Chapter 242: 242
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"My god, I can't tell you how great it is to see you," Orison said.
The dragon blooded man smiled widely and said, "I feel much the same, Orison."
"You're both welcome," the unfamiliar blonde haired, blue eyed man said with Stefen's voice.
Broken from his dumbfounded gawking, the young mage looked at still annoyingly handsome, still half vampire man and said, "It's good to see you're doing well too, Stefen."
"I'd prefer Drake, if you please. The one you know as Stefen was a shard of me or some such mysterious thing. Although, his sentiments have been well preserved by myself." the dhampir with a far warmer aura said.
Eyes narrowed and all but dripping venom, Winter said, "I thought we had an agreement, Drake. I recognize your friendship but you know how our bloodlines react to each other."
"Yes, yes. I know. Although it's hardly fair, I had no intentions on breaking that agreement but these are special circumstances. I'll retreat to a reasonable distance. Orison, when you've caught up with your old friend, I'd like a word," Drake said with a voice that, although Stefen's, had a naturally hypnotic quality to it.
Such a thing didn't bother Orison but the young mage could tell that it did terrible things to Winter's mood. He quickly agreed to Drake's request so that the dhampir could give distance gracefully. Drake may have been more socially graceful about it but he was having difficulty not showing aggression towards Winter as well.
Gesturing to the stone bench, Orison sat and took Rithus in a second time. The dragon blooded man looked more human but the spiritual bloodline within was definitely thicker and more robust.
"I always hoped I'd get a chance to see you again but I never thought it would be a you without a tail. It was like your vanity feature," The young mage said.
Rithus gave his signature mild and easy smile, comforting and non-assuming. "I have another form with which to display my full glory but it takes me some time to return to human shape."
Orison said, "You can go full dragon!? That must be amazing to see... Oh, sorry."
Winter's elbow gave the young mage a quick reminder that he was being rude. "This is Winter, my wife... Winter, this is Rithus, my dad."
On that slip up, he saw both Winter and Rithus look at him, a little shook by the accidental declaration.
Stammering and red faced, Orison said, "I- I mean, when me and 'the boy' were one person. He was, is if he still thinks... We're at the beach. Can I just go bury my head in the sand for a minute?"
It started as a faint rumble and built to a full roar of laughter.
"I'm truly pleased and honored to be considered that still. There's no need to be embarrassed about it, son. Even when we first met, if you had been this Al person, would I or would I not have not been old enough for the role? I was a dulling scale and loose toothed old man at the time.
"Oh, I ran into your grandfather's reincarnation. He was doing well for himself but he was not the man I remembered. Good living has turned him quite arrogant and self important but large hearted none the less."
The young mage asked, "Why did Morrel make the choice he made? To this day it doesn't make any sense to me."
A ghost of sadness drifted across Rithus' face. "The will of Amoril had backed him into a corner of difficult choices. He discovered one he could bear. Droya fared much better when the world attempted to do the same with her. Still, she must find it difficult being separated from her family and only able to speak with them through a shrine. At least she has Rozcherek ease her loneliness."
Orison's Eyes shot up. "Droya's with the Abyss Lord!? Ease her loneliness? How is she safe?"
Rithus shook his head. "Many things changed when Amoril rose. Some were faster than others. Roz was one of the slower changes but he is a shrine deity like Lady Mother Droya now. A secret order monk assured me that they will only be dependent on a connection to Amoril for a short few hundred years before they can break free and seek other opportunities to advance as we do."
The three sat and chatted for some time. The things that Orison learned of his starting place were a mixed bag of good and bad as life tended to be. He was sorry to hear that Venito and 'the boy' had a falling out. It seemed without 'Al' to mellow him out some, 'the boy' and Venito were a little too similar to get along.
Along similar veins, 'the boy' had lost a few other people along the way due to losing some of his flexibility and willingness to compromise. The saddest of those losses was Gan. Wendy and the scout had become close friends and that should have good news. But after a blow up due to misunderstandings, Gan had left and never returned. The couple were looking for signs of the scout at The Nexus. That was the last Rithus had heard of it.
Among the memories that Orison had forgotten was a visit from Tait, Gan's younger son. Winter chimed in that he and Orison were kindred spirits and had become good friends before the battle with the Blue Eyed Void. After losing friends and his lover during the event, Tait understandably needed time to mourn but had never mentioned if he would return. Not even when the mage had met up with Rithus later.
It seemed that the man who was still a Marshlander in his heart, or rather his bones, wasn't there by coincidence at all. He had come for the purpose of seeing Orison. There wasn't some huge reason why, only the urge to see a beloved friend. Being able to leave as a recognized father was more than just a sentimental bonus, however. He received his fifth step baptism during their conversation. It was a testament to the young mage's sincerity and the ex-Marshlander's willingness to accept the declaration as truth.
Sadly, Rithus couldn't stay long. The shadow in his bones was telling him that an important juncture between places would open soon and he was very close to achieving an old goal he had set for himself. It was private in nature and even though he didn't say what it was, he admitted to some embarrassment over it.
To keep from causing tension, Winter gave her surprise father-in-law a slightly stiff, brief and light hug before hanging back. She didn't really know how to process the concept of chosen family. She certainly didn't know how to process the internal conflict caused by running across a devil blooded person. Having experienced a similar thing between the fey and fomorian, Orison reassured her that he understood.
As the young mage walked with Rithus to where Drake had patiently waited, he tried to make sense of how he should treat the near stranger. There was a sense that came from his soul that the two were close friends in much the same manner as he knew that he loved Winter upon sight. It was a disjointed thing to feel a strong connection with someone but not remember why that connection existed.
"I would love to linger and share some of the lighter hearted and positive stories that existed before and between the painful ones, Orison. Sadly, our visitor is on a strict time table and your wife would be cross at me were I to return without good reason. Here, take these and bind them," Drake said as he handed two clear and hollow orbs only visible to spirit sight.
"What are these?" Orison asked as he held them with a dubious expression.
The dhampir smiled faintly and said, "Artificially created soul shells. The very peak of the condensed knowledge and wisdom Noxflora's witches possess. Each one took nine years of dedicated ritual work by nine witches. Eighteen tedious and dry years worth of effort by nine powerful and important people rests in your hands.
"In theory, you should only need one to mask your spiritual signature and, if necessary, provide protection from the memory stealing force of soul migration. They made two just in case your space decided to eat one. Whatever that means."
After an inspection by himself to confirm what was said, not forgetting the 'crown of thorns' lesson, Orison listened to Drake's instructions. He isolated two strands of non-essential memory holding soul stuff and pushed them into the orbs before merging with them. One stretched and wrapped around his soul's space and the other rested within his spiritual seat.
For a few minutes, the young mage and Rithus discussed future plans and ways on how to find each other once Orison had crossed the divide. The ex-Marshlander shared some of the tricks and workarounds of the far more restricting rules that governed the mid-dimensions that Drake chimed in with as well. It was obvious that no one was really willing to part after such a brief reunion but Rithus was getting anxious.
A little unsure how it would be received, once they had shared parting words, Rithus awkwardly opened his arms. The young mage hesitated for a moment but smiled widely and went in for a hug. The last lingering strangeness of their declared emotional place for each other dissolved.
Still embracing tightly, Rithus said, "I'll be waiting for a longer and more satisfying reunion on the other side, son."
Orison, feeling a little choked up, slowly nodded once and said, "I'll get there as fast as I can... dad."
A dim flash of light passed between them and Orison sagged for a half second before Drake touched a mini trainer to him. Rithus looked at the two with building confusion and a little suspicion as he let go of the young mage and backed up.
Dake whispered, "Please don't act as if anything is wrong. Your... son is with you. A scrapped plan for 'the boy' was set in motion a long time ago. He ended up not needing it but he passed everything he didn't want to Orison, including that and several negative things. When you've found your special someone, your first child will have an unexpected fraternal twin, a girl.
"That girl's natural lifespan will be eighty-one years no matter what is done to extend it. Before that time elapses, she needs to have found a partner and carried a child to term. If not, then Orison will awaken within her and die on the eighty-first year of life, re-inheriting all that was meant to pass with her.
"Grandma Georgia, who communicated with me through my retinue's spirit medium gave me those shells and told me of these things. It sounds ludicrous but she gave me many signs and shadows of events to verify the truth of her words. She also told me to tell you that you should share these things with Keita. She has forgotten her previous life but her soul remembers and knows much."
Orison's body, now possessed by the second soul shell had finished the process of absorbing what had been shoved into it. "I can only speak what I know but through my connection with my true soul, nothing that has been said is false from my understanding. I want you to know that you have no obligation to any of this. If anything that's being asked of you now or in the future is against your free will or desires, don't do it."
Drake looked at 'Orison' in shock. "This is your life and future! Decades of effort and resources have been poured into this. You should be begging him to understand and help you, not just throw your hands up and say 'What will be, will be'!"
The Orison clone smiled mischievously, threw his hands up and said, "What will be, will be... Rithus, listen to the shadow in your bones as you always have and do what's right for you."
With the strongest poker face Rithus had ever displayed, the ex-Marshlander said, "I notice you no longer call me dad."
The clone nodded. "You know why. I don't want for my feelings to be important in what is your decision and I won't use yours to try to manipulate you."
Rithus hissed in agitation and faded from view, using his own shadowy version of planar travel.
Drake sighed as he stewed in his own frustration. "Thousands of souls, decades of work and dozens of worlds' worth of resource scouring. I thought I was a stubborn a**!"
The Orison clone chuckled lightly. "And I feel ashamed to death about that but it doesn't change what's right. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find out if I can survive my wife's wrath long enough to make some more pleasant memories. Eighty-one years might seem like a long time to some but it's the blink of an eye for those like us."
Drake suddenly looked listless and tired.
The Orison clone clamped him on the shoulder and rested his forehead against Drake's. "If she legitimately tries to kill me or abandons me, I'll find you. If not, give me twenty years with my lover and I'll spend the rest of my life playing sidekick for you."
The dhampir perked up a little but was still gloomy. "What do I do after that paltry sixty years?"
The young mage's copy said in a chipper voice, "Well, I'm personally hoping that you'll learn how to play nice and get along with others by then. But if you're still having a hard time making friends, you can always go find the real me. Arrogant and self entitled hedonist sidekick will probably still be open since Stag threw in lots with 'the boy'."
Drake stiffened up. "That mossy antlered gigolo and I are nothing alike!"
Orison clone rolled his eyes and said, "I know, I know. You are WAY more handsome than he is and SO much more sophisticated."
Drake smirked and replied, "You forgot to mention how I'm more noble of spirit and blood than he."
Orison said, "No I didn't. I said 'arrogant and self entitled' earlier."
"When Winter tears you apart, maybe I'll make a nice skeleton mage out of your remains," the dhampir said sourly.
"How boring would that be?" the clone said, no less chipper.
Wryly, Drake replied, "Terribly so."
***
The little boy woke up from another nightmare. He started having them after he turned seven but nearly a year later, they had taken different flavors and there were things in them that he didn't understand. Sometimes he'd wake up from them giggling after the terror wore off. Sometimes he'd just be confused and unable to tease out the meaning of the mysterious feelings they evoked.
After one such dream, little Orison called out to his guardian and teacher. "Tell me the story of how I was born again, Uncle Tait,"
The man sighed and said, "Your mother was a woman of extraordinary beauty. She had suitors from many lands and even other worlds. But like the fabled princesses, she grew bored of the attention and longed to be free of it. So, she held a ball and had her many suitors compete in feats of intelligence, ability and physical prowess.
"Some were there merely as guests of your grandfather and competed for the sport of it. It was from among these that your tutors were picked. It's a shame you didn't get to benefit from their teachings for long."
Little Orison said, "I liked Uncle Hunter the best. He always taught me using all kinds of fun games."
Tait showed mock surprise and said, "I thought you liked Auntie Wei the best?"
"I like her the best in a different way but... I like Auntie Babs too. Do I really have to beat up Uncle Garret before I can marry Auntie Babs when I grow up?" the little boy asked, looking a little intimidated.
Muttering under his breath, the veteran mage said, "Not if I beat him up first." Talking at normal volume again, he added, "You shouldn't be making googly eyes at your tutors. Past, present or future, you're supposed to be learning from them... Do you want to hear the rest of the story or not?"
Little Orison stopped protesting and waited quietly.
Clearing his throat, Tait continued, "When all the competitions were over and the winners announced, she surprised everyone by picking the oldest and ugliest human who attended, the one who had played around at the challenges but intentionally lost them all."
Excitedly, the boy said, "That's my dad, the one I was named after! He wasn't really ugly. His first wife scarred his face before they broke up."
Tait pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do you want to tell the story or me?... The whole event had been a sham in her eyes. She picked the biggest loser. No one really knows why. The rest isn't a really nice part of the sto-"
The boy frowned and said, "The story says that a Greater Fey named Ivan stole her away and a dark elf lady rescued her but my dreams told me a different story. She ran away with Ivan for fun but they didn't end up getting along. She called her secret girlfriend to bring her back home and married dad so that everyone else would leave her alone.
"She didn't die because she pined to death over my dad. Their time just ran up. Winter was supposed to be my dad but she didn't want that. So, she just helped take care of me when I was really little. I think Winter DID pine to death because she loved my mom. Why didn't dad get mad when they played around with Uncle Cray? Isn't that bad?"
Tait shook his head. "These aren't things an adult should talk to a child about. If you haven't figured things out when you're older, we can discuss it then."
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"My god, I can't tell you how great it is to see you," Orison said.
The dragon blooded man smiled widely and said, "I feel much the same, Orison."
"You're both welcome," the unfamiliar blonde haired, blue eyed man said with Stefen's voice.
Broken from his dumbfounded gawking, the young mage looked at still annoyingly handsome, still half vampire man and said, "It's good to see you're doing well too, Stefen."
"I'd prefer Drake, if you please. The one you know as Stefen was a shard of me or some such mysterious thing. Although, his sentiments have been well preserved by myself." the dhampir with a far warmer aura said.
Eyes narrowed and all but dripping venom, Winter said, "I thought we had an agreement, Drake. I recognize your friendship but you know how our bloodlines react to each other."
"Yes, yes. I know. Although it's hardly fair, I had no intentions on breaking that agreement but these are special circumstances. I'll retreat to a reasonable distance. Orison, when you've caught up with your old friend, I'd like a word," Drake said with a voice that, although Stefen's, had a naturally hypnotic quality to it.
Such a thing didn't bother Orison but the young mage could tell that it did terrible things to Winter's mood. He quickly agreed to Drake's request so that the dhampir could give distance gracefully. Drake may have been more socially graceful about it but he was having difficulty not showing aggression towards Winter as well.
Gesturing to the stone bench, Orison sat and took Rithus in a second time. The dragon blooded man looked more human but the spiritual bloodline within was definitely thicker and more robust.
"I always hoped I'd get a chance to see you again but I never thought it would be a you without a tail. It was like your vanity feature," The young mage said.
Rithus gave his signature mild and easy smile, comforting and non-assuming. "I have another form with which to display my full glory but it takes me some time to return to human shape."
Orison said, "You can go full dragon!? That must be amazing to see... Oh, sorry."
Winter's elbow gave the young mage a quick reminder that he was being rude. "This is Winter, my wife... Winter, this is Rithus, my dad."
On that slip up, he saw both Winter and Rithus look at him, a little shook by the accidental declaration.
Stammering and red faced, Orison said, "I- I mean, when me and 'the boy' were one person. He was, is if he still thinks... We're at the beach. Can I just go bury my head in the sand for a minute?"
It started as a faint rumble and built to a full roar of laughter.
"I'm truly pleased and honored to be considered that still. There's no need to be embarrassed about it, son. Even when we first met, if you had been this Al person, would I or would I not have not been old enough for the role? I was a dulling scale and loose toothed old man at the time.
"Oh, I ran into your grandfather's reincarnation. He was doing well for himself but he was not the man I remembered. Good living has turned him quite arrogant and self important but large hearted none the less."
The young mage asked, "Why did Morrel make the choice he made? To this day it doesn't make any sense to me."
A ghost of sadness drifted across Rithus' face. "The will of Amoril had backed him into a corner of difficult choices. He discovered one he could bear. Droya fared much better when the world attempted to do the same with her. Still, she must find it difficult being separated from her family and only able to speak with them through a shrine. At least she has Rozcherek ease her loneliness."
Orison's Eyes shot up. "Droya's with the Abyss Lord!? Ease her loneliness? How is she safe?"
Rithus shook his head. "Many things changed when Amoril rose. Some were faster than others. Roz was one of the slower changes but he is a shrine deity like Lady Mother Droya now. A secret order monk assured me that they will only be dependent on a connection to Amoril for a short few hundred years before they can break free and seek other opportunities to advance as we do."
The three sat and chatted for some time. The things that Orison learned of his starting place were a mixed bag of good and bad as life tended to be. He was sorry to hear that Venito and 'the boy' had a falling out. It seemed without 'Al' to mellow him out some, 'the boy' and Venito were a little too similar to get along.
Along similar veins, 'the boy' had lost a few other people along the way due to losing some of his flexibility and willingness to compromise. The saddest of those losses was Gan. Wendy and the scout had become close friends and that should have good news. But after a blow up due to misunderstandings, Gan had left and never returned. The couple were looking for signs of the scout at The Nexus. That was the last Rithus had heard of it.
Among the memories that Orison had forgotten was a visit from Tait, Gan's younger son. Winter chimed in that he and Orison were kindred spirits and had become good friends before the battle with the Blue Eyed Void. After losing friends and his lover during the event, Tait understandably needed time to mourn but had never mentioned if he would return. Not even when the mage had met up with Rithus later.
It seemed that the man who was still a Marshlander in his heart, or rather his bones, wasn't there by coincidence at all. He had come for the purpose of seeing Orison. There wasn't some huge reason why, only the urge to see a beloved friend. Being able to leave as a recognized father was more than just a sentimental bonus, however. He received his fifth step baptism during their conversation. It was a testament to the young mage's sincerity and the ex-Marshlander's willingness to accept the declaration as truth.
Sadly, Rithus couldn't stay long. The shadow in his bones was telling him that an important juncture between places would open soon and he was very close to achieving an old goal he had set for himself. It was private in nature and even though he didn't say what it was, he admitted to some embarrassment over it.
To keep from causing tension, Winter gave her surprise father-in-law a slightly stiff, brief and light hug before hanging back. She didn't really know how to process the concept of chosen family. She certainly didn't know how to process the internal conflict caused by running across a devil blooded person. Having experienced a similar thing between the fey and fomorian, Orison reassured her that he understood.
As the young mage walked with Rithus to where Drake had patiently waited, he tried to make sense of how he should treat the near stranger. There was a sense that came from his soul that the two were close friends in much the same manner as he knew that he loved Winter upon sight. It was a disjointed thing to feel a strong connection with someone but not remember why that connection existed.
"I would love to linger and share some of the lighter hearted and positive stories that existed before and between the painful ones, Orison. Sadly, our visitor is on a strict time table and your wife would be cross at me were I to return without good reason. Here, take these and bind them," Drake said as he handed two clear and hollow orbs only visible to spirit sight.
"What are these?" Orison asked as he held them with a dubious expression.
The dhampir smiled faintly and said, "Artificially created soul shells. The very peak of the condensed knowledge and wisdom Noxflora's witches possess. Each one took nine years of dedicated ritual work by nine witches. Eighteen tedious and dry years worth of effort by nine powerful and important people rests in your hands.
"In theory, you should only need one to mask your spiritual signature and, if necessary, provide protection from the memory stealing force of soul migration. They made two just in case your space decided to eat one. Whatever that means."
After an inspection by himself to confirm what was said, not forgetting the 'crown of thorns' lesson, Orison listened to Drake's instructions. He isolated two strands of non-essential memory holding soul stuff and pushed them into the orbs before merging with them. One stretched and wrapped around his soul's space and the other rested within his spiritual seat.
For a few minutes, the young mage and Rithus discussed future plans and ways on how to find each other once Orison had crossed the divide. The ex-Marshlander shared some of the tricks and workarounds of the far more restricting rules that governed the mid-dimensions that Drake chimed in with as well. It was obvious that no one was really willing to part after such a brief reunion but Rithus was getting anxious.
A little unsure how it would be received, once they had shared parting words, Rithus awkwardly opened his arms. The young mage hesitated for a moment but smiled widely and went in for a hug. The last lingering strangeness of their declared emotional place for each other dissolved.
Still embracing tightly, Rithus said, "I'll be waiting for a longer and more satisfying reunion on the other side, son."
Orison, feeling a little choked up, slowly nodded once and said, "I'll get there as fast as I can... dad."
A dim flash of light passed between them and Orison sagged for a half second before Drake touched a mini trainer to him. Rithus looked at the two with building confusion and a little suspicion as he let go of the young mage and backed up.
Dake whispered, "Please don't act as if anything is wrong. Your... son is with you. A scrapped plan for 'the boy' was set in motion a long time ago. He ended up not needing it but he passed everything he didn't want to Orison, including that and several negative things. When you've found your special someone, your first child will have an unexpected fraternal twin, a girl.
"That girl's natural lifespan will be eighty-one years no matter what is done to extend it. Before that time elapses, she needs to have found a partner and carried a child to term. If not, then Orison will awaken within her and die on the eighty-first year of life, re-inheriting all that was meant to pass with her.
"Grandma Georgia, who communicated with me through my retinue's spirit medium gave me those shells and told me of these things. It sounds ludicrous but she gave me many signs and shadows of events to verify the truth of her words. She also told me to tell you that you should share these things with Keita. She has forgotten her previous life but her soul remembers and knows much."
Orison's body, now possessed by the second soul shell had finished the process of absorbing what had been shoved into it. "I can only speak what I know but through my connection with my true soul, nothing that has been said is false from my understanding. I want you to know that you have no obligation to any of this. If anything that's being asked of you now or in the future is against your free will or desires, don't do it."
Drake looked at 'Orison' in shock. "This is your life and future! Decades of effort and resources have been poured into this. You should be begging him to understand and help you, not just throw your hands up and say 'What will be, will be'!"
The Orison clone smiled mischievously, threw his hands up and said, "What will be, will be... Rithus, listen to the shadow in your bones as you always have and do what's right for you."
With the strongest poker face Rithus had ever displayed, the ex-Marshlander said, "I notice you no longer call me dad."
The clone nodded. "You know why. I don't want for my feelings to be important in what is your decision and I won't use yours to try to manipulate you."
Rithus hissed in agitation and faded from view, using his own shadowy version of planar travel.
Drake sighed as he stewed in his own frustration. "Thousands of souls, decades of work and dozens of worlds' worth of resource scouring. I thought I was a stubborn a**!"
The Orison clone chuckled lightly. "And I feel ashamed to death about that but it doesn't change what's right. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find out if I can survive my wife's wrath long enough to make some more pleasant memories. Eighty-one years might seem like a long time to some but it's the blink of an eye for those like us."
Drake suddenly looked listless and tired.
The Orison clone clamped him on the shoulder and rested his forehead against Drake's. "If she legitimately tries to kill me or abandons me, I'll find you. If not, give me twenty years with my lover and I'll spend the rest of my life playing sidekick for you."
The dhampir perked up a little but was still gloomy. "What do I do after that paltry sixty years?"
The young mage's copy said in a chipper voice, "Well, I'm personally hoping that you'll learn how to play nice and get along with others by then. But if you're still having a hard time making friends, you can always go find the real me. Arrogant and self entitled hedonist sidekick will probably still be open since Stag threw in lots with 'the boy'."
Drake stiffened up. "That mossy antlered gigolo and I are nothing alike!"
Orison clone rolled his eyes and said, "I know, I know. You are WAY more handsome than he is and SO much more sophisticated."
Drake smirked and replied, "You forgot to mention how I'm more noble of spirit and blood than he."
Orison said, "No I didn't. I said 'arrogant and self entitled' earlier."
"When Winter tears you apart, maybe I'll make a nice skeleton mage out of your remains," the dhampir said sourly.
"How boring would that be?" the clone said, no less chipper.
Wryly, Drake replied, "Terribly so."
***
The little boy woke up from another nightmare. He started having them after he turned seven but nearly a year later, they had taken different flavors and there were things in them that he didn't understand. Sometimes he'd wake up from them giggling after the terror wore off. Sometimes he'd just be confused and unable to tease out the meaning of the mysterious feelings they evoked.
After one such dream, little Orison called out to his guardian and teacher. "Tell me the story of how I was born again, Uncle Tait,"
The man sighed and said, "Your mother was a woman of extraordinary beauty. She had suitors from many lands and even other worlds. But like the fabled princesses, she grew bored of the attention and longed to be free of it. So, she held a ball and had her many suitors compete in feats of intelligence, ability and physical prowess.
"Some were there merely as guests of your grandfather and competed for the sport of it. It was from among these that your tutors were picked. It's a shame you didn't get to benefit from their teachings for long."
Little Orison said, "I liked Uncle Hunter the best. He always taught me using all kinds of fun games."
Tait showed mock surprise and said, "I thought you liked Auntie Wei the best?"
"I like her the best in a different way but... I like Auntie Babs too. Do I really have to beat up Uncle Garret before I can marry Auntie Babs when I grow up?" the little boy asked, looking a little intimidated.
Muttering under his breath, the veteran mage said, "Not if I beat him up first." Talking at normal volume again, he added, "You shouldn't be making googly eyes at your tutors. Past, present or future, you're supposed to be learning from them... Do you want to hear the rest of the story or not?"
Little Orison stopped protesting and waited quietly.
Clearing his throat, Tait continued, "When all the competitions were over and the winners announced, she surprised everyone by picking the oldest and ugliest human who attended, the one who had played around at the challenges but intentionally lost them all."
Excitedly, the boy said, "That's my dad, the one I was named after! He wasn't really ugly. His first wife scarred his face before they broke up."
Tait pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do you want to tell the story or me?... The whole event had been a sham in her eyes. She picked the biggest loser. No one really knows why. The rest isn't a really nice part of the sto-"
The boy frowned and said, "The story says that a Greater Fey named Ivan stole her away and a dark elf lady rescued her but my dreams told me a different story. She ran away with Ivan for fun but they didn't end up getting along. She called her secret girlfriend to bring her back home and married dad so that everyone else would leave her alone.
"She didn't die because she pined to death over my dad. Their time just ran up. Winter was supposed to be my dad but she didn't want that. So, she just helped take care of me when I was really little. I think Winter DID pine to death because she loved my mom. Why didn't dad get mad when they played around with Uncle Cray? Isn't that bad?"
Tait shook his head. "These aren't things an adult should talk to a child about. If you haven't figured things out when you're older, we can discuss it then."
"My god, I can't tell you how great it is to see you," Orison said. The dragon blooded man smiled widely and said, "I feel much the same, Orison." "You're both welcome," the unfamiliar blonde haired, blue eyed man said with Stefen's voice. Broken from his dumbfounded gawking, the young mage looked at still annoyingly handsome, still half vampire man and said, "It's good to see you're doing well too, Stefen." "I'd prefer Drake, if you please. The one you know as Stefen was a shard of me or some such mysterious thing. Although, his sentiments have been well preserved by myself." the dhampir with a far warmer aura said. Eyes narrowed and all but dripping venom, Winter said, "I thought we had an agreement, Drake. I recognize your friendship but you know how our bloodlines react to each other." "Yes, yes. I know. Although it's hardly fair, I had no intentions on breaking that agreement but these are special circumstances. I'll retreat to a reasonable distance. Orison, when you've caught up with your old friend, I'd like a word," Drake said with a voice that, although Stefen's, had a naturally hypnotic quality to it. Such a thing didn't bother Orison but the young mage could tell that it did terrible things to Winter's mood. He quickly agreed to Drake's request so that the dhampir could give distance gracefully. Drake may have been more socially graceful about it but he was having difficulty not showing aggression towards Winter as well. Gesturing to the stone bench, Orison sat and took Rithus in a second time. The dragon blooded man looked more human but the spiritual bloodline within was definitely thicker and more robust. "I always hoped I'd get a chance to see you again but I never thought it would be a you without a tail. It was like your vanity feature," The young mage said. Rithus gave his signature mild and easy smile, comforting and non-assuming. "I have another form with which to display my full glory but it takes me some time to return to human shape." Orison said, "You can go full dragon!? That must be amazing to see... Oh, sorry." Winter's elbow gave the young mage a quick reminder that he was being rude. "This is Winter, my wife... Winter, this is Rithus, my dad." On that slip up, he saw both Winter and Rithus look at him, a little shook by the accidental declaration. Stammering and red faced, Orison said, "I- I mean, when me and 'the boy' were one person. He was, is if he still thinks... We're at the beach. Can I just go bury my head in the sand for a minute?" It started as a faint rumble and built to a full roar of laughter. "I'm truly pleased and honored to be considered that still. There's no need to be embarrassed about it, son. Even when we first met, if you had been this Al person, would I or would I not have not been old enough for the role? I was a dulling scale and loose toothed old man at the time. "Oh, I ran into your grandfather's reincarnation. He was doing well for himself but he was not the man I remembered. Good living has turned him quite arrogant and self important but large hearted none the less." The young mage asked, "Why did Morrel make the choice he made? To this day it doesn't make any sense to me." A ghost of sadness drifted across Rithus' face. "The will of Amoril had backed him into a corner of difficult choices. He discovered one he could bear. Droya fared much better when the world attempted to do the same with her. Still, she must find it difficult being separated from her family and only able to speak with them through a shrine. At least she has Rozcherek ease her loneliness." Orison's Eyes shot up. "Droya's with the Abyss Lord!? Ease her loneliness? How is she safe?" Rithus shook his head. "Many things changed when Amoril rose. Some were faster than others. Roz was one of the slower changes but he is a shrine deity like Lady Mother Droya now. A secret order monk assured me that they will only be dependent on a connection to Amoril for a short few hundred years before they can break free and seek other opportunities to advance as we do." The three sat and chatted for some time. The things that Orison learned of his starting place were a mixed bag of good and bad as life tended to be. He was sorry to hear that Venito and 'the boy' had a falling out. It seemed without 'Al' to mellow him out some, 'the boy' and Venito were a little too similar to get along. Along similar veins, 'the boy' had lost a few other people along the way due to losing some of his flexibility and willingness to compromise. The saddest of those losses was Gan. Wendy and the scout had become close friends and that should have good news. But after a blow up due to misunderstandings, Gan had left and never returned. The couple were looking for signs of the scout at The Nexus. That was the last Rithus had heard of it. Among the memories that Orison had forgotten was a visit from Tait, Gan's younger son. Winter chimed in that he and Orison were kindred spirits and had become good friends before the battle with the Blue Eyed Void. After losing friends and his lover during the event, Tait understandably needed time to mourn but had never mentioned if he would return. Not even when the mage had met up with Rithus later. It seemed that the man who was still a Marshlander in his heart, or rather his bones, wasn't there by coincidence at all. He had come for the purpose of seeing Orison. There wasn't some huge reason why, only the urge to see a beloved friend. Being able to leave as a recognized father was more than just a sentimental bonus, however. He received his fifth step baptism during their conversation. It was a testament to the young mage's sincerity and the ex-Marshlander's willingness to accept the declaration as truth. Sadly, Rithus couldn't stay long. The shadow in his bones was telling him that an important juncture between places would open soon and he was very close to achieving an old goal he had set for himself. It was private in nature and even though he didn't say what it was, he admitted to some embarrassment over it. To keep from causing tension, Winter gave her surprise father-in-law a slightly stiff, brief and light hug before hanging back. She didn't really know how to process the concept of chosen family. She certainly didn't know how to process the internal conflict caused by running across a devil blooded person. Having experienced a similar thing between the fey and fomorian, Orison reassured her that he understood. As the young mage walked with Rithus to where Drake had patiently waited, he tried to make sense of how he should treat the near stranger. There was a sense that came from his soul that the two were close friends in much the same manner as he knew that he loved Winter upon sight. It was a disjointed thing to feel a strong connection with someone but not remember why that connection existed. "I would love to linger and share some of the lighter hearted and positive stories that existed before and between the painful ones, Orison. Sadly, our visitor is on a strict time table and your wife would be cross at me were I to return without good reason. Here, take these and bind them," Drake said as he handed two clear and hollow orbs only visible to spirit sight. "What are these?" Orison asked as he held them with a dubious expression. The dhampir smiled faintly and said, "Artificially created soul shells. The very peak of the condensed knowledge and wisdom Noxflora's witches possess. Each one took nine years of dedicated ritual work by nine witches. Eighteen tedious and dry years worth of effort by nine powerful and important people rests in your hands. "In theory, you should only need one to mask your spiritual signature and, if necessary, provide protection from the memory stealing force of soul migration. They made two just in case your space decided to eat one. Whatever that means." After an inspection by himself to confirm what was said, not forgetting the 'crown of thorns' lesson, Orison listened to Drake's instructions. He isolated two strands of non-essential memory holding soul stuff and pushed them into the orbs before merging with them. One stretched and wrapped around his soul's space and the other rested within his spiritual seat. For a few minutes, the young mage and Rithus discussed future plans and ways on how to find each other once Orison had crossed the divide. The ex-Marshlander shared some of the tricks and workarounds of the far more restricting rules that governed the mid-dimensions that Drake chimed in with as well. It was obvious that no one was really willing to part after such a brief reunion but Rithus was getting anxious. A little unsure how it would be received, once they had shared parting words, Rithus awkwardly opened his arms. The young mage hesitated for a moment but smiled widely and went in for a hug. The last lingering strangeness of their declared emotional place for each other dissolved. Still embracing tightly, Rithus said, "I'll be waiting for a longer and more satisfying reunion on the other side, son." Orison, feeling a little choked up, slowly nodded once and said, "I'll get there as fast as I can... dad." A dim flash of light passed between them and Orison sagged for a half second before Drake touched a mini trainer to him. Rithus looked at the two with building confusion and a little suspicion as he let go of the young mage and backed up. Dake whispered, "Please don't act as if anything is wrong. Your... son is with you. A scrapped plan for 'the boy' was set in motion a long time ago. He ended up not needing it but he passed everything he didn't want to Orison, including that and several negative things. When you've found your special someone, your first child will have an unexpected fraternal twin, a girl. "That girl's natural lifespan will be eighty-one years no matter what is done to extend it. Before that time elapses, she needs to have found a partner and carried a child to term. If not, then Orison will awaken within her and die on the eighty-first year of life, re-inheriting all that was meant to pass with her. "Grandma Georgia, who communicated with me through my retinue's spirit medium gave me those shells and told me of these things. It sounds ludicrous but she gave me many signs and shadows of events to verify the truth of her words. She also told me to tell you that you should share these things with Keita. She has forgotten her previous life but her soul remembers and knows much." Orison's body, now possessed by the second soul shell had finished the process of absorbing what had been shoved into it. "I can only speak what I know but through my connection with my true soul, nothing that has been said is false from my understanding. I want you to know that you have no obligation to any of this. If anything that's being asked of you now or in the future is against your free will or desires, don't do it." Drake looked at 'Orison' in shock. "This is your life and future! Decades of effort and resources have been poured into this. You should be begging him to understand and help you, not just throw your hands up and say 'What will be, will be'!" The Orison clone smiled mischievously, threw his hands up and said, "What will be, will be... Rithus, listen to the shadow in your bones as you always have and do what's right for you." With the strongest poker face Rithus had ever displayed, the ex-Marshlander said, "I notice you no longer call me dad." The clone nodded. "You know why. I don't want for my feelings to be important in what is your decision and I won't use yours to try to manipulate you." Rithus hissed in agitation and faded from view, using his own shadowy version of planar travel. Drake sighed as he stewed in his own frustration. "Thousands of souls, decades of work and dozens of worlds' worth of resource scouring. I thought I was a stubborn a**!" The Orison clone chuckled lightly. "And I feel ashamed to death about that but it doesn't change what's right. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find out if I can survive my wife's wrath long enough to make some more pleasant memories. Eighty-one years might seem like a long time to some but it's the blink of an eye for those like us." Drake suddenly looked listless and tired. The Orison clone clamped him on the shoulder and rested his forehead against Drake's. "If she legitimately tries to kill me or abandons me, I'll find you. If not, give me twenty years with my lover and I'll spend the rest of my life playing sidekick for you." The dhampir perked up a little but was still gloomy. "What do I do after that paltry sixty years?" The young mage's copy said in a chipper voice, "Well, I'm personally hoping that you'll learn how to play nice and get along with others by then. But if you're still having a hard time making friends, you can always go find the real me. Arrogant and self entitled hedonist sidekick will probably still be open since Stag threw in lots with 'the boy'." Drake stiffened up. "That mossy antlered gigolo and I are nothing alike!" Orison clone rolled his eyes and said, "I know, I know. You are WAY more handsome than he is and SO much more sophisticated." Drake smirked and replied, "You forgot to mention how I'm more noble of spirit and blood than he." Orison said, "No I didn't. I said 'arrogant and self entitled' earlier." "When Winter tears you apart, maybe I'll make a nice skeleton mage out of your remains," the dhampir said sourly. "How boring would that be?" the clone said, no less chipper. Wryly, Drake replied, "Terribly so."*** The little boy woke up from another nightmare. He started having them after he turned seven but nearly a year later, they had taken different flavors and there were things in them that he didn't understand. Sometimes he'd wake up from them giggling after the terror wore off. Sometimes he'd just be confused and unable to tease out the meaning of the mysterious feelings they evoked. After one such dream, little Orison called out to his guardian and teacher. "Tell me the story of how I was born again, Uncle Tait," The man sighed and said, "Your mother was a woman of extraordinary beauty. She had suitors from many lands and even other worlds. But like the fabled princesses, she grew bored of the attention and longed to be free of it. So, she held a ball and had her many suitors compete in feats of intelligence, ability and physical prowess. "Some were there merely as guests of your grandfather and competed for the sport of it. It was from among these that your tutors were picked. It's a shame you didn't get to benefit from their teachings for long." Little Orison said, "I liked Uncle Hunter the best. He always taught me using all kinds of fun games." Tait showed mock surprise and said, "I thought you liked Auntie Wei the best?" "I like her the best in a different way but... I like Auntie Babs too. Do I really have to beat up Uncle Garret before I can marry Auntie Babs when I grow up?" the little boy asked, looking a little intimidated. Muttering under his breath, the veteran mage said, "Not if I beat him up first." Talking at normal volume again, he added, "You shouldn't be making googly eyes at your tutors. Past, present or future, you're supposed to be learning from them... Do you want to hear the rest of the story or not?" Little Orison stopped protesting and waited quietly. Clearing his throat, Tait continued, "When all the competitions were over and the winners announced, she surprised everyone by picking the oldest and ugliest human who attended, the one who had played around at the challenges but intentionally lost them all." Excitedly, the boy said, "That's my dad, the one I was named after! He wasn't really ugly. His first wife scarred his face before they broke up." Tait pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do you want to tell the story or me?... The whole event had been a sham in her eyes. She picked the biggest loser. No one really knows why. The rest isn't a really nice part of the sto-" The boy frowned and said, "The story says that a Greater Fey named Ivan stole her away and a dark elf lady rescued her but my dreams told me a different story. She ran away with Ivan for fun but they didn't end up getting along. She called her secret girlfriend to bring her back home and married dad so that everyone else would leave her alone. "She didn't die because she pined to death over my dad. Their time just ran up. Winter was supposed to be my dad but she didn't want that. So, she just helped take care of me when I was really little. I think Winter DID pine to death because she loved my mom. Why didn't dad get mad when they played around with Uncle Cray? Isn't that bad?" Tait shook his head. "These aren't things an adult should talk to a child about. If you haven't figured things out when you're older, we can discuss it then."
