Transcendence?

by Andur

  Geez. These kids. Such a stupid prank. Sarah could get hurt. I will have to scold them afterwards. So I throw another piece of chocolate into my mouth while I watch the tragedy unfold.

  But as Sarah slips she surprises me by making a perfect landing and catching her fall with a single hand.

  Liandra claps her hands and turns towards Violetta. “See? I told you that she is some kind of martial artist!”

  Neither of them realizes the creepy horror which is looming over them. Violetta and Liandra are grabbed at their earlobes and pulled down the corridor. Probably to suffer even worse punishment by a direct family member.

  That saves me the need to play the bad guy. I switch off my globe and stand up to deal with something else. The globe is working fine for the time being. Maybe I will work on the range if I have time.

  There is still my training in soul magic. I want to finally solve this problem of mine. After a few steps I reach my personal training room. It's completely empty except for a very complicated magic circle on the ground.

  It's something that should help me to unlock the mystery of souls and I am working on it for several lifetimes now. I take another bite from my chocolate and set the bowl down. Of course outside of my magic circle.

  The circle itself is a really complicated pattern which i carved into the floor and filled up with metal.

  This thing is actually very delicate and combines the heights of all my scientific and magical knowledge. Even I don't have a clue of what would happen if I would randomly change the conditions by involving a foreign element into the ritual.

  So I place myself at the centre of the circle which represents the mind. This whole thing is meant to strengthen my soul and to intensify my awareness of the higher realms.

  A short burst of mana activates the circle which glows for a second and stops again. It's not in the least spectacular or noteworthy. But that's not the goal at all. After taking another look around and checking everything I close my eyes and start to concentrate.

  Slowly I begin to shut out my surroundings and my senses. They are just bothersome information at the moment.

  After what felt like an eternity I start to realize a web of paths all around me. They are distant and I am not sure what they represent. I often tried to get a hold of them but they are even further out of my reach than a soul.

  I concentrate on the green flames all around me instead. They symbolize souls and I can actually feel their presence. Though I never managed to actually get a hold on them until now. If I try to take a look inwards I think that my own soul is a black flame.

  Not sure what the difference in colour means. I already managed to explore my own soul and create some exercises for manipulating it. Relax and stretch out to cover as much space as possible. Concentrate and focus on a single point.

  Maybe those exercises will help me in the future but for the time being I think that my grasp on them is good enough. So I turn back to my original training session and concentrate on manipulating the green flames.

  ….

  …

  ..

  I am at it for a while when I realize a red flame which is approaching me. Strange. That colour is new! And since when are those flames coming towards me on their own?

  Further away I realize that a yellow flame starts to circle us. Now it definitely gets freaky! That never happened in my exercises before! Maybe I should stop for today.

  But then I realize interesting differences in the two new flames. The red one seems strong and vital like my own. The yellow one seems dormant and weak like the green ones.

  Still wondering over this event I suddenly realize that the red flame is entirely too close! I try to wake up but it doesn't work!

  In a panic I lose my cool and try to shove the foreign soul away with a burst of will and emotion. But instead it's suddenly drawn towards me!?

  Ah!? Damn! Emotions are the key!? And I always tried to shut my feelings out!

  They yellow one is also drawn in and there is no time to marble any further about this event. I am not happy about my new insight as the red and yellow souls start to mingle with my own. I see pictures and places. Memories. This is wrong! Those memories are not my own!

  Shoving. Fighting. Separating! Myself! The other. Different! Can't lose myself!

  It feels like I am struggling for an eternity but finally the fight ends as I lose my consciousness.

  ….

  …

  ..

  I wake up with something soft in my face. It's hard to breathe! And it smells like Celestial's perfume!

  “Ow. My head hurts! What happened?”

  “Mmem! Imdmimomt!!!!!!”

  “Ah! Sorry, sorry.”

  The darkness is lifted and I can finally take a look at the misery. Celestial is on top of me and the bowl with chocolate is broken beside us. The pieces of chocolate are all around in the circle!

  “What the fuck happened!?”

  Celestial looks confused. “I don't know. It's dinner time and I went to get you but you didn't come even after knocking the door for two minutes. So I looked for you and found you here. Meditating like dead in this dark room. I shouted but you didn't react. When I took a step forward I tripped over something.... ah... the chocolate!”

  I cover my face with my hands. “I was executing a ritual to research soul magic!”

  “S... S... SOUL MAGIC! Did something bad happen!? I remember a really horrible outer body experience!” Celestial starts to touch herself all over.

  “How the fuck should I know!? You stumbled into a magic circle which even I don't fully comprehend because I took a lot of guesses! Let's hope that headaches are our only problem! Are you still you? Your memories? What about the third soul which was drawn in!?”

  Celestial freezes up. “No... I think... I am me?”

  Then she looks at me.

  “Which third soul?”

  27 - Grandfather and Grandmother.

  Norfolk, Sarn-Valley

  Ascathon is sitting directly in front of me with an earnest face while holding my hands. After a few minutes he buries his face into my lap and starts to laugh like a maniac.

  “Kukuku...hahahaha.... hihihihi!”

  I am astonished by his strange reaction and start to pat his head. “Heey. Is it really that bad? Come on. It can't be that bad. It was my mistake. I shouldn't have tripped over that bowl. I will never again set a foot into your lab.”

  Then he stops and sits up again. “There are good news. And there are bad news. And then there are news which are neither good nor bad.”

  My expression drops. “The good news at last please.”

  “Ok. The ritual went seriously wrong which resulted in our three souls being mixed and mashed together. The result is something which would be best described as a soul-bond between the three of us. I don't know the exact implications yet but most likely we are somehow bound together for span ~eternity~!” His expression is really accusing.

  “Et...ternity?” Forever? Always? Even the next life? “And what's with the third soul?”

  “The other news is that there is a parasite inside your body!” He points dramatically at my belly. “This is a problem that concerns just you so I deemed it less ......”

  “Parasite!? What!? Which sort!? How can a parasite have a soul!?” This whole event took a heavy toll on me!

  And now a parasite?

  My head is spinning!

  What horrible sorts of parasites are there in this world?

  “Yes. It's the intelligent sort which can only be removed with dire consequences for our morality. The other choice is that you will slowly swell up as it is growing inside you. Then one final day you will burst open and it will leave your body. There will be blood and it hurts like hell. But a few healing spells should be able to fix you up right away. The whole story will be very messy and leave some permanent marks on your body. Afterwards it will leech on you until it finally grows big enough to be thrown out of the house.”

/>   He raises a box with a lens and points it at my face.

  *Klick*

  A shutter opens while a flash of light blinds me.

  I blink my eyes while the gears in my head finally start to turn again and I realize that he is making fun of me!

  *SLAP*

  “It's yours too! How can you call it a parasite!!!”

  I cover my face with my hands. “Haaah. I thought I had always kept track of it. How could I make such a stupid mistake. I wanted at least a few more months as newly weds! I even made some medicine to stop it from happening!”

  Ascathon rubs his red cheek while he pulls a sheet of paper out of his camera. “Actually it didn't really surprise me. You are like a succubus when you get frustrated. And I don't know how good your medicine is but I don't expect much from the raw materials which are available in this world.”

  He starts smiling and shows me the picture. I look like I got told that I am going to die. Completely shocked. “I improvised this camera but it works better than expected! You can show this to the kid when it's old enough. Don't forget to mention that it was the moment when you learned about your pregnancy.”

  I glare at him. “That's why I said that I had hoped for a few more months.”

  “Well. The last news is that it looks like we all got away with no permanent mental damage. Our memories and personalities all seem to be intact. We won't know for the child but it should be fine too since we got away without obvious damage.” He stands up.

  I get out of my chair too. “Let's go and eat dinner. We are seriously late by now.” This is horrible. hopefully this soul-bond wont become a serious hindrance in the future. Ascathon doesn't seem to be worried about it.

  “Ah, I forgot. Stefan has a suspicion about me having knowledge beyond this world because he took a look at my clocks. He shared the knowledge with your mother and she will probably talk about it with your father. We should think up a good explanation for them.” He casually drops another bomb on me and I turn.

  “Knowledge from another world? Those were their words?”

  He nods with vigour. “That's true. They are probably thinking that I am some kind of demon or god by now.”

  I sigh and turn to walk to the kitchen.

  Inside the kitchen I find my parents. The kids are already done with their food and gone. Only my parents seem to have taken their time with eating. Their plates are still filled and they look with suspicion at Ascathon as he enters the room.

  “It's nice of you to wait for us. Unfortunately it took longer than expected.” I sit down and start to eat my cold food.

  Ascathon takes his place beside me and starts eating too.

  “We have thought about many things Celestial.” Idala looks at me with suspicion. Eeeh? Why am I the target of mistrust now?

  “These artefacts aren't of this world according to Stefan.” Arduin looks at Ascathon.

  “Since when can you cook?” Idala arches an eyebrow at my direction and I stop chewing.

  Aw. I guess I was never taught to cook. “I learned it when I was a slave. And I had a few months of training while living here.”

  “We remember our past lives.” Ascathon mumbles the hilarious truth while stuffing his mouth with food.

  “Hey!” I look at Ascathon with a shocked expression.

  He shrugs his shoulders. “What's the problem. Tell them the truth. It's ten times better than what they probably imagined by now.”

  Arduin starts to look like he has a real headache now. “Please explain that further.”

  “Celestial was a big burly wrestler in her.... hgn!”

  I immediately cuffed him into the side. Then I smile at my parents. “Sorry. But it's like he said. We both have memories of our past lives. He is a really old scholar despite his looks. That explains his expertise with machines, artefacts, magic, science.... and stuff like that.”

  “And she is a genuine witch! Despite.... hgn!”

  “Try ~again~!”

  “She is my most beloved ~sugar cat~! And her knowledge in alchemy and medicine tops everything that's available in this world.” Ascathon is holding his belly now.

  “You are not Celestial?” Idala looks a little destroyed now.

  Aw. Damn. These situations are the reason to never tell someone normal about reincarnation. I stand up and walk over to hug my mom. “I am the same Celestial as always. There was just a little secret that I kept to my own. It doesn't change anything about you two being my parents. And Liandra is my little sister.”

  “How did you two find each other? Are there many... reincarnated people?” Arduin looks at me and Ascathon.

  “Luck! I actually never met someone like me before this life.” I smile at Ascathon.

  “Misfortune. There have to be very few of us. And for me to end up with someone like ...”

  I glare at him another time and he shuts up. Then I turn to my parents again. “Mom, dad. Please acknowledge that we know what we are doing and that there are no problems with our actions. Everything should be fine in the end.”

  Both of them still have troubled expressions. But they look a little relieved.

  “And you should come to terms with being called grandmother and grandfather!” Ascathon swallows the last bite of meat from his plate.

  Idala's and Arduin's heads snap back in my direction and I don't know what else to do than to smile. “There is still time. So no need to rush.”

  “My baby!” Idala starts to sniff with tears in her eyes. “A few months ago I thought that our house would perish and now I find out that she has grown up and I will actually get to see my grandchildren.” Idala hugs me with tears in her eyes.

  Huh? Mom? Are you happy or sad? That's nothing to cry about. I pat her back and realize that Ascathon is grinning at me with a stupid expression.

  ***

  It took me until late at night to explain everything to my parents but I think that they got to terms with my revelations. They still were pretty sad that I hadn't told them anything about myself until now.

  After wishing them a good night I walk with a tired face towards the bedroom. The stupid hermit found a reason to excuse himself halfway through and ran off. Curse him!

  I throw myself onto the bed as I am when I arrive and close my eyes. Good night. Stupid world.

  ….

  …

  ..

  “Hah! There you are!”

  I open my eyes and see that Ascathon came out of the shower. “Traitor!”

  He walks over and jumps onto me. Wait? What? I am turned over and he starts to undress me. “What's wrong? Are you sick?”

  “Shut up. I just feel like it and it doesn't matter by now any.....”

  I don't let him finish his sentence and press my lips onto his instead.

  28 - Opening Concert.

  Jamaian Union, Jondul-Harbour

  Finally! Finally! The world is going to be ~mine~!

  I watch the progressing bombardment of Jondul-Harbour. It's one of the bigger port-cities under the control of the Jamaian Union.

  It's night and the coast is illuminated by flashes of light. My generals were ordered to do this as fast as possible. Time is of the utmost importance while the Jamaian troops are still occupied with Mislow.

  This port offers the best starting point for my invasion. There was the possibility to choose between Mislow and Jamaian because both of them are weakened by their rivalries.

  I chose the Jamaian Union as my first conquest. They control more land than Mislow and therefore they were forced to place more of their military closer to the border.

  My invasion force is coming from the sea which means that the Jamaian troops are completely out of position. According to my generals we should be able to take this city before the enemy can even think about starting to move.

  Then we can establish a toehold to conquer the whole main continent! According to my spies we should be able to conquer the most important economical cities of Jamaian before they can withdraw from
the Mislow border.

  They will march back and find their cities taken by my forces. In front of them will be their own fortified cities. Behind them the Mislow army.

  The Jamaian Union is already doomed before the war even started. Then we will have a little talk with them. They will either yield and add their forces to my own or we will crush them without fail.

  Of course the rulers of this country will have to swear loyalty to me with a magical contract. I won't allow any disobedience.

  After Jamaian is under my control I have to decide between Mislow and the Academy. It's hard to judge which one will be the easier prey.

  Mislow has its troublesome mind-magicians. So I guess that invading them with normal troops would take too much of my time. I will have to wait for my personal elite forces to do this smoothly.

  Unfortunately I didn't dare to bring them with me because I first had to win a decisive victory against the Nation of Mist. If I had lost my fleet together with my personal troops it would have been a huge setback.

  Then there is the Academy which is a whole city with more magicians than you normally get to see in a whole army. Conquering them will be tricky.

  I am strong and powerful but I am not stupid enough to try to fight that many magicians at once. The Academy could prove to be my worst enemy so far.

  There is Norfolk too. They control a huge area but I don't think that they are of any importance in this equation. Their army is next to non-existent and once I am done with either the Academy or Mislow the others will fall one by one.

  I watch the coastline which is illuminated by fire.

  Another big explosion lights the night and I can witness one of the tallest visible buildings being torn to pieces.

  One of my generals bows to me. “The watchtower has fallen Empress. We will start to land our troops now.”

  Idiot. As if I wouldn't have seen that for myself! “See to it that we get the city and it's inhabitants intact. I don't want to see a useless smouldering ruin in the morning.”

  He nods and turns back to concentrate on the battle.