Gravedigger Quest

[X] Chloe knows things about voices in your head, get her help

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Magic theory, it turned out, was hard. Doubly so when the only knowledge one had was half formed echoes from an unfortunate aspirant, and triply so when one heard voices from beyond the grave. In other words, Lirra, who was holding her head with one hand while the other tried to keep notes of the teacher's droning, was not having a good time.

"... and as the experiment proved, purely Luceacere beings were unable to use the Art, while Obscuracere ones did so without thought, inferring some manner of contamination in thaumaturgically gifted humans. As always, the ignorant masses acted in haste and it was a long time until need turned persecution into acceptance. Even then the theocracy of Amessa foolishly never fully embraced the use of mages, preferring their many priests, which greatly influenced the foundations of the Maathian style. Naturally, this has changed again recently, although their lack of magical history is quite a handicap, pushing them towards their so-called 'science' rather than proper, well documented spellcraft."

Lirra looked cross eyed at her notes before hesitantly writing 'no maj in amesa becos infection?' down and hoping that this bit of history would never be relevant to her as she'd already forgotten most of it. After a short deliberation, she picked her quill back to add another three question marks for good measure. That done, her eyes wandered a few rows lower in the amphitheatre, where Chloe was sitting. The diminutive mage was nodding off, likely already aware of all that was said as it was an introductory class. She was from Maath and it was, Lirra had learned, a city-state made mostly of academies born from a failed expedition to take on the Fallen Sliver spearheaded by mages.

"Now, the…" He sneered and pushed his glasses up "...uneducated among you may be wondering why mages couldn't do their work in secret during this time. Most other Luceacere species are not subject to this, as it is believed that this is caused by humanity standing right on the line between Light and Dark - a foolish theory, of course - but when a human accesses magic for the first time, he is changed. Marked, some would say. Their iris undergoes a thaumaluminescence motivated photogenesis, for some theorize that magic comes from the Dark and the Dark is change itself, as shown by the twisted form its servants take. Of course, this is a rather truncated explanation but none among you could understand the underlying principles upon which even a somewhat simplified form of the complete theory could be constructed. For those of you who believe they are up to the task, I invite you to acquire one of the many tomes I've written on the subject and come to my Supernatural Philosophy class once you've obtained some experience and much, much more wisdom."

The old teacher pushed his small round glasses up his nose again, half hiding a smug smile as he rearranged the pages on his lectern.

"Your academic prospects aside, I am quite certain all but my compatriots here are either uninitiated, Nivian or," he grimaced, as if something foul got in his mouth, "hedge practitioners. As such, let me educate you on the current consensus this continent's various traditions have reached upon the different aspects of magic.

"First, and quite honestly least, is Elemental magic. Now, some might claim its ancient origin makes it more respectable than it is, but all it does is make it laughably outdated and, quite frankly, rather… separate from the reality of things. It follows the archaic belief system of the Rinagi, in which everything in this world was made of a certain composition of five elements: fire, air, water, earth and aether. It followed suit that such things were present in vast amounts in living beings, leading to the Nivian system's… excesses. As it stands, I suppose I must admit it is somewhat adequate when one desires simple, destructive effects, although one would be better served with a more up to date understanding of the Art.

"Now, Second is another rather quaint perspective of the Art in Illusion magic. It is rooted in lies and trickery, be it for or from the practitioner, and I suppose it is a good thing or else they might come to the realisation that they wasted a few years in learning so useless a thing. It comes from the treacherous Fae of Emoulin and its only use is making one thing seem to be another. I know I gave this dubious honour to Elemental magic, but in fact, Illusion magic is quite frankly the least of them all.

"Third is Creation magic. I'd like to tell you more about this so-called "method" but that would be asking more of me than is asked of its users. Frankly, it has more in common with a band of students cobbling together a few tricks from other systems and claiming it something new rather than realising that they had no talent in either of those. I suppose that should you want to have little tricks at your disposal, you can try this, but should you do that, the door is right there and I'd ask you to leave and not return to my classroom ever again, unless it is to beg me to take you back after you realise what a waste of time it was.

"Fourth is one of the two approaches of Maath: Mind magic. Now, I would say many good things about this magic, from its information gathering abilities to its social aspects as well as the fact that it does what Illusion magic wished it could do… that is, if its practitioners didn't all fall into madness. Hubris is the mark of a Mind mage, for in attempting to delve into the mystery of the mind, they all too quickly unbalance, warp or even destroy their own. As talented practitioners are somewhat of a rarity, I would advise you to avoid such an unsafe approach.

"Now, finally, last and certainly not least is the second approach of Maath, the one focused on the material world: Alteration magic. It expands, refines and perfects the childish philosophy of Elemental magic and makes it worthy of existing in the present day. Now, of course, such strides weren't made without discarding some useless bagage, but what it lost in flashy if useless displays of destruction, it made up for in the limitless possibilities afforded to one able to reshape the very reality around him. Should you be wise enough to be interested in this one approach, I invite you to procure a copy of "The end of magical history: of the most potent art of alteration: a study of the apex of the magical arts", a work written by yours truly, and likely one of if not the best."

After this long winded and very much subjective diatribe that tried to pass itself as an explanation, the teacher spent the last few minutes of the class as he did all those that came before: putting himself up and everyone else down while pretending to explain something. Then, to the relief of all present - save for the teacher - the bells announcing the end of the day rang across the Academy and they were free to go.

A collective sigh of relief could almost be heard as the students rose from their seats, stretching and yawning, getting back what few notes they were able to take and talking among themselves.

Meanwhile, Lirra hurried after Chloe.

It wasn't long before Lirra caught up to her; her eyes had barely left her during the entire lesson after all, and the diminutive mage turned to her as she put a hand on her shoulder. Then, after staring at her for a moment through her large glasses, the mage nodded in the direction of a quieter hallway for them to talk.

"Tired?"

The question came as soon as they got there, the mage's slight voice barely audible even away from the hustle of the main hallway. Lirra passed a hand on her face and let out a long sigh, as if trying in vain to exorcise the exhaustion that had followed her the entire week.

"I… yes. This was actually what I wanted to talk about."

Chloe leaned her head to the side at that, her posture almost shouting that she hardly was the one to ask about a good night's sleep, but she said nothing as usual until Lirra continued.

"The thing you did in the forest, with the voice inside our heads… " She hesitated for a bit, unsure of how to say it. "Uh… can it happen… kind of by itself?"

Chloe looked a bit to the side, awkwardly, as if hesitating. Her eyes went from Lirra's raggled appearance to the dark bags under her eyes before she whispered, even lower than usual.

"Crazy people."

"Wait, no, I'm not hearing voices from out of nowhere!" Lirra protested, waving her hands in defiance. "I mean… I kind of am, but it's not really actually from nowhere so that's why I was asking you..."

At this, Chloe's eyes very slightly narrowed and her stance sloped a bit less, a rather massive reaction by the standards of the mage.

"Someone is using..." Chloe's voice went silent mid sentence. Her hand reached for Lirra's and she quickly pulled her through the hallways all the way to the dorms before entering one of the rooms and closing the door behind them.

It was pretty evident with the amount of books and scrolls scattered around that this room was where the diminutive mage lived. One could wonder, however, if this was where she slept as her bed had met with the same fate as all horizontal surfaces and had become some sort of improvised bookshelf. The air smelled of parchment and ink, with a slight undercurrent of incense, much like the mage herself. Chloe pushed some of the scrolls aside for Lirra to sit.

"Should be safe here. No-one to listen in." She massaged her throat in annoyance then raised her hand near Lirra's forehead, silently asking for permission. Then, she lightly poked her with the tip of her fingers. "Is someone stopping you from sleeping with telepathy? Are you forgetting moments in time? Doing things that you wouldn't usually do?"

Chloe's voice resonated clearly in Lirra's head, who startled a bit at the sudden intensity of the mage.

"Well, it all started a few weeks back..." She looked around, hesitating, gathering her courage. "Um, can you… can you keep a secret? That might uh… you might not like it."

Lirra fiddled with the hem of her hood while waiting for an answer. She was nervous and about to do something in the spur of the moment, but Lucilia had accepted her for who she was, and she didn't see how she could explain her situation without mentioning her nature to Chloe. It was pointless to worry now.

Chloe eventually nodded, although Lirra felt something like discomfort bleeding through the telepathy.

"Well, the truth is..." Lirra bit her lips and closed her eyes as her hands rose to her hood. "I'm a Keeper of-"

She was about to bring her hood down when she felt Chloe's hand holding it in place. Confused, she opened her eyes and saw the mage looking away and frowning. She felt the connection between the two of them stop.

"Sorry." Chloe said aloud. "Figured it out. The forest. Unconscious but still hearing. Reviewed my memory. Didn't know how to bring up. Kept secret."

"Oh…" there was a moment of silence as Lirra didn't quite know how to react. "Well, you, uh… so you're alright with me being a Keeper of Gray?"

At that, Chloe smiled and squeezed Lirra's hand.

"You saved my life," she finally answered, making the effort of constructing a whole sentence for once.

Lirra looked into the mage's eyes then they both started laughing, the tension of the revelation dissipating into nothing as they learned that they already knew.

There was a minute of silence as they winded down and Lirra gathered her thoughts. She then started telling Chloe about the last few weeks. From her attempt at meditation to her memory loss, all the way to the voice she now heard, she told her almost everything. Maybe it was the silence of the mage, or the recent revelation that she'd known her true nature for a while and hadn't judged her for it, but as she talked, it became easier and easier to open. At the end, she almost didn't hesitate before telling her of her Mentor, her father in all but blood and only stopped at her guilt for being the reason he'd died.

"And… I started hearing him, talking to me. I usually get something like an echo when I Pyre people, something like their last words, last thoughts, but nothing like this. Nothing like him… talking to me, almost as if he were still here. But I don't know what caused it, and I don't know if it's really him or if I just hear what I want to hear… and I don't know what will happen to me if it goes on, or if I really want it to stop despite all this," she finally concluded, tears gathering in her eyes.

Chloe stayed silent, but kept close to Lirra until she wiped her tears, unable to find the words to help but doing her best with simply being there. Then, after a bit, the mage nodded and her voice echoed in Lirra's head.

"I could try to look and see what happened. I don't know how Keepers of Gray work, but if it affected your memories, there should at least be something there. And if this is someone affecting your mind through magic, I'll be able to stop it." She didn't know how to make her feel better with words, but she would be damned if she didn't do her best to fix things. That, at least, was something she'd learned how to do. "This may feel uncomfortable, please don't try to resist it"

Chloe raised her hands until they were hovering just next to Lirra's horns, as if they were about to englobe the Changeling's head. Then, she muttered a few arcane words and the faint glow of her deep cobalt eyes grew brighter and brighter until Chloe's eyes were a solid glowing blue, visible even through her eyelids.

Lirra's own green eyes locked into that light, and it felt as if the whole world was enveloped in that burning, yet comforting glow.

Then they both fell down, the body of the mage draping Lirra's on the bed, a few of the books falling on and around the pair.

…

Two girls stood on a mountain of ashes. Cinders swirled around them, painting them white. In the distance, they could see massive pillars, once glorious, falling down upon the weight of the ages to join the dust on the ground. Forgotten promises, faded memories and lost dreams. All fell down the same, no matter how big or small, to become one in desolation.

Yet this time, Lirra was not alone.

Almost as an answer to her crown of ashes and flames, Chloe was crowned in stars and reason. A cold, calm blue that jarred with the rest of this world. She was an empty thing, a shell of parchment with only a few clear lines amidst an incomprehensive scrawl and her every breath chased the ash away even as it kept on piling on Lirra. She looked at her.

"Well, this is not good," she simply commented.

Lirra looked around to see what she was talking about until her gaze fell on what should have been her arm. Wisps of ash were forming something that looked like an arm, but never was, reaching out to some unknowable thing.

"I don't know what you are seeing at the moment, but to put it in terms you'd understand, you somehow mutilated your mind." Chloe's pages flapped in the ashen wind. "Your short term memory was affected, and something latched onto the void you created. But that's..." For the first time, the mage's telepathic voice trailed off, her speech that was usually so clear in that form somehow at a loss for words. "What is this? One person shouldn't… no, couldn't. Is this what a Keeper is?"

The parchment that made Chloe in this space started shivering in the wind, a sound akin to thousands of pages being frantically turned resonating, like a flock of birds. Ash crawled up her legs until with a visible effort she stopped and the white that had started taking her over fell away.

"This is… this is incredible, but this can't be good for you," she finally said. "We should look for where you lost that part of you and give it back before whatever this is takes a stronger hold."

And so they started walking, and it wasn't long until they reached their destination. For all that this crumbling place looked the same, Lirra would always know where to find this memory. This warm pillar, this stele that marked the resting place of her Mentor, deep inside her heart.

"This is it..." Lirra said, emotions churning in her chest, rising as she came closer to the pillar.

"Yes," Chloe answered. "A strong memory. One made stronger by adding some others to it, creating a bridge to… another mind? No, this isn't a person, this almost feels like magic, but at the same time… it is not. Whatever it is, it is vast, and the connection you tried is incomplete. This must be why you're confused now. I'm not sure it's a good idea, but I could try to stabilize it, rather than close it. But if I do, you won't get what you offered back."

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[] Sever the connection. You will alway cherish the memories of your Mentor, but the dead are dead, and you yet live.
Lirra will recover her memories and won't risk getting overwhelmed when Pyring ever again.
[] Close the connection. Your Mentor is and will alway live in your heart, but it is time to move forward.
Lirra will recover her memories and will be able to temporarily offer memories to bring Echoes back to the fore.
[] Open the connection. Your Mentor, Ilinca, and even Chloe if you had hesitated a minute longer… Why should you ever say goodbye when they are right here.
Lirra will permanently lose her memories but will be able to sacrifice memories to permanently bring Echoes back as "ghosts" visible only to her. (However, as it goes against every theme of the story, I won't risk it so no, you can't vote for that one.)