[He catches her in what is normally a sun room. Unfortunately for the light-sensitive troll, she has to enjoy it with the blinds all drawn, so it's fairly dim in the room. Peace props her head up on one hand and blinks at Ring-Spirit with her upper eyes, lower eyes firmly closed.]
[She tilts her head at him, looking thoughtful.] Like, injured how, exactly? Because it's like, a difference between how they represent as the dead versus their, uh... makeup.
[ The Ring-Spirit gives a very dry laugh, before crossing his arms with a grimace. He finds himself glancing off to the side. ]
H-heheheh... Oh, it's their makeup. Significant portions of their souls were carved off and... eaten. by something.
[ He swallows uneasily, and then forces himself to look back to Peace. ]
You'd been gone a while. Altair and I found some interesting books in your locked library. At least one said that some people in your world could repair others' souls by taking off bits from their own. I need to know more about the restrictions on who or what can do it, and how.
[ Peace makes a small O with her mouth, not sure how to say "I'm sorry your family was turned into soulstuff." They didn't exactly make a hallmark card for that. She fiddled with a bracelet.]
It's not a library, really. It's a classroom for witches like me who are learning how to do... all the stuff I'd normally be doing at home.
[Wasn't like she could be mad at either of them for trespassing, as she wasn't there, and there wasn't a promise that she'd A: return or B: remember who they were.]
You're talking about the Rite of Renewal, it's one of the things that we do for the dead before they make their final journeys to the Cauldron of Souls. [Peace pursed her lips.]
At home, it's something a witch like myself can do. There are only a few of us in the world, though. I think like five? I suppose if someone had the willingness to carve off themselves to make up a deficit, they could, but...
[Peace grimaced.] There's more of a chance that the person who isn't a which would botch the spell and then you'd have to be culled from the cycle of reincarnation. Witches regenerate their souls a lot faster than your average person. We have to, since it's a cost of doing business. Truly a "live fast, die really early middle age" kind of lifestyle.
[ The Ring-Spirit's gaze shifts away from Peace and instead to nothing-in-particular as he ponders her answer and its possible ramifications. ]
...Hm.
[ Her world's afterlife and his own world's afterlife seemed to function differently to some extent... he'd have to take that into account as he continued his research. He'll need to determine just how much their respective afterworlds differed to make any real progress, but he puts that to the side for the moment, turning back to Peace with a serious expression. ]
And what about something that already exists outside of any "cycle of reincarnation"? Something that can't die.
Does it still have a soul? Because it doesn't matter how long something lives - even if it's forever - if you wreck its anima then you're gonna have a bad time. Ah...
[Peace worried her lower lip in thought, careful not to cut into the plump flesh in her thinking.]
I'm only barely fully trained, and I haven't had to think about it in... In like, two years. It's a lot to remember, and more to forget. But there could be a potential way, it's just considered taboo. And your line is snuffed from rite of reincarnation and the universe chooses another line to endow with its powers. Which is why I don't remember a lot about it. I wasn't intending to really keep that in mind.
I just want to die in my sixties like a normal witch.
[ The Ring-Spirit frowns, but also nods reluctantly. He can see her point... it's not like gods are soulless, after all. If you live, you have some sort of spiritual makeup, and it being messed with would entail risk.
He's also noticed she's speaking of only trying to repair one soul at a time. That could indicate another problem he'll have to work through.
These issues may still be more a matter of conversion from one reality to another than anything else, though. He already knows their afterworlds differ somewhat. What other differences might need accounting for? ]
Does your world have gods? Whether that's what you call them or not; what I mean is higher beings to mortals, entities made of different stuff on a metaphysical level.
In my world, we have many, and the rules apply to them differently from how they do to mortals. Not necessarily exceptions; but different.
[ He's still gathering information, processing it as it's obtained. He's not at the point where he's informed enough to draw conclusions.
...If the cost of repairing Kul Elna turns out to be his own existence, however, so be it. As the Thief King, he'd always expected to be obliterated by his machinations; and as the Ring-Spirit, he's been more than solely the Great Evil God for long enough that even his divine self's priorities have shifted. Himself for Kul Elna is now more than a fair trade in his eyes. ]
Mm... I mean, every universe has deities, but I don't think that mine are real gods. I think our higher powers are more like...
[Man, she hated trying to rack her brain back into her old lessons (lessons she would need to brush up on anyway, if she ever hoped to make it home!) for an answer to a question she wasn't sure there was an answer to.]
Elemental? Or, maybe that's not the right word. Primordial is probably what I mean.
[ The Ring-Spirit looks contemplative for a moment. Primordial forces at the top, mortals at the bottom, the varying types of deity in some order between the two... He might be able to work out some sort of conversion unit. ]
And what of them? These primordial gods: could one of them do this ritual - or something like it? Any idea how that'd work?
I mean, they're primordial. It's hard to even comprehend something like that. I don't doubt they have the power, but I... I wouldn't even know how to start communing to begin with. There might be something hidden in the library somewhere.
I mean, I did finish my training, but I didn't exactly go to Witch Finishing School about it.
[ The Ring-Spirit can't help it. He hisses, almost under his breath; an angry avian noise. His expression shifts through a variety of displeased expressions before he manages to regain some composure. ]
[ He's calm...ish, but still frustrated, and continues with poor grace. ]
...I suppose it's... too much to ask a mortal's mind to bridge that gap, especially if their world didn't have any deities a step below "primordial"...
[She gives him a sympathetic smile, and worries at her lower lip with her teeth. Think, think, think. . .]
I'll tell you what; the next thing I ask for from Mana will be to get back my soul-ferrying powers back. It will take a while, but if you can be patient, they can pass through me and I think that will help... help, uh...
[Peace fumbles for the words, awkwardly.]
...filter them out. Separate them back into souls, at least. If they can't be proper bodies. We'll have to figure out how to get them out of here, though. I don't think you want anyone to accidentally-on-purpose snack on them.
You know how people here can be. Very friendly, until they're not.
[ The Ring-Spirit blinks in surprise, before having to stop and smother the laughter attempting to escape. ]
H-haheheh - h-hffhff...
[ Once he gets a rein on that, he turns his attention back to Peace with a wry half-smile, softening. ]
My thanks for the offer, but there's ninety-nine of them, and very little of each left. If we're using anyone's life force for this, lets go with the god, hn? We might not know all the ins and outs of the "how" at the moment, but there's bound to be more raw material to work with.
[ She waved her hand slightly, ] A witch can send over 5,000 souls in her lifetime, what's another 99? But sure, we'll figure out how to use a god to power through them.
I mean, they might be able to piece them back together better than I could. But if it doesn't work, I'm happy to help, you know?
H-heh... yes, maybe I could, if I knew the mechanics...
[ Surprise, the god in question is also him.
...He'd had hopes she could fill him in better on the basics, but perhaps she has a point. Maybe he should find more concrete details to start from, before asking more questions. ]
I take it you wouldn't mind if I looked through your library for more leads, then? I do already know some soul-related magic from home -[or at least he had at one time, he's not sure how many of those memories he can recover ]- it's just in my world, we didn't have the specific process you've described.
Edited (fixed a redundancy) 2022-07-29 21:47 (UTC)
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no subject
Yeah, what's up?
no subject
If we were in your world, how hard would it be for me to heal injured souls?
[ There, perfect. ]
no subject
[She tilts her head at him, looking thoughtful.] Like, injured how, exactly? Because it's like, a difference between how they represent as the dead versus their, uh... makeup.
[peace gives him a long look.]
Why are you asking me, anyway?
no subject
H-heheheh... Oh, it's their makeup. Significant portions of their souls were carved off and... eaten. by something.
[ He swallows uneasily, and then forces himself to look back to Peace. ]
You'd been gone a while. Altair and I found some interesting books in your locked library. At least one said that some people in your world could repair others' souls by taking off bits from their own. I need to know more about the restrictions on who or what can do it, and how.
feel free to ignore this, i apparently lost it.
It's not a library, really. It's a classroom for witches like me who are learning how to do... all the stuff I'd normally be doing at home.
[Wasn't like she could be mad at either of them for trespassing, as she wasn't there, and there wasn't a promise that she'd A: return or B: remember who they were.]
You're talking about the Rite of Renewal, it's one of the things that we do for the dead before they make their final journeys to the Cauldron of Souls. [Peace pursed her lips.]
At home, it's something a witch like myself can do. There are only a few of us in the world, though. I think like five? I suppose if someone had the willingness to carve off themselves to make up a deficit, they could, but...
[Peace grimaced.] There's more of a chance that the person who isn't a which would botch the spell and then you'd have to be culled from the cycle of reincarnation. Witches regenerate their souls a lot faster than your average person. We have to, since it's a cost of doing business. Truly a "live fast, die really early middle age" kind of lifestyle.
no worries! excited for this \o/
...Hm.
[ Her world's afterlife and his own world's afterlife seemed to function differently to some extent... he'd have to take that into account as he continued his research. He'll need to determine just how much their respective afterworlds differed to make any real progress, but he puts that to the side for the moment, turning back to Peace with a serious expression. ]
And what about something that already exists outside of any "cycle of reincarnation"? Something that can't die.
\o/
[Peace worried her lower lip in thought, careful not to cut into the plump flesh in her thinking.]
I'm only barely fully trained, and I haven't had to think about it in... In like, two years. It's a lot to remember, and more to forget. But there could be a potential way, it's just considered taboo. And your line is snuffed from rite of reincarnation and the universe chooses another line to endow with its powers. Which is why I don't remember a lot about it. I wasn't intending to really keep that in mind.
I just want to die in my sixties like a normal witch.
no subject
He's also noticed she's speaking of only trying to repair one soul at a time. That could indicate another problem he'll have to work through.
These issues may still be more a matter of conversion from one reality to another than anything else, though. He already knows their afterworlds differ somewhat. What other differences might need accounting for? ]
Does your world have gods? Whether that's what you call them or not; what I mean is higher beings to mortals, entities made of different stuff on a metaphysical level.
In my world, we have many, and the rules apply to them differently from how they do to mortals. Not necessarily exceptions; but different.
[ He's still gathering information, processing it as it's obtained. He's not at the point where he's informed enough to draw conclusions.
...If the cost of repairing Kul Elna turns out to be his own existence, however, so be it. As the Thief King, he'd always expected to be obliterated by his machinations; and as the Ring-Spirit, he's been more than solely the Great Evil God for long enough that even his divine self's priorities have shifted. Himself for Kul Elna is now more than a fair trade in his eyes. ]
no subject
[Man, she hated trying to rack her brain back into her old lessons (lessons she would need to brush up on anyway, if she ever hoped to make it home!) for an answer to a question she wasn't sure there was an answer to.]
Elemental? Or, maybe that's not the right word. Primordial is probably what I mean.
no subject
Mine has those, but lesser gods as well. Hm...
[ The Ring-Spirit looks contemplative for a moment. Primordial forces at the top, mortals at the bottom, the varying types of deity in some order between the two... He might be able to work out some sort of conversion unit. ]
And what of them? These primordial gods: could one of them do this ritual - or something like it? Any idea how that'd work?
no subject
I mean, I did finish my training, but I didn't exactly go to Witch Finishing School about it.
1/3
Tch!
2/3
...I suppose it's... too much to ask a mortal's mind to bridge that gap, especially if their world didn't have any deities a step below "primordial"...
[ He makes another disgruntled bird noise. ]
3/3
Unthinking of his expression, he asks Peace, reluctantly: ]
...You have any ideas? I have to repair them - if not all the way, then... any amount would be better than how they are now.
I have to do something for them.
They're my family, and they're my responsibility.
[ He says that as if the two points aren't actually connected. ]
no subject
I'll tell you what; the next thing I ask for from Mana will be to get back my soul-ferrying powers back. It will take a while, but if you can be patient, they can pass through me and I think that will help... help, uh...
[Peace fumbles for the words, awkwardly.]
...filter them out. Separate them back into souls, at least. If they can't be proper bodies. We'll have to figure out how to get them out of here, though. I don't think you want anyone to accidentally-on-purpose snack on them.
You know how people here can be. Very friendly, until they're not.
no subject
H-haheheh - h-hffhff...
[ Once he gets a rein on that, he turns his attention back to Peace with a wry half-smile, softening. ]
My thanks for the offer, but there's ninety-nine of them, and very little of each left. If we're using anyone's life force for this, lets go with the god, hn? We might not know all the ins and outs of the "how" at the moment, but there's bound to be more raw material to work with.
no subject
I mean, they might be able to piece them back together better than I could. But if it doesn't work, I'm happy to help, you know?
no subject
[ Surprise, the god in question is also him.
...He'd had hopes she could fill him in better on the basics, but perhaps she has a point. Maybe he should find more concrete details to start from, before asking more questions. ]
I take it you wouldn't mind if I looked through your library for more leads, then? I do already know some soul-related magic from home -[or at least he had at one time, he's not sure how many of those memories he can recover ]- it's just in my world, we didn't have the specific process you've described.