The air became fresh and ripe, not unlike the atmosphere of a rich, bustling greenhouse market. Breathing it in brought a sense of accomplishment by itself, the very oxygen laid as if in the foundation of thousands of years of achievements in the making. DeMain found himself standing in a baseless bridge of conifer leaves and laid, sun-baked brickwork, perched on an outlook before a positively massive figure.
It was beautiful, yet not romantically so. The edifice before him was that of thousands of marble tablets and geometric hands laying and joining together in dozens of positions. Some locked at the pinkies, others conjoined to make hearts, and yet more were clutched in solid handshakes. They swirled and persistently rebuilt themselves like a massive living tower of animate stone, tapering gently as they rose up to DeMain's height. His perch was merely a floating speck amidst the Reikai, whereas this tower of spiritual might seemed to stretch infinitely down into the plane itself. It was impossible to gauge just how large this spirit was from the neck-down, the length descending into the bowels of the spirit world and past countless other spiritual domains. With DeMain's Witchsight, the spirit's form was boundless.
No, spirit was a demeaning term for this one. They had a regality and strength to them that surpassed even Heressa, DeMain knew that much. It would be insulting in the same way calling a five star chef a fry cook would be. He could only assume this was an Old Witch God, although why they had answered his plea eluded him.
DeMain's gaze slowly trailed upwards, his eyes following the shifting maze of stone hands and linked shapes until it arrived at the creature's head. Two wide eyes stood out among the durable patterns, each full of everblooming flowers in a myriad of colors. The centermost petals seemed to resemble the outer structure of the spirit's tower structure, a deep blue-green set which locked together as tightly as budding hydrangeas. Their face wasn't that of a human's, it merely ceased building upwards with small bundles of spiraling geometric growths tapering off in a half-head shape. They regarded DeMain quietly, and he realized he was still offering forward the soul of the Knight Spirit in his hand. Neither of them said anything to one another, and DeMain swallowed the tensions between them. Without a word, the soul was flung towards the Old Witch God's immaculate structure, and he was returned to Yolanda's side. It seemed he'd never left, but DeMain could see that his ribs and lung had been mended, along with the scrapes dotting his skin.
"You can just… do that?" DeMain asked in disbelief. Yolanda seemed befuddled at his confusion.
"Well, yeah. Oh, right. You haven't been here as long as I have. Okay, well, basically you just try your best with the rituals. I like to throw in the symbols I think represent what I want best, but I'm sure someone like Ethel who actually studies spirits could get what she wants more often. I think that's her job, doing it for clients. That or she makes tea… I don't remember."
"No fucking way it's that easy. Don't people usually throw in blood sacrifices or something?"
"Only if you want to attract spirits that like those sorts of things. A lot of spirits can be reasonable, especially if you offer things they like."
"And if I offer something they don't like?"
"I guess it could be insulting, but chances are another spirit would want to take it before them. There's a pretty big market for just about anything."
"…Teeth."
"Teeth?"
"Yes. Teeth. Who the hell would want teeth?"
"Mouth Spirit, maybe even the Nightmare Kami? I think a lot of nightmares have to do with losing your teeth."
"What's a Kami?" Is it just a stronger spirit?"
"Kind of."
In DeMain's absence, Yolanda appeared to have shifted her wand into a cartoonish, almost unrealistic shortsword with the same pink and rainbow coloring to it, the red gem shifted to the crossguard decoratively. She was busy cutting bamboo, making small hand clasps and prayers after each bundle. DeMain was about to help cut with his spiritblades, but his arm was grabbed by Yolanda.
"This is the domain of the Bamboo Forest Spirit. I'm leaving behind prayers so it doesn't skewer us for cutting some of the trees down. One person is fine, but it might get angry if both of us start deforesting."
"What are you even grabbing it for?" DeMain asked, his spirit blades shrinking away into nothingness.
"It helps with warding rituals and such. I don't know, but the old ladies at the town use it. It's also just a good building material we haven't been able to get until recently."
"Recently? Was the forest not here before?"
"Yes and no. Remember the analogy I made for the Reikai before? The puzzle thing?"
"Yeah."
"The board is changing, but the table it's on also spins. Sometimes we have access to the forests, sometimes we don't. The Wolf Spirit was accepted as an Anchor Spirit, that's the only reason why we always come out from the Veil at the same point."
"I'm guessing a ritual makes the Anchor Spirit then?"
"Mhm. Or a spirit tied very closely to the area. I don't know any more Anchor Spirits, but maybe there's a Cow Spirit for a gate around Texas? Something like that."
DeMain hadn't really noticed it since nothing about it was particularly drawing his attention. There wasn't a piercing pain in his chest or a stinging to his skin anymore, so his perception wasn't as focused. He could feel it now though, the way his body felt lighter and radiated health.
"…How come witch healers don't just do these rituals all the time? They could make bank. I sometimes hear about pastors who do miracle healing too and live in giant houses."
"It's… a lot more than that, DeMain. Maybe the pastors are using spirit magic, but I really doubt that. Secondly, the Veil filters out a lot of the stronger effects, especially if the spirit you're contacting is still behind it. It's like trying to help someone from the inside of a cage."
"Why don't we just invite them to the other side then? Maybe we could cut open a hole for them."
"A lot of people have tried, and that usually results in them getting killed."
"By the spirits? Yeah I figured."
"Nah. By other witches." Yolanda replied, stopping their pause in movement to bundle up some short bamboo culms with lace from her shoe and carry it home over her back.
"Why? Wouldn't that be like a shared interest?"
"Not really. You let in all the good through a big hole, the bad is sure to follow."
"Can't we just close it right after?" DeMain said, following Yolanda through the now much easier path back home. It seemed like the return trip had been simplified, now only requiring them to walk up a cliffside to get back to town. DeMain was grateful he wouldn't have to jump from swamp to arctic waste or something equally awful, at least. Yolanda had already begun the rise, which was as easy as putting your foot up and walking the wall's surface.
"No. The Veil is really strong, but it's also really flimsy. You tear it open and it can take months to heal. Sure, rituals can speed it up, but it's still a long process."
"Couldn't you stitch it back together somehow? My mom does stitchwork, maybe there's even a way to patch the tears up."
Yolanda shook her head. "Kaiyo is one of the few people who even have an ability to do with threads, and when we tried to sew it shut it just put pressure on other parts of the Veil until those tore. It's almost like plastic wrap."
"Have you tried asking any spirits to help? Maybe there's a Spirit of The Veil or something."
"I doubt you could convince a prisoner to build their own prison unless you had leverage, which we don't."
They walked in silence for a bit longer, but Yolanda didn't seem intent on leaving DeMain's questions to hang in the air.
"You asked about Kamis, right?"
"I did."
"Someone who follows Shinto could explain it better, but since the term was kind of forcibly broadened to fit other spirits outside the religion, there's a few things that set them apart. First off, they're usually something to be worshipped. Could be a protective shrine spirit or the Kami of Nightmares."
"People worship a nightmare spirit?"
"Not for its boons, but in the hopes of keeping away traumatic things they relive every night. Nightmares can be seen as important reminders of what you're really dealing with inside, but some witches exploit sleep and dreams to cause them with the intent of hurting people. Praying to or having favor with the Nightmare Kami can prevent that."
"God, what is it with witches and messing with people's dreams? I feel like I've heard about this sort of thing too often now."
"Dreams and spirits go pretty closely together. Your brain can conjure up dreams by itself, but the most vivid ones are usually a result of it tapping into the Reikai. Happens a lot, even accidentally. It's not generally harmful, just weird."
What was initially a fairly straightforward path had become twisted and winding. He and Yolanda realized that they weren't going the right way when they ended up in a disjointed flower field, the town hanging above them amidst the shifting pieces of the Reikai. Yolanda seemed to realize their mistake and began trying to hunt for a trail amid the clasping spiritual domains around them.
"I got cut off before, but essentially a Kami is just regarded as divine--I think, usually. I would say the difference is that a Kami is neutral at worst and actively beneficial at best. Regular spirits don't have that guarantee, and you certainly don't know what a Witch God is planning."
Yolanda spoke as if from experience, but neither of them had the mental fortitude to delve into it. They Were very clearly stuck. The areas around them seemed more treacherous and roundabout than anyone wanted, but the shifting plane gave them no other options.
"…You sure we just can't just jump really hard to get up there?" DeMain began, standing towards the edge of the field of flowers. Or so he thought. What looked like the edge merely curled in on itself and became a widespread, colorful sphere of floral hills.
"You're welcome to try." Yolanda replied, studying the surrounding area to try and find an alternate route.
DeMain took a step back towards her and decided against jumping towards the town. Even excusing the low-gravity conditions, he could still end up falling in a tree, through one of the weak ramshackle roofs, or get impaled by a flagpole if he went too fast. None of the options sounded fun or easy to explain.
"Hey Yolanda?"
"Yeah?" Yolanda absentmindedly called back, testing the scalability of a rolling, compact set of upright riverbanks that partitioned like a muddy ladder. She collapsed flat in the watercourse as soon as its gravity shifted, but made a quick recovery and beckoned for him to follow. DeMain did, using a spirit blade to prop himself up from falling the same way she had.
"Well, you just mentioned being able to do rituals and such. Can I ask for anything?"
"Yeah. Well, maybe not genie stuff."
"…Genie stuff?"
"Yeah. Don't tell me you haven't seen Aladdin."
"Uh… no. Not really. I never watched movies much."
"Ugh… okay. Basically no asking for love, no bringing back the dead, and no uh… what was the last one… oh yeah! No killing either." She chimed a little too merrily.
"Wasn't thinking about that stuff. I think my dad would be pissed if I ripped him back from heaven… even if I do want to see him really badly."
Yolanda went oddly silent at the comment, even her childish demeanor went away for a second. Now her attire matched her glum expression. "Yeah, I'm not sure if it's actually a rule but spirits would probably twist it, make them crazy or something. Best not to risk it if you ask me."
They journeyed to a sloped, eroded set of canyons, finally finding a straight-ish path back towards the town. The walk looked to be a few miles, but DeMain knew it would take a lot less to get there. Yolanda couldn't stand even a moment of silence between them and looked around anxiously before turning to DeMain again.
"Why'd you ask? Got a crush or something?" She prodded.
"Nah." He answered. Yolanda didn't seem entertained by this, sighing as if the answer bored her in response. DeMain continued. "I was just thinking. If you can ask for anything, I mean the concept itself is kind of crazy. People don't just use it for healing, right? You could do a lot if you had the right favors. Shit, the Knight Spirit was pretty powerful. He could have done a lot if I didn't need him for healing." DeMain finished his thought, shuddering to think of what someone like Heressa could do if you somehow got on her good side.
"Yeah… There's a lot people can do with them, but it's finicky. They've got minds too, so not everything is cut and dry like you intend. I've heard of people doing rituals for shreds of a spirit's power, sometimes they even let the spirit in as a bodily host to let it grow with them. If the spirit is too strong though, it can just use you like a puppet."
"Why would you let a spirit inside in the first place? That seems kind of dumb."
"A lot of reasons. Sometimes people don't even mean to, they'll just take any opportunity for power. It can be lucrative, but dangerous. I don't think I've ever really thought about it as much as I have now though, never had to."
"What would have happened if I like, ate the Knight Spirit?"
"I dunno. Probably get a stomach ache. I don't know anyone who's tried that though, you could ask around… town…"
DeMain looked forward and noticed the object of Yolanda's dismay. What had been peaceful moments ago was now the subject of a large fire in the very center. Without pause for consideration or questions, they both hastily sprinted into action down the long path towards town.
"You guys don't do big bonfires do you?!" DeMain called into the wind. Yolanda had devastation plastered on her face as she yelled back.
"No!"