Work Text:
At that moment, you could see his soul shatter.
“So this is the power of the Luminary… The key to Yggdrasil’s heart!”
The words were chilling, but moreso the collapsed form of Erdwin seemed unreal. It couldn’t be real. He had been standing just a moment ago, exhausted and injured by Jasper’s spurious attacks, to be sure, but now his chest was a mess, black-tinged blood spreading beneath him. He wasn’t moving, his body too still…
Mordegon’s hand sank into the heart of Yggdrasil, dispelling the vines with the orb he’d just ripped from Erdwin’s chest and grasping the sword within. “The Sword of Light..hardly befitting for a Lord of Darkness, hm?” He smirked and the blade bubbled, burnt, its form twisting into something vicious and menacing. A baleful eye sprung open on the hilt, spinning wildly.
“Erdwin! Erdwin, hang on!” Green light sparkled from Serena’s hands as she called upon her healing powers, fear sparking in her eyes. “You can’t die! We made you a promise!”
Veronica gasped at her twin’s words. Bold Luminary, Yggdrasil’s chosen. Long have we waited to greet you. We of Arboria swear to protect you. While we live, none shall defeat you.
Mordegon seemed to have dismissed them, his fierce gaze fixated on the heart of Yggdrasil below him. He plunged the blackened, twisted form of the sword of light into it, a grin stretching his lips. “Heart of Yggdrasil, yield your power to me!”
A wind kicked up as the power of the almighty tree of life channeled through the corrupted sword and into the evil mage. All around them, leaves wilted and dried, falling from the great tree as if like snow.
“This…can’t be happening!” Veronica gasped, but even as she said it, she knew what she had to do. If Yggdrasil fell…
Mordegon sighed with triumph as the last of the heart’s glow settled into him, his form transforming into something even more hideous, but this time it was Veronica’s turn to dismiss him. This wasn’t going to end well. None of them could withstand another blow, and it was clear what Mordegon’s goal was: the utter destruction of the world tree itself.
No one would survive.
Unless…
There was only one spell Veronica knew. It was risky, she had no time to control it, but there simply was no other alternative. She grasped her staff in her hands, praying that Serena had healed him enough, praying that they be sent somewhere safe…
Mordegon laughed as he struck the tree’s core, a wave of black energy blasting apart the branches. Yet in the tumult, six points of light scattered before it, each falling to the world below…
—------------------------------
Rab awoke with a start. His old bones creaked and his back was sore; just how was he still alive?! He groaned as he rolled to his feet and looked about, casting a heal on himself as he tried to turn heads into tails. “Jes’ where…?”
His gaze fell upon rocks, grass, trees, patches of fire and darkness clinging to the ground. No! He couldn’t stop himself from gazing upwards, only to gasp anew, even knowing what he was going to see.
The tree of life, Yggdrasil…gone. In its place a baleful dark star swirled, emanating black tendrils that spread over the skies, dripping periodically. Some of it split apart into a dark rain that sprinkled to the world below, while some of them transformed into flying monsters that flocked to and fro. They flew with such determination that Rab could only think one thing: they were being directed.
Mordegon had succeeded.
Rab lowered his gaze and cast about in sudden panic. “Lad! Lasses! Where are ye?!” The last he’d seen, none of them were in great shape, and worst of all was his grandson, who had…
Rab paused and looked down to the earth with blind eyes. “Oh, laddie…” There’d been no mistaking it. In that moment, as the powers of the Luminary had been ripped from his chest, there’d been a burst. The others might not have known what they saw, but Rab knew. No matter how well Serena healed the body, his grandson would not be waking up. Despair clenched his heart.
Was he destined, truly, to be the last of his family? To lose all - not just kingdom, family, but now also world itself? He raised his head and suddenly glared at the baleful black orb in the sky. “Is that what ye want, innit? Tae see me the last one standin’, tae lose everythin’, afore ye off me too?! Well…I’ll not have it!”
He’d lost so many years already, chasing anything but his duties. But now, there was one thing he could do - a long shot, a prayer to the winds, but it was the only thing he could do. Or perhaps, the only thing he could do…
It took him a few days. He never located any of the others, but he had to believe they, too, had landed somewhere safely enough, as he had. He prayed they were able to hole up and heal, but he had no time to concern himself with them.
He didn’t cherish the sight of the building he made his way to; the gates were reminders of training he had never relished. But it was a relief still to see the temple of Angri-La still standing, in practically pristine condition despite the ravaged land around it. He burst through the doors, demanding an audience with his old master–
“I’m terribly sorry, sir. But Master Pang…is no more with us.” With the fall of Yggdrasil, his master had spent her life to cast a barrier over the temple.
Rab almost felt like laughing. Of course. Of course, one more person he thought he could rely on would be taken from him. No, he had a lifetime’s worth of responsibilities shirked, and now all of it was falling on his shoulders.
“Fine, then!” If this was what had to be, it was his penance to pay it. He pushed into the library, ignoring the protests of the monks as he tore through the tomes, knowing exactly what he needed - a forbidden tome that only Master Pang’s apprentices were allowed to touch. But with her gone, no one could stop him now. He scanned the pages for what he needed, burning the information into his mind, before tearing off yet again, ignoring the yells of protest behind him.
What he needed was the peak.
—------------------------------------------
“So, you’ve come too.”
The voice was familiar, and Rab almost wanted to laugh.
Master Pang tilted her head, considering him. “No, you’re different… Wait, you couldn’t possibly have-!”
“Aye, that I did. I didnae want tae, but there’s happenings wot need even an old lazybones codger like me tae pull their weight,” Rab said solemnly.
Around them, the darkness shimmered lightly with the glow of a protective spell. Beneath their feet was a walkway - similar to Angri-La’s pathways, Rab couldn’t help but notice, but he knew it was not real. No, he’d succeeded in his quest, and ironically succeeded in finding the person he’d given up on meeting while he was at it.
“You’re foolish! Do you think this safe? Go back! You can do nothing to fix the world from the realm of the dead. Get out of here!” His former master raised a hand, impatience and anger plain on her face.
“Wait!” Rab lifted his hands, determination plain on his face. “If ye kick me out, I’ll only come back again, no matter how many times it takes. Ye may not believe me, but there’s something I must do here. Only here. There’s someone I must find.”
“...Is there some spirit you think can aid you?”
“Aye, the only spirit that can. What the world needs, the one who can fix the state we’ve all ended up in…only Yggdrasil’s chosen stands a shade of a chance.”
Surprise flashed across Master Pang’s face. “The Luminary? You seek him here?” She lowered her hand, regret passing over her face. “Then we are truly lost. You know what this place is. If he has passed into this realm, then he is no longer part of the living realm. From here, even one such as the Luminary themself cannot hope to alter the world’s state.”
“Nay, ye mistake me. He’s here, aye, but dead…nay. At least, it’s me hope that it isn’t so.” Rab lowered his hands and clenched them into fists, feeling the sting of fingernails digging into his palms. Even here, he could feel pain… “Mordegon…he took the powers of the Luminary from him, the bastard. And when he did, the lad’s soul was scattered.”
“No…” Master Pang looked shocked for a moment, before slowly settling into resolution as she came to terms. “So that’s what happened. And you seek to find those shards of spirit and make the Luminary whole again, I take it?”
“Aye. It must be done. So don’t bother trynae send me away! I wouldnae stop, even for ye.”
“What a fool.”
“....”
“That Mordegon, he already has the power of Yggdrasil in his hand. Even now, he transforms the sky into a fortress from which to rule this world. You think anyone stands a chance against that kind of power? Even the Luminary? Yggdrasil may have chosen him, but he is nothing compared to him now.”
“WHAT-?!”
Master Pang put a hand to her mouth, her cold eyes cutting him short with a sudden intensity. “You’re lucky. It just so happens that I like fools.” A sharp smile graced her lips and she folded her arms. “Very well. But don’t tell me you think you know how to search so easily?”
“I had a look at some of yer tomes…”
“Oh? You think you’re ready for those books, hmmm?” A sadistic look crossed her face as she eyed Rab, making him flinch. “Perhaps…perhaps. There’s a cost to be paid for my help. If you think yourself so prepared for forbidden knowledge, then I may just collect my dues once you’ve completed your task.” She turned on her heel. “Don’t even think about being late!”
“Y-yes, Master Pa– Wait. …Yer help?” Rab blinked at her cautiously.
“What, did you think you could endeavor to wander the world of souls without any assistance? I may like a fool, but there’s a limit to my patience. If you wish to succeed, you will need my help.” She turned on her heel. “I may no longer live, but even in death I can at least help you track down the threads of your connection to your grandson, and grant you what guiding aid I can to help you return from your wanderings.”
Rab couldn’t hide the relief that settled into his chest. He would have done it anyway, but even so… “It will be good tae have your help,” he said.
“Thank me after,” Master Pang said seriously, straightening. “This is a perilous task you set out to do. Here, I have created a haven for the spirits of the dead, but the darkness presses in. Mordegon spreads a great evil throughout the world, and it spares not the afterlife, either. I have no illusions that at some point, this place too will be found. It is only a matter of time. We must complete your task with all due swiftness if we have any hope of success..” She beckoned, folding her hands into her sleeves. “Come.”
Rab followed her, pacing over cobblestones, past a round building to…
“The auld training grounds!”
Master Pang smiled mischievously. “I couldn’t help myself, I have such fond memories here, after all.”
Rab’s memories of the torturous training she put him under rose unbidden in his mind, and he shivered.
Master Pang continued, “Luckily I did, as this will provide us with a familiar place for you to return to from your wanderings, no?” She paced ahead of him and took her customary place at the head of the training ground, gesturing before her. “Come. Sit. We must use your connection to find the shards of the Luminary. Together, our chances of success will be much greater.”
Rab took a breath and approached, and then knelt before her, folding his feet beneath him as he did long ago when he was under her tutelage. “I’m in yer care.”
“I’m sure you know, but I must remind you anyway: you could very well become a lost soul. You risk much, not only to come here, but to seek even further into this domain. I of course will do as I can to keep you from losing your way back, but nonetheless you may not return. You are certain?”
“Hah.” Rab waved a hand. “Why bother even askin’?” He gathered up his determination.
This isn’t the time for running away. Not anymore. Not while he’s on the line…
“I’ve always been a fool, anyway.”
Master Pang made a thoughtful noise. “Well. You are not wrong in that. Another warning: when you find a shard, coming into contact with it may well cast you into a vision. Souls that are whole are protected, private. But souls broken seek to connect with their other pieces, and so draw in souls of similar energy. You may see…things. Parts of your grandson’s soul, his past, his fears. Be not afraid, but do not dwell too long. Even if there seems to be more to see, if you find an exit, take it. Remember who you are.” She lifted her hands out before her. “Well then. Let us begin!”
A spell glyph appeared beneath Rab. “Aye, I’ll be seeing you soon, I hope!” With that, Rab put his fists together and bowed his head, gathering his own power into another glyph that flashed around him. He held the image of Erdwin, his grandson, in his mind, and like a fisher casting a line, he threw himself into the vast darkness beyond…
—------------------------------
The bait plopped into the water, making a joyful little sploosh. An old man sat at the edge of the stream, looking pleased with himself.
Behind him, a young boy approached. “Grandpa,” he said. “Mum said to tell you she got what she needed from the neighbor so you don’t need to get any of the herbs on your way back.”
The old man turned to spy the young boy. “Is that so! Thanks for bringing me the message, Erdwin.” He smiled and reached over to ruffle the child’s hair, but then the man blinked and observed the boy’s stance. Erdwin was eyeing the river cautiously, scuffing his foot against the bank of the river. The old man’s gaze seemed to soften a bit. “Say, why don’t you help me for a bit, eh?”
“Help you how?” The boy seemed cautious, but eager. He stopped prodding the bank with his feet and peered up at the old man.
“See those rocks over there?” He pointed to some shallows just a short distance away. The boy nodded. “If you look there, I bet you can find me a crawdad!”
“What’s a crawdad?” The boy unconsciously grabbed the old man’s sleeve as he peered around him.
“You don’t know? Why, let me show you!” The old man pulled his line out of the river and climbed to his feet, taking the boy’s hand and leading him over. He peered into the rocks for a moment before exclaiming, “aha!” and reaching into the water, pulling out a small gray creature with pincers. He held it down for the boy to look at.
“See here? This is a crawdad! There’s loads of them in this part of the river, see? You hold them just like this. Careful now, you don’t want them to pinch you.”
Erdwin looked at it curiously, no fear in his eyes as he surveyed the tiny creature.
“Want to hold it?”
“Okay.”
The old man set the crawdad down on a rock so that Erdwin could pick it up himself. He was a bit wary at first, cautiously approaching it, but he still successfully picked it up from behind. His eyes gleamed with success. “I got it!” he proclaimed proudly, lifting it up towards the old man to see.
“So you have! Let’s get back to the line, shall we? We can use it!”
“Use it how?”
The old man led him back, deftly taking the crawdad from Erdwin and attaching it to his line, and then throwing it out into the river. “Like this! If crawdads get big enough, we can eat them ourselves, but little ones like this are best used as bait. See? And with such great bait as this, I’m sure to get a big bite!”
The boy couldn’t help but be curious, but at seeing the river, he took a cautious step behind the old man, putting his arms against his grandfather’s back, as if using him as a shield. “What’s biting it…?”
“You’ll see soon– there!” As if on cue, the rod in his hands bent, and the old man pulled on it. However, even with all his might, he couldn’t get the fish he’d snagged to surface; instead, the line buckled first, the rod snapping straight with a twang.
“Well! Would you look at that.” The old man chuckled and showed Erdwin the broken line. “Been a long time since that happened. What a lucky crawdad you got me! That must have been quite the fish!”
Erdwin looked at the river, curiosity shining in his eyes, then back up at the old man. “Grandad, I want to see the fish! Can you catch it again?”
“Ah, well, not today. I’ll need a new line first.”
Erdwin started to pout. “But…”
“Oh, don’t pout too much. We can still have fun here by the river for a bit.”
At that, the boy seemed to suddenly remember what the river was, and he took a step away. The old man chuckled lightly. “The river scares you, does it?”
“I-it doesn’t! ….A lot…” The boy attempted bravado, but couldn’t help quailing in the end anyway.
The old man looked at the river, the water so calm it was almost still. He wasn’t one to laugh at the boy, however. “That’s right, this isn’t far from where I found you on that day. Are you afraid because of that?”
Erdwin hesitated, then tightened his grip on the edge of his shirt. “I don’t want the river to take me somewhere else,” he admitted. “What if it washes me away again?”
“Oh, Erdwin…” The old man considered, and then knelt down on one knee. “You know,” he said gently, “most things are feared because you don’t know them.”
“I know the river!” the boy protested.
“Ah, but do you? It’s okay to admit if you don’t, you know. There’s no shame in it. I didn’t always know it well, either!”
The boy shuffled his feet, peering up at the old man doubtfully. “Really?”
“Cross my heart. But you know what I did?”
“What?”
“I learned.” The old man winked. “Once you come to know something - really know it - then there’s nothing left for it to scare you with!”
Erdwin looked at him doubtfully. “But, how do I learn about a river? I can’t ask it questions!”
“Oh, don’t doubt your old Grandpa Chalky,” the old man chuckled. “You can learn about it by experiencing it. Don’t worry!” He saw the flash of worry in the boy’s eyes, quickly concealed. “There’s no need to touch it right away. But we can play with it anyway, even without touching it.”
“How?”
Chalky reached down to his feet, feeling around until he found a smooth stone. “Just watch!” With a deft twist, he sent the rock skipping across the calm surface of the river.
Erdwin’s eyes widened. “Whoa!” He looked up at his grandfather. “It flew!”
The old man chuckled. “So it did! Here, let’s find some more nice, smooth stones. I’ll teach you what to do.”
Erdwin grinned broadly and immediately started digging around his feet, casting about for rocks. “Just you wait! I’m going to be the BEST rock thrower in Cobblestone!”
—------------
Rab witnessed the scene from the shore nearby, an invisible observer to the interaction - and a rare glimpse into his grandson’s past. Seeing his fears, his excitement, his curiosity, he couldn’t help but find himself wanting to reach out and pat the boy on the head, himself.
“Oh…what I missed,” Rab sighed.
A door suddenly appeared on the shore while the two hunted for stones. An exit. Rab looked longingly towards the pair. “Ach…but I know my duty,” he sighed, pushing out the door…
He was back to the endless dark. Before him glimmered a golden shard, smooth and curved on one side, sharp on the other - as if a fragment of a sphere, perhaps. He carefully cupped his hands around it, drawing it close. The spell that still encircled him glowed gently, and the fragment was drawn into it.
Then Rab turned and spied what looked like a pale blue rope, tied about him and leading back through the darkness. Ah, yes. His way back. He picked it up and tugged–
—And he flashed through the darkness into a bright gleam. When he could see again, he was kneeling before Master Pang once more.
“Success?”
“Aye, I found the first.”
“Good. Then we go again. Ready or not!”
—-------------------------------
“Haha, Gemma’s stuuuuuck!” “Shortie!” “You’re such a baby!”
The voices were teasing, mocking - the voices of kids.
The scene blossomed before Rab’s eyes. A little blond girl, and a couple older children. Erdwin, too, was there, looking a little older than before. They stood beneath a tree, and from a branch above hung a red scarf, waving in the breeze.
Yet even as one of the older children looked like they were about to approach the tree, Gemma stomped her foot. “I’m not a baby!”
“Oh? But you can’t even get your own scarf back!”
“I…I can too!”
“Oh? Then why ask for help?”
“That’s…just because mum won’t let me climb the tree yet!”
“Well, hey, she isn’t here. Why don’t you show us, huh?”
Little Erdwin looked about, as if to double check that, then rubbed his nose. “I can bee lookout!” he scurried up the slope a little ways, where he could look into the village towards Gemma’s house. He was too busy looking to notice the conflicted look on Gemma’s face as he did, but it didn’t last long anyway until Gemma steeled herself and gripped the tree trunk.
“There you got it!”
“Put your foot over there, you can reach!”
To her credit, little Gemma did her best. She managed to get into the tree’s branches. From below, the older children coaxed her onwards, and even Erdwin looked up from his guard post and gave her a few encouraging words.
But in the end, the branch was too small to balance on properly. Her center of weight leaned a bit too far, her hand slipped against the bark, and then…
“Gemma!”
A sharp, pained cry cut through the air upon impact, and a look of surprise that quickly escalated to horror spread through the surrounding children.
“I…it wasn’t us! She fell on her own!” “Oh no, we’re in trouble now!” “I…I don’t want a scolding!” With that, the children all scattered. Even little Erdwin, hesitating at first, suddenly turned and ran. Gemma was left behind, wailing in obvious pain and gripping her arm. Rab couldn’t help but kneel by her, wanting to put a hand on her to comfort her…
Yet as he reached towards her, she started to fade, to turn almost into a mist. Looking around, Rab noticed the area itself was fading, but the world in the direction little Erdwin had run was still clear. Of course….this was a memory. It would have to follow Erdwin. He straightened and hurried after the child. “Ach, how could ye, Erdwin me lad? Never took ye fer runnin’ when a lass needed ye…”
He caught up at last in time to find Erdwin anxiously waiting at a door while someone inside gathered some items. A quick glance told Rab what he needed to know: this man served as the village healer. Within moments, the pair were hurrying back to where Gemma lay. However, when they got closer, Erdwin hung back, a look of uncertainty and shame flickering over his face, and after a moment he turned and ran away again without seeing the girl. Rab drifted after, glancing back once to see Gemma being taken care of…
Erdwin didn’t run far. He waited out of sight while Gemma, in tears, had her arm put into a sling first and then the doctor carried her away, sniffling. Erdwin waited until they were gone, then came out and scuffed the ground where she’d fallen, almost like he was punishing the ground there. Then he looked up, pressed his lips together, and promptly started climbing the tree.
It didn’t take him long. He didn’t try to stay on the branch all the way to the end, but let himself swing and hang off of it as it got too narrow, but he still got the scarf and then carefully dropped to the ground. Still, he was a child, and his landing wasn’t perfect; he slipped and fell, and paused a moment hissing through his teeth and rubbing the leg he’d landed on. But after a moment, he pushed up anyway, gave his leg one last rub, and then walked off in the direction Gemma had been carried. Rab drifted after, watching as the boy made his way to the building Rab had found him at before once again.
Before he could reach it, however, a person hurried past - an older man, looking worried. “Gemma! Gemma, are you okay?” he called as he pushed open the door, rushing past Erdwin and closing the door firmly behind him.
Erdwin looked at the closed door, and then a moment later there was another sharp cry of pain, making Erdwin flinch. Looking lost, he carefully tied the scarf to the door handle instead before turning and fleeing…
Appearing in the boy’s footsteps behind him, a door rose out of the ground. Rab watched the small back receding, before heaving a sigh and reaching for the handle.
—--------------------
“What is it?” His master’s voice prompted Rab to lift his gaze again.
“Oh…naught but cloud-gatherin. I’m rememberin’ how I missed so much of me lad’s younger years, is all.”
Master Pang snorted lightly. “You became a wanderer after that day, scurrying back and forth hoping to find the reason for it all, didn’t you? You wouldn’t have had the time to give him any sort of home in all that. Don’t you think you would have missed it, all the same? Have left him in the care of someone else so you could go haring off on your little quest?”
Rab coughed, suddenly embarrassed. “Ye don’t have tae be that harsh, do ye…?”
“What’s important is that you focus on caring for him now. Get to know who he is now. ” Master Pang quirked an eyebrow. “Well, that hinges on your ability to put him back together, though. Rested enough?”
Rab stood up quickly. “Aye, there’s no time for idle talk. I’ll be back!”
He walked to the edge of the grounds again, closing his eyes. Another fragment, another spark…he reached out with his spirit, felt the echo from afar...and cast himself at it once more.
—---------------------
A dog’s bark was the first thing he heard, and the echo of pain singed through the air. Rab opened his eyes in surprise - but it wasn’t he who’d felt that. Not really. It was an echo of something Erdwin was feeling, and with a spike of fear Rab cast about to see what was happening.
Erdwin stood, older now, both hands wrapped around a heavy stick. A slime wobbled in front of him in the golden light of sunset, and a young dog crouched nearby, barking at it and hopping back and forth, too afraid to approach but not wanting to leave. As he watched, Erdwin gave a grunt and swung at it, connecting with a dull thud and sending the slime bouncing away.
They were outside the village, now. The distant sound of a stream bubbled some where nearby, unseen as Erdwin gave another yell and swung again, and this time the slime gave a squeak and poofed into nothingness.
The commotion seemed to have caught attention of someone, though, because the sound of hurried footsteps sounded from behind them, and soon a large woman and another villager appeared. “Oh, I knew I heard Sandy. Cor, Erdwin, you’re hurt! Come here, let me look at ye…”
Before they could draw near, though, Erdwin suddenly turned and dashed away. Uncertain, the dog looked between them, and then jogged after.
“Erdwin!” The lady made to follow, but the other villager grasped her arm. “Amber, you shouldn’t go so far out of town. Let’s get some of the guys-”
“The guys! Oh, go get them if ye wan’, I’m still going after ‘im. He’s my boy!”
“But-” They gave a frustrated sigh. “Ach, jes’...have a care. I’ll send the boys after ye!”
Amber laid a hand on his arm in thanks, and both she and the unseen Rab hurried after Erdwin.
They found him next to a familiar river, at the base of a waterfall. Rab looked at the pool, recognizing it and the figure sitting on the large triangular stone nearby, curled up with knees to his chest and idly turning a stone in his hand. The dog lay on the ground beside the rock.
Amber paused a little ways away, her worried face softening and she gave a soft sigh. Then she approached slowly, bending down to give the dog a pat, sitting down beside it with a soft oof. Erdwin’s head bowed a little more, clearly hearing her but not wanting to look at her.
“There, there, Sandy, ye did a great job.” Amber looked across to Erdwin, and put her hands on her hips. “Looks like there’s someone else here who could use a scolding, however. Jes’ what were ye thinking, runnin’ away from me when ye’re all banged up, now? That’s hardly what I raised ye like.”
Rab turned his eyes onto the woman, taking in her simple clothes, well cared for but humble in cut. Despite her words, it was clear her gaze was a caring one - even if it brooked no nonsense. It seemed to elicit a response in the lad, however, and he reluctantly unfolded and climbed down, walking over and sitting down next to her, still not meeting her gaze. He lifted an arm, a scuff mark on it, which Amber took. From her skirts she produced a handkerchief, which she carefully wrapped around and tied off.
“There, now. Feelin’ better?”
Erdwin took his arm back and looked at it before he put it over his knees and dropped his head into his lap.
Amber sighed and shifted. “....It’s hard, isn’t it. I know he loved this spot as much as the ol’ river south of town. Ye miss him, don’t ye…I do too, every day.” She reached over to rub Erdwin’s back. “Oh, papa…. He lived a right good life, he did. I still remember when we first came to Cobblestone, all those years ago. You were just a babe, but what a bright light in our lives.” She tugged him over, and he dutifully leaned into her side, even if he didn’t uncurl. “He never said it, but having you around gave him so much joy. You give me joy, too! And you know what?”
Erdwin lifted his head at last, looking up at his mother with doubtful curiosity, to be met with her warm, if sad smile. “If you live with his words in your heart, he’ll never truly be gone. No? Come, look at me.”
Erdwin slowly pushed up, twisting to look at her better.
“Go on, say them. What did he always teach ye?”
Erdwin’s gaze drifted down as he pulled up the memory, and he finally spoke, his voice slow. “Don’t waste time bearing grudges…live life with love in your heart.”
“It always saw me right,” Amber replied gently. She reached up to rest a hand on his head, and the young Erdwin suddenly threw his arms around her, burying himself into her embrace. The two hugged for a long moment, granting each other consolation, neither of their eyes staying dry. Seeing the hug, even the dog at their side got up and nosed in too…
…and on cue, a door suddenly coalesced in the air behind them. Rab hesitated, looking at the embrace and hearing the muted hiccups of tears, spying the way Erdwin’s small shoulders were shuddering. Then he turned and pushed at the door, once more sliding into the space beyond.
—----------------------------
Another return, another dive.
Erdwin sat astride a horse, the beast seeming almost too large for the lad’s frame. Another villager had a lead clipped to its bridle, and led the horse a few steps forward. Erdwin seemed uncertain at first, but he seemed to grow accustomed to the feeling with surprising swiftness. Before long, the lead was lost, and Erdwin was coaxing the horse to move all on his own, leaning into the gait and urging it ever faster. His expression, which had seemed closed at first, had transformed into one of exhilaration, his laughter bouncing off the rocks around him...
Another return. Another dive.
“I knew I could count on ye!” A small smile of pride crossed Erdwin’s face as he accepted the praise bashfully, rubbing his nose. At his side was a proper sword now, though a simple one. “Been havin’ such trouble with them critters. But of course, you’re one tae handle any problem. Chalky’d be proud tae see you now.”
The smile Erdwin gave somehow became…quieter. Almost calm. But he nodded nonetheless, the glow of pride still lingering.
Another return. Another dive…
The town was awash with decorations, and everyone was wearing decorated clothing. Erdwin walked through the streets with an adorably dressed-up Gemma, himself the handsome picture of a rural young man. Music kicked up, and the villagers started dancing and celebrating. Autumn colors clung to the trees, and lanterns gave the town an ethereal glow…
No. It wasn’t just the lanterns. As Rab reached the door, he realized this fragment was fading from his sight, as if it wasn’t truly…there.
And again…
—--------------------
When he returned that time, Rab found himself sitting and breathing, the training grounds seeming to swim for a moment before his eyes. Master Pang peered at him with a spark of suspicion in her eyes. “Hm. Seems like your time is running out, isn’t it?”
Rab propped himself up on a knee, feeling winded. “The last one was the last one I’d felt. Yet what’s the issue? That last few, they seemed like they were...fading.”
“Of course they are. You think a soul can last after it’s been broken apart? It’s bound to start disappearing. Even if the great Yggdrasil were still intact, nothing would be any different.” Master Pang tsked. “I thought I taught you better. Are you slacking in your studies again?”
“I hardly have time tae open the books now if that be the case,” Rab shot back, dusting himself off.
“Wait. Before you go haring off again - show me how far you’ve come.”
Rab dutifully held up his hand, and from it flowed out glowing light, slowly coalescing into a sphere with cracks running along it. Chunks were still missing, but it was thankfully coming together. Master Pang nodded. “Only a few more to go, at least. Be careful Rab. If you get lost, then you lose him along with you. You don’t have that kind of luxury anymore.”
Rab contemplated the sphere. “How’s it comin’ together so quickly? I haven’t seen that many mem’ries, all told.”
“You haven’t figured it out?” Master Pang waved her hand, and Rab carefully drew the fragile soul back into himself. “What you see isn’t everything, merely a moment that resonates with an emotion. Guilt, pride, grief, exhilaration, love… You won’t see his whole life, just snippets that are important to him.”
Rab nodded solemnly. “Ach…I see what y’mean.” He thought for a moment, hand combing his mustache. “Aye….that helps me. I know what ah need tae look for now, too.”
“Oh? Well then.” Master Pang lifted a hand, her ethereal rope appearing in her hand. She observed him for a moment, then quirked a smile. “Looks like my worst student might have finally learned to follow something through. Don’t forget your promise! Now, get out there. You have more to find.”
Rab expelled a breath and took a moment to center. He let the echoes of the memories flow through him. Fear, guilt, worry, joy…but there were some missing, and now that he knew what he was searching for, he could find it. He would find it - for sure!
—------------------------
The scene that unfolded before him was familiar. With a small jolt of surprise, Rab realized this memory was recent - so recent, in fact, that he was in it.
Darkness enveloped the sloping countryside and made the gray brick path hard to see, but even after all those years the way was clear to Rab. Warm torchlight flickered off the altar and the memory of Rab turned to Erdwin. “You just follow my lead, alright laddie?”
The voice was staticky and faint. Rab suddenly wondered if the gloom wasn’t purely because of the night, but because this memory was getting incredibly faint; this fragment, this piece of Erdwin struggling to retain itself.
In the memory Erdwin nodded, and together they lit the pile of herbs, the smoke rising into the air in a plume. Rab explained. “The souls of those who depart this life must all _________l. One life for _______ of the great World Tree. But _____________ -nae return of their own accord. So our anc__________________ send them on their way…”
The voice warbled as if underwater, dropping out and becoming illegible at times before returning. Rab shifted in concern. What kind of effect would this have on Erdwin later? Was what was forgotten here, would it be permanently lost?
As he worried, suddenly they began to appear, rising up through the ground around them: glowing purple butterflies, fluttering up into the smoke as though lifted on an updraft.
“The _____________________ back to where they belong. To _________________. Each butterfly is a lost soul…and _______________ at peace…”
The number of souls were uncountable; the ritual called them from around the world, and so many had been lost to the claws and teeth of the monsters since the last time the Dundrasil royal family had done this ritual. At the time, Rab had focused on them, watching their flickering light turn into a giant stream that cut across the sky and made its way to the World Tree, which seemed to come alight to greet them. Now, the World Tree looked like a smokey mass in the distance, the stream of lost souls flickering uncertainly. That…that wasn’t right!
He couldn’t sit by and watch the memory be so lost and destroyed. This ritual, this scene…it was an important moment, not just for Rab and the souls on that day, not just as a farewell to parents Erdwin had never met, but on a grander scale - if Rab died, who would be left to carry out this ritual in the future? Erdwin was his successor! Rab reached out, wrapping his hand around Erdwin’s as he stood staring up at the stream of souls.
“C’mon laddie, don’ forget! This moment, it’s important to ye!”
The moment his hand came into contact with Erdwin’s, there was a strange flicker, and Rab felt a sudden, real connection with the environment. Yes…this was it! He directed his attention to the World Tree, and it slowly coalesced into proper form. “There! Yggdrasil was there, just like that!”
He looked around, and frowned at the surroundings. With another assertion, a bit of color came back that he hadn’t fully realized had been gone. There. And now, next up…
His voice sounded again, from their shared memory of the space. “Ye didnae die in vain, Eleanor… Ye saved yer boy… And the Princess… It was a noble sacrifice ye made…”
Erdwin’s gaze suddenly left the sky, turning down to look at the memory of Rab. He’d been so engrossed in his farewell to Eleanor that at the time he hadn’t noticed, his low voice continuing. “Thank you, my beautiful girl…and goodbye…”
It seemed so long as he continued to relive this memory while holding Erdwin’s hand, it would stabilize. Rab breathed a slight sigh of relief, but then suddenly realized something. He could…feel something. Not physically, but emotionally - a feeling foreign to his own relief and concern. A…warmth.
What was this?
Rab of the past suddenly turned to Erdwin. “I hate to ask, but yer mother…she didn’t leave ye anything, did she?”
Erdwin dutifully dug into his pack and produced a letter. As he read it, that feeling grew stronger. Observing Erdwin’s calm gaze, there didn’t appear to be any change, and yet with each moment it seemed to be blossoming into something…extraordinary.
“I’m sorry, laddie. Ye’ve been through so much… But I suppose if ye’d not set out for Heliodor, yer journey would never have led ye to me, eh? Oh, Eleanor…”
He turned away in grief.
“I’m sorry, laddie. I’m going to need to be alone for a wee while…”
Looking at his own grieving form, staring up at the smoke - now devoid of butterflies, their flight past by now - Rab suddenly felt that feeling solidify. He recognized it for what it was, now, and he released Erdwin’s hand in surprise.
It was love.
Erdwin of the past merely watched him for a moment longer, a single late butterfly flickering above them, before turning and giving him some space, slowly walking away. As always, a door appeared from the gloom, in time with a mist. The memory…this part of soul was fading quickly. Rab quickly grasped the handle, but then turned at glanced at that receding back.
Of all the memories to hold the place of ‘love,’ … “Why one of me?”
Staying here would help no one, though. He shook his head and pushed the door open.
—----------------------------------------
The fragment that hovered in the air this time felt all the more fragile than usual. Its edges seemed less solid than before, almost wispy as Rab wrapped his hands around it. “Come now, laddie, back ye get.” It swirled into him, and Rab breathed a sigh of relief. Then he looked down and tugged on the rope, and with a rush, he felt himself get dragged back one last time.
“So, that’s it then?” Master Pang gestured, and Rab wearily climbed to his feet. He lifted his hand, and soon the gentle gold sphere appeared there once more. Master Pang leaned down to look at it, a thoughtful look on her face, and after a moment she pointed at it.
“It’s still missing a part.”
“No! But I’ve already gone tae all the places I felt. If there’s still parts missing…” Had some parts of him faded away completely? What would that mean? Despair trickled into his chest like a choking vine.
“Hm, no… Actually I believe you have found all the parts - of this boy’s soul, that is.”
“What?” Hope and confusion and wariness warred across Rab’s face. “How can ‘e be missing a piece, yet still be whole?” As he mused, the answer came to him, and he looked up at Master Pang with sudden understanding. “Ye don’t mean…!”
“Ah, there’s my pupil. Yes.” She reached a gentle hand out and pointed towards the center of the sphere. “In the heart of his soul - that was where the powers of the Luminary resided. Without it, he is still incomplete. It was a part of him, after all - and losing it caused the rest of his soul to shatter apart to begin with. However, you won’t be able to find those powers here in the afterlife.”
“Mordegon!” Rab spat the name out like a dark curse.
“Still, with what you have here, the boy should be able to awaken again, at least. I daresay he will need it; the living world is tumultuous. From what I have seen, monsters have grown ever stronger with Yggdrasil’s collapse, and Mordegon’s forces scour the world for survivors. Wherever he is, if his body has been destroyed, then this soul will return here apace. Yet we have no choice - we cannot keep him here. He must return.”
Rab suddenly felt a pang. He pulled the soul back towards him, resting his hand on it gently. How harshly the world had treated his grandson, and how much pain he must have gone through…but he had to get up to face it again. “He’s a strong laddie. I know he’ll do me proud.”
“Much more than you have me, I daresay.” Master Pang reached over, and exuded a gentle light down onto the soul. Under it, the cracks along its surface slowly melted away. “There. At the very least, I’ve reinforced him; it will be hard to shatter him again. Now, Rab, you must go to the entrance and release him. If his body survives, it will find its way there on its own; if it does not…well, he will remain here, and all will truly be lost.”
The two made their way across the grounds, back to the walkway where Rab had initially appeared. With an apprehensive sigh, Rab lifted the soul and held it up into the gap, feeling the surface of consciousness at his fingertips, and released.
The golden glow slipped out of his fingers and hovered there for a breathless moment, just long enough to make Rab’s heart start to grow in fear, but then it gave a soft pulse and drifted away, gaining speed as it went and fading out of sight. Rab sighed a breath of relief and turned.
“I thank ye, Master. It would’ve been a right ordeal tae do this on me own. I better get after ‘im; he’ll need me help-” He turned back towards the exit, only to get stopped by something. He looked down, finding a familiar rope around his middle. Before his surprise could manifest, his master’s voice cut coolly into his ears.
“You think you can just leave? No, no, my foolish pupil… you still have a promise to keep.”
Dread trickled into his veins. “P…promise…?” He gulped. “C..couldn’t it wait? I’m needed…”
“Hah! You think I’d let you go so easily, after you’ve actually done the work to come here? Just when would I even see you again, hm? You really think you can so freely enter and exit the world of the dead? Even you can be so foolish as that!” The rope gave a sharp tug at her words, and Rab found himself dragged back. “Come along! You have training to do!”
—--------------------