'What!?'
Erik had expected indifference as they continue voicing out their grudges, perhaps silence, but never this. The church was trembling under hundreds of angry voices urging him to die.
"I can help you!" He tried again.
"DIE, BASARA!"
After trying several times to reason with them, Erik gave up, they'd curse him the same no matter what he said.
'If Ogram of my past life managed to leave this place, there must be a way out somewhere. Think, Erik. Think! Look around, there must be something you missed. A secret lever opening a secret passage leading to a secret escape hatch somewhere outside.'
Nope, none of these.
'A sacred relic capable of repelling ghosts!'
Again, nothing looked the part.
'A ghost leader I ca—' Erik sighed, 'I'll just meditate on the question, for now, there isn't much I can do.'
When he was about to sit cross-legged, a resounding noise clapped like thunder, eclipsing all others.
"SILENCE!" Something ordered.
The grudge-heavy voices dimmed and subsided entirely. One by one, they stepped back, leaving space for a ghost glowing brighter to pass. White walked amongst them, joining Erik's side.
"Ghostly ladies, gentlemen, be reasonable," it said with the voice of a wisen old man, far different from the thunderous one of a moment ago. "Why begrudge a child for his ancestors' sins?"
"White?" Erik uttered, bewildered. He's never thought the ghost had such authority over its peers.
"Please refrain from talking, Erik, or you'll agitate them. They hate your clan deeply," White whispered as low as possible. "Make yourself small while I talk things out."
Without much choice, he nodded. White's shape was still blurry despite the convergence, but Erik was now fairly certain the ghost used to be an influential man, perhaps someone of great power; that'd explain why they obeyed him.
Perhaps.
"Blood calls blood, Elder!" Someone replied. "All sins are passed down to the next generation."
"And all blessings. It's a two-edged sword, young fellow," White reminded.
"Just kill him, already! Avenge us!" Another ghost tried sparking a new cacophony.
"No, better, take his body then kill his siblings!"
"Yes, good idea!"
Erik shivered at the idea of having his body possessed by a lost soul. Never! He'd rather die and cremate his body than leave it in the hands of these things.
"Please, people, let's be ghostlily civilized," White's sharp and composed voice somehow calmed the rising tide of curses. "Indeed, what the Basara clan did to you was despicable, inhuman even, an act of pure evil stemming from the desire to hide their misdeeds."
Approvals and nods.
"Indeed, blood calls blood," White paused dramatically, eyeing its audience hanging on his ghostly lips. "And indeed, the sins of the ancestors are passed onto the next generation."
'What the Void is it doing?' Erik could feel the ghosts' rising bloodlust. 'Isn't he contradicting himself?'
"Well said, Elder, but why are you preventing us from killing this Basara brat!?"
"Shouldering the sins does not mean one should die for them," White elevated his voice. "It means one should be better than their predecessors, it means to find a way to redeem themselves, to right the wrongs. If killing humans was the right path to your salvation, why are you still here?"
"Because the Basara clan trapped us here!"
"And what can you do about it?" White asked. As expected, silence was their only answer. "How about, for once, you ask for help?"
They responded in unison. "From a Basara brat!? We'd rather die again!"
"Who else than a Basara can free you? Listen, young fellows, I've been following this kid for years now. At first, I had my doubts. Like his peers, he is brutal, power-hungry, and glorifies strength. However, compared to his siblings and many others before him, Erik knows kindness, compassion, and is the ninth child."
The supernatural crowd discussed amongst each other, surprised, shocked.
"Are you telling us you still believe in this bearshit prophecy, Elder!?" Someone shouted for all those doubting White. "It's been more than a thousand years since the Wildfather pronounced his last words."
White took a long, unnecessary, deep breath. "'When Fate unweaves, when mortals are free to thread their paths, the ninth child shall restore what was once forgotten and usher a new era.' These were his last words. Perhaps Erik isn't the one, of that we cannot be certain. And if the prophecy is true, Fate no longer follows the Rainbow Thread. Then the ninth child's chances of enacting this prophecy would only be a possibility instead of a certainty. That's why the ninth child needs all the help they can get. Be they Erik or not."
Prophecies predicted events that were already written in the Fate Weavers' Rainbow Thread, however, if the Rainbow Thread were to disappear, the prophecy might never come to pass. Which made this prophecy even more dubious since it could not have been drawn from the world thread which supposedly would not exist if it came to pass.
A headache.
"Erik may be lacking in many aspects," White continued, "but I believe he will learn. After all, he is a shaman of Nurmen, the last one in Ulreon and the ninth Basara child. An apprentice shaman he may be, but he has great potential. If this isn't enough to convince you, then know that he summoned none other than the Storm Raven herself during his summoning ceremony."
'Storm Raven? Is he talking about Old Bone? Obviously.'
The ghosts gasped at the news, and looked at each other, exchanging opinions. Erik could feel their bloodlust had halved thanks to White's words.
"What say you, ghosts of Naglfar? Will you remain here till the world crumbles to ruin or will you grab the spark of hope this boy represents?"
Five minutes.
Ten minutes.
Thirty tense minutes passed during which they consulted with each other.
"What say you!?" White repeated firmly.
Finally, someone stepped out of the crowd to speak on their behalf.
"Do you vouch for him, Elder?" It said.
White eyed Erik and slowly turned to reply. "On my wyrd and Mythical Saga."
"Then we will trust in your judgment." Relief washed over Erik's shoulders at those words and more questions arose; who was White to have such a potent Saga? Few could boast about having a Mythical Saga of their own, all were legendary people Ulreon still remembered.
"However, we first demand he proves himself."
'I knew it wouldn't be that simple.' Erik thought. Beastial howls resounded outside of town, their dreadful intent reaching as far as the silent church. Erik's worries immediately went to those he's left behind.
"What do you suggest?" White asked.
"A pack of wolves led by a direwolf would soon be at our doorstep."
Dread filled Erik's bosom as golden threads weaved a notification in front of his eyes confirming his suspicions.
——
[Fate Quest: Trial of Naglfar]
Objective: Prove your worth to the lost souls by repelling the wolf pack's attack. Beware, you are not allowed to leave town.
Time Limit: One day.
Rewards:
1) Ghosts' acknowledgment.
2) +100 wyrd
Bonus rewards: Exceed their expectations by ???
1) ???
2) Ghosts will allow you to take their treasures.
——
"The ninth child is to survive the pack and chase it away from Naglfar. We'll leave you thirty minutes to prepare, then withdraw our influence and let them enter Naglfar to hunt their prey."
'Their prey?' Erik wondered.
"Fair enough," White nodded then asked. "What say you, Erik Basara?"
A drop of sweat ran down his forehead for he wasn't certain of his victory against a rank 4 beast, less a pack. But the Thrill of Battle pleaded him to accept, eager for wolf blood, a strong enemy, and his own survival.
"Challenge accepted."
"Your words are sealed, ninth child. You have but one chance." The ghosts misted away, rifts in reality closed behind them.
Before White's figure could disappear from the physical realm, Erik seized that rare opportunity to talk.
"Who are you and why are you helping me, White?"
"Someone who can sense your soul is older than this body's appearance." Erik's heart skipped a beat, how could a ghost know that? "Someone from an era long gone seeking to right the wrongs." White declared, its figure fading. "Good luck with the direwolf, Erik, and remember, 'Feel don't think.'" The ghost disappeared, leaving him alone with his unconscious brother.
Old Bone's cryptic words; made a little more sense now that the Thrill raged within him, something electrical, a foreign power lightly tapping at the door of his soul but there was a bottleneck somewhere within him preventing the current from flowing. He's yet to reach a true answer but he was close, he could feel it.
"Thank you for the help, White," Erik whispered before darting outside
***
The town's plaza was empty, or so it seemed from afar. As soon as Erik came close enough, three figures came into view; Rex running towards him, Old Bone perched on a broken window, and, to his surprise, Sieg was lying in the snow next to the half unearthed beheaded statue.
"Friend!" The dog dragging the sled jumped into his embrace, and lovingly licked his cheek. "I was so worried! There were horrible screams, everywhere, WAH, WAH! I tried coming to your rescue but then POOF, they blocked my way! Then blood, the hunter came. I licked his wounds but it wouldn't he—"
"Sit."
"Yes!" The dog obeyed, discipline engraved in his brain after much training.
"It's good to see you too, Rex." Erik gently patted his companion. "I'd like to take our time to chat but we got more pressing matters on our hands. Did you see any wolves outside?"
"Yes, ten, twelve, a dozen?" The dog obediently replied without questioning.
"Tell me what happened in a few sentences."
Sieg had appeared at the edge of town, bruised, battered, gravely injured, and besieged them to take refuge inside. Ghosts who barred their way misted away, opening a path. Wolves soon ran out of the forest in pursuit of the hunter. Both totem beasts followed Sieg's advice, seeking shelter in the ghostly town despite their fear of this place.
Thanking the dog for his report, Erik hurried by Sieg's side.
"Glad to see you alive, kid," the hunter grunted, grabbing his bloodied flank. "I've failed…. The half-direwolf ranked up sooner than… I expected and ambushed me. I managed to flee but paid the price. Haha, all these years spent hunting low-rank beasts… made me careless. I lowered my guard."
Under his coat, blood flowed out of a nasty gash. Sieg's left hand had been crushed by what looked like a huge maw.
"Now it hunts me out of grudge. It won't leave the edge of town until I'm dead." He sighed, his eyes empty, reflecting his lack of motivation and acceptance of his loss. "Just run away and leave me here. The alpha is after me. Chances are it will ignore you."
'So that's how Ogram probably got away in my past life.' Erik theorized the ghosts' attention had turned to the trespassers, leaving his brother a small window to escape. Perhaps. The truth he would never know for sure.
"No need to waste… more life on this blood fe—"
"Shut up and drink this." Erik smeared half the healing potion on his wounds and then shoved the rest down his throat. He understood the hunter's pain, he's been there. Sieg's face reminded him of his own when he had faced Augustus's blade."I understand your struggle, I really do. However, now is not the time to lament. Can you walk?"
Stunned by the kid's display of authority, the injured man blinked and shook his head. "In five minutes, maybe, but I've spent all my wyrd to come here."
Wyrd flowed through one's body as energy, exhausting your reserve led to a temporary paralysis until some naturally came back.
"Rex, bring the sled!"
"Right away!" The dog enthusiastically ran to his side, lifting the hunter, Erik settled him on it.
"If you're a drengr," he said, "if you're an honorable man, fight, Sieg. That's what we, Norsemen, do. We repay blood debts, we face adversity head high and spat into Death's eyes, we boldly cultivate and strive to reach greater heights until we find ourselves spent, which is when our soul returns to the Void. Correct me if I am wrong but what I see before me isn't a dead man, just the shade of one."
Sieg's dark eyes stared straight into him, the shame washing away and his willingness to bring back his honor rising. "Careful with your words kid. I've lived and still live as a drengr."
"Then prove it," Erik challenged him. "Fight for what these wolves owe you. For your pride, for glory. Honor the memory of those that you've lost or don't and become an ergi."
"How dare you insult me, kid?" Sieg would have risen were not for his paralysis. Being treated of ergi, the opposite of honorable, was probably the worst insult possible in Nurmen.
"I am not!" Erik spat, "Lie to yourself all you want. Deep down you know my words to be true. If you don't want them to come to pass, fight alongside me."
"You would stay and aid me? For what?"
"Because I am fated to do so." Meaning he had a Fate Quest.
Understanding flashed on the hunter's face. "So fate put you on my path for a reason. Indeed, this encounter was no coincidence." Sieg grinned then laughed.
It actually was a coincidence. However, Erik wasn't about to explain to a Norseman, who deeply believed his fate was already written, that the Rainbow Thread had recently disappeared along with the Weavers.
"Ahaha! Fine, kid you win, let's show them how we men of the north repay blood debts. You've got my bow but it won't be enough," he lifted his injured hand. "Even with your healing potion, I might only be able to pull a few arrows before I need to stop."
"Doesn't matter, I have a plan. It's not much since we're limited in time but better than nothing. Thirty minutes, no, I'd say twenty-five now, is all we have."
"I'm all ears, kid."
"First, give me your coat."
***
Author's Query:
I've been losing a lot of collections recently and wonder where the problem lies. Sure, the Super Gift advertised the book with rewards that once claimed readers remove my book from their library, however, I can't help but think there might be other issues.
If you have any thoughts about it, could you please share them with me in the comment sections, honestly, I'm running dry.
Read you later guys.