121: Ancient Dreams
Chapter 121: Ancient Dreams
REYTH
Reyth didn’t really quite understand who Orpheus and Wryna really were, only that they were somehow ‘superior’ to Akasha’s position. Akasha, who was apparently viewed as a young child by these two, despite her vast power. One part of Reyth’s mind kept telling her to get out fast, to flee this impossible situation and the godlike beings that she’d found herself tangled up with.
The other part of her, the part that acted, only saw that her friend – her quirky, confused, scared, and now angry friend – had just said something dangerous.
Orpheus stiffened. Wryna stilled and stared. And Akasha… Akasha was trembling, and Reyth could see her eyes were moist from the shine their glow carried.
Reyth lowered her hand from Akasha’s shoulder, and instead grasped the other Aravel’s hand, entwining fingers to squeeze delicately. It was a much more intimate touch than any Reyth had initiated before… and perhaps dangerous, considering neither of them had been given a chance to work out their actual feelings. She only knew that it was likely to be the most effective way to calm down Akasha, and that was more important than anything else right now.
“How… and what do you know about me?” Orpheus no longer had the soft voice, instead holding that harsh edge and clinical detachment. With stiff movements, she took one step forward and narrowed her eyes.
Wryna moved too quickly for Reyth to follow, but she was suddenly between Orpheus and the pair of Aravel. The Calen held her hand up, blocking Orpheus from moving forward. Somehow, that worked. Orpheus stopped then and there.
“Now you need to calm. I have questions, but I promised Akasha you wouldn’t touch her without good reason.” Wryna’s tone was also different, serious and firm in a way Reyth had never heard before. Even before Akasha had started using the form, her brief interaction in the baths so many years ago had given the impression that Wryna was a very relaxed and easygoing elf. Or whatever she really was.
Even though Orpheus didn’t move, her tone was low and threatening when she spoke. “I could withdraw my protection now and simply leave. You can deal with this dangerous anomaly by yourself.” Her eyes flicked toward Akasha when she said that, but Wryna was having none of it.
“This is my world, you will follow my rules.” Wryna’s tail lashed angrily now. “I have questions – for her and for you – but here and now is not the time to make a hasty judgement. Accident or not, I created Akasha, and she is my responsibility. Not yours. We both know you need me and won’t make good on that threat. The fact that you’re acting irrationally tells me that she was right. You’ve never been anything but pragmatic, and now you are threatening my daughter.”
The two strange beings shaped like elves stared at one another, and Reyth took the opportunity to look at Akasha. To her relief, her friend was breathing more steadily. Tears were still in her eyes, but her ears were up, and the trembling had steadied. Her hand felt like it was about to be squeezed so hard it would break, but Reyth invoked a minor pain suppression ability she’d picked up and endured it for now.
It was Orpheus who broke first. “You are right. I am not my usual self.” She stepped back several steps and eased onto the rock she’d appeared on at first. “I am not used to a physical Proxy, and my mental exhaustion is reflected. I… misjudged the situation.”
“We will talk about this later,” Wryna said firmly. “I don’t think the details are something a mortal needs to hear.”
Saying that, the elf turned about to face Reyth. “As for you, I don’t know your feelings or what you think of all this. I make it a personal rule not to tell anyone what happens after you die, but I feel I can tell you that I can delay it. I normally don’t do so for more than a single lifetime, but if you should die before Akasha figures everything out, I can hold on to your soul until she does. That could be a long time, though. It would be like a dreamless sleep. You don’t have to answer now, but tell me if you are willing to wait. Praying to Eyssa or Solen will give them the message and they can pass it on to me.”
Reyth’s stomach did a small flip, and her tail quivered despite her attempts to control it. “Are you a god, then?”
The Calen flicked an ear in the negative. “No, I am something else. I speak to them now and then though. Don’t worry about what I am, that is not important for now. Just consider how you feel and if you’d be willing to wait. I can’t promise happiness even if you do this, but if this is what we have to do, then I’ll do it.”
Some elves had wondered if the gods were even real, or some kind of label the System used to issue the occasional Quest. Reyth had now just heard this being openly admit they were real. She wasn’t sure why those two were the ones requested, but reasoned this was not a good time to ask.
Wryna turned to Akasha. “And as for you, young lady.” Her tail flicked as she scowled at Akasha. “I understand you are upset, but you are still new to having a mortal body. Emotions are strange and hard to understand, I know that. I’ve lived more than one lifetime. I’m not telling you to give up on your desires, I’m asking for patience and thought.”
Her ears folded down more sternly.
“You also claimed you did not know who Orpheus was. Now you know more than I do about her. You have some explaining to do.”
Strangely, Reyth felt Akasha relax when that was directed at her. She could only hope this would give her a better idea of what was happening now.
“I don’t know anything you are doing outside of the world,” Akasha answered slowly. “But I can feel… I call them ‘grandfather’ when I touch them. I understand what you do, and what an Administrator is. I know there are other worlds and why you have set up the dungeons. When Orpheus appeared in the world, she entered my domain. I can feel the connection she has with grandfather.”
This was getting hard for Reyth to follow. She knew the term ‘Administrator’ well enough, though the implications were making her a little dizzy. Akasha was the System, that had been hard enough to grasp. Her ‘father’ was something more. And she’d been ready to stand up to him… her.
That was also a little confusing, but she’d managed to understand that they could take whatever body they wanted. Much like Aravel with many mixed genders in their past lives, Wryna probably didn’t think much about whether they were a male or female at any given time. Was it the same for Akasha?
Orpheus spoke again, but this time it was quieter, with a more delicate note to her voice. “Do they speak to you? Say anything?”
Akasha’s tail curled downward in a contrite expression. “No. I get feelings, impressions. Sometimes memories.” She glanced at Reyth, who gave her a timid lift of the ears back, then she turned back to Orpheus. “I’m sorry I yelled. I know you’re doing your best. But I can’t really tell you what he’s thinking.”
Wryna looked between the two of them and sighed. “I can tell we aren’t going to get done what we planned on doing. Orpheus, you are already stretched thin. Go back to my Sanctuary and Duck will find you a place to rest. You will be explaining yourself when I get back. The cluster can get by without your constant attention for a few days of my time.”
The other elf stiffened again, but it was only a moment before she slumped. “Yes, of course. I will tell the others I will be unavailable.” She looked toward Akasha. “Just because something was done, does not mean there were not consequences.”
By this time, Reyth was used to the sudden appearance and disappearance of Akasha, so she didn’t even blink when Orpheus vanished. She just turned to Wryna instead, to see a suddenly very tired-looking young woman.
“Sorry you had to be involved in this,” Wryna muttered toward Reyth. Before Akasha could protest, Wryna held up a hand. “I’m not blaming you, Akasha. I don’t agree with your interest in a mortal, but I understand it. Just let me finish here, all right?”
Reyth felt Akasha squeeze her hand, but the System-girl stayed quiet, as asked. Wryna took a seat on the flat rock where she’d appeared, and in a strangely incongruous moment, Passi chose that time to nose at Reyth’s side for attention. She lifted her free hand and gave her mount a firm rubbing along the muzzle to soothe him.
“The reason I am concerned is because it is short-sighted.” Wryna crossed her arms and thumped her tail on the rock a few times. “Emotions are hard. I don’t feel them as intensely as you do, but I remember having them. There’s a reason my kind has the option to Incarnate… it’s the only way we can truly interact with mortals in a way that’s mostly equal. I broke that assumption once, and the entire world is feeling the aftereffects.”
She sighed. “But I’m not going to lecture you on that. What you need to consider is what kind of feelings you have for Reyth here. I’m sure you want to pull her into your life, but you need to think about what she wants and needs. If you actually care about her, think about how you’re dragging her into a system that she may not be ready for. Mortals have an important part to play in this world, and you have your own. They may not mix well.”
Akasha relaxed her grip. “You’re actually worried about her?”
“I’m not a monster,” Wryna replied with a snort of annoyance. “Of course I am worried about her. I’m also worried about the world and how this will change it. That’s literally my job. This is especially true of the Aravel, since whatever you two end up deciding… now there’s a memory of it that could last generations. Anyone she bonds with will have this memory and what they choose to do with it may be very different. They’ll be different people, and I am not sure what even the hints we’ve given about how the universe works will change elf culture forever.”
“I haven’t bonded yet this lifetime,” Reyth admitted. “Couldn’t Akasha make it so these memories aren’t passed down?”
She knew she’d made a mistake the moment Akasha’s ears drooped. Wryna flicked an ear in the negative and explained further. “No, she cannot. That part of how things work isn’t part of the System. I could do it, if I tried, but where would I stop? What parts of your relationship with Akasha would you be willing to erase?”
The Calen hopped off the rock and pointed to both Akasha and Reyth. “I’m a little bit of a risk-taker, sometimes… even when I shouldn’t be. So I won’t tell you not to bond. Bond with one another for all I care, I’m sure Akasha can figure out a way to have your child if you want. But before you do that, both of you need to consider what you’re doing. Mixing cosmic and mortal frameworks is bound to have consequences in the future. That will be the power of the choice you make.”
“Yes, father.” Akasha’s response was quiet now, and surprisingly meek. “Thank you for standing up for me.”
Wryna huffed and twitched her ears, and Reyth saw just a hint of a blush there. “I’ve never been a good parent before. I should try to start sometime. And after all the effort I took to prevent this…” She dipped her tail in a sigh. “I’ll be on Downside if you need me. You two figure out what you want.”
The elf vanished, and Akasha’s eyes lowered, her tail swaying slowly. Reyth didn’t blame her. It had been an awkward confrontation, and it was ever more clear that the System, body or not, had little experience navigating socialization.
So Reyth did what she would do for anyone feeling down. She gestured to her mount.
“Want to go for a ride with me?”