asare chides with an exasperated tone.
I wrenches his hand off my mouth, and made sure I gave him and the rest of our crew a scathing glare. I shook my head as Xaseah and Nisi tried but failed to contain their amusement. It was a little annoying, so I turned my attention to the task at her hand. It was time.
I place both hands on Asha's stomach and felt a shiver run through her body. I gave her a wide grin as she glared at me. I couldn't help it though, knowing that I could make a woman and his powerful affected by just a simple touch, did wonders for my ego. Then I called up my soul energy to my finger tips, feeling it rush through my limbs with a speed and clarity it didn't have before.
It was intoxicating, this feeling, this power was without compare. The euphoria I felt by holding the secret to the very core of a person being was so palpable that I felt the air sizzle with anticipation. Then I pushed my soul perception and energy into the seal, and once again I fell.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
When I opened my eyes I was in a different location. I was in the rune circle, but unlike the last rune circle this one had a few differences, or I should say a whole lot of differences. It was a corridor no doubt, long and stretching to as far as my simples eyes can see. But the walls were different, they were made of crystal like spikes, place in a hexagonal formation, and every few seconds the crystals would shift position and even change shapes from stalagmite shape spikes, rhomboid like diamonds.
Also this crystals were a bright gold, but its glow was suffused with a black smoke like material, that could be seen floating and thriving inside of the golden crystals. Every few seconds, the crystals would drip out a black liquid, that would converged into a screaming face, before rolling back to another crystal for it to reabsorbed, repeating the entire sequence of events.
[This does not look good one bit, but it's too late to turn back now]
"of course it is, he has to see this through to the end. It's the only way he can finally set himself free, from the tie of fate and misfortune. After all this time he not fighting for his past, or his present. He's fighting for his future."
I was so startled that I took more than a dozen steps back. Which turned out to be a bad idea, because my back touch one of those golden black crystal spikes. The ensuing pain was so terrible it threw me down to my feet. I looked back at the crystal to see that it had turned a startling shade of red, with black smoke rising out from its tip, and also I could see the same smoke rising out from my back.
"Ahh!, I should probably warn you, don't touch the wall of crystallize soul energy. It's POSION, and it hurts. But you already know that now, so all is well. After all it is said that experience is the best teacher."
Two Jasons!, or course I knew the smoky and transparent Jason has to be the real one. While the bland faced and really pale one, was earth. One of them, I might be able to handle, but two was just to much. These guys are really trying to push me to my limits.
"what are you guys doing here?" I asked, with as much control as I could muster.
Earth looked at me, folded his arms and said.
"I have a lot riding on you, well not just you, but nine other individuals that I have pulled across space and time to answer the call, and stop the darkness that's to come. Since you're sealed, and have no access to me, this is the only place we can talk. I have to teach you everything you need to learn before the fight comes to you. And as for Jason, until you accept your past and become whole, he's going to be like a ghost haunting you."
I blinked my eyes wide at the straightforward explanation. Somehow I had this impression that a meeting like this, was supposed to be ominous and full of vague messages s and half truths. But now it just seemed so straight. But from the looks of things, I couldn't do anything about this.
"so what have you come to teach me today?" I asked with a tired voice.
"that's a good question. Today I'm going to teach you about what you're doing right now." Earth replied.
"Oh! And what might that be?" I asked back. But it was Jason who replied.
[Soul Walking]
"who asked you?, keep quite ghost of Kael's past, you're not allowed to talk." I snapped at Jason.
[Why?]
"oh maybe it's because you freak me out, in fact you both do. But I'm sure I don't have a choice in whether I want this lesson or not."
"No you don't." Earth replied.
"fine let's get this lesson over with."
"Good. Soul walking is a technique that's innately available to every person capable of controlling, accessing and manipulating souls and soul energy. In a manner of speaking, soul walking can be considered a form of astral projection, however astral projection depends on the spirit of a person and not the soul. And don't ask me what the difference between a sport and a soul is, it's nothing for you to worry about."
I snapped my mouth shut swallowing the question on my tongue.
"Soul walking is the art of moving your soul out of your mortal body, giving you the ability to possess other people, objects, or even travel dimensions. A rune circle with a seal, is a phenomenon that goes against the very rules of nature itself, so it exists in a dimension of its own, thriving and existing on the basis of it's own laws.
Which means there are only three possible ways for a person to alter or destroy a rune circle apart from overloading it with soul energy from the outside, which is nothing short of impossible since rune circles are designed to isolate and keep soul energy contained to power a rune. The first way is by mental path of telepathy, albeit a very advanced one. The second is yours, by soul walking or in layman terms, possession. And the third is spirit path of astral projection.
But there are risks in soul walking. If you leave your body for a very long time, one of three things could happened. One you're body could become possessed by a wandering soul, or even worse by a demon. Two you're body dies, without a Consciousness to control it, you're body would probably die of starvation. And the final one, you and your body become hollows. Fearsome spiritual remnants of lost souls. The souls become capable of controlling their body from the outside, but they can never possess their body or any other again till they cease to exists.
Hmmmmmm I seem to be forgetting something. Ahh! I remember, take care never to go soul walking near this group of people unless you absolutely trust them. A witch, and I understand your mate Asha is one, oh well not my place to say anything about how bad a match that is. Two a necromancer, a warlock, a soulmancer, a dark priest, and a dark druid. Now that's it for this session, have fun. There are quite a few surprises in this seal for you, but I let you experience them for yourself. Some things, you just have to face and learn on your own. Have fun"
And then he was gone. But unlike last time, there was no scores of soul beasts around to take a bite out of me, there was just one person in front of me. And simultaneously Jason and I called out to the person.
"Dad!"
[Dad!]