Flashback Break with the past Part 11

[Karsynwa]

7th of Spring, 490 AV

When his braid was complete, he threaded it through the seven lead beads Therie had set on the table before him. This was a much easier process with Karsynwa encircling the bead each time with his braid to secure it along the line. He was fortunate his hair was so long because he barely had enough to complete the necklace and tie it off at the end of the line. Karsynwa pulled on the knot to make sure it was secure before he draped it over his neck. It rested heavy against his breast and Karsynwa could tell why this would be hard for a ghost to move. Though it felt like an empty measure with the support of his inferior soulmist, he did feel a slight sense of accomplishment at having made the device. Therie seemed proud too in his own mysterious way. That, or he was glad to see his plot coming together as they neared the end of their preparation for the plan.

It was a simple enough idea. He would approach bearing these ineffective ghostbeads to provoke the ghost. When it came after him, Dimitri would help him fight it off while Therie got into position. Away from the bridge, Therie would then souldart and dust the ghost. Sounded simple when presented as such, though Karsynwa still felt a hint of trepidation. There was much yet unsettled with their plan. After all they could not predict how the ghost would react based on Karsynwa’s singular interaction to it. Still it was the best they had.

When the ghostbeads were done, Karsynwa watched as Therie methodically prepped his equipment. He created extra soulmist that he put into empty vials, using some to coat his souldarts, and ghostbeads first. Karsynwa couldn’t help but notice that Therie was able to create a lot more of the stuff than he was, and he figured that it must be a part of him getting more experience at the practice over time. Then Therie surprised him, grabbing one of the worn tomes from the edge of the bed and handing it to him.

“I have to go for a bell or so. Read this while you wait. It is part family history, part record keeping. I think it will aid you in your understanding of the practice.” Therie said, holding his gaze for a long tick before departing out the door to the room with Dimitri close behind him. Left alone in the room, Karsynwa felt suddenly powerful and full of trepidation at the same time. This was a strange sort of test. He wondered where Dimitri’s eyes would be observing him from, and felt already watched as he carefully opened the book to reveal the first page.

The Janque Family Legacy

The title was written in a fine script, and he wondered if it had been Therie himself whom had done it. There was a noticeable age to the page so Karsynwa was careful as he turned it. He winced as the spine creaked crispy, then his mind was occupied with the words on the page.

WC - 515

[Karsynwa]

Date, Season, Year

What followed was a brief genealogy of the Janque family which Karsynwa skimmed through to see if he recognized any names. He only saw two near the end of the line, Therie Janque, and Artum Hisek. According to this, Artum was Therie’s brother in law. Underneath Therie’s name were three others, and underneath those two more. The line ended there for now with the next few pages having been left blank to continue the line. It was odd to think Therie as a man who had children, living alone as he did in the sparse room. Karsynwa wondered what happened to his wife for while he could infer that his children had grown it adults, it was clear his wife was no longer with him. The room was too cluttered, and small for two to live comfortably in this space.

The next part of the book seemed to be a mission statement of sorts. It spoke of the Janque’s desire to seek harmony with ghosts, and approach each case with balance. That was something Karsynwa could easily get behind even if he had mixed feelings on the subject currently. His desire for revenge was somewhat mollified by his neutral interaction with the ghost Dimitri. When he was feeling particularly introspective, he could even say he rather liked the ghost. At least Dimitri didn’t seem as broken as the other’s did in the stories he was told growing up.

In fact to hear the Janques tell it, ghosts came in quite a wide variety with reasons for lingering as varied as their appearance. Karsynwa mostly skimmed over this general overview till he came across something that caught his eye. On the abilities of ghosts it read. He settled back in a chair to read with interest.

[As we well know, ghosts are the souls of those who have decided not to move on with the cycle for whatever reason. Because of this our profession exists in part to give these lost souls counsel, but also to learn from them I believe. They make effective time keepers set apart from it as they are, and in there minds they hold what they valued in life most dearly.

We can see this in the ways that they choose to interact with the world starting with Materialization. Their practice of concentrating their soulmist so as to become corporeal. In this form they are able to touch the world, and we are able to touch them back in return. An in this form they are allowed to portray themselves how they like, with the best among them able to appear as real as any man.

Another way they choose to interact is with Soulmist Projection. This is another fine tuned use of their soulmist to interact with objects which I find more than a little fascinating. Once I came across the ghost of a bricklayer who decided to continue his occupation after death as if it had not slowed him at all. I am firmly convinced that by seeing which objects they use, and how they use them, we can get a keen insight into their psychology.

An of course finally there is the matter of possession. It is naturally the most intimate way a ghost can interact with the living and done in the right way it can be a positive experience for both parties. There is a reason we learn from a young age to share our bodies with ghosts. This is not just so we can adapt to controlling a foreign presence in our bodies, but so we can learn from them as they learn from us. When I connect with a ghost I feel its thoughts and feelings. I am gifted with flashes of its history along with insight into the skills it had in life. It is probably the thing I look upon most fondly from my early training, though I will admit I did not think so at the time.

I am of the mind that it is not unusual to find companionship with a ghost. I think we would be cold if we did not, and not nearly as affective at our job. After all if you want to truly help a ghost move on, you have to win their heart and mind first before you can begin to help them make the necessary changes. Only then will they know peace and rejoin the cycle.]

Karsynwa closed the book, and set it aside for a moment. He heard the scrape of footsteps out in the hall. Someone coming down the stairs perhaps. His eyes fastened upon the door as the sounds came to a stop outside of the door.

WC - 781

[Karsynwa]

Date, Season, Year

Relief flooded him as Therie walked through the door with Dimitri still his shadow. The man chuckled at Karsynwa’s surprised look as he watched him set down a bundled package onto the desk.

“It didn’t take nearly as long as I thought it would.” Therie said, clucking as he fussed with the twine straps of the package. “What do you say we go for a walk and get a good look at this bridge?” Therie asked.

“Sure” Karsynwa said.

Outside it was late afternoon with the sun now illuminating the face of the cliff fully as they walked up towards the bridge. The journey was not arduous but Therie puffed at his side as he had on the way to the academy library. Karsynwa got the feeling he didn’t get out much, but he was in no position to chide the man about it. It was strange being in this position of accompanying a spiritist. Everything seemed to be moving so fast and he couldn’t help feeling a little guilty knowing it had been his foolishness that caused this imposition. If he had just stuck with his weapons training none of this mess would have happened. Though perhaps it would have but with another Akalak peer of his. Karsynwa shook off the feeling. He couldn’t have been the only one that ghost had tried to latch onto. Perhaps it was better this way that he was here to help deal with it.

The way was not long, though it was a very drawn out route that crisscrossed up the cliff face. As they drew closer to their destination the sun began to sink behind Falyndar’s verdant jungle canopy. Around them torches and lanterns began to spring to life, lighting up the rest of the way for them. The bridge of course was at the top, spanning across the perilous falls as the Bluevein river emptied out into the bay below.

“Are you ready?” Dimitri asked from behind him. He turned around to see the ghost and Therie lingering behind a ways. Hesitantly, he touched the ghostbeads around his neck and nodded. Wordlessly the ghost floated into him. He felt that same coldness as before moving within him, shifting slightly but not trying to control his body as before. Fighting off the urge to resist the foreign feeling, Karsynwa turned around to walk towards the bridge. He stopped when he was about twenty paces from it. All alone for now so far as he could tell save for Dimitri of course. His chest tightened as he prepared to do what he must. At least he had his wooden lakan with him, smeared with Therie’s soulmist since Karsynwa’s own wouldn’t take. The ghostbeads around his neck might be ineffective, but so long as he had the weapon he felt safe.

“I’m back. I think you didn’t mean to try to kill me so I want you to come out now. Give you a chance to explain yourself.” Karsynwa called out into the still air.

WC - 502

[Karsynwa]

Date, Season, Year

Nothing. There was a distant howl of the wind across the cliff face, but no apparition showed her face. Karsynwa tensed, taking a step forwards as he unwound the heavy necklace from around his neck. His jaw worked in concentration as he figured what he would say next.

“I understand if you are afraid of me. It must be so very lonely choosing to live underneath a bridge.” Karsynwa said, trying to provoke her the only way he knew how. To his disappointment, the bridge continued to sway slightly with no one rising in the mist from it. He breathed out through his mouth, and misted the air in front of his face. His brow wrinkled at that. Searching himself, he found that the cold was inside him had masked the sudden drop in temperature of his surroundings. The ghostbeads fell from his hand, and hastily he stood in the small circle they had made. He tried to push out of his mind that they did not have soulmist to power them as his eyes searched for her.

A shrill laugh echoed seemingly from all around him. Karsynwa looked up to see the etheral woman floating above him, her nose scarcely above his own. Her eyes were a crazed sort, wide with little black pupils. He shivered unintentionally.

“It seems like you missed a step.” She laughed again, and then slashed at him with her right hand. Karsynwa fell onto the ground to doge, but still felt her cold hand graze him on his way down. As quickly as he could manage, he crawled away backwards with her leisurely floating after him. Dimitri stirred within him, perhaps preparing from the inevitable possession. Karsynwa felt his gut clench as the deranged apparition drew closer. Her form was far different this time with her limbs sticking out at odd angles. Blood covered her features and matted her hair to the side of her face.

“Stupid boy, you should have known better than to return here.” She cackled, reaching out slowly to grasp him. “I-” The woman hesitated, perhaps sensing another presence. There was a faint twang from off to the side where Therie had been waiting around the edge of an alcove with his crossbow. The bolt struck her in the shoulder, tossing the apparition to the side. Karsynwa leapt to his feet, and drew his wooden lakan, brandishing it as he ran past the ghost. When he was between it and the bridge he turned around. She recovered momentarily only to be struck again by one of those strange souldarts, this time pinning part of her form to the ground. The call she let out was like nothing he ever heard as he watched her struggle to try pulling the dart out. There was a click, then another dart struck her, pinning the other half of her form to the ground as she stooped over. Then Therie came with his bloody right hand extended as he plunged it into the ghost’s form. Her tendrils started to whip about wildly then some slapping ineffectually against his armor as Karsynwa watched the man drain the energy from her form. When he blinked she was gone, and in her place was a pile of light pink ash in a vaguely womanish shape.

WC - 548

[Karsynwa]

Date, Season, Year

Karsynwa knew what to do from this point so he went back to the point Therie had emerged from to grab an empty clay jar. He brought it over, carefully handing it to the spiritist as he knelt on the ground next to the pile of ashes. Karsynwa knelt beside the man to help him scoop them up. Dimitri had left him sometime between when the ghost had been dusted and he had went over to retrieve the jar, a fact he only noticed when he saw the young man hovering beside Therie. Oddly enough Karsynwa didn’t feel a sense of relief at having her dusted. Instead he found he felt sad for the woman who’s mind seemingly had been broken by her death. He didn’t even know her name, but he would remember that face for as long as he could still breathe.

Now he felt empty inside as he scooped up her ashes into a jar. Therie was quiet too, his face drawn and pale in the dim evening light. They worked together in silence until the jar had been filled. Afterward they sat back against a low wall to watch the sun dip the rest of the way behind the horizon. Dimitri hovered through the air lethargically nearby seemingly also beset by the mood that pervaded the moment. Karsynwa sighed.

“Does it hurt to be dusted?” Karsynwa asked Dimitri as he looked up at the ethereal young man.

“Not exactly. Its scary at first, then there is just nothing. No more pain. No more worry. No more thoughts. When I wake up again it is like I never left. It grows on you in a way. Less bothersome than having to wait out time the slow way.” Dimitri said, floating on his back as he stared up at the cloudy night sky. Therie didn’t say anything. Didn’t move his eyes from the clay jar he cradled in his hand. From the way he was looking Karsynwa got the impression he wasn’t thinking about the woman. Not entirely anyways. This must be about his friend. An something occurred to him then that he had not shared.

“About your friend.” Karsynwa said, starting off soft and slow as he studied the jar. Artum supposedly left his journal with another man before he disappeared. The man held onto it for as long as he could before finally bringing it to the library for safekeeping. When the Kuvay’Nas heard about the contents of the journal, they checked the grotto only to find it mostly abandoned save for one ghost. An unidentified male. The collapsed the cavern before leaving, but maybe that ghost still lurks near the water. I don’t know where the cave is, but I believe that Zandar knows and could help you. I-” Karsynwa said, stopping when he met Therie’s intense gaze. He didn’t have to say anymore, and left it at that as he slowly stood up from where they sat.

“Thank you for letting me accompany you today. I won’t forget what you taught me.” Karsynwa said. Therie only nodded, and Karsynwa noticed his knuckles were white around the jar. Wisely, Karsynwa decided to move on without saying anything else. He had done enough today. It was time to go home.

WC - 544