CH.397 Spiritual Discussions
<span style="font-weight:400">“What in the world were you thinking?!” I yelled at the water spirits that took Cailie after I heard what happened to her.
<span style="font-weight:400">“We…” “Just wanted to…” They tried to answer.
<span style="font-weight:400">“No! No excuses. You were foolish.” I told them. “... of course, it isn’t all your fault.” I said, before I turned to the two greater spirits. “Now as for you two. Why didn’t you tell me there is a major problem in the spirit world?!”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Sir Hero, I apologize.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Don’t apologize! Exin!”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... we were waiting for you to be ready. We knew you couldn’t move here on your own, so we were waiting until you mastered Soul Magic.” The greater nature spirit reasoned.
<span style="font-weight:400">“But we … no, I never expected that my own children would steal the soul of yourpanion. If you do want to punish someone, punish me.” The greater water spirit said, before she prostrated herself in front of me.
<span style="font-weight:400">“... Haah. Why is that always everyone’s reaction?” I sighed. I then turned to the one spirit that was perfectly innocent in all of this. “Lady Anemoi. I do apologize for themotion I’ve caused.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Don’t worry about that, young Hero. I perfectly understand.” Anemoi responded. “Also, no need to call me Lady. You are the one loved by my newest child, so you are practically my son-in-spirit.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Isn’t it son-inw?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Call it a cultural difference.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“What does it really even mean for Cailie to be your child? … is she like, half-spirit or something?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“You could say that.” Anemoi answered. “I think an easier way for you to understand it is that she is permanently synchroed with a greater spirit. And unlike your temporary synchroes, hers doesn’t take any mana ore with any downsides. She is simply able to use the power of a greater wind spirit whenever she wishes.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... so she is like Alice, but instead of having one of my cards permanently be a part of her, she has a spirit as a permanent part of her.” I deduced.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I wouldn’t know everything about this Alice you speak of, but if the little I had time to gather is true, then your assumption is wrong. Unlike your Alice, the spirit that is a part of Cailie has no memories nor a will, as I just created it. Thus its existence won’t affect young Cailie.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Ah. Alright. Thanks for exining that.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“It is no issue.” Anemoi said, before she made a request. “... But I do hope you can wake up the others, instead of immediately returning.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... It isn’t up to me. I don’t have a card I could use to forcefully wake up a superior spirit. And while I likely could make one with a bit of time, it might be better if they awaken naturally.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“We will be a lot less … groggy, if we wake up to a song.” Anemoi agreed.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Why songs?” I asked. “Is there something special about them?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yes, but also no. That is simply how we are.” Anemoi answered.
<hr>
<span style="font-weight:400">“So Cailie. What do you want to do?” I asked her.
<span style="font-weight:400">“... you are letting me choose?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Of course. It isn’t like I can really do anything at the moment. I mean, I probably can, but also … I don’t mind someone else being the Hero. And you already awakened one of the superior spirits, so why not awaken the rest?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... shouldn’t Ie back home?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“That would not be a bad idea, but also not the best either. Your body is likely evolving at the moment. It showed signs of it before I ever came in here, and I think that was before the entire bing half spirit thing. So even if you came back, you’d just be stuck in an evolution tank. So might as well stay here for now.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... what about you? Will youe with me?” Cailie asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“... I really want to, but I also need to go back. At least for a bit. I need to check that everything is fine on the other side.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Will you be able toe back?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“On my own, no. But luckily I’m not alone, right?” I asked Lady Janina.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I can share a bit more of my time.” She answered. “But I do expect better care. You haven’t even offered me dinner yet.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... sorry.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I do love how you get angry when others apologize, but it is also your first reaction.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... were you just teasing me?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Somewhat. But I do admit that I feel just a bit hungry.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... admittedly, so do I.” I agreed.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Mmm. I don’t. Is that weird?” Cailie asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“It’s probably because your body is in an evolution tank. It takes care of your needs. Lady Janina and I are just on a couch.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“With Brian’s head in myp.” Lady Janina added. “You know his hair is quite soft. You should try it sometime.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“B-Brian!” Cailie yelped. “... I want to … I want to try your hair!”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... that sounds wrong, but sure. If my spiritual hair is fine. You can try the real deal when this is all over.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... I’ll hold you to it.” Cailie said.
<span style="font-weight:400">After she was done testing out my hair, we decided to go our separate ways for now. We’d regroup soon, but for now, Lady Janina and I will return to the real world to take care of the physical needs of our bodies.
<hr>
<strong>[Cailie POV]</strong>
<span style="font-weight:400">“I wish you’d told me that you are acquainted with the supreme dragon.” Anemoi said. “Would have saved me from that surprise.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... sorry. I … I didn’t think I needed to.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Don’t apologize, child. I didn’t ask either.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... thank you. But … what should I do now? Do I wait for Brian toe back … or do I head for the next superior spirit?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Did you already forget lesson number one?” Anemoi asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“... eh?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Wind is freedom. Do what you feel is correct.” She said. “Though if you want a rmendation, I can give you one.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... please.” I requested.
<span style="font-weight:400">“You might want to get used to your new spirit powers. They will help you with whatester. And you are currently in the domain of the strongest wind spirit, so you have the best instructor.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... yes. Let’s do that. … please instruct me … Mother.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh? You can’t just call me that out of nowhere.” Anemoi said, as she rushed me and took me into a hug. “I might never let go of you.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Brian will make you.” I said calmly.
<hr>
<strong>[Brian POV]</strong>
<span style="font-weight:400">During our dinner, I told everyone what had happened to Cailie.
<span style="font-weight:400">Safe to say, people had mixed reactions hearing that she was basically kidnapped by the spirits, but they did calm down a bit when I told them that I visited her in the spirit world and told them that she is doing just fine.
<span style="font-weight:400">“And I’ll be going back to the spirit world for the night, but I’ll be back here by morning. I hope.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I don’t like the word ‘hope’ in this context.” Aliceined.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Sorry, but time in the spirit world is an absolute mess. It alters depending on like seventeen variables, and that isn’t even counting the time spirits. So if I oversleep and miss breakfast, it is because of that.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... maybe I should juste with you then. That way I can keep an eye on you.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I don’t mind. Lady Janina, is that a problem?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“A few more won’t be an issue. But it has to be under five and we do have to share a bed.” She answered.
<span style="font-weight:400">“... alright. So Alice and Lua cane.” I decided.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I could take myself and Rhianna, if that is fine.” Agunan cut in.
<span style="font-weight:400">“If you want to. … wait? Since when could you move other people’s souls, Agunan?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“As long as we’ve known each other. I learned it over 150 years ago.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... Couldn’t you have used that to take people into the Factory?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... I probably could have, Master.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“And you didn’t think to mention it?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Master, to my defense, I barely ever did it, as the people I used to live with all knew how to do it. And those that didn’t didn’t study under me, nor ask for help from me.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... alright. I’ll ept that. But you are noting at the same time. I don’t want too many HomeBase personnel out at the same time.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“And here I was hoping I could get to the spirit world.” Paulinained.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I would say learn Soul Magic, but that would make me a hypocrite.” Imented.
<span style="font-weight:400">“You’ll all get there.” Lady Janina reassured us. “A dragon usually takes twenty to fifty years to learn it. You are getting close in just a few months. In a year, most of you will be able to do it.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Really? I really want to go see spirits!” Eline called out.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I’lle with you.” Valoa agreed.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Not so fast, you two.” Olia cut in. “You aren’t ready to venture into different worlds.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... but we went to Master’s world already.” Eline pouted.
<span style="font-weight:400">“That is different. Master is the one in charge of you, so it is safe. But you aren’t going to a different world on your own.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Maybe we need to have a field trip to the spirit world at some point then.” I decided.
<hr>
<span style="font-weight:400">After dinner, bath and other evening stuff, I got into bed with Alice, Lua and Lady Janina. Yeah… it isn’t strange at all to share a bed with a human form of a supreme dragon. Not at all. This has to be normal.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Is there something we should expect?” Lua asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Any warnings you want to give?” Alice added.
<span style="font-weight:400">“It is going to be bright. Colors are super saturated.” I told them. “And be careful with your mana control and magic. Everything about that is supercharged, because everything in the spirit world is made of mana. So just basically think of it as my Factory, but instead of being able to imagine something and it happening, you have to control the mana in your body and around you to make it happen.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Not a bad exnation.” Lady Janinaplimented.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Only works for those that have experienced the Factory.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Perhaps I should ask to borrow your Factory when I teach young dragons.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I can do that.” I agreed. “It does feel just a bit strange, but considering the services you provide, I can take that much.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Can we talk about thatter? I want to see the spirit world.” Alice demanded.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yes, we can.” Lady Janina agreed. “Just huddle close to me. It will make it easier to snag your souls.” She then took a position in the middle of the bed. “Alice, youe on top of me. Your soul is the mostplicated. Lua and Brian, you two on my right and left.”
<span style="font-weight:400">We did as instructed and made some sort of a cuddle pile in the bed.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Now just close your eyes and don’t resist.” Lady Janina told us.
<hr>
<span style="font-weight:400">Just a bitter, we were back in the spirit world. We didn’t appear on the clouds from which we disappeared from, but instead in a random location like the first time.
<span style="font-weight:400">“So this is it?” Alice asked. “It does feel a bit strange, but I was expecting more.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Wow!” Lua called out. “The mana here is so rich. Flying is so easy.” As she said that, she pped her wings and flewps over our heads.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Alright. I need to try that.” Alice said, before she shot into the sky like a rocket.
<span style="font-weight:400">A few momentster, she came back down.
<span style="font-weight:400">“... okay. Brian was right. Be careful with mana use.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Told you so. I identally used chantless Time Magic when I was here and I don’t even have the Quick Chant skill.” I told them. “Now can you be quiet for a second while I locate Cailie.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Space, locate the person I want to find and show me how to get to them, Space Search.” I chanted.
<span style="font-weight:400">After the chant finished, the big purple arrow appeared in front of us.
<span style="font-weight:400">“She is in a different location thanst time.” Lady Janina said. “Well either way, we can either fly, or move by some other means. What do you prefer?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“How do you know that?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“By reading the mana signatures of the world itself. Don’t try to do it. You won’t be able to for a long time.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... so you can just tell where people are? Then why am I searching for Cailie?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Of course I can’t. I can tell where concentrations of power are. In short, I can tell where the homes of the superior spirits are. And the arrow isn’t pointing towards Anemoi’s mountain. It seems to be pointing towards Gaia’s domain.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Gaia? So the superior earth spirit?” I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Impressive. You actually know her by name.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Didn’t you read my memories or something? Gaia was a god back in my old world. An earth god. It wasn’t that difficult to guess.” I told her. “Besides, a bunch of my cards have ‘Gaia’ in them, like Gaia Power and the Gaia Knights. And they are all rted to earth.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Speaking of. Brian, did you ever test if your cards can be used here?” Alice asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“... no. No I didn’t. I didn’t really have a need for one.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Then maybe we should travel using one of your cards. Two tests for the price of one. It will also double check if their time limits are different here.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Just a shame we don’t have our System Supports here.” I said. “Kind of difficult to keep track of time without Laura. Can’t use Storage either.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“What about the Factory?” Lua asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Not going to try. I don’t want my soul getting lost.” I then opened up Pack Opener and it worked just fine. “Okay. So Pack Opener works. So it isn’t that all System screen reliant skills aren’t avable.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“We can also open our Status.” Lua said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Good to know. … Dungeon Founder doesn’t work either.” I said, after testing it.
<span style="font-weight:400">“That’s what you get for having all those System reliant skills.” Alice teased. “My unique feels supercharged. This ce might be perfect for practicing with it.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Same with my Monarch of Magic.” Lua added.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Just be careful with them. The spirits will get angry if you destroy things. And I can introduce you to dragons who have learned it the hard way.” Lady Janina warned.
<span style="font-weight:400">“So no environmental destruction. Got it.” I said, as I got a card out. “Ambnce Rescueroid.” I summoned our first ride.
Spoiler
[copse]
<span style="font-weight:400">“... so we are going by ground?” Alice asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I mean, we are heading for an earth spirit, so why not? And because of the crazy time fluctuations, we can take our time. And I can likely use Time el on the entire Roid.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well, if you say so.” Alice agreed. “... but I’m riding in the front!”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Sure. I’ll head to bed and take a nap.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... when was that an option?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“When wasn’t it an option?”