tushanshu_logs | EVENT | LANDFALL

Raine understood why he'd been concerned when the bubble started to spread.

She saw nothing of the magic itself, only the effects it had, the slowly expanding sphere where mana ebbed and life vanished. The implications of the silence, the sheer magnitude of the possible death toll should he use this in a crowded area, all came to the forefront of her mind at once. She took one involuntary step back as her heart began to race, then another, before she forced herself to stop. There she held her ground, watching the inexorable spread of dying foliage and refusing to acknowledge the physiological symptoms of fear.

Caution was reasonable. Terror was not. That was all there was to it.

The magic's progress stopped short of her -- not that it had been much of a question, at least where her rational mind was concerned. Solomon was conscientious and desired not to do her harm. Therefore, he would not. Raine adjusted her grip on her staff, planted her feet a little more solidly, and waited.

When he opened his eyes once more, however, she inhaled sharply, startled despite herself. Red eyes had not heralded good things for the affected person in the past. She noted differences as soon as the initial surprise was past -- the full sclera rather than just the iris, for one, and of course this situation was worlds away from Colette's, but there was still some less-than-rational part of her that was concerned he would not answer.

"Solomon?"

Something thudded in the crystal stillness, something muffled and inaudible due to the dullness of the echo. It came from a distance, as if someone was trying to reach him; and then Solomon realised that someone might be. If that had been Raine--what had she done? She couldn't attack death.

Talking. She must have said something, and Solomon hadn't heard it, as if he was in a completely different place.

With a start he realised he was, that the faint drag on the edges of his awareness wasn't just the mana trying to be used, but the vibration of a circle that wanted to spread. It was slower, so much slower that he hadn't noticed the difference until now, but it was the same drag that had sucked him into the death-plane when he'd been fighting Bakura.

Most certainly not something he wanted to experience again. It was just that--he wasn't sure how to turn the bubble off. It took a minute, and he had to breathe evenly to stop the unreasoning fear from taking over; but then he managed to soften his urgency and woo the life back into the bubble, and release the mana he'd taken. The bubble collapsed and the foliage grew healthy again; the animals picked themselves up, a little confused or startled, as if coming out of a sudden deep sleep.

Solomon's head pounded suddenly and he put a hand to his forehead, and staggered in the dizziness of cold order being replaced by warm chaos.

The stillness dragged on, chafing at her nerves, and she shifted uncomfortably in place. There was little to be done even if he was fully unresponsive, save trust that, somehow, he still knew what he was doing. Perhaps pushing the idea had been foolish-- but, no, she would still say there was wisdom in taking the opportunity to ascertain that he could control it. She hesitated in uncertainty, watching him closely for any sign of comprehension or action.

Perhaps she imagined the fractional turn in her direction. Perhaps the magic simply made his focus very distant. Whatever the cause, the point was moot in a few seconds more, as mana flowed back into the sphere before her, restoring radiance and life as quietly as they had gone.

With mana returned Raine judged an approach safe enough, and as Solomon staggered she quickened her pace until she was close enough to offer support if need be. "Are you all right?" she asked, genuine concern in her voice.

"Fine," Solomon said shortly and instinctively. Then he took another breath and winced, and reached out for something to lean on. "Possibly." He found her shoulder and he almost flinched when he did, for a moment absurdly afraid that he'd take her soul just with a touch.

Ridiculous. He put some of his weight on her and took a deep breath. What, exactly, was making his head pound so? The death-plane objecting to his escaping its grasp? The simple transition from one plane to the other without the benefit of the high?

"I think I understand why Necromancy developed its addictive qualities," he said a little weakly and very wryly, and raised his head. The pound was subsiding, but the ache was still there.

His 'fine' was not particularly convincing. Raine was unsurprised when he reached out, and she gave him what support she could. "If this is a common side-effect, then it makes sense." Her healing almost certainly wouldn't help with this, either, no matter how much she wanted to offer. Instead, remembering the entire point of this exercise in the first place, she turned her focus briefly on the mushroom forest around them once more.

As far as possible results went, this was among the better ones. "Nothing in the affected area seems much the worse for wear," she offered, after a moment. "Except you."

"How nice for me," Solomon muttered, and when he straightened up he was more composed, except for the lines of pain around his eyes. Thankfully, his eyes had also returned to normal. He followed Raine's gaze around, and the visual confirmation of what he'd already know served to dissipate some of his tension.

"I don't think I should try that again," he said quietly. "I think--" He looked around again. His theory--it was the only thing that made sense, really. If he was assuming that all dimensions had multi-faceted souls, or planes, then there was only one way for the death-aura to work metaphysically. "I think the death-aura is a means by which to draw the death-plane into other planes, temporarily. At home, it's simply a conduit for the user to grasp at power. But here ..." He almost shook his head, and then thought better of it. "I've already used it to accidentally throw myself into the death-plane once. If I'd tried to grasp much more just now, I likely would have done the same again."

"Since Death is a location in a more than figurative sense." As long as they were in this world, anyway. She followed his train of thought, and nodded shortly after. "Yes, that would make sense. I'm glad you didn't." Unplanned visits to that plane struck her as sub-optimal, especially if it was associated with the enemy. "You're right; that should be avoided. I'm sorry."

Because, after all, she had suggested it, and felt moderately responsible for the results.

"There's no need," said Solomon. He felt steady enough to remove his hand from her shoulder, and did so. "I had the same idea, and it was--illuminating, at least." He smiled grimly. "I know more about the connection between it and the death-plane, for one. And I know what it feels like. Did you speak to me? I couldn't see or hear you. Everything outside the circle I made was a blur, or muffled; as though it was too distant to experience."

"I wondered about that, yes." She looked him over briefly, and was satisfied that he did look steadier than he had been. "I did call your name." It both explained his lack of response and supported the theory that he'd been partially calling the death-plane to them. For completeness' sake, and since it might mean something to him that it didn't to her, she added, "For a moment or two, your eyes were completely red."

That wasn't something he'd realised, but when Solomon paused to think about it, it made sense. "My sight changed," he said. "When I looked at what I'd called, it seemed even more solid than it does now; but I couldn't see anything beyond it. I couldn't see my surroundings as I do now. It was like a--a death-sight."

Like being able to sense death, but see it as well as sense and know it. A shiver ran through him, a slight one down his back. The Death Bringer truly did have to be someone immersed in what he was.

"This makes sense," he murmured, taking refuge from that chilling knowledge in theory. "I have a hypothesis in the ... multifaceted souls of universes, so to speak. If the death-plane is in some form accessible in home dimensions too, it would speak to that."

It couldn't be the khajbit or sheut, because while death was connected to shadow it wasn't itself a shadow. He still didn't have enough information to remotely try and draw parallels between what was what, particularly since Bakura's khajbit could well be his own universe's manifestation of something such as, perhaps, the Dreaming. Solomon would like to know more about that connection, and how well others could use it--but perhaps not until he'd repaired their relationship somewhat.

But the fact that Solomon could, with power from his own world, access the death-plane lent credence to that theory.

"The multifaceted souls of universes," Raine repeated, curiosity piqued. Certainly she could guess that this had something to do with how this world was separated into Life, Death, and Dreaming. If his world had some corollary, and if he'd been gathering data from other people that suggested something similar... well, it would be an absolutely fascinating topic to pursue, and not too far removed from her own persistence in learning about foreign magics.

Her own world had at the very least precedent for different planes of existence. If there was an overarching commonality between them all, in the basic underlying structures of the worlds, it could explain much. "What's your hypothesis?"

Edited 2014-08-12 07:16 (UTC)

This was a much better topic of discussion than the previous, and the more they left the previous behind, the more Solomon was able to diffuse his tension. He almost conjured up a chair of shadows, then thought better of it and sat on a mushroom instead. This place seemed a touch too solid to dream up his own objects, Dreaming or no, and he wasn't sure he wanted to try.

"It was inspired by the Egyptian perception of souls," he explained. "They believe that a person's being is made up of six parts, and their soul five--the sixth part is the physical body. Given the state of this place and some of the Temple's theories, I simply made the observation that universes appear to have parts as well. If that is true, then what's the connection between them? How much does each universe rely upon that connection to remain a coherent whole? And does that whole impart some degree of awareness?"

Unfamiliar place names had long since become par for the course, and since he didn't seem to be expecting Egypt to ring a bell with her, Raine passed it over for now. The other concepts he raised were much more interesting. "Every universe's iteration would of course appear differently," she said, warming to the idea. "With some recognizable key concepts more or less constant between? Everyone I've had the chance to talk to about it has something that at least resembles mana, it seems, whether it's called chi or eleth or anything else. If there's more than just that, if universes share a common base structure--"

That train of thought was rapidly discarded as soon as she lit on the next, enthusiasm outpacing the speed of her words. "And a soul implies some form of awareness, however limited-- though it's more likely mortal awareness that's limited. Take Asti, after all: we know he is there, and that he's sentient, but we're simply not equipped to communicate with him on the same level. And the difference between him and an entire universe would nearly have to be orders of magnitude greater. If there is that awareness--" She stopped there, not quite sure of the implied 'then,' certain only that this was an idea she wanted to pursue. "I'm getting ahead of myself," she said finally. "What have you observed in that vein so far?"

In this, Raine was not like Morwenna much at all. Morwenna's enthusiasm had always been staid, controlled, visible only in her attention to detail. But Raine's was infectious and it still made Solomon laugh, and more of the tension left him.

"The Egyptian perception is difficult to understand without cultural context," he explained, "but I have the gist of it, I think. A person's being is made of six parts: the ren, their name; the baa, their individuality or unique self; the kaa, their vital essence or spirit; the ib, their heart, the seat of their emotion; the sheut, their shadow; and their ha, their physical body. But they also believe in a holy river. Among other things, one can only truly join the afterlife when they've crossed the river. It is quite literally the means by which their planes are divided."

He smiled. "That is where Temple tenets enter the equation. We know that the souls of the dead enter what we call the lifestream--the metaphysical current which runs between dimensions and universes, and carries souls on to be reincarnated." Of course, he had no intention of explaining what the Necromancers planned to do with that knowledge. Instead he tilted his head. "Does that sound familiar to you?"

After all, Asti swam in a giant metaphysical current.

Raine smiled in return, an expression with a self-deprecating edge. She was well aware of this tendency of hers. At the least he was a rather more understanding audience than most.

"Hold on a moment," she said, frowning a little. "Baa-- I think I've heard that term before. Ah. Have you been talking to Bakura, by any chance?"

Lifestream was a different matter altogether. Raine hummed briefly in thought, and after a moment sat down herself, tucking her legs beneath her. "It's not familiar as far as my homeworld is concerned, no. There's always the possibility that any record of something like that was lost in the Kharlan War and its aftermath. I'm disinclined to believe anything the Church taught about the afterlife, but we have no real way of knowing what actually happens. Observing mana can only tell us so much. I presume the holy river you mentioned is roughly equivalent, correct? As for here, it's not something I've looked into -- is there a parallel?"

As an aside, before she could get swept up again, she added, "This is the second time you've mentioned a Temple." It was less of a question and more of a hopeful inquiry for context.

Ah. Solomon hadn't been aware they knew each other--though somehow it wasn't a surprise, that Raine had spoken to others somewhat philosophically inclined. "He's been helping me with my research," Solomon explained, which was by far the simplest explanation, though not quite accurate for its simplicity. If she'd spoken to Bakura before, that would be obvious, so Solomon smiled wryly. "In a manner of speaking. He is Egyptian."

Her last question made him pause. Any detailed answer to that question would only direct the conversation back to death-auras and other things about which Solomon wasn't sure he wanted to speak right now. But a basic answer ... "I'm a cleric in the Necromantic Temple," he said. "An adviser to the High Priest."

And then he neatly went back to her other question, the evasion not impolite but still obvious for all that. "Asti swims in a metaphysical current," he said, "which bridges the planes of Life, Death and Dreaming. It was too great a parallel to ignore. If Asti swims in the lifestream even now, a place where our souls were borne to be put in a replica of our original bodies, then that proves the Temple's theory beyond a doubt--particularly because they need to store our souls in a separate receptacle, one that affords protection from the lifestream's internal influence. That the lifestream divides and connects three planes indicates that these are all parts of a single universe's soul. Bakura has also introduced me to a possible fourth--the khajbit, a kind of shadow-plane, where kaa, creatures representing individuals, reside."

She supposed it made sense that they had been talking, given the apparent overlap in their interests. Bakura being even that forthcoming was frankly a little startling, but perhaps they'd come to some sort of exchange. Perhaps Bakura simply liked Solomon. "Ah. Hm. I'm less sure now that I'd agree with his analogy, but... later." That was something to query the primary source about, even if she wasn't sure he'd answer.

Raine could recognize an evasion when she heard one, fortunately, and as it had been both polite and not strictly relevant to the lifestream thought, she nodded and moved on. It seemed like it had the potential to take them back to death magic, at any rate, of which there had been more than enough for one day.

"That plane, since it's accessible here, must be connected in some manner similar to the others, and if it's a distinct and separate place, it seems reasonable to presume, in the lack of evidence against the idea, that it is that fourth part." She had calmed into simple thoughtfulness by now, turning the idea over and over. "I had initially thought the separation of our souls was only a backup measure, to keep us from permanent death. Which-- it is that, to an extent, but if your hypothesis is accurate then that illuminates the reason it was necessary. And, perhaps, why it's important that we stay close to them." The last was tacked on as an afterthought. If Eva's magic wasn't as strong as the late Emperor's had been, and they were in a current of souls, the danger of being swept away, so to speak, might be a very real one.

The comment about Bakura seemed to be mostly for herself, but it made Solomon wonder what analogy Bakura had made. Something to do with baa, obviously--but Raine hadn't explained what.

"That was my thought as well," he said. "I don't know how to access it, but I was able to manipulate it when Bakura showed it to me--and while it's possible for people here to learn magic from those not of their world, the khajbit is not magic per se. If it's possible for someone other than Bakura to access the khajbit, that would imply it's a founding plane. A strange one, admittedly; I would have assumed an individual's sheut would be found there, rather than their ka, but it is what it is."

Solomon smiled deprecatingly. He had initially thought the separation of soul was a way to keep the Foreigners under control--and he still felt that was a possibility. But if it was true, then it was Evandau taking advantage of a situation rather than creating the situation for that purpose. Asti, as much as Solomon disliked his soul being elsewhere, was right: returning it would have been a very bad idea.

"The palace may have provided a buffer around the city which enabled us to move at a distance," he said, "but now the palace is taken, we no longer have the benefit of that protection. It makes sense that we would need to remain near to them, under those conditions."

Raine took a few seconds picking through the newly-learned terminology. "A shadow within a plane made of shadows might be easily lost," she offered, a little absently. In the unlikely event that Bakura felt talkative, she would have to query him on this topic, too. "Or, perhaps, the ka as a creature in this case becomes like a shadow cast by the person...? Hm. I wonder why he chose ba as comparison for mana, instead -- vital essence sounds closer, as far as comparisons go, but..."

She fell silent there, thoughts directed inward. Mana was necessary for life as their world knew it, and each and every person had it. It was possible, if ill-advised, to completely exhaust your mana, and the consequence was usually death, but on the one occasion she had seen it occur, the unique self had not gone with it. But in the case of those who had been absorbed by exspheres-- those took both. They must, or speaking to Alicia would have been impossible. Mithos' survival would have been impossible. "I think," she said aloud, slowly, "mana must be closer to ka, as uniqueness and a concept of self is not necessarily attached-- but exspheres likely feed on ba as well, or entrap it as a result." And she shook her head. "But that's beside the point, for now." She'd think on it later. "It's true that the palace has some sort of powerful magic in it, and the results of its corruption speak for themselves. Eva also said she had needed to move them, didn't she? Perhaps that, too, had an effect."

"One would think," said Solomon, "but if you've seen the monsters Bakura has summoned, you may think differently. They are all the kaa, or were in the past, or will be in the future--I'm not sure time exists in the khajbit except when taken into it by duelists. Either way, they're certainly unique themselves."

He leaned forward, gazing up at the foliage overhead and tapping his fingers together. "Of course, from what I recall when I visited the Egyptian Temple, it's when the ka leaves the body that the person dies. But that may be a matter of exchanging cause and effect--the ka leaves the body when the ba dies." He shook his head with a deprecating chuckle. "This is where the cultural conditioning would be useful. Either way, as I understand it, the ba and ka are more closely connected than the other parts of the soul; they can join one another in the afterlife even after death."

Those sorts of complexities were the things Solomon was having trouble with, though he suspected it may not be as simple as an easy one-to-one parallel. The Ancient Egyptians may have been accurate, to some extent, with their view of their universe and its planes; but that didn't mean that all they believed was accurate.

"I would like," Solomon said thoughtfully, "to try and draw parallels between the planes and the features, and the ways in which the parts of the soul are believed to be connected. It's difficult to do so without practical research on the planes themselves."

"I believe I have, once-- though not in any position to examine it in detail. A dragon." It stuck out in her memory, but mostly as dragons in the middle of a fight did, and not with sufficient clarity to distinguish anything important.

It was increasingly clear that she'd have to broach this subject with Bakura at some point, however. "The context would certainly help," she said, only a little resigned. It was not that the idea was particularly unpleasant, but rather that, in her limited experience, a conversation with him had high potential to become frustrating. "The concept itself is clear enough, and I understand the broad idea, but the specifics likely make more sense to someone raised in the tradition."

Even if a direct parallel to things with which she was familiar couldn't be achieved, and she was prepared for that, it would still be nice to have a clear understanding, of this world and of others. "How do you propose to proceed, then?" Raine asked, and, shortly after, "And will you continue to share what you learn?"

"The specifics, in this case, are unfortunately what's important," Solomon said wryly. "But it means I've needed his input, and he has been helpful."

Her second-to-last question was an important one, but it was her last that Solomon answered first. "If you like," he said. "Knowing more about other universes seems wise in any case. But my next step is to take advantage of the opportunity here." He nodded at their surroundings. "I have not been able to study the Dreaming directly before; I don't know details about its characteristics."

"I'd like that, yes," she said. "And if there's anything I can help with, I'm happy to. Though I haven't been here before, either." She rose at that, dusting her pants off absently. "Before this I had heard it was a lucid state, if not always a wholly sensible one. At the very least we've proven it's malleable, which matches what I know of 'normal' lucid dreaming. I do wonder how much it varies depending on the place from which you enter, but that much can't quite be tested right now." All of the questions she'd immediately want answered demanded comparison with other points of Dreaming. Well, there had been multiple arches: there would be time.

"I'll let you know," Solomon said, vaguely amused but thinking of the toll the khajbit and the death-plane took. It was quite possible he'd need Raine's aid, if not interference.

He rose when she did, looking around. "It does imply solidity is possible; this area is obviously sectioned off from the rest of the city. It was probably deliberately created or cordoned off by the monks." Solomon shook his head. "Still, not a question that can be answered here, and I do believe I've had enough of mushrooms for the moment."

While perhaps not quite as adept at interfering as her impetuous students, Raine could definitely provide both interference and aid, as appropriate.

"They do become monotonous after a while," Raine agreed, a little dryly. "A moment, then, and I'll accompany you back the way we came." She hadn't forgotten the idea floated earlier, and she began briefly to cast. White light spun for a few seconds before vanishing, without the usual payout of an arte. Her hands and staff retained the faintest of glows when she was done, and, with a little smile, she started walking back.

EVENT | LANDFALL | VALISHAERA

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