Horatio sighed heavily, laying his head on his desk at the very back of class 2C. It was the final lesson period of the day, and he was freshly out of tolerance for the whole ordeal. His math teacher stood before the class, droning on, but Horatio didn't care to listen. He already knew all he had to say, The Analyst never let him forget anything.
School had resumed just a month ago. Horatio remembered the previous school year perfectly. He had been a freshman only in name. In actuality, he knew much more than all the teachers combined, and The Analyst made it incredibly easy to stay out of trouble. That alone had made the year smoother than velvet, well until it's last day.
Horatio's lips began to curl into a thin smile. He allowed it. He couldn't stop it anyway, not when he thought of Margulis.
The crimson rose she embodied flashed into his mind. He agreed in the image wholly; She could be lovely and kind but also sharp and logical, all while retaining her rock-solid beauty. That fact always remained true, even back then.
"Yourself?" Horatio remembered how he had complained. He had felt a tinge of annoyance, and rightly so, it seemed Margulis' mind was fixed on one thing only. "Margulis I said-"
"Are you kidding? Just what do you take me for?" Margulis had chided him with a thick scowl. "You've made it clear that you wouldn't want that. If we're going to work together is paramount that we build trust, and foremost we must respect each other's wishes!" She had snapped. Her outburst made Horatio shrink back, making a sound as if to speak but instead he had looked away.
Horatio had noticed Margulis taking an inconspicuous breath in attempts to calm down. "Plus," she had begun, pushing the covers off herself and moving to sit at the side of the bed. She had faced away from Horatio for at that moment her previously loosened towel drooped, now held only at her waist. "That method leaves your soul less than pure... it's just not worth it." Margulis had informed. Horatio had noticed her emotions changing, moving into a more sombre spot, he did not pry.
Margulis then turned, purposely to catch Horatio's eyes with her own. "I could give us a temporary binding, one of a different, less destructive kind. If you permit me."
Horatio lifted his head, letting his left hand take its place on the table, its palm facing upwards. He arced a quick glance about the class, speedily studying his classmate's intentions as portrayed by their postures. 'They're all paying attention.' He noted and returned focus to his hand.
Activate energy control: Left hand." He ordered quietly, looking around once more to make sure he wouldn't be seen. His classmate's body languages told they would only look away from the teacher were he to spontaneously combust.
Horatio knew doing something careless like this could get him in trouble with Margulis, but he craved to feel it, feel the gift that Margulis Toldaap had granted him.
"Sector unlocked." The Analyst reported dryly. Horatio suspected it did not think well of Margulis. He ignored its tone, he did not care anyway. Anyone, according to Horatio, was entitled to their opinions, only if they were against Margulis; In that case, he recommended they stayed as opinions. It did not matter to him what they thought, as long as they did not hurt her he was fine.
"Horatio sighed furtively, satisfaction bubbling up inside him as he filled his mind with memories of Margulis. Over the two-month summer break, he had trained with her. He and she both underwent physical body exercises alongside combat training in the woods that surrounded the Toldaap Mansion.
During the time, Margulis dutifully mentored Horatio on several forms of combat. He, in turn, kept her teachings close to his heart, committing them to memory even without the help of The Analyst. This allowed him to fashion his own fighting style based upon those teachings.
Horatio had also rapidly gained muscle mass during the time, allowing him better use of the abilities he had earned. He still had a long way to go before he was in the league of Margulis and the other Voidwalkers who had a biological advantage over him.
Horatio had come to know that Margulis' muscular build was not only a product of biology but a result of a lifetime of constant training. She was adept in physical combat, a fact that Horatio worried would go to waste due to her over-reliance on magic. Now that he thought of it, Margulis did correct him on that fact, her 'magic' was actually a reality-breaking form of energy known as spirit energy.
"Spirits?" Horatio remembered asking, "You mean ghosts and stuff?" He gave her a quizzical stare. Margulis met his gaze but said nothing for several moments. Horatio felt a strange tension in the air, he wondered what he was about to find out; would she even tell him?
The silence was broken by a laugh, it was Margulis who was laughing. She laughed her long and hearty laugh, the one that made Horatio throb in the heart, and in one other place. For a moment the question was lost.
He watched her laugh, her features shining against the thin darkness of the woods, even the wrinkles that formed on her face as if shining only for him. No, at that moment, they truly were shining only for him. Horatio felt himself falling, deep into a place he did not want to leave, ever.
Margulis managed to hold her laughter, placing a hand over her mouth to calm herself, breathing deep to steady herself. Horatio felt his face flush. Was it in embarrassment? Was he simply flustered? He could not tell.
There were times when Horatio felt there was nothing else in the world except for her.
There were times he thought he felt a strange feeling when he looked at her.
There were times when he lost herself on the sound of her voice, not the words, just the sound.
Times when he had dreams of being together with her.
Times when those dreams were a simple date.
Times when the dreams had them as husband and wife working to raise a child.
"No no," she paused to wipe a tear with a wave of her hand, composing herself lest she burst into laughter again. "I don't mean ghosts, those don't exist. What I'm talking about is a bit more complex." She paused, staring off into space, seemingly mentally arranging the words. "I guess, in the simplest instance, it's runoff energies from The Being, and in this case, gained sentience." She explained, she herself looking unsure of the answer she gave.
Margulis rose to her feet, she looked down at Horatio for a moment before her eyes returned to the trees. Horatio watched in silence, he had found that allowing her to do her thing was much more rewarding than asking mindless questions. Even with The Analyst, the world of the Voidwalkers was flooded with unknowns, trying to piece together information relating to it would just get you more lost than before.
As Horatio looked on, Margulis' crimson locks began to light up, and so did her eyes. She looked up at the moon that was beginning its arc over the sky. She lifted the ends at her sides to her face smiling lightly as she looked at the glowing strands. She put it to her nostrils, breathing in in oblivious pleasure. "You know Horatio, I'm really glad you gave me this." She sighed.
"Oh, thanks. I'm just happy the binding didn't cause you any trouble." He replied sincerely. He looked over at Margulis and she flashed him a smile.
"Spirits, in their true form, cannot exist in any of the realms, that is physically impossible. I don't even want to think of the possible repercussions of forcing such an incident. Instead, spirits live freely in a realm apart from the realms, the spirit realm." Margulis said at length.
"Does the spirit realm have a name?" Horatio asked. Margulis eyes snapped to him in disbelief.
"Don't be ridiculous!" Margulis burst, "Who could possibly be pure enough to bestow a name onto the realm the remnants of The Beings holy energy dwell in? Even I'm quite disliked for my use of that power."
Horatio was taken aback by the suddenty of her outburst. "I'm sorry." He said, "That was uncalled for."
"No," Margulis waved off his apology, "You're not a Voidwalker, I shouldn't expect you to understand." She said and again an awkward silence settled in.
"Oh," Horatio mumbled, he looked down at the ground, then back up at Margulis. "I guess I should be going." He said, indicating Margulis' glowing features with a nod of his head. Margulis simply shook her head, her hair flapped about like some sort of godly headdress.
"No, Horatio, stay for a bit," Margulis bit her fingernail in thought. "I think I have an idea." Margulis pointed her palm to the ground before her, a red sigil spread over the bare soil, it was a simple blank sigil.
Horatio gave ger a questioning glance as he rose to her side. "I believe your power might give me enough strength to bind one to a worldly vessel." She responded.
Horatio thought for a while, mulling over her vague answer. "Wait, Margulis?"
"What is it, Horatio?"
"A spirit outside the spirit realm would have an unknown impact on its environment right?"
"That is indeed true."
Horatio paused his questioning to give Margulis a calculating stare.
"Margulis, pardon me for asking, but are you trying to get us killed?"
"What? No!" Margulis broke her focus, giving Horatio an incredulous stare, then the realisation hit her. "Oh my Horatio. I'm not stupid enough to summon a spirit here. I'm going to contain its power in a living thing of this world, turning it into a medium for us and the spirit to communicate. Trust I will not get us killed."
Horatio stared in silence, calculating the possibilities. "I...I guess you're right, sorry." He apologised. "But Margulis, if this being is as great as you tell me-"
"He is, and even greater."
"Wouldn't it be incredibly difficult to control even a bit of his power?" He asked. "I mean I'm all for this experiment, but isn't the risk a bit too high?"
"Listen, Horatio," Margulis stepped towards him, removing the space between them and then leaning in close. "I am Margulis Toldaap, A prodigy of a Voidwalker. Whatever seems insurmountable, I conquer it, I do not agree with failure. No achievement can escape me. This task is but a trivial summoning. I am simply bringing a spirit under my control. Trust me more Horatio Peppingar. Now! Greatness awaits." With that, Margulis stepped back, returning her attention to the previously formed sigil.
Horatio sighed, "I'll keep an eye out for any disturbances." and disappeared into the trees. Margulis simply waved him off.
There was one downside to training in the Toldaap woods. Even in the heavily secure environment they still had to be alert at all times. The many energies had a debilitating effect on the fabric of the realm, weakening it to the point where rifts were more likely but still fairly uncommon. This did not stop Horatio from worrying, but he also had another reason now for separating from Margulis.
Margulis kept her concentration on the sigil. At the same time, she felt through the environment mentally, looking through the life energies nearby. She was at least relieved Horatio offered to work on security. "If he was here..." She mumbled, realizing she would not be able to clear her mind for the task.
"Scan," Horatio ordered and felt a semi-familiar ping leave his body. He shut his eyes and focused on the wave, he felt it travel through the woods, and catch nothing. He had to work on its range.
Horatio sat down against a tree, propping his weight against the trunk. He could feel everything, the hardwood against him, the still air sifting slowly.
He could feel the heavy dampness of the forest.
He could feel every living creature anywhere near him, every insect, arachnid, worm; he could feel them all, and he understood what everyone meant.
Horatio had The Analyst, he was never lacking in knowledge, he always knew what was happening at all times, no exception.
"So why?" He asked, "Why don't I understand this feeling in my chest!?"
Margulis picked up a rustling sound in the bushes nearby and immediately focused her mind onto it. She picked up a small shape moving carefully towards her.
The rustling grew nearer and louder, the shape beginning to pick up speed. Margulis steadied her breath, focusing deeper on the entity while making sure not to neglect the sigil she had formed.
Moments later the noisemaker jumped out with a strained squeak. It stood at the edge of the clearing as if in a daze.
"Good bunny," Margulis coaxed it closer with a wave of her hand. "That's right, get closer...closer."
The bunny crept towards Margulis, looking unsure of its own actions. It came more into the opening, moving slowly then stopped.
In a flash the bunny changed paths, darting towards the other side of the clearing, or rather, into the sigil.
"There you go." Margulis praised the rabbit once it was fully inside the blank sigil. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply.
About a hundred metres away Horatio felt a strange disturbance. Something was messing with his senses. He stood quickly, facing the direction of the disturbance.
"I should probably check that ou- AARGH!" Just before Horatio could finish his sentence a sudden overload of information came rushing into his head. He felt as though he was looking into another world. The blocks began forming in his head rushing in like a rushing river.
"AARGH! MY HEAD!" The aggressive inflow of information was incredibly painful to Horatio. It felt as though it was a river of knives flowing into him. He tried to shut it off but the flow did not even slow.
Horatio thought he was going to pass out, fear took over him as he thought of what would happen to his memories if he was to become unconscious under these effects.
"Oh god are you okay!?" Horatio heard a voice close by, he simply shook his head, feeling the weight of the world crashing down on him.
Margulis began the summoning process. Her eyes glowed fiercely as did her hair. A new energy filled the air as the spell entered its first phase. Margulis pointed a palm towards the bunny. A thin string slowly extended from her palm. The string began to thicken and redden into a ruby cord, floating weightlessly, catching the moonlight.
A similar string emerged from the rabbit that had fallen asleep. This string was a pearly white. The strings reached for each other, glowing softly they each extended for a grasp of the other.
"Margu-" A male voice entered the clearing. Margulis did not need to turn to know it was Horatio who had come in. She would not have turned anyway, her attention needed to be on the phenomenon she was about to artificially induce.
Horatio had burst into the clearing after the pain had subsided, he did not remember clearly what happened, only that someone helped him. He only wished he was able to thank the person before they left.
"Margu-" He had begun to call out but stopped once his eyes came upon Margulis, and the spell she was performing.
Horatio gasped as he noticed the strings extending from the bodies ahead of him. Their tips glowed brightly, light freshly fallen snow, or an angel's halo. He could not describe the serene beauty of it but it appealed to him. The strings emitted a low hum as they floated closer, curling about the other and tying into a tiny, minuscule knot.
Just as Horatio thought the sequence was finished, the sigil lit up, suddenly bursting forth with a shower of colours. Horatio gaped at the spectacle before him, suddenly reminiscing the moment he and Margulis were bound.
The colours burst in unseeming symphony, impossible for simple frequencies of resonating light. At that moment Horatio saw more than just light he saw with not his eyes, but with another thing altogether, something much more intimate.
As Horatio experienced the phenomenon, the colours solidified into a dome about the rabbit, obscuring it entirely.
"Scan the energy," Horatio commanded in absence of himself. He quickly realised and was just to scold himself for the possible rudeness when The Analyst spoke.
"Imagine nothingness, that is where you are." The cryptic response came slowly, as if The Analyst had just awoken from sleep. Horatio knew that it too had experienced what he had experienced.
Horatio stirred, realising Margulis' spell was nearing its end. The dome beginning to shrink was the telltale sign. In a breath after that realization, the dome broke open with a quiet crash, like glass breaking underwater. Then everything faded away, all that was not meant to exist suddenly didn't, floating away into nothingness, leaving the rabbit on the sigil.
But Horatio realised something, as Margulis stood still recovering from the experience, he realised the bunny had changed, that it was no longer a bunny.
The bunny had morphed to more of a different creature, its hindlegs no longer curved pointedly underneath its body, they now shortened into a straighter form built to hold its body off the ground. Horatio noted from its shape that its muscle structure had been adapted for running instead of hopping, and most likely its bones had undergone a similar change. Its forelimbs also changed, mirroring those at its hindside.
Coming closer he noted that its trunk had also undergone significant change, morphing from a plump sphere to a cylindrical torpedo, its proportions coming closer to that of a dog or fox, even its small compact head had stretched forward, giving it a pointed snout. Its fur had also changed colour. The pure white had stained to a rusty red, but that was all Horatio could pick up from the distance and angle.
Margulis, who was just about exiting her daze saw into its now beady black eyes and knew what she had created. She knew that a life had ended, but also something great had been achieved. Margulis looked into those eyes as saw a fire within, she had turned an innocent rabbit to a vessel, a vessel for a spirit. And what she enjoyed the most about her success was the crest-like sigil inscribed on the vessel's forehead, a mark like a letter M.
"I-I did it!" Margulis cried, rushing forward. She dropped to her knees to pick up the creature cradling it to her chest.
"She did it!" Horatio felt Margulis' excitement bleeding into him. He felt his lips stretch into a mad grin as he drew near squatting before her. But at that moment of euphoria for the both of them, Horatio let his guard down, not focusing on the rabbit but on Margulis.
"Congratulations." He said, placing his hand atop her head and stroking gently. He smiled at her.
Margulis stared back, surprised by Horatio's sudden show of affection. 'Affection?' She thought to herself, 'No that's too strong, Horatio doesn't think of me that way, He's way too analytical, or is he' She found herself in a dilemma, unsure of how to take Horaito's extension.
"Erm, Horatio..." Margulis began, steadying her voice to its regular low tone. Her voice was natural but there was nothing she could do to control her blush. Horatio looked back, cocking his head to the side, a questioning expression upon his face.
Margulis' eyes dropped low and to the left with embarrassment, she was usually on top of situations like this, but Horatio's genuine comfort had mentally tripped her over.
Horatio continued to stare, waiting for Margulis' words, he found it strange that after such an achievement she was silent. He expected her to be about giving a victory speech but she had only called out his name. 'Perhaps the ordeal took more out of her than it seemed.' He thought.
"Margulis," Horatio called her name.
"W-What?" Her stuttered response gave him all the information he needed.
"You seem tired. It's getting late, hop on my back and I'll carry you back to the mansion." At this point, Horatio was speaking purely out of concern with no room for embarrassing thoughts, but Margulis was not of the same state of mind.
'O-on his back!? He wants to carry me? Is he trying to make me die out of embarrassment?' These thoughts covered Margulis' mind, clouding rational judgement. She always believed she would be the one leading with Horatio flustered out of his mind. How did it end up like this?
"O-okay," Margulis responded, giving no thought to the situation, she decided to cut her losses and enjoy a little skinship with Horatio.
'Wait, skinship? Maybe I'm not ready for this-'
Horatio shook his head lightly, bringing himself back into reality, where his attention was needed most. He made one more check of the classroom before returning to point alpha.
Horatio focused his energy into his hand, careful not to let too much into it, just enough to be useful but less than the amount needed to emit light. He split his mind into two, a difficult task made trivial through The Analyst. The split was an unconventional use but one Horatio had adopted solely for this sequence.
Horatio gave up one part of his mind, relinquishing control to The Analyst who he instructed to keep the energy collected in his hand stable. He took full control over the remainder, using it to sift into the collected energy, separating his own from the small amount he had received thanks to a certain bond.
"Flauna." He chanted slowly, calling upon the flame Margulis controlled, an entity Margulis shared a bond with, and Horatio too by extension. Horatio focused on calling out to the spirit, noticing the steady temperature rise that soon followed. He only had to keep his mind steady, focus on the bond they shared, recall all the information necessary for this to work.
"You want my permission for a temporary binding?" Horatio had asked, propping himself on his elbows. His mind had gone back to when he had first had the bonding proposed to him, at that time when Margulis was very nearly naked.
"I did indeed say that, yes." Margulis answered, "But I want you to be completely certain and sure of your answer."
Horatio gulped. He turned over the offer in his head, analysing all sides and points. Logically he found the supposed power lucrative, and he would be foolish to turn it down, even if it meant he had to put himself in danger. In his heart, he still desired the power, but more so he desired to help protect others, he also disliked the fact that otherwise, he would be living in constant fear of everything he held dear simply ceasing to exist.
Or maybe he just wanted to be with Margulis, who knew? He sighed.
"I, Horatio Peppingar, give Margulis Toldaap full permission to use my power, body and will as she see fit." Horatio said ceremoniously, "Is that good enough or do I need to hand over my soul as well Just kidding." He said jokingly, filling the silence as he waited for a response. Margulis remained silent.
"Margulis?-" No sooner had Horatio began to speak than Margulis threw herself on him in an embrace.
"Of course that's more than enough dummy." She said laughing, she squeezed him tighter.
"Wait Margulis! Your, you..." Horatio forced himself to look at the white ceiling.
"My what?" Margulis asked, a bewildered expression on her face, one that Horatio did not see.
"You're naked!"
Horatio focused on his hand, that information was not quite what he was looking for, he would need to search deeper to find that exact piece. Still, he focused on the heat that dwelled beneath his palm, intent to draw it out.
He had tried severally to use the spirit's power and failed. There were times where he manifested nothing at all, and times when he burnt everything around him in an uncontrolled blaze.
He had not experienced failure like this before, and that pushed him to try again and again, believing that he would get it once a new method was employed. He was already behind Margulis in that regard. Desperate, he subjected himself to this trial by fire, a risk he had managed to talk The Analyst into taking.
However, there was another flaw he was accounting for constantly. The Analyst could not experience spirit energy, they both suspected it was due to the fact that both Horatio and it were separate entities, one of whom Margulis had not been bonded with.
"Cinder," Horatio commanded. He knew he exerted little control over Margulis Flauna, there was a considerable lack of efficiency in the bond they shared. Still, he gave the command. He cast himself into his memories again, hopefully, that of his binding would have the requisite information.
Margulis had lifter her hand into the sky, her energy spilt elegantly as she formed two sigils, one beneath her and the other beneath Horatio. With another controlled escape she stencilled each of the sigils with a pattern depicting chains.
"This sure instils confidence." Horatio jeered, giving Margulis a doubtful stare. She scowled at him, dark desire filling her eyes.
"I thought I told you to fuck off." She spat, her words and tone acidic. Horatio began to saunter about her, clapping slowly.
"My, my, and here I believed you to be a lady, still had my money on you being a bitch, but a lady nonetheless. Guess that's the first thing I've been wrong about. Oh Horatio is going to flip once he finds out I'm not perfect." He laughed, poking at her flesh as he spoke.
"Do not test my patience you."Margulis grabbed at Horatio's wrist. She caught herself just short of him, cursing under her breath. Instead, Margulis said with a low growl, "If there was any reason to regret this decision it would be being stuck with you."
"Yet it is for me that he lives." Horatio returned to the sigil, just as he was when he left it.
"Then stay with him, I do not need you to live" Margulis hissed.
"What was that?" Horatio asked, his voice slurred as if waking from a trance.
"Nothing, just going over the sequence in my head, must have accidentally spoken out loud." Margulis lied, forcing an apologetic smile.
"Alright Horatio, I need you to focus on me and the sigil, nothing else," Margulis ordered, running her hand over her face to clear any remnants of anger that might have remained. Horatio stared blankly.
"Oh, yeah...can do." Horatio started into motion, "Sorry, my mind's a little fuzzy."He closed his eyes and steadied his breathing, trying his hardest to follow Margulis' instructions. "I'm ready."
Horatio felt several gaps in this memory. 'Strange' he thought, but could not look into it for his current state.
A flame flared up in his palm. For a moments Horatio thought the spirit energy would burn out of control. He did not panic, focusing on steadying the energy instead. The fire, just moments after the initial burst fanned out to the tips of Horatio's fingers to rest. They drooped low into blue nubs that danced over his five fingertips. He grinned.
"Mr Peppingar, would you kindly answer the question?" Horatio's teacher's voice reached him. Smiling, he closed his fist and stood. Horatio Peppingar was ahead of everything. His perception was his greatest weapon, he felt all and knew all, there was no way his teacher's attention would have gone unnoticed of him, alongside the question he had already predicted would be asked, and the answer to it which Horatio was already prepared to give him.
"Ok," Margulis responded. She took a second to prepare her mind for the binding, using her advanced Voidwalker, neurology to split her focus onto herself, the sigils, Horatio and the binding.
The sigils lit up, and so did their eyes, their energies kickstarted for the sequence, being prepared for bonding. Margulis put out her palm before her.
"Hold out your hand." She directed. Horatio obeyed, mirroring her action. He felt a tingling discomfort as strings, the strings of fate Margulis coaxed out began to snake from their palms to meet each other.
The strings, as they usually did, glowed softly and with a light hum resonating from within. Soon they met and began to curl about each other, forming a neat knot. Then the bonding began.
Both Margulis and Horatio's energies had been excited to an intense point, allowing them to escape their bodies through the string into the other body, bringing a sample of the other's power and linking them both to a communal energy pool. Even though these energies barely accounted for a single per cent of their total energy, such an intimate transfer would still have severe effects on the mind.
Horatio shuddered as he felt his hairs raise, then an unforeseen barge of energy smoothly entered him, tingling his brain with mind-rending pleasure. At first, the sensation only existed at a single point, enough for him to withstand, but it quickly spread throughout his body, threatening to shut his mind down.
Horatio's body was at the mercy of the intense sensation, all through him a pleasurable tingling razed his senses, he grit his teeth against it, focusing on Margulis and the sigil before him, just as she had ordered.
The binding was completed with one final pulse of energy, its strength left Horatio on his knees, gasping for air.
Horatio heard Margulis, voice reaching to him, it sounded as though it was coming from far away, his mind nearly slipped but he held on, all was fuzzy against the afterglow of the moment. "We are now one." He heard clearly. Horatio felt all weight leave his body, and soon after his consciousness did too.