Closed To Enter Destruction's Aftermath (Brandon)

[Levi Remilian]

"No tricks, I promise." Levi reassured the ghost to assuage her wariness and suspicion. The spiritist closed his eyes and relaxed his body, with that he basically gave permission for the ghost to enter his body and possess him freely. The purpose of this possession was two-fold for the spiritist. While on the one hand he was honest in saying that they would be able to view memories if they wished, but it was also to drive in a particular point about the ethereal existence to the spirit. She knew that her existence as a ghost was a weary and lonely one, a life that no longer moved forward and could no longer experience mortal sensation. There were ghosts who envious of the living would possess their bodies; a futile attempt to regain a semblance of having a physical body. He needed to shatter that preconception in the ghost's mind, show her that there was no true life she could return to as herself now. The spirit quickly moved forward and into Levi's body, disappearing into him without a trace. The act of possession was oddly calming for the spiritist; the cold waves spreading through his body as the ghost's soulmist took hold of the various muscles and nerves in his body. It allowed to Levi simply let go of all control and lull himself to a still peace but this was out of necessity. He had to remain as tranquil as possible to even allow the act to proceed though as he could sense that the ghost was having some difficulty grasping the metaphorical strings to his body. Levi turned his attention to the essence of the ghost inside of him, searching through the remnants of the extinguished soul for any information that was valuable to him, anything so much as a few fragments he could piece together. Suddenly a flash of images and feelings, foreign memories burst into sight. Veila Daryun. A young woman with dark hair smiling back at- no that was her reflection in the mirror. She is wearing a white dress and a pearl necklace, that was Grandmother's. She is going to get married. The image flickered and changed. The day was coming soon and Veila paced around in her room, glancing at the mirror occasionally anxious and excited simaltaneously. Just a few more hours and the ceremony was going to begin. Mother and her sisters were downstairs, getting the dress and other preparations ready for her. She could hardly wait. She could hear her mother call for her. Finally! Veila ran out of her room, the floors creaking beneath her running footsteps. So happy, so joyful, nothing could possibly go- something caught on her foot. Was she falling? She was falling! Down the stairs, she was falling forward and- CRACK!! Did something break? Her neck? It was her neck. Why was it so dark? So cold... was she... dead? No it can't be... She was dead... but why? Why??? Gods... please no... no no no no no NOOOOO!!!! Levi's mind reeled from the violent rush of emotions. It wasn't much, but the spiritist felt that it was enough to go by. Veila... that was her name. She died in an accident, falling down the stairs in a manner so similar to Naya, so suddenly life ended. While still trying to take in what he saw, Levi could feel his limbs begin to jerk- no, move- and found that his body shakily stood up and try walking. Any normal person would have been terrified to see their body moving beyond their control, but to Levi it was little more than an accustomed occurrence. In his training with his mother on Black Rock he had to undergo possession by various ghosts to further his abilities, and travelling with Naya he would often allow her to possess him to strengthen both siblings in their skill. The slaps to the face by his two hands was expected; she must be checking if she could feel touch. Levi already knew the answer to that question: she could not being but the puppeteer, but the puppet still felt the sting of those slaps. The realization must be dawning on her now that possession, the one hope at satisfying her desire for a physical body, was nothing more than a shallow facade. An unnatural scream escaped from his mouth, an act that Levi would normally never do and thus this felt particularly strange to the man. The floor rushed at him with great speed and with the impact came a sharp throbbing pain to his head. She might not feel it, but he definitely did. He could hear screams not his own. She knew, she knew the cruel reality of her existence truly now and thus, she despaired. Veila's hold on his body weakened and frayed; Levi could feel the spirit let go and let his body topple onto its knees while her insubstantial form wisped away out of visible sight. The spiritist could still feel her presence though; she was still there, she was just weak now, echoes of what Levi knew were her sobs reaching his ears. He rubbed his head trying to soothe the headache that was starting to pound in his skull. He could hear Djas talking, to the ghost it seemed. His words were ones that Levi agreed with; they were those that everyone that followed Dira knew well. Levi massaged his forehead and spoke with a gentler voice. "Veila... I saw your memories. You were going to get married, wearing a white dress and a pearl necklace that was your grandmother's. But then you died in an accident... I am so sorry that you had to go through that. I experienced the joy you felt, the happiness, the sadness, and then the fear... the denial... all of it. It is as Djas said, you have already lived out your life. But now you need to accept reality. No, you already know the answer." He stopped massaging and continued, voice no longer as gentle, "This is not life that you are experiencing now, it is stagnant and frozen, twisting away into something less than true life. You may still be a person and soul, but see how much you have changed. Can you really continue on like this when you know you can start again? Accept the cycle and begin a new life where you can once more live, feel, eat, and love. You know what must be done to experience all of these things again."

[Brandon Blackwing]

Levi chimed in, finishing Brandon’s line of thought, hoping to persuade the apparition. His speech mirrored the bat’s, though whereas the Kelvic had started rather harshly and ended in a much more gentle voice, the spiritist did the opposite. A true mirror. He nodded along with the lines coming from Levi’s mouth, agreeing wholly with what the man said. Maybe their modus operandi may vary, and their opinions on how to do things greatly differed, but in the end they did follow the same deity, and shared the same vision and ethics. Words weren’t needed to make plans, nor were gestures. They both knew what to do, they both knew what to say. They could finish each other’s sentences if necessary, so to speak.

“But… Will I be myself?” came the voice from the ghost, ending in a quiet sob. A question Brandon hadn’t anticipated, one that actually bubbled up in his own mind from time to time, when his thoughts got morbid. “No,” he answered hesitantly, “and yes.” He crossed his arms and stared at the spot where he believed the ghost to exist. “No, you won’t be the person you were before. However, at the same time, you will be yourself, because you will always be yourself. The new you won’t feel as if she is not who she is supposed to be. Did you feel as if you were someone else during your life?”

That’s right, there was no way that anyone was the exact same person they were in the previous life. But did that make a difference? Everyone is different, no person is the same. So to for lives. “Don’t you think it’d be interesting to find out who you will be next? Maybe you’ll be a scholar, maybe a Shinya. Perhaps a spider.” He shrugged. “It’s a new start, a fresh start. Everything you were before is gone. It’s a new you. An entirely new you.” A grin crept up his face. “And besides, it’s not like you are the same as you were when you were alive either.”

A sigh then, a brief break to catch his breath. “Levi is right; see how much you have changed. Look at yourself, look good and long. Do you like what you see? Who you see? I’ve asked you before, and I’ll ask again; are you satisfied with this mimicry of life?”
“…No.”
“Then why hold on to it? You have nothing to lose, nothing to fear.” There came no answer, but the Kelvic hadn’t been expecting one anyway. “We cannot do anything for you. You decide your own fate. Will you stay, or will you go? It’s your choice. Know though, that everything you desire cannot be gained by clinging to this fake life.” He feel silent then, allowing for the spiritist to voice his own opinion, to take his turn to try and persuade the spirit, and while the apparition kept sobbing quietly, she didn’t show herself again, not until Levi was done speaking.

“You… you’re right,” she sighed, looking through the cracks of her barred windows longingly. Her expression, while displaying more longing than before, lightened up though, a small smile growing on her lips. Partly sad, partly glad. She blinked towards a small cupboard, collecting a tiny chest from one of the drawers. The lid opened, her gaze falling on the object inside as she placed it on the surface of the piece of furniture. Her hand reached out slowly, and her mouth formed the words once again, this time less hesitant. “You’re right.” And then… nothing. She just vanished, ceased to be, ceased to exist. Brandon could no longer sense her presence. The tiny strongbox however, stayed behind, exposing it's contents for all to see.

Inside, there lied a pearl necklace. Brandon didn’t walk towards it, instead opting to gaze at it, contemplating life. Thinking of the spirit they’d just directed to Dira. Would the Goddess be pleased? He turned towards his companion silently, gesturing he’d take his leave now, and that the spiritist should come too, already heading for the door.

[Levi Remilian]

The end of this encounter was near, the conclusion to this soul's current life was coming as the words that Djas and himself spoke to Veila worked upon her mind. The two worked together with their reflecting methods; they both knew what needed to be said in this moment. They were followers of Dira after all. The matter of the soul's journey through the cycle was one that was well known to both. Djas answered the ghost's question about her next life rather well and there was little that Levi could add to it without simply repeating similar words. The spiritist knew and understood the spirit's worry about her own identity in the next life. It was a question that he still wrestled with in his moments of solitude. Truly it was frightening, even if you will continue on, you will no longer exist. You will have come to your story's end. That is why people fear death, no one wants their story to end. Even if Levi knew in his mind that death was simply the natural conclusion, he still held fear of it deep within himself. He hated it, hated that for all his talk of accepting death for what it is, he could not shed that dread feeling to truly become Dira's servant. Is that why he was not chosen to be marked? He already knew the answer to that question. These thoughts ran through Levi's head as he quietly listened and watched Djas speak to the unseen spirit. The silence was enough of an answer; it was a sign that she knew the answe to the matter of her current existence. The spiritist left his own thoughts to continue off of Djas' words. "Every life is transient, it has a beginning and so it must have an end. But that is not a true end, it is simply the new beginning of another journey through this world. All you need to do now is let go, simply will it and Dira will guide you onwards." It was simple and prosaic, but it was the truth. Truth indeed, but did Levi truly accept it? Veila was once more visible, albeit much more faded and wispy than earlier. Levi watched on with a knowing expression. The final conclusion was here, Veila's story will finally end in peace. His gaze fell on the small chest that the ghost now looked at. Somehow the spiritist knew what she was looking at, either by intuition or a sudden jolt of emotion. It must be the pearl necklace she was looking at, reminiscing her life and the possibilities of what could have been. Most importantly was that there was no more regret, only acceptance. The ghost's final words echoed through the room and with that she disappeared, not a trace left for Levi to sense. The spiritist smiled, satisfaction evident on his face. He bowed his head, closed his eyes and uttered quietly, "Be at peace Veila, let Dira guide you onwards..." The task was done and a soul returned to the cycle, the two followers of Dira had succeeded. Levi stood silently as well, though his mind was awash in the pleasure that came with helping the lost soul. His attention returned to Djas in time to see him begin to move out. The spiritist nodded back and went to pick up his blades, sheathing his sword and daggers. With numerous clings the beads were picked up and put into his belt pouch. All his equipment gathered up, Levi followed after Djas. The gust of chilly but crisp wind that met the two as they exited refreshed Levi's mind, the young man smiling some more. He had no reason to hide his smile after granting solace to a grieving spirit. Out on the street in front of the abandoned house, Levi turned to Djas. "That ended well. I am glad that we succeeded. I must thank you for your help. Without you this encounter may have gone down a different path... but let us not think of that." He paused for a moment, "You must think my method to be not the best, I could tell. I realize that talking down a violent spirit can seem stupid, I realize that even more after what happened at first." The spiritist sighed, the exhaustion of the experience evident on his face. "It is much easier to attack and eliminate ghosts, but I will always talk first to persuade them to pass on. Inevitably I may come to a point where I can't avoid using force..." He trailed off, looking sad and worried for the smallest of moments, "But I remain by the teaching and beliefs I hold. That is my way as a spiritist. I apologize if it's not a way you would act by."

[Brandon Blackwing]

The bright light of the sun debilitated Brandon for a bit, his sight needing time to adapt. The breeze was nice though, fresh and lovely compared to the stale air from inside the ghost’s house. Levi spoke in happy tones, apparently feeling quite satisfied with the outcome of the encounter, and Brandon couldn’t quite disagree. They’d been in a tight spot for a little while after all, and while he doubted that they’d been killed –or at least Brandon himself would have survived- it was a fact that the spirit would have roughed them up good if they’d let her have her way.

“Maybe best not,” the Kelvic agreed, striking a lock of hair out of his face, the breeze immediately making his work undone. However, he wans’t sure just of how much help he’d really been. He was still very new to actually dealing with ghosts, and clearly it wasn’t all that easy as he’d thought it would be. It was really different, though it seemed that every spiritist had their own way of dealing with apparitions of all kinds. Brandon brought his hands up in a manner to dismiss the apology, shaking his head. Apologizing for doing things your way was unnecessary. As long as everything ended up alright, that is.

“Bah, you are you.” He shrugged, “I mean, what do I know of being a spiritist? Nothing. I have my own fields of expertise, and if someone wouldn’t agree with my way of doing things in those areas, I wouldn’t apologize. Do what you think is right, and hold on to your beliefs.” The Kelvic bat crossed his arms. “I can respect people like that.” A nod or two followed, along with the offering of his hand.

If Levi shook it or not didn’t matter, Brandon didn’t really care either way. He didn’t know what the custom was in Black Rock, but he didn’t believe it was a bow like here in Lhavit. “Well, Levi, it was nice meeting you. Until we meet again, I suppose.” And with that the Kelvic turned around and walked away, heading home. His body was sore in too many places, and rest sounded divine to him. A good day’s sleep would do him good. Or maybe two days of sleep. Either way, he’d give his battered body some well-deserved rest; it’d earned a reward for doing great work today.

[Levi Remilian]

The reply Djas gave to Levi's apology was reassuring; it seemed that he understood everyone had their own ways in life. It was good that he felt that way. The spiritist had been worried that the Dira-marked would have been critical of his approach when it came to spiritism. In the end though Djas was right. What mattered was that they achieved their end goal. Peace to a weary soul, done in the right way. Bound by their service to the goddess Dira, the two would always be able to work together when it came to the spirits of the dead. He could still teach him more if Djas still held the interest to learn more. Levi nodded and smiled to the other man, in turn he shook Djas' hand. It was a little pleasing to Levi that he did not need to bow this time as it seemed to be the custom in Lhavit. "Until we meet again Djas." The spiritist watched his fellow follower of Dira walk away for a few moments before he too turned away. If he was going to remain in Lhavit for a time, it was inevitable that the two were going to cross paths again and to be honest, Levi was pleased to think that they were bound to meet again. Slowly the spiritist walked back towards the apartments, the wind fluttering his white cloak. The task was finished and now he wanted to take a good rest after he made the promised soulmist for Naya. Hopefully she would warm up to the Dira-marked once he could control his power better. Could he even control that aspect of his mark. No matter, what he needed now was rest for his almost choked throat. As Levi made his way into the apartment room, a sudden thought made him sigh and shake his head. He had forgotten to ask for Djas' full name and ask what his occupation was! Perhaps he will find out another day.

[Bee]

Don't forget to edit/delete your grade request. If there's anything I may have missed, please PM me and I'll BEE happy to look into it.

 

Levi

Skills

• +2 Philosophy
• +2 Spiritism
• +1 Teaching
• +1 Persuasion
  

Lores

• Lore: Mixing soulmist
• Lore: How to teach making soulmist
• Lore: Dealing with angry ghosts
• Lore: Brandon: Goes by Djas

Miscellaneous

• 1lb rye flour -3Ki | 3ki
• 1lb of cheese (common) -2 Tk | 3Ki 2Tk
• A dozen eggs (chicken) -1Tk | 3Ki 3Tk
• 1 oz glass vial -5Tk | 3Ki 8Tk
• 2 yds fabric (common) -2Tk | 4Ki
• Bowl (8oz) -1Jk | 4Ki 1Jk
  4Ki 1Jk

 

Brandon

Skills

• +1 Tracking
• +1 Intimidation
• + 1 Sneaking
• +2 Acrobatics
• +1 Weapon: Daggers
• +1 Persuasion

Lores

• Lore: Ghosts fear the mark
• Lore: Soulmist ingredients
• Lore: Soulmist, making of
• Lore: How a Spiritist works
• Lore: Levi: A Spiritist

Comments: Great thread guys! I enjoyed the ghost woman a lot, this was awesome!