♫ Into the Unknown ♫

How long had it been? A few days? Weeks? It couldn't have been a month. Time was hard to track for the angelic spirit. The enigma even among her own kind. Or rather, the supernatural category that normal mortals would have labeled her as such. Still, no matter the amount of time that had elapsed the memory was fresh. The brief encounter with the necromancer brought... discontentment to Eyir. That was quite a feat. She was always content. Unnerved. Passive. The dark mage had disrupted the existence she had made routine for centuries in just mere minutes. Perhaps it was because she had never encountered one before then. While she did know all too well their strengths and her possible vulnerability around them it was never put to the test. Now she knew for sure. The threat he had given before departing was one that had to be taken seriously. Just in case.

Allowing her to leave to become stronger had been his intent. The problem with his return could be solved if she just remained as she was. Weak. Others in her place might have been quite satisfied with that solution if it meant they would be safe from a necromancer stalking them. Eyir did not have that luxury. She could feel the essence of her spirit weakening. Fading away. The angelic spirit had already spent centuries being idle. To remain in the world of the living required more power. Her spirit and soul required fuel. The magical energies of the world would be enough for that. She only needed to be able to tap into it and absorb it. But, it was blocked. Her ability to complete the process in greater amounts was limited and slow. Becoming stronger was the only way she could think of to break that barrier and absorb more. That, too, was a slow process, but she knew it was working. Her powers had increased since joining the ranks of Luminous Rose. She could feel it. Though, it was not enough. Not yet. The pull of the realm of death was still strong. Its call to her soul still loud. Eyir was not ready to return to that place she feared.

Two problems were now threats to the future of her existence. At least in the case of the necromancer she had time. Focusing on the other might be enough to deal with both issues. And so, Eyir had turned to the libram that she had found, left behind for her by Havardr. It contained no answers. Only blank pages to reveal once it believed that she was ready. She would be acquiring no help chasing that route. Eyir did not personally know anyone else that would have suggestions or answers. Her guildmates and leaders she was distant from, but even then she could not entertain the thought that they knew anything that would be considered helpful. Or that they knew anyone who would be. Many of them had talents of a different kind, and thus a particular set of knowledge and experiences. She'd disbelieve it if she were told otherwise. Besides, it was not something she wanted to just put out there at random.

No. Instead Eyir had a different idea. There were the ancient souls of the world. Ones that had been wandering since the dawn of time. Of course, she doubted she'd get the attention of one quite so old. Communication with them was rare. Their wisdom and guidance even less so. Eyir would settle for the younger ones. Still considered ancient but still young by comparison. They were easier to track and communicate with. Eyir knew just where to get started. Although she was not sure why or how she knew. The knowledge was just there, inviting her to make use of it and travel into the unknown.

Away from Ishgar the call had taken the angelic spirit. Across the vast oceans of Earthland she soared until reaching an ancient and hidden land that not many alive would know existed. In fact, the land was one that no one would find unless it wanted them there. Even for Eyir it did not appear until she was near. To consider it an official landmark of the world would be a stretch. The land was magical, living, with its own soul and intent. But, the land was not what she was there for. It was the wandering spirits that had made themselves at home there long ago.

The sky had darkened since she had departed, or maybe that was how that land always was. Grey clouds covered the landscape high above, eclipsing whatever sunset that would have normally been painted upon it. To some, it might have been gloomy, depressing, sad, perhaps even eerie. Eyir would agree. Even she could feel those emotions radiating from the land she now touched. There was no happiness to be found there. Not from the land or of the souls that existed there.

The moment Eyir made her soft landing the land around her sparkled with light as thousands of souls that took the shape of orbs swarmed and spread out. They were weaker and more minor souls. Just like the typical ones she would have found in Ishgar. They would not be helpful for her plight and only served to be a nuisance instead as their voices pierced loudly through Eyir's mental defenses. It was... painful. Eyir stepped back and slightly crouched as she held the hood where a head normally would have been. Was it an intentional attack for intrusion? She didn't know, and she could not fully decipher one voice from another to understand what they said. Nor did they listen to her. They then began to swarm like insects around her. They were not going to go away or become idle. Eventually, she had no choice but to act to stop the attack. In a way that she did not know she was capable of.

During the attack, Eyir could feel her spirit weakening from the attack of the gathered souls. Now she could tell what they were doing. They were absorbing her, stealing her spiritual energy for themselves. The light of her essence was pulled from her armor in streams and her ethereal wings began to dim. All of it being sucked towards the swarming soul orbs as they devoured it. They were starving and craved a new source of energy. They considered her the rare meal that arrived on the silver platter. They considered her as the weak one and would consume her entirely to make themselves stronger. Eyir realized then that her will to exist was unbreakable. No swarm of weaker souls was going to turn her into nothing. The normally emotionless angelic spirit became angry. It was in that momentary state of anger that she finally acted.

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Or rather, something within acted. To claim she was consciously acting would be words of complete dishonesty. The darkness of what lied within her hood came to light partially as two pale blue orbs began to glow. They were what acted as hidden eyes and rare was it that they appeared, and never before had their stare been so piercing or cold. Their intensity grew and within seconds the entirety of her being experienced the same change as something overtook her. The spirit could feel the pressure of magic, but instead of coming from an external source, it was from within her own self. A part of her spirit essence that had never made itself known until then. Right as her existence in that world was threatened.

That magic pressure had to go somewhere and Eyir was not going to attempt to stop it even if she could. Her spirit essence exploded, breaking through the boundaries of her armor and leaving it in pieces on the ground. The shockwave spread further and blew through the air like wind, rustling the trees, parting the grass, and lifting up dirt as much as any naturally passing storm would. That was not the important thing though. Neither to Eyir or the swarm of wandering soul orbs. Her armor acted as a container. It made it easier for her spirit to stay together and not drift apart or away. It made it possible for her to have a will that was much more than the average spirit still lurking the world after death had. Now the container was broken, her spirit free and in the past would have been a severe problem for her. That was not the case now.

Eyir's spirit essence floated in the air just like the other soul orbs. Hers was much larger, much brighter, and its shape irregular. It lacked the perfect sphere shape of those around her. The shape of her wings also remained, but the thin strands took on a new role than just providing light in the darkness or acting as a necessary feature for flight for her armor. It happened quickly. Too quick for the other souls to take notice even after it was done. The strands of light turned into what may as well have been arms for her soul. They stretched and lashed out at the swarm, grabbing one. Two. Three. All of them. Each one then pulled in closer to her own soul body until it was gone completely, having been absorbed and consumed the moment it made contact with her.

Eyir was doing to them what they had been doing to her. The difference is that it only took one of her to devour them all when it took all of them to act on their attempt. Even wandering souls apparently had a predator hierarchy. Eyir just didn't know she was anywhere on that list until then. Never before had she been driven enough to consume and absorb a lost soul. It had never even crossed her mind.

(Word Count: 507
Total So Far: 1646)

The sharp and loud voices of the old souls became silent. They were no more. On the outside world. They were now a part of her own, but as far as she could tell right then had no will or existence beyond that. They were just now a part of her. A fuel source that empowered her own spirit. Even her container was no longer necessary at that moment. The strands and light of her soul stayed together and did not fade or drift in the air to parts or unknown. Its shape was also a bit more refined. Still it was not the recognizable form of a humanoid creature, but it was closer to that resemblance.

Her spirit essence swayed in the air, the sounds of soft chimes following each movement. What was she to do now? Could she explore the area and find the answers she was looking for with her container in pieces? For how long? Only more questions came to mind with what had transpired.

A different chime other than her own called from further within the island. It was deeper, louder, and its voice much more powerful than her own. Unlike the smaller souls that had attacked the larger one was not hostile. Its spirit essence flew quickly from wherever it had been and stopped to float directly in front of her. The red and golden essence contrasted against her own blue streams. Its shape was also more of a wave than anything else and its base covered nearly the entirety of the ground she had once stood upon while in her container. Was it one of the ancient ones she had been seeking for council?

Its light streams touched her own, but not as an attack. More of comfort. Then it pulled away and began to go back into the island, much more slowly than when it had come to meet her. The silent communication told her that she was to follow. There was no choice but for her to do so. She wanted to. There was no malicious intent that she could detect, and even if there were if that soul had wanted to destroy it could have right then and there. It chose not to for a reason. Maybe that reason was because it, or something else, could and wanted to help her.

Eyir followed the mysterious soul, her own blue essence disappearing as she went further into the island's depths. Her armor and container was left behind. Her safety net becoming nothing more than an inconvenience at that point.

(Word Count: 428
Total So Far: 2074)
2000/2000 for A rank Exam

New total for future freeform: 74

Time went on by as the two souls flew through the ancient forest like a passing breeze. Not that time meant much of anything to them or that place. It seemed to almost stand still. There were points where Eyir would get curious and stop, taking in everything around her and wondering further just what the older and larger soul was up to leading her through that nearly completely dead land. A question leaving her would be ignored. Every single one. Instead the other would turn back and usher her forward. Persistently but not overly demanding. It was more akin to a patient mother retrieving her distracted child. Each time Eyir would put aside her curiosity and continue to follow the golden red soul. There was no doubt now that she had tracked down what she had been looking for. It just refused to council her or even allow for a conversation. Was it leading her to another that would?

(Word Count: 160
Total So Far: 234)

The center of the land inhabited only by spirits and souls had been reached. Or, the assumption that only ancient wandering souls inhabited the large island was one Eyir came up with on her own. Upon reaching the land's heart she learned that one other being made their home there. Someone just as old as the spirits there but also more powerful.

Eyir did not take notice of this being at first. The blue misty essence of her soul flew forward in a wavy trail, going above and below the twisting branches of trees that blocked the path. Eventually, the forest changed. Eyir could feel it even before the tree blockade came to an end, revealing the wide gap that served as the entrance to a spring. There was a serene calmness and a peace that no war could interrupt. The moment Eyir's soul got within range of the island's heart she had nearly forgotten what her problems in existence were. Much like the other souls of that island, she now felt that she could remain there for eternity. Never passing on, never fading away, never again thinking about the world or the conflicts that plague it.

(Word Count: 197
Total So Far: 431)

It was a false feeling though. A trap that was more of a web to lure in souls and keep them there if they were too weak of will to leave. The minor souls she had encountered earlier were proof of that. They were hostile and starving for energy to remain in that realm. It was only near the island's mystic spring that those souls would have been content and docile. Eyir would not allow herself to fall into that trap. Even with as little of her original self that remained she still had things to do and goals that had been set. The whole reason she had even come there was to find a way to not fade away or be enslaved by the power of another. Cautiously Eyir followed the elder red spirit to the spring and then remained floating over its waters, mimicking the other spirit that had stopped moving and did the same.

The spring was not silent. There were other souls floating around the spring. The orbs of light kept their distance as they floated in the air along the edges of the spring. Some even flew close to the water or were content to sway much higher in the air. The sounds of chimes and their gentle calls were like music. A song that would never be heard by the rest of the world, and one that could not be sung by that of the living.

(Word Count: 242
Total So Far: 673)

"What have you brought me, Aerel?" The other older presence spoke, now gaining Eyir's attention when before she had not taken notice. Eyir did not quite know what she saw on the other side of the spring, back turned and surrounded by a few of the spirit orbs that floated away the moment they were no longer the focus of attention. The voice was feminine but also deep, and the form itself was also similar to the humanoid females of the world. Yet human the being was not. Or elvish, Joyan, or whatever else existed in the world that she had seen in her years. Granted, this blue-skinned being probably could fit in with the society of Seven. Much of the spring and grove on that mass of land could, although still standing out to be sure. That was as close as Eyir could get to categorizing the woman to anything known in modern Ishgar and even that was a far cry from being an accurate similarity.

The red spirit floated slowly towards the woman and circled her as she turned around to now face the spring itself and Eyir herself. Eyir did not fear the long stare or come to mind it. Not because of some matter of bravery or courage that lay deep within her spirit, but because there was no reason to. She didn't feel hostility coming from the woman. Nor anger, judgment, or offense for trespassing on that land. There was nothing negative or positive that Eyir could feel. There was nothing there. Yet the blue eyes staring at her were calm and soothing. Almost hypnotic. If there was any malicious intent going through that one's mind it was hidden quite well.

(Word Count: 286
Total So Far: 959)

"How interesting. And unexpected." The so-far nameless being looked at Eyir curiously. There were many individuals she had always planned to meet. It was fated that she do so. This soul though, well, it was unheard of for someone not on the list to add themselves. With zero force even. There must have been something else twisting even her own daily fate around. Very curious indeed. The large red soul chimed in a language that was alien even to Eyir, but this strange woman seemed to know it well. The stoic gaze looked up at the soul as it spoke and swirled around slowly. She listened carefully, her expression never changing in the slightest. "Is that so?" The nameless being asked of the soul. A simple chime was given. One last time before the companion that had led Eyir to that spot was dismissed with a gentle hand gesture. The soul left, its misty trail dancing in the air and through the trees until nothing of it remained. It had gone to another part of the land, back to performing its original role as guardian.

(Word Count: 186
Total So Far: 1145)

"You have questions that you seek to have answered here." The woman spoke again, although her attention beyond that left Eyir's direction to focus once more on the spirit orbs that floated back and slowly swirled around her. It was a small opportunity to give herself time to think and wonder. Normally she was well prepared for encounters. She'd know everything that was to come during an interaction and everything before. This time was different. It was random and unplanned. It took place in the middle of nowhere too no less. It was very interesting and almost entertaining. Now how was she to deal with this? Should she be helpful? If so then by how much? Did she even dare to give too much information?

(Word Count: 126
Total So Far: 1271)

"Hmm," The woman thought more. It wasn't that complicated a scenario really but her own indecisiveness was making it that way. She hadn't had a surprised encounter or interaction in a very long time. She had forgotten what it was like to just go with the flow as most did instead of seemingly following a script she already knew beforehand.

(Word Count: 60
Total So Far: 1331)

Eyir just floated there none responsively. There wasn't exactly anything else to do then except wait. It couldn't really be labeled as her having a great deal of patience. Perhaps she did in a way but most of it was just her lacking impatience and the annoyance that came from someone stalling for far longer than necessary. Although, the spirit was beginning to miss her armored vessel. Was it even possible for a being made of nothing more than a combination of soul and spirit essence to feel too light? She was beginning to think so. Her tethers to the world felt nearly nonexistent. It was probably nothing and a normal feeling for most spirits like the ones that were floating and flying around, but there was still that bit of hope that the conversation would end a bit quicker so she could retreat back to a more solid form.

(Word Count: 150
Total So Far: 1481)

"I have decided." The strange woman said after that long period of silence.

What was to be decided on Eyir did not know. The angelic spirit did not even know an inner debate of decisions was going on. Perhaps it had been a selfish assumption but she had thought the woman was trying to decide on how to answer her questions. True they were questions that she did not exactly put into words and ask but as strange as it was it seemed they had already been known. Or so she had thought.

"Decided?" Eyir asked, her voice chiming softly in soft musical rings.

(Word Count: 104
Total So Far: 1585)

"I am curious and so will continue this encounter," the woman answered, letting it be known that one consideration of hers was to just leave. There would have been no answering of questions nor even an introduction of her own. It was rude, but well, she cared not for proper mannerisms.

(Word Count 52
Total so Far: 1637)